Prison Ministries

Archive for the ‘Devotionals’ Category

Read Luke 12:42-48, Psalm 132
Missed Opportunities

“I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26

God showered down manna from heaven daily to feed the children of Israel. They had to use it or lose it because it could not be hoarded, stored, or saved.

God sends us showers of blessings daily including the opportunities to be blessed by being a blessing to others. We have to use or lose these opportunities because many of them must be taken advantage of or lost when they are offered.

Self centeredness is probably our biggest “blessing buster.” We all too often are so preoccupied in our own agenda that we miss out on many of God’s “divine appointments for blessings.”

Jesus stands at the door and knocks offering His wonderful gift of eternal life, and people are so engrossed in themselves that they don’t even hear the knock and miss out on the real opportunity of this lifetime.

We miss out on opportunities to share our faith because we are not prepared to “give an account of the hope that is within us” when we get the opportunity and don’t even realize it until it has passed.

We often hoard the material, relational, physical, and gift abundance that God has given us so that we can be generous on all occasions and fail to meet His expectations for those to whom He gives and expects much.

There are showers of blessatunities to pass on by reflecting God’s love through random acts of kindness, mercy, forgiveness, patience, generosity, and service to others every day of our lives. We need to soak them up and wring them out to those God places in our paths or hearts each day.

Father help me to always remember that You have blessed me so that I can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Read Luke 11:39-44, Proverbs 28
Just A Little Bit More

“O God, I beg two favors from You before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny You and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.” Proverbs 30:7-9 NLT

To the greedy, how much is enough is always “just a little bit more.” Even the ungreedy often have a difficult time distinguishing between wants and needs.

We live in a consumer-driven economy that is based on creating a demand and then supplying that demand, and everything is made to look and sound so appealing.

Whether the world or the devil is doing the tempting, it is hard to resist the promise of the beer ads for fun and adventure, the car ads for the hemi, or for more power, more of everything, shampoo for beautiful hair,etc.

All we have to do is discard our old and try the new and improved.

Satan will often plant seeds of dissatisfaction with our jobs and even our marriages to get us looking for “just a little bit more” happiness.

Sometimes we are so focused on seeking “just a little bit more” that we have it made and don’t even know it until we mess up and realize too late how good we really had it.

Generosity is one of the best antidotes for greed that has ever been invented. It also opens up the flood gates of God’s blessings with which He wants to bless us.

What we really need to understand is that our worth and wealth is not based on what we have but on Who we have. We can always be greedy for “just a little bit more” of Jesus!

Father, help me to be like Paul and learn to be content and filled with Your peace and joy, no matter what my worldly circumstances. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read 2 Corinthians 4, Isaiah 43

It’s So Good to Know!

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 NLT

If we have never wandered aimlessly lost, we should thank God that we have been spared the futility of a life apart from God. If we have known the feeling of being lost, we should thank God that He has put us on the right path through this barren wilderness of sin.
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Read James 1, Psalm 107
Is God a Legalist?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

“Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.” Psalm 107:43 NLT John 10:10, 11

Where does anyone get the idea that God is a kill joy? Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than rob us of joy and pleasure, God’s moral code is designed to lead us to know joy to the fullest.

In the area of sexuality, university studies show that people who live out their sexuality God’s way report 39% higher sexual enjoyment, far fewer divorces, and far fewer problems with adultery, disease, and guilt.

When it comes to enjoying life to its fullest, Jesus reminds us that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Financial wealth has no real value apart from a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21 NLT).

If we parents, being evil, try to protect our children by setting limits for them, how much more does our Heavenly Father protect us by providing us with a moral code designed to help us live life to the fullest God’s way.

God blesses us when we are meek, humble, and pure in heart, when we thirst after righteousness, and when we are peacemakers.

Would a kill joy come to earth as a man, live a perfect life, and suffer the torments of hell in order that we might escape the torments of hell?

Father, thank you for loving me enough to not only die for me but to show me how to live life to the fullest in Your peace and joy. Amen. In Jesus’ name, Amen