My Daily Devotional

Our Framework for Giving

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your need in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame.”
Isaiah 58:11

I have written much about how God will satisfy our needs, but how do we distinguish between our true needs and our wants and desires? This is where we each have to establish our philosophy about generosity and giving to others, and make sure this is the same philosophy that God desires for us. There are two things that we need to understand in order to determine if we are following God’s will in this regard. The first is that we must understand that everything we own is not ours but is God’s. We don’t have anything that God has not given us, as all our possessions are His. He promises that He will provide our needs, but our wants and desires is another thing. God tells us that He will grant our wants and desires, but only after we have gotten our life in order about our generosity to others We need as much as will make us fit-spiritually, physically and mentally-for the purposes of God, but what we have beyond this belongs to the needs of others. The second is that we must begin to give generously to others, not for the good feelings that giving brings, but because we are supposed to be a blessing to them. We should give generously not with the idea of getting a blessing for ourselves, but to give a blessing to others. When we have our philosophy on giving aligned with God’s philosophy, we will have real freedom from the temptation to let material possessions and wealth control our life, and become our God. I would encourage each of you to look at your life and your philosophy about giving and align it with God’s philosophy. It is important to follow God’s commands in this regard, as God loves a cheerful giver, and thinking about others needs is to love others as we love ourselves.

My Daily Devotional

Have You Been Transformed

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2

This scripture is my second most favorite scripture in the Bible, followed only by Isaiah 26:3. What is so important about this verse is that it tells me that when Jesus came into my heart that my life changed, and I became no longer a part of this world, but was transformed into a new me. My son in law is a programmer and I believe our lives before Christ was programmed into us. The world that we were exposed to had taken over our lives, and thus we became the people we were. The influences of our family, our friends and peers, our teachers, our jobs and all the experiences we were surrounded with made us what we had been. If we grew up in a Christian environment this was programmed into us, and if we grew up in a non Christian environment we developed a philosophy of how to survive and cope and succeed in the world apart from God. But my scripture tells me that when I became a Christian my sins were washed away, and I was reprogrammed and transformed into a new person. I cast aside all the influences and experiences that had made me what I was, and was transformed into a new being, and now became influenced by new people in Christ, new friends in Christ, new peers in Christ and new surroundings, the House of God. But the most important thing in my scripture is that my mind was reprogrammed and transformed from the things of the world, to the things of Jesus Christ. God designed us to live in fellowship with God and to fulfill His purpose and His plan for our lives, but we were born physically alive but spiritually dead in a sin filled world. We had to be born again, and be transformed and reprogrammed into the person that God wanted us to become.

My Daily Devotional

Serve Others

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:43-45

In looking back on my life, I realize that I spent the majority of my life in a career where I was always in charge, and always the boss and not the servant. I wanted things to be done my way, and demanded my employees to follow my instructions. I now realize that so many times throughout my career, I missed the true meaning of what the above scripture really tells us. Although I always fulfilled my duties as a manager, and got the job done well, there were so many missed opportunities I had to put the welfare of others ahead of my own, but did not do so. Jesus is telling us to be a servant in everything we do, to put others first, to think about others instead of ourselves. Most of the things we do in life impact other people, and we need to remember that by putting them first, we are doing what Jesus wants us to do. I know that during these last few years as I have become more of a servant, Jesus has blessed my life, and has provided me a peace and joy that I have not experienced before. During the last part of my business career, I had the attitude of being a servant to my employees. I wanted to know what I could do to help them perform their jobs better. As I began to follow this method I realized that this is the way that all of us should live our lives. All of us need to be servants in all that we do, as when we have the attitude of being a servant we are fulfilling what God really wants us to become. God has blessed me when I began to be a servant, and I will continue to serve others for the rest of my days.

My Daily Devotional

My Personal Peace

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 23:3

When I began to follow the plan that Jesus called me to do, the scripture above was one that I accepted as my own personal scripture. I have had this scripture placed on the cover of all of my books, and is one that I have found to be so true. Prior to God’s call in my life I depended on myself for all things, as I had the confidence in myself and in my own abilities to do what I needed to do in my business career, and did it very successfully for over 45 years. However there was something seriously missing, and that was the peace; as even though I was successful in all my endeavors, my world was filled with stress, un-fulfillment, worry about what the future held, material things and my own personal ambitions and desires. I knew all about Jesus, or so I thought, as all throughout my life I went through the motions of going to church, reading my Bible occasionally, and praying when I encountered problems in my life. However, this all changed when I heard Jesus calling me, and although I resisted for several years, when I actually committed myself to following Him and giving my life fully to Him, my stress, my un-fulfillment, my worries about the future, my need for material things and my own personal ambitions and desires all disappeared. Peace entered my life and I have never been the same. The peace and contentment that Jesus can bring into your life is indescribable, when you turn everything over to Him. There is nothing in this world that is like having Jesus in your heart. Your whole world begins to revolve around Him and wanting to do His commands. You can’t get enough of Him and you want more. You want to read more of His Holy Word, and when you study the Bible the scriptures leap off the pages at you, and they come to life, and have meanings that you never saw and comprehended before. All of the commands of God leap out at you, and your thoughts and actions want to obey and follow all of them. Things that seemed acceptable before now suddenly are not acceptable, and you turn away from these and seek to follow the things of God, things that He is placing on your heart and in your mind. Your thoughts are solely concentrating on doing things that would be pleasing to God. You want to become a servant to others, and help meet the needs of less fortunate people around you. Their welfare becomes more important than your welfare, and your thoughts are about how to make their lives better. The material possessions that you have accumulated do not seem important anymore, as these have no meaning as you realize that they are only temporary, but you now begin to thank God for these as you realize that it is not by your power that you have them, but it is by God’s power that He has allowed you to have them. The world around you is suddenly changed, as you can begin to see God in everything you do. You begin to appreciate all the beauty and majesty that God has created. During this time God began to give me words that I have been compelled to write down in my books and in my daily devotionals. These words are not my words, but God’s words as He gives me these words, as He places them on my heart, and gives me the wisdom and the ability to discern what His scriptures mean. God’s plan for my life has changed me completely, and my desire is to serve Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. The peace that I now have is my reward, and as I go through the rest of my days on this earth, I pray that God will use me in whatever capacity that He desires. I hear God each and every day as He talks to me in gentle whispers, and gives me direction in my life. My life is now at total peace, and it is all because that God is my Lord and my Savior. My future is now secure because I know that God is by my side and that I will serve Him always. Thank you Jesus for saving my soul and being in my life as you are each day. I will serve you forever.

