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Pour Out Your Heart To Him!

Posted on 2017/08/07 by Shawn Thomas

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. SELAH.” (Psalm 62:8 NASB)

Psalm 62 opens with a contrast between the wickedness and deceitfulness of men, and the faithful refuge that God can be to His people. That is why David says in :5 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is in Him.” David knew his deliverance was not going to come from people, but from God. And so is ours today!

And just what kind of hope and refuge is God for His people? We see here in :8: Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged God, heart, Hebrews 4:16, pour out your heart, prayer, Psalm 62:8, relationship | Leave a comment

God’s Pruning Instrument

Posted on 2017/08/04 by Shawn Thomas

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3)

When many of us think of “pruning” happening in our lives as Christians, we may immediately of trials that God allows — and they surely may be a part of that process. But here Jesus indicates that His disciples are “clean” — a horticultural term, meaning “pruned” — but He says they are clean BECAUSE OF THE WORD which He spoke to them. In other words, it was His WORD that had “pruned” them! Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, discipleship, God's word, holiness, John 15:3, maturity, pruning, pruning instrument, sanctification, scripture, service, spiritual growth | 2 Comments

The Father’s Pruning Work

Posted on 2017/08/03 by Shawn Thomas

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)

Christians who undergo trials or difficulties may be tempted to think that this is a chastisement for some sin in their life. Although that sometimes may be the case, it is not always. And here Jesus gives us an alternative explanation: Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged bearing fruit, branches, discipleship, fruit, fruitfulness, holiness, John 15:2, pruning, sanctification, service, trials, vine, vinedresser | 2 Comments

The Lessons Around You

Posted on 2017/08/02 by Shawn Thomas

Jesus had just said to His disciples, “Get up, let us go from here” in the last verse of John 14, so perhaps it was passing some grapevines on the way to Gethsemane which occasioned Jesus to talk about how “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” in John 15:1.

We see here an example how Jesus used whatever was at hand to teach truth to His disciples. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged creation, discipleship, Jesus, John 15:1, lessons in creation, Psalm 19, Romans 1, teacher, teaching, vine | Leave a comment

If You Loved Me You’d Rejoice!

Posted on 2017/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

Here Jesus seems to mildly rebuke His disciples for being grieved at His leaving them and going to the Father. “If you loved Me”, He said, “You would have rejoiced”! He was going to His “Father’s house”; to heaven; to “the glory He had with (Him) before the world was”! (17:5) Being so enveloped by this world, it was hard for the disciples to comprehend anything besides their own loss; they couldn’t see how much better for Him it would be to leave and be with His Father.

And don’t many of us today experience the same limited perspective with our own loved ones? Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged comfort, Death, eternal life, glory, God the Father, heaven, Hudson Taylor wife death, Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, Jesus, John 14:28, peace | Leave a comment

“Don’t Be A Hypocrite!” (Matthew 6:1+ sermon)

Posted on 2017/07/31 by Shawn Thomas

“Beware!” If you are out driving, and you come across a sign in the road that says “Beware!”, you are going to pay attention, and proceed very carefully, aren’t you? And you should. You know there is something dangerous ahead, that you need to be very careful about.

Well if we pay attention to the warnings of men from the highway department, how much MORE should we heed it when Jesus begins Chapter 6 here of the Sermon on the Mount by saying, “BEWARE!” It’s like He’s waving a red flag in front of our faces, saying, you need to careful; there is something dangerous here. Every one of us needs to “perk up our ears” and LISTEN to the warning Jesus gives us here. What He talks about here IS a danger, because it can take what could be some of the BEST things for your relationship with God, and turn them into the tools of the devil.

So, Jesus starts Matthew 6 with this warning: “BEWARE of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged actor, alms, applause of heaven, church, Facebook, fasting, giving, heart, humility, hypocrisy, hypocrite, hypocrites, Jesus, John 11 Jesus prayer, let your light shine, Luke 20:20, Matthew 23, Matthew 5:16, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:1-18, model prayer, motivation, NBA home court, Pharisees, poor in spirit, praise, prayer, pride, private prayer, public ministry, pure in heart, recognition, righteousness, scribes, singing, tip of the iceberg, worship | Leave a comment

The Believer’s Peace

Posted on 2017/07/31 by Shawn Thomas

“Do not let your heart be troubled.” (John 14:1)

Many of God’s people are familiar with the opening words of this chapter. But they may not remember that Jesus REPEATS these very same words again later, near the end of the chapter, in :27: “Do not let your heart be troubled.” It is as though He is “enclosing” what He tells us in between with these two commands; that in between them we find those truths which will help our hearts not to be troubled. What are those things? WHY, in light of what He said, should His disciples’ hearts not be troubled? Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged Comforter, disciples, heart, heaven, helper, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John 14:27, John 14:6, John 1:41, peace, salvation | 1 Comment

Keeping His Commandments

Posted on 2017/07/28 by Shawn Thomas

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

It is not without purpose that several times in John 14, Jesus emphasizes the importance of keeping His commandments. This should be instructive to us: there can be NO disconnect between “loving God” and keeping His commandments. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged commandments, discipleship, John 14:21, knowing God, love, love and commandments, obedience | Leave a comment

A Triune Comfort

Posted on 2017/07/27 by Shawn Thomas

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” (John 14:16)

Jesus, knowing that His disciples were grieved by His impending departure from this world, comforts them with the promise of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, He also reveals an important truth about the Triune nature of God: Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Doctrine/Theology, Uncategorized | Tagged comfort, Comforter, disciples, discipleship, doctrine, Father Son and Holy Spirit, helper, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John 14:16, spirit, Trinity, Triune nature of God | Leave a comment

The “Next” Verse …

Posted on 2017/07/26 by Shawn Thomas

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Much attention is focused on Jesus’ promise in John 14:14, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it”, and rightly so. And yet it is interesting how many focus on that promise, while completely neglecting the next verse. It contains only nine very brief words, and yet in them Jesus shares some very convicting truths: Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged commandments, discipleship, I John 2:3, John 14:15, Lordship, love, love relationship, obedience, relationship | 1 Comment