#daily devotional

walkthesame:

Because God IS Love (#wtsdevo love)

Life is so chaotic and tends to be a lot more disheartening these days that I find it super crucial to me to remind myself on a daily basis that God loves me. With life and things around us trying to constantly weigh us down, it easy for us to sometimes wonder where God is in the midst of all of this. The negative thoughts and feelings that the enemy tries to pin down on us usually tend to make us feel like God has abandoned us because we aren’t all that worthy enough for Him.

Just as God constantly reminds me how good and loving He is, I want to extend that reminder to you today and share the good news that God loves you. Yes! He does. You may have had your shortcomings, your downfalls. You may have flaws and you may feel insecure and more….. But God loves you.

You may ask why “Why does God love me?”…. Well He does because He is love Himself. It is who He is and love being part of His nature and being, it is impossible for Him to not love you. What this means for you and me is that His love is always here to stay because it is based purely on who He is and not what we do or who we are.

Remember that God’s word triumphs over the world and people around you any day. You are loved and that love will never end.

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Devotional Series: Love (#wtsdevo love)

By: Jude \ Personal//Walk the Same

walkthesame:

The Source of Joy (#wtsdevo joy)

Life can get hard. This being a constant occurrence, it is easy for us to get tied down to the negativity that it brings- fear, anger, hurt and insecurity.

Since we are a people who want and crave things in the “now” we seek out for joy in quick and easy things. However this pursuit of easy “joy” turns and puts us into even more of a struggle, because the joy that we seek from worldly things isn’t joy at all, but simple happiness. Good comes with happiness, but it is fleeting and temporal.

Once we fall into this cycle of chasing unsatisfactory happiness, we fall into the trap of seeking joy from the world rather than the source of all joy. And what do we get? Cheap happiness simply disguised as joy. Although we may not realize it at the time, cheap happiness kills us on the inside day after day.

How different would things be if we went to the source of joy for our joy! The joy that Christ brings isn’t quick, fast and easy but rather it endures and is relentless, just like His Word and truths are eternal.

When we seek out joy from Christ Himself and fill ourselves up with the goodness and love that He has to offer, our struggles, pain and worry all drown under the immense weight of His mercy and love. The negatives in our lives go away and is replaced by pure joy and every other blessing that God brings down upon us.

When things don’t seem to be working and when joy seems to be lacking in your life, seek the source of it all. Let His presence fill you with joy that the world cannot give you. In Him may your joy be complete.

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Devotional Series: Joy (#wtsdevo joy)

By: Jude \ Personal//Walk the Same

walkthesame:

Joy in a Prison Cell (#wtsdevo joy)

I was nine years old when my minister preached a sermon on Philippians. I remember vividly his description of Paul’s conditions in prison as he wrote this book- a cold, damp cell.  Isolation from those he loved. An uncertain tomorrow. Paul had every reason to complain and feel anything but joy. Yet in Philippians 4:4 he penned the words, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice!” I can almost see my little hand grasping the bright blue ink pen as I carefully underlined those words in my Bible. “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!” I remember thinking, “If Paul can rejoice while he is in prison, surely I can rejoice no matter what I might face in life.”

Many years have passed since I claimed Philippians 4:4 as my life verse. I have now been married thirty years and have four adult children. I also have two children waiting for me in Heaven – a daughter who died of SIDS in 1992 and a son who died of brain cancer in 2008.

When I underlined that verse in my Bible many years ago, I had no idea just how often I would cling to it in times of great sadness. I love the thought that even though I didn’t know what was coming in my life, God did. And I believe He knew I needed this particular verse planted deep in my soul.

Are you facing a tough season right now?

If so, take some time to read Philippians 4 and think about Paul’s ability to praise God in the midst of great uncertainty and suffering. Ask God to help you learn how to rejoice even when very little about life makes sense.

He promises in Psalm 126:5 that if we “sow in tears we will reap songs of joy!” I have seen Him keep this promise in my own life time and time again.

Life is hard. There will be tears.However, God is good. And He promises joy to those who live for Him.

I am praying for you today. Praying you have a day filled with unexplainable joy!

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Devotional Series: Joy (#wtsdevo joy)

By: Tammy \ Personal//Walk the Same 

walkthesame:

Prayer all the time! (#wtsdevo prayer)

Read: James 5:13-19

How often do you pray over the things in your life? How about the people you know? What about praying, just to spend time with God? Often times in church, we will ask for prayer. We easily offer up our woes to others, in hope that their prayer will intercede for us- or at least bring us some comfort. What we don’t realize, is that we are able to have this personal connection ourselves as well.

