Used by God by Angey Nelson

Happy December 20th! I hope everyone is feeling blessed and happy from the weekend! This week’s devo is “Used by God” written by Angey Nelson! Have you ever felt USED?? This is a devo that you need to read! It was a help to me! I hope you have the best of the best weeks ever!

USED by God – Angey Nelson

When Mary said to the angel, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word,” do you think she really knew what she was getting herself into? I’m sure she grew up learning that a virgin would bring forth the Messiah, but do you really think she realized what was ahead for her? Afterall, she was facing ridicule, false accusation, and the possibility of being stoned to death. Not to mention the ultimate sacrifice…. the Son she would carry in her body would be crucified for sins He never committed. If you ask me, Mary was just being USED.

In human terms, being USED is not something to be desired. Use: to take or consume from a limited supply; to exploit in order to gain advantage.

May 2015 o July 2016 was a time of great loss for our family. In that short period, I miscarried two children, my Dad died of a brain tumor, and our Pastor died of a heart attack. Through it all, we felt the presence of the Lord more than ever before. Just a couple months later, my husband felt burdened of the Lord to take a big step in our life of ministry. After much prayer, fasting, and counsel, we proceeded ahead by faith on the path that God had shown him. Without going into detail, I will say that the loneliness and pain of the next year was even harder than what we had just come through. In truth, I felt USED… by friends, by coworkers, by strangers, and even…. by God.

There, I said it! As much as I tried to ignore it, I knew that bitterness (believing that God got it wrong) was trying to take root. Why would God so clearly lead my husband to do something that He knew would not take place? Why would He purposely put us into a situation that seemed to only have a hurtful outcome? If you ask me, we were just USED.

Deep down, I knew that if my thoughts were true, then Romans 8:28 was a lie. If I was right about God USING me, then every verse that says He loves me, holds me, strengthens me, was wrong. So, I asked the Lord for help; He took me to Mary.

Yes, Mary was USED by God but in such a way that the angels declared, “Glory to God in the highest.” God’s kind of USED isn’t the same as mine. Mary wasn’t a doormat that God walked over or a rag that He USED and then threw away. Rather, God needed Mary to be USED as His vessel for His purpose. Did she decline because it was too much to bear? Did she say, “I didn’t sign up for this”? No, Mary became like a vase that is USED to hold beautiful flowers; it isn’t the vase that is important, but that the flowers are lifted up and magnified.

Recently I heard a preacher say something like this, “When you hear an offertory played at church, do you think, ‘Wow! That sure is a great piano.’ No! It’s the pianist that is awesome!” A piano isn’t anything but wood and strings until it gets USED. I decided that if I get USED and someone sees how awesome God is, then amen! Isn’t that what life is supposed to be about?! If God chooses to USE me, then it is my job to see that He gets all the glory.

You know, since that difficult time, God has grown our church in such an amazing way! We have seen Him do marvelous things we never thought possible in the lives of our family and teen group. Glory to God in the highest! Let God USE your life for His glory.

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/used-by-god-angey-nelson

December 20, 2021

Jesus – Man of Sorrows

Isaiah 53:3 – He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

The Jews expected the prophecy of the coming Messiah to be fulfilled by Jesus coming in full glory exalted above others, yet He came in lowly form. He had nothing of glory. He was born in swaddling clothes in a manger. Scripture indicates that his family was impoverished as they could only afford to offer a pair of turtledoves (Luke 2:24). His life was full of heartache and sorrow.

He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became the one who bore the sins of all men past, present, and future.

December 19, 2021

Jesus – Light of the World

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

This is one of the seven “I AM” statements. He is not just any light, but the One who created light in Genesis and the source of all light. Christ is the Light of the world.

Jesus has the ability to shine the light of truth into the hearts of all who believe in Him. Those who believe in Him live in the light and do not dwell in the dark.

December 18, 2021

Jesus – Last Adam

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Genesis 2:7 tells us, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Adam was the first human being created special by God. Through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, death passed upon all mankind (Romans 5:12). Thus, man had to offer sacrifices for the cleansing of our sins.

We inherited our natural man from Adam, whereas we inherit our spiritual nature from Christ. Paul says in Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Jesus was rightly called the Last Adam because His death on the cross was the only suitable sacrifice that could once and for all atone for the sin of mankind. Jesus was able to be the sinless sacrifice for the whole world.

December 17, 2021

Jesus – Lamb

Revelation 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

The Lamb is being praised by a host of angels and beings. In Isaiah 53, Christ was brought as a lamb to the slaughter and endured suffering for us, which attributes to His worthiness for praise and honor. The Lion, who has the power to defeat all His foes, chose to become the Lamb who would purchase our debt on the cross and defeat death by rising victoriously from the grave three days later.

Worthy is the Lamb to receive all glory and praise. His amazing grace has been extended to us.

Looking forward to the day we will be able to join this glorious chorus of praise for all eternity.

December 16, 2021December 17, 2021

Jesus – King of Kings

1 Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

In ancient East countries, the title of king was representing of deity on earth. This title was given to earthly kings to denote the size of their kingdom. Only Jesus Christ can claim to be King of Kings throughout the universe. As King of Kings, He has supreme authority and power, and there can be no one greater than Him.

Looking forward to the blessed hope of His appearance.

Praying you have a glorious day!🎄

December 15, 2021December 17, 2021

Jesus – Jesus Christ

Philippians 2:10-11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ is the Lord’s most well-known title, whereas Jesus is the Lord’s most well-known name. Jesus is His earthly name which means “Jehovah is salvation”, whereas Christ is His heavenly name which means the “anointed one”, who is the Messiah.

Christ not only took on Him the form of a servant and was born in likeness of man (Philippians 2:7), but He was was born of low estate (Luke 1:48). He was even further humiliated by the crucifixion and death on the cross (Luke 23), yet He rose triumphantly on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4).

One day, Jesus Christ will be acknowledged and worshipped by all for who He truly is. It is to God’s glory that everyone believe and confess that He is Lord (John 5:23).

May you have a Christ filled day🎄

December 14, 2021December 17, 2021

Jesus – I AM

John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Those who are unaware of God’s existence deny His existence. All who know Christ should have a desire to know Him better.

The statement “Before Abraham was, I am” establishes that Abraham was a creature and Jesus is the Creator. Thus, He not only existed before Abraham but also before the world began. He was declaring His deity, in that He was Jehovah.

He is everything we need!

December 13, 2021

A Gift, A Present, A Package by Krissanna Noakes

Happy Monday! Only 12 more days til Christmas! This week’s devo is “A Gift, A Present, A Package” written by Krissanna Noakes! Please take time to read this devo that she has written for us! It will put the best perspective on wrapping Christmas presents this year! I hope that you have an amazing week!

A Gift, A Present, A Package – Krissanna Noakes

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is wrapping the gifts. I like to pick a theme each year. One year I used rolls of white craft paper, markers, and embellishments to turn the presents into snowmen. Another year the packages were all wrapped in Disney themed papers. Other years have been color combos like blue and silver or purple and gold.

This year as I was thinking about what theme I want to use and searching Pinterest for ideas there was something that jumped out at me. There are basically three words we use interchangeably to describe what we are giving someone: gift, present, and package.

While I know these words are synonyms, I also wondered as to the definition of each and if there was much variation in definitions. That is where this devotional formed.

As Christian ladies, we know “Jesus is the reason for the season”, if you will. However, I wanted to delve deeper into the gift, the present, the package of Jesus.

The definition of gift is “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation”. Romans 6:23 tells us “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Just as we don’t expect the recipient of our gift to pay us for the price we already paid, neither does God expect payment from us.

Can you imagine giving your child or grandchild a gift, holding out your hand, then saying., “Okay, honey. That’ll be $19.99!”. That seems ridiculous because they most likely couldn’t pay, but also because we give it to them out of love. Just as God gives us eternal life through His Son. He’s not holding out his hand for payment. Jesus already paid it on the cross. Ephesians 2:8 & 9″… it is the gift of God: not of works…”. Think John 3:16!

Next, is the definition of present: “a thing presented as a gift”. God’s present was wrapped in the form of a baby (Luke 2:7 & 12). His only begotten Son was immaculately conceived to live a sinless life. A life that would offer a present for everyone.

For the most part, we can’t get each person on our Christmas list the exact same present. My grandson loves monster trucks. That’s all he wants right now!

However, my daughters would be less than thrilled if I bought them monster trucks. God in his infinite wisdom gave mankind one present that is a fit for all. He didn’t have to send multiple presents that night in Bethlehem in order for everyone to have something to receive. Luke 2:10-11

Finally, we have the definition of package: “something conceived of as a compact unit having particular charcteristics”. The package of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is the ultimate package. It is perfection.

I’m sure you ladies are like me always looking for that perfect gift for each person on your list. Yet, as my children have grown into adults and as my husband and I add years to our marriage, I find it harder and harder to buy gifts for them. They definitely don’t receive that perfect gift from me!

However, the perfect package of our Saviour is holy(Lu. 1:35), righteous(Is. 53:11), just(Zec. 8:9), guileless(1 Pet. 2:22), sinless(2 Cor. 5:21), spotless(1 Pet. 1:19), innocent(Matt. 27:4),. The list could go on and on in describing this perfect package for there is nothing lacking. This is the package I want for my loved ones!

So, this year as I’m wrapping gifts, presents, and packages I’m keeping the theme focused on Jesus. I’m keeping my heart and mind focused on Jesus for I’ve already received the perfect gift. I need nothing more.

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/a-gift-a-present-a-package-krissanna-noakes

December 13, 2021December 17, 2021

Jesus – Horn of Salvation

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Luke 1:68-69 – Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

The phrase horn of salvation is only used three times in scripture (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2; and Luke 1:69). Both times in the Old Testament are David giving thanks to God for delivering him from his enemy.

2 Samuel 22:2-4 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

God is our defense and offense. Because Jesus uses His power to secure and protect His people, Jesus is the horn of salvation for us.