#DailyDevotion Only God Can Forgive Sins, Make Us Alive & Renew Our Hearts

#DailyDevotion Only God Can Forgive Sins, Make Us Alive & Renew Our Hearts Psalm 51 7Cleanse me from sin with hyssop and I'll be clean;wash me and I'll be whiter than snow. 8Make me to hear joy and gladness; then the limbs You crushed will be glad again. 9Hide Your face from my sins, and wipe out all my wrongs. 10Create a clean heart for me, O God and give me a steady new spirit. David uses some elements from the Day of Atonement rituals when He's asking God to do these things to him. Who alone can cleanse us from sins but God alone. Yet it is necessary for a man to die for this to happen. As such God becomes man, the God-man, Christ Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice that can cleanse us from our sins. He applies that atonement to us when we are baptized. God washes us there of our sin and makes us whiter than snow in the blood of Christ. If we are cleansed from our sins and we have then we can hear joy and gladness. Our bodies no longer are oppressed by our sin and can feel glad when we go to confession and do not try to hide our sins from God and men. Interestingly enough, when we no longer try to hide our sins like Adam when we go to confession, the LORD hides His face from our sins and all our wrongs are wiped out on account of Jesus Christ's innocent suffering and death. If we are to be pleasing to God, He and He alone needs to give us, create in us a new heart. He does this by making our heart alive again because sin has caused it to be dead and stony. He gives us a heart of flesh. God must cleanse our hearts. God must give us steady spirit that does not hide from Him but comes before Him confidently and boldly to do His will. 11Don't banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. When we refuse to repent and confess our sins, when we stubbornly want our sins to be approved of as good, then we enter a state of mortal sin. We are banished from the presence of God as Adam and Eve were from the Garden when they sinned. Just as they died when they were deceived and rebelled against the LORD, when we commit mortal sin, the Holy Spirit departs from us. When the pastor absolves us of our sins, the blood of Christ is applied to us. The Holy Spirit makes us His residence, His temple again. With the blood of Christ sprinkled on us we can again come before the throne of grace and boldly brink our requests to the Father. 12Give me again the joy of Your salvation and a willing spirit to strengthen me. 13Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will come back to You. Jesus provided for us His Supper, where He gives us His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of our faith and perseverance of the same. He brings us into this new covenant where He declares Himself to be our God and we His people. He forgives us our sins and remembers them no more. Having received this He gives us the joy of His salvation and a willing spirit to hear, listen, believe and obey. The LORD's Supper is often called the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. Having received the goodness of the LORD we offer up spiritual sacrifices of thanksgiving. We want to teach other rebels the LORD's ways so they may return to You and know this joy He has given us. We do not want to keep this good news of the Father accepting us on account of Jesus. We want others to know this joy and strength we have in the LORD. Heavenly Father, we thank you for providing us the atoning sacrifice we needed in Jesus Christ to be cleansed and washed of our sins. We give You thanks for making available the means of grace so we may receive from You life and salvation. Open our lips that we may offer up praise and thanksgiving so others too may avail themselves of this grace in Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

How do you view spiritual practices? ⁠ As Divine commands?⁠ As “to do’s” on your habit tracker?⁠ As woulda, shoulda, coulda guilt triggers?⁠ ⁠ What if we saw spiritual practices as gifts?⁠ As ways of practicing self-compassion⁠ As learning to love ourselves as God loves us⁠ ⁠ God is Love. ⁠ You are made in the image of Love.⁠ You are love, to love and be loved and be love. ⁠ ⁠ Receive this moment to draw near to God and your true self ⁠ ⁠ Near to the Heart of God by Cleland B. McAfee (1903)⁠ There is a place of quiet rest,⁠ near to the heart of God;⁠ a place where sin cannot molest,⁠ near to the heart of God.⁠ ⁠ Refrain:⁠ O Jesus, blest Redeemer,⁠ sent from the heart of God,⁠ hold us who wait before thee⁠ near to the heart of God.⁠ ⁠ There is a place of comfort sweet,⁠ near to the heart of God;⁠ a place where we our Savior meet,⁠ near to the heart of God.⁠ (Refrain)⁠ ⁠ There is place a place of full release,⁠ near to the heart of God;⁠ a place where all is joy and peace,⁠ near to the heart of God.⁠ (Refrain)⁠ ⁠ Rest in God’s presence for five minutes, or more⁠ ⁠ IN: Jesus, blest Redeemer⁠ OUT: Hold me⁠ ⁠ IN: Jesus, blest Redeemer⁠ OUT: Hold all I love⁠ ⁠ IN: Jesus, blest Redeemer⁠ OUT: Hold all who are suffering⁠ ⁠ IN: Jesus, blest Redeemer⁠ OUT: Hold all who are waiting⁠ ⁠ IN: Jesus, blest Redeemer⁠ OUT: Hold me⁠ ⁠ ⁠ **************************⁠ Welcome to #8 in the series. Breath prayers + old school hymns = something simple and beautiful to help you connect to God.⁠ ⁠ ⁠#godislove #selfcompassion #imageofgod #imagodei #breathprayers #breathprayer #justbreathe #talktoGod #pandemicprayers #soulcare #encounteringgod #spiritualpractice #mindfulnesspractice #spiritualdiscipline #meansofgrace #talkingtoGod⁠ #listeningtogod #godisnear #christianspirituality #slowlivingforlife #restingingod #restingod #trustgod #christianprayer #prayerlife #spirituallife #prayerpractice⁠ (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGCoW_jFaK_/?igshid=1sbzvyqodka8q

Back in 2011, Evelyn was baptized on Easter Sunday. Yesterday at the Easter Vigil, she was confirmed in Christ. Turns out I severely underestimated how awesome it is to take communion with your kid.

do you have any blog recs for christian content? (love your blog by the way and wishing you the best)

Thank you! I hope that you are well. 🌿

I can rec (either as mutuals, or having seen their posts): @chirhos, @shoutsofmybones @thetombisempty @hymnsofheresy, @gildedmouths @iscariotapologist @opencommunion @proverrbs @beguines @judaswept @meansofgrace @shenaniganboy96 @blessedarethebinarybreakers @stiscariot.

Though there are many wonderful queer/feminist/progressive Christians on tumblr.

hereticpryde >>> meansofgrace

The means of grace or spiritual disciplines are ways the Holy Spirit conforms us more and more into the image of Christ.

Quote of Marty's .. . @teluguchristianblog . . #calvin #luke #theology #christ #biblical #freedom #forgiveness #praise #fellowship #suffering #heaven #bibleverses #dailyverse #christianquotes #ministry #preach #community #humility #dailydevotion #purpose #meansofgrace #communityofchristiancreatives #blessing #goodnewsfeed #christianhedonism #wrath #jesusisking #unsplash #mextures #spurgeon (at All India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCOpuw2HuTR/?igshid=efr47r2rywwm

Personally going to remember the gospel according to Texas A&M, Aggie culture! The ring that points beyond itself to a shared reality that bridges time and space. That was an excellent illustration of the sacraments from @jbwilbanks922 @ccmansfieldtx with @repostapp ・・・ Hey Christ Church, What's one thing you found helpful & impactful from today's sermon or worship service? Leave a comment and share with the rest of us! #meansofgrace #sacraments #mansfield #Jesus #gospel #gospelcentered (at Christ Church Mansfield)

#DailyDevotion The LORD's Steadfast Love & Truth Protect Us

#DailyDevotion The LORD's Steadfast Love & Truth Protect Us Psalm 40 9I tell the news of righteousness in the great congregation, and I don't shut my mouth – O LORD, You know it. 10I don't keep Your righteousness a secret in my heart; I tell how faithful You are and how You save. I have not hid from the great congregation how kind and true You are. 11You, O LORD, don't hold back Your kindness from me. May Your kindness and Your truth always protect me; Following verse three where the LORD opens in David's mouth a new song, David here sings of the LORD's character and what He has done. The LORD's righteousness is something he tells about in the great congregation, that is when the Israelites come to the tabernacle to worship. He does not keep his mouth shut. How are we doing in telling of the LORD's righteousness? What would that consist of for you and me? It would be how the LORD does not tolerate wickedness and evil, but out of His great love for us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus took our guilt and shame upon Himself on the cross. He promises God will credit us with His righteousness if we put our trust in Him. David saw the kindness of the LORD in Him defeating Israel's enemies and giving them the enemies' lands. He saw how faithful the LORD was in keeping His promises even when Israel failed to keep their promises. We see how kind the LORD is in Jesus Christ, His delivering us from sin, death and the power of the devil. He promises to give us the world when He comes again in judgment. It is the kindness of the LORD that protects us and His truth that preserves us in the true faith. Jesus says in John 10, “27My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, 28and I give them everlasting life. They will never be lost, and no one will tear them out of My hand. 29My Father, Who gave them to Me, is greater than all others, and no one can tear them out of My Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one.” 12for evils surround me until they can't be counted. My sins have caught up with me until I can't see; they are more than the hairs on my head. I have lost my courage. 13Hurry, O LORD, to rescue me! O LORD, come quickly to help me! If only we knew how many flaming arrows of the devil were pointing at us, we would never cease praying. Evil surrounds us everywhere. Even our sins have caught us with us and we cannot see clearly. When we do recognize our sinfulness we lose our courage and boldness. We cannot even recognize when we sin at times so our sins are more than the hairs on our head. It only takes one to enter into judgment with the LORD. We, like David, cry out to our LORD Jesus Christ to rescue us and to quickly help us. Before we have finished, Jesus has already taken care of our sins on the cross. He has sent His messengers, His pastors, with the words of absolution on their lips, to declare us free from sin, not guilty, to remove our guilt and shame with the words of Jesus, “I forgive you your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He sends them the tokens of the atonement sacrifice, His body and His blood, shed for the forgiveness of our sins so we may partake of them and participate through them Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, receiving His atonement, the mortification of our sinful bodies, and His eternal life. Such things we declare in the midst of the great congregation. Heavenly Father, may You always open our lips that we may tell of your righteousness and kindness in the Church, that You have given us through You Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Fulfill Your promise in Christ to guard and protect our faith in evermore through the means of grace You have bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

When I read this hymn text, it felt like water in the desert. Trust... Trust... Trust... The grace of the trust I have and the grace to ask for more. ⁠ ⁠ Who or what are you trusting these needful days? Are they worthy of your trust?⁠ ⁠ 1. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take him at his word;⁠ just to rest upon his promise, and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."⁠ ⁠ Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! How I've proved him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust him more!⁠ ⁠ 2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus, just to trust His cleansing blood; and in simple faith to plunge me neath the healing, cleansing flood! (Refrain)⁠ ⁠ 3. Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease; just from Jesus simply taking life and rest, and joy and peace. (Refrain)⁠ ⁠ 4. I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, precious Jesus, Savior, friend; and I know that thou art with me, wilt be with me to the end. (Refrain)⁠ ⁠ The breath in for all these breath prayers is silent. Simply open and receive. Use one or more of the suggestions on your breath out. Pause for a moment between breath prayers. ⁠ ⁠ OUT:⁠ Jesus, I trust you⁠ I trust your promises⁠ I trust your cleansing⁠ I trust your healing⁠ Deliver me from sin and selfishness⁠ I receive your life and rest⁠ I receive your joy and peace⁠ Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend⁠ Grant me grace to trust you more⁠ ⁠ What breath prayer would you write for this beauty by Louisa M. R. Stead?⁠ ⁠ ⁠**************************⁠ Welcome to #5 in our new series! Breath prayers + old school hymns = something simple and beautiful to help you connect to God.⁠ ⁠ ⁠#breathprayers #breathprayer #justbreathe #talktoGod #pandemicprayers #soulcare #encounteringgod #spiritualpractice #mindfulnesspractice #spiritualdiscipline #meansofgrace #talkingtoGod⁠ #listeningtogod #godisnear #christianspirituality #slowlivingforlife #restingingod #restingod #trustgod #christianprayer #prayerlife #spirituallife #prayerpractice⁠ (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFMk0UXF5eo/?igshid=15emulpafwqsp

What seeds are you sowing today?⁠ ⁠ For more of the powerful, hopeful, insightful work of Steve Garnaas Holmes, go to unfoldinglight.net⁠ ⁠ Matthew 13:32- It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.⁠ ⁠ #loveyourneighbor #loveoneanother #mustardseed⁠ #bethechange #braveliving #wholeheartedliving #encounteringgod #experiencegod #spiritualpractice #spiritualdiscipline #meansofgrace #stoplooklisten #fullypresent #listeningtogod #godisnear #christianspirituality #showingup #liveoutloud #perseverance #dothework #keepdoingthework #peacemaker #trustgod (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CC4Nr8cFRzr/?igshid=1ffyl9dkwqgos

#DailyDevotion What Are You Doing While Waiting On The LORD?

