Tag: help

Markethive

Created for a Purpose

The purpose of your life is to bring God glory in everything you do: in your worship, your relationships, and your work.

Series: New Believers Guide

Have you ever wondered why you were born? Augustine, one of the early church fathers, said “Our hearts are restless until we find God.” You cannot truly experience peace and joy in your life without an open relationship with God. Romans 5:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

"But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth." Exodus 9:16

"I cry out to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me." Psalm 57:2

Your Purpose: Relationship with God
The purpose of your life is to bring God glory in everything you do: in your worship, your relationships, and your work. “The chief purpose of man in to bring glory and honor to God and to enjoy Him forever,” says the Westminster Confession of Faith. Remember, by accepting Christ as your Savior you now have God who “is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But this does not happen overnight. It is the result of a growing relationship with God. Faithfulness to read God’s Word and to pray according to His will help grow your relationship with God. That is the ultimate purpose of your life—to have a meaningful relationship with God. And beyond that, God has specific things for you to accomplish in your life. The next section deals with the special plan God has for your life. Take a moment and thank God that He knows you and cares for you specifically and has a great plan for your life.

"And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them." Jeremiah 32:39

What is the purpose for which God saved you? If you're not sure, talking to someone can help.

WATCH THE VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/Zx6LOar5aDk

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

God Creates Beautiful Stories

A story of a young girl coming to the feet of Jesus.

Written by GodLife on 13/03/2018

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Church And Community, God, Salvation, Testimony

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:10

Relentless pursuit

In Nenet’s heart, the Holy Spirit began to plant seeds of belief before she was even aware of the possibility of His existence. As a young woman, Nenet was actively involved with her Muslim faith, pursuing Allah alongside her family in Cairo, Egypt. 

When her mother introduced more instructions on how to dress and how to read the Koran more rigidly, it put a different face on the faith she had cherished and known and caused her to be curious about other faiths.

Going through the motions of her cultural Muslim faith didn’t give Nenet any increased feeling of closeness to the God she worshipped, so she hungered for something more.

As a result, Nenet turned her energy into researching Muslims who had converted to Christianity. What she found only increased her hunger to know more, and her activity on the Internet eventually brought her to GodLife, where she began a relationship with her Online Missionary, Mike. 

Nenet made it clear to Mike that she still had many inquisitions and reservations about Christianity. Over the next year, they engaged in meaningful conversation in which Mike answered Nenet’s questions about Jesus, Christianity, Islam, and even Judaism. Her thirst was gradually quenched with each sip of living water that he poured out for her.

Even though she had initially desired to read the entire Bible before converting, the Spirit’s tug and her thirst for truth and love became too great, so she chose to spark a new relationship with God and enter into a Christian life after six months of consistent and faithful correspondence. 

A new life

“Deep inside I was believing that Islam couldn’t be from the real god, but I was still afraid, afraid and not brave enough to face myself to admit in a loud, clear and decisive statement that I am not a Muslim anymore and that I refuse the teachings of Islam,” Nenet said. “But I couldn’t wait. I accepted Jesus, before finishing that Bible. My love to him forced me to accept him before finishing the whole Bible.”

Because her family continued to follow Allah, Nenet’s hunger evolved into a yearning for a Christian community. With some help, Mike was able to connect her with a pair of local Christians named Adom and Masika, who walked with her as she lived a life of secret
conversion in the midst of Muslim family and community. 

Rejoice with us that Nenet has found contentment through the blood of Christ! Her story calls us to remember James 4:8, which says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Nenet’s story is a refreshing adventure of a beautiful and valuable life redeemed by Jesus, but also a reminder of the strong power of the Lord’s truth and the enticing tug of the Holy Spirit.

Pray this week:

Lord, I’m sorry I’ve strayed away from your path. I want to draw near to you and please draw near to me. Amen.

Do you want to have a God-centered friendship? 

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Why Are We Here?

How can we know the purpose for our lives?

