Through Every Generation (#wtsdevo faithfulness)

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” -2 Timothy 2:13

I am deeply grateful that my God's faithfulness doesn't hinge on my faith. He would still be just if He measured our relationship based on what I offered Him. After all, we operate that way down here among the mortals.

One of our greatest flaws as human beings—what most separates us from a holy God is our failure to be perfect. We lie, we cheat, we cut corners and we disappoint. And because we're humans rubbing elbows with other humans on a daily basis, it can be easy to attach our standards to Him as well. Even accidentally.

He is holy and perfect. Anything short of that is a direct contradiction to His nature. He cannot fail. He can't be unloving. Even in His judgement He loves us. Also, while He deserves our best effort and perfect faith, we fall majorly short. Our God is still faithful.

All of our human characteristics are mere shadows compared to His. He is the essence and definition of faithfulness. He can never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever (Psalm 117:2).

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Devotional Series: Faithfulness (#wtsdevo faithfulness)

By: Julian Davis \ Personal // Walk the Same

GUARDANDO SUS PALABRAS (#wtsdevo #HistoriadelCanon)

“Mi alma ha guardado tus testimonios, y los he amado en gran manera “

-          Salmo 118:167

¿Alguna vez has escrito un poema o te han dedicado un poema?, si hay algo parecido a un poema de amor es el Salmo 119, el capítulo más largo de la Biblia, y deberíamos preguntarnos ¿de qué trata el capítulo más largo de la Biblia?

Este salmo está compuesto de forma armónica, cada estrofa está compuesta por 8 versículos, para dar una cuenta final de 176 versículos en un solo capitulo, por lo menos en 169 versículos el autor de este Salmo se refiere a la Palabra de Dios de diferentes y diversas maneras; ley, testimonios, preceptos, estatutos, mandamientos, reglas y promesas y Palabra.

Quizás hemos intentado escribir poesía en el pasado, pero deberíamos de preguntarnos qué inspiro al autor escribir este gran poema, cuando leemos poemas, nos preguntamos cosas como ¿Por qué escribió eso?, ¿Enserio la amaba tanto?, ya que los poemas normalmente tienen expresiones raras, incluso melodramáticas que reacción tendrías si leyeras estos versículos:

129Maravillosos son tus testimonios;     Por tanto, los ha guardado mi alma.

130 La exposición de tus palabras alumbra; Hace entender a los simples.

131 Mi boca abrí y suspiré, Porque deseaba tus mandamientos.

132 Mírame, y ten misericordia de mí, Como acostumbras con los que aman tu nombre.

133 Ordena mis pasos con tu palabra, Y ninguna iniquidad se enseñoree de mí.

134 Líbrame de la violencia de los hombres, Y guardaré tus mandamientos.

135 Haz que tu rostro resplandezca sobre tu siervo, Y enséñame tus estatutos.

136 Ríos de agua descendieron de mis ojos, Porque no guardaban tu ley.

Salmo 119: 129-136

Esta estrofa en particular demuestra que el autor estaba muy emocionado al pensar en la Palabra de Dios: desear, llorar y suspirar.

Si el salmista escribió con tanta pasión y solo tenía a disposición una parte de la Biblia por lo menos el pentateuco (los cinco primeros libros de la Biblia), que deberíamos nosotros que tenemos una revelación completa, creo que debería ser algo así.

“Si, Así es”, esto es lo que deberíamos proclamar al leer cualquier parte de la Biblia, no solo los salmos y su poesía (hebrea claro), nosotros como cristianos deberíamos desarrollar mayores afectos y dependencia de la Palabra, el Salmo 119 debería ser el salmo de todos los que leemos la Palabra de Dios, esta tiene una gloriosa alabanza de alguien que en verdad a creído que la Palabra es cierta, es perfecta, es inmutable, es justa, es verdadera, el Salmo 119 siendo el autor inspirado por el Espíritu Santo, es como si Dios mismo sabiendo que su Palabra es tan excelsa, decidiera componerse un poema Él mismo, dándonos ejemplo de que Él tiene en gran estima su propia palabra y así mismo nosotros deberíamos tenerla en gran estima como dice un autor sobre este salmo “ Me encanta este salmo por que le da voz a la canción de mi alma”.

