Tag: GodisLove

God Speaks – Hear The Word of God

The Wisdom of the Proverbs:

Proverbs 26:21-22 (NLT)

A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.

The Encouragement of the Psalms:

Psalm 102:1 (NLT)

LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!

The Hope of the Old Testament:

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

The Gospel Message:

Hebrews 1:3 (NLT)

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Observation:

If you want to know God, you can find Him when you look for Him in the Word of God. In the Bible, He speaks with finality through the author of the Book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NLT)

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.

And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.

The thing that God desires for His people is to have a relationship with Him. We can know God through His Word, and we can connect with God through prayer.

When I look at the greatest human needs the one that rises to the top for me is love; to love and be loved. In today’s reading from the Bible, I find comfort, significance, growth, contribution, belonging, and everything I need God will provide.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Prayer:

Father God, my heart rejoices that I am so loved by You and that You provide abundantly, continuously, faithfully, and eternally for all of my needs through Your almighty power.

Psalm 103:1-2 (NLT)

Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

—

1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
10  And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

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How Big Is Your God?

Text:

John 11:25-27 (NLT)

25  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

26  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27  “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

Observation:

The question today is what do you believe about life and death?

What is the source for your beliefs? Notice what the Bible says in the following passage.

John 20:30-31 (NLT)

30  The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book.

31  But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

What you believe matters. If you have doubts, read the Gospel of John for yourself. The stakes are too high to get this wrong.

John 3:36 (NLT)

36  And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

Prayer:

Father God, our heart aches for those who have not yet believed in the name of Jesus as the source of eternal life. Father, I pray for a Holy Spirit sent revival to sweep our country, and the world, and turn the hearts of nonbelievers to Jesus.

Father, I pray that believers everywhere will cry out to You, and share the Gospel of Christ everywhere because we are closer than ever to the end of the season of grace. God is patiently waiting for people to come to Jesus and receive eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

9  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

—

1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
10  And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

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How Great Is God’s Love?

Text:

Psalm 36:7 (NLT)

7  How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

Observation:

This verse is one that cries out for us to STOP. David had seen and experienced a lot of things in his life. He recounts some of his thoughts in Psalm 36:1-4.

The next thing that David did should encourage us. He took the upward look and focused his mind, heart, and soul upon God.

Psalm 36:5-6 (NLT)

5  Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

6  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.

The next thing he wrote grips my heart and nourishes my soul.

Psalm 36:7 (NLT)

7  How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

How great is our God? How great is God’s love? Thankfully, it is not beyond our reach to receive and to give it to others. This is what God has done for His children.

Romans 5:5 (NLT)

5  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Why not share the gift of love that is within you with someone today. You may not be able to see the outward sign of pain, but buried within each of us is some kind of pain waiting to burst out. Do for others what Jesus has done for you.

John 15:12 (NLT)

12  This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Father, we are so grateful to be recipients of Your love.

Father, we pray this pastoral prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed in his day for the Body of Christ today.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT)

16  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

17  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

18  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

19  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Listen to all of the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

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What Do We Need In Times Like These?

Text:

Psalm 133:1-3 (ESV)

1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

2  It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!

3  It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Observation:

It’s one thing to come together for a celebration, and have a season of brotherhood and fellowship.

But, it’s another thing to live together in our families, communities, workplaces, schools, churches, and communities for days, weeks, months, and year after year.

We can manufacture or coerce uniformity, but unity much come from above. The Psalmist describes it like this.

Psalm 133:2 (NLT)

2  For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus describes unity, and how to achieve it in this passage.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)

1  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

3  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Now is the time for God’s people to demonstrate to a watching world by our walk and our talk that we have God’s love within us. Love is the essential in unity, and love is God’s gift to His children.

Romans 5:5 (NLT)

5  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

If you have the love of God in you; why not demonstrated it to a watching world, and a loving God, by loving one another.

1 John 4:20 (ESV)

20  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Prayer:

Father, help us to love one another as You have loved us. Father, I pray that unity will begin with Your beloved children, and become the shinning light in our dark world. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

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Why We Should Greatly Delight in God’s Commandments?

Text:

Psalm 112:1 (ESV)

1   Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!

Observation:

When we look at the commandments of God we see how far we fall short. Then, how can we delight in the commandments of God? I believe the reason lies in an understanding of the purpose of the law. This passage instructs, informs, and inspires me.

Galatians 3:24-26 (ESV)

24  So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

25  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

26  for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Think about this; the King James Version says it this way:

Galatians 3:24 (KJV)

24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The law is like a mirror. We look into the mirror of God’s commandments, and we see our sins, faults, and failures. However, we don’t wash them away with the mirror.

Rather, our sins are washed away by the precious, and royal blood of Jesus when He died on the cross at Calvary.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

When you fear the Lord, you don’t have to fear anything else. Do you trust wholly in the Lord? Ask the Lord to give you a faith that never fears because it believes, and trust in a God who cannot, and will not fail.

 

Prayer:

Father, I am so grateful that I know You; that You are righteous, and good in all Your ways.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Father, I am so glad to know You, and that I can depend upon You to lead, and guide me all of the days of my life, and when this life is over, to receive me in my eternal home in heaven. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

An Invitation to the Whole World to Sing

Text:

Psalm 66:1-4 (ESV)

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;

2  sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!