Written by GodLife on 09/04/2018

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Meaning, Love, Significance, Purpose, Destiny

…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Isaiah 43:7

You've met them or heard of them — men and women of vision and passion. Driven by purpose and a life pursuit. They discover things. They build things. They do important things. Streets, colleges, battleships, cities and awards are named after them. They're fascinating! What makes them tick, and why aren't more people like them?

One reason more people aren't like this may be that the single-minded pursuit of a mission tends to be hard on people. We sometimes call high achievers "workaholics." That makes it sound like an addiction. Addictions are destructive, unlike the diligence we associate with dedicated workers. How can your diligent attention be singularly significant, yet not hurt your friends and loved ones — or your walk with God? Read on to discover three key aspects of an effective Christian life that can make all the difference.

Your own context

Followers of Jesus talk more often about calling than achievement. That puts it into different perspective. You are the hearer. God, your creator and redeemer, is the caller. If He’s your omniscient creator, nothing in your life is an accident. Your resources, experiences, skills, talents and relationships have all been gifts planned and given by Him. It helps to see them as gifts, because then you know you’re responsible to take care of them. Thinking “How God has provided these things for me?” can begin to set you on the right course. 

“…let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him…Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called…in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.” 

All these quotes are from 1 Corinthians 7:17–24, where Paul explicitly covers questions about marriage, servitude and the Gentile or Jewish roots of these early believers.

God’s work, God’s way

Just as you can get guidance from your own life conditions, you can also do so from things shown to you about God. For example, because God is love, He would not be behind inclinations toward the hatred or exploitation of a group of people. Because God is the Spirit of Truth, He’s not in things that rely on the practice of deceit. Israel’s first king, Saul, thought God would accept his sacrifice despite his incomplete obedience to his original mission. Samuel predicted God would replace him, saying,  “…to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) 

God’s Priorities

God is clear that all His instructions are pure (Proverbs 30:5) and that we have no right to add or subtract from them. (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19) That almost makes it sound as if they are all equally important, so that we have to carefully follow it all and “…do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Yet Jesus had a surprising answer to a teacher of Jewish law who asked, “‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” If all God’s words are perfect, how can any have more priority than the other? Jesus goes on to explain this implied question: “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40) They are greatest because they effectively contain the rest. Romans explains, “love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10) God’s great expression of love (1 John 3:16) was sending Christ to die for our sins. Jesus told the Apostles: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”(John 20:21)

In summary, the reason you and I are here is to bring glory to God, as Isaiah 43:7 says. We do so by telling others to be reconciled to God, as 2 Corinthians 5:15-20 tells us. Because we know Him, we must not go about this in a way that is against what He reveals about Himself in His Word. And because we trust that He created us for a purpose and has provided for us in a way that serves as a guide and a model for us, we cherish our relationships, seeking the best for others instead of taking advantage of them. We leverage our resources, putting His Kingdom first by using our time, energy, experience, knowledge and influence to help others find the way to eternal life. That’s how to live a life of the very highest purpose without missing out on the best God has for you and your loved ones.

Pray this week:

Father, will you help me see and eliminate anything that is standing in the way of reaching the full potential of my life?

Do you sense any resistance to the ideas shared in this devotional? A caring volunteer is available to discuss and pray through them with you!

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Why Suicide is Not an Option

Why suicide is the ultimate denial to God

Written by GodLife on 16/08/2016
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: Betrayal, Depression, Failure, Hope, Purpose, Suicide
Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:5
Life can sometimes feel hopeless. Maybe you are going through the death of a loved one, a permanent disability, failure or betrayal. You’re not alone.