My Daily Devotional

God’s Plan is Perfect

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver, and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.
Job 42:10-16

This account of Job’s life is the perfect example of someone using the true meaning of patience in their life. With all the afflictions Job suffered he weathered the storms of life and all the pain and suffering. He lost everything but kept his faith in God and did not give in. He had the patience to endure the hardships of life, as he had a promise that if he would keep his faith he would be rewarded many times over with God’s blessings. This is the way God wants each of us to be in dealing with all of the pain and suffering that we have in our own lives. He knows ahead of time what impact many of these things will have on our lives. My father’s death in World War II was an instance in my own life that has always been very difficult for me to understand why this was allowed to happen to me. I am now beginning to understand why God allowed this to happen, as I can see how his death has influenced my life, and also my children’s lives. It has been difficult for me to be patient all these years living with this, but I now realize some of the reasons why God may have allowed this to happen. I probably will never understand the full story, as this is only a small piece of a large puzzle, but just realizing and seeing only a small piece of the big puzzle has satisfied me and given me peace and joy in my life. I believe God’s plan is a perfect plan.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net

My Daily Devotional

God is Patient With Us

“Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.”
2nd Peter 3:15

Just last week when I was in the grocery store picking up a few things, I noticed a woman in front of me with a small boy about 4 years old. This young boy was running all around his mother, and it was obvious that he had enough energy to wear all of us down. His mother tried and tried to get him to slow down, but nothing she did kept him from continuing to run, jump and have a good time. The mother finally said if you don’t calm down I am going to count to ten, and began counting very slowly, One---Two---Three. This incident reminded me of my children when we would take them to the beach in Florida, and when they were getting too far out in the waves Margaret would hold one finger up and then another, and by the time she held three fingers up our children knew that it was time for them to begin coming closer to the shore. I believe God is like this with us as He is also very slow in pulling us in. Hs is a very patient, kind and loving God, and waits on us and counts to ten, and gives us every opportunity to respond to His gentle voice. I believe He gives us the opportunity in many ways, throughout our lives, to come to Him on our own, but He has plans for our lives, and if we don’t come on our own He will begin counting very slowly. I know that I have heard people say that the Lord is just waiting for us to mess up so He can let us have it with some bad things in our life. I don’t believe God is like that as He counts to ten real slow. He states in: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you; they are plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, but God is merciful and patient with us, and wants to fulfill His plan for us.

My Daily Devotional

Seek God’s Plan

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Habakkuk 2:2-3

The above scripture is not one that many pastors routinely mention in their messages; however it tells us that if God has given us a vision of what His plan for our life is to be we must be patient and wait for it to happen. I know that God has given me His plan for my life, and I can’t wait for all the things to happen that He has planned for me to do. I am so impatient and want to do all the things today and see them completed. The waiting turns from days to weeks to months and even years. I know however that the vision He has put in my heart and spirit, and know that He will bring it to pass in His timing. I am also learning that the waiting process is also not all bad, as in this process God is molding me and making me better equipped to fulfill the plans He wants me to do. There are things that I felt I should have done earlier that could have speeded up the process, but I resisted and trusted God that He would let me know when the time was right. In all of these instances God knew what was best as if I had gone on my own, and did these things they would not have worked as well. I do not believe we can rush God and His timing, as I am learning to trust Him more, regardless of the circumstances. Waiting is sometimes hard for us to comprehend, but God promises us that good things will come our way when we are patient and wait on Him. I would encourage each of you to seek God’s will for your life, then in God’s time you will have a peace that will make you alive and committed to do His perfect will.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

God Can Calm Our Storms

“Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”
Psalm 4:1

When David asked God to hear his prayer in the above scripture he was asking God to relieve him from his distress. I believe so many of us only go to God in prayer during times of distress. However this is not the only time we need to go to Him in prayer. We need to go to God every day, even when we are not in distress or trouble. We need to thank Him for the good times as well as the bad times. We need to thank Him for everything He has done, and has provided for us and our family. Throughout most of my life, I know I would only go to God in prayer when things were going bad, as David did in the above scripture. When things were going good I had very little time for God. I now realize that we need to go to God every day in prayer with praise, with thanksgiving and a grateful heart. We need to ask Him for guidance in doing His will for our life, and when we do He will answer our prayers and give us the peace and joy that we all desire. I realize that most people only go to God in prayer when they are facing trials and difficulties in their lives, and I believe that there are times when God wants to get our attention, and allows many of our problems to confront us, because we are going in the wrong direction, and it is through these difficult times that He is wanting us to turn our lives back over to Him. I know in my own life that when I have strayed from God, it seems like the whole world would turn against me, and I would have multiple problems. But when I turned back to God through my prayers, my problems seemed smaller, and I would again have hope and would begin to see a way out of my troubles. God can calm our storms.

