Be Transformed

Be Transformed "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18 I grew up on a farm, and when I read this scripture I am reminded of some of the pigs we raised. You can scrub a pig, sprinkle perfume on them, put a ribbon around their necks, and take them into your living room. But the moment you turn them loose, they will jump into the first mud puddle they see, because their nature has never been changed. They are still a pig. This is not so with people, as we are constantly trying to change and reform ourselves. Stores are filled with self-help books claiming to be the fountain of youth and promising to make us become the people we want to be. But even if there were books to transform us they would only be temporary fixes. A deeper transformation is needed, a transformation of the heart. The amazing fact is that this is really possible. The Bible tells us that when we ask Jesus into our hearts, we are transformed on the inside, we are spiritually born again. God's Spirit comes to live within us and change and transform us. Our motives change, our objectives change, our goals change, our attitudes and dispositions change, but most of all our eternal destiny changes. This transformation doesn't take place all at once, as we will then need to study the Bible, seek it's wisdom, and then apply what we learn to drawing closer to being the person God wants us to be. We will spend the rest of our life learning what it means to follow Christ. I would encourage each of you reading this devotional to ask Jesus to transform you, let Him change you to be the person He wants you to be. Open your heart to Jesus and let Him set you free from the sin that is keeping you from the peace and joy you have been missing. Do it today. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven September 30

God's Grace Is Sufficient

God's Grace Is Sufficient "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:8 To me this is one of the most powerful statements in the Bible, as we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to God. In it our Lord asked that the cup of crucifixion, which was about to be thrust upon Him, to be taken away. But then, in the very next breath, He said, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Matthew 26:39. What a powerful prayer? What strength. What Power. Jesus knew that He was going to die, but through all the anguish he was going through, He still trusted in God. We also see the Apostle Paul, asking God to remove the thorn in his flesh, but God did not remove it, saying instead, "My grace is sufficient for you." We find Paul also joyfully submitting to God's will and being content in his situation. He discovered that God's grace truly was sufficient, even in the midst of pain. So often in life when we have trials and troubles come upon us, we complain and sometimes become angry, not trusting and having faith that God will remove our mountains and give us relief. We need to have the same faith that both Jesus and Paul had, and praying that God's will be done in our situations and not ours. We always need to realize that Christ desires to be with us in whatever crisis we may find ourselves in, and that we must trust Him and have faith that He will carry us through. When we find ourselves in these situations, we need to call upon God, and then trust Him to do as He promised, and believe that "His grace is sufficient." We need to also realize that our problems may not go away, but that God will give us the strength to withstand them, and will give us peace even in our struggles. God cares about you and will give you all the strength to deal with anything in life, and to overcome them by His grace."His grace is sufficient for you." Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven September 29

Come Follow Me

Come Follow Me "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24 Have you ever thought about the sacrifice all the Apostles made when they gave up their businesses, their families, their possessions to follow Jesus. Some of them were wealthy but they gave it all up when Jesus spoke to them. There are many missionaries today that give up their fame and fortune to go to other countries and live very meagerly on hardly any money to sustain themselves. They live day by day trusting God to provide their needs. This is the way the Apostles were, as they depended on God, and trusted Him that He would provide for them. When Moses led the people out of Egypt he trusted God that He would provide, and God did. All of these people sacrificed and gave up all they had, but they had the promise that there was better things waiting for them. Discipleship is always costly. No, it may not cost us our lives, but it will cost us. It will cost us our plans, our wills, our selfish desires, as the standards Jesus had for the Apostles has not changed, as the scripture above still applies to you and me. Instead of controlling our lives, we turn them over to Jesus. Your salvation is the thing that Jesus is interested in, and He gave His life because He loved you so much that He died on the cross for your sins. Your salvation was not cheap as He died for you. It cost Jesus His life, and it will cost you as well. You will also have to sacrifice your selfish desires, maybe even your wealth and material possessions, as Jesus wants you to worship Him, not the things of this earth. But could there be anything greater than your salvation, and the promise of an eternal home in Heaven that will await you? Could anything be more fulfilling? When you follow Christ, and at life's end you will have no regrets, you will be glad you followed Jesus. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven September 28