Prayer is our main form of communication with God, and he puts puts immense value on it! In today’s passage alone, we are told we should pray when we are in trouble, as well as when we are happy. We are also supposed to call our church leaders to pray over the sick.

I know that I personally, take this open communication with God for granted. I forget that my prayers are powerful and meaningful- because they are listened to by the king of kings. As we read through today’s passage, open your hearts and minds to God. He wants to talk to you, to heal you, to bless you. Let’s recieve those things by hearing what He has to say!

Prayer:

Father, I’m sorry for not making time to pray to you before. I know you want the best for me- your word says so. I just have a difficult time remembering that. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me, so that I am able to freely speak and listen to you. I want to hear you and know you better. Gently remind me that you are my priority above all else. Amen.

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Devotional Series: Prayer (#wtsdevo prayer)

By: Autumn Holbert \ Personal//Walk The Same

Faithful Living (#wtsdevo faithfulness)

I love listening to the inspiring and life changing messages that I hear every Sunday. They make impact when it comes to how I live daily and transforms the way I think and approach situations. As Christians, we are keen to hear all that is being shared when our Pastors and teachers share them but all too often it is hard to actually apply them into our own lives faithfully. That’s because of the human condition of being too comfortable and our pride.

However there’s more to living life than sticking to what our flesh tells us to and Christ demonstrated that to us through His life. Unlike most of those that were around Him, it was clear, reading the Bible, that Christ experienced a true sense of freedom. He lived a life of peace and He was in a position to be there for others and comfort them when the need came. His life became like so because He was shaped by His faithfulness - to His Father, to His cause and mission and His purpose.

There came several times when He was tempted and when He felt like He couldn’t go any further but by His faithfulness, He understood that there was something bigger and amazing on the other side and this is the same attitude that we too must adopt as we choose to follow Christ.

Is it easy to say with our mouths that we will change but true transformation comes about when we choose to be faithful. Often times, things (and life) may come our way to disrupt our calling and all it takes to deflect these moments is faithfulness.

It can make all the difference to life beyond measure.

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Devotional Series: Faithfulness (#wtsdevo faithfulness)

By: Jude \ Personal//Walk the Same

Motivated for Good (#wtsdevo goodness)

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” - Titus 2:7-‬8‬

I used to have a lead foot. I treated the speed limit as merely a suggestion. Life behind the wheel was full of impatience and anxiety—all brought on by myself. I’d look for patrol cars or to see if traffic ahead of me was slowing down. If not, I put the pedal to the metal.

So I’ve had my share of speeding tickets. And to think it all could have been avoided if I just obeyed the law. I drove not to get caught. My motivation wasn’t to abide by the God-to-man-appointed law. I had a bigger issue than just speeding. It was an integrity problem.

Although now I feel delivered from my racecar driver complex, that integrity struggle has leaked it’s way into other facets of my life. Not long after engaging in the fight for integrity comes good ol’ legalism. And if I’m not careful my motivation can become not getting caught rather than pleasing the Father—bringing Him glory in my conduct at all times.

Am I moved to obey Him simply because of who He is? My only hope is that He grants me Psalm 19 verse 14:

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

By: Julian Davis \ Personal // Walk the Same

Bless the Lord (#wtsdevo goodness)

“I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
… Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
- Psalm 34:1-5, 8

Seventeen years ago this past Tuesday (October 31), Jesus Christ changed my life forever. My mom shared with me the truths that Jesus had died to save me so I could be forgiven. My small self knew that there was a standard of perfection (the holiness of God) that I could never live up to. Even as a child, I knew I was not perfect. The news that Jesus had lived up to that standard for me was amazing! I knew that I needed Him to make the way for me to be forgiven by God. I asked Him to save me, and He did. Heaven was filled with joy in that moment (Luke 15:7).

This is why I reflect on the goodness of God this week. He didn’t have to do that for me – but He did. And He did it for you too. Jesus covers all our shame and restores our relationship with our loving Creator, a relationship that we couldn’t fix by ourselves. Because of Jesus, our God sees us as His children whom He loves. Because of Him, I call out with the Psalmist, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” This is true in my life: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears”! How incredible is the goodness of our God. He is not far away; He is right there ready to come and get His children. Fifteen years ago this week, He came and got me. My eternity was sealed by the God of the universe (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Over the past fifteen years of this relationship, I can say again with the Psalmist that I have tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord. He never changes, never fails, is never unfaithful. Any good in me is from Him. Jesus has truly changed not just my external life but my inner being. The ultimate purpose and fulfillment of my life is nothing if not found in Him whom I was created by and for. “In Your presence there is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)

I share this part of my story, the beginning, in the hope that it will encourage someone who reads it, that it will bring glory to my God, and that it will spark in someone a desire for the same kind of life change. All that is necessary is faith that Jesus really did live the perfect life that we could not live, die the death that we could not die, and rise again to eternal life so that we could spend forever with Him, our lives on this earth dedicated to His glory and praise. Our God is so good that He made the way for us to come back to Him when we couldn’t even see that we needed it.

