Devotions & Chaplain Info 

This is the kind of life you've been invited to, the kind of life Christ lived... He is your example, and you must follow IN HIS STEPS

1 Peter 2:21

Theme and Bible Verse : Next Step = Best Step: 

Psalm 32:8: NIV: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.

 

Week of September 9th: Who created God?

In the very first verse of the Bible, we read that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). That means that God was around beforethe heavens and earth even existed.  In fact, in the next verse, it says “The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the deep waters.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Gen 1:2). So, if God was alive and hovering around before creation even existed, then it probably leads you to ask... "Well then, who created God?" Although we(as humans) live in a world that is bound by time and the laws of cause and effect, God exists outside of time, so He doesn’t require a cause and He didn’t need to be created.  He’s just always existed.  (Twists your brain a little, doesn’t it?)  It would be like asking what sound silence makes. No one created God. He is the uncreatedCreator of the universe.  Revelation 1:8 says, “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who isand Who wasand Who is to come, the Almighty.’”  God has always existed, He exists now and He always will. And think about it, if there was someone or something that created God, then there would be an even higher God and that would be pointless. 
 

Week of September 16th: Why did God create the world?

From Hebrews 11:3, we know that “the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”  Which means that everything we see in the entire universe was created when God spoke it into existence.  We also know from Colossians 1:15-16 that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”  So, everything was createdthrough and for Jesus.  But, the question many people have then is, why? The Bible tells us that the world and everything in it was created for His glory.  To show His glory - not to 'show off' - but to demonstrate His power and nature to everyone and everything in the world.  Romans 1:20 says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”  Since the Lord knew He was going to create people (in His own image), He prepared a world for them to live in that would literally radiate with His glory everywhere they looked, so they would have no reason to forget Him or not know Him. There will always be some questions that we may never fully understand or have the answers to, but will be fully answered and made known when we get to Heaven. Think about it like this… we likely have all used a cell phone, or laptop or some form of electronic, right? We don’t fully understand everything about it or how it works… yet we depend on it every day and it works. God is much more than any electronic, but can you see the illustration? 

Week of September 23rd: Why did God make people?

So then, the next logical question would be why did God make people? Well, first of all, God didn’tcreate people because He was bored or lonely. Everything the Lord does has a purpose, so we weren’t just put here because He had nothing better to do.  He also didn’t (and doesn’t) needus.  God, by His very definition is perfect.  So, that means He is lacking nothing and needs nothing.  As Acts 17:24-25 says, “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs.”  Plus, as we already established, the Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit existed long before the rest of creation.  And they seemed to be doing just fine without us. So, why did He do it, then?  The simple answer is the same as it was with the world - to bring Him glory. Romans 11:36 says, “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory,” and that includes people.  We were created to worship Him, praise Him and bring Him glory.  But, He also created each one of us individually for a unique purpose.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  He already had a unique plan for us before we were even born.  And when we make the decision to follow Him, to be obedient and to lean into those plans, we are able to fulfill the purposes He has for us and the world around us!

Week of September 30th: Why does He love us?

Why does God love us?  It’s one of the questions we all wonder about at some point in our lives (if not all the time!).  He definitely doesn’t haveto love us and we don’t exactly make it easy for Him to do so either. Romans 3:10-12 describes how tainted man has become with sin, “There is no one righteous, not even one;there is no one who understands;there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  That may seem a little harsh at first.  But, when it comes to the standard of sinless living that Jesus describes - where even thinkingabout doing something wrong counts as sinning - well, then we all fall short.  So, if we’re all so hopeless... Then why doesHe love us? Because God is love.  He doesn’t just choose to love; He islove.  His very nature is to love. It’s why He can love us even when we’re lost, when we’re struggling with temptation or when we’re outright sinning against Him. He also doesn’t require us to be perfect or to get everything right before He loves us. He loves us simply because of who He is. All that said, God does not want us to stay in sin…He gives us free will and we have the freedom to choose. When we sin, we break the fellowship with God at that time, and God desires fellowship with His children. Are we expected to be perfect? No. But we are expected to do our best and make good, Holy and wise choices, and when we make mistakes, be quick to get back on track and repent (change the way we think and act). 

In His Steps CHAPLAIN 

 

In His Steps has on-call Chaplains available to In His Steps families. Our chaplains have extensive experience and training in a wide variety of pastoral care situations. Some of the assistance IHS Chaplains can offer grownups include Biblical pastoral counseling, marriage and family issues, conflict resolution, grief and trauma support. Please also contact us for assistance with premarital counseling, weddings and funerals.

 

 

As with all In His Steps activities, there is no charge for our pastoral/chaplaincy assistance. In His Steps is a non-profit 501 c organization and donations are always welcome, appreciated and are tax deductible. 

You may contact Louis at or 704-650-4089 

with questions or to arrange an appointment.