The Brevity Of Life

The Brevity Of Life "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14 It seems like only yesterday that I was young and just beginning my life, but now I find that these days are gone, and as the twilight of my days are rapidly approaching, I am amazed at how swiftly the years have flown by. I can remember my grandmother saying that she could not comprehend how swiftly the years had passed. "The brevity of life", catches each of us by surprise, as almost before we know it, the years have passed and life is almost over. On one hand, life's brevity should challenge us. If ever we are to live for Christ and share Him with others, it must be now. Jesus said, "The night is coming when no one can work" John 9:4. But life's brevity should also comfort us. We know that life is short, but we have the promise that our eternity will last forever, it will be never ending. When the trials and struggles of this life is over, we have the promise of God that we will live on forever, if we have asked Jesus to come into our hearts. God has prepared us, and even our days on this earth go fleetingly by, our eternity in Heaven should give us peace and comfort us, that better times are ahead. The apostle Paul wrote, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, for the things which are seen are temporary." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. Even though we know this life will soon be over, we can be at peace knowing that God has prepared a place that will fulfill all our dreams and meet all our needs. However, while we are on this earth we still have work that needs to be done, as we can tell others about the eternal life that also awaits them, when they ask Jesus into their hears. So keep busy spreading the good news. Don't live as if this life will last forever. It won't. Live instead with eternity in view. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven September 27

Put God In Control

Put God In Control "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 Today, I want to encourage you to put God in control of your life and in all you do. I don't know what problems you may be facing in your life this morning, but I do know that many of you are going through something that is troubling you. Whatever your situation is, I want you to know that God already knows all about it, and gives you scriptures like the one above that tells you that He works all things for the good of those who love Him. I cannot promise you that all your problems will be solved by the time you fall asleep tonight, or that they will work out exactly the way you want them to. But, I can tell you that God knows all about them, and according to His will they will work out for the good. The thing I want you to remember is, to not give up trusting and having faith that God is in control. If your trials and struggles seem overwhelming today, pray about them, read your Bible and seek God's wisdom, draw closer to Him, and then turn all your problems over to Him and let Him take control. When you turn your problems over to God, even in the midst of them, He will give you peace. Look at the life of Peter, as he spent much time in prison, was persecuted, beaten and threatened daily, but He had perfect peace, because the presence of God was with Him. God will also be present with you during your struggles, as He will also give you His peace and provide you comfort. He has not abandoned you, or forsaken you. Don't try to handle your problems by yourself, without trusting and having faith that God is bigger than your problems, and that He will work things out for the good of those who love Him. Jesus promised you that "he will never leave you nor forsake you." Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven September 26

No More Tomorrows

No More Tomorrows "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." 2nd Corinthians 5:8 Yesterday, one of my readers sent me an e-mail, telling me that her husband had just passed away from cancer, the day before. I had been praying for her, and her husband for some time, that God would give them some more time together, as they had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Death will come to each of us at some time, and unfortunately we do not know the time that our life will end. As I think about the death of a loved one, I am reminded, that what we so often take for granted will not be there "anymore". There will not be any more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more birthdays or anniversaries to celebrate together. All these will be gone, and all that will remain, will be just some precious memories. The lives of our loved ones are important, and so often we do not appreciate these people, that are in our lives and mean so much to us, until they are gone. Today, I want each of you to think about the people who are special to you, and encourage you to tell them that they are special, and that you love and care about them, while you can, as someday it will be too late to let them know how you feel. Also as you read this, I want you to think about, that you also could die today, tomorrow or next week, and ask yourself if there is someone you need to tell that you love them, or if there are any wounds that need to be healed with someone, or a friendship that needs to be mended. Today is a good day to let the people in your life know that you love them, and care about them, because tomorrow could be too late. Don't put this off, but deal with these issues today, you will be glad you did, as it will give you peace. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Six September 25

Ambassadors For Jesus

Ambassadors For Jesus "So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11 Let me ask you a simple question today, "Are you being the ambassador for Christ that you need to be? I was reminded of this yesterday, when Margaret and I were trying to find a program on television to watch. As we turned from channel to channel trying to find a decent program, each one seemed to be more evil than the last one, there was foul language, improper clothing, sexual overtones, and many other things that were not appropriate to watch. The reason for my question is that if most of the time our children spend is in front of the television, seeing this garbage, who are the ambassadors for Christ that they see. The people who are watching these programs are never going to church, never going to read the Bible, and are living their lives void of God's Truth. I have written much about the church getting outside the four walls of the church, as this is where the vast majority of people in this nation and around the world live their lives. The fact is, everyone has a family member, friend, or co-worker like this. Because they have rejected God's Word they also have rejected Jesus Christ and whether they understand it or not, are going to die one day and spend eternity in hell, unless ambassadors of Christ step forward and give them the opportunity to know Jesus. We must get out of the comfort zone of our churches, quit doing nothing but preaching to ourselves, and get bold and aggressive in taking the message of Christ's love to these lost and hurting masses. The television and media takes this message of debauchery and rebellion to God to the masses every day. If the media can lead the masses to hell, why can't those of us who serve God lead those same masses to an everlasting relationship with Jesus. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven September 24