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Devotional Series: Goodness(#wtsdevo goodness)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal//  Walk the Same

A Good God (#wtsdevo goodness)

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” -Romans 7:18

Hopefully we can all own this verse. It’s only been a few years since I’ve been able to look at it honestly. Because we live among the measures of good, better and best by our standards. But God, in His perfect goodness is the only truly good One. Paul understood that.

If there is anything about me that isn’t utterly despicable, it’s only by the grace of God and His goodness through me. Not from me or by me. We are simply the vessels that display His goodness. Pride can convince us otherwise but only God is good.

He is a good, good Father.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

By: Julian Davis \ Personal // Walk the Same

His Steadfast Love (#wtsdevo goodness)

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” - Psalm 100:5

There was a time in my life not too long ago where I questioned God’s goodness in my heart. For a few months, the circumstances of my life had been going in a direction that I thought was going to change my life for good. I thought I had reached a point where the next steps for me were clear, where I knew what was going to happen. I was so excited about the future that seemed to be in front of me. But in just a few days, all that changed completely. Almost every aspect of what I had planned fell apart. I no longer knew what I would be doing in the next few months, and I no longer knew who would be with me on that journey. It was one of the loneliest times of my life as I wrestled with trusting the Lord and remaining close to Him while I waited to see what He would actually bring about. Graciously He provided everything I needed and more, and now I am so thankful for the way He redirected my life. His plan was infinitely better than mine.  

But what I struggled with as all this was happening was that I questioned whether God was really being “good” in all this. I felt like He had given me certain gifts of people in my life as well as a job opportunity. I felt like I had been unjustly robbed of those things when they were taken away. I wondered whether I had done something wrong, or whether I had just misheard God’s voice. It took many months, but after seeking the Lord and coming to Him in honesty and brokenness, He said to me clearly that He had never changed that whole time (Malachi 3:6). He had remained good. He had remained faithful and loving to me. What was missing was my perspective. His goodness never changes because He never changes! I simply could not see it from my partial and flawed perspective. Even when the Lord spoke that truth to me, I had to believe it by faith. I could not explain everything that happened. Today, I still may not be able to explain every detail, but what I definitely can explain is that since then, I have seen the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 27:13). Even in taking things away, He was actually merciful and loving and good because He knew what was best for me. He knew what His plan was all along, and just because I didn’t, didn’t mean that He wasn’t good. Friends, we can have confidence that our Lord never changes. No matter what happens, He is faithful and He is good. He is our rock solid foundation that we can trust. This means that when our circumstances seem awful or even irredeemable, the fact that He is good means that He is actually working in them to bring about His plan for our good as His children.  Let’s praise Him for His goodness today, rest in that foundation, and ask Him to help us trust Him by faith that He is good even when we can’t see it.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal//  Walk the Same

His Goodness Prevails (#wtsdevo goodness)

Psalm 91 happens to be one of my most favorite Psalms in the Bible because on a bad day, it reminds me that God’s goodness stands out and breaks away all negativity and replaces it with the comfort and grace of God and everything good that you can possibly imagine.

I think that with so much happening these days around in our world, it is easy to lose it and fall into the trap where you end up feeling like everything is going downhill. And in circumstances such as this it is important to journey on ahead with positivity and so much hope. The way that one can do this is by being reminded of God’s goodness and the best source of this is through His own words in the Bible.

The Bible is filled with reminders about His goodness but simply taking Psalm 91 alone and unpacking it, tells us that no matter the season, situation or circumstance, God’s goodness prevails. It comes through even in the times when you might never expect it but it surely does come.

God is our Father and He loves us more than we can ever imagine. He is always for us and is always with us even in the stormy times of life - carrying us through and allowing us to grow in our wisdom and strength. All we need to do it believe and cling onto Him.

He never fails. His goodness is here to stay.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

By: Jude \ Personal//Walk the Same

Be Kind to One Another (#wtsdevo kindness)

Ephesians 4:32-5:1 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”  

Kindness has been a theme in my life recently. I’ve been learning to show kindness in new and creative ways. I’ve experienced kindness shown to me in ways that I never thought would happen or that I needed to experience. I’ve been learning that two major components of kindness are mercy and selflessness.