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Serie Devocional: Historia del Canon (#wtsedevo #Historiadelcanon) (#wtsespañol #Historia del canon #Viernes # GUARDANDO SUS PALABRAS)

Publicado por: Andres V // Personal // WalkTheSame Español

Visítanos en: wakthesame.es ; walkthesamecollected.es

Temor del bueno (#wtsdevo #temordeDios)

Muchas veces tenemos miedo de hacer ciertas cosas por el posible castigo que podemos recibir, ya sea de Dios o de los hombres. Eso actuaria como un mecanismo de defensa para no hacer lo incorrecto. Pero también es cierto que hay personas que parecen tener un menor o casi nulo grado de temor a Dios, es por eso que algunos piensan que durante la semana pueden vivir una vida desenfrenada, fuera de la voluntad de Dios y que eso no será visto o tomado en cuenta por el Señor, tan simplemente piensan que concurriendo a una congregación los fines de semana estarán bien delante de Dios, esto es hipocresía y como todo pecado, Dios lo castiga.

Así como hay temores que nos protegen y nos advierten que Dios es justo, también hay temores incorrectos que nos paralizan, impidiendo que hagamos  la obra que Dios nos encomendó, y eso sí que es un problema. Por ejemplo el temor de hablar a alguien del evangelio por temor al que dirá.

Es necesario entonces considerar en nuestra vida cuales son nuestros temores, y enfocarnos en perfeccionar solamente nuestro temor a Dios, el cual es una reverencia ante la santidad y perfección de Dios, sabiendo que merecemos el castigo eterno por nuestros pecados, pero viviendo confiados y agradecidos por su gran salvación por gracia y la misericordia que Jesús mostró por nosotros al derramar su sangre en la cruz para limpiarnos. Echando fuera todo temor que nos impida avanzar sirviendo al Señor, negándonos a nosotros mismos, dependiendo tan solo de Dios.

Miremos ahora lo que dice Proverbios capitulo 2 acerca de como podemos entender el temor de Jehová

Hijo mío, si recibieres mis palabras, Y mis mandamientos guardares dentro de ti,

Dos puntos importantes: Recibir y guardar la Palabra de Dios. Es decir que no se trata solo de escucharla, o leerla, sino de guardarla en nuestro corazón para obedecerla, esto solo se logra escudriñando, pensando en aquello que leemos y no tomando solo lo que nos gusta o conviene personalmente.

Haciendo estar atento tu oído a la sabiduría; Si inclinares tu corazón a la prudencia,

Poner atención, no con apuro, sino tomándonos el tiempo para oír lo que Dios quiere decirnos, buscando ser sabios.

Si clamares a la inteligencia, Y a la prudencia dieres tu voz;

Pedir a Dios sabiduría no es malo, sino que Dios está dispuesto a brindárnosla.

Si como a la plata la buscares, Y la escudriñares como a tesoros,

Esta comparación es muy clara. Imagínate si te dicen que años atrás en el terreno donde vives, alguien escondió un tesoro, ¿qué crees que harías? Yo por mi parte estoy convencida que me compraría un detector de metales y una pala, intentaría buscar el tesoro sola al principio, para que no se difunda demasiado la noticia, pero si por la profundidad o algún otro problema no pudiera encontrar nada, llamaría a algún experto para que me ayudara a encontrarlo. De la misma manera dice este pasaje que debemos buscar la sabiduría en la Palabra de Dios, con entusiasmo, esfuerzo y perseverancia, sabiendo que allí encontraremos riqueza sin igual.

Entonces entenderás el temor de Jehová, Y hallarás el conocimiento de Dios.

Luego de seguir todos estos pasos, podremos entender el temor de Jehová, no solo como un miedo al castigo, sino como una forma de vida. Sabiendo que en Dios están las mayores riquezas, la sabiduría para conducirnos en esta vida y para ser felices en comunión con Él, sin temor al mañana, o a los problemas, sino solamente con temor a Dios.

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Serie devocional: Lo que Dios quiera (#wtsedevo #temordeDios)

Publicado por: Carol // Personal // Walk the Same Español

CÓMO SE FORMO LA SANTA ESCRITURA (#wtsdevo #HistoriadelCanon)

“No añadiréis a la palabra que yo os mando, ni disminuiréis de ella, para que guardéis los mandamientos de Jehová vuestro Dios que yo os ordeno.”

