It Is Not Too Late
“You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-23
The Bible tells us that to be born again and experience the eternal life that God promises, we must accept Jesus into our hearts, and ask forgiveness of our sins, and change our wicked ways, and begin obeying God’s commands. This sounds so easy to do, but so many people don’t take advantage of this amazing offer. It is so important for everyone to understand that one day, you will die. That is a fact. At that moment, you will stand before God and there will only be one question, “Do you know Jesus as your Savior by faith?” That is a “yes” or “no” answer. You won’t have the opportunity to stand there and say, “no, but.” God is not going to be interested in your excuses. Each person is responsible for accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ into their heart and life by faith, and each person will be held accountable by God for all eternity for that choice. Let me ask you a simple question. If you died this very moment, do you have the complete assurance, without any doubt, that when you stand before God He will welcome you into His presence for all eternity? None of us know when our time will come, but it is coming. It is so sad that many people die each day because they keep putting off accepting Jesus into their hearts, thinking that they will do it tomorrow or next week at church, or next month. But they have waited too long, and their time to stand before God in judgment has come. It is not too late for you however, as you still have the chance to become this new person and accept Jesus as your savior. If anyone would want to contact me, my e-mail address is robbrock@comcast.net.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Dealing With Anger
“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Ephesians 4:26
Anger is a powerful emotion which can strike suddenly, and take over our thoughts, and many times can seem to be uncontrollable. Anger and its devastating effects can leave everything and everyone that it is directed at in ruins. There are as many causes and expressions of anger as there are people, but one of the underlying causes of anger is due to the fact that things are not happening as we expected them to happen. We may not get the raise we expected, our children may not listen to us, or our spouse does not agree with our point of view about an important matter. Usually anger is directed towards the person that does not agree with us or we feel has harmed us in some way. Everyone will get angry at some point in their life, but controlling our anger is the thing that sets us apart from others. If anger is controlling you, there is only one way to find relief and that is to give God control of your life. God teaches us to love rather than be angry, and his answer to control our anger is to learn to forgive. Forgiveness is perhaps the greatest remedy for anger. Just remember that as Jesus hung on the cross dying for our sins, He asked His Father to “forgive them for they know not what they do”. Jesus had every right to be angry toward those who placed Him there, but rather chose to forgive them instead. To anyone that is fighting anger in their lives, don’t let it fester and build up, as it will not go away by itself; it will grow like a cancer and affect the things that are most precious to you. Turn your anger over to God, and ask Him to help you forgive the people that have caused you to be angry, as this is the only way that you will be able to rid yourself of this sin. God will take control and give you peace.
“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Ephesians 4:26
Anger is a powerful emotion which can strike suddenly, and take over our thoughts, and many times can seem to be uncontrollable. Anger and its devastating effects can leave everything and everyone that it is directed at in ruins. There are as many causes and expressions of anger as there are people, but one of the underlying causes of anger is due to the fact that things are not happening as we expected them to happen. We may not get the raise we expected, our children may not listen to us, or our spouse does not agree with our point of view about an important matter. Usually anger is directed towards the person that does not agree with us or we feel has harmed us in some way. Everyone will get angry at some point in their life, but controlling our anger is the thing that sets us apart from others. If anger is controlling you, there is only one way to find relief and that is to give God control of your life. God teaches us to love rather than be angry, and his answer to control our anger is to learn to forgive. Forgiveness is perhaps the greatest remedy for anger. Just remember that as Jesus hung on the cross dying for our sins, He asked His Father to “forgive them for they know not what they do”. Jesus had every right to be angry toward those who placed Him there, but rather chose to forgive them instead. To anyone that is fighting anger in their lives, don’t let it fester and build up, as it will not go away by itself; it will grow like a cancer and affect the things that are most precious to you. Turn your anger over to God, and ask Him to help you forgive the people that have caused you to be angry, as this is the only way that you will be able to rid yourself of this sin. God will take control and give you peace.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Are You An Example for Others
“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”
1st Corinthians 8:9
Over the years I have seen many people being influenced by what someone else is doing, as they think just because so and so is doing something, and that they are somebody that has status and influential in the right circles, that it is all right for them to do it as well. We have all had idols as we grew up, whether it was our favorite sports star, our grandparents, our parents or someone else who we would like to pattern ourselves after. Even though many of us do not realize it we may be someone’s idol and the person that someone is trying to pattern themselves after. The scripture above tells us that whatever we do in life, which means our words and our actions, should not become a stumbling block for others. This means that we need to watch what we say and watch what we do, so that we do not set the wrong example for someone. How many times do we see in the newspaper some individual who has been the so called example, or role model, caught in situations that are wrong and many times illegal? This fallen hero has many times destroyed someone who was trying to imitate their actions and be like them. When the weak Christian is influenced by the example of the stronger Christian, and even though he feels it to be wrong, it still has a tendency to blunt their conscience, so that doing what is wrong becomes much easier the next time. We are accountable to set an example of what a Christian should be like in our daily life by the way we speak and by the way we conduct ourselves at all times. I would encourage each of you to consider your actions, wherever you are, and to be a good example to someone who may be watching you, as God wants your life to reflect the life of a Christian. God is also watching you.
“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”
1st Corinthians 8:9
Over the years I have seen many people being influenced by what someone else is doing, as they think just because so and so is doing something, and that they are somebody that has status and influential in the right circles, that it is all right for them to do it as well. We have all had idols as we grew up, whether it was our favorite sports star, our grandparents, our parents or someone else who we would like to pattern ourselves after. Even though many of us do not realize it we may be someone’s idol and the person that someone is trying to pattern themselves after. The scripture above tells us that whatever we do in life, which means our words and our actions, should not become a stumbling block for others. This means that we need to watch what we say and watch what we do, so that we do not set the wrong example for someone. How many times do we see in the newspaper some individual who has been the so called example, or role model, caught in situations that are wrong and many times illegal? This fallen hero has many times destroyed someone who was trying to imitate their actions and be like them. When the weak Christian is influenced by the example of the stronger Christian, and even though he feels it to be wrong, it still has a tendency to blunt their conscience, so that doing what is wrong becomes much easier the next time. We are accountable to set an example of what a Christian should be like in our daily life by the way we speak and by the way we conduct ourselves at all times. I would encourage each of you to consider your actions, wherever you are, and to be a good example to someone who may be watching you, as God wants your life to reflect the life of a Christian. God is also watching you.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Restore Governing Authorities
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Romans 13:1
I have always wondered how God would judge the authorities that exist in our world today, as much has changed from the time in which He lived. In the Bible God tells us to respect the authorities that govern us, and to submit to them. He tells us to obey the laws of the land and follow their instructions. However, there are many laws that are now in place that go completely against the teachings of the Bible and do not reflect what God wants us to submit to. Our government has legalized abortions, which completely goes against the teachings of the Bible, the mention of God is being taken out of our schools, which is against Biblical teachings, and our government, which was founded on God and his laws and commands, no longer allows prayer and God to be mentioned. When civil leaders and authorities overstep their proper function, the Bible tells us that the Christian is to obey God rather than man. Acts 5:29 “We must obey God rather than men.” Our authorities exist for the benefit of our society and to bring order to our government, and to protect the general public. God has ordained the authorities and expects the Christian to respect and obey them, but only as far as they are following the laws and commands of God. When they begin going against God’s laws and commands then Christians need to stand up and rebel against authorities. I would encourage each of you to begin to take a stand in restoring our civil and governmental authorities to ones that God would approve of and return our country to one that is based on Godly principles.
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Romans 13:1
I have always wondered how God would judge the authorities that exist in our world today, as much has changed from the time in which He lived. In the Bible God tells us to respect the authorities that govern us, and to submit to them. He tells us to obey the laws of the land and follow their instructions. However, there are many laws that are now in place that go completely against the teachings of the Bible and do not reflect what God wants us to submit to. Our government has legalized abortions, which completely goes against the teachings of the Bible, the mention of God is being taken out of our schools, which is against Biblical teachings, and our government, which was founded on God and his laws and commands, no longer allows prayer and God to be mentioned. When civil leaders and authorities overstep their proper function, the Bible tells us that the Christian is to obey God rather than man. Acts 5:29 “We must obey God rather than men.” Our authorities exist for the benefit of our society and to bring order to our government, and to protect the general public. God has ordained the authorities and expects the Christian to respect and obey them, but only as far as they are following the laws and commands of God. When they begin going against God’s laws and commands then Christians need to stand up and rebel against authorities. I would encourage each of you to begin to take a stand in restoring our civil and governmental authorities to ones that God would approve of and return our country to one that is based on Godly principles.
Friday, August 27, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Expect Your Miracle
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:18
God considers Abraham the father of the Jews and the gentiles, as the birth of Isaac through Abraham and Sarah, both of whom were far past the age of child bearing, populated future generations, and thus Abraham is considered to be the father of all mankind. The example of Abraham and Sarah is the perfect example of the miracles that God can do in people’s lives. Abraham was almost one hundred years old and Sarah was about ninety years old, but Abraham was a righteous man who was promised “offspring like the dust of the earth” and possession of the land of Canaan, and that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him. Abraham had faith that even though he was old that God would fulfill His promise to him. He did not lose his hope and continued to trust in God for his miracle. Could we ever have the faith that Abraham showed, and go against all the odds that our human frailty demonstrates, and expect our miracles in today’s world? The Bible teaches us that our miracles are also possible if we have the faith and belief in God that Abraham had. The Bible tells us that if we only have the faith of a mustard seed that we can make a mountain move. This tells us that God still is alive today, and can still work miracles for us as well. The question we need to ask ourselves is do we have enough faith and trust in God to hope for our miracle and receive it. Many of us have serious need for a miracle in our lives either due to health issues, financial issues, relationship issues or family issues. I would encourage you to start believing and having faith and trusting in God that He will provide you with your own miracle.
