Community Devotions

Filter By:
in Promise

Not One Word

main image
SCRIPTURE

Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass - Joshua 21:45

 

OBSERVATION

Let that settle--Not one word. Not a single word of all the good promises God made failed. Every single word came to pass. Notice that it is every word of the “good” promises that did not fail. In other words, God fulfilled every single positive promise of blessing, fruitfulness and life when the people obeyed. The thing is, God also made “bad promises” but He did not follow through on every single word of them. When the people failed, disobeyed and rebelled they were supposed to suffer the full gamut of the negative consequences yet God chose mercy and withheld punishment. When it came to promises that would only fully benefit His people He fulfilled every single word. When God swore to give their fathers the land, He made good on that promise by them taking possession of it and settling there (Joshua 21:43). When God swore to give them rest on every side, He followed through by making sure not one of their enemies was left standing (Joshua  21:44).

 

APPLICATION

No wonder Paul can say in Romans 8:31 that if God is for us, then who can be against us? The good promise that I need to settle from my mind to my heart is from Matthew 28:20, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus is always with me even though there maybe times where I feel like he isn’t. When I go into the world and make disciples he is always with me through failure, sickness and suffering. Another promise that I need to live by is that His grace is sufficient. When I am inadequate and who I am is not equal to the task his grace is sufficient. When I don’t feel like I’m enough as a husband, father and pastor His grace is enough for me.

 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for being a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. Thank you that your love never fails and your mercies never come to an end. May I always remember that it is not me holding this relationship together but you upholding and keeping me together. Would you grant me grace and strength to be faithful to you and the sacred calling of being a husband, father and pastor? May I always stand strong and live from the fountain head of your grace and promises. Please continue to be the good shepherd and watch over my wife, family and your church. I love you. Maranatha!

Posted by John Danganan with
in Faith

One Thing I Ask

main image
SCRIPTURE

Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple”

OBSERVATION

What’s the one thing that I have continually asked from God? What is the one thing I seek most from him? David continually asked that he can live in the house of the LORD for the rest of his life. One can get cynical pretty quickly from reading the context of this chapter. You can mask it as being a “critical thinker” and reason that David always asked to live in God’s house because it was a safe place for him to hide from always running away from his enemies. David’s predicament of being in trouble (v. 5) is prevalent with ideas of fear (vv. 1, 3), being surrounded by evildoers/adversaries/foes (vv. 2, 3, 6, 12) and being forsaken (v.10). Yet the purpose to which David seeks to live in God’s presence I believe trumps his need of simply seeking shelter—David wants to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD. He just doesn’t want a get-out-of-jail card to escape from his enemies. He asks and seeks God’s presence most so that he can delight and treasure the perfection and beauty of God. He has this insatiable holy angst to behold the beauty of God and meditate in His presence. David is not just seeking a temporary fix but he wants a lifetime of God—“that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life."

APPLICATION

Where is my spiritual hunger and appetite for the presence of God? Is the lifelong presence of God the thing that I seek the most? David didn’t just turn to God as his personal fire extinguisher to “break in case of emergency” in the days of trouble. He had a soul craving to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD. Point of obedience: Have a shift in focus of not just asking things from God (i.e. protection, blessings, health) but asking for God himself. Behold the beauty and majesty of Jesus. Bask in the glory of the cross and the power of the gospel. Meditate and stand in awe of who God is. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

“The one thing I ask—the thing I seek the most—is to live in your house for the rest of my life, delighting in your perfections and meditating in your temple”.

Posted by John Danganan with

12...12131415161718192021 ... 4142