God the Giver of Comfort..Craig Denison Ministries;

 God the Giver of Comfort

Craig Denison Ministries;

Weekly Overview:

Our heavenly Father is the giver of every good gift. His mercies are vast, powerful, and real. His love has the ability to completely overwhelm and satisfy every one of our needs. Everything he gives us satisfies, transforms, and leads us to abundant life. As we spend this week stirring up our affections toward God, allow your heart to become soft and open. Allow his loving character to draw you close and provide life to every dry and weary place in your soul.

Scripture:“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” >Isaiah 66:13

Devotional:

Isaiah 66:13 says, “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” Your heavenly Father is the God of comfort. When the world takes its toll on you, he longs to wrap you in his loving embrace and bring you comfort to cover all your pain. In the face of trials and tribulations, he desires to provide you comfort in the fact that he works all things for your good. And when everything seems bent against you, he longs to sing comfort over you as he fills you with the joy and foundation of his presence.

Jeremiah 31:13-14 says, “‘Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,’ declares the Lord.” God is in the business of turning what your enemies meant for evil into the very source of your joy. He loves to transform what was once your greatest sorrow into a reason for gladness. He longs to lead you to a life of abundance and satisfaction when the world around you seems to be dry, weary, and depleted.

God is calling out to you, “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is beckoning you to open your heart to him and receive the comfort only he can provide. Sometimes opening our hearts to him can be difficult. To have our wounds be truly comforted and healed requires allowing him to come and speak to the vulnerable and sore places of our hearts. We all have wounds deep down that we have worked tirelessly to keep hidden from others and even ourselves. We all have areas of our lives that seem to hurt too greatly to bring up again, even if the very act of bringing them to the surface will be our source of healing.

When God beckons you to open up the hurt places in your life to him, know that he will only ever speak love, mercy, and forgiveness. And know that after he gets done comforting you, the area that used to be a harmful wound will be a continual source of joy, gladness, and abundant life.

Open your heart to your heavenly Father today as you pray. Allow the Spirit to guide you to wounds that need to be comforted and healed. Allow him to wrap you up in his loving presence and guide you into the abundant life he intends for you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire and ability to comfort your every hurt. Reflect on his promise to provide you rest where you are weary.

“‘I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will heal him.’”>Isaiah 57:18-19

“‘Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,’ declares the Lord.”>Jeremiah 31:13-14

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” >Matthew 11:28

2. Ask the Spirit to guide you to areas of your heart that need to be comforted and healed. What past or present afflictions have wounded you? What’s at the source of your mourning, sorrow, or pain? What does God long to heal today?

3. Ask God to show you how he feels about the person, situation, or belief that wounded you. Ask him to show you where he was through it all. Remain in his presence, allowing him to speak and provide comfort and healing. Spend as long as it takes for your hurt to be comforted.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” As you receive healing and comfort, God will use you to provide healing and comfort to others. God loves to use those who were broken and now healed to guide others to the place of comfort. Look for those suffering from an area in which God has healed you and comfort them with the comfort you have been shown by your heavenly Father.

Extended Reading: Jeremiah 31

In Seeking Jesus, We See God... Rev. Kyle Norman

 In Seeking Jesus, We See God.

By Rev. Kyle Norman

“Philip said to Jesus, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” John 14:8-9

When I was in high school, my 12th-grade English class held a debate about God’s existence. During this debate, one of my classmates said triumphantly, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” Of course, he thought he won the argument. He believed he had figured out the trick for faith and life. All he needed to do was employ the scientific method. If he could see how everything fit together, life would make sense, and he could go forward confidently. In response to his comment, I remember stating, “Oh, but if you believe it, then you will see it!” I thought I was being wonderfully clever. I believed I had come up with a response that would undercut his skepticism and move him to a place of deeper pondering. 

If someone said to me, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” I don’t know if I would respond like my high school self. It’s not how Jesus responded to Philip. In the reading above, Philip voiced the ancient equivalent of “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Jesus had just finished talking about his upcoming crucifixion. He called the disciples to “believe in God and in me,” and he talked about returning to receive them and taking them to where he is. In response, Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Philip assumed all lingering doubt, fear, or trouble of heart would disappear if Jesus peeled back the spiritual curtain and let them see the fullness of God. Jesus didn’t respond to Philip with high-school cleverness. He didn’t say, “Oh, Philip, if you believe, then you will see.”  No. Jesus looked at Philip and said, “Philip, you have seen. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus pointed to himself as the full manifestation of who God is in this world.

To look at Jesus is to look at God. Every once and a while, people suggest Jesus never claimed divine status, but that is fundamentally not true; he does this here. Jesus clearly identified uniquely with the presence of the Father. The rest of the scripture backs this up. Jesus is the full disclosure of God’s presence. Paul wrote, "he is the image of invisible God (Colossians 1:15)," and that in Jesus, all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19). The book of Hebrews talks about how Jesus is the full reflection of God’s glory, the very imprint of God’s being (1:3). And the opening chapter of John says that God became flesh and camped among us (John 1:14). These are bold and audacious statements.

Just think about it: Even if I am the spitting image of my grandfather, I would never say to see me is to see my grandfather. Nor could I claim my words are his words or that my grandfather acts through me. But these are all things Jesus said. Who Jesus is and what he said and testified revealed he was not just a random sage or teacher. He isn’t someone who has lovely things to say about God. No, Jesus is God. We can’t divorce what he said from what he did. Nor separate his statements on love, peace, and forgiveness from his self-identifying statements of being one with the Father. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
When Jesus responded to Philip, he did not intend to lead him in a Bible study nor move him through some intense theological lesson. Jesus commented on the deep yearning of Philip’s heart. Jesus wanted to give him the assurance and comfort he needed to navigate his life of faith, which wouldn’t always be lived in certainty, and certainly wouldn’t always be easy. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that despite any question or doubt, they could have confidence in who he is because he never once misrepresented the reality of God in their lives.