Do not choose Judas’ path of ending his own life with suicide. Instead, read on to see how some of God’s people have responded to these feelings rather than suicide:

1.Betrayal: David
David, the “man after God’s own heart,” was running away from King Saul, whom he had served. He fled to Israel’s enemies and they betrayed him, taking his family captive. Even David’s trusted followers began to turn on him: “David, too, was in anguish. Some of his men talked about stoning him because they were so bitter about their families being taken.” Who else was left at this point? “But David took comfort in the Eternal One, his True God” (1 Samuel 30:6). With God, David had stood against impossible odds before. (See 1 Samuel 17)

2. Loss: Job
Because of the devil’s attack, Job lost everything: his riches, his family… even his health. “Why does God let me live when life is miserable and so bitter? I keep longing for death more than I would seek a valuable treasure. Nothing could make me happier than to be in the grave.” (Job 3:20-22). It’s hard to imagine Job’s suffering. But he came to realize how unwise these words had been: “I have said things that I did not understand, things too great for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:3)

3. Hopelessness: Paul
Paul was the fearless missionary (Acts 21:13) who sang in prison (Acts 16:25) and wrote part of the New Testament. He once admitted, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

More understanding may not change how you feel, but don’t trust your emotions. For a child of God, life is never hopeless. How can you really say you trust God with your eternity if you don't trust Him now? All of these men suffered greatly, but God had a greater plan for their lives on earth which they fulfilled. Please read 2 Corinthians 4:1 through 6:1. This is where Paul reveals this plan, and how it includes you

Pray this week:
Oh, God, I may be hurting so much right now, but I commit to trusting you no matter what. Your love for me is so great that you suffered worse for me. You have total knowledge and power. Your plan for my life is bigger than what I am going through, so I believe you will bring me through it.

Please reach out to us immediately, by responding to this message, if you need help now! Depression is serious but we have someone who will be happy to pray with you and can offer help.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

How Does it Work?

Jesus said, "I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). But how is Jesus building His Church?

Series: New Believers Guide

So how does the Church work? Jesus said, "I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). But how is Jesus building His Church? Ephesians 4:16 tells us the answer: "As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow." Did you know that you are meant to play a crucial part in God’s family?

"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2:42

Don't Miss Out!
Imagine for a moment a young boy who never wanted anything to do with his family. He never came out for family dinner, but just ran in his room when he got home from school. He never did any chores around the house, refused to clean his room, and pushed his brother whenever he saw him. In addition, this boy had it in him to become a great soccer player, but he never let his dad teach him how to play. Think of all that child would miss out on! Not to mention how the family would suffer as well.

"Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." Acts 2:46

Just Like a Family, the Church has a Give-and-Take Relationship
— like how people need the oxygen trees give off and trees need the carbon dioxide people breathe out. Just the same, you need the Church, and the church also needs you. Look at mutual benefits of being in a church:

You are Protected
Just as a house keeps people protected from harm, so God's house keeps Christians safe from false teaching. God gave this instruction to pastors: "So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock — his church, purchased with his own blood — over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders" (Acts 20:28).

You are Taught How to Follow Jesus
1 Peter 2:2-3 says, "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness." Newborns can’t feed themselves; they need someone to help them. Pastors and teachers help you grow as a Christian as they feed you the spiritual food of the Bible and help you know God better.

You Learn How to Love Your Family
Jesus said, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:34-35). Being part of a church family helps you learn how to love others and their differences and show the love of Jesus to the world.

You Discover and Use Your Gifts
Have you ever had someone tell you that you are good at something you were unaware of? God has given you spiritual gifts, and your church family can help you discover them and learn how to use them. The Bible says, "Since you want spiritual gifts very much, seek most of all to have the gifts that help the church grow stronger" (1 Corinthians 14:12). As you use your gifts, the church is strengthened and grows.

You Need the Church and the Church Needs You
What are the gifts God has given you to build His Church? Maybe you haven't discovered them yet. As you join a spiritual family, you grow as a Christian and help the whole body of Christ to grow as well.

"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Are you enjoying being loved and accepted by your local church family? If so, what do you appreciate most about your church?

WATCH THIS VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/pM6Y9VZKmK4

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

How to Heal Addiction

Hope for the Hurting and Trapped

Written by Dan Lee on 29/11/2016

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Temptation, Addiction, Sin

I have the right to do anything,” you say — but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” — but I will not be mastered by anything.