#DailyDevotion What Are You Doing While Waiting On The LORD? Jude 20–25 20But you, dear friends, building yourselves up on your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in God's love, as you look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you everlasting life. 22Some people are in doubt — pity them, 23snatch them from the fire, and save them. Pity others with fear as you hate even their clothes stained by their flesh. 24To Him who is able to keep you from falling and have you stand without a fault and with great joy before His glory, 25to the only God, Who saves us through Jesus Christ our Lord — to Him be glory, majesty, power, and authority — as it was from everlasting, so be it now and forever. Amen. So what should we be doing as we wait for Christ's second advent? For one, we are to building ourselves up on our most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? Our faith is founded on hearing the word of Christ. If we are going to be building ourselves up on it then we need to continue to make use of the means of grace. So we remember our baptism daily. We regularly gather with the saints to hear the word of God preached and meditate on it daily. We receive the Lord's Supper regularity when it is offered to have our faith strengthened. When our sins accuse us we receive absolution from the pastor. And we converse about the word of God with our fellow Christians absolving them of their sins against us. Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying the word of God which is Spirit. We ask God for those things which he has promised us and believe he will answer in the affirmative. Keeping ourselves in God's love is trusting and believing in the love he shows us in the means of grace and giving away that love to others, even our enemies. We spend our time looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give us everlasting life. That is, the problems of this world do not overcome us or our faith. If we lack something now we do not fear and fret. We believe everything will be provided us when Christ returns in glory. To our fellow Christians who doubt the mercies of God we are are pity them and snatch them from the everlasting fire to save them. We do this put by putting forth the promises of God in Christ Jesus before their eyes and in their ears. Those we pity with fear as we hate the clothes stained by their flesh are not all unbelievers but those who used to be fellow believers but fell away. We pity them because they used to know the truth. We fear them because they can be a temptation to us to fall away. Nevertheless we rest upon this promise which Paul and Peter reminds us of also, Jesus is able to keep us from falling and stand before him blameless with great joy. He uses the means of grace to accomplish this. You know, the ones I mentioned up above. It is through these means he works to keep us faithful and blameless. To God the Father and our LORD Jesus Christ let us then join with Jude and all the saints and give them all the glory and majesty which is rightly theirs. Ever faithful Father, continually make the means of grace available for us and give us your Spirit that we make use of them to preserved in the faith so we may appear before you in glory, holy and blameless with great joy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

What clarity are you needing today? ⁠ ⁠ Leave a comment or message me. I'd love to pray with you and for you. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #focus #intentionalliving #mindfulnesspractice ⁠#braveliving #wholeheartedliving #spiritualpractice #spiritualdiscipline #meansofgrace #stoplooklisten #fullypresent #listeningtogod #godisnear #christianspirituality (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpY3lyFi2B/?igshid=11dtq0ne27gxq

Easter is a day and a season, the great 50 days. How will you celebrate?⁠ ⁠ This year I'm offering a free Easter Season Bible Reading Plan on my website www.revlisad.com (link in bio). ⁠ ⁠ The reading plan includes:⁠ * 5 readings per week. The readings are taken from several New Testament books on the themes of resurrection and new life⁠ * Space to write a short prayer or reflection following each reading.⁠ * A prayer for each week⁠ ⁠ On Sundays, you’ll find the scripture I’ll be preaching. Join us live on Facebook at 9 AM or 10:30 AM for the whole worship service. Later in the week, you’ll find just the sermon on my YouTube channel. It takes a couple of days for me to post the sermon on YouTube.⁠ ⁠ Happy Easter, dear ones. I'd love to know if you're using the resource. ⁠ ⁠ #easter #easter2021 #biblereadingplan #rhythm #sacredrhythms #focus #intentionalliving #mindfulnesspractice #wholeheartedliving #spiritualpractice #spiritualdiscipline #meansofgrace #stoplooklisten #fullypresent #listeningtogod #godisnear #christianspirituality #practice #tryandtryagain #spiritualmaturity #journeyoffaith #morningroutine ⁠ (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNSDQu0l45V/?igshid=qi69ghr703so

Lenten Prayers:⁠ 2/24, Isaiah 42- Place your Spirit upon me. Take me by the hand so I may serve- bringing forth your justice with tenderness, bringing forth your light with persevering presence, bringing forth your freedom for all. ⁠ ⁠ 2/25, Isaiah 43- You are the Lord our God, the Holy One, Savior, Redeemer, Creator, King. Gather your beloved children. Draw them from far away- every place, every one, every barrier broken. ⁠ ⁠ I'm finding great grace in these short prayers. What's your prayer today?⁠ ⁠ ⁠Message me if you'd like a copy of our Lenten reading plan through the last third or so of Isaiah. It's a great time to start since it just started. ⁠ ⁠ Blessed Lent, dear ones. ⁠ ⁠ #lent #lent2021 #lenten #lentenseason #lentenreflection #lentenreflections #lentendevotional #lentenjourney #selfcare #christiancreative #rhythm #sacredrhythms #focus #intentionalliving #mindfulnesspractice ⁠#braveliving #wholeheartedliving #spiritualpractice #spiritualdiscipline #meansofgrace #stoplooklisten #fullypresent #listeningtogod #godisnear #christianspirituality #sanctification #spiritualmaturity #journeyoffaith ⁠ (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLuCMMllMAE/?igshid=1hmvm8uj5mpjz