My Daily Devotional

Get in God’s Presence

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Mark 1:35

Every individual needs to put the power of prayer to work for them. Prayer is such an essential part of our daily worship that we cannot speak enough about it and do it enough. Prayer is the main avenue God uses to transform our lives and change us. If we are not willing to change, we will not have a need for prayer, as it is through prayer our life will be changed. As we become more accustomed to prayer we will begin to think like God; we will begin to desire the things He desires; to love the things that He loves and to obey His will. As we develop our prayer life He will teach us to see things from His point of view. I believe David was the ultimate prayer warrior, as he was either thanking God for his blessings or asking God to deliver him from his troubles. I remember a quote from Martin Luther where he declared, “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” John Wesley also said “God does nothing but in answer to prayer,” and backed this up by stating that he spent three hours daily in prayer. God does not expect us to become like these great men instantly, and become discouraged because we do not devote this amount of time daily to prayer, but He will meet us anytime in prayer and will lead us to the point where we will want to spend more of our time communicating with Him in prayer. I would encourage each of you to begin to devote more of your daily worship time in prayer to God. When you start communicating with God He can change you when you are in His presence, as His presence will give you hope and a future when you hear Him and begin to abide in Him.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Don’t Give up Praying

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8

Throughout the Bible Jesus tells us the importance of prayer in our lives. Our pastors tell us every Sunday the importance of prayer, and what the power of prayer can do. So many times when we have difficulties and problems that we cannot handle by ourselves we pray to God for help in dealing with our situations. Usually we expect an immediate response from God to help us deal with whatever is troubling us. We pray for something and expect it to happen immediately or shortly after. We become impatient, and many times become discouraged because God does not instantly answer our prayers. As Christians we need to learn patience, and to not give up if our prayers are not immediately answered. Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson about our prayer life in the parable of the persistent widow, who did not give up, and I believe that Jesus does not want us to give up in our prayer life. We need to be persistent going to Him with our prayers. It does not matter how we pray or how eloquent we are, as God knows our hearts and understands our motives. If we are sincere and really want to reach God, we only need to pray earnestly to God and He will hear us. Our prayers bring us into God’s presence and He will then hear us and listen to us. But most of all our prayers can lead us to our salvation which must be our main goal in life. Our prayer life is the way that each of us can talk directly to God, who is always there to hear us. When you pray to God, thank Him for your blessings, and then ask Him to let His will be done in your life, not your will but God’s will.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Are You Ready

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9-10

Many people today believe that this present life is all there is—that when people die, they simply cease to exist forever. But this is not what the Bible teaches about life after death. The Bible makes it clear that there are great blessings in store for those who accept God’s forgiveness for their sins and follow Him. Such people will enter Heaven, the perfect place where God reigns. More than a mere enticement to follow God, however, the promise of Heaven gives God’s people great hope—assurance that there is reward beyond this life so that we do not need to worry about the trials we must endure today. What will life be like in Heaven? The above scripture makes several truths about the place where all believers will live forever. I believe we will live without fear or worry, as Heaven is a place of security, safety and protection. In Heaven we will also live without need, as it will be a place of complete sufficiency. We will live without pain, and Heaven will be a place of comfort. Finally Heaven will be a place where we will live without sorrow, for Heaven is a place of boundless joy. In Heaven we will be free of life’s cares and will be filled with the joy of being in God’s presence. One day we all will stand before God at his judgment throne and give an accounting of our life, there will not be a chance then to give any excuses for our thoughts, actions and behavior. Are you ready for this judgment?

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

We Need to Be Near God

“But as for me, it is good to be near God.”
Psalm 23:28

Have you ever thought about how we go about the task of keeping close to God? In order to keep our fellowship and be in the Spirit of God in our lives, I believe there are three things that we need to do. The first thing we need to do is to be in constant study of God’s word. His scriptures are meant to lead and guide us in the way we are to live. These scriptures will come alive and have meaning to you when you study and meditate on them each day. You must be constantly reading, studying and applying His wisdom and knowledge to your daily life. The more you study His Holy Word the more that will be revealed to you. The second thing is to speak to God all during your day with prayer. When you make God first in your life, you need to talk to Him. God hears your prayer and will respond. God will talk to you and let you know His will for your life through prayer. When you align your desires, your will and your life to God, you are now walking in his ways and His desires become your desires. His will now becomes your will. Your purpose in life and God’s plan for you will be revealed and your life will reflect what God desires for you. The third thing is to share with others. God gives each of us gifts and talents that we are to use in His glory. We must remember to share our gifts and talents with others, so that we will become a witness of Christ’s love for us and others. We are to become an evangelist to spread the word of God to all. When we share God with others, things begin to also become deeper within us, and we become closer to God also. When we practice these three things, we will always be close to God, and He will work in our own lives, and bless us. We all need to experience God on a daily basis and let Him lead us on the paths we need to follow.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

What Will Heaven be Like

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
1st Corinthians 15:42-44

I have heard many fanciful ideas that have been passed down by pastors on Sunday morning, about what we’ll look like in heaven. Some of these described heaven to be a place where the saints and angels are reclining on clouds and playing harps. The apostle Paul has a far more accurate and descriptive picture of what heaven will be like. His scripture tells us that departed believers are already with Jesus, for as soon as a Christian is absent from the body, he is present with the Lord. 2nd Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” When Christ returns, a trumpet will sound, and all who died believing in Him will be raised so that their bodies can join their spirits. The book of Revelations Chapter 21 tells us that in this way all followers of God will be prepared to be part of His new heaven and earth. Our resurrected bodies will be perfect. There will be no sickness and no pain, as there will be no sorrow and grief that will cause us worry. Our bodies will not be damaged or grow old, but be healthy and strong for all eternity. We will be so much like God that we will be reflections of His radiance. Our new bodies will be righteous and do everything that God requires of us. We will not be rebellious and have a sinful nature, but will serve the Lord in an unhindered manner. We will have eternal bodies which will be perfectly equipped to continue what we have begun on earth, which is to serve the Lord with all our heart, mind and strength. Heaven will be our eternal home.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Always be Truthful