3  Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

4  All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah

Observation:

This is an invitation to the whole world to sing joyfully to God. Why should the whole world sing praises to God?

The Psalmist gives the reason.

Psalm 66:3 (ESV)

3  Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

God has the whole world on His heart, and He loves the people of every nation.

Have you personally benefited from the love of God, and received the gift of eternal life that He offers through Jesus; the only begotten son of God?

John 3:16-18 (ESV)

16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Father, we delight to join our voices with the saints of the ages in joyfully singing the glory of Your name.

Father, we delight to associate ourselves with singing praises to You, who alone deserve all glory, honor, and praise that our heart can conceive, and our mouth repeat.

Psalm 66:4 (ESV)

4  All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”

Father, accept our praise, and our prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV) 
10   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Who Do You Fear?

Text:

Psalm 64:1-4 (ESV)

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

2  Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers,

3  who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows,

4  shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.

Observation:

David knew exactly what the enemy was up to, and we need to be aware of the enemies we face in our life.

2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)

11  so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

The goodnews  for God’s people is that God will fight the battle against Satan, and his emps. He did it for David, and He will do it for us.

Psalm 64:7-10 (ESV)

7  But God shoots his arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly.

8  They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them; all who see them will wag their heads.

9  Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done.

10  Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!

The bible is filled with the admonition, “Do not fear”. Allow God’s Word to speak into your heart, and calm your fears.

Isaiah 12:2 (ESV)

2  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 26:4 (ESV)

4  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Prayer:

Father God, I lift up, and give praise to Your name. Father, I am so glad that I know by experience that You are an able, and faithful God. Father, I know that You can, and You will hear, and answer the prayers of Your people. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV) 
10   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

How Reliable Is Your Protection?

Text:

Psalm 18:30 (HCSB)

30  God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

Observation:

I’m pretty sure that I could get a consensus, even in this divided nation, that we live in an imperfect world, and that it is populated by imperfect people.

However, there is some extremely goodnews hidden in all of the bad news that you see and hear everywhere you turn. In this noisy world, we need to take a few moments to get away, and find a quiet place to reflect, review, and repent.

Psalm 46:10 (HCSB)

10  “Stop {your fighting}—and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”

Today I invite you to think about these three important declarations of the Psalmist in our text.

  • God’s way is perfect.
  • God’s word is pure.
  • God’s work is protection.

The truth is this: God provides perfect, pure, protection. There is no one you can turn to in this world that can do for you what God can do for you.

What we need in hard times is to hear someone speak the truth. We need a truth teller. Listen to the words from the lips of Jesus that are aimed at your heart.

Allow what Jesus said to His disciples during some hard times that they were experiencing, and hard sayings that He spoke into their hearts.

John 6:64-68 (KJV)

64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Who do you believe? Who are depending upon for perfect, pure, protection? Where is your hope for the future?

Prayer:

Father, I stand is awe in Your presence, and give You the glory, honor, and praise that You alone deserve.

Father, I am so grateful that we have a God in whom we can trust with our whole heart.

Father, I ask for an outpouring of love from the hearts of Your people to a needy world. Father, we need help, and we have hope that is grounded in the truth.  In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Romans 5:5 (ESV)

5  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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What Say You About Jesus?

 

Text:

Philippians 2:9-11 (HCSB)

9  For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name,

10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth—

11  and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Observation: 

There are two things in today’s focal passage that God says about Jesus. These are acts of God.

  • God highly exalted Jesus.
  • God gave Jesus the name that is above every name.

What is that name? It is revealed in this verse.

Philippians 2:11 (HCSB)

11  and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In verse ten Paul writes, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth”.

Since every knee will bow someday, why not bow to him today while you are still on earth, and it can do you some good?

Romans 10:9-10 (HCSB)

9  If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10  One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I delight to lift my voice and agree with You, “Jesus is Lord”.

There is nothing that man can do to Jesus. However, there is something that Jesus can do for you.

Romans 10:13 (HCSB)

13  For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Father, I thank You for sending Jesus into the world to make it possible for sinners like me to be redeemed. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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How is Everything?

 

Text:

Psalm 46:1 (HCSB)

1 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.

Observation:

Today I am back in the Psalm, and today our focal verse is speaking into my heart. It fits so well for what I am going through in this season of my life, and in the lives of my loved ones.

Just yesterday I was asked this question, “How is everything?” I was prepared to answer that question because I had just read Psalm 46:1, and I had a devotional I wrote a few days ago lingering in my heart. There is nothing like hiding the word of God in your heart. It enables God’s thoughts to become your thoughts, and His desires to become your desires.

So the thoughtful answer I gave to that question was this, “Everything is perfect because I put everything in the hands of God, and God is perfect in all His ways”.

I can’t get out of my head the words of this hymn; it was one of my late wife’s favorite songs.

“O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.”

The thing that will keep us from praying is pride; don’t let pride be the obstacle of you having a fervent and daring prayer life.

1 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV)

12  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Instead of being to proud to pray try taking the stairway downward, and humble yourself before God.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)

6  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

7  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Prayer:

Father God, hallowed be Your name. Father, I ask You to stir our hearts by the Holy Spirit who lives in the hearts of Your people, mold us until we are willing to be devoted to prayer.

Father, tune our hearts until our thoughts become more like Your thoughts, and our desires become more like Your desires. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry