My Daily Devotional

God Is With You "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16 Several months ago I got an e-mail from a friend, telling me that she had just lost her 24 year old son, and had set by his bedside for 6 weeks, before he went to be with God. Just 4 years earlier she had lost her husband of 40 years. It is difficult to deal with these kind of losses, but so many people that I deal with in my ministry, go through these kinds of difficulties every day. Many times these times can cause anyone to ask the question, "why are these things happening to me"? I know in my own experience, it was difficult for me to understand why God allowed my father to be killed in World War II, when I was only 2 years old. No one knows what God's plan is for our lives, but He tells us in the scripture above, that He knew us while we were still in our mother's womb, and knew all the days ordained for us before any of them came to be. We can never understand why tragedy's such as these happen, that can affect our lives so dramatically, but we must believe that this was all in God's great plan for us. We must have enough courage and faith to say "God, I don't understand it, but I trust you." We need to put our complete trust in God and give our hurts and pains over to Him. He tells us, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3. I encourage each of you to continue to trust in God during your difficult times as He is always with you. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me." If you are dealing with a difficult situation in your life today, I want you to know that God is with you, He knows what you are going through, as this is all part of His plan for your life, but He will give you victory. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 15

My Daily Devotional

God Hears Our Prayers "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." John 14:13 If you are like most people there are times when it feels like you just cannot go another day, as the stresses of daily living are getting you down. There are troubles that are threatening your peace and joy in life, and you are waiting on God to answer your prayers. The waiting seems to go on forever, and it seems like God is not listening and just refuses to answer your prayers. God wants His best for you and He is not ignoring you, as He has heard your prayers, and knows what you need. We want our prayers answered in our time frames and know what we want the answer to be. Our time frame is not always God's time frame, and His answer is not always what we want to hear. It is important to know how to wait on God for your answers to prayer. The bible tells us to believe that we have what we ask when we pray, and we shall have it. Then we are to believe without doubting. We are to know in our heart that God will do what He says. Then we wait knowing that He will carry out and keep His promises to us. The minute we start trying to figure out how or when He will do it we have just stepped into doubt, and thus we have just delayed our answer. He wants us to let our petitions be made known to Him, but He does not want us to worry about them, or when they will be taken care of. He wants us to trust Him to do as He says, and get our minds off our selves and turn it to the needs and petitions of others. When we do this we are saying Father, I have brought you my needs and I trust you to handle it for me. While you wait for God to answer your own prayers, spend your time thinking about the needs of others. You are expecting God to bless you by answering your prayers, so think about who you can bless today as you wait on God for your own blessings. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 14

My Daily Devotional

Teach Your Children "Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" Matthew 19:14 When we study our Bibles we see where the disciples wanted to stop the children from getting to Jesus because they thought that they would distract Him from teaching to the adults. In our world today we too, as parents, can keep our children from entering God's presence by how we live our lives. How? Some parents may keep them so busy and on a schedule that there is no time for stories about the Bible. Sports, hobbies, and the pursuit of our own personal pleasures, can keep parents from spending the time with our children, telling them about God, taking them to church, getting them involved in Sunday School, where they will be taught about the Bible and what God wants them to hear. We can become so busy that we don't pray in front of them, or at the family meals. We can become so busy that we don't have a devotion time together or pray together. Jesus shows us in the scripture above just how important children are to Him, He took the time for them that was needed. Our children need their parents to teach them how important it is to have God in their lives. Teaching them about God is the most important things that we as parents can give them. He said, "(Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it". This is not the responsibility of a minister or a Sunday school teacher, it is our responsibility as parents to bring our children close to God. It is by our walk and our actions each and every day of our life to show them that we make God first in all that we do, and that we trust Him for everything that we do. Our children need to see God in our daily lives, and through this we can bring God into our homes and let Him touch them. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 13

My Daily Devotional

What Do You Boast About "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians 6:14 There are not many families in our country which do not have pictures of their children, grandchildren, parents, and other relatives hung on their walls, on their tables and usually scattered all throughout their house. Most people have their wallets full of pictures of their children and grandchildren. We all think that our children are the prettiest and the best compared to others. It also goes beyond just our families, as we proudly display any trophies, service awards, college and high school diplomas, and any other award or tokens that demonstrate our importance. Boasting is nothing new, as even in Biblical times, we see all the rituals that accompanied the mark of being a Jew and obeying the Jewish laws and customs. The Jewish requirements even went further and demanded the rite of circumcision to prove the Jewish faith. The apostle Paul, tells us that we don't need to boast about our faith, except to tell others about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross to save us from our sins. We don't have to prove, or show anyone a certificate, or an award, or be the best, the prettiest, or smartest to be recognized and known. The only thing we need to boast about is that we have been saved, our sins have been forgiven, and we now have the promise of an eternal home in heaven, to be with our Lord and Savior for all eternity. This is the only thing that Paul tells us that we should boast about, as all the other things in life does not matter, and will be meaningless in the end. Just boasting that we belong to God is all that matters. If you find yourself today feeling that you are not where God wants you to be, this could be the day where you ask God to help you become the person you need to be, and then you can boast to the world that God is your Savior. Take just a few minutes this morning to ask Jesus into your heart, and let Him take away your sins, and give you a new life, a life that will lead you to an eternal life in Heaven. Then God will boast that He has a new child, one that will come to live with Him for all eternity in His home in Heaven. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 12

