Your Path To Salvation

Your Path To Salvation “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 God loves you and wants you to know him so he can fill you with peace and give you real life—forever. The Bible says: “Because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God (Romans 5:1). God created us in his image so we can know him personally and have a joy-filled life. Since the beginning of time, we have chosen to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God and ends in misery. The Bible says: “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s holiness (Romans 3:23). There is only one way to reach God, and this is through Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can bring us back to God. God sent His son Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin. The Bible says: “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God (1st Timothy 2:5). God has provided the way—we must make the choice. We must trust Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and be determined to obey him for the rest of our lives. That way we can know God and find peace again. There are three things you need to do to turn your life over to Christ. 1. Admit you are a sinner and need forgiveness. 2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. 3. Ask Him to come into your heart today and give you an eternal life. Read your Bible daily, pray daily and obey His commandments, and God will give you an eternal life. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 31

A Tribute To Mothers

A Tribute To Mothers "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value." Proverbs 31:10-11 Today, I want to talk to you about mothers, and the importance they play in our Christian walk. A godly mother's life shapes so many other lives. Her importance in the fabric of society cannot be questioned. She is an influencer at both the highest, and the most humble levels of our culture. She has untold power to motivate greatness in her children, and instill quite confidence in her husband. Without her godly influence, families can become fractured and dysfunctional. With her godly influence, families become havens of rest, and beacons of hope. A mother's life is vital to God's plan and His ways. We all know what an incredible influence for good a mother can be in our world, and without this influence, we can see the disasters that can befall a family that does not have the influence of a godly mother. President John Quincy Adams once said, "All that I am my mother made me." President Abraham Lincoln said, "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." I strongly believe that both my mother, and my wife have exhibited the traits shown in the scripture above, as I know my mother's prayers and influence have followed me throughout my life, and I know that my wife's prayers and influence have followed both me and our children throughout their lives, and is also extending down to our grandchildren.. There will never be a stronger influence than the influence that our mothers will have. So much of our makeup, our personalities, our likes and dislikes, our compassion, our caring, the love we show to others, comes from the influence that our mothers bring to our lives. Mothers are central to any godly family. I am so blessed to have had my mother and my wife lead me to Jesus. My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 30

God's Peace

God's Peace “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 Do you feel in control of your life, and have an inner peace, that you are where you need to be? The above scripture gives each of us the assurance that God loves us. God had just given Moses the Ten Commandments, when this scripture was written. God will bless us and keep us in peace if we will obey Him, and trust Him for everything in our lives. It is only when we don't put our faith in Him, that we begin to lose our peace and blessings from God. His favor will be in our lives, when we do the things that are pleasing to Him, and when we obey His commandments. Even though the above scripture was directed at Moses and the Israelites, it applies so directly to our lives today. How many times do we make decisions, without asking God for His guidance? If we could only condition ourselves to ask Him to lead us and guide us, in making all of our decisions, and learn to rely upon the Bible and God's teachings in our daily lives, we would begin to understand that the Bible will help us do the right things in our lives each day. Even though the Bible was written many hundred years ago, it teaches each of us how we are to live our lives in today’s society. All the laws are still appropriate for us today. Each time I read the Bible I can find scriptures that apply to my life, and each time I am able to depend on the teachings and wisdom that I find. I find that reading God's scriptures helps me make the right decisions, and gives me the peace that God promises. When you turn your life over to God, He will bless you, and He will keep you, and His face will shine upon you, and He will give you peace. Obey God’s commands, and follow His teachings, and you will find that the above scripture will apply to you as well. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 29

