Aug 20 2024

Today's Bible Verse
Revelation 1:8 (KJV)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

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Today's Bible study

In this verse from Revelation the apostle John records the words of the Lord, who says He is the Alpha and Omega. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, which John was using to record his revelation. This expression means that the Lord is at the beginning and the end of time; there was no point when He did not exist and He will never leave us.

God's existence is as constant and real today as it was on Earth's first day and as it will be on the last day. This verse gives us confidence that the Lord is always the same and is with us today.

The Lord's constant presence is encouraging to us because it reminds us that we are never alone. There is no point in our lives where we will be abandoned by God. The Lord is never over there… He is always here with us! While we might feel like we are alone, we never really are. If we're in between the Alpha and Omega (which we always are), God is here.

This can be hard to remember when it seems like the Lord is far away. Sometimes, it does feel like He doesn't hear us, especially when prayers go unanswered. When we are passed over for a promotion, rejected in a relationship, or struggling in another way, it can seem as though the Lord is far away. And we are not alone in these feelings; even King David, the most prolific psalmist and a man "after God's own heart," sometimes struggled with feeling as though the Lord had left Him.

Whenever we feel like the Lord is far away, He will help us defeat those feelings when we call out to Him. Sometimes we must use the Bible to preach to our souls, reminding us of sweet, eternal truths about the Lord that may miss our daily focus. When we ask Him to defeat these feelings and overcome them with truths in His Word, we open our hearts to His loving presence and He will meet us right where we are.

The Lord might speak to us through His Word, through prayer, through another person, or in another way—but we can be confident that as we come to Him again and again, He will move on our behalf. He has been here from Alpha and will be here until Omega, so He is with us right now.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for your constant presence. Thank you for never leaving me alone and for loving me so deeply. Help me to cling to the truths in the Bible about your goodness, love, and mercy always. In Jesus' name, amen.

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If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

-C.S. Lewis

God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.

-Elbert Hubbard

The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.

-C.S. Lewis

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.

-Dorothy Parker

Yesterday's Devotional

Aug 19 2024

Yesterday's Bible Verse
Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)

Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. :

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Yesterday's Bible study

In this verse from Deuteronomy, we have a powerful reminder that the Lord is always faithful. Moses tells the Israelites that God keeps covenants to a thousand generations. The Lord forgets nothing; He is perfectly faithful and remembers everything we have ever done. We do not have to question whether or not the Lord will honor our efforts to obey; we know that He will… "to a thousand generations."

God's faithfulness proves that He is truly God. Only an omniscient (all-knowing) God would know every way that we've sought to honor Him, and only an omnipotent (all-powerful) God would be able to honor it to a thousand generations. When we see Him honor and reward us, it's a sweet reminder that the Lord to whom we have given our lives is exactly who He said He was. This helps us have the courage and the conviction to continue serving Him, especially in difficult times.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that the Lord is faithful. Indeed, while He has promised to honor us when we seek Him, He does not always answer us in the timeframe we expect. For example, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego may have wanted the Lord to deliver them before they had to walk into the fiery furnace… but they had to have the conviction to walk into the flames. Then, the Lord delivered them in a more miraculous way than anyone expected. We need to remember that His answers will come according to His perfect timing.

The Lord will sustain us through truths about Himself. As we wait for Him to move in our lives, we can take heart in His sweet nearness to us. We can remember that we are never forgotten and that we have been given salvation—the greatest possible gift. The Lord loves us more than we could ever imagine, and His faithfulness is just as sure.

Today, if you feel as though the Lord has forgotten you, ask Him to remind you of His faithfulness. Take some time to be near the Lord, seeking Him in the Bible and through prayer. Ask Him to meet you exactly where you are and speak to your heart. He will show Himself to be the God of Moses, faithful to care for us and call us His own.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. It is beyond anything that I could ever expect or deserve. You are so good to me, and I am so thankful that you have moved in my heart. Please see my efforts to honor you, and remember how I have walked in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen.
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