1 Corinthians 6:12

Addiction is a loaded word with many meanings. We tend to think of it as extreme, however, anyone can suffer from addiction, and it’s far more common than you think.

The World Health Organization tells us that worldwide, 6 million people die every year due to tobacco use, and 3.3 million die due to alcohol related causes.

Alcohol, drugs, and smoking have caused much misery for years. But now, we can add pornography, TV binge-watching, overeating, shopping, and video games. For instance, one woman in New Mexico, USA, was spending over 12 hours a day playing a multiplayer video game — and let her 3-year-old daughter starve to death. Clearly, our world needs to healed from addiction.

Even normal activities can harm us when taken to extremes. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say — but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ — but I will not be mastered by anything.” An addiction means we have let ourselves be “mastered” by something.

Perhaps other believers have told you to “Flee from youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22) or to “Resist the devil” (James 4:7). But addictions come with mental, emotional and physical components that together exert a much more powerful pull than a regular temptation.

Here are three things that can put you on the road to healing addiction…

1. Cry out to God

First things first — are you a follower of Christ? Even before asking for help with addiction, you must get right with God.

During a time of extreme trouble, David wrote: “I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me” (Psalm 18:3-4). God did not answer David until he had called on Him.

Start by acknowledging that you cannot conquer your addiction in your own strength. Jesus said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26).

2. Get Help from Others

When trapped in sin, our impulse is to isolate ourselves from other believers. This is what Satan wants as well! Spending time with caring believers and sharing your struggles is an important step in escaping it. Yes, it can be humbling, and even humiliating, but your Christian brothers and sisters can help you with prayer. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Also see Hebrews 10:24.

3. Cut it Off

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of sexual temptation this way: “So if your eye — even your good eye — causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 6:29).

Jesus was telling us that if any object or person consistently leads us to sin, we need to get that thing out of our lives. For example, if your friends want you to take drugs with them, you need to find some new friends. If you tend to look at women with lust, don’t go to the beach in summertime. If you can’t resist pornography on the Internet, you need to install filters on your computer — or get rid of the computer altogether.

If you have struggled with an addiction, please know that there is hope, and that the God who made the universe is ready to help deliver you when you cry out to him.

Pray this week:

Lord, I am tired of being mastered by addictions. Please show me the way out, and give me strength from Your Holy Spirit to go that way. Help me to help others who need this help as well.

Are you, or someone you know, struggling with an addiction? 

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Four Steps to Study People in the Bible

How can studying people in the Bible affect my life?

Written by Ruth on 29/01/2019

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Bible, Disciple, Disciples, Teaching

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

1 Corinthians 10:11

Why are the stories about different people in the Bible important to study? Studying the people in the Bible is a great way to be encouraged in our walk with Jesus.

Step 1: Pick an interesting person

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Andrew. Who is Andrew? He was one of the first two disciples of Jesus! Most of us only know him as the brother of … well, we will get to that later.

Step 2: Find all references to them in the Bible

We find Andrew mentioned in: Matthew 4:18-19; Matthew 10:2; Mark 1:16; Mark 3:18; Mark 13:3-4; Luke 6:14; John 1:40-44; John 6:8; John 12:20-22; and Acts 1:13. 

In chronological order, the first time we meet Andrew is in John 1:40 when he was still a disciple of John the Baptist. But from Matthew 4:18-19, we also know he was in business with his father and brother, and that they were partners with another father-and-sons family.

Step 3: Read the whole story

In many of the other verses above we simply read that Andrew was one of Jesus’ disciples. But John 1:40-44 again tells us that Andrew and his friend (we know this was John, the one who wrote the Gospel of John), were the first to follow Jesus. Jesus calls them to be His full-time disciples in Matthew 4:18-19. Before this, Andrew had done something very special — when he learned that Jesus, a man he already knew, was the promised Messiah, he ran to tell his brother this good news. His brother was Peter! 