Find Your Peace

Find Your Peace "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20 This morning, I received another e-mail from one of my readers, telling me that they had asked Jesus into their heart. I usually will get several of these each week and look forward each morning to getting to my computer and being blessed with these. I am always thrilled to know that one of my devotionals, may have led someone to know Christ as their savior. This also makes me think about just what it is like to know that I am saved, and to know what the future holds for me. I know that most of you had thoughts when you were young, about what you wanted to do in your life, such as what your occupation would be, who you would marry, where you would live, and all the other plans you made. I am also sure that the majority of these plans never became realities, as your life today does not resemble what your plans were. However, when you ask Jesus into your heart, and accept him as your Savior, you know for a certainty what the future holds for you. Accepting Jesus, into your heart gives you the peace, comfort and assurance of where you will spend your eternity, and takes away all the uncertainty. When we don't know what the future holds for us, we find ourselves bogged down in worry and indecision, as we struggle with problems and the daily trials of life. We find that we are alone, and adrift in a vast sea of emptiness, not knowing which way to turn, and what decision to make. However, when we have asked Jesus into our heart, we have Him to rely on, and help lead us on the paths that He wants us to travel. When you are saved, all the concerns of the world are not resting on your shoulders, but are resting on God's shoulders. When you ask Jesus into your heart, you will find this peace and comfort. Secure your future today, by asking Jesus into your heart. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 28

Is God Your Physician

Is God Your Physician "A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly." Proverbs 12:23 Having worked in health care for 45 years, I saw much improvement in medical care as compared to when I began. Most patients now consider themselves informed even before they walk into their doctor's office. Nevertheless, even the most educated patient must submit to their physician's prescribed treatment plan in order to ensure a positive outcome. At times, they require minor temporary inconveniences, such as a course of antibiotics, ointments or a daily pill to be swallowed. At other times, a radical change in lifestyle is required. On occasion, surgery is necessary. Many patients shake the doctor's hand, thank them for the diagnosis and head out to get a second opinion. God is our true great physician, and we go to Him often with our problems, but seeking a second opinion is a pointless exercise. Oh how we try to find the loopholes as God's patients. Although our lives are in shambles, and we live in pain every day, we balk at the prescription God lays before us, especially when that prescription involves dying to self. When you listen to His advice and promise to work with Him, are you tempted to sneak a few "buts" into the equation? Lord, heal my marriage, but I honestly don't want to compromise any more than I have already. Lord, I want to draw closer to you in intimacy, but don't make me give up my favorite TV show. Lord, I want to see people come into the kingdom, but can't I just send in a check and let someone else do it? Lord, please help me lose weight, take away my desire for food, let the pounds drop off, but don't make me have to exercise self control. Perhaps you've never actually spoken those prayers, but you have thought them. If you ask the Lord to perform surgery in your life, home or family are you willing to do the rehab and follow His prescriptions? My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 27

Spiritual Workout

Spiritual Workout "No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble." Proverbs 12:21 Over the years I have been on various diets, and usually most of them had programs where I was to do a daily exercise program. When I would start these programs I worked out a lot, sometimes five or six times a week, and it would only take a few weeks before I got back in shape. Of course things changed when I met my goal weight. At first I kept working out, but the workouts were a little shorter, took a little less time. I really didn't want to get up early in the morning to work out, so I cut back a little. A little later, I stopped working out and just ran. Slowly all the work I had done was being undone. Our walk with Christ can be much like those workouts. When we get into the Word each day and spend time with the Lord, we are getting stronger in our relationship with God. But then we get busy at home or at work or with friends, our God workout takes a back seat. Maybe we started at some point spending an hour or a half-hour each day with God, but slowly life got in the way and now we only say a quick prayer each day. After all, that would be enough, right? When we fail to spend time with Christ, we get weaker. We lose our focus and that is when the Devil can move in. He puts things in our life to make us too busy to spend time with Christ. The Devil knows that when we give time to growing our relationship with Christ, he doesn't stand a chance. So he gets in the way. He makes us think we know enough to get by. He preys on our weakness. Are you spending enough time with God each day? Have you stopped growing in your spiritual walk with God? Today it's time to get back in the Word. Today it's time to continue growing your relationship with Christ. It's time to get back in your God workout so that you will stand strong in your spiritual life. Today is the day to start and get fit. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 26