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:18
God considers Abraham the father of the Jews and the gentiles, as the birth of Isaac through Abraham and Sarah, both of whom were far past the age of child bearing, populated future generations, and thus Abraham is considered to be the father of all mankind. The example of Abraham and Sarah is the perfect example of the miracles that God can do in people’s lives. Abraham was almost one hundred years old and Sarah was about ninety years old, but Abraham was a righteous man who was promised “offspring like the dust of the earth” and possession of the land of Canaan, and that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him. Abraham had faith that even though he was old that God would fulfill His promise to him. He did not lose his hope and continued to trust in God for his miracle. Could we ever have the faith that Abraham showed, and go against all the odds that our human frailty demonstrates, and expect our miracles in today’s world? The Bible teaches us that our miracles are also possible if we have the faith and belief in God that Abraham had. The Bible tells us that if we only have the faith of a mustard seed that we can make a mountain move. This tells us that God still is alive today, and can still work miracles for us as well. The question we need to ask ourselves is do we have enough faith and trust in God to hope for our miracle and receive it. Many of us have serious need for a miracle in our lives either due to health issues, financial issues, relationship issues or family issues. I would encourage you to start believing and having faith and trusting in God that He will provide you with your own miracle.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Become a Servant
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
John 13:14-15
The interpretation of the scripture above tells us that Christ’s action provides an example of humble service, and that it teaches us that we are to have a servant attitude toward others. It tells us that Christians should be willing to perform the most menial services to help one another. It tells us that we are to love others as we love ourselves. It illustrates God’s commandment that we should love others as we love ourselves, and what more humbling example to show this than to wash someone else’s feet. I believe that each of us needs to evaluate our own lives to see if we have a servant attitude. We need to determine if we want to be in control and set on the throne, or would we be just as comfortable as Jesus was, and instructing his Disciples to do; and that is to be a servant. I believe this is one of the most important issues that Christian’s face today, as the servant attitude is being lost in our society, as the status of being successful in life is based on our titles and positions in our companies. The idea that we are to be humble and a servant to others doesn’t go well with the people that are striving to rise to the top in their organizations. The attitude that Christ wants us to have is to not be self centered, always thinking about ourselves, but to be concerned about others. We miss so many opportunities in life to be able to minister to others by not demonstrating this humble and servant attitude to them. I would encourage each of you today to begin getting your minds off yourselves, and look around you to see where you could make a difference in someone’s life, by giving them a helping hand or providing their needs. Be a servant to someone as Jesus was.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
John 13:14-15
The interpretation of the scripture above tells us that Christ’s action provides an example of humble service, and that it teaches us that we are to have a servant attitude toward others. It tells us that Christians should be willing to perform the most menial services to help one another. It tells us that we are to love others as we love ourselves. It illustrates God’s commandment that we should love others as we love ourselves, and what more humbling example to show this than to wash someone else’s feet. I believe that each of us needs to evaluate our own lives to see if we have a servant attitude. We need to determine if we want to be in control and set on the throne, or would we be just as comfortable as Jesus was, and instructing his Disciples to do; and that is to be a servant. I believe this is one of the most important issues that Christian’s face today, as the servant attitude is being lost in our society, as the status of being successful in life is based on our titles and positions in our companies. The idea that we are to be humble and a servant to others doesn’t go well with the people that are striving to rise to the top in their organizations. The attitude that Christ wants us to have is to not be self centered, always thinking about ourselves, but to be concerned about others. We miss so many opportunities in life to be able to minister to others by not demonstrating this humble and servant attitude to them. I would encourage each of you today to begin getting your minds off yourselves, and look around you to see where you could make a difference in someone’s life, by giving them a helping hand or providing their needs. Be a servant to someone as Jesus was.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Do You Love Yourself Too Much
“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
John 12:25
There are not many people who don’t love themselves, but Jesus warns us in the scripture above that when we begin to only think about ourselves, and forget about others that we are walking on thin ice. Do you find yourself in this situation, in that your entire world revolves around your likes and dislikes, your wants and desires, with no thought of others? Is your time and your money spent entirely in making yourself happy and forgetting others? If you answer yes to these two simple questions you need to step back and evaluate your life. Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that we are to love others as we love ourselves. This means that we are to devote time to others, and to spend some of our money in helping others. If we are not making this kind of commitment we are not obeying one of God’s greatest commandments. It is good for us to be successful in life and want to succeed, but we do not want to become self centered and think that we are the center of the universe, and that everything revolves around us. God does not want us to have this kind of attitude about ourselves, as He wants us to have a servant attitude and humble ourselves to others. As powerful as Jesus was He washed the feet of His disciples to show them the humbleness of Himself. When we develop an attitude that we are better or superior to others this is what Jesus is warning us about in the scripture above, and is the time to take stock in ourselves. I would encourage each of you to look at your own life, and determine if you are self centered; only thinking about yourself. If you find this to be true take the time to ask God for help in refocusing your life as your eternal life with God is in the balance.
“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
John 12:25
There are not many people who don’t love themselves, but Jesus warns us in the scripture above that when we begin to only think about ourselves, and forget about others that we are walking on thin ice. Do you find yourself in this situation, in that your entire world revolves around your likes and dislikes, your wants and desires, with no thought of others? Is your time and your money spent entirely in making yourself happy and forgetting others? If you answer yes to these two simple questions you need to step back and evaluate your life. Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that we are to love others as we love ourselves. This means that we are to devote time to others, and to spend some of our money in helping others. If we are not making this kind of commitment we are not obeying one of God’s greatest commandments. It is good for us to be successful in life and want to succeed, but we do not want to become self centered and think that we are the center of the universe, and that everything revolves around us. God does not want us to have this kind of attitude about ourselves, as He wants us to have a servant attitude and humble ourselves to others. As powerful as Jesus was He washed the feet of His disciples to show them the humbleness of Himself. When we develop an attitude that we are better or superior to others this is what Jesus is warning us about in the scripture above, and is the time to take stock in ourselves. I would encourage each of you to look at your own life, and determine if you are self centered; only thinking about yourself. If you find this to be true take the time to ask God for help in refocusing your life as your eternal life with God is in the balance.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Seek God’s Kingdom
“Then Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like?” What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
Luke 13:18-19
The scripture above gives us an indication about just how hard it will be to enter the Kingdom of God. There are several other examples such as “The Narrow Door”, and “The Rich Man”, where Jesus tells us that in order to enter God’s Kingdom that it will not be easy as many will be turned away. It is only the ones that truly believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and have asked Him into their hearts and are obeying His commands who will be allowed to enter His Kingdom. It is going to take more than just going to church on Sunday and then going about our business. It is going to take a commitment on our part to making God the focal point of our lives on a daily basis. It is going to take a commitment to begin obeying his commandments and letting our actions and our words follow the will of God. When God becomes the center of our life and our world revolves around Him, then we are on the narrow path that will lead to His Kingdom. With all that is going on in the lives of people today it is difficult to not get caught up in ourselves and our own selfish desires and leave God out. It is easy to find pastimes and hobbies that occupy our time where there is no time left for God. It is easy to spend all our effort on accumulating money and material possessions and not giving generously to help others. The most important thing that you will ever do in life is to find the path that leads to the Kingdom of God. It will be, as Jesus says, hard to find but will be worth it. I would encourage each of you to seek God daily, read His word, pray and ask Him for guidance to find His Kingdom.
“Then Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like?” What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
Luke 13:18-19
The scripture above gives us an indication about just how hard it will be to enter the Kingdom of God. There are several other examples such as “The Narrow Door”, and “The Rich Man”, where Jesus tells us that in order to enter God’s Kingdom that it will not be easy as many will be turned away. It is only the ones that truly believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and have asked Him into their hearts and are obeying His commands who will be allowed to enter His Kingdom. It is going to take more than just going to church on Sunday and then going about our business. It is going to take a commitment on our part to making God the focal point of our lives on a daily basis. It is going to take a commitment to begin obeying his commandments and letting our actions and our words follow the will of God. When God becomes the center of our life and our world revolves around Him, then we are on the narrow path that will lead to His Kingdom. With all that is going on in the lives of people today it is difficult to not get caught up in ourselves and our own selfish desires and leave God out. It is easy to find pastimes and hobbies that occupy our time where there is no time left for God. It is easy to spend all our effort on accumulating money and material possessions and not giving generously to help others. The most important thing that you will ever do in life is to find the path that leads to the Kingdom of God. It will be, as Jesus says, hard to find but will be worth it. I would encourage each of you to seek God daily, read His word, pray and ask Him for guidance to find His Kingdom.
