Encouraging you with God's words through bible devotions

Mighty Work through Humble People

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

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“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of jacob forever, and of His kingdom therre will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33 NKJV

Its one thing to prophecy someone is going to have a baby. Even to guess it will be a boy isn’t very extraordinary. But the angel continues to explain God’s plan for Mary. She will have a son and He will be great. What mother doesn’t want their child to be great! This is where things get exciting.

The angel continues to describe her baby. He will be called the Son of the Highest, as in the Son of God Almighty!?! To ensure Mary understands, the angel goes on. God Himself will give Him the throne of David. This means He will rule over the people – He will be royalty. He will have power and authority. But not only will He reign over one people, but all people as He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end.

So this child Mary will conceive will be special indeed. He will…

Be great.
Be called Son of the Highest.
Be given the throne of David.
Reign over house of Jacob forever.
Have no end to His Kingdom.

That’s overwhelming! This is more than warm wishes, happy congratulations on the new addition to your family. This is monumental. This is historical. This has never happened before. God chose Mary to carry His Son!

Lord thank you for choosing the humble to display your mighty work through. Thank you for calling ordinary people into your plans and purposes. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Posted in Bible Devotions, Daily Devotions | Tagged bible devotions for women, bible devotions for working Christians, bible devotions for working women, bible studies, Bible Verses, Christmas, Devotions | Leave a comment

Personal God

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. Luke 1:36 NKJV

So Mary has just been told she’s going to have a baby. Not just an ordinary baby, but the supernatural conception of the Son of God! That might set your mind reeling.

Imagine being the only one. God had never done anything like this before. Oh sure, He parted the Red Sea, gave victories to Israelites and healed people. But nothing as personal and intimate as this was done before!

As Mary thought about it, I wonder if she was worried about being the only one. The fact God is personal is never more clear than in this exchange. He sends the angel to explain to Mary, there is someone who knows what she’s going through. Isn’t this wonderful?God designed us to need each other. In this case, Mary would need support as many would not believe her story. And so the angel explains her own relative, Elizabeth, the barren one is six months along with her own miracle conception. Oh how this warms my heart!

Lord, you are so caring and deeply personal.You could have let Mary go this alone, but you chose to comfort and support her through Elizabeth.Thank you for caring for us too!In Jesus’ name we pray Amen.

Posted in Bible Devotions, Daily Devotions | Tagged believe, bible devotions for women, bible devotions for working Christian women, bible devotions for you, bible studies, Bible Verses, Christmas, Devotions | Leave a comment

Choose to Believe

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35 NKJV

Was this answer satisfactory to Mary? Or did it raise more questions in her mind? Did this really explain how it would happen? Well, technically no.

Mary faced a crossroads. Would she continue to question or would she take it in on faith? Mary chose to believe.

Are there things about God you can’t comprehend? That’s where we apply faith and trust God to work it out, just as Mary did.

Lord, thank you for being able to handle our questioning. Thank you for your patience as we decide to have faith and believe you. In Jesus’ precious name we pray Amen.

Posted in Bible Devotions, Devotions | Tagged bible devotions for Christians, bible devotions for women, bible devotions for working women, bible studies, Bible Verses, Christmas, Devotions | 1 Comment

Found Favor

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

Then the angel said to her “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30 NKJV

Mary’s first reaction to the angel was to be troubled. She was frightened. But I love how the angel responds to reassure her. Don’t be afraid, Mary. He personalizes it calling her by name.

The last part of the sentence is even better. “For you have found favor with God.” Now that’s a statement of assurance. That’s up there with another statement we long to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Can you imagine someone telling you found favor with God? Well guess what? If you have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you have found favor with God! If you haven’t done that yet, you are fighting against God. Romans 5:10 NIV says “when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

No time like the present to make a decision to follow God. Just pray a simple prayer like this:

God, forgive me for my sins. I believe Jesus died for me. Come into my life and make me new. In Jesus’ name Amen.

If you prayed that prayer sincerely, then you found favor with God. That means you’re now part of God’s family. Welcome!

God Almighty, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins and to live again giving me life secured forever with you. Thank you for favoring us now that we know and trust Jesus’ salvation.In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

In His Grace,
Elizabeth

Posted in Bible Devotions, Devotions | Tagged jesus christ, salvation | Leave a comment

Do you automatically believe everything?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

But when she saw Him she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Luke 1:29 NKJV

In verse 28 it said of the angel “and having come in.” This means Mary must have been inside her house. Maybe she was doing chores or getting a meal ready. We don’t know for sure. But she must have being doing something in her house, for the angel came in.

Imagine you’re folding socks when all of a sudden there’s an angel standing there. I think I’d be a little troubled too. After all you’re in your house. You didn’t hear anyone come through the door, you just turned around and boom there the angel was.

Here is Mary minding her own business when this angel shows up and says all these wonderful and glorious things to her. It all happened so fast. The conversation kept moving, so Mary didn’t have a whole lot of time to replay the greeting over and over again. But we do know she considered it. That indicates she was turning it over in her mind, even if for only a split second or two.

Mary didn’t automatically buy in or believe the message at this point. She considered what manner of greeting it was. We could learn something from Mary. When we hear news of any sort, we ought to consider the source. Is the source reliable? Have they been truthful in the past? Why is the information being shared with me? Is it to help or hurt? In this way, we only “take in” or believe what is truthful and helpful.

The Bereans did that when Paul preached to them. They didn’t just accept whatever was preached. They took the time and trouble to look it up in the Scriptures to see if it were true. We need to do the same. The same holds true for these devotions I write. Don’t take my word for it, but instead research for yourself to see whether it is true and aligns with what the Bible teaches.

Lord thank you for your word, our source of truth. May we daily consider your word. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

In His Grace,
Elizabeth

Posted in Bible Devotions, Devotions | Tagged angel, Bereans, bible devotions for women, bible devotions for work, bible devotions for working Christian women, bible devotions for workplace, Bible Verses, check your sources, consideration, God, hope, Jesus, jesus christ, Scripture, ThinkOnIt Bible Ministries, thoughtfulness, Truth | Leave a comment

Highly Favored One

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Luke 1:28 NKJV

Oh what a greeting. If this doesn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy inside then we need to talk! Can you image being a young girl and having an angel say this to you? Let’s break this down a little.

Rejoice – that’s a happy word. It’s calming too. It says no worries, good things will follow. It is similar to celebrate. Okay, I’ll rejoice, but over what?

Highly favored one – a woman was designed by God to be treasured and cherished by their man. I’m not putting women on a pedestal. But there is this longing to be desired or in other words “highly favored.” If an angel said this to me, I’d definitely be rejoicing.

The Lord is with you – oh blessed assurance how sweet it is. We all need affirmation and encouragement. This says you are important to God. Thank you , Jesus!

Blessed are you among women! — This greeting just gets better and better doesn’t it? I would say Mary had much to rejoice over even if this was all there was to the message. But of course there’s much more to the story.

This greeting was specifically designed for Mary; to alleviate her fears or concerns, to let her know how much God cared for her and to assure her of her purpose in God’s plan. What an extremely personal God we have!

Lord, you could have carried out your plan without giving Mary a clue, but you didn’t. You sent an angel with a fabulous and personal greeting. You are so thoughtful. Thanks for caring for us individually. In Jesus’ name Amen.

In His Grace,
Elizabeth

Posted in Bible Devotions, personal God, purpose | Tagged bible devotions for women, bible devotions for work, bible devotions for working Christian women, bible devotions for workplace, God, Holy Greeting, hope, Jesus, jesus christ, personal God, ThinkOnIt Bible Ministries | Leave a comment

What’s in a Name?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

…to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Luke 1:27 NKJV

In God’s plan He could have simply choose to tell us about a virgin being bequeathed to a man of Nazareth. But notice God chooses to specifically identify not only the man but also the woman. This shows us how personal God is. He is highly relational.

He lists Joseph of the house of David. This phrase “of the house of David” is significant because it identifies Joseph to a certain family. This particular family line is important because of the prophecy attached. If God did not explain Joseph as being from this family, people would not have known God’s plan was being fulfilled. God means what He says. This is proof. It is fulfilling what He said He would do through the line of David in the Old Testament.

When the Bible was written, it was customarily to only mention names of men in their historical documents. But look. God chooses to add Mary’s name in this account. By doing so, He raises her importance and puts it on equal terms with Joseph’s mention. This is not the only account. Several times in New Testament, we see women being elevated to same priority as men.

·Tamar and Ruth, both women are mentioned in Jesus’ family lineage in Matthew 1.

·Mary is the first to witness Jesus’ resurrection. A woman was first to know the Lord’s words came true!

·The account of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume and wiping them with her hair is said by Jesus to be remembered forever.

Both men and women are important to God. So when you read the Bible, don’t just gloss over the names. Instead think about what mentioning a person’s name says about the character of God. It shows how personal God is. He cares about the individual.

Lord thank you for being so personal. Thank you for loving both men and women equally. Thank you for being the only God of Your word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In His Grace,
Elizabeth

Posted in Bible Devotions, Bible Verses, Devotions | Tagged bible devotions for women, bible devotions for work, bible devotions for working Christian women, bible devotions for workplace, God, God loves men and women equally, hope, individual, Jesus, jesus christ, name, personal God, ThinkOnIt Bible Ministries | Leave a comment

What Love Does

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

Having finished Saddleback Church’s 40 Days of Love Bible study, I am challenged to apply the biblical principles Jesus taught us through his own personal relationships with others. I’m sure you will be challenged to. Let’s look at four things love does and see how well we do.

Love Extends Grace

Grace is undeserved merit. Forgiven a debt we owe. God showers us with grace through Jesus Christ because we owed a debt of sin we could not pay. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ paid for our sin when He died on the cross in our place. Since we have been given freedom from penalty of death, we are to extend the same kind of grace towards others.

What does extending grace to others look like? It can mean many things in various circumstances. For example say a husband and wife are having a conversation and the husband rolls his eyes as the wife tries to share something about her day. Extending grace might mean she does not hold the “eye rolling” against him but instead lets the “offense” fall to the ground. In another situation extending grace might look like this, you hold your tongue while a co-worker continues complaining about all that’s wrong rather offering suggestions on how to make it right.

Don’t forget to extend grace to yourself. That’s right we need to cut our self a little slack when we mess up. The enemy likes to make us feel terrible about our mistakes, but the truth is Jesus cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Although, we may stumble from time to time, Jesus holds us with His outstretched arms.

Love Expresses Faith

Faith is about believing in what we can not see. It is being confident God will save us though we haven’t seen the end of story yet. You have heard the saying “blind faith.” It probably comes from this notion. Our God is invisible. We can’t see Him with our eyes. We read about Him in the Bible. We pray to Him though we can not physically touch Him. The more we understand God and His Ways the easier it becomes to love and believe Him.

We express faith when we pray. We express faith when we read God’s Word. When we choose God’s Way over our way we demonstrate our faith. But we don’t just express faith in God. We also express faith in others.

What does it look like to express faith in others? Maybe having faith in someone means receiving love from someone who has previously hurt you. Believing they really do love you and choosing to accept their love is expressing faith in them. In other cases, trusting someone enough to share your heart is an example of expressing faith.

Love Expects the Best

Love is optimistic. It looks for the best in others. Love builds up instead of tearing down. Therefore, love will find a way to draw good out of others. One way to expect the best is to give people the benefit of doubt. Don’t automatically assume the worse motives for someone’s behavior towards you. Instead try to assume their motives were pure. We will never know another person’s true motives. Only God knows our intentions and motives. Therefore, we should expect the best in others and let God deal with their motives at the appropriate time.

Love Endures the Worst

This aspect of love is a difficult one. When things get tough, the tough run and hide. But love is different. Love does not flee when relationships get rocky. Love bares all things, believes all things and endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). Love will put up with bad behavior. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love says “I’ll stick with you to the end.”

What does it mean to endure the worst? Perhaps it means forgiving a spouse who cheated on you but has returned to you. Maybe it means sticking with a seriously ill friend until the end comes. In other cases, love endures by visiting an elderly person in a nursing home. It may mean enduring a 3-year-old child’s temper tantrum without screaming in return. Life can be unpleasant, painful and messy. Love endures the worst.

So how did you do? Rate your self on how well you:

Extend Grace

Express Faith

Expect the Best

Endure the Worst

Lord God Almighty, we are forever amazed at the depth of your love. Continue your good work in us that we, too, may learn how to love others as you have loved us. In Jesus’ name we pray Amen.

In His Grace,
Elizabeth

Posted in Bible Devotions, Bible Verses, Daily Devotions, Devotions, Discipleship, God's Word, Jesus | Tagged 40 days of love, believe, bible devotions for women, bible devotions for work, bible devotions for working Christian women, bible devotions for workplace, endure, expect, faith, God, hope, Jesus, jesus christ, love, Love hopes all things, saddleback church, salvation, ThinkOnIt Bible Ministries | Leave a comment

Forever Love

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

But love will last forever! 1 Corinthians 13:8 NLT

Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at love. What love is and what love is not. Today’s topic is real love will last forever. How can that be you might ask? It’s simple. Real love comes from God. God is faithful and true. He is perfect. He is the author of love. He, Himself, is love. God lasts forever.

Now, don’t get discouraged by all the ways your love might not be living up to the standard we’ve discussed. Human love will always fall short at some point or another. That’s where grace comes in. Cut yourself some slack. Realize if you can tell you’re not loving as Scripture depicts love, it is a warning that you might be trying to love out of your resources rather than allowing God to love through you. If this is the case, stop what you’re doing and pray. Try something like this:

Oh Father, forgive me I’m trying to love in my own strength again. Help me yield to your Spirit and allow your love to flow through me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Real love comes from our real God. It is always available and never runs out. Real love lasts forever!

Self check: If I read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and substitute my name in place of “love” how true would it be? Would those who are the closest to me notices these characteristics in my life?

In His Grace,
Elizabeth

Posted in Bible Devotions, Bible Verses, Daily Devotions, Devotions, God, God's Word, Jesus | Tagged bible devotions for women, bible devotions for work, bible devotions for working Christian women, bible devotions for workplace, God, God is love, God's love, hope, Jesus, jesus christ, love, love lasts forever, real love, ThinkOnIt Bible Ministries | 1 Comment

Love is Hopeful

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Elizabeth Marks

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

Hope always believes the best is yet to come. We have a hope in Jesus Christ that cannot be taken away. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Our mistakes can’t. Demons and angels can’t. Even the power of hell can’t touch God’s love for us. God so loved the world He gave His only Son to die for us, so those who believe in Him might be saved. There is no other name which we can be saved. Whoever believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth Jesus Christ is Lord will be saved.

Love is hopeful. Love sees the best in others. Love hopes for the best for others.

Self check: How hopeful have I been lately? Where can I begin applying hope today? How can a little hope change my attitude about my current work situation?

In His Grace,
Elizabeth