My Redeemer Lives

Ruth 3
¹⁰ Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. ¹² Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. ¹³ Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.”

Ruth had gone to Boaz under Naomi's instruction. Boaz was her kinsman redemmer and as such was obligated by Jewish law to provide and protect Ruth. When Ruth uncovers Boaz's feet she is showing submission and obedience to Boaz and is asking for him to step in as her kinsman redeemer. Boaz comends Ruth for being virtuous and promise to redeem her. Then he sends her home with six ephahs of flour. He has already begun to supply Ruth and Naomi's every need.
Like Ruth we too have a Kinsman Redeemer. When we earnestly seek God's face He promises to redeem us through our Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus. Not only does He promise to redeem us but He also supplies our every need, protects us and has provided and inheretance for us in heaven with Him. Just as the blessings for Ruth from Boaz affected Naomi the blessings God gives us when He redeems us are meant to affect the lives of those around us. Share His message of hope and redemption with those you encounter today!

Father, Redeemer, Provider, I seek Your face today! I long to know You more! Give me the courage to share You with all of those I encounter today, to give them the reason for mu joy and hope, that they to may come to know and trust You! Be glorified in me today I pray, in Jesus redemptive name, amen!

 

Today's Devotional brought to you by Prayer Warrior Michelle Simpson

* Conversion - by Julie Ackerman
2 Corinthians 12:14-21
New King James Version (NKJV)
Love for the Church

14 Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. 15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

16 But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning! 17 Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus, and sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?

19 Again, do you think[a] that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. 20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.


Before my husband and I travel, we go to the bank and trade in our US dollars for the currency of the country we’ll be visiting. We do this so we can pay for expenses while we’re away from home.

When we become Christians, another kind of exchange takes place. Our lives are like currency that we convert from one medium to another. We trade our old life for a new one so that we can begin “spending” ourselves in a different kingdom. Instead of spending ourselves for the causes of this world, we are able to start spending ourselves for the cause of Christ.

The apostle Paul is a good example of this difference. After his dramatic conversion on the way to Damascus (Acts 9), he began spending his life in a dramatically different way. Instead of pursuing Christians to imprison and kill them, he began pursuing non-Christians to convert them. Then he spent the rest of his life for their welfare. He wrote to the church at Corinth, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (2 Cor. 12:15). Everything he did was for the edification of his spiritual children (vv.14,19).

Conversion is far more than just changing our final destination. It’s changing the way we spend each day of our lives.

Lord, help me to spend myself on what will last,not on what will fade away one day.I give my life to You that I might spend and be spentfor others and Your will. Amen.Conversion takes only a moment—transformation takes a lifetime.

 * Taken from Our Daily Bread May 24, 2012

Today's Devotional brought to you by Prayer Warrior Michelle Simpson

Acts 15:7-11
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ[a] we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to Jesus at a young age. I knew He loved me, but growing up I believed the amount of love you received was dependent on who you were, how you looked or how you performed. Because I believed the love of important people in my life was based on these things I also, mistakenly believed God's love was as well.

In high school I took a Great Religions of the World class an decided in order for God to love me more I needed to convert to Judaism. After much research I was disappointed to learn you had to be born Jewish to actually be Jewish. God's chosen people will always be the Jewish people but how comforting these words from Acts are! They assure us that even though we were not born into the Jewish faith, God loves us too and wants us to be with Him for eternity! He makes no distinction between us and them! So deep is His love for us that He sent His only Begotten Son to pay our debt!

Father, how great is Your love for all of Your children whether Jew or Gentile! Thank You that reached down and touched my life! Thank You that You call me Yours! Help me to never forget that! In Jesus name, amen.

Today's Devotional brought to you by Prayer Warrior Michelle Simpson

Isaiah 49:15-17
New King James Version (NKJV)
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
17 Your sons[a] shall make haste;
Your destroyers and those who laid you waste
Shall go away from you.

