The Power of God

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Devotional of the Week: Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This familiar verse is not really a formal definition of faith; rather it is a description of what faith does for us. It makes things hoped for as real as if we already had them, and it provides unshakable evidence that the unseen, spiritual blessings of Christianity are absolutely certain and real.

Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that what God says is true and that what He promises will come to pass. How awesome to have a God that is present enough in our lives, that we believe He is there without seeing Him. The fruit of a life well lived is that the blessings God promises will come to pass. Our life should be lived as Jesus lived, and in striving to do that our faith will see us through.

Prayer: Father God, thank you that we have ben given the eyes of faith. We see that you are present in our lives daily when we are in tune with Your will for us. Help us to always believe that the only evidence of You that we need, is the change we have seen in our own lives. We trust You Lord and we believe that all things that come to pass are Your perfect will for us. Help us to be content and to press on in service to You! In Jesus name, Amen!


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Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel 2:22-36

In this passage we see a life devoted to God, a life devoted to family, and two lives devoted to self. Only one of these lives receives God’s favor. The message of the prophet is a message of love for God, abandonment of the world, mortification of self, judgment upon sin, and the good news of a coming priest. The sins of Eli's sons were literally that they perverted the worship of God through their selfish actions. They also lived immoral lives in that they gave into worldly pleasures and lusts as is seen verses 22-25 and 29.

Eli's sins were that he did not recognize the urgency of dealing with his son's sin. The Lord's rebuke of Eli was as harsh as Eli's rebuke of his sons had been soft. He seems to give them a warning but stops short of rebuking them and chastising them and calling for them to change. In this he is hypocritical in his service to God and his worship as well.

In Samuel, who appears in these 15 verses courtesy of only one verse (26) we see his life start to take shape as he "grows in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men.". Eli is given an opportunity to lead his son's to repentance but fails to do so. Even when an unnamed man of God comes to warn him, nothing is done. So judgment comes as Eli is told that his family line will not survive. Eli did not receive this message of impending judgment with repentance. Instead his sons Hophni and Phinehas are hardened and Eli is ambivalent, knowing the message to be true, yet he puts the vision in a category of ’someday’. But today should have been the day of repentance.

What we learn from this is that in Christ is the favorable time, and in Him is our salvation. Turn from your sins to Christ or face the judgment of Almighty God. The day of His judgment is only a heartbeat away. Christ is the Priest who has offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sins forever. This message is for believers as well. Show your faith in Christ by living a life devoted to the worship of God. Love Him, and love others enough to share Him.

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Video of the Week:

"With Everything" - Hillsong United

Jesus is our Hope, He is our Strength, He is our Salvation...
He is KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS...
All praise and honor to Him who sits on the throne!



Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...

See you next week!

In His Service,
Sergio