-      Deuteronomio 4:2

Cuando hablamos del Canon de la Escritura, la palabra Canon tiene un significado sencillo. Hace referencia a los libros contenidos en la Escritura, la lista de libros reconocidos dignos de ser incluidos dentro de los Escritos Sagrados de una Comunidad de Culto.

Definamos su significado más detalladamente:

A)     El Canon. Definición:

a.       Termino Común: “Vara de medir.”

b.      Termino Ético: “Norma o Regla”

c.       Termino Teológico: “Conjunto de Libros Sagrados”

B)      ¿Por qué crear un Canon?

-          A causa de las sectas heréticas y movimientos paganos, obligan a la iglesia a definir los Libros Sagrados de otros libros con matiz religioso.

Para incluir un libro a canon, esté debía someterse a varias pruebas para poder incluirlo, por ejemplo, ¿Es Autoritativo?  ¿Provino de la mano de Dios? El libro viene con expresiones “Así dice el Señor”; Segundo, ¿Es profético? ¿Fue escrito por un hombre de Dios?; Tercero, ¿Es autentico? Los Padres de la Iglesia si tenían duda de un libro lo desechaban; Cuarto, ¿Es Dinámico? ¿Tiene el Poder de Dios para cambiar vidas? ¿Fue recibido en la iglesia?

C)      Su Formación.

Requirió de tempo el proceso y varias etapas. A través de mil años por medio de los profetas, o como lo divide El Señor; La ley de Moisés, Los Salmos y los Profetas (Lc. 24:44). Los judíos lo judíos lo dividen en tres porciones: (1) Tora, “Ley” de Moisés, (2) Neviim, “Profetas”, (3) Ketubim “Escritos” comprende once libros con un total en la Biblia Hebrea  de 24, que son los mismos 39 de nuestras Biblias. La diferencia radica en la separación de los libros.

A lo largo de los diferentes periodos surgen nuevas etapas que dan lugar a la formación del Canon. Del año 0 de nuestra época al 100 d.C. en los cuales se escriben las Cartas o Evangelios a esta etapa se le llama “Apostólica o de Escritura”. Posterior a ella tenemos “La Circulación” (100 d.C – 150 d.C.) En este periodo los Escritos del Nuevo Testamento circulan por la mayoría de las iglesias locales. Del 150 al 200 d.C. tenemos la etapa del “Reconocimiento”. Los cristianos evaluaron la literatura cristiana existente para considerar cuales libros deberían reconocerse oficialmente. Finalmente, tenemos la “Ratificación” (200-400 d.C.) Comienzan a circular listas de los 27 libros del Nuevo Testamento. En este periodo tenemos los Concilios que Ratificaron el Canon: Nicea, Hipona, Cartago. En el 363 d.C. en el Concilio de Nicea se habla de Libros Canónicos. En el 393 d.C. en el Concilio de Hipona se reconocen localmente 27 libros. Y en el Concilio de Cartago en el 397 d.C. Se ratifican oficialmente los 27 libros ya reconocidos por la iglesia.

A finales del Siglo II d.C. las dos colecciones de Libros comenzaron a ser llamadas Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento y de estos títulos hay testimonios de que se les llamaba así en los escritos de Clemente de Alejandría y Tertuliano de Cartago.

Por último, terminamos recordando aquel pasaje de Deuteronomio 4:2 con el cual hemos empezado. Algunos expertos dicen que la palabra Canon no se debe de utilizar a menos que la lista de libros inspirados se haya cerrado. Esto concuerda con el lenguaje de no añadir ni quitar nada en relación a partes concretas de los dos Testamentos.  El Canon mis amados se ha cerrado con Juan en Apocalipsis…

Podríamos escribir bastante acerca de este tema. Sin embargo, en Walk the Same en Español nuestro objetivo es edificar a la los santos, a la iglesia de Jesucristo y esperamos para ti lector esta que esta somera revisión te despierte a investigar más acerca de este tópico tan extenso. Existen esbozos repletos de detalles al respecto. Como líder de WTSE ¡espero no haber contestado a tus interrogantes, sino haberlas hecho más grandes!

