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A Future Perspective - Your Daily Forward Devotional

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In The Days of the Judges

In The Days of the Judges

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A Glimmer of Hope

Bitter or a Believer?

Bitter or a Believer?

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God Intended It For Good

God Intended It For Good

Getting Started...

Getting Started...

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The Door

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The Bread and the Light

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The Bread and the Light

John Saw It All

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John Saw It All

Worry About Yourself

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Worry About Yourself

Count the Cost

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Count the Cost

Do You Love God?

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Do You Love God?

Jump All In

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Jump All In

Gone Fishing Again

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Gone Fishing Again

You May Have Life In His Name

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You May Have Life In His Name

The Disciple Who Believed

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The Disciple Who Believed

The Disciple Who Doubted

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The Disciple Who Doubted

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The Return of Christ

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The Return of Christ

Just Jesus

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Just Jesus

Joy In Christ

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Joy In Christ

Privileges and Practices for Christians

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Privileges and Practices for Christians

Grace and Freedom

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Grace and Freedom

So We Do Not Lose Heart

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So We Do Not Lose Heart

Fatherly Discipline

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Fatherly Discipline

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

  • Jun 22, 2022

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

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Witnesses To the End of The Earth

God in The Flesh

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God in The Flesh

The Great Physician

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The Great Physician

Service and Sacrifice

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Service and Sacrifice

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

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The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

Is It Even Worth It?

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Is It Even Worth It?

A Future Perspective

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A Future Perspective

Misplaced Priorities

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Misplaced Priorities

Judgment and Joy

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Judgment and Joy

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

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The Righteous Will Live By Faith

Pride Goes Before Destruction

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Pride Goes Before Destruction

Does God Care About Justice?

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Does God Care About Justice?

That All Should Be Saved

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That All Should Be Saved

A Battle Between Brothers

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A Battle Between Brothers

The Cold Hard Truth

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The Cold Hard Truth

Just You Wait

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Just You Wait

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

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Idolatry Vs. Adultery

The Lord Reigns Supreme

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The Lord Reigns Supreme

Restored to Glory

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Restored to Glory

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

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The Saddest Chapter In The Book

The Bearer of Bad News

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The Bearer of Bad News

Salvation Is of The Lord

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Salvation Is of The Lord

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God’s Plan

What’s the Point?

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Read the Instructions

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A Real Relationship

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A Real Relationship

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

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Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

God Behind the Scenes

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God Behind the Scenes

Miraculous Reconstruction

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Miraculous Reconstruction

Coming Home

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Coming Home

Not Just A Building

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Not Just A Building

The Family of God

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Discipline and Destruction

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Discipline and Destruction

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

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A Heart and Kingdom Divided

The Greatest King Ever

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The Greatest King Ever

No King But God?

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A Love That Redeems

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A Love That Redeems

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

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Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

A Literal Scarlet Thread

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A Literal Scarlet Thread

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

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He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

Why Did It Take So Long?

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Why Did It Take So Long?

Holy as He Is Holy

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Passed Over

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The Beginning of Redemption

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The Beginning of Redemption

The Lord Is Near

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The Lord Is Near

I’ll Be Happy When…

  • Apr 29, 2022

I’ll Be Happy When…

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

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Working Hard or Hardly Working?

You Can’t Hide a Lie

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You Can’t Hide a Lie

The Sin Underneath All Others

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The Sin Underneath All Others

Play the Long Game

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Where Does Joy Come From?

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Where Does Joy Come From?

Well Worth the Wait

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Well Worth the Wait

Getting to Know God

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Getting to Know God

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

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Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

Take Heart, He’s With You

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Take Heart, He’s With You

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

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Out of Sight, Out of Mind

What Are You Afraid Of?

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Nothing Can Separate Us

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Nothing Can Separate Us

What Has God Forgiven You For?

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But by the Grace Of God

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But by the Grace Of God

A Healthy Swap

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A Healthy Swap

Tell Yourself the Truth

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Tell Yourself the Truth

He Hears You

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He Hears You

Listen and Learn

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Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

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Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

Keep Your Cool

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Keep Your Cool

Great Is His Faithfulness

  • Apr 5, 2022

Great Is His Faithfulness

Move on to the Meat

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Move on to the Meat

Saving Faith Works

  • Apr 2, 2022

Saving Faith Works

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

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Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

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Back to the BibleJun 14, 2022 12:00 am GMT

A Future Perspective

 

June 14

 

Read Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

 

Reflect

When you are feeling discouraged, how does setting your sights on the future encourage you to keep going?

