James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Clean your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
My wife and I are celebrating our 20-year wedding anniversary tomorrow and it would seem that I know her pretty well. But every once in a while, she says or does something that surprises me -- and I think to myself "Wow, I guess I didn't know her as well as I thought!" The more time I spend with her, the more I get to know her -- her heart, her character -- the more we become intimate.
The same is true with any relationship but especially our most important relationship, that is, our relationship with the Lord.
There's really no going around it. True intimacy doesn't come in an instant. It takes time. If we want to be close to the Lord, we must spend time with Him -- getting to know Him -- His heart -- His character.
Do you feel distant from the Lord? Let's commit to spending some special time with Him -- not only making requests and telling Him about our problems, but maybe listening a little. Perhaps there are some things He'd like to tell us!
There is much work to do for the Kingdom! Let's make intimacy with our Father a top priority so that we are able to get that work accomplished!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Over the past week, the world has experienced some severe birth pangs. If you’ve been reading Worthy News, you’ve read the situation in Ukraine has intensifed with the Russians massing their troops along the border with the West condemning the referendum taking this weekend in Crimea. In Israel, scores of rockets were fired out of the Gaza Strip and rockets continue to be fired despite a "ceasefire". The Iranians continue to threaten the destruction of Israel as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander stated, "Islam has given us this wish, capacity and power to destroy the Zionist regime so that our hands will remain on the trigger from 1,400km away for the day when such an incident (confrontation with Israel) takes place." Wars and rumors of wars embrace the headlines! The world is on the brink of going over the edge!
In Israel, it’s amazing how many trees are being planted all the time. In fact, the green line that you hear about so much in the news isn’t an actual drawn borderline, but it is a visible line you can only see from the air. It’s where Israelis stopped planting trees.
Laodicea was known for its Temple dedicated to Asklepios, worshiped as the god of medicine, and associated with a renowned medical school. Most historians believe that the school developed a medicine known as Phrygian power which was used to produce eye salve.
Shabbat can help us to understand our stewardship of earthly goods as we enter a day of rest. Since everything in and on Earth belongs to the LORD, all we own and all we are responsible for belongs to Him and is under His primary care. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” [Psalm 24:1]
Driving throughout the United States we're noticing more construction sites than ever. In part, it's because we normally travel during the winter when many construction areas are not active, but now during the summer, they seem to be EVERYWHERE! Construction sites are normally messy, as wood, concrete, supplies, and equipment are strewn all over the place. Yet, it's well understood that the architect and his foreman know exactly what's going on toward accomplishing the finished product.
The word "Amen" (אָמֵן) properly pronounced in Hebrew "ah-mehn", means "so be it" or "may it be so", and also, "Yes, it is true!" Some scholars suggest a connection with the Hebrew word for truth, "emet" (אֶמֶת), because of the two similar root letters, "aleph"(א) and "mem" (מ). Truth ought to be confirmed. At the end of a prayer, saying "Amen" expresses the desire to affirm and confirm what was requested or proclaimed. Leha'ameen, (להאמין) means "to believe, trust or confide in", and all variations of this root (אמן) relate to "emunah" (אמונה): faith, belief, or faithfulness!
Phil. 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of ...