Apocalipsis 22:18-19 (RVR1960)

18 Yo testifico a todo aquel que oye las palabras de la profecía de este libro: Si alguno añadiere a estas cosas, Dios traerá sobre él las plagas que están escritas en este libro.

19 Y si alguno quitare de las palabras del libro de esta profecía, Dios quitará su parte del libro de la vida, y de la santa ciudad y de las cosas que están escritas en este libro.

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Serie devocional: Historia del Canon (#WalktheSameEspañol #wtsedevo #Lunes #Canon #Juan #Apocalipsis #Revelaciones #Evangelios #Biblia #Iglesia #Historia )

Publicado por: Jessie Sauza // Historia del Canon //Walk The Same Español.

Visitanos en: https:walkthesame.es ; www.walkthesamecollected.es

El Gozo ● Fruto de la Obediencia ● Padre_Hijo_EspirituSanto de Dios

Fresh Start (#WTSphDEVO New Beginning)

Words by Meg Rentoria

I just hate it when my laptop is acting up real slow. Most especially when I am trying to beat a deadline. At some point, it would appear as if I’m being taunted by "great" timing and bad prank. I almost always end up screaming and finger-punching these precious squares of alpha-numeric keys. When this happen, I have no choice but to restart my laptop or totally reformat it (worst case scenario).

I know some of you might have been in a similar situation, especially if you are a student or you have a computer-related task at work. Upon consultation with my friends who are whiz in tech-related things, they would tell me that my laptop, in layman’s term, is overloaded. This causes my laptop to function inefficiently; either it is too slow or it freezes totally. Despite my own protest, I have no choice but to push down the restart button and start over.

Well, in real life, it’s pretty much the same. There are days where things seem too much for us. We get fed up once in a while with all the stuff that saturate us from day to day. Most often, these are trivial and routinary things that we never thought could actually build up and take so much space in our lives. And when we reach our limit on our saturation point, we get bogged down. The reminder of the Lord for us is that we can relieve ourselves from the stress and weight of such. He says we can unload this burden unto him. Whenever we fail and missed on something, we are to remember that with God, starting over is always possible. And yes, starting over is not a bad thing. Don’t ever think that it would be a waste of time or that all your efforts will be just in vain. Sometimes, you just need to drop what's on your hand and take a few steps back to get going ahead. Forcing ourselves into things that's not working anymore can be excruciating. At first it may seem plausible, but in the long run it will take its toll.

Take a breather. Change your perspective. See things in a new light. Push that "restart" button.

Who knows? Maybe that particular "break" will jump start your breakthrough and lead to better and greater things.

With God, we can always have a fresh start.

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” – Revelation 21:5

Motivated for Good (#wtsdevo goodness)

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” - Titus 2:7-‬8‬

I used to have a lead foot. I treated the speed limit as merely a suggestion. Life behind the wheel was full of impatience and anxiety—all brought on by myself. I'd look for patrol cars or to see if traffic ahead of me was slowing down. If not, I put the pedal to the metal.

So I’ve had my share of speeding tickets. And to think it all could have been avoided if I just obeyed the law. I drove not to get caught. My motivation wasn't to abide by the God-to-man-appointed law. I had a bigger issue than just speeding. It was an integrity problem.

Although now I feel delivered from my racecar driver complex, that integrity struggle has leaked it's way into other facets of my life. Not long after engaging in the fight for integrity comes good ol’ legalism. And if I'm not careful my motivation can become not getting caught rather than pleasing the Father—bringing Him glory in my conduct at all times.

Am I moved to obey Him simply because of who He is? My only hope is that He grants me Psalm 19 verse 14:

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

By: Julian Davis \ Personal // Walk the Same

Faithful Living (#wtsdevo faithfulness)

I love listening to the inspiring and life changing messages that I hear every Sunday. They make impact when it comes to how I live daily and transforms the way I think and approach situations. As Christians, we are keen to hear all that is being shared when our Pastors and teachers share them but all too often it is hard to actually apply them into our own lives faithfully. That’s because of the human condition of being too comfortable and our pride.