Genesis chapter one tells us how God created the heavens and the earth. From nothingness God spoke the world into existence. He lovingly and painstakingly created everything to sustain, nourish, and delight us. His hand holds every star and planet in place. Daniel chapter two tells us that God is the one who changes the times and seasons. Job chapters 37 and 38 tell us that God has treasuries of snow and tells the snow to fall and no two snowflakes are the same.
This is the same God who created you. No one else is like you! No one else can do the things you do the way you do them! No one else can reach another person in the same way you can! Just like the snowflakes you are unique! But God knows everything about you. He knows where you are at all times (Psalm 139)! He cares so deeply about you that He has numbered every hair on your head and inscribed your name on the palm of His hands! Amazing!!!

Father God, Creator, I am amazed at how great You are! Who am I that You care so deeply for me? I feel small and insignificant. I may have never done anything the world will remember but You promise You will never forget me! Thank You Jesus! Amen!

"I am NOT having a good day" Part 1

Daily Devotional

Brought to you by Prayer Warrior Jonathan Vasgar

"I am NOT having a good day" Part 1 
 Open Mouth, Insert Foot

 (Please note I will have two versions of this, one using KJV, the other NKJV. If you prefer KJV, please find it on my page)
 

Genesis 37:2-4 'This [is] the history of Jacob. Joseph, [being] seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad [was] with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of [many] colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.'

There's a whole lot to be found about Joseph. Some might say he had a rather unfortunate life, yet as we shall see, it's often in the darkest circumstances that light comes pouring through. But, I don't want to get ahead of myself. Let's begin!

So, for those of you not too familiar with the story, Joseph was the great grandson of Abraham. He was not the youngest in his family, but was close. However, he was the oldest of Rachel's sons. Rachel was Jacob's (Israel) favorite wife, therefore Joseph was Jacob's favorite son. He had given his son a coat of many colors to show how favored he was, which as you can see, made his brothers angry. So angry, they hated him. It got worse though. You see, Joseph was young. Impetuous. And, a bit of a braggart.

Let's take a look at what happens: Verses 5-11 tell us, 'Now Joseph had a dream, and he told [it] to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf." And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me." So he told [it] to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What [is] this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter [in mind].'

Yes, this would come true later on, but that's not the point. Notice how Joseph rubbed his dreams in his brothers' faces. He lorded it over them. He knew he wasn't liked and that he was the favorite, so he decides to tell them his dreams about how he'd be the ruler over them! He took the dreams God had given him and rather than see how he could become the man that would be the leader, he goes and spreads it loudly.

We are sometimes that same way. I know I can be. Someone gives you a high compliment at church and the next thing you know, you are telling EVERYONE how wonderful you are. Being a braggart is not the way to handle things at all. Not according to God who says in Matthew 6:3-4 '"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.' Let God handle your reward, you don't need to make a big show of giving in church or showing everyone how wonderful you are because you serve in a certain position. James 4:6 "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." God doesn't want us to grow proud, He wants us to be humble. If God is using you in a great way, AMEN! But, don't let it become your sole focus. So focused on getting accolades, you miss out on God's blessings. On being a blessing to others!

Do you want to leave a legacy or a tragedy? We will focus on how God starts to use Joseph next, but before you can be used, sometimes you have to be broken...

My prayer for you is that you find the spot where God can use you, whether it be behind the scenes or in front of life's camera, but that you know it's God that put you there. Let His love flow through you. Leave that kind of legacy!

 

 

Meet SCwSGs Grief and Encouragement Coach Shelley Brandon 05/02 by Dr Diane Dike | Blog Talk Radio

Click this link to hear Shelley's incredible radio interview: Meet SCwSGs Grief and Encouragement Coach Shelley Brandon 05/02 with Dr Diane Dike | Blog Talk SCwSG Radio Show

Click here to find Shelley's Blog Testimony

Meet SCwSG Team Member Trisha Barton 04/26 by Dr Diane Dike | Blog Talk Radio

Meet SCwSG Team Member Trisha Barton 04/26 by Dr Diane Dike | Blog Talk Radio

Amazing Interview!