Spiritual Workout

Spiritual Workout "No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble." Proverbs 12:21 Over the years I have been on various diets, and usually most of them had programs where I was to do a daily exercise program. When I would start these programs I worked out a lot, sometimes five or six times a week, and it would only take a few weeks before I got back in shape. Of course things changed when I met my goal weight. At first I kept working out, but the workouts were a little shorter, took a little less time. I really didn't want to get up early in the morning to work out, so I cut back a little. A little later, I stopped working out and just ran. Slowly all the work I had done was being undone. Our walk with Christ can be much like those workouts. When we get into the Word each day and spend time with the Lord, we are getting stronger in our relationship with God. But then we get busy at home or at work or with friends, our God workout takes a back seat. Maybe we started at some point spending an hour or a half-hour each day with God, but slowly life got in the way and now we only say a quick prayer each day. After all, that would be enough, right? When we fail to spend time with Christ, we get weaker. We lose our focus and that is when the Devil can move in. He puts things in our life to make us too busy to spend time with Christ. The Devil knows that when we give time to growing our relationship with Christ, he doesn't stand a chance. So he gets in the way. He makes us think we know enough to get by. He preys on our weakness. Are you spending enough time with God each day? Have you stopped growing in your spiritual walk with God? Today it's time to get back in the Word. Today it's time to continue growing your relationship with Christ. It's time to get back in your God workout so that you will stand strong in your spiritual life. Today is the day to start and get fit. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 26

Joseph's Transformation

Joseph’s Transformation “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18 Can you imagine the transformation that Joseph must have had when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and told him to take Mary as his wife? Joseph was just an ordinary man, with ordinary dreams for his life. He was going to get married, start a family, raise his children, and build his carpentry business in a little town called Nazareth. There was nothing unusual in his plans, just a simple life. But when Joseph had first found out that Mary was going to have a baby, he had thought about divorcing her quietly, as he had wanted to be married to her, but being a righteous man did not want to expose her to public disgrace. God had different plans for him and also for Mary. Most of us can look back at certain moments in our own lives, where we have encountered God, and He has changed everything. It may have been when you were baptized, or when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I know there have been several encounters in my own life, where God changed everything from what I had planned for myself. When you ask Jesus into your heart He transforms you and gives you hope and a future. During this Christmas Season, don’t forget to do more than just open presents. Open your heart to Christ in a greater way than ever before, and let Him transform your life. Your encounter with God can become the most important event that will ever happen to you. Remember that God has already given you the greatest gift possible, when he sent His Son Jesus to earth to die on the cross for your salvation. Take time this Christmas to remind yourself that the birth of Jesus can be your time to be transformed just as Jesus was. My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 23

The Simplicity Of Christmas

The Simplicity Of Christmas “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 This Christmas, like most others, we will dress up, wrap our presents and prepare our best meal of the year to celebrate the greatest of all seasons. But what we miss so often in the elaborate and glamorous celebration we are accustomed to, is the simplicity of Christmas. Just think of God becoming flesh, coming to earth and living among mankind. When God got ready for Christmas, He undressed, stripped off His finery and apparel, and left His place in Heaven, and laid down as a baby in a manager on Christmas. Can you imagine just coming from Heaven to a manger in a stable? This is the simplicity of Christmas that I want to make you aware of. But if Jesus had not come to earth in this way and become flesh with us, we would not be able to understand just how much of a sacrifice He was making on our behalf. There are so many people who do not understand the significance of what God did for us during Christmas. There are many that will not celebrate Christmas as it should be celebrated. The commercialization, the presents, the food, are just a few of the things that have gotten us away from the real understanding of what God did during this precious time. So many think of it as just another festive time, when we get time off from work, and give and get presents. I would encourage each of you, to really read the story of the birth of Christ, and to think about the significance it has for you. We need to focus on the first six letters of Christmas, and understand that without the birth of Jesus, we will not have the promise of salvation. Yes, Christmas is a season of simplicity, but it is one of the most important days for us. Christmas is the time when God gave His only son to come to earth, and to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins, to give us His greatest gift. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 22

Are You Too Busy

Are You Too Busy “She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn.” Luke 2:7 In just four more days we are going to celebrate Christmas, and the birth of Jesus, the most momentous occasion in history. But why, on this most important night, were the majority of people like the innkeeper, unaware of what was going on? Angels had appeared to proclaim His arrival. Wise men came from afar to acknowledge His birth. Shepherds were visited by an angel, who announced where the Son of God was born. But, how did the majority of people miss the birth of Jesus? Why did the innkeeper not know that Jesus was to be born that night? I believe the reason is that they were not looking for Him, because they were too busy. This is how people still are today, as we become too busy with the demands and struggles of daily living, that we lose sight of God, and neglect to spend any time getting to know anything about Him. We become too involved in our own pleasures, and don’t try to adjust our time and schedules to make room for God. Even though the shepherds were busy, keeping watch over their flocks, they took time to adjust their busyness and make room for Him. The innkeeper however put his priorities ahead of God and didn't see. I would like to ask each of you if you are looking for God, or are you to busy? Don't get caught up in the presents, the Christmas dinner, Santa Clause and all the other busyness of the season and forget about the real meaning of Christmas, when our Savior was born. For those that are looking for God, the heavens are open, the angels are singing and God is giving you signs. For those who are not looking for God, you are like the innkeeper, as you will not have any room for Him when He comes back again to earth, and are relegating Jesus again to a stable. Make Jesus the reason you are celebrating.

Do You Have Faith

Do You Have Faith "Jesus turned and saw her. Take Heart, daughter, he said, your faith has healed you. And the woman was healed from that moment." Matthew 9:22 Today, I want you to think about what faith means to you. In your Bible you find many examples of what faith means. Peter walked on the water, because of his faith. David fought with Goliath and achieved victory, because of his faith. Joshua brought down the wall of Jericho, because of his faith. Many were healed just by touching the hem of the garments of Jesus, because of their faith. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1. You can't see faith with your natural eyes, but you have to have faith that it exists. To have faith means that you act and live like it is true. Having faith goes beyond logical proof. Faith goes beyond what you can see, and even beyond what you can think. Faith requires you to walk with God, as faith keeps your dreams alive, gives you hope for your future, and faith keeps your expectations achievable. When we look at the life of Enoch we can see that he was taken from this life and did not experience death, because He walked with God, and had faith in Him. Enoch pleased God, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists." Hebrews 11:6. My friends, you cannot see God, but you need to have faith that He exists, just like the scripture above say. You must have faith that there is a God, that sent His son Jesus to die for your sins, because one day you are going to die, and if you don't have faith you will be put into the grave with no hope for a future. But, if you have faith in God, the grave will not hold you, as your eternity will be guaranteed, by the grace of God. I encourage you to ask Jesus into your heart today and have faith for your eternal life. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 20

Believe In Yourself And God

Believe In Yourself And God "Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous." Proverbs 2:20 In life you can't go back and start a new beginning, but you can start today and create a new ending. One of the biggest tools at your disposal to create that new ending are your words, and how and when you choose to use them. To start a new beginning, you need to believe in yourself, but better still you need to believe in God, who will enable you to become the best you can be, if you develop the relationship with God that He desires. The great boxer Cassius Clay, better known as Mohammed Ali, began to say that he was the greatest long before he became one of the best boxers the world has ever known. He spoke what he believed in his heart day after day. Yes, it took years and much effort, but eventually his words and confession aligned themselves and became a reality. It is not about arrogantly telling everyone how great you are, it is simply about reminding yourself of who you know you are, and what you will become one day, even if the circumstances have not yet aligned themselves to the reality of your confession. Words are the invisible rudder that your heart uses to guide your life, and if you have God walking with you day after day, and have your goals aligned with His goals, you can succeed in all things. Your words, your desires, and your expectations about what you want to accomplish in life are free, but can be very costly if not used properly. Next time you are thinking of saying something remember to think twice before you speak, as your words and their influence will either plant the seeds of success or failure in your life. Starting a new beginning is easy if you ask Jesus into your heart, as all your sins and past will be forgiven. Don't stay in the past, but make God first in your life, and you will have success, like you have never known. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 19