However there’s more to living life than sticking to what our flesh tells us to and Christ demonstrated that to us through His life. Unlike most of those that were around Him, it was clear, reading the Bible, that Christ experienced a true sense of freedom. He lived a life of peace and He was in a position to be there for others and comfort them when the need came. His life became like so because He was shaped by His faithfulness - to His Father, to His cause and mission and His purpose.

There came several times when He was tempted and when He felt like He couldn’t go any further but by His faithfulness, He understood that there was something bigger and amazing on the other side and this is the same attitude that we too must adopt as we choose to follow Christ.

Is it easy to say with our mouths that we will change but true transformation comes about when we choose to be faithful. Often times, things (and life) may come our way to disrupt our calling and all it takes to deflect these moments is faithfulness.

It can make all the difference to life beyond measure.

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Devotional Series: Faithfulness (#wtsdevo faithfulness)

By: Jude \ Personal // Walk the Same

Bless the Lord (#wtsdevo goodness)

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. … Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” - Psalm 34:1-5, 8

Seventeen years ago this past Tuesday (October 31), Jesus Christ changed my life forever. My mom shared with me the truths that Jesus had died to save me so I could be forgiven. My small self knew that there was a standard of perfection (the holiness of God) that I could never live up to. Even as a child, I knew I was not perfect. The news that Jesus had lived up to that standard for me was amazing! I knew that I needed Him to make the way for me to be forgiven by God. I asked Him to save me, and He did. Heaven was filled with joy in that moment (Luke 15:7).

This is why I reflect on the goodness of God this week. He didn’t have to do that for me – but He did. And He did it for you too. Jesus covers all our shame and restores our relationship with our loving Creator, a relationship that we couldn’t fix by ourselves. Because of Jesus, our God sees us as His children whom He loves. Because of Him, I call out with the Psalmist, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” This is true in my life: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears”! How incredible is the goodness of our God. He is not far away; He is right there ready to come and get His children. Fifteen years ago this week, He came and got me. My eternity was sealed by the God of the universe (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Over the past fifteen years of this relationship, I can say again with the Psalmist that I have tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord. He never changes, never fails, is never unfaithful. Any good in me is from Him. Jesus has truly changed not just my external life but my inner being. The ultimate purpose and fulfillment of my life is nothing if not found in Him whom I was created by and for. “In Your presence there is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)

I share this part of my story, the beginning, in the hope that it will encourage someone who reads it, that it will bring glory to my God, and that it will spark in someone a desire for the same kind of life change. All that is necessary is faith that Jesus really did live the perfect life that we could not live, die the death that we could not die, and rise again to eternal life so that we could spend forever with Him, our lives on this earth dedicated to His glory and praise. Our God is so good that He made the way for us to come back to Him when we couldn’t even see that we needed it.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal //  Walk the Same

His Steadfast Love (#wtsdevo goodness)

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” - Psalm 100:5

There was a time in my life not too long ago where I questioned God’s goodness in my heart. For a few months, the circumstances of my life had been going in a direction that I thought was going to change my life for good. I thought I had reached a point where the next steps for me were clear, where I knew what was going to happen. I was so excited about the future that seemed to be in front of me. But in just a few days, all that changed completely. Almost every aspect of what I had planned fell apart. I no longer knew what I would be doing in the next few months, and I no longer knew who would be with me on that journey. It was one of the loneliest times of my life as I wrestled with trusting the Lord and remaining close to Him while I waited to see what He would actually bring about. Graciously He provided everything I needed and more, and now I am so thankful for the way He redirected my life. His plan was infinitely better than mine.  

But what I struggled with as all this was happening was that I questioned whether God was really being “good” in all this. I felt like He had given me certain gifts of people in my life as well as a job opportunity. I felt like I had been unjustly robbed of those things when they were taken away. I wondered whether I had done something wrong, or whether I had just misheard God’s voice. It took many months, but after seeking the Lord and coming to Him in honesty and brokenness, He said to me clearly that He had never changed that whole time (Malachi 3:6). He had remained good. He had remained faithful and loving to me. What was missing was my perspective. His goodness never changes because He never changes! I simply could not see it from my partial and flawed perspective. Even when the Lord spoke that truth to me, I had to believe it by faith. I could not explain everything that happened. Today, I still may not be able to explain every detail, but what I definitely can explain is that since then, I have seen the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 27:13). Even in taking things away, He was actually merciful and loving and good because He knew what was best for me. He knew what His plan was all along, and just because I didn’t, didn’t mean that He wasn’t good. Friends, we can have confidence that our Lord never changes. No matter what happens, He is faithful and He is good. He is our rock solid foundation that we can trust. This means that when our circumstances seem awful or even irredeemable, the fact that He is good means that He is actually working in them to bring about His plan for our good as His children.  Let’s praise Him for His goodness today, rest in that foundation, and ask Him to help us trust Him by faith that He is good even when we can’t see it.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal //  Walk the Same

