The Ultimate Comforter!
God’s Word.
WHAT DID GOD SAY TO ME THIS MORNING
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This morning I woke up like most people who heard the shocking news yesterday of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s death. Not far in age, I watched the life and legacy of Kobe play out on my TV screen. Growing up in a household where basketball was the sport of choice for my father, I watched the game and knew enough about the game to know how amazing of a player Kobe was. Yesterday when I heard the news, I literally felt the loss as if I personally knew Kobe. I realized that through TV and now social media, we are all connected in each other’s lives, even if we have never physically met or touched one another. We feel like we know the people on TV because we have spent so much time with them. You could feel more connected to someone like Kobe more than you feel connected to a cousin whom you’ve never met before, but they’re your family.
This had me thinking about some scriptures that I had heard before, but wasn’t sure where it was in the Bible. So of course I Googled them. See even if you just know a few words of the scripture, you can google it to find it. Here are the scriptures that came to mind as I was pondering how grieved many of us are, even though we didn’t personally know Kobe:
You love Him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express. ~ Good News Translation 1 Peter 1:8
You have never seen Jesus, and you don’t see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy. Contemporary English Version.
Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29
And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
As I dug a bit deeper, I found all of these verses that talks about our belief in Jesus, even though we have not seen him. For whatever reason, this helped me understand a bit more why I felt so grieved by Kobe, whom I have never met. Now I am not drawing any kind of parallel comparisons to Kobe and Jesus, but what I am saying is this. You respond the way you do and I respond the way I do based on connection. We were connected to Kobe through the TV (and even if you saw him play in person), but there was a connection there, which is why we all felt this sense of shock and grief for him, his daughter, and the rest of those who perished.
It’s that same connection that we feel with Jesus, but even more so, because through spending time with Him we get to know Him. We get to know what He did for us by coming to earth to live a sin-free life so that we can have eternal life through our belief that he died on the cross, conquered death, hell, and the grave, and rose again with all power. It’s the connection to Him that comforts us because even after He did all that for us, and we have never seen him, we have faith in Him. We trust him. We believe Him. We believe His Word.
But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor— Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My Behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. John 14:26 Amplified Bible
As a believer in Jesus Christ, the Comforter now lives on the inside of me. When I became a believer and was baptized, I received the gift of The Holy Spirit! And the Holy Spirit talks to me, comforts me, strengthens me, stands by me, advocates for me, and intercedes on my behalf to God.
This morning the Holy Spirit encouraged me as I woke up to the reality of grief. He said:
Keep praying to Me.
Keep praising Me.
Keep pressing into Me.
Keep pushing My Kingdom Agenda.
Don’t let what you can’t see or what you can’t understand throw you off from what I said!
This morning, I pray that you are encouraged. I pray that no matter what you are facing this morning or dealing with, that you lean on the Holy Spirit. And if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you can pray the Salvation prayer below. Once you do that, find a Bible based church to join, get baptized, and get plugged in to a community that can help you on your new walk.
For those of us believers who are already walking on this journey of faith with God, but you may have fallen off of His path, simply surrender your life to Him and make Him a priority in your life. You can do that by having a conversation with Him right now. He is waiting to have a daily conversation with you.
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Check out your assignment questions for today. Take a moment to reflect and then answer the questions in your journal. Pray. Listen. Write. Obey.
Your Assignment For Today:
What did God say to YOU in your conversation with Him this morning?
What is your favorite Bible Verse that Comforts you?
Today’s Scriptural Surprise is Matthew 4-5. Just read all of it!
SALVATION PRAYER
If you’re not a believer and have a desire to be, openly confess and declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer out loud, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community and start having a conversation through prayer with God every day. And let me be the first to welcome you to your new life with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. YAAAAY!!!!! You made the best decision you could ever make! Feel free to email me at info@onassignmentbyGod.com and let me know about your newfound life or if you need prayer for anything.