Monday, August 23, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Are You Ready
“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Luke 12:40
Christ’s return is certain but the time is not known, so it is important to be prepared at all times. I have always heard people say that they are going to start to church next week as they want to begin serving God, and know that they are a sinner. Many times some do start going to church and get saved, however many times these people keep putting off the most important thing they will ever do in their lives. This is such a gamble as no one knows when Christ will return, and they are taking a chance on how they will spend all eternity. I have heard pastors speak on the end of time, and the signs that the Bible gives us telling us about the fulfillment of scripture, and that most of them are now fulfilled. These warnings are important, but these are man’s interpretations and not God’s, as only He knows when He is coming back. But the important thing to remember is that we must be ready. We are accustomed to being prepared in almost all things we do. We prepare ourselves for an exam at school. We prepare ourselves for our careers. We prepare ourselves to take care of our families. Everything we do in life we spend some time getting ready and preparing ourselves for. However when it comes to preparing ourselves for our future, by asking ourselves “how will we spend our eternity”, many times we do not plan and get ourselves ready. We need to begin preparing ourselves and be ready at all times for the most important thing that will ever happen to us. I would encourage each of you to get yourself prepared as Christ could return even today or tomorrow. Will you be ready? I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t, and die to find out there is.
“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Luke 12:40
Christ’s return is certain but the time is not known, so it is important to be prepared at all times. I have always heard people say that they are going to start to church next week as they want to begin serving God, and know that they are a sinner. Many times some do start going to church and get saved, however many times these people keep putting off the most important thing they will ever do in their lives. This is such a gamble as no one knows when Christ will return, and they are taking a chance on how they will spend all eternity. I have heard pastors speak on the end of time, and the signs that the Bible gives us telling us about the fulfillment of scripture, and that most of them are now fulfilled. These warnings are important, but these are man’s interpretations and not God’s, as only He knows when He is coming back. But the important thing to remember is that we must be ready. We are accustomed to being prepared in almost all things we do. We prepare ourselves for an exam at school. We prepare ourselves for our careers. We prepare ourselves to take care of our families. Everything we do in life we spend some time getting ready and preparing ourselves for. However when it comes to preparing ourselves for our future, by asking ourselves “how will we spend our eternity”, many times we do not plan and get ourselves ready. We need to begin preparing ourselves and be ready at all times for the most important thing that will ever happen to us. I would encourage each of you to get yourself prepared as Christ could return even today or tomorrow. Will you be ready? I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t, and die to find out there is.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
My Daily Devotional
The Battle for Your Heart
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
Luke 6:45
The Bible gives us many scriptures similar to the one above warning us that our words, either good or bad, come from our hearts. The previous devotional talked about clean or unclean things coming from our heart, and whether we allow God or Satan to gain control over our hearts. I believe the Christian is in a constant spiritual war between God and Satan for control over our hearts. The Apostle Paul recognized this and tells us to “take up the whole armor of God.” We need to recognize the need for constant vigilance at all times, and that the battle rages constantly, “in all seasons in the Spirit”, as Paul tells us that the enemy is not human, but spiritual in nature. It is ready to do battle 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is an army that is persistent and is ready to attack at any time. But when we submit our hearts and our wills to God and commit to following his commands, we are well equipped to withstand any attack that Satan sends our way. It is important to seek God each day through prayer and study in His word to ward off any attack that Satan brings against us. When we shirk our duty in God’s army to pray and seek Him daily, we are dropping our guard and can become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. Putting on the full armor of God can protect us and provide a shield for us and prevent Satan from getting a foothold, as we need all the protection we can get to defeat him. I would encourage each of you to go to God each day, read His word, pray to Him and ask Him to help you keep your heart from becoming infected with the evil that Satan can store up in your heart.
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
Luke 6:45
The Bible gives us many scriptures similar to the one above warning us that our words, either good or bad, come from our hearts. The previous devotional talked about clean or unclean things coming from our heart, and whether we allow God or Satan to gain control over our hearts. I believe the Christian is in a constant spiritual war between God and Satan for control over our hearts. The Apostle Paul recognized this and tells us to “take up the whole armor of God.” We need to recognize the need for constant vigilance at all times, and that the battle rages constantly, “in all seasons in the Spirit”, as Paul tells us that the enemy is not human, but spiritual in nature. It is ready to do battle 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is an army that is persistent and is ready to attack at any time. But when we submit our hearts and our wills to God and commit to following his commands, we are well equipped to withstand any attack that Satan sends our way. It is important to seek God each day through prayer and study in His word to ward off any attack that Satan brings against us. When we shirk our duty in God’s army to pray and seek Him daily, we are dropping our guard and can become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. Putting on the full armor of God can protect us and provide a shield for us and prevent Satan from getting a foothold, as we need all the protection we can get to defeat him. I would encourage each of you to go to God each day, read His word, pray to Him and ask Him to help you keep your heart from becoming infected with the evil that Satan can store up in your heart.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
My Daily Devotional
A Clean Heart
“Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.”
Mark 7:15-16
When God gave us His commandments He gave us the Law that we are to follow in our everyday life. We know from His law what is right and wrong, and when we make our daily decisions we know which ones meet with God’s approval and which ones don’t. Therefore when we confront temptations in our daily life, we know which temptations to avoid. We know that if we visit a friend’s house and see money on his table that we aren’t to take it, as this would be stealing. We know that we should not make up a story that is not true, as this is lying. We know that we should not use the Lord’s name in vain, as this is cursing. God had given us His laws and expects us to obey them. The problem is that Satan also is tempting us to not follow God’s laws, and is putting all kind of thoughts in our minds, and we find ourselves in situations continually where we have to either obey God or Satan. Our lives therefore become a battlefield as to who will win, either good or evil; God or Satan. The battle is for our heart, as what comes out of us comes from our heart, and can either be clean or unclean. If we have filled our hearts with the word of God, goodness will come out of us and we will be clean. But if Satan has infiltrated our hearts evil will come out of us and we will be unclean. This is why we need to be in the presence of God each and every day of our lives, as He can protect us from the temptations and deceptions that Satan can send upon us. I would encourage each of you to go to God daily and get in His word, and know what His Law and commands are and follow them in your daily lives, so that when your decisions need to be made they will also be God’s decisions.
“Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.”
Mark 7:15-16
When God gave us His commandments He gave us the Law that we are to follow in our everyday life. We know from His law what is right and wrong, and when we make our daily decisions we know which ones meet with God’s approval and which ones don’t. Therefore when we confront temptations in our daily life, we know which temptations to avoid. We know that if we visit a friend’s house and see money on his table that we aren’t to take it, as this would be stealing. We know that we should not make up a story that is not true, as this is lying. We know that we should not use the Lord’s name in vain, as this is cursing. God had given us His laws and expects us to obey them. The problem is that Satan also is tempting us to not follow God’s laws, and is putting all kind of thoughts in our minds, and we find ourselves in situations continually where we have to either obey God or Satan. Our lives therefore become a battlefield as to who will win, either good or evil; God or Satan. The battle is for our heart, as what comes out of us comes from our heart, and can either be clean or unclean. If we have filled our hearts with the word of God, goodness will come out of us and we will be clean. But if Satan has infiltrated our hearts evil will come out of us and we will be unclean. This is why we need to be in the presence of God each and every day of our lives, as He can protect us from the temptations and deceptions that Satan can send upon us. I would encourage each of you to go to God daily and get in His word, and know what His Law and commands are and follow them in your daily lives, so that when your decisions need to be made they will also be God’s decisions.
Friday, August 20, 2010
My Daily Devotional
A Servant's Heart
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12
People like to be recognized, and many will do almost anything to have honor and praise bestowed on them. Just recently I saw an article in the newspaper about a mother whose daughter was trying out for the cheerleading squad, and thought that another young girl was going to beat her daughter out from making the squad and actually had the other girl murdered. This is the lengths that some people will go to be honored and recognized. The scripture above tells us that we should humble ourselves toward others and not look for praise, honor and glory because we have done something good for others. Jesus tells us also when we give our tithes and give to others, to do so in secret as He knows what we have done and that is all that matters. We should never do things to bring honor and glory to ourselves, but do them out of the kindness and goodness of our hearts, and to help others. There are so many people that when they do something good they want all the people around them to know what they have done and to be recognized for this. There are buildings named after people who have made donations to charities all across our nation and many of these donations have been made solely because the people wanted to be recognized. God wants us to be a servant to others, just as He was. A servant does not serve others with the attitude that they will be rewarded in some way, but serves out of the goodness of his heart. We should not expect to be rewarded for our service to others by man, but God knows our hearts and will reward us for our good works. I would encourage each of you to become a servant, not seeking rewards for yourself as God will reward you.