Are You Blind

Are You Blind "If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." Matthew 15:15 Is our world becoming a nation where the blind are leading the blind? Where is the Godly wisdom that the Bible teaches us that we are to follow, to live a life a life that is pleasing to God? We are abandoning God all across our great nation, and letting Satan have his way. This is a sad statement about the condition of some of our churches and religious groups today. Our pastors and leaders in the church have watered down the truth of God to such an extent that people who attend church are following right down the road with the preachers, and they both will fall. A spiritual blind person cannot lead you into a spiritual relationship with Jesus. The scripture above was perhaps a warning to the people of that day not to follow the scribes and Pharisees, who were seeing all the miracles that Jesus was doing and were totally blind as to who He was. He is saying they are too blind to see this, that which was before their very eyes, why do you follow them. He is also saying, if you follow them, you are just as blind as they are, and you will fall too. We can apply this same warning to our lives today, as signs are everywhere that the second coming of the Lord is near. Many church people are so blinded (like the Pharisees) that they cannot see the signs. The Lord warned about getting in a rut and following without looking around you. This was disaster for them, and for those now who will not open their eyes and see. Many are today blindly following the ways of the world, and compromising the wisdom of God's Holy Word, and are living a life that will result in eternal damnation in Hell. Don't blindly follow the ways of this world, but begin to read God's wisdom, read your Bible daily, pray to God and let Him lead you to an eternal future in heaven.

Fight For The Faith

Fight For The Faith "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12 My daughter Pamela was at our house yesterday and we began talking about the condition of our nation and that our freedoms were gradually being taken away by laws that were being passed in congress. Witnessing your Christian faith will now get you court marshaled if you are in the armed services. It is also not allowed in many companies across our country, and is slowly being taken out of our schools. It will not be long, at the rate we are going that God will not be allowed anywhere, if things continue as they are. However, our time is short as God will come again before this happens. For those that have been reading my devotionals for some time you know that I have been warning you this day was coming. If you think they will stop at the military, wake up. When is it time to fight, and say enough is enough? I don't know too many people who really enjoy a fight. That of course begs the question, what is worth fighting for? Our life. Our family. Our country. Our faith. Today, I want to concentrate on fighting for our faith. I often get much encouragement and inspiration from reading about Paul's life. As you read thru the New Testament, especially the Book of Acts, it is incredible how this man fought for the faith. I am challenged by all Paul personally endured as he fought for the faith. He literally gave his entire life from the moment he met Jesus on the Damascus Road until his work was finished and he was executed for following Jesus Christ. Between those two events, we see one of the greatest examples of fighting for our faith there ever was or will be. Our world today lives in open rebellion to God, His Truth, and Jesus Christ, and does not want to be reminded of their sins, nor told that when they die they will spend eternity in Hell for those sins. Man began to rebel against God the Creator from the very beginning and nothing has changed over these past 6,000 years of human history. The very existence of the children of Israel, God's chosen people, was often in jeopardy by those heathen people groups who lived in open rebellion to the one true God. God sent Jesus as the Savior for mankind, yet He was not only rejected by the world, but by His own people. For the past 2,000 years, the Christian faith has been under attack by those who rejected Christ, from the Roman emperors in the early days of the church to the governments of this world today. The Christian faith has only survived because of those who were courageous enough to fight for it. I contend that one of the main reasons the Christian faith is so weak and ineffective in our world today, especially in the United States, is that people have never really learned how to fight for their faith. We were born in a blessed and unique place and time of human history, a nation founded on its belief in the God of the Bible, the Truth of His Word, and faith in Jesus Christ. For the better part of the 230 years this nation has existed, it was clearly a Christian nation. It really wasn't necessary to fight for the faith as so many of our brothers and sisters around the world over these past 2000 years have had to. However, over these past 60 years, we have become like the children of Israel. We have turned from God to the false gods and idols of the world. We have fallen into gross sin and debauchery. We are now living in open rebellion to God, His Truth, and Jesus Christ. While this has been happening before our very eyes, Christians who never had to fight for their faith before have sat back and done virtually nothing. It is clear why the lost world we live in is winning and we are losing, as many years ago we retreated behind the four walls of the church to safety. We literally left the marketplace to the scavenger of Satan. We are responsible for abortion on demand. We are responsible for the mainstream acceptance of homosexuality and gross sexual perversion. We are responsible for the decimation of God's Holy institution of marriage and the family. It is easy for us to blame Satan, but the reality is we abandoned the marketplace and left it to Satan to have his way. Let me share with you something I have learned over these past 30 years of fighting for the faith. If I wake up tomorrow and decide I am simply tired of fighting. I've done my part for nearly 3 decades now let someone else do it, the world will keep spinning. People will be born and people will die. In the end, God's plan will unfold. This is about me being faithful to what God has called me to do. You see, I have no other choice. I've given my life to Him. God has raised me up in these last days to fight for the faith. When I take my last breath it is not some man I will stand before, but God Himself. He is the one who I will answer to and who will judge me. I will keep fighting for the faith until my work here is over because I have committed my life to serving the Lord. When I wrote my book, "The Silent Church", I wrote it to let others know what was happening in our world. What keeps me going is the changed lives I see each and every day. People who come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through my Daily Devotionals. People who God touches in a miraculous way. Every day I watch the hand of God working in people's lives all over this world. I also never forget that God never gave up on me. It would have been easy for Him to write me off and let me live a life of rebellion, but He loved me enough to reach out to me, and let me know He had a better plan for my life. He has given me a peace and joy that words can't describe, and despite the battles, the weariness, He has given me a life of abundance I could have never imagined. Not the temporal abundance of this world, but the true abundance of the eternal things of God. That is why I get up each day, put on the armor and fight for the faith. Let me encourage you today to rise up and fight for the faith where you live. There is a world around you that is lost, hurting, and souls dying every day and going to Hell. There is nothing more precious you will ever fight for since Christ is the only hope for this world and each person. In the end, when your life is over, God will honor you as you hear these words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 17