And if we are honest, this is a truth we need to remember from time to time. We all need comfort and encouragement. We all need to be reminded Jesus is not just a character in a story or a teacher of long ago; He is the Lord of life and salvation. He is the way to God, the truth of God, and the life of God. For anyone who asks questions like, “How do I know God? How do I get close to God? How do I get to heaven?” Jesus points to himself as the answer. To anyone longing for an experience of God, the answer is fully revealed: get close to Jesus. He is the way all our deep spiritual longings are fully and finally fulfilled. 

Further reading

• John 14:1-14
• Colossians 1:15-20

Where Does the Conviction to Follow Christ Come From?..Meg Bucher

Where Does the Conviction to Follow Christ Come From?

By Meg Bucher

 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” - 1 Peter 1:8

“Where’s my Jesus emoji when I need it?” my fingers sent via text…

That’s truly how I feel most days. He’s the reason for all of my smiley-faced messages and sunshiny stature. The reason I get up in the dark and seek Him in quiet with my warm cup of coffee. Belief blossoms into a beautiful friendship of saving faith.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him…”

God’s love requires faith, and faith is so much deeper than what we can see or understand. Faith gives feet to trust in what God has planned for our lives. Not being able to see God …not being able to witness Jesus’ miracles …doesn’t make Him any less real. Whether we believe or not, He is still in control of the universe, still sitting at the right hand of God, and loving us with a perfect love that we are incapable of understanding.

What causes us to love God though we’ve never met?

He is in us.

The moment we accept Jesus He seals us as His and the Spirit dwells in us from that day forward. It’s a love that we don’t have to see, feel, or hear. It’s a love we know. A love we believe. A Cross we point to.

“…and though you do not see him now, you believe in him…”

We don’t see Him now, but there is something in us from the very beginning that seeks Him. That seeks God’s presence. That seeks to abide with our Father, our Creator, and His Son. And once the Spirit begins to move in our hearts …our lives are never the same. We can’t go back. We know too much.

“…and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

Inexpressible. That accurately describes the feeling of being saved from ourselves and this world. Inexpressible. How do we thank Jesus for dying on the cross for us when He didn’t have to? For coming down from heaven to show us the way …and to make a way for us to be with Him? Kind of makes us feel … convicted.

A Prayer for Durable Joy..Ashley Moore

 A Prayer for Durable Joy

By Ashley Moore 

“Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” - 2 Corinthians 6:10 NLT

Joy is a radical concept in the Bible. Difficult circumstances accompany many verses about joy. The Bible tells us to rejoice when we suffer (Romans 5:3) And to consider it joy when we face trials (James 1:2). The Bible says to be glad when we are persecuted because we will be rewarded in heaven (Matthew 5:12). And to greatly rejoice when we experience bouts of grief (1 Peter 1:6). This concept confuses most of us because we equate joy with happiness. Happiness is a fleeting emotion completely dependent on our experience or circumstances. For example, I feel happy when it is my birthday, but then I don’t feel as happy the next day. Or I feel happy when I win a game, but when another player wins in the next round, my happiness is squelched. 

But joy is not a feeling, and it is not fleeting. Joy is not dependent on favorable circumstances. If anything, the Scriptures insinuate the opposite. The more unpleasant our circumstances are, the greater the opportunity to experience joy. Joy, unlike our fleeting feelings, is durable. Joy persists despite hardship. Joy propels us to endure despite extreme difficulties. Joy is never-ending and ever-present. When Jesus endured the heinous suffering of the cross, He was empowered to do so because of joy. 

"…because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." - Hebrews 12:2

Joy is durable because it is found in the presence of God, not in the absence of struggles. 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." - Psalm 16:11

Today if you’re facing unfavorable circumstances, acknowledge and experience the durability of the joy made possible by Christ. I hope you understand that joy is always available in difficulties and despite hardships. Our hearts may ache, but we will always have joy because of our relationship with Christ (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Let’s pray:
Dear Lord, 
I don’t know what my brother or sister in Christ listening or reading this message is experiencing right now, Lord. They may face the deepest heartache or the most ravenous trial or difficulty of their life. Lord, I don’t know the details, but you do. You see them struggling. And not only are you carefully watching over them, but you suffered just like them. You were despised. You were mocked. You were rejected. You were hated and spit upon. You were jeered at and insulted. You were beaten and shamed. You were stripped of your dignity. You suffered for our sake. You were wrongly punished for our shortcomings and sin, Lord. You deeply and compassionately understand my friend’s suffering. And you endured your suffering by thinking about the joy of being with us in heaven for all eternity, where there would be no more sadness and no more sin. 

This joy was you thinking of perfected relationships with your children and between your children for all eternity. That is an unshakeable and sure source of joy. That is secure joy. That is durable joy, made available to us right now. The seal of Your Holy Spirit ensures that joy. God, thank you for suffering so we can be eternally joyful. Thank You that nothing can take our joy in this life or the next if we are in You, Jesus. Let my brother and sisters listening or reading along immediately notice and rejoice in this truth. Comfort them and care for them through this trial. Remind them of the gospel and bring others along to redirect their thoughts to this truth with love and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.