Kindness isn’t deserved. We didn’t deserved God’s great kindness of saving us and giving us everything we need for life and godliness, but He gave it to us anyway. That’s why Ephesians says that we should imitate God as it says we should be kind and tenderhearted to one another. None of us is deserving of kindness. So instead of holding it back, we should imitate God and lavish it freely on every single person we meet.

Let’s be kind even when it’s inconvenient to do so. Let’s be kind even if the person receiving it hurts us in return. Let’s be kind even when the other person doesn’t deserve it. And when they are easy to be kind to, let’s not take the kindness we have received for granted.  Let’s show each other the value that each person has by being kind to each person no matter what because God was kind to us no matter what.

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Devotional Series: Kindness (#wtsdevo kindness)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal//  Walk the Same

Filling up that Empty Space (#wtsdevo kindness)

Once I heard someone saying that his inability felt like a huge gaping hole in his life that simply sat there, empty and breaking everything else good that was around him. He said that he wished that someone could fill that hole up so that he could heal.

It made me realize that most of us come across those situations in life where we feel like there’s something empty inside. And worst of all, it is eating us away slowly and steadily and we simply can’t do anything about it on our own and by our own strength. But in that situation, if someone chooses to help us and lift us up, everything changes. Our worries our gone. Our stresses no more and things feel like they are going to be okay after all. That’s because someone’s kindness filled the empty void that was in our life. It feels like we are whole again.

Kindness does more than meets the eye. It heals, it brings joy, it transforms lives and it makes us whole again. Sounds like Jesus doesn’t it? We were a wretched people, living life our own way and by our own terms. What we didn’t realize was that we were opening up wounds within ourselves and by the day, they got raw and inflamed. God didn’t have to save us but He saw our hurting hearts. He wanted us to be more. He wanted us to be the way He created us to be. And out of His sheer kindness and love for us, He sent us His Son. That chasm that once was between us and God was now filled by the incredible sacrifice that Christ made for us. His kindness saved us and here we are.

Remember that being kind to others is more than just helping someone. It is a lifestyle for us Christians and it is part of who we are and our identity. When we choose to be kind, we allow Christ to shine onto others through our lives. We may not realize it but every little act of kindness plays a part in changing the world.

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Devotional Series: Kindness (#wtsdevo kindness)

By: Jude \ Personal//Walk the Same

Kindness over Condemnation (#wtsdevo kindness)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) -John 4:9

This is such a sweet parable. Not only was it taboo for a man to confront a woman back then, it was well known that Jews and Samaritans did not associate with one another. A double whammy. So when Jesus approached “the woman at the well” He was overstepping some major boundaries.

Unfortunately, there are still some people groups and locations that are considered off limits. Certain races aren’t welcomed and certain social classes are thought to be best remaining separate. But there is one universal action that could open the door that leads to change. It could loosen the brick that drops the entire wall.

Kindness. And at its finest it’s given undeservingly. This kind of action can’t be mustered up from our will. Granted, we can be really, really nice. We can be compassionate. But kindness—this kindness only comes through the very Spirit of God.

It’s nothing different from the grace He gives us or His eagerness to give us good things. At the very least, He is kind to give us a roadmap with all the directions and detours to avoid destruction. See, kindness meets a need. It bridges the gap. So we offer it freely as it is offered to us.

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Devotional Series: Kindness (#wtsdevo kindness)

By: Julian Davis \ Personal // Walk the Same

Kindness Unaware (#wtsdevo kindness)

At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” - Mark 7:35-37

Commanding His followers to secrecy can be seen on more than one occasion in the Bible. It is clear that Christ wanted to make sure that His kindness towards others didn’t end up becoming a show for others to enjoy and gossip about.

And this makes me wonder as to how many times in my life has God intervened without me realizing it. I’m pretty sure it is more times than I can even imagine.

With Jesus acting and reacting the way He does around kindness, He commands us to do the same and asks us to avoid putting on a show when it comes to treating others with love, genuine concern and care.

Being kind to others is something that should come out of us by default especially with us being Christians. Being able to understand one another, help those in need and to be able to be that person who stands as a pillar of hope in times of hopelessness should be traits that shouldn’t hesitate to come out through our words, actions and interactions with others.

To be kind to expect something in return is most certainly not the way of Christ considering how sacrificial He was when it came to kindness and love. He gave up His all in order to ensure that our lives were elevated and lifted up closer to God. This should be us when it comes to our kindness towards others.

I can only image how many more smiles there would be if we realized that there was more and more of kindness coming from people around us in unexpected and secret ways. Maybe you and I can start.

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Devotional Series: Kindness (#wtsdevo kindness)

By: Jude \ Personal//Walk the Same