Acts 10:4

"Cornelius stared at him in terror. 'What is it, sir?' he asked the angel. And the angel replied, 'Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!'"

Our actions and disciplines, such as prayer and giving to the poor, are not a means of salvation in themselves, but they do put us in a position where God can work more in our lives. Cornelius was following God as well as he could, given what he knew. God honored that and arranged to bring him into more of the truth and experience of God's reality. Take heart that God sees and will reward your faithfulness in disciplines such as reading his Word, praying, and walking in obedience. The reward will be more of himself.

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Have a Great Day!

Carol

 

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

Psalm 130:7–8

"O Israel, hope in the LORD;
for with the LORD there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows.
He himself will redeem Israel
from every kind of sin."


Do you need hope today? Memorize and claim this wonderful promise: With God there is unfailing love and overflowing redemption for every sin. What do you need redeemed? From what sins—your own or the sins of others—do you need salvation? Picture a fountain, overflowing with all you need to

Mark 4:14–20

"'The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!'"


What kind of soil are you? Do you receive the Word gladly yet let it be snatched away or crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, or the desire for things other than the Kingdom of God? Or do you hear and accept it and let it produce a harvest? It is likely that you are a mixture. In some areas, you are producing fruit; in others, you produce nothing. Let God show you where the soil of your heart has weeds or rocks so that you can remove them and produce more fruit.