“THERE IS PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM”

MONDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

“THERE IS PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM”

(Matthew 14:24- 33) “25- And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26- And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27- But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

The disciples were in the will of God. And in our text, it’s very clear that they were not spare from going through the storms of life. And this was different from what they went through in (Mark 4:35-41). When they were on the same situation in the book of Mark, Jesus was with them, but this time they were by themselves. And I believe it was God’s plan and we know that He was working in their lives even in the midst of the storm. We can read in this passage that Jesus walked on the water. Verse 25- “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” It means when something is going on in our lives, even in the midst of the storm; Jesus was there and He will be there walking with us. You’re not alone in your storms.

“Though troubles and difficulties may disturb us in our duty, they must not drive us from it; but through the midst of them we must press forwards.”

(Psalm 63:8) “My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

“I (almost) MADE IT!!!”

SUNDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

“I (almost) MADE IT!!!”

(Acts 26:29) “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”

I got the idea of using the said topic (“I (almost) MADE IT!!!”) from the TV show I recently watched. But it’s sad to say that millions of people all over the world will say that someday, but it would be too late. “I almost made it to heaven…” could be the common phrase in hell. Some people may have stood before the door of heaven like Judas Iscariot, but will be in hell after death. People who have heard the Word of God preached to them, but they rejected God’s invitation to come. People who have been in the church and may even have served in the church, but did not make it to heaven or they will not make it in heaven. Judas Iscariot followed Jesus and served with Jesus during their times, but Jesus called him the son of perdition. There are those who may have heard Jesus’ preached, they’ve witnessed the Lord’s miracle and have seen or witnessed the power of God, but the sad thing is, they’re in hell. Others may still be on their way to eternal damnation because they rejected Christ. God has given us the way to heaven through the Lord Jesus Christ and God has opened the door for everyone who may want to humbly come to Him in faith and repentance. It is your choice that will matter; it’s not your personal belief or goodness and good works. It’s your choice of taking the other side of the way, the other side of the truth and life or the free gift of salvation.

(Acts 16:30- 31) 30- “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31- And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME”

SATURDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME”

(Revelation 21:10- 11) 10- “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11- Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”

I’ve read on the internet about the best places to live in, about the nice islands and the homes of the wealthiest people in the USA. But, if you’re away from home; whether you’re in an exclusive place, in an exclusive apartment or Island with all the luxury and beauty of the place… I believe that at the end of the day you will still say; “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME…” For those who came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, as the song says; “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heavens opened door. And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”You may have been to the most beautiful places in the world, but nothing here on earth that can be compared to what God had prepared for us in heaven.

(Revelation 21:1; 3- 4) 1- “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  3- And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  4- And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

HOW MUCH DID YOU GIVE?

FRIDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

HOW MUCH DID YOU GIVE?

(Mark 12:41- 44) 41- “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42- And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43- And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44- For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living”

D.L. Moody said; “Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can.” Every time you gave, Jesus was there watching on how much you gave; not because He was interested with your money but because He is interested on how much you express your love for Him through your giving. “GIVE ‘TILL IT HURTS.” Rabbi Harold Kushner said; “The purpose of life is not to win, the purpose of life is to grow and to share.” THE LORD WAS THERE OBSERVING THE WAY THEY GAVE. Every Christian’s way of giving should be: First, we must open our heart to God for giving. Secondly, we must open our eyes and our minds to the needs and needy. Thirdly, we must open our purse to give and not of necessity but out of love.  Fourth reasons would be to give God the glory and not to boast of your giving.

(Matthew 6: 2-4) “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

JESUS IS THE LIGHTHOUSE

THURSDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

JESUS IS THE LIGHTHOUSE

(John 8:12) “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

The Bible says that Jesus is the light of the world. When Jesus said that He is “the light of the world…” It means that Jesus was directly saying that He is the Messiah. In the Book of (Daniel 2:22) “He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.”

Mr. Henry said; “God is light, and Christ is the image of the invisible God; God of gods, Light of lights. He was expected to be a light to enlighten the Gentiles (Lu. 2:32), and so the light of the world, and not of the Jewish church only. The visible light of the world is the sun, and Christ is the Sun of righteousness. One sun enlightens the whole world, so does one Christ, and there needs no more.”(The Bible Collection, Matthew Henry)

We know that Jesus is the light of the world and as His disciples; we should be committed and submit ourselves to Him as His light in this world.

(Matthew 5:14- 16) 14- “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15- Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

“THORN IN THE FLESH”

WEDNESDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

“THORN IN THE FLESH”

(II Corinthians 12:7- 9) 7- “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8- For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9- And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Do you have a “thorn in the flesh”? And if you have one, what is it? What do you think the Lord’s purpose why He gave you the “thorn in the flesh”? In my personal experience as a pastor; it’s because God wants to humble us and make us know and see that His grace is sufficient for us. He did it to Apostle Paul and He is still doing it to His people. The Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He has not changed in His dealing to us and He has not changed in what He is doing in us and what He will be doing through us. With all the abundance of God’s blessings and all the abundance of what God is doing in our lives; our tendency as a human being is to be proud, arrogant, self- sufficient and exalt ourselves instead of giving God the glory.

(II Corinthians 12:10- 11) “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 11- I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.”

FEAR AGAINST FAITH

TUESDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

FEAR AGAINST FAITH

(Matthew 14:25- 39) “25- And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26- And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27- But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28- And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29- And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.”

“If Jesus can make Peter walked in a troubled sea, the same Jesus can make you walk in your troubled sea.” ElyRS

“Conquer your fear by looking at the Author and Finisher of our faith” ElyRS

“The more acquaintance we have with God, the Father of spirits, and the more careful we are to keep ourselves in his love, the better able we shall be to deal with those fears. [3.] The perplexing, disquieting fears of good people, arise from their mistakes and misapprehensions concerning Christ, his person, offices, and undertaking; the more clearly and fully we know his name, with the more assurance we shall trust in him, Ps. 9:10. [4.] A little thing frightens us in a storm. When without are fightings, no marvel that within are fears. Perhaps the disciples fancied it was some evil spirit that raised the storm.” (The Bible Collection, Matthew Henry)

(Psalm 9:10) “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”