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12
People like to be recognized, and many will do almost anything to have honor and praise bestowed on them. Just recently I saw an article in the newspaper about a mother whose daughter was trying out for the cheerleading squad, and thought that another young girl was going to beat her daughter out from making the squad and actually had the other girl murdered. This is the lengths that some people will go to be honored and recognized. The scripture above tells us that we should humble ourselves toward others and not look for praise, honor and glory because we have done something good for others. Jesus tells us also when we give our tithes and give to others, to do so in secret as He knows what we have done and that is all that matters. We should never do things to bring honor and glory to ourselves, but do them out of the kindness and goodness of our hearts, and to help others. There are so many people that when they do something good they want all the people around them to know what they have done and to be recognized for this. There are buildings named after people who have made donations to charities all across our nation and many of these donations have been made solely because the people wanted to be recognized. God wants us to be a servant to others, just as He was. A servant does not serve others with the attitude that they will be rewarded in some way, but serves out of the goodness of his heart. We should not expect to be rewarded for our service to others by man, but God knows our hearts and will reward us for our good works. I would encourage each of you to become a servant, not seeking rewards for yourself as God will reward you.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Stand Strong Against Temptations
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone: but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
James 1:13-14
No one other than Jesus has ever been sinless, as we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. There are temptations all around us, as we are confronted and tempted almost everywhere we look. Television, movies, music and even the clothing we wear are all designed to tempt us to do evil. God does not place the seed of evil in our hearts but Satan does. God does not tempt us, but our own evil desires are the ones that many times get the best of us. Temptations can be strong as they got the best of Adam, Moses, and David, and we ask ourselves how do we defeat temptation in our own lives. We can use the same technique that Jesus used when He was tempted, and that is the Word of God. If we follow the commands and the Law of God in all aspects of our life, we can fight all the temptations that Satan can bring against us. This certainly is not going to be an easy task to do however, as only Jesus has been able to conquer all temptation and sin. But in order to battle temptation we need to rely on the Word of God and also on His constant spiritual feeding. In order to battle temptations we must know God’s laws and know what is right. We must know that when we are tempted to do something, whether God would approve of it or not. We must always guard our thoughts, our minds, our speech and our actions to know what God’s laws are and to obey them. Temptations are all around us and we have to be alert, but we should use Jesus as our model as He remained faithful in temptation by relying on the word of God, as this is our best defense against our evil desires.
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone: but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
James 1:13-14
No one other than Jesus has ever been sinless, as we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. There are temptations all around us, as we are confronted and tempted almost everywhere we look. Television, movies, music and even the clothing we wear are all designed to tempt us to do evil. God does not place the seed of evil in our hearts but Satan does. God does not tempt us, but our own evil desires are the ones that many times get the best of us. Temptations can be strong as they got the best of Adam, Moses, and David, and we ask ourselves how do we defeat temptation in our own lives. We can use the same technique that Jesus used when He was tempted, and that is the Word of God. If we follow the commands and the Law of God in all aspects of our life, we can fight all the temptations that Satan can bring against us. This certainly is not going to be an easy task to do however, as only Jesus has been able to conquer all temptation and sin. But in order to battle temptation we need to rely on the Word of God and also on His constant spiritual feeding. In order to battle temptations we must know God’s laws and know what is right. We must know that when we are tempted to do something, whether God would approve of it or not. We must always guard our thoughts, our minds, our speech and our actions to know what God’s laws are and to obey them. Temptations are all around us and we have to be alert, but we should use Jesus as our model as He remained faithful in temptation by relying on the word of God, as this is our best defense against our evil desires.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Make a New Covenant With God
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.”
Hebrews 8:10
There had been other covenants that God had made with the people of Israel, but these covenants were broken time and time again as the people would drift away from obeying God’s commands and doing His will. The above scripture depicts a new covenant that God made with His chosen people, and one they were to keep in their hearts as to the commands and the will of God for them, so that they would not forget and go back to their wicked ways. What has happened to this covenant? I believe that the covenant that God made then, and the laws that He established for the people to follow are still in existence today, but the problem is that we are not following and obeying them. We are again turning our backs on God and forgetting about His laws and commands. Just look at God’s two greatest commandments to (1) “love God” and (2) “love others”, and see how our society has turned our back on obeying either of these. We have either taken God out, or trying to take Him out, of our government, our schools, our justice system and our society. We obviously don’t love others as we love ourselves, as there are people going hungry, sleeping on the streets and people without clothing all around us, but we are considered to be the wealthiest nation in the world. We have definitely broken the two most important commandments from God, and almost completely ignored the rest of His commandments. I would encourage each of you to make and commit to a new covenant with God today, and begin once again to let Him be your God and let you be His people.
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.”
Hebrews 8:10
There had been other covenants that God had made with the people of Israel, but these covenants were broken time and time again as the people would drift away from obeying God’s commands and doing His will. The above scripture depicts a new covenant that God made with His chosen people, and one they were to keep in their hearts as to the commands and the will of God for them, so that they would not forget and go back to their wicked ways. What has happened to this covenant? I believe that the covenant that God made then, and the laws that He established for the people to follow are still in existence today, but the problem is that we are not following and obeying them. We are again turning our backs on God and forgetting about His laws and commands. Just look at God’s two greatest commandments to (1) “love God” and (2) “love others”, and see how our society has turned our back on obeying either of these. We have either taken God out, or trying to take Him out, of our government, our schools, our justice system and our society. We obviously don’t love others as we love ourselves, as there are people going hungry, sleeping on the streets and people without clothing all around us, but we are considered to be the wealthiest nation in the world. We have definitely broken the two most important commandments from God, and almost completely ignored the rest of His commandments. I would encourage each of you to make and commit to a new covenant with God today, and begin once again to let Him be your God and let you be His people.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
My Daily Devotional
God’s Patience
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and have eternal life.”
1st Timothy 1:16
As I have written in previous devotionals, I have always had a problem dealing with patience. In my business career and also in my personal life, patience has been one of my fiercest enemies that I still deal with today, although I have made significant progress through the years in conquering this demon. I believe that many people are like me, and are not very patient, and we see examples all around us. Bosses do not allow employees to make many mistakes before they begin to take corrective action. Horns begin to blow if someone does not begin moving when a red light changes. We become impatient when a checkout line at the grocery store is extremely slow. But just think how patient Jesus must be, as the scripture above tells us of His unlimited patience? Just imagine what we would do if someone that we love keeps on doing the same thing day after day, year after year after we have told them not to do something. Jesus tells us not to sin but we continue to sin each day; we tell lies, we say hateful things to hurt people, we steal, we think evil thoughts and do evil things every day of our lives, but Jesus is still patient with us. I can not imagine the patience it must take for Him to witness the sins that we commit every day, and still be able to open His heart to take us back and forgive us. But to experience the love that Jesus shows for us we need to follow in His footsteps, and teach ourselves to love others and be patient with them. I would encourage each of you to think about your love for others, and to develop and show them the same unlimited patience that Jesus shows to us.
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and have eternal life.”
1st Timothy 1:16
As I have written in previous devotionals, I have always had a problem dealing with patience. In my business career and also in my personal life, patience has been one of my fiercest enemies that I still deal with today, although I have made significant progress through the years in conquering this demon. I believe that many people are like me, and are not very patient, and we see examples all around us. Bosses do not allow employees to make many mistakes before they begin to take corrective action. Horns begin to blow if someone does not begin moving when a red light changes. We become impatient when a checkout line at the grocery store is extremely slow. But just think how patient Jesus must be, as the scripture above tells us of His unlimited patience? Just imagine what we would do if someone that we love keeps on doing the same thing day after day, year after year after we have told them not to do something. Jesus tells us not to sin but we continue to sin each day; we tell lies, we say hateful things to hurt people, we steal, we think evil thoughts and do evil things every day of our lives, but Jesus is still patient with us. I can not imagine the patience it must take for Him to witness the sins that we commit every day, and still be able to open His heart to take us back and forgive us. But to experience the love that Jesus shows for us we need to follow in His footsteps, and teach ourselves to love others and be patient with them. I would encourage each of you to think about your love for others, and to develop and show them the same unlimited patience that Jesus shows to us.
Monday, August 16, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Open Your Heart to God
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparable great power for those who believe.”
Ephesians 1:18-19
The catch phrase in the scripture above that aroused my attention was “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”, as so often I believe that we only react to what we see, when sometimes there is something deep inside us that we do not know about that needs our attention. God speaks to us in a variety of ways; sometimes in dreams, visions or thoughts, but it is our hearts that must be reached and enlightened to really make a change in us. In order for us to really understand what the riches of God’s great inheritance and power is for each of us we must get our hearts enlightened and willing to accept God’s riches. King Solomon, who was given the wisdom of God, gives us so many scriptures in the book of Proverbs that help us deal with issues we face in life. The first part of Proverbs talks about the importance of what wisdom, knowledge and understanding really means to each of us, and how we can obtain this wisdom. Acquiring this wisdom will open the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened, and will allow us to understand the true riches and power that God has in store for us as believers in Him. So often our hearts become hardened because of sinful habits that become part of our daily lives, but when we open the eyes of our hearts to God and His power, our lives can change. I would encourage each of you to open the eyes of your hearts today, and begin to let God speak to you. God wants to come into your heart and let you know about the inheritance He has for you. He offers you peace and hope but most of all He offers you an eternal life simply by opening your heart to Him.
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparable great power for those who believe.”
