Jesus says “God is Spirit and to worship God, we must do so in spirit and in reality” This is a statement recorded by John in chapter 4. So to worship God we must do so in spirit and in reality. Jesus was so clear about how the Father wants us to worship Him. Enjoy a short devotional video on “Help Me Worship God”
Here is John 4:21-24
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what:we know what we worship:for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit:and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Life is full of Worries and Anxiety, So Pray and Let God Worry. Enjoy a short devotional video on “Pray, Let God Worry”
Martin Luther, a 16th century monk was worried about things, so in a letter said to his wife – “Pray, and let God worry”. He did not want her to worry too much.
Pray and Let God Worry
See Philippians 4:6 where Paul says: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”
Sunrise near the Columbia River
Life is crazy, we need to work harder and pray more.
Many times we get low, and God really cares. God does not condemn us when we are low or even depressed. He loves us and cares for us. We need to bring our troubles to God. God is gracious to us when we fail.
Here is a short devotional video on “Does God Still Love us When We are Depressed?”
In the Bible, God, the author does not hide the fact that many people get low or depressed. Consider Elijah, who had a great victory and wonderful miracle at Mount Carmel. Then soon after he was harassed by someone and hid because he was low and depressed. God did not make him feel bad, but instead God found a way to get Elijah some bread to lift him up. I am really not sure why Elijah got so low and almost panicked.
Then there is King David in the Old Testament who many times got low and depressed. When we read the Psalms, the writers many times, especially David, how they were depressed, despondent and just low. David in the Psalms does not hide his feelings, but confesses them to God and brings them to God. David learned how to bring his troubles to God.
Sometimes we are so low we almost (or do) panic. God is very gracious to us when we fail. So just bring your troubles and depression to God. God still loves us when we are low or depressed.
God and Depression
Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears
God and Depression
God still loves us.
We need to bring our troubles and depression to God.
Here is a simple AnimatedFaith.com cartoon video by ‘Dave’.
AnimatedFaith.com has great Devotional Videos. AnimatedFaith offers many online devotionals in blog and video formats to encourage you in your Christian Life .
AnimatedFaith:
Encourages Devotional Prayer
Encourages Bible Study
Teaches about Pray
Is Educational ….
The best devotional videos are at www.AnimatedFaith.com
We fall into a situation so many times where we regret the past or worry about tomorrow. I personally forget to live in the present and enjoy what God has given me today. Concerning the past, we can learn from our mistakes, concerning the future, we can prepare and learn to trust God.
Sunrise near the Columbia River
Here is the attitude we need for the future from 1 Peter 5:7. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” So our attitude needs to be one of trusting God for the future.
Our attitude should be thanking God for what we have today and not wishing for things to be different: This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it Psalm 118:24. We should have a thankful heart as Paul talks about in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 In every thing give thanks:for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Live in the now, thanking God for what we have, what He has given us in people, friends, family, relationships, spiritual blessings and material stuff. (Yes, even thank God for our stuff)
Thank Him for negative and hard things that teach us to thank and trust Him.
Sunset on the Columbia River
Thank God for the grace given to us through His Son Jesus Christ who took all our sins away and made a way for us to come to God just as we are. John 1:17 Grace came by Jesus Christ.
A 16th century monk in writing to comfort his wife said “Pray, and let God worry”. That was Martin Luther who did much to bring people back to the Bible and back to Jesus Christ.
Paul shares his attitude towards the past in Phil 3:13. but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Deer in the trees
We can learn to accept moving or not moving. We can accept who we are in God. We can accept what God has given us in talents, friends, relationships, spiritual and material stuff. We can accept our social and financial level in society, and not wish to be somewhere else. We can accept our marriage as from God, there is not a better mate for us. God did that just right. He has given us exactly what we need.
When we don’t accept we can easily fall into regret for the past and then carry a root of bitterness going forward. Eventually this makes us get old really fast and makes our life (not the other person) miserable. Do not get bitter, it will destroy you.
So our attitude towards the past and future is important. When it comes to the past we should forgive and forget. Thanking God for all He has given us. When it comes to the future we trust God and refuse to worry or carry a grudge. This leaves us living right now in the present thanking God for who He is and all that He has done for us. For the past, we always learn from our mistakes, for the future, we prepare as best we can and trust God.
Here is a simple way to pray: “Father God, thank You for what we have, what You have given us and what You will yet provide in the years to come. I give this day to You, I trust You and rely on You for all that we need”.
California Beach
The best devotional videos are at www.AnimatedFaith.com
Everything in the garden was wonderful between God and man. But once sin same in there was a problem, but God does not give up on us. God made a way through His Son Jesus Christ for us to come back to God.
So watch this short video on “God Does Not Give Up on Us”
God never gives up on us. God loves us, He cares for us. God is thinking about us every day. We were created for a purpose, and God does not loose sight of that purpose. He cares so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ.