Does it seem unfair that Andrew, the first one to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, was not ever asked to write one of the books of the Bible? He wasn’t the great preacher his brother became. In fact, the only other time we read of something Andrew did is in John 6:8-9 when he brought a boy to Jesus, a boy who had something Jesus used to feed a crowd estimated to be at least 15,000 people (the 5,000 is the number of men and does not count the women and children).

Step 4: Identify and apply the lessons to your life

How often do I think only important or big things are valuable to Jesus? Andrew is known only as the one who brought Peter and a little boy to Jesus. Yet, the impact from these two he brought is very great. 

Andrew did not share in importance with Peter, James, and John — he was not one of the “inner circle,” those who were closest to Jesus. That, however, did not make him less loved by Jesus.

As you study different people in the Bible, notice the things they did right as well as the things they did poorly. Pay attention to how they reacted to failure as well as to success (we often learn more from our mistakes than from our triumphs). How did they interact with others around them? Be careful not to read your own feelings into the verses. We must understand these people were just as human as we are, and they made mistakes just like we do. The Bible says that the “things that are written” are there to be examples for us (Romans 15:4).

Pray this week:

Lord Jesus, help me to be content with the place, the person, the significance of whom You have created me to be.

How satisfied are you with who you are? Talk to someone about it.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

One Practical Way to Study the Bible

How can you figure out what a passage is saying?

Written by Gary Fleetwood on 15/01/2019

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Bible, Interpretation, Scripture, Grow, Word

but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:2

There are many different ways to study the Bible. You can study a book, a chapter, a verse, a word, or a Bible character.  You can do a devotional study, an in-depth study, or a topical study of a particular subject.  However, a very simple way to study the Bible is by what is called “inductive Bible study”.  The word “inductive” refers to the process of analyzing something, and it has three parts — observation, interpretation, and application.

What is observation?

Observation asks, “What is this passage saying?”  This takes effort. Too often we read something, but we do not take the time to observe what we are reading. My first rule for Bible study is to never get in a hurry.  Why? Because God is never in a hurry. The word “meditate” in Psalm 1:2 means to digest what is being read. The word “meditate” comes from how a cow chews its food by taking it down into its stomach and then bringing it back up to chew on some more. The cow has four stomachs, so it does this four times before the food is fully digested. So, read the passage you are studying several times and mark down anything that stands out in your reading — key words, key phrases, repeated words or phrases, encouragements, warnings, and anything else that seems important.  By writing down what you observe, the meaning will become clearer to you.

What is interpretation?

Interpretation asks, “What does this passage mean?”  Most every passage should have an obvious meaning simply because God has not designed the Bible to be mysterious or vague.  There is no benefit in God hiding His meaning from a believer.  Whenever my children were growing up, I never tried to make what I wanted them to do to be mysterious.  Remember, we cannot interpret the Bible based only on what the words mean to us.  The correct question is, “What did these words mean to the people to whom they were originally written?”  Normally, that means the reader needs to have a good Bible dictionary to help them understand the words the writer used. If you are not able to obtain a good Bible dictionary, then a simple rule would be to simply allow the “obvious” meaning to control and govern your interpretation.

What is application?

Application asks, “How should I apply this passage to my life?”  Obviously, it does no good to read a passage and discover its truth, but then not be willing to apply what we have learned to our life.  A very wise man once said that “90 percent of knowing the will of God is being willing to do the will of God before we know what it is.”  It is the simple idea of just saying, “Yes, Lord,” before we ever start reading.  Please appreciate that God will never ask us to do something that does not actually benefit our life.  As we learn what God desires for our life, we have the privilege to begin applying God’s truth to our life.  Application is what equips us to face the trials and the difficulties that life will bring our way.

So, going forward, remember that the more you develop a consistent and meaningful way of studying the Bible, the more skilled you will become in understanding God’s Word so that you can actually apply it to your life.  Remember — never get in a hurry when studying God’s Word.  Just take your time and He will give you greater understanding.

Pray this week:

“Father, please help me to learn how to study your Word in such a way that it can really benefit my life.  Please help me not to just read it, but to dig into it so that I can really know your perfect will for my life.”

How and when can you set aside time this week to read the Bible and truly understand what it is saying?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

Joseph’s Christmas Story: Full-On Faith

Joseph shows us how to react to surprising and difficult circumstances.

Written by GodLife on 18/12/2018

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Christmas, Faith, Grace, Humility, Jesus, Joseph

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:24-25

Considering the birth of Jesus, it’s an interesting exercise to put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. Think about it. As he is making preparations to marry his fiance, Mary, he learns that she has become pregnant even though they have not been together as man and wife.

What would your first reaction be? Rage? Sorrow? Disappointment? Shame? Any of these emotions would be certainly understandable. However, Joseph didn’t react like this at all!

Let’s look into what Joseph’s reaction was and how God was present, helping him all the way through one of the most difficult times in his life.

Humility and grace

Purity was a huge deal in the Jewish culture of the day, so marrying a woman who had become pregnant out of wedlock was not something that was seen as acceptable. Because of this, when Joseph found out about Mary’s pregnancy, the Bible says he decided to quietly separate from her and move on with his life.

“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19)

This act of grace alone shows that Joseph is a man of great integrity, because many young men in that culture would have put her to shame.

The power of faith

As the story continues, we see that Joseph has remained with Mary through her pregnancy, all while he contemplates what his next steps should be. Then he gets a visit from an angel of the Lord who tells Him that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit and commands him to stay with Mary and name her baby Jesus.

If this happened to you, what would you think? Would you say ‘Yes Lord!’ or would you be scared and doubt that what you heard was actually from God? I think most of us would doubt, but here’s how Joseph responded:

“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24-25)

Extreme faith. That’s what it took for Joseph to listen to the angel of the Lord and believe that God was watching over him and directing his steps. 

Joseph’s story shows us the power of faith and what can be accomplished if we simply believe. Will you believe what the Lord is telling you today about your difficult life circumstances?

Pray this week:

Lord, thank you for showing me what it means to have complete faith in you, no matter how crazy the circumstances are around me. Help me to trust you like Joseph did and believe that you have the best for me. Amen.

When have you had a hard time trusting the Lord with a difficult circumstance in your life?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Markethive

3 Ways the Coming of Jesus was Foretold

There are more than 300 prophecies about Jesus (the Messiah) in the Old Testament.

Written by Joy on 07/12/2014

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Jesus, Jesus Birth, Prophecy

 

“For to us a child is born, …. and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.” Isaiah 9:6-7

 

There are more than 300 prophecies about Jesus (the Messiah) in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfills every prophecy! Since it’s the Christmas season, let’s take a look at 3 ways the coming of Jesus was foretold.

1. The Miracle of His Birth

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). God uses His supernatural power to give us evidence that He, and He alone, is doing something amazing. The foretold virgin birth is only possible by God. It is important that Jesus is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Jesus is unique because he is a man, or a “seed of woman” (Genesis 3:15), and the Son of God (Matthew 3:17).

2. The City of His Birth

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2) Jewish scholars agreed that Jesus would come from the descendants of King David (Isaiah 11:1-2), and be born in Bethlehem.

How amazing that God arranged for a pagan Roman emperor to take a census, causing a pregnant virgin to travel to Bethlehem at just the right time! “And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary and while there, the time came for her baby to be born.” (Luke 2:3-6)

3. The Purpose of His Birth

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus had to suffer as the prophets foretold (Luke 24:26-27). He died in our place so we could have peace with God. This is why the Angels sang at His birth: “Glory to God in the Highest! And Peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14)

“Without Faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) Have you received the peace that Jesus died for you to have? Click here to learn how to please God by having faith in Jesus Christ.

Pray this week:

To help you understand Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy.

Are you surprised about these prophecies? If you want to learn more, talk about it with a caring Christian.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member