The Road To Heaven

The Road to Heaven “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1st John 2:3-4 My friends, this is probably the most serious and critical devotional I have ever written, but it is so important for you to hear it's message. It is not going to be as easy as you think to get to heaven, "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:14. The Bible is very clear when it talks about the importance of obeying God and His commands. The Ten Commandments were not just something that God told you about as an afterthought, and you have the liberty of obeying them or not obeying them. If you are going to find this narrow road to heaven you must begin to obey God’s commands, and not take them lightly. When you say you know God, as in the scripture above, you must do what He commands, and if not He calls you a liar. There is no room for anything else, and you must not go on fooling yourself and making excuses for not following the commands of God. Just look at God's greatest commandments and see how you are obeying these. He tells you to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. How must time do you spend each day in prayer and reading His word. This is how you show God you love Him. When you love someone you make them number one in your life. You don't give them the crumbs from your table after you spend all your time on other things. His second greatest command is to love others as you love yourself. Is your life all about yourself or is it about others. The little white lies, the cheating, the lust, the pride, the hording of your wealth, the non use of your talents, not obeying the Sabbath, are all things that must cease if you really know Jesus as your savior. There is no room for them anymore in your daily life, if you really have accepted Jesus into your heart. There are even more drastic warnings from God that tells you how perfect your lives must be to reach heaven. Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." There would be very few American's who are not considered to be rich in the sight of God, so this scripture would apply to you. 1st John 3-9 "No-one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." My friends, this is God's words not mine, and there are dozens of other scriptures, just as powerful that say the same thing. Our world needs to wake up and realize that the feel good preaching that we are hearing today, does not tell us this message. Don't be led astray by these false teachings that are leading you to Hell. There is only one way to heaven and that is to first ask Jesus to come into your heart, forgive you of your sins and then obey His commands. You must realize that Satan is alive and well and is roaming our world, and will entice and tempt you to compromise the word of God. There is no compromise allowed, however, as when Jesus died to save you he made the ultimate sacrifice for you. The Book of Hebrews has the most compelling scripture in the Bible that tells us the importance of living a Godly life and obeying God's commands, after you have been saved. "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." Hebrews 6:4-6 These are frightening words, my friends, and these cannot be discounted as being taken out of context or not applying to you. The Bible is filled with scriptures such as these that warn you that you cannot take your salvation lightly. When God's Word tells you over and over that you cannot sin anymore after you have been saved, you had better believe it. You can't continue to make excuses for your sins as God is not going to listen to you and is warning you over and over. You are just not hearing this in your churches today, because "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2nd Timothy 4:3 There is too much at stake in your life not to heed God's warning, as heaven is the reward, but hell is the punishment if you don't begin to obey God’s commands. Don't take my word for it, but read the Bible yourself and see what it says about living a sin free life. Find all the scriptures for yourself that talk about the penalties of sin. 1st John 3-6 " No-one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." My friends, there is no other way to interpret a scripture such as this one or the one below, and I challenge you to interpret it any other way. John 9:41 "Jesus said, If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." If God is really in your heart, you are not going to continue sinning as you are going to live the kind of life that Jesus led, as He tells you that you need to be an imitator of Him in everything you do. I realize that this message can be frightening, but spending your eternity in Hell is not what I want for you. When Jesus came to earth to die for your sins, he gave you the opportunity to be forgiven of all your sins, as He loved you so much and wants you to spend your eternity in Heaven. You have the choice as to where you want to spend your eternity, as no one but you can make it. No one knows the day when your life on this earth will be over, it could come today or tomorrow, but it most surely will come. Be ready for this day, don't put it off, as you are not promised tomorrow. I encourage you to ask Jesus to come into your heart today, and then you will have nothing to fear, as your eternal home will be waiting for you in Heaven. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 16