Hard events of life help us grow in God. Faith is tested by the events of life. Everything is under the hand of God, both the easy and the hard.
Hard events help us grow in God
Almost every person mentioned in the Bible had difficult times. God used every event to bring this person more in the faith and belief of God. God became more real through every situation. At one point the Bible seems just a good book about God, but events in life will make the Bible become part of our life and living.
Insecurities help us grow in Faith
Even material insecurities help us grow in Faith.
Consider Elijah in the Old Testament who went through various situations to prove to him that God is real and present, and that God actually cares for what is going on in life. At one point a brook that Elijah was near dried up. What was he to do. Well, God provided for him. He just needed to keep his eyes on God. The dried up brook helped Elijah to trust in God for His provision. God eventually provided, but not in the way Elijah expected.
The providence of God in our lives is sometimes the best education we can get in the ways of God. Even Peter in the New Testament got distracted with something he thought would be great, but God needed to teach him a lesson in looking at Jesus and not being distracted. Consider the points in this video about “Listen to Jesus”.
Peter was the top, number one disciple of Jesus, but he had a lot to learn. It seems he was always being corrected by Jesus. Hard things and hard words helped him grow in faith.
It’s so easy to get distracted with great religious things. Jesus is the main subject and focus of the New Testament. Even the chosen disciples like Peter could get distracted with doing something “great” for God and miss the Son of God, Jesus, who was standing right there.
So watch this short video on “Listen to Jesus”
In Matthew 17, Jesus takes His top three disciples up to a mountain, and there Jesus was transfigured or glorified. He probably looked like He might appear in heaven. His top three disciples were Peter, James and John. Peter had a great idea, but God did not agree with the idea and so God spoke from the heavens. God said “This is my beloved Son, Hear Him“. Too many times we have a “great idea” for God. But many times God does not agree and may speak to us and tell us to just “Listen to Jesus”. So how do we “listen to Jesus”, the easiest and best way is to just read the Bible.
Encouragement to go on with Jesus – that could also be the title of the book of Hebrews.
Jesus is praying for us to be encouraged to move forward with Him.
The author of Hebrews is trying to get the readers to get moving in a positive direction toward Jesus. The writer of Hebrews did not want the believers to go back, shrink back or accidentally fall back to an older way of tradition and legalism. So this verse mentions that Jesus is praying for us. Jesus is praying for us to be encouraged to move forward with Him.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. So have confidence in Jesus’ prayer for us.
In the New Testament, everything focuses around Jesus. Jesus is the focus and the way to God. There is no other way.
Here is a short devotional video on “Jesus Prays for Us”
The word “uttermost” indicates the salvation Jesus gives us handles everything, so we can have complete confidence He will bring us to full complete maturity, and not let us slide back to an old dead way such as legalism.
The phrase “He is able also to save” means that Jesus, because He is fully God and fully man, has the ability to save us and free us from sin. Here “save” is not just saving from Hell, but saving us from a sinful life.
The phrase “come unto God by Him” indicates that Jesus is the mediator between us and God. God is Holy and we are sinful. How could we touch or pray to the holy God except by Jesus, who because of His perfect sacrifice, on the cross fully made a way for us to come to God.
The phrase “He ever liveth to make intercession“, means He is constantly praying for us. Don’t worry, Jesus is praying for us. He knows our every need.
I believe Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, but I could be wrong. Many students of the Bible do not agree that Paul wrote it. Some think Paul wrote it and some do not think he wrote it. To my realization the level of understanding of the place of the Old and New Testament, and the understanding of the unique place Jesus has in God’s overall plan and economy dictates that a very well Bible educated and understanding person wrote this book of Hebrews.
The New Testament represents a transition in what God expects and demands. In the Old Testament it was keeping the law, in the New Testament it is believing on Jesus. So we move from legalism to grace.
It is my theory that the letter of Hebrews would be better received by believers in Paul’s day if it was not perceived to have been written by Paul. This is just my theory.
A great transitional verse is John 1:17 where John says: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. So we move from the “law” to “grace”. So which writer/author of the Bible really understood this and could express it as we see in the book of Hebrews. I think only Paul, but I realize there are other considerations.
Paul had the best understanding of the transition to the new and could wade through the Old Testament Jewish ceremonial law (given by Moses) and interpret in in light of what Jesus did on the cross. Please look at Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Again here we see the law is not able to save man, so God sent His son. Trying to keep the law and legalism will not take us on to maturity in our Christian life. Only grace takes us on.
Also Paul said this in Galatians 2:20 Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Paul was so clear the new way is just Jesus. The new way is not a compromise between the old and new, and not something added to the old. It is just Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them
This verse in Hebrews indicates that Jesus is praying for us to go on with Jesus and not go back or compromise to an older way such as the law or legalism.
Jesus Prays for Us – Encouragement to Go on with Christ