My Daily Devotional

Communicating Effectively “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20 It is sometimes hard for people to really share their feelings and thoughts, but it is only when we are able to break down the barriers to get past the idle conversations that we can really begin to communicate with someone. This has been difficult for me throughout the years as my wife has mastered the art of communication, and I am still working on it. She can open up and let others know exactly her thoughts, feelings and emotions, but I have not been able to do this in the fashion she is able to. I have improved over the years but am not there yet. The more we can open up in expressing our thoughts and feelings the more intimate the relationship can become between a husband and wife. A good marriage is one in which both the husband and wife are able to throw open the doors and express themselves openly. How many times have you and your spouse had an argument, only to discover that the argument could have been avoided if you had truly taken the time to understand one another? I know that there have been times in our marriage where we thought we both disagreed about something, but really discovered that we really didn’t disagree at all—we only thought we disagreed because we were too impatient to fully understand one another. So many disagreements are escalated because we don’t make the effort to clarify what the other person is trying to communicate. We often say “well, I thought you said this or that”—but it wasn’t that at all, as to what they were trying to say. Restating what you said is another way to ensure that you have communicated what you wanted to say, and also is a way to make sure the listener has heard properly what you are trying to say. Perceived communication without clarification usually leads to frustration, and a situation where nobody wins. Men and women are different—and that’s okay. I know that I have different opinions about certain things, and my wife has other opinions. I have had different opinions from the people I worked with throughout the years, and that is also okay, as not everyone has the same opinions about certain things. It doesn’t mean however that any one of us is wrong. Remember, it’s okay to have different opinions. Each of us however needs to drop the need to win the disagreements that we have, as well as the need to blame the other person. Putting the blame on the other person is so easy, and so often keeps us from admitting that we may be part of the problem. I believe our family has had very good communications over the years, and our disagreements have been few and far between. Our relationship has always been good and everyone has had an open door to communicate with each other and with us. Conflict is a normal part of any home. What will set your family apart is how you respond to each other when circumstances collide. It is important to make our homes a haven of peace for our families and our children. Consider your communication style and change it if you feel you are not lovingly expressing yourself to others. To speak in love is to communicate the truth in kind and gentle terms. Often it has less to do with what you say than with how you say it. We should consider how we confront others and the tone of our communication. You may need to examine your motives and attitudes, as you plan to communicate the way you speak the truth. We also need to communicate intentionally, what we want to say, and not communicate in anger. Anger is a God given emotion, but things said in anger will usually result in an outcome that will not benefit anyone. Our words should always be uplifting to others, and not to make anyone feel bad or hurt them in any way. We should be building others up instead of tearing them down. 1st Timothy 2:8 “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 11

My Daily Devotional

God's Patience "What if only ten can be found there? He answered, For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." Genesis 18:32 The scripture above is God's response to Abraham, who was asking Him to spare Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. Abraham had already asked God five times to spare them at higher numbers, but wanted to bargain with God. In other devotionals I have talked about patience, but in this one I want to discuss God's patience. In this example, God had been patient with Sodom and Gomorrah, and agreed to not destroy them even if only a few people, out of the whole city, still obeyed Him and His commandments. God is still patient with us today, as He sometimes waits a lifetime for us to repent, and ask Him into our hearts. Would we be as patient as God is? Think back about your own life, and all the things that you have done. Many of you have done terrible things in your life. Some of you have been a thief, some have been addicted to drugs or alcohol, some have cheated on your spouse, maybe even some have committed murder, but none of you are perfect as you all have sinned. God has been patient with you during this time, and has been watching you, and knows all the sinful things you have done. However, the difference between God and you, is that God is patient, and is willing to forgive all your sins, and forget about all your past. He is not like you, as you probably become impatient if you wait a few minutes to be served dinner at a restaurant, or wait in line at the grocery store. Regardless of what you have done God is patiently waiting for you to turn your life over to Him, and give you an eternal life in Heaven, as He loves you. If you have not asked Jesus into your heart, today is the day of your salvation. Take just a moment to get down on your knees right now and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and ask Him to be your savior. He is patiently waiting on you, and will gladly accept you back into the fold. He will give you the most precious gift you will ever receive, which is the promise of an everlasting life in Heaven. Do it now, as tomorrow may be too late. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Five November 10

My Daily Devotional

The Love Of Money "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." 1st Timothy 6:10 Throughout the Bible there are scriptures similar to the one above that tells us to not to fall in love with money or material things. God does not want you to not have wealth or material possessions, but when these things become your God's and your idols, that is when they become dangerous. God gives you everything that you have, and you should hold it with an open hand, and realize that He has allowed you to receive it, and could easily take it away. If you hold it tightly to your chest and claim it as yours, that you earned it by yourself, and do not give your tithes from it willingly, you are not handling your wealth correctly. You should freely accept God's gifts, and never hold on to anything that would cause you catastrophic sorrow if it were removed. I know that this is a hard way to live in today's society, as the world teaches you how to say "that's mine" by the age of two. Most people are in a mad dash to get as much as they can, and spend their entire lives focused on accumulating wealth and material things. God knows just how powerful money can be, and warns us that it's next to impossible for a rich man to enter into Heaven. (Matthew 19:24) Everyone has wants and desires, however they must be kept in the proper perspective, and not let them become the focus of our lives. God should come first in our lives, and if our pursuit of money and wealth gets in the way, then it has crossed the line and becomes sinful. God wants us to give up our hunger to make ourselves first, but rather make Him first. When God is first, then we will prosper. Robert William Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Five November 9