Be Kind to One Another (#wtsdevo kindness)

Ephesians 4:32-5:1 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”  

Kindness has been a theme in my life recently. I’ve been learning to show kindness in new and creative ways. I’ve experienced kindness shown to me in ways that I never thought would happen or that I needed to experience. I’ve been learning that two major components of kindness are mercy and selflessness.

Kindness isn’t deserved. We didn’t deserved God’s great kindness of saving us and giving us everything we need for life and godliness, but He gave it to us anyway. That’s why Ephesians says that we should imitate God as it says we should be kind and tenderhearted to one another. None of us is deserving of kindness. So instead of holding it back, we should imitate God and lavish it freely on every single person we meet.

Let’s be kind even when it’s inconvenient to do so. Let’s be kind even if the person receiving it hurts us in return. Let’s be kind even when the other person doesn’t deserve it. And when they are easy to be kind to, let’s not take the kindness we have received for granted.  Let’s show each other the value that each person has by being kind to each person no matter what because God was kind to us no matter what.

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Devotional Series: Kindness (#wtsdevo kindness)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal //  Walk the Same

A Good God (#wtsdevo goodness)

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” -Romans 7:18

Hopefully we can all own this verse. It's only been a few years since I've been able to look at it honestly. Because we live among the measures of good, better and best by our standards. But God, in His perfect goodness is the only truly good One. Paul understood that.

If there is anything about me that isn't utterly despicable, it's only by the grace of God and His goodness through me. Not from me or by me. We are simply the vessels that display His goodness. Pride can convince us otherwise but only God is good.

He is a good, good Father.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

By: Julian Davis \ Personal // Walk the Same

His Goodness Prevails (#wtsdevo goodness)

Psalm 91 happens to be one of my most favorite Psalms in the Bible because on a bad day, it reminds me that God’s goodness stands out and breaks away all negativity and replaces it with the comfort and grace of God and everything good that you can possibly imagine.

I think that with so much happening these days around in our world, it is easy to lose it and fall into the trap where you end up feeling like everything is going downhill. And in circumstances such as this it is important to journey on ahead with positivity and so much hope. The way that one can do this is by being reminded of God’s goodness and the best source of this is through His own words in the Bible.

The Bible is filled with reminders about His goodness but simply taking Psalm 91 alone and unpacking it, tells us that no matter the season, situation or circumstance, God’s goodness prevails. It comes through even in the times when you might never expect it but it surely does come.

God is our Father and He loves us more than we can ever imagine. He is always for us and is always with us even in the stormy times of life - carrying us through and allowing us to grow in our wisdom and strength. All we need to do it believe and cling onto Him.

He never fails. His goodness is here to stay.

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Devotional Series: Goodness (#wtsdevo goodness)

By: Jude \ Personal // Walk the Same

Patient in Tribulation (#wtsdevo patience)

Romans 12:12 - Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

When I go through a difficult time or situation, usually my impulse reaction is to try to make it stop as soon as possible. I don’t want to be in the trial because it hurts or because it is difficult. We as humans want to avoid pain and suffering at all costs, so much so that entire religions like Buddhism are centered around that idea. So many aspects of our lives have been constructed for the purposes of making things easier and preventing us from experiencing suffering or pain. In my life recently, I have seen my own tendency to try to protect myself from pain and make a struggle end as soon as possible.