Our First Times

Our First Times “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.” Revelation: 1:17 Have you ever thought how we remember our favorite “firsts”, and how these are many times the most memorable moments of our lives. For example, the first time I saw my children after they were born, or saw my wife for the first time, or the time I caught my first fish, were moments that will always be etched in my memory, and will last my lifetime. Have you ever thought about the very first day, and what a wonder this must have been as God surveyed what he had created. Or the first man, when God saw Adam walking around in the Garden of Eden. Or the first sunrise after God had created the sun and the light it gave over all the earth. Take a moment and think about all your "first times" and the things that you value most in your life. Think about all your precious memories, and pretend for a moment that you could awaken tomorrow and experience them once more—for the first time. I am confident that each of us can think of many things that we value more than anything in our lives, and would love to relive these “first times” again. There are also times in our past that I would refer to as our “dark times”. Each of us has our own “dark times”, but instead of wanting to relive these moments, these are the times we would like to forget and never be reminded of again. These are the times we were hurt, disappointed, suffered failure, and are times we want to forget. The truth is that we will never be able to bring back either of these times, even if we wanted to. They are gone forever, and we either have a good or bad memory of them. The thing we must concentrate on now is our future. We need to get excited about our tomorrow, and make all our new “first times” ones that will become our favorites, and ones that we will value. Jesus is the answer to make our future the brightest yet, as he can remove all the “dark times” from our past, and make all our new “first times” the best ones possible as they will last for all eternity. Don't you wish you could go back in time and relive the good times in your past. Don't you just wish you could just experience the joy, happiness and security you felt during these wonderful times. You had no cares, no worry, no hurts or no pain to think about, only peace and comfort filled your heart. You had perfect peace. I believe this is what Heaven will be like, as we will forever be experiencing our good times all over again. There will be no fear, no pain and suffering, no tears will dim our eyes, and nothing will disturb our peace as we will always be happy, walking on the streets of gold with our Lord and Savior. This is what I believe awaits us in Heaven, if we accept Jesus into our hearts, and believe and trust Him as our savior. I can't wait until I can get to experience all my wonderful first times all over again, and all the new first times that I haven't yet known. This is the promise that God gives each of us, as we will be in perfect peace in the arms of Jesus. We cannot imagine what Jesus has prepared for us in Heaven, as this will be another first for us, but just what the Bible tells us about what Heaven will be like, is enough for me to want to go there. All the trials and troubles that we face in this life, will be forgotten. All the uncertainty, insecurity, worry, heartaches, sickness that we now face daily on this earth will be gone, as nothing will be there to take away our peace, our joy and our happiness. Everything we need will be provided, and we will want for nothing. I long for this day to come, where I will be in the presence of God. I would encourage you to live each day with Heaven being your goal. All of this is made possible by the grace that God gave us, as He prepared the way for us to get to Heaven, and find this perfect peace. I Know Heaven is my goal, and should also be your goal, where we will experience our "first times" in the presence of God. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