“He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”
1st Corinthians 4:5

Just recently, the news was filled about new revelations that have been discovered about the presidential candidates. Many of these were things that they had tried to hide from the public, as they bordered on unlawful acts and behavior that will damage their reputations and their character in the eyes of the public. Even though these individuals thought they were above the law, and took the chance to engage in these activities their sins have now been uncovered and brought to light. Just as the scripture above states, their sins have found them out. We may think that we can do something that is wrong and get away with it, and many times we do keep it hidden from man’s eyes, but God knows all things and knows when we sin and do things we are not supposed to do. He knows the motives of our hearts, and our thoughts and actions even in private are not hidden from His sight. Over the years I have witnessed many highly talented people submit an application for employment to my hospitals, and have falsified information on their resumes, with the intention of making them more qualified for the positions. When their resumes were checked out, their real qualifications were discovered, which resulted in them not being hired. We need to always be aware of falsifying anything with the intention of making things better than they are, as it is better to be humble than boastful. We need to always speak the truth, and our actions and behavior should always reflect what is right and truthful. I would encourage each of you to be truthful in all you do, and have the right motive, as you might be able to keep the truth from men, but not from God.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Are You Poor or Wealthy

“One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet he has great wealth.”
Proverbs 13:7

During my career in health care, I witnessed situations where someone in our hospital faced death almost every day. Many of these people were very wealthy and others were very poor. In all situations it did not make any difference about how much wealth they had accumulated or how little they had, as when death was staring them in the face they were all equal. Their wealth could not buy them an extra day as they all faced either an eternal life with Jesus or spending their eternity in Hell. Many people when they had Jesus in their hearts were at peace with themselves, and ready to stand before God and face their judgment. I have witnessed many of these people happy to leave the pain and suffering behind as they knew what their future held. Others that had not accepted Jesus and knew they had no hope, were bitter and resentful as they did not know what their future held. Wealth keeps many people from enjoying their lives, as they spend all their waking hours working to accumulate wealth and material possessions, but realize too late that all their wealth has not brought them happiness. Just recently one of the wealthiest men in the world made a large multi million dollar contribution to a very worthwhile charitable organization, and stated in the donation ceremony that this should help pay his way to heaven. Although his donation will certainly assist the needs of people, it certainly will not do anything to get him any priorities in heaven. The wealth that all of us need to obtain is to first ask God to forgive us of our sins, and accept Jesus into our hearts. When we do this one little thing, Jesus will consider us wealthy, and then peace and joy will fill our hearts, and then we will not fear death.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Choose Our Words Wisely

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Proverbs 12:18

We can see how our words can be a sin in the previous devotional, but our words can also bring healing when spoken with encouragement and kindness. The taming of the tongue is important for Christians to conquer, as words spoken in anger can bring hurt, and damage and destroy relationships, but words spoken in love can bring joy and peace and hope to these same relationships. The scripture above provides much wisdom and guidance as to how we should always use our words. We must always remember that whatever comes out of our mouths comes from the heart. Our words express our true feelings about things. In order to tame our tongues, we always need to think before we speak, and consider whether our words are angry expressions that will hurt and damage our relationships with others, or whether they will be uplifting, show love and be encouragements to others. We must teach ourselves to think before we speak. Many times words spoken in anger to someone is lasting and not easily forgotten and overcome. It may take time to rebuild trust in a relationship where anger has been demonstrated. Jesus commands us to never use words that will damage and show our anger towards others. We need to always be forgiving and not hold anger against anyone. We need to be peacemakers, and our words and actions should always be to show others that we love them. It does not do anyone any good to demonstrate anger, as anger is a sin and indicates that God is not living in us. Throughout our lives we are all going to be in situations where Satan is attacking us and causing situations where we can be provoked to anger. God tells us however to resist this temptation, and choose words of love.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

God Detests Lying Lips

“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.”
Proverbs 12:22

Our words tell so much about the true character of who we are. They tell so much about what is in our hearts, and God gives us much wisdom throughout the Bible, that tells us what is spoken through our mouths come from our hearts. It is so easy to speak words that are not true, as many times we say things because we do not want to hurt someone’s feelings. We tell so called “white lies” because we may not want to go to a meeting, or do not take a phone call from someone we don’t want to talk too, and then give them an excuse which is not the real reason. Many times when we do not tell the truth the first time, the result is that we will tell another lie in order to cover up the first one. This one lie can in many times lead to multiple lies to cover up the one initial sin. Yes, lying is a sin in God’s eyes, even the “white lies”, as God wants us to be truthful in all that we say and do. In God’s eyes these are still lies, and as the scripture above tells us He detests lying lips. I believe it is important to always tell the truth, as we can see instances all throughout our society where government officials, business leaders and even religious leaders are discovered in lies to cover up indiscretions. The truth will always be discovered and come to the front. Even if our lies are not discovered by men, God still knows everything about us and knows of our lies. We need to be careful in our words, and even though it may be easy to lie to keep from doing something we do not want to do, it is better to tell the truth. If we get into a habit of lying about the little things, it will become easier to lie about the bigger things. I would encourage each of you to think about your words, and to make sure they are truthful as God detests lying lips.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Trust God for Your Victory

“He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”
Psalm 112:7-8

How often do we hear bad news, that someone has died, lost their jobs, developed a serious illness, a marriage has broken up, and many other instances where serious issues have developed in peoples lives? Many times it is difficult to know how to respond to these problems, and know how to counsel someone. When tragedies face us, many times we do not know where to turn to, and what to do in these circumstances. The scripture above should give solace to us, as God tells us that if our heart is secure in him that we should have no fear. Even though we may not see how the situations will be resolved, we need to face these trying times with the assurance that God is in control, and lean on His everlasting arms for protection and guidance to get through these issues. We must always remember that God knows all things and is aware of what we are going through, and tells us that He will not place burdens on us too heavy for us to bear. God tells us that we will be tested throughout our lives in order to let us know that we are not in control, but that He is. During these rough times we need to be steadfast in our faith and trust in Him, as God will let us triumph over our problems. We must continue to thank Him and believe in Him for our deliverance. I can recall times when I have had issues in my life which I did not know how to handle at the time, but by being faithful and trusting in God for the answer He provided the solutions to my problems, many times with better results than before the problems began. I would encourage each of you, that when you face challenges in your life, to not give up on God, but continue to believe and trust in Him for your victory.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Be a Man of Character

“Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.”
Psalm 112:5

During recent weeks and months, the television and newspapers have been full of government officials, religious leaders and others who have been discovered having stolen, committing adultery and doing other sins that have brought scandal and disgrace upon both their families and also the public trust. Although history tells us these acts have always been true in our past, the press has been much more readily in today’s society, to glamorize and bring it to the public’s attention. Throughout the Bible God gives us many scriptures that tell us that our sins will find us out, and in our world today this is proving to be so true. I like the scripture above which tells us that good will come to those who conducts His affairs with justice. It is so important that we always be fair and truthful in all that we do. I have always thought that our character and the trust that we develop with others, is one of the most important things that we can store up as treasures for ourselves. However, in the “dog eat dog” world today, man seems to always be looking out for themselves, without any regard for the welfare of others, and their character is being lost. The Bible tells us to humble ourselves to others, and to love others as we love ourselves, but so often we see others wanting to “get” instead of “give” to others. With the attitude that so many people have in this regard, it is no wonder that our society is turning from God, as we are disregarding God’s teaching, and the sins that people are doing are being found out and uncovered. I believe it is important, more so than at any other time in our history, to begin to return to the wisdom found in our Bibles, and to think before we act. We need to think about others, before we think about ourselves.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Bring God Back to the Family

“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”
Psalm 112:1-2

From the beginning God ingrained in man that he was to be a protector of his wife and his family. He was to watch over and care for the ones he loves and is in charge of. Just as Jesus was the shepherd and in charge of his flock, so is man in charge of the care and protection of his family. In the world today, there is so much evil all around us that is invading our homes and our families that must be blocked from our lives, so that our focus is not diverted away from doing what is right. Satan is at work in our society, and will fill our minds, thoughts and attitudes with his devious schemes, to divert us away from God and His teachings. I believe that man is being challenged like never before in our history by the things of this world, to turn away from true moral and Christian values and follow worldly trends. It is difficult to stay focused on God with all the pressure exerted on our families and our children in today’s society. The television, music, internet, fads and trends of today, send the message to our families that these things are the norm, the things we should do and follow. But many of these are not the things that God wants us to follow, as so many of our television programs, our music, our magazines and newspapers are promoting a life style that is not acceptable to God and His teachings. Satan is attacking our culture as he has never before. We are being bombarded with immorality, sexual pressures, temptations and evil every where we turn. Our government is giving in to Satan, and has even allowed God to be taken out of our schools. Our children are not being given the freedom to pray in our schools, or be taught good moral Christian values by their teachers. I can remember when I was in school, we began our day with prayer, and much of what we were taught had to do with Godly principles of respect, caring for others, building friendships, and how to love and get along with others. They were things that were Biblical in nature, and things that have followed me throughout my life. Our children of today are not being given this opportunity in their schools to be taught these same family values, as they are not being taught about God and His teachings. Children are also receiving little or no instruction about God in their homes, as many parents have not been taught these values as well. This is why there are so many broken families throughout our country, as God is not present in our families and our schools, to influence and direct our young people. Our children are brought up without God in their lives, and do as their parents do. Our children are imitators of their parents and learn from them. When God is not present in the home, the family can become dysfunctional, and this will be carried on to their children. I believe that there has never been such an important time as today, for parents to step up and take the responsibility to begin to turn around the situation our families are in. Parents must become the leaders of their families once again, as God commands us to do, in order to reverse this trend, and take back the control of our families. I believe God places this responsibility directly on the shoulders of the parents. The broken homes that we see in today’s society is due partly to the parents not managing their families as God commands. We have the responsibility to keep evil out of our family, and to instruct our children in the way of the Lord. Man has a tremendous responsibility in these troubled times to protect his family from all these pressures. The most important thing we can do is to make sure the presence of God is at the forefront of our family. Living for God each day and following his scriptures in all aspects of our life, is the only way that we will be assured that the true Christian family values will prevail, and be carried out by our children.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Teach Character

“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Romans 5:3:4

As we send our children out into the world the thing that will set them apart from others is the character that we have taught them. The character of our children will provide the foundation for their lives. I know that if there was ever one thing that my mother, grandmother and grandfather ever taught me was that my character was one of the most important things in my life, and that I should guard it above anything. I have found their teachings to be so true in my life and in the business world, and seen this revealed so many times throughout the years. I feel that the leadership crisis we are facing in our businesses, in our government and in our churches can all be traced back to the issue of character. We must send our children out into the world prepared to withstand the pressures of this world, and the temptations they will come against. It is our duty as parents to raise our children with a Godly character. We must raise them to follow Jesus Christ, and teach them the commands of God. We need to send them out into the world equipped to do battle with the enemy, that will confront them from all sides. We must prepare them to know right from wrong, and to not give in to their temptations and follow the way of the world. If we will read and study the above scripture it gives us all the things we need to teach our children to prepare them to handle the obstacles and temptations that are going to challenge them in their lives.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Strive for Excellence

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”
Colossians 3:23-25

No matter what we do in our lives we must always be fair in all we do. The most important thing that represents us to our fellow man, and lets them know the kind of person we really are, is how we treat other people. The way we present ourselves to others, and the way they perceive us is one of the most important things that will separate us from them. We must at all times strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that we will never be ashamed of anything we did or said, that will negatively influence the people around us. The way we conduct ourselves in our encounters with our friends, neighbors, the people we work with, and any one we come into contact with reflects upon our character, our integrity and our attitude. Many people are content to be complacent with being just an average person, and not doing anything over and beyond what they could do to help their fellow man. My thoughts about my life has always been to always try to go the extra mile, and go out of my way to do something to help someone, or to make somebody feel good about themselves. I believe that God does not want us to just be average, and settle for mediocrity in all we do. I believe God wants each of us to be the example and the frontrunner in whatever we do. He wants us to stand out in the crowd, by showing people that we are a cut above, in our character, integrity, attitude and the way we conduct our lives. He wants us to strive for excellence in the way we conduct ourselves and deal with others.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

The Book of Proverbs

“The Proverbs of Solomon Son of David, King of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.”
Proverbs 1:1-3

I love the book of Proverbs because its scriptures give prudence to the simple; knowledge and discretion to the young, and they make wise men wiser. They will guide you into a happy and prosperous life. Acquiring wisdom and knowing how to avoid the pitfalls of folly will lead to health and success. Although Proverbs is a practical book dealing with the art of living, it bases wisdom solidly on the fear of the Lord. Throughout the book this reverence for God is set forth as the path to life and security. People must trust in the Lord and not in themselves. For example, the references to the “tree of life” recall the joyful bliss of the Garden of Eden, and tell us that the one who finds wisdom will be greatly blessed. The book in addition to telling us about the way of wisdom, also tells us the paths of violence and immorality. But most of all the scripture in this book leads me to wisdom, and tells me how to handle many of the problems that will confront me. When I have trouble of any kind, I usually can find some scripture in Proverbs that will give me the wisdom to handle the situation, or know better how to deal with it. Each scripture is thought provoking, and even though many are short they have a much broader meaning. They make you think and reflect on what the writer is saying. The book of Proverbs urges people to get wisdom, for it is worth more than silver or gold and it leads us to a loving reverence for God that includes submission to His lordship and the commands of his word. I would encourage each of you to spend some time each day acquiring wisdom from this great book.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Use Your Time Wisely

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2nd Peter 3:8-9

During my career I have conducted numerous seminars covering various administrative and financial issues. The number one problem most people listed as keeping them from their goals was time management. Most people just can’t find enough time to accomplish all the things they want to do or would like to do. The thing to consider if you have this problem is that you have something in common with everyone else on this earth, and that is that all of us have the same amount of time each day to work with. You might ask yourself why other people get different results out of the same amount of time. In my book “God’s Plan for a Joy Filled Life” I devoted an entire chapter about how to use your time effectively. There are three keys to making the most of your time (1) Know what God’s purpose for your life is, (2) Live by biblical priorities and (3) Make plans that reflect God’s will for your life. These three keys will let you manage your time, and do the things that both you and God want accomplished. I also discuss time management in many of my devotionals. To make the most of our time we need to have our priorities developed into a plan of action. If we don’t know where we are going, we will not know how to get there, or even know if and when we do get there. We must establish a daily plan for our lives. We must know what we are going to work on each day. We must have our priorities engrained in our minds and not waver from them. If we don’t have a plan for our day, we are going to aimlessly wander from one thing to another and not get anything accomplished. When we know our purpose in life, we will know what our priorities need to be. Our priorities will then determine what our plans and goals will be during our day. Time management is simple when we follow the progression: From purpose, to priorities, to plans and goals. Just remember that when we set our plans and goals each day, knowing our purpose and living by biblical priorities, these will be God’s plans and goals for us as well. God will always provide enough time to accomplish His goals and plans. When we use God’s plan for our lives we will find our time will be more productive time. Begin today to use your time productively. Ask God to reveal your purpose in life, which will enable you to establish your priorities and make God’s plan come true. The pursuit of so many Christian’s today is that their plans are not God’s plans. Their pursuit is that of acquiring riches, and their own personal gains and desires. Their plans do not mesh with God’s plans. By looking at our purpose, our priorities, our plans and our goals, we can quickly see how we spend our time. How we spend our time determines who and what we are. When we decide to manage our time by God’s priorities we will find that we will become effective time managers. We need to ask ourselves if we have set our goals and priorities for each day to match what God’s goals and priorities are. The time we have on this earth is uncertain, and utilizing our time wisely is the difference between us meeting our goals and objectives in life, and utilizing our talent to the fullest, or not accomplishing what God wants us to accomplish. Set your priorities for your day to include God. Just a little time alone with God each morning will make us ready to face our busy schedules, and a little time at night will help us reflect about our day’s activities and ways to improve them. When we can’t take the time to schedule some time with God each day, there is something wrong in our lives. Now is the time to get our priorities in order, and begin to listen to God, and spend time with Him and in His word.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

The Responsibility of Parents

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9

This scripture tells you how important God’s commandments should become in your life and your families lives. You should have them wherever you go, and in whatever you do. They must remain with you at all times, and you must not forget them. You must teach them to your children throughout the time your children are with you. This is God’s commands to you as parents, and to be successful parents you must obey and follow His commands. You must spend time in God’s word and find out His wisdom. The Bible is full of wisdom and knowledge that you can use in order to train your children in the way they should go. This step is not difficult, and if you want to be successful as parents, spend time each day seeking this wisdom and knowledge, and put it into practice in your everyday life. Just reading and discerning this wisdom is not enough. You need to model this wisdom daily in your actions, your attitude and your behavior to your children in order for it to be effective. You cannot do it some days, and not do it other days; it needs to be consistently and constantly demonstrated to your children throughout your life. Your whole life needs to be devoted to being the model for your children. This is what God expects from you, and is what you need to give your children; an example for them to follow. We see pictures in our children’s room of people they admire; many times these are pictures of sports heroes, rock stars, movie stars or other famous people. Our children should have their parent’s picture over their beds as the ones they admire most. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had your picture over their beds, and told visitors that you were the ones that they would be like when they grow up? During our after school program, which is part of my ministry, I had the opportunity to ask many of the children about their parents. There were over 69% of the children in the program that had come from broken homes. Most of the children I would ask, hardly knew one of their parents, and if they did, knew very little about them. They would say that they worked all the time, or that they were not home much. The role models that these parents were making on their children, was not one that many of them wanted to imitate in their own lives. This is so sad that so many children today do not want to be like their parents. When we go back home to Kentucky to visit some of our families, they are constantly talking about their parents, and the good times they had as they were growing up. We seldom find many of our children today talking about their parents in this fashion. The people, who remember their parents and were talking about them, can remember their parents spending time with them, doing things together and having fun together. They can remember when they went fishing together, or to the ball game, or the time when their parents took them on vacation. When parents do not take the time to spend with their children, there are no memories such as these that the children can remember. All parents need to be building up hundreds and thousands of memories that their children will remember of them. These are the treasures that they will keep forever in their minds and thoughts. When we spend only five minutes a day with our children, there are not many memories we are giving them. Time goes by too fast in the lives of our children. We only have them for a season, and the time we spend with them is too precious to not be storing up memories of good times. I would encourage all parents to spend time with your children, as they are God’s gift to you, but most of all teach them about God.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Give Freely

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the flood gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
Malachi 3:10

We cannot out-give God. During these past several years I have personally experienced this in my life. As I have developed my ministry I have found that every time I have gone out of my way to help someone in any kind of fashion God has blessed me for it. I am not talking about receiving money, but blessings that have touched my heart. Just being able to provide a nourishing meal to the children, and seeing their faces has provided me with so much peace and joy in my life that it has uplifted me. Being able to provide a pair of shoes to a child that was going barefoot has given me peace. Being able to provide a place of shelter for someone who did not have a home has brought me joy. All of these things have given me a warm feeling in my heart that is indescribable. Helping to bring broken families back together again; being able to comfort someone after they have lost a loved one, or giving comfort to someone who has just lost their job, are just some examples of things that has given me a sense of peace and joy in my life. And as Jesus said is worth a hundred times more than I gave. I know I spent the bigger part of my life not giving in the manner that God wants us to give, but when we realize the real importance of giving of ourselves to others, this is the time that God really touches our hearts and begins to pour out His blessings in our lives as He has done with me. It is not difficult to start giving of yourself. Whenever we give freely, and give from our heart God will repay us many times over and bless us.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

Start Your Day With God

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
1st Peter 1:13

I would hope that each of us would get up in the morning with good intentions of living the kind of life that God would want us to live. God wants our lives to be lived in a way that is pleasing to Him, and to be lived to honor and serve Him, and be a witness to our fellow man. It is with all of these good intentions that we should begin each day. If we have discovered the talent that God has given us, we need to look for ways each and every day to utilize it, to help and witness to the people around us, and whom we come into contact with. We should also get our minds focused on our goals and objectives before we begin our day. As I traveled to my place of employment, I always thought this was the perfect time for me to ask the Lord for His help and guidance during my day, to keep me focused on the things He would want me to do. I would encourage each of you to simply take a few moments at the start of each day to ask for guidance from God, to lead and direct your lives to do the things that will be pleasing to Him, and to create opportunities where your talent can be utilized to the fullest extent possible. Each of us can find a few moments at the beginning of our day to prepare ourselves, and get in the proper frame of mind to meet the days challenges. God will lead us and direct our every move and decision we make during the day, if we will ask Him. I believe if we prepare ourselves in this manner, we will be more aware and better equipped to handle the problems we encounter. We will have a more positive attitude, and be able to react to situations in a more positive manner than we would otherwise react.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

God Can Deliver Us

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”
John 10:10

We all have had days when everything seems to be going wrong. Days when we feel dejected, and think that the world is against us. Everything we do seems to be the wrong thing and we struggle with even the simplest task. These days appear to us to be like a dark cloud is over our heads, and everything that could go wrong in our life is happening. During these times when we feel everything is lost, and we have no peace and joy in our lives, it is not God that is working in our lives, but it is Satan attacking us. These are times that we have let our guard down, and Satan has seen an opening, and is making his assault on us and our inner peace. It is easy to focus on those things the enemy is attacking us with, because they represent the things we value most in our lives. Maybe it is an illness that has befallen us or a loved one, a financial loss, a ruined relationship, the death of a dream, or even the death of a loved one. When these times happen to us, and they will, we must always remember that Satan will attack us and try to destroy everything that is precious to us. It is during these times that we need to remember that God is greater than everything. He knows all about us, our strengths our weaknesses and also our vulnerabilities. We should not forget that this might be a time when God is testing us, to let us know just how vulnerable we really are. When things go bad in our lives, this is the time we need to get our minds, and our thoughts focused back on God, and ask Him to take control of the situations and lead and guide us back on the right paths. These troubled times may be our wake up call, telling us we need to refocus our lives on God. God can handle our troubles if we ask Him.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