Ephesians 1:18-19
The catch phrase in the scripture above that aroused my attention was “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”, as so often I believe that we only react to what we see, when sometimes there is something deep inside us that we do not know about that needs our attention. God speaks to us in a variety of ways; sometimes in dreams, visions or thoughts, but it is our hearts that must be reached and enlightened to really make a change in us. In order for us to really understand what the riches of God’s great inheritance and power is for each of us we must get our hearts enlightened and willing to accept God’s riches. King Solomon, who was given the wisdom of God, gives us so many scriptures in the book of Proverbs that help us deal with issues we face in life. The first part of Proverbs talks about the importance of what wisdom, knowledge and understanding really means to each of us, and how we can obtain this wisdom. Acquiring this wisdom will open the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened, and will allow us to understand the true riches and power that God has in store for us as believers in Him. So often our hearts become hardened because of sinful habits that become part of our daily lives, but when we open the eyes of our hearts to God and His power, our lives can change. I would encourage each of you to open the eyes of your hearts today, and begin to let God speak to you. God wants to come into your heart and let you know about the inheritance He has for you. He offers you peace and hope but most of all He offers you an eternal life simply by opening your heart to Him.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
My Daily Devotional
The Bond of Love
“Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:2-3
In our society today it is so easy to lose the love we need to have for each other. God gives us one of His greatest commandments telling us to love others as we love ourselves, but everywhere we turn, we see examples where people are turning against one another. I just returned from a funeral service where a brother and sister had turned against each other several years ago about a small trivial issue and had not spoken with each other since. It took their mother’s death to bring them together again. These kinds of trivial issues are so prevalent throughout our society, and are destroying friendships, personal relationships and families. The scripture above gives us so much good advice about dealing with these issues, in that it tells us to be humble, gentle, and patient and to be understanding with each other in love. So many times I have witnessed people who get upset when the smallest thing goes wrong and immediately will look around to find someone to blame. So many problems start with these kinds of issues, but if we could just think before we react to things that do not go our way, and think about the scripture above, I believe our world would be different. Normally people do not do things to upset us, but if they inadvertently do something, we need to teach ourselves to be understanding, compassionate and to think before we react. Jesus is teaching us that through the bond of peace and love that we can heal our friendships, our relationships and our families. I would encourage each of you to think about others, and not react to every little thing that does not go your way, but live the scripture above and show others the bond of peace and love.
“Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:2-3
In our society today it is so easy to lose the love we need to have for each other. God gives us one of His greatest commandments telling us to love others as we love ourselves, but everywhere we turn, we see examples where people are turning against one another. I just returned from a funeral service where a brother and sister had turned against each other several years ago about a small trivial issue and had not spoken with each other since. It took their mother’s death to bring them together again. These kinds of trivial issues are so prevalent throughout our society, and are destroying friendships, personal relationships and families. The scripture above gives us so much good advice about dealing with these issues, in that it tells us to be humble, gentle, and patient and to be understanding with each other in love. So many times I have witnessed people who get upset when the smallest thing goes wrong and immediately will look around to find someone to blame. So many problems start with these kinds of issues, but if we could just think before we react to things that do not go our way, and think about the scripture above, I believe our world would be different. Normally people do not do things to upset us, but if they inadvertently do something, we need to teach ourselves to be understanding, compassionate and to think before we react. Jesus is teaching us that through the bond of peace and love that we can heal our friendships, our relationships and our families. I would encourage each of you to think about others, and not react to every little thing that does not go your way, but live the scripture above and show others the bond of peace and love.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Our Eternal Home
“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
2nd Corinthians 5:1
Yesterday my wife and I attended a funeral service for my daughter in law’s grandmother who passed away at the age of 93 years old. She had been blessed with a long life and had been a faithful and wonderful mother and grandmother and her memory will remain with them forever. This service reminded me that even though she had lived a life much longer than most people live, it is such a short period of time when we compare a life that will live for all eternity. It is hard to fathom just how long eternity really is. I have been doing family research for over 20 years, and have traced our family history from generation to generation and have gotten just a little perspective about the importance of time. In my research I am excited to find just a glimpse of one generation which may last only 50-100 years, but to think about a life that will last for all eternity is hard to comprehend. This eternal life is what we can all look forward to when we know Jesus as our personal Savior. Just think about what an eternal life in Heaven will be like; funerals will not exist anymore; sickness and pain will be non existent; there will be no doubt and worry, and all our days will be happy times walking on streets of gold. I know that it is difficult to give up someone we love as we will miss them, but to know that our family members have just left a world filled with pain, suffering, troubles and trials, and have entered into a new world filled with so much beauty, and which contains so many wonders and good things that our imaginations simply cannot describe, gives us peace and the assurance that they are now with God and living in their new eternal home.
“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
2nd Corinthians 5:1
Yesterday my wife and I attended a funeral service for my daughter in law’s grandmother who passed away at the age of 93 years old. She had been blessed with a long life and had been a faithful and wonderful mother and grandmother and her memory will remain with them forever. This service reminded me that even though she had lived a life much longer than most people live, it is such a short period of time when we compare a life that will live for all eternity. It is hard to fathom just how long eternity really is. I have been doing family research for over 20 years, and have traced our family history from generation to generation and have gotten just a little perspective about the importance of time. In my research I am excited to find just a glimpse of one generation which may last only 50-100 years, but to think about a life that will last for all eternity is hard to comprehend. This eternal life is what we can all look forward to when we know Jesus as our personal Savior. Just think about what an eternal life in Heaven will be like; funerals will not exist anymore; sickness and pain will be non existent; there will be no doubt and worry, and all our days will be happy times walking on streets of gold. I know that it is difficult to give up someone we love as we will miss them, but to know that our family members have just left a world filled with pain, suffering, troubles and trials, and have entered into a new world filled with so much beauty, and which contains so many wonders and good things that our imaginations simply cannot describe, gives us peace and the assurance that they are now with God and living in their new eternal home.
Friday, August 13, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Plan For Tomorrow
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2nd Corinthians 4:18
So often, we as Christian’s, cannot get ourselves focused on anything except our day to day problems and situations. We live in the “here and now”, thinking only about the things that will get us through today. Life today is so hectic that just taking care of what we see in our immediate future is so exhausting that there is little time left to worry about tomorrow. This kind of thinking and attitude about our life will lead to a disastrous future if it is not changed. We have to think about and plan for our tomorrows and what they will hold for us. For example if we don’t plan for our retirements, who is going to take care of us when we are not able to work anymore? The same is true for our souls. We can live each day at a time, having fun, indulging in sin and enjoying ourselves, but this time will quickly pass away, and then what will happen if we have not thought about our tomorrow. As the scripture above states it is easy to fix our sights on what is seen, but what is really important is what is unseen. Living only for today and enjoying what we see is only temporary and will pass away, but planning for tomorrow which is unseen and eternal, and which will last forever must be our top priority. Our earthly bodies are wasting away each day, but our souls can be destined to live forever, if we have planned properly. All the planning that is necessary for us to have an eternal life is to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and to ask Him to come live within our hearts, and then commit ourselves to obeying His commands. When we do this simple thing we are looking past today which is temporal, and planning for the future which is an eternal life with God.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2nd Corinthians 4:18
So often, we as Christian’s, cannot get ourselves focused on anything except our day to day problems and situations. We live in the “here and now”, thinking only about the things that will get us through today. Life today is so hectic that just taking care of what we see in our immediate future is so exhausting that there is little time left to worry about tomorrow. This kind of thinking and attitude about our life will lead to a disastrous future if it is not changed. We have to think about and plan for our tomorrows and what they will hold for us. For example if we don’t plan for our retirements, who is going to take care of us when we are not able to work anymore? The same is true for our souls. We can live each day at a time, having fun, indulging in sin and enjoying ourselves, but this time will quickly pass away, and then what will happen if we have not thought about our tomorrow. As the scripture above states it is easy to fix our sights on what is seen, but what is really important is what is unseen. Living only for today and enjoying what we see is only temporary and will pass away, but planning for tomorrow which is unseen and eternal, and which will last forever must be our top priority. Our earthly bodies are wasting away each day, but our souls can be destined to live forever, if we have planned properly. All the planning that is necessary for us to have an eternal life is to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and to ask Him to come live within our hearts, and then commit ourselves to obeying His commands. When we do this simple thing we are looking past today which is temporal, and planning for the future which is an eternal life with God.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Let God Light Your Day
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
Romans 13:12
I have a good friend who discovered that she had cancer about five years ago, and during this time has endured much pain and suffering, and many times has stated that it is by her faith and trust in God that she is able to continue. She is such a devout Christian and demonstrates her faith wherever she goes. She has touched many lives during these five years, as people see how her faith in God has sustained her during these difficult times. It is easy to become discouraged when this kind of trouble confronts us, and feel that our life is over, and simply give up. However God tells us that this is the time that we really need to trust in Him even more. I believe God will give us burdens to bear during our lives to test us and see just how strong our faith is in Him. It is easy to have faith in the good times, when there are not any problems confronting us, but when the storm clouds begin to roll in, who do we turn to? When David got into trouble, he turned to God, and prayed constantly to Him to deliver him from whatever difficulties he faced. This is what we all need to do when we face our trials and troubles in life; simply turn to God and ask Him to help us carry our burdens. We do not have to face our difficulties all by ourselves, as we have God to depend on who will help us climb our mountains and help us carry our loads. The scripture above so beautiful describes what can happen when we depend on God to help us through difficult times as our nights can turn into day, and our darkness can turn into light. I would encourage each of you that when you face trials and troubles in your life, to turn your eyes toward heaven and put on God’s armor of light, and your night will turn to day as you put your trust in Him.