Now, I’m not trying to say that avoiding pain and struggle is inherently wrong or sinful. I think there can certainly be aspects of it that are, and I definitely don’t think that we should seek out those things. But here’s the thing about living in our world: we are inevitably going to experience trial, struggle, pain, and suffering at some point in our lives if we are living in the real world. And instead of encouraging us to do what our gut reaction is (to escape), God’s Word exhorts us to a higher standard. He wants to actually use those things in our lives for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28). Instead of escaping, he says that we should rejoice in the hope that we have in Him. We should constantly be in prayer, which will keep us connected to His Spirit and bring us peace. And we should be patient in tribulation. We often don’t have any control over it in the first place, so instead of fighting and trying to escape when we know we can’t do it ourselves, we need to be patient and wait for the storm to pass. Something I have been learning recently is that while in a storm of life, being patient doesn’t have to mean being passive. Instead, I can ask God what He wants to teach me from the situation about life, about His Word, about who He is. I can ask Him to use it to make me more like Him. I can ask Him to show me more of who He is and draw me closer to Himself. I can ask Him to use the trial of my life to help someone else grow nearer to God. Join me in asking God to do that in each of our lives today.  

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Devotional Series: Patience (#wtsdevo patience)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal //  Walk the Same

Filling up that Empty Space (#wtsdevo kindness)

Once I heard someone saying that his inability felt like a huge gaping hole in his life that simply sat there, empty and breaking everything else good that was around him. He said that he wished that someone could fill that hole up so that he could heal.

It made me realize that most of us come across those situations in life where we feel like there’s something empty inside. And worst of all, it is eating us away slowly and steadily and we simply can’t do anything about it on our own and by our own strength. But in that situation, if someone chooses to help us and lift us up, everything changes. Our worries our gone. Our stresses no more and things feel like they are going to be okay after all. That’s because someone’s kindness filled the empty void that was in our life. It feels like we are whole again.

Kindness does more than meets the eye. It heals, it brings joy, it transforms lives and it makes us whole again. Sounds like Jesus doesn’t it? We were a wretched people, living life our own way and by our own terms. What we didn’t realize was that we were opening up wounds within ourselves and by the day, they got raw and inflamed. God didn’t have to save us but He saw our hurting hearts. He wanted us to be more. He wanted us to be the way He created us to be. And out of His sheer kindness and love for us, He sent us His Son. That chasm that once was between us and God was now filled by the incredible sacrifice that Christ made for us. His kindness saved us and here we are.

Remember that being kind to others is more than just helping someone. It is a lifestyle for us Christians and it is part of who we are and our identity. When we choose to be kind, we allow Christ to shine onto others through our lives. We may not realize it but every little act of kindness plays a part in changing the world.

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Devotional Series: Kindness (#wtsdevo kindness)

By: Jude \ Personal // Walk the Same

Fullness of Joy (#wtsdevo joy)

“I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;     in the night also my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me;     because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;     my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,     or let your holy one see corruption.

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 16:7-11

Psalm 16 is one of my passages in Scripture for a lot of reasons. But one of the number one reasons is that it serves as a continual reminder of where joy can be found. It says, “in Your presence there is fullness of joy.” The Psalmist says that his whole being rejoices because God is with him, protecting him and guiding him in the path of life. God’s presence is where joy is found.

Now, I want to look at the line “in your presence there is fullness of joy” using a Scripture meditation method I learned recently. If you take each word and focus the emphasis of the sentence on it, you can discern meaning you might not have noticed just reading the verse normally.

IN your presence there is fullness of joy: this says to me that I need to make sure that I’m actively living in the presence of God. He is always present with us, but I am not always aware of it, or living like it. To be filled with joy in His presence, I have to acknowledge and welcome His presence every moment.

In YOUR presence there is fullness of joy: there is no other in whose presence the fullness of joy can be found. God alone is the source of complete and full joy. Everything else is a pale comparison or cheap imitation.

In your PRESENCE there is fullness of joy: this goes back to God truly being with us always. God has said that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that He will be with us always, even until the end of the age.

In your presence there is FULLNESS of joy: This joy is not weak or fleeting. This is Spirit-led, Spirit-filled full joy that exists outside of temporal circumstances and struggles. This joy is able to cover any other feeling we may be having.

In your presence there is fullness of JOY: lastly, we are reminded that what is to be found in God’s presence is in fact joy. Not condemnation, not guilt, Christ has taken those away at the cross. Instead we have access to joy in the Lord. Let’s enter into His presence and beg for this joy today.

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Devotional Series: Joy (#wtsdevo joy)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal //  Walk the Same