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Week 21: Raising the Bar on Relationships

Luke 7:36-38 “Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town
learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”

When people see you, what Jesus do they see?
• Be an imitators of Jesus.
• Follow His example.
• Walk continuously in love.
• Value one another.
• Practice empathy and compassion.

Our relationship with God is the foundation that every other relationship is built on. Relationship with Jesus starts with brokenness and desperation and ends with forgiveness. No matter what someone has done, Christ welcomes them. At this time we take the person Jesus to those who are hurting, broken and lost who need a SAVIOR.

Who do you know that is hurting that might need Jesus? Did you experience a conviction, challenge or a commitment you need to make from this devotion?

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Week 20: Crisis to Calmness

2 Kings 4:1-7 TLB
Now the wife of the son of one of the men who tell what will happen in the future cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know that your servant honored the Lord with fear. But the man to whom he owed money has come to take my two children to make them serve him.” Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your woman servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go around and get jars from all your neighbors. Get empty jars, many of them. Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour the oil into all these jars, and set aside each one that is full.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They took the jars to her, and she poured. When the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” And he said to her, “There is not one jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go and sell the oil and pay what you owe. You and your sons can live on the rest.”

Everybody experiences crisis, but not everybody knows the steps to being calm during the crisis.

Crisis + Choices = Calmness or Chaos

Crisis is a concealed camouflaged miracle waiting for us to obey God. The greatest problem with crisis is we look to human solutions for spiritual problems. Explore biblical principles to apply to the problem.

What we are doing before the crisis comes matters; serving and loving the Lord before the crisis will determine the outcome. Many times, it takes a crisis to prepare our hearts to hear from God.

Steps to Overcoming the Crisis
• Fix our eyes on the Rock—cry out to God.
• Quickly choose to humble ourselves to the mighty hand of God.
• Believe God is bigger than our crisis.

What crisis have you faced this year? How can you better handle the next crisis you face? Did you experience a conviction, challenge or a commitment you need to make from this devotion?

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Week 19: Misery to Mercy

Lamentations 3:21-23 NKJV
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Mercy is the manifestation of God actively on behalf of His people freeing us from slavery, guilt, and punishment. Divine mercy of God is the unchangeable character of God—by which He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness brings discouragement.

God’s Word never lies and there is hope in the Lord. The devil will remind you of what you’ve done and condemnation will drive you from God. However, God wants to give us a fresh start every day. God’s mercies will always outlast our sins. Without God’s mercies, we will miss out on His miracles and our life will be miserable.

Psalm 51:1 NKJV To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your  loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.

Sin brings guilt, MERCY brings freedom from that guilt!

Do you have areas of guilt that you need freedom in? Would you ask God to forgive you and show you mercy in ________________ area of my life? Did you experience a conviction, challenge or a commitment you need to make from this devotion?