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
Romans 13:12
I have a good friend who discovered that she had cancer about five years ago, and during this time has endured much pain and suffering, and many times has stated that it is by her faith and trust in God that she is able to continue. She is such a devout Christian and demonstrates her faith wherever she goes. She has touched many lives during these five years, as people see how her faith in God has sustained her during these difficult times. It is easy to become discouraged when this kind of trouble confronts us, and feel that our life is over, and simply give up. However God tells us that this is the time that we really need to trust in Him even more. I believe God will give us burdens to bear during our lives to test us and see just how strong our faith is in Him. It is easy to have faith in the good times, when there are not any problems confronting us, but when the storm clouds begin to roll in, who do we turn to? When David got into trouble, he turned to God, and prayed constantly to Him to deliver him from whatever difficulties he faced. This is what we all need to do when we face our trials and troubles in life; simply turn to God and ask Him to help us carry our burdens. We do not have to face our difficulties all by ourselves, as we have God to depend on who will help us climb our mountains and help us carry our loads. The scripture above so beautiful describes what can happen when we depend on God to help us through difficult times as our nights can turn into day, and our darkness can turn into light. I would encourage each of you that when you face trials and troubles in your life, to turn your eyes toward heaven and put on God’s armor of light, and your night will turn to day as you put your trust in Him.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Do Not Judge
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
Romans 2:1
I have found over the years that it is so easy for us to judge others, by what we hear about them or from what we observe about them. So many times, however, I have discovered that sometimes what we see and what we hear is not what it seems to be. Just this week there was a young man that had been killed in Iraq that was awarded one of the highest medals that the army had bestowed on someone. Through his heroic actions he had saved several of his fellow soldiers from sure death, and had sacrificed his own life to save them. When some of his former schoolmates were interviewed they said about him “that he never stood out” and that “he usually thought about himself first”. This young soldier had been judged so wrong by the people who supposedly knew him, as they had only seen his outwardly appearance and had not witnessed his true inner being. It is so easy to want to judge others by what we see and hear, but only God knows the heart of every person. So often we do not take the time to get to know the true character of people around us, but judge them on the first impression. Outwardly appearances are deceiving, and we should never judge others based on them, but rather get to know what they stand for and believe in. There are so many examples in the Bible where Jesus chose people who did not stand out in the crowd, but He knew their hearts, and what they stood for. I would encourage each of you to not judge others based on what you see, but get to know them, understand them and then also realize that it is God that is the only one that can judge.
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
Romans 2:1
I have found over the years that it is so easy for us to judge others, by what we hear about them or from what we observe about them. So many times, however, I have discovered that sometimes what we see and what we hear is not what it seems to be. Just this week there was a young man that had been killed in Iraq that was awarded one of the highest medals that the army had bestowed on someone. Through his heroic actions he had saved several of his fellow soldiers from sure death, and had sacrificed his own life to save them. When some of his former schoolmates were interviewed they said about him “that he never stood out” and that “he usually thought about himself first”. This young soldier had been judged so wrong by the people who supposedly knew him, as they had only seen his outwardly appearance and had not witnessed his true inner being. It is so easy to want to judge others by what we see and hear, but only God knows the heart of every person. So often we do not take the time to get to know the true character of people around us, but judge them on the first impression. Outwardly appearances are deceiving, and we should never judge others based on them, but rather get to know what they stand for and believe in. There are so many examples in the Bible where Jesus chose people who did not stand out in the crowd, but He knew their hearts, and what they stood for. I would encourage each of you to not judge others based on what you see, but get to know them, understand them and then also realize that it is God that is the only one that can judge.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Develop Good Habits
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.”
Luke 4:16
Great men have great habits, just as Jesus did in the scripture above, as this was His custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. A well known billionaire has a habit of arriving at his office at 7:00 a.m. each morning, and working until 6:00 p.m. each day. Recently a best-selling novelist who has sold over one million books said, “I get up at the same time each morning. I start writing at 8:00 a.m. and I quit at 4:00 each afternoon. I do it every day. It is a habit.” When we get into a habit of doing something on a daily basis it becomes easier and easier to do. Many of the Biblical leaders had habits. Daniel prayed three times a day. The psalmist prayed seven times daily. The disciples of Jesus met on the first day of each week. This was just part of their daily routine, and these habits thus became a part of their lives. Do you have any daily habits that encourage you to become a better person, and have a closer relationship with Christ Jesus? Why not develop a habit of studying God’s word for thirty minutes each day, or developing a habit of spending time in prayer each morning and at night? These are habits that once you begin will become easier and easier to do, and ones that will bring you to a closer relationship with God. Good habits will lead to good things happening in your life, and will lead to success. However bad habits can lead you down the wrong path and lead to failure. I would encourage each of you to look at your daily habits, and see if they are habits that God would approve of. It is not too late to begin forming habits that will be uplifting and help you succeed in following God’s plan for you.
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.”
Luke 4:16
Great men have great habits, just as Jesus did in the scripture above, as this was His custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. A well known billionaire has a habit of arriving at his office at 7:00 a.m. each morning, and working until 6:00 p.m. each day. Recently a best-selling novelist who has sold over one million books said, “I get up at the same time each morning. I start writing at 8:00 a.m. and I quit at 4:00 each afternoon. I do it every day. It is a habit.” When we get into a habit of doing something on a daily basis it becomes easier and easier to do. Many of the Biblical leaders had habits. Daniel prayed three times a day. The psalmist prayed seven times daily. The disciples of Jesus met on the first day of each week. This was just part of their daily routine, and these habits thus became a part of their lives. Do you have any daily habits that encourage you to become a better person, and have a closer relationship with Christ Jesus? Why not develop a habit of studying God’s word for thirty minutes each day, or developing a habit of spending time in prayer each morning and at night? These are habits that once you begin will become easier and easier to do, and ones that will bring you to a closer relationship with God. Good habits will lead to good things happening in your life, and will lead to success. However bad habits can lead you down the wrong path and lead to failure. I would encourage each of you to look at your daily habits, and see if they are habits that God would approve of. It is not too late to begin forming habits that will be uplifting and help you succeed in following God’s plan for you.
Monday, August 9, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Use Your Words Wisely
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:36-37
We have all heard the old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This old saying is not true however, as words can do as much damage to others as any physical violence could ever do. I had a severe speech problem as I was growing up, and I can recall the hurt and pain that other children caused me during the times that I stuttered. Although many times people do not know the damage that their words do to others, I believe it is important to choose our words carefully as not to offend and hurt someone. I am probably more sensitive to my use of words because of my own personal situation; however it is easy to say things that can hurt others as many times we speak without thinking. Words have started wars, they have destroyed friendships and they have destroyed marriages and families. Words can do damage that can carry over from one generation to another. The scripture above tells us that one day we will be judged for every careless word we have spoken, and this should be an encouragement for us to think before we speak. The words that come from our mouth originates in our hearts, and if our hearts are clean our words will show love, encouragement, joy, happiness and our true character. Our words are like money, as they should be accounted for and not spent unwisely. We need to ask God to give us the understanding and wisdom to cleanse our hearts of any bitterness, anger and malice, and let our tongues show our true character, and let our words be a blessing to others.
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:36-37
We have all heard the old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This old saying is not true however, as words can do as much damage to others as any physical violence could ever do. I had a severe speech problem as I was growing up, and I can recall the hurt and pain that other children caused me during the times that I stuttered. Although many times people do not know the damage that their words do to others, I believe it is important to choose our words carefully as not to offend and hurt someone. I am probably more sensitive to my use of words because of my own personal situation; however it is easy to say things that can hurt others as many times we speak without thinking. Words have started wars, they have destroyed friendships and they have destroyed marriages and families. Words can do damage that can carry over from one generation to another. The scripture above tells us that one day we will be judged for every careless word we have spoken, and this should be an encouragement for us to think before we speak. The words that come from our mouth originates in our hearts, and if our hearts are clean our words will show love, encouragement, joy, happiness and our true character. Our words are like money, as they should be accounted for and not spent unwisely. We need to ask God to give us the understanding and wisdom to cleanse our hearts of any bitterness, anger and malice, and let our tongues show our true character, and let our words be a blessing to others.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Show Your True Character
”Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”
Psalm 139:7
This is a scripture by David telling us that no one can hide from the watchful eyes of God. When I see the character of so many people that put on a good face in public, I think about what they are really like in their private lives. I believe that our true character is shown when no one is looking. God knows what we are like in public and also when we are alone, as there is no hiding our true character from God. Our true character is found not in our words, not in our outward appearance to others but is found in the way we live. When we put on a show to impress others and are different in our hearts, and in our private life we are deceiving others and also deceiving ourselves. God knows and sees us at all times, as we can not flee from His presence. We need our words, our actions and also our heart to be pleasing to God at all times. So many people have allowed themselves and their character to diminish to the point that they only want to please themselves and have no thought of pleasing God. They get caught up in “wanting to do what they want to do,” instead of doing what God tells them to do. If your thoughts, words and actions are things that you feel guilty about, and would not be pleasing to God, you are probably headed down the wrong path. I would encourage each of you to think about yourself, and consider if you would be comfortable with your words, your thoughts and your actions if God was beside you. If there is any doubt in your mind you are probably walking in secret sin, but God knows all about you, and these hidden secrets. There is no escaping His watchful eye. It is not too late to change, and become a person of true character, one who is not ashamed in front of men and also in the presence of God.
”Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”
Psalm 139:7
This is a scripture by David telling us that no one can hide from the watchful eyes of God. When I see the character of so many people that put on a good face in public, I think about what they are really like in their private lives. I believe that our true character is shown when no one is looking. God knows what we are like in public and also when we are alone, as there is no hiding our true character from God. Our true character is found not in our words, not in our outward appearance to others but is found in the way we live. When we put on a show to impress others and are different in our hearts, and in our private life we are deceiving others and also deceiving ourselves. God knows and sees us at all times, as we can not flee from His presence. We need our words, our actions and also our heart to be pleasing to God at all times. So many people have allowed themselves and their character to diminish to the point that they only want to please themselves and have no thought of pleasing God. They get caught up in “wanting to do what they want to do,” instead of doing what God tells them to do. If your thoughts, words and actions are things that you feel guilty about, and would not be pleasing to God, you are probably headed down the wrong path. I would encourage each of you to think about yourself, and consider if you would be comfortable with your words, your thoughts and your actions if God was beside you. If there is any doubt in your mind you are probably walking in secret sin, but God knows all about you, and these hidden secrets. There is no escaping His watchful eye. It is not too late to change, and become a person of true character, one who is not ashamed in front of men and also in the presence of God.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Be Patient
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”
Proverbs 19:11
Our generation is an impatient generation, as fast foods, microwave ovens and crowded freeways reflect this philosophy. We can see the impatient mindset almost everywhere we look, as people do not want to wait for anything, but want it now. We need to realize that most things take time and that when we try to rush things, we find that is when most mistakes happen. Most businesses fail because of lack of preparation and time. Even our great nation took years to become an independent nation. Jesus was patient and waited for thirty years becoming prepared for His ministry. Life is a marathon, not a fifty yard dash and takes time and patience to finish it. Our society needs to slow down and take time to prepare ourselves for the future. I have found that patience is a weapon that we can use so much through our lives when we have control over it. I have seen by experience that usually the side that wins in union negotiations is the one that has the most patience. Whoever is the most hurried and impatient usually ends up with the worst end of the deal. We need to take time to do things right. A good example of patience can be seen by Jesus when one of his close friends, Lazarus, was sick. Word was sent to Jesus, that Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus wanted Jesus to hurry and pray for his healing before he died. Jesus did not hurry but kept His own agenda, and Lazarus died. But Jesus, when He did arrive, called Lazarus forth from his grave, as the time was right for him to be raised from the dead. There is a time for everything in God’s plan for each of us. I would encourage each of you to ask God for patience in your life, and to wait until you hear from God and know that the time is right for you.
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”
Proverbs 19:11
Our generation is an impatient generation, as fast foods, microwave ovens and crowded freeways reflect this philosophy. We can see the impatient mindset almost everywhere we look, as people do not want to wait for anything, but want it now. We need to realize that most things take time and that when we try to rush things, we find that is when most mistakes happen. Most businesses fail because of lack of preparation and time. Even our great nation took years to become an independent nation. Jesus was patient and waited for thirty years becoming prepared for His ministry. Life is a marathon, not a fifty yard dash and takes time and patience to finish it. Our society needs to slow down and take time to prepare ourselves for the future. I have found that patience is a weapon that we can use so much through our lives when we have control over it. I have seen by experience that usually the side that wins in union negotiations is the one that has the most patience. Whoever is the most hurried and impatient usually ends up with the worst end of the deal. We need to take time to do things right. A good example of patience can be seen by Jesus when one of his close friends, Lazarus, was sick. Word was sent to Jesus, that Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus wanted Jesus to hurry and pray for his healing before he died. Jesus did not hurry but kept His own agenda, and Lazarus died. But Jesus, when He did arrive, called Lazarus forth from his grave, as the time was right for him to be raised from the dead. There is a time for everything in God’s plan for each of us. I would encourage each of you to ask God for patience in your life, and to wait until you hear from God and know that the time is right for you.
Friday, August 6, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Get Our of Your Comfort Zone
“The Lord had said to Abram, leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”
Genesis 12:1
Can you imagine receiving the message above to leave your country, your people, and your household and go to another land? This has taken a considerable amount of faith to go and leave everything that Abram had worked all his life for and go into an unknown place. I am sure this message was difficult for him to follow as doing something that we have never done before is hard for everyone to do. Everything we do is difficult at first. When we were beginning to crawl, it was very difficult. When we took our first step, it was very difficult. When we started to school, it was very difficult. Throughout our lives we have experienced new difficulties that we have faced and overcome. Thousands of people will fail in life because they are not willing to make the changes necessary to go farther. They refuse to change jobs, towns, or change friendships. People want to stay in their comfort zones, and many times become stagnant in their jobs, their communities and in their lives because they cannot change. Yet thousands of others move up the ladder of happiness because they are willing to go through a little discomfort to experience a new level in life. Peter wanted to walk on water, and Jesus saw his excitement, and said “Come”, and he left the boat and began to walk, but then he discovered that he was out of his comfort zone and began to sink. Many times, in order to fulfill the plan that Jesus has for our lives, we have to get out of our comfort zones. I would encourage each of you to move out of your comfort zones, and realize that in order to achieve something you have never had, that you must do something you have never done before.
“The Lord had said to Abram, leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”
Genesis 12:1
Can you imagine receiving the message above to leave your country, your people, and your household and go to another land? This has taken a considerable amount of faith to go and leave everything that Abram had worked all his life for and go into an unknown place. I am sure this message was difficult for him to follow as doing something that we have never done before is hard for everyone to do. Everything we do is difficult at first. When we were beginning to crawl, it was very difficult. When we took our first step, it was very difficult. When we started to school, it was very difficult. Throughout our lives we have experienced new difficulties that we have faced and overcome. Thousands of people will fail in life because they are not willing to make the changes necessary to go farther. They refuse to change jobs, towns, or change friendships. People want to stay in their comfort zones, and many times become stagnant in their jobs, their communities and in their lives because they cannot change. Yet thousands of others move up the ladder of happiness because they are willing to go through a little discomfort to experience a new level in life. Peter wanted to walk on water, and Jesus saw his excitement, and said “Come”, and he left the boat and began to walk, but then he discovered that he was out of his comfort zone and began to sink. Many times, in order to fulfill the plan that Jesus has for our lives, we have to get out of our comfort zones. I would encourage each of you to move out of your comfort zones, and realize that in order to achieve something you have never had, that you must do something you have never done before.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Be a Finisher
“A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.”
Proverbs 13:19
Have you ever had a desire or longing to do something so bad that you devote all your efforts to achieve it, but for various reasons it is never completed? I am sure most of us have experienced a similar situation in our lives where our dreams were not fulfilled. It is always fun to be creative, to give birth to new ideas, think of new places to go or new things to do. However so many of these creative dreams get left undone and unfulfilled. Jesus is an example of finishing what He started. Jesus was thirty years old when He began His ministry. His ministry went for three and a half years. He did many miracles, and touched many lives. He electrified the world through His twelve disciples. But hidden in the thousands of scriptures is a golden principle that revealed His power. It happened on the horrible day of His crucifixion. He was taunted by thousands, spears pierced His side, spikes were driven into His hands, and eight inches of thorns were crushed into His brow. That is when He uttered perhaps the greatest sentence ever uttered: “It is finished.” Jesus had completed His plan, and finished His task on earth. He had not been deterred, or distracted from His mission, and even though it was so difficult He had finished the race. Jesus finished what He started and did not quit, even though that would have been so easy for Him to do. I would encourage each of you to also become a finisher. Start today by completing the little things, call a sick friend, encourage someone, feed or clothe someone in need, find someone in need and help them. Stop finding excuses to keep from doing what you started. Look at what Jesus did and the sacrifice that He made on our behalf. Finish what you started and get the spirit of a finisher.
“A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.”