 

When I set a personal goal for myself, it is easy for me to get sidelined by everyday distractions and discouragement. If I’m not seeing the results I want right away, it is hard to stay motivated to keep at it. In those moments, I have to look to the future to remember why I set the goal for myself in the first place. Knowing that my dedication today will positively influence my tomorrow encourages me to keep at it. I have to maintain a future perspective to stay faithful in the present.

 

Zechariah was a prophet sent to Jerusalem with a mission very similar to Haggai’s. God used Haggai’s message to rebuke the people for their sins and to get them to start rebuilding the temple. God used Zechariah to motivate the people to keep it up by looking to the future. He gave them “gracious and comforting words” (Zechariah 1:13) instead of a scolding. Even though they were feeling discouraged, he told them that God would remember His covenant with them and keep His promises. In fact, Zechariah’s name means “God Remembers.” He prophesied around 520-470 B.C. while the temple was being rebuilt. The most encouraging aspect of his message was that they had to rebuild the temple because it needed to be ready for the coming Messiah! Zechariah gave the people hope in the future as well as in the present.

 

The book opens with God calling Zechariah to urge the people to repent by reminding them of the sins of their forefathers. Then, Zechariah is given a series of eight visions. These visions demonstrated that God was not done with Israel. In the visions, Zechariah saw that God was going to rebuild, protect, and glorify Jerusalem, and judge individual, national, and global sin, including judgment toward Israel’s enemies. But the most encouraging visions concerned the coming of “the Branch” in chapters 3 and 6. These visions pointed to both the first and second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He would cleanse them of their sin, restore them to Himself, and also rule and reign over them as Priest and King.

 

Then, Zechariah moved to four messages to the people from God. First, he called out the false motives and emptiness of their religious rituals. Second, he reminded them that their forefathers had hard hearts toward God and had rejected Him. As a result, they experienced God’s wrath. But, in the next message, he comforted them with an assurance of future peace and restoration. Finally, he assured them that joy and glad feasting is in Judah’s future.

 

Last, Zechariah shared two oracles, or burdens, that focused on the first and second coming of Christ. The Scarlet Thread of redemption is all over these last 6 chapters. Jesus, Messiah, is seen as a King, Shepherd, Warrior, Savior, and Ruler. His humility, love, grace, power, righteousness, and holiness are demonstrated in Zechariah’s oracles. Today’s verses predict that Jesus will come as a humble king who will bring salvation, riding on a donkey. Of course, this was fulfilled in what we often call the “Triumphal Entry” on Palm Sunday. This event is mentioned in all four Gospels. All of Zechariah’s prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent came true.

 

Zechariah explicitly predicted that Jesus would be “pierced” (Zechariah 12:10) and that the Shepherd would be struck and the flock would scatter and be divided. Even so, a remnant would be tested and refined but preserved (Zechariah 13:7-9). He also pointed to the “day of the LORD” and the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah. He made many predictions concerning Christ’s second advent and we are waiting expectantly for those to be fulfilled.

 

Friends, I know many of you are feeling stuck and discouraged spiritually. Like Zechariah, I encourage you to look toward the future. We have been assured that just as Christ came the first time, He is coming again! His enemies will be destroyed and death will be no more. He will reign forever. He will call us His people and He will be our God (Zechariah 13:9). Keep pursuing Christ. Eternal peace and joy are coming!

 

Pray

Lord, thank You for the reassurance that comfort, peace, and joy is in our future. In this world, it is easy to get discouraged but when I focus on the promises You have made concerning the future, my spirit is renewed and I am motivated to keep living for You. Help me stay focused and faithful to doing Your will. Amen.

 

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

 

 

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J
Joan
a year ago
Amen, I wait patiently 🙏🏾🙏🏾
likeReply
a year ago
Amen
likeReply
S
Senita
a year ago
Father I want to do Your will. I patiently wait the return of Your Son Christ Jesus. I want the joy, comfort , and peace that comes in the future with Jesus Christ. Oh what a day that us going to be 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 Thank You Father. In Jesus Christ, Your Son name I pray Amen Amen Amen 🙏🏼
likeReply
E
emma
a year ago
Amen thank you Jesus
likeReply
D
Paulette
a year ago
Amen
likeReply
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