DEVOTIONAL

Prayer : Father, I thank you for this new day and a new beginning in my life may everything I do and say bring glory and honour to your name. As I read your most holy word, please speak to me, encourage me, and bless me so I may bless others and please help me to live out your words through Jesus Christ my Lord, through Him and in Him in the unity of the Holy spirit all Honour and Glory be yours today and always and, as I come before your throne of grace and mercy, I confess and acknowledge I have sinned against you in thought and deed, I now receive your forgiveness and mercy in the name of my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

Scripture Reading for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 29:10-11 

"The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.” The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.”

Worship Song Sung or Said: The servant King (Graham Kendrick)

https://youtu.be/C4FtZ9XzZag

From heaven you came helpless babe
Entered our world, your glory veiled
Not to be served but to serve
And give Your life that we might live

This is our God, The Servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to The Servant King

There in the garden of tears
My heavy load he chose to bear
His heart with sorrow was torn
'Yet not My will but Yours,' He said

Come see His hands and His feet
The scars that speak of sacrifice
Hands that flung stars into space
To cruel nails surrendered

So let us learn how to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him
Each other's needs to prefer
For it is Christ we're serving

Gods Word for Today: Colossians 3:23-24

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an in-heritance from the Lord as a reward.” It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Devotional/Study:

Today I am asking myself, what has God called me to do? And am I fulfilling His purpose and will for my life? When I first came to know the Lord, I gave my life to God and said I would serve Him for the rest of my life. We can truly thank God for the way he has used all of us in some way or another. I am so grateful to God because I do feel God has over the years used me to help Christians and unbelievers. I am so thankful to Him that I have the privilege of serving Him since I was 17 years of age. When I read this passage of scripture,

I am discovering more and more that when you are fulfilling Gods purposes in your life you will be content, even when life is full of trials and hardships.  I have grown to love Paul the apostle because he was someone who loved and served God. I don’t think I know of any other man who faced so much hardship, opposition, or relentless suffering as Paul did. 

What is so amazing is despite all the difficulties and hardships he endured in his life; he served God with incredible humility and tears. Once he opened his heart the elders of the church in Ephesus and said In Acts 20:19 "I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.”

He served God with great humility and with tears. Pauls serve the Lord with passion and compassion in the midst of the hardships he endured. As I think about his life, I am sure there were time when is heart was broken, however he continued to press on and serve the Lord. He never gave up, he was always looking to the Lord.

What about you and me are we always looking to the lord, seeking Him and in the good and bad times, are we serving our God with humility and tears?

 

One thing Paul knew was that all the sufferings and trials of life build character. We read in Romans 5:3-5 "3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

We must never forget the difficulties we face and experience, will strengthen our character and shape us to become more like Christ. James wrote something similar in his letter to Jewish Christians who were scattered among the nations. We read in James 1:2-3 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” 

Paul’s relationship with God was very deep and therefore throughout his life he knew whatever difficulty he faced, nothing could separate him and us from Gods’ love. Writing to the Christians in Rome who were having a hard time, he reminds them and this applies to us as well that Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love for us. 

Brothers and sisters because we belong to Jesus, nothing in the present and in the future such persecution and any kind of hardship and difficulties can separate us from Gods love 

Romans 8:38-39 "38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Although life was difficult for him, he never gave up and continually served God with humility and tears and lived to glorify Jesus. If we know in our hearts the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God, it will help us to cope with any hardships and difficulties that come our way. 

Serving God with humility and tears is never easy, when we face hardship and discouragement, we need to remember God is with us and He has equipped us to handle any difficulties that come into our lives and the best equipping God has giving us His living presence through the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for your presence and the wonderful truth, you are with me, for you my strength, my shield and ever-present help in trouble. 

Sometimes, when life is filled with trouble, hardship, and all kinds of difficulties, we can easily be led to doubt Gods love and care for us. What is important for us is, to always keep in our hearts and minds that God is at work in some way for our good and for His glory. Every difficulty in our life, whether it’s big or small, is something God will use to build our character. The right view of God in difficult circumstances is to always believe God loves and is with us. 

And let us never forget, we will go through tough times, just as Jesus did and all those who follow Him. Jesus told His followers to take heart in the trouble because He has overcome the world. We read in John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble.” But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Brothers and sisters, our circumstances do not change God’s character of love or goodness. When life is good, God is good and is with us and when life is hard, God is good and is with us. Our God is always good, and He will always love us. 

Paul says in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." In his life, Paul experienced the comfort of God, that is why he could say in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” 

It’s important to understand that that when we are being ‘comforted, ‘it doesn’t mean that the problem will go away. When we are comforted, we receive strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles. To be comforted by God means, He stands by our side and takes our hand and helps us through our troubles. If you are feeling troubled at this time allow God to comfort you.

Pause for Prayer:

Let’s just take some time to pray, if you are going through a very difficult time, hand it over to the Lord and let him surround with His love and bring healing to your soul and as you pray do it with a thankful heart. He is faithful and will never leave you or stop loving you.

Remember that every trial you endure will help you to comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles. When we experience troubles in life, let us never forget God with us and we need to persevere in times of hardships, always looking to Jesus who endured all kinds of suffering because of the joy set before him. 

We may not always feel is presence, but we can be assured He gives us strength and carries us through the storms, loving and caring for us. So, when we are going through times of darkness we can always say days of darkness still come o’er me, Sorrow’s path I often tread, But His presence still is with me; By His guiding hand I’m led. (I will sing the wondrous story)                     

Pause for Prayer: Brothers and sisters, God has called us to serve him in all sorts of ways and gifted us according to his purpose and plan. Serving God is an act of worship. If we see it in this way, then what we do will be done with an attitude of Joy and for the glory of God. In whatever we serve the Lord, even opening the church or cleaning the church or helping a neighbour, always remember "It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” As we serve God in humility and tears, we do to glorify God in everything we do and we will do with a zeal and fervour for Him.

Personal Prayers: