Happy Easter

There are several verses that come to mind when reading this devotion.  The first is about casting down false imagination and the second is He will never leave us not forsake us, the third is do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

I know these must be self explanitory however you all know me....and my propelling propensities!

The reality is Christ came so that we would never be alone.  He knew it was to be treated that way....HE lived it and died it.  We will never be put through that....because He first loved us.  Which is my last point: He died for us, gave it all up for us and lived a sacrificial life.  He then asked us to do it unto others.

May you all feel the warmth of the Son in His all embracing ways this day....He is Risen Indeed.

Love,

Candace

The Way to Permanent Faith

Indeed the hour is coming . . . that you will be scattered . . . —John 16:32

Jesus was not rebuking the disciples in this passage. Their faith was real, but it was disordered and unfocused, and was not at work in the important realities of life. The disciples were scattered to their own concerns and they had interests apart from Jesus Christ. After we have the perfect relationship with God, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, our faith must be exercised in the realities of everyday life. We will be scattered, not into service but into the emptiness of our lives where we will see ruin and barrenness, to know what internal death to God’s blessings means. Are we prepared for this? It is certainly not of our own choosing, but God engineers our circumstances to take us there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is sustained only by feelings and by blessings. But once we get there, no matter where God may place us or what inner emptiness we experience, we can praise God that all is well. That is what is meant by faith being exercised in the realities of life.

".. you . . . will leave Me alone." Have we been scattered and have we left Jesus alone by not seeing His providential care for us? Do we not see God at work in our circumstances? Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God? Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself. The sense of God’s blessings is fundamental " ..be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" ( John 16:33 ). Unyielding spiritual fortitude is what we need. by Oswald Chambers.