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Glory Seed Devotional’s, 2017: Anticipating and Experiencing God...
In God’s Family…
Shalom!
I’ve never stopped to consider the birth of Jesus to be God’s Adoption Plan, but when I read today’s scripture the Light began shine. Paul said it this way. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NLT)
But what does it mean for you and I? First of it means we have dual citizenship, we are members of the human family and God’s Family. We already have a good idea about what it means to be a member of the human family. However, we haven’t even scratched the surface on what it means to be a member of God’s Family. The bible is filled with scriptures that can help us get a peek at life/living as a citizen of God’s family the four Sunday’s of Advent does a good job of summing them up, Hope, Love, Peace, Joy.
Perhaps one of the primary “happenings” as a citizen of God’s family is what it does not guarantee. We receive no guarantee “bad things” will not happen to us, what does happen is we see them in a different light. There’s a good chance our circumstances will change, it does however change us and the way we experience them. Chapter 16 in Acts provides us with a dramatic story of the difference between life/living in the Human family and God’s family.
“A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” (Acts 16:22–25, NLT, emphasis mine)
But the story does end there what happens next is just or more important then praying and singing hymns to God. “Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”” (Acts 16:26–28, NLT, emphasis mine)
That’s my Jesus/Christmas story pulmonary fibrosis has imprisoned me and temporarily that is the path God has chosen for me and trusting in the Love, Compassion, and Strength of God I am going to make the best of it until God shakes the foundation of my prison. With His birth Jesus not only changed the world, He changed us as well!
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”**
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
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Note: Should you want to go back and review this Glory Seed or if you would like to subscribe so you can receive them in your email you can do so by clicking on this link: Glory Seed Devotional Blog.
If you would like inspirational music playing as you read this Glory Seed may I suggest clicking on this link: http://www.abidingradio.org/listen/
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
** Romans 15:13, NLT
In God’s Family…
Shalom!
I’ve never stopped to consider the birth of Jesus to be God’s Adoption Plan, but when I read today’s scripture the Light began shine. Paul said it this way. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NLT)
But what does it mean for you and I? First of it means we have dual citizenship, we are members of the human family and God’s Family. We already have a good idea about what it means to be a member of the human family. However, we haven’t even scratched the surface on what it means to be a member of God’s Family. The bible is filled with scriptures that can help us get a peek at life/living as a citizen of God’s family the four Sunday’s of Advent does a good job of summing them up, Hope, Love, Peace, Joy.
Perhaps one of the primary “happenings” as a citizen of God’s family is what it does not guarantee. We receive no guarantee “bad things” will not happen to us, what does happen is we see them in a different light. There’s a good chance our circumstances will change, it does however change us and the way we experience them. Chapter 16 in Acts provides us with a dramatic story of the difference between life/living in the Human family and God’s family.
“A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” (Acts 16:22–25, NLT, emphasis mine)
But the story does end there what happens next is just or more important then praying and singing hymns to God. “Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”” (Acts 16:26–28, NLT, emphasis mine)
That’s my Jesus/Christmas story pulmonary fibrosis has imprisoned me and temporarily that is the path God has chosen for me and trusting in the Love, Compassion, and Strength of God I am going to make the best of it until God shakes the foundation of my prison. With His birth Jesus not only changed the world, He changed us as well!
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”**
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note: Should you want to go back and review this Glory Seed or if you would like to subscribe so you can receive them in your email you can do so by clicking on this link: Glory Seed Devotional Blog.
If you would like inspirational music playing as you read this Glory Seed may I suggest clicking on this link: http://www.abidingradio.org/listen/
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
** Romans 15:13, NLT