God’s View of Money

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
Proverbs 13:11

I grew up in the country on a farm, and my family had very little money or material wealth. We depended on what we grew on our farm for our food. We worked hard for everything we had and lived a very simple life. I can remember my grandmother loading as much fruits, vegetables, eggs, butter and milk as she could carry on our horse and go throughout the community selling these to the neighbors. This was the way they provided for our family. They earned their money little by little, as there were never any windfall schemes that produced huge sums of money. Even though they gathered their money little by little, they always seemed to have money to give to someone in the community that needed help, and always put their tithes in the offering at church every Sunday. I have had a successful business career during my life, and God has been good to me and my family, and has provided for our needs very well. My family’s lifestyle has been vastly improved from the one I grew up with. However with all the things God has given me and my family, am I any better off than my grandparents were? They had a family filled with the presence of God. All their needs were provided for; they were happy and contented with what they had; they always helped others; and they always gave their tithes joyfully. What more could anyone want out of life? Their life was not complicated as life in today’s world is. It is true that we make more money, but we spend it on bigger homes, bigger automobiles, more comforts and more material possessions. It is harder today to be contented and happy than it was then, as we keep trying to work harder, enjoying it less to accumulate more money and more possessions. I believe the key to happiness in life is simplicity, as life was like for my grandparents. They knew that God would provide for their needs; they knew that He would protect them and they were happy and contented with their lives. Today people are not happy and contented, as they are always reaching for the brass ring and trying to find the end of the rainbow. They are waiting for their ship to come in and bring them instant wealth and possessions. I believe the scripture above which says little by little will we make our money and grow wealth is good advice, as it prepares us to grow spiritually as well. We will learn to appreciate what God gives us and will enjoy our lives more. My grandparents knew the secret for a happy and contented life. God wants us to value people and relationships more than our possessions, but the social image of having money, and making sure everyone else knows it, puts so much pressure on most people that they succumb to these worldly desires. When we earn and save money little by little, I believe this captures the essence of the biblical view of money. God teaches us that our love of money is probably the greatest thing that will keep us from the kingdom of heaven. When we get our minds focused on our money, and it becomes our God as He warns us, our Christian walk with God will begin to deteriorate. I believe that the way God would want us to value our money can be stated as follows: Earn little by little, save ten percent, give ten percent or more, and do not owe anyone. This will determine your lifestyle, and your life will be happy and contented as financial stress will be lifted. This is a simple strategy, but one that will work in everyone’s life. I would encourage each of you to think about how you value money in your life, and see if your money and material possessions are becoming your God. These things are good to have, but when our time and energy is spent on obtaining them above all other things, we need to know that our priorities are not correct, and changes need to be made.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

God Is Dependable

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”
Joshua 1:-3

When I read the scripture above, I am reminded that people disappoint us so much. They let us down, and we never get used to being disappointed. We may trust a friend to help with a particular situation, but they are too busy to assist us. Our bosses may disappoint us by promoting someone else to a particular job. Even our church family may not visit us or phone us when we are sick and are not at church. Our father may not take us to a ball game or fishing like he promised. We have all experienced disappointments such as these throughout our lives. We can see that the children of Israel had a long history of dependence based on disappointment. They had a great leader Moses, but leaned on him too much. When things went wrong, they complained to Moses and wanted him to take care of their needs. When things went bad they kept reminding Moses of their suffering and blamed him for taking them out of Egypt. Despite the miracles of God, they kept depending upon Moses to take care of them, and were disappointed in him. Our friends, our church family, our co-workers and even our own family members are going to disappoint us at some time. There is only one person that will never disappoint us, however, and that is God. There is no one in our lives that we can depend on to take care of us completely, and that will not let us down in some way. But God tells us that He will never let us down; that we can depend upon Him at all times.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)

My Daily Devotional

God’s Timing Is Perfect

“Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.”
Ecclesiastes 8:5-6

I have always been very impatient throughout my business career, as I have always wanted things done in my time and on my own terms. I have had the vision of what I wanted to accomplish, but have struggled with patience, and waiting for everything to come together and make my visions become realities. Waiting for something is very hard for me as I always thought I knew what to do and how to do it, but it seemed to always take too much time to get my tasks accomplished. I have heard the saying that God gives each of us a thorn in our side, and I believe the thorn in my side is patience. Over the past years I have been studying the fruits of the spirit that God promises each of us, and the fruit of the spirit that I have not mastered at this time is patience. I have copied every scripture in the Bible about patience, and have these before me each day. I have read and studied these scriptures constantly, and have discovered many things in God’s word that has helped me deal with my lack of patience. I have studied the scriptures where Jesus tells us that our time is not his time. Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. He hath made everything beautiful in His time.” Timing is important as we attempt to master the virtue of patience. Many times we think we are ready to undertake a new change or a challenge, but God knows that we are not ready yet, as He has not molded us and shaped us and prepared us for the change, and will place roadblocks in front of us. When God is ready for the change to occur all the roadblocks will be removed and all doors will be opened. When we look at the ministry of Jesus, we find that He spent 30 years preparing for His ministry before He did His first miracle. There is a time for everything and a purpose for everything. We will never understand God’s timing, but I now know after much study that the answer is to have faith and trust in God. He knows how the puzzle of life will come together for each of us, and when the pieces will fall into place. In God’s time the purpose and plan for each of our lives will be revealed and fulfilled according to His will. Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” When our plans mesh with God’s plans for us, our plans will become realities, not in our timing but in God’s. During these last few years when I began doing God’s will, I quickly found that He begins pouring out His blessings on us when we obey His calling. 2nd Corinthians 9:8-9 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” So as I write this devotional I now realize and understand so much more as to the timing of God, and how it relates to each of us. We expect certain things to happen in our own time frame, and can become frustrated and impatient when they do not occur as expected, but God knows how our purpose in life is supposed to be carried out, and in His own timing, our plans will come to fruition. It is important for each of us to wait on God, and not to become impatient, and try to make things happen before God is ready. God’s timing is always perfect, and His outcomes will always produce the fruit of our labor. I would encourage each of you to listen to God when He speaks to you and follow and do His will, but learn to wait on God, and not become impatient in doing His work. You will be rewarded in God’s time by a harvest that will be overflowing and abundant, as God’s blessings will pour down on you for all your efforts and patience.

(Many of my readers have asked if my Daily Devotionals have been published and if they could purchase them. The Devotionals I am posting are from My Daily Devotional Volume III which was published in 2009 and can be purchased at amazon.com or from me at robbrock@comcast.net)