Proverbs 13:19
Have you ever had a desire or longing to do something so bad that you devote all your efforts to achieve it, but for various reasons it is never completed? I am sure most of us have experienced a similar situation in our lives where our dreams were not fulfilled. It is always fun to be creative, to give birth to new ideas, think of new places to go or new things to do. However so many of these creative dreams get left undone and unfulfilled. Jesus is an example of finishing what He started. Jesus was thirty years old when He began His ministry. His ministry went for three and a half years. He did many miracles, and touched many lives. He electrified the world through His twelve disciples. But hidden in the thousands of scriptures is a golden principle that revealed His power. It happened on the horrible day of His crucifixion. He was taunted by thousands, spears pierced His side, spikes were driven into His hands, and eight inches of thorns were crushed into His brow. That is when He uttered perhaps the greatest sentence ever uttered: “It is finished.” Jesus had completed His plan, and finished His task on earth. He had not been deterred, or distracted from His mission, and even though it was so difficult He had finished the race. Jesus finished what He started and did not quit, even though that would have been so easy for Him to do. I would encourage each of you to also become a finisher. Start today by completing the little things, call a sick friend, encourage someone, feed or clothe someone in need, find someone in need and help them. Stop finding excuses to keep from doing what you started. Look at what Jesus did and the sacrifice that He made on our behalf. Finish what you started and get the spirit of a finisher.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Think of Others First
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2nd Peter 1:5-8
Having spent my career in health care management I saw what sickness can do to people’s lives, and saw the different ways that individual people would handle their sickness. Some people were able to go on and lead productive lives, while others withdrew and were not able to function effectively. I remember seeing a Gallup survey which was done to find out why some people return to work more quickly after an illness than others. They found out that the quick returnees almost never think about their physical problems, while those who are slow to come back to work focus on themselves and their impairment. When Jesus came to earth, His whole mind was on others, not Himself. He taught His followers to do the same thing; to think about others, almost to the point that they forgot about themselves. He was teaching them not to be absorbed in themselves. His message—and His example was to do something for someone else, serve someone, minister to others, feed the poor, teach the lost, always think about others before yourself. Jesus’ whole message is to think about others first before ourselves, but this is so hard to do for most people as they want to focus on themselves. I believe that if we follow the advice of Jesus we will live longer, work more productively and bless others because of it.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2nd Peter 1:5-8
Having spent my career in health care management I saw what sickness can do to people’s lives, and saw the different ways that individual people would handle their sickness. Some people were able to go on and lead productive lives, while others withdrew and were not able to function effectively. I remember seeing a Gallup survey which was done to find out why some people return to work more quickly after an illness than others. They found out that the quick returnees almost never think about their physical problems, while those who are slow to come back to work focus on themselves and their impairment. When Jesus came to earth, His whole mind was on others, not Himself. He taught His followers to do the same thing; to think about others, almost to the point that they forgot about themselves. He was teaching them not to be absorbed in themselves. His message—and His example was to do something for someone else, serve someone, minister to others, feed the poor, teach the lost, always think about others before yourself. Jesus’ whole message is to think about others first before ourselves, but this is so hard to do for most people as they want to focus on themselves. I believe that if we follow the advice of Jesus we will live longer, work more productively and bless others because of it.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
My Daily Devotional
God Has Adopted Us
“…I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
2nd Corinthians 6:18
I have been researching my ancestors for many years now and discovered years ago that my grandmother had been adopted back in 1895 when she was a baby. Although I know her adopted father and mother I have not been able to find out who her real father and mother were and the reason for the adoption. There are several examples of adoption in the scriptures—Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, Esther was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. But, I believe that the most beautiful example was when Mephibosheth was adopted by David in 2nd Samuel chapter 9. The beauty of that particular adoption is that there was no motivation, no reason for David to do it other than out of his grace and his love. And in many ways, that adoption is similar to our adoption by God. Even more remarkable is that Mephibosheth was the grandson of Saul who had repeatedly tried to kill David. And even most surprising of all is the fact that Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet, and was helpless to render David any significant service. And yet David brought this outcast, to dine at his table as his son and gave him a magnificent inheritance. Adoption agencies will tell you that there’s a big market for babies who are healthy, but for babies who are handicapped, mentally or physically, it’s hard to find a family for them. I am thankful that God is not like that, as none of us would stand much of a chance because we’ve all got handicaps of one form or another. We’ve all got blotches and imperfections. But the good news is that God has chosen us by grace, just like David did with Mephibosheth, and is motivated solely by His grace and His love, and has given us the opportunity to be His children.
“…I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
2nd Corinthians 6:18
I have been researching my ancestors for many years now and discovered years ago that my grandmother had been adopted back in 1895 when she was a baby. Although I know her adopted father and mother I have not been able to find out who her real father and mother were and the reason for the adoption. There are several examples of adoption in the scriptures—Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, Esther was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. But, I believe that the most beautiful example was when Mephibosheth was adopted by David in 2nd Samuel chapter 9. The beauty of that particular adoption is that there was no motivation, no reason for David to do it other than out of his grace and his love. And in many ways, that adoption is similar to our adoption by God. Even more remarkable is that Mephibosheth was the grandson of Saul who had repeatedly tried to kill David. And even most surprising of all is the fact that Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet, and was helpless to render David any significant service. And yet David brought this outcast, to dine at his table as his son and gave him a magnificent inheritance. Adoption agencies will tell you that there’s a big market for babies who are healthy, but for babies who are handicapped, mentally or physically, it’s hard to find a family for them. I am thankful that God is not like that, as none of us would stand much of a chance because we’ve all got handicaps of one form or another. We’ve all got blotches and imperfections. But the good news is that God has chosen us by grace, just like David did with Mephibosheth, and is motivated solely by His grace and His love, and has given us the opportunity to be His children.
Monday, August 2, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Spend Your Time Wisely
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16
Do you make the most use of your time? I would venture to say that many people do not take the opportunity to use their time as wisely as they should. I can remember a story about Emmanuel Menger, a gifted artist who lived back in 1887. The story goes that Mr. Menger, gave a local neighborhood grocery store clerk a $20 dollar note to pay for his groceries. The clerk noticed that some of the ink came off on her hands when she put in into her change drawer. She had known Mr. Menger for many years and was shocked. However $20 was a lot of money in those days and she notified the police, who after procuring a search warrant, went to his home where they found in his attic the tools he was using to reproduce the fake money. They also found his easel, paint brushes and paints that he used to paint three portraits. These paintings sold at a public auction for more than $16,000. How could someone so talented waste their time doing something so foolish when they had the opportunity to do something so valuable? But we’re all guilty of the same thing. Think for a moment about how you spent your time yesterday, or last week. Think about the hours wasted doing things that were unimportant (or maybe even destructive)—time which could have been spent developing your relationship with God and helping others. We have all been given only so much time, and no one is richer than anyone else, for we all get exactly the same amount. None of these minutes can be stored up and used the next day, but must be used on the day they were given. Choose wisely, and choose to spend some of your time with God on a daily basis.
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16
Do you make the most use of your time? I would venture to say that many people do not take the opportunity to use their time as wisely as they should. I can remember a story about Emmanuel Menger, a gifted artist who lived back in 1887. The story goes that Mr. Menger, gave a local neighborhood grocery store clerk a $20 dollar note to pay for his groceries. The clerk noticed that some of the ink came off on her hands when she put in into her change drawer. She had known Mr. Menger for many years and was shocked. However $20 was a lot of money in those days and she notified the police, who after procuring a search warrant, went to his home where they found in his attic the tools he was using to reproduce the fake money. They also found his easel, paint brushes and paints that he used to paint three portraits. These paintings sold at a public auction for more than $16,000. How could someone so talented waste their time doing something so foolish when they had the opportunity to do something so valuable? But we’re all guilty of the same thing. Think for a moment about how you spent your time yesterday, or last week. Think about the hours wasted doing things that were unimportant (or maybe even destructive)—time which could have been spent developing your relationship with God and helping others. We have all been given only so much time, and no one is richer than anyone else, for we all get exactly the same amount. None of these minutes can be stored up and used the next day, but must be used on the day they were given. Choose wisely, and choose to spend some of your time with God on a daily basis.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
My Daily Devotional
Begin a New Life
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2nd Corinthians 5:17
As I was growing up it was always so nice to get a new toy for Christmas and feel the excitement, but after a while the newness begins to wear off and our excitement begins to wane. Our life can be much like a new toy, as many times the days pass and the new wears off. We lose interest, we forget why we started, we cannot remember our original plan, we take one another for granted, our dreams fade, and we get discouraged and think about quitting. On the first day of our vacations our faces reflect excitement as we anticipate the events of the week ahead. On the last day our faces reflect sadness as they realize the time is passing too quickly and soon we will be back at work. On the first day home from the hospital the chores of taking care of a new baby bring joy and fulfillment. After a month the constant changing of diapers, feedings and lack of sleep bring frustration and misery. But when we are in Christ, our days don’t have to drag, work does not have to be misery, marriage does not have to grow stale, and caring for a loved one does not have to be a burden. When we have an authentic relationship with Jesus, life is new all the time. Each day brings new adventures. Every trial provides an opportunity for the Lord to reveal His glory. Life can drag sometimes, but it does not have to. When we develop a genuine relationship with Jesus, we can really begin to live. With Christ, the newness will never wear off and the adventure will never end. With Christ, the days will never be routine and life will never be dull. I would encourage each of you to find this place where you can really live to the fullest, and enjoy the abundance that God has showered upon you.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2nd Corinthians 5:17
As I was growing up it was always so nice to get a new toy for Christmas and feel the excitement, but after a while the newness begins to wear off and our excitement begins to wane. Our life can be much like a new toy, as many times the days pass and the new wears off. We lose interest, we forget why we started, we cannot remember our original plan, we take one another for granted, our dreams fade, and we get discouraged and think about quitting. On the first day of our vacations our faces reflect excitement as we anticipate the events of the week ahead. On the last day our faces reflect sadness as they realize the time is passing too quickly and soon we will be back at work. On the first day home from the hospital the chores of taking care of a new baby bring joy and fulfillment. After a month the constant changing of diapers, feedings and lack of sleep bring frustration and misery. But when we are in Christ, our days don’t have to drag, work does not have to be misery, marriage does not have to grow stale, and caring for a loved one does not have to be a burden. When we have an authentic relationship with Jesus, life is new all the time. Each day brings new adventures. Every trial provides an opportunity for the Lord to reveal His glory. Life can drag sometimes, but it does not have to. When we develop a genuine relationship with Jesus, we can really begin to live. With Christ, the newness will never wear off and the adventure will never end. With Christ, the days will never be routine and life will never be dull. I would encourage each of you to find this place where you can really live to the fullest, and enjoy the abundance that God has showered upon you.
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