Category: Daily Devotional

Mark 9:35 He sat down, & called the twelve, & saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, & servant of all. Mark 10:43-45 So shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: & whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, & to give His life a ransom for many.
Jesus said, want to be first, then Be last of ALL.
want to be a big deal, then Be SERVANT of ALL.
want to be chiefest, then Be a servant of ALL.
Wow, now that can be a real wake up for us all! Can it be that our willingness to help others is in fact what Jesus wants from us all? Remember this is not to gain approval, but a true willingness to serve. Jesus went as far as washing the disciples feet. How far are you willing to go? This is worth thinking about. — Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. — Love Mel

From Bill & Mel —One of the three main festivals of the Lord is Pentecost, or The Feast of Weeks or Shavuot. In the OT we see Gods law given at Mt Sinai 50 days after leaving Egypt. In the NT we see The Holy Spirit given 50 days after the resurrection. Lev 23:15 “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath (in Passover) from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete (and you will make Shavuot offerings).” In the NT Acts 2: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, & it filled all the house where they were sitting. & there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, & it sat upon each of them. & they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, & began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” —Pentecost is the day we celebrate the beginning of the church age. The filling of the Holy Spirit purifies us & teaches us the things of Christ. Those guided by the Holy Spirit can be spiritually minded & can follow after the things of God. Those who are spiritual “live by the Spirit” & walk by the spirit! —Gal. 5:16 16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, & ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Eph 4:11-15 He gave some, apostles; & some, prophets; & some, evangelists; & some, pastors & teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, & of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to & fro, & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, & cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. —Sundown today we celebrate God’s Festival of Pentecost. Love Mel

2 Cor 13:5(ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! — The real question is, “do you really know that you know your redeemer lives, really lives“ ? Where is your boast? Is it truly in the Lord! — Hebr 12:2-3 Looking unto Jesus the author & finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied & faint in your minds. — 1 Sam 12:24 Only fear the LORD, & serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you. — We are to consider Him! When we continue to consider Him in all things, then all things are possible in Him. Love Mel

Galatians 3:23-25 Before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven & earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.— We are saved thru the fulfillment of the law, but not by our doing, but by the doing of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is thru grace. We can try to make it on our own merits or accept the merits of our Lord & Savior! I choose Him! I trust that He has fulfilled the Law! Even tho the law still stands, it is thru our love for Him that we find true freedom! That said we can learn to be slaves to righteousness or slaves to sin, but our choice is always driven by love or evil! When we choose love we will always find righteousness in His grace! For by grace we have been saved! For it is love that started the ball rolling,— “John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Love Mel

Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Jer 2:1-2 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Go & cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; & every one that loveth is born of God, & knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Matt 24:12-13 Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved! — Learning to love God & each other is the key to our salvation! So how? — Mark 12:29-31 “Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; & you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, & with all your soul, & with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’”— Love Mel