Elizabeth's Gifts

Elizabeth's Gifts “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.” Proverbs 18:16 I remember when our precious little granddaughter Elizabeth, who was about 5 years old came to visit several years ago, and while playing in our backyard began picking our flowers which were blooming along a path. We watched her pick several of these, and then bring them onto the porch and gave them to her grandmother. She was so proud to give these to her grandmother, who each time hugged and kissed her and thanked her. She then got a flower vase to put the flowers in, which pleased Elizabeth even more and she became even more excited. Throughout the rest of the evening Elizabeth kept going to the vase of flowers, and would smell them and ask her grandmother if she liked them. She became so focused on these flowers that she then wanted to give everyone a bouquet of flowers. She loved giving everybody flowers and having them hug and kiss her. In thinking back about this it reminded me that Jesus also wants to shower us with gifts of His love in the same way as Elizabeth did with us. In Romans 5:8 it states that “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God made the extreme sacrifice to show His love for us, by dying on the cross for our sins. God also expects us to give others little acts of kindness as we journey along here on earth. I am sure Elizabeth will remember this in the future, when she thinks of us, as she had such a great time picking the flowers and giving them to everybody. I know that this little event meant so much to my wife and I, as we saw the joy in her eyes as she was giving the flowers to us. We can also one day see the joy in the eyes of God, when we have received His gift of salvation as He will hug us and tell us that He loves us. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 14

Our Leanin' Side

Our Leanin' Side "Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." Psalm 91:14 Each day I receive many e-mails from my readers asking me to pray for them. Several years ago I received a story from a friend, and recently ran across it in my files, since then I think of this story of the old fellow who always prayed, 'Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side. After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently. He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this... I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years, but It's still standing. One day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall. Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop me up on my leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times. Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.'' This story is so true as we all can begin to lean too much on the things of this world, and then find that we need someone to lean on. God is always there for us, and can keep us standing tall and straight during any storm and temptation. If you find yourself leanin' too much on the things of this world, you need to make God first in all you do, and He will prop you up and keep you from falling. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 13

Controlling Wealth

Good Morning to all my friends. This is another day that God has given us, let us be glad and rejoice in it. My prayer for you is that God will bless each of you today and give you His peace and His comfort in all that you do. Today's Challenge---------------- Controlling Wealth “You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:18 Since time began the importance and value of money has been such a controlling influence in the lives of man, that God has over 2,350 references to money and material things in the Bible. Money is intoxicating; it is like a drug, as it can be addictive and can change people’s lives forever. We can be consumed by money. It can enslave us. It can consume our thoughts. It can dictate our lives, and it can control our behavior. Money can become our gods, and the Bible tells us to worship no other God, but I believe many people worship their money, and it becomes their gods. They become totally dependent upon it. Money does not bring happiness, but many times can destroy happiness in people’s lives. I can remember growing up in my small town in southeastern Kentucky. We had very little money as I grew up, as my family were farmers and coal miners, but we were content with what we had, and lived a very happy life. We were not dependent upon money and material things for our happiness, but rather enjoyed and depended first upon God, and then on our own abilities to provide our needs. The Bible gives us so much good advice about the power and use of money, but the scripture shown above is one of my favorite verses. So often in life we think we are the ones that produces our wealth, it is us with our brilliant mind, our great wisdom, and our superior work ethic that has produced our wealth, but we so seldom give the one who made all this possible, as without God we would have nothing. Give God credit for your success. October 29 Robert William Brock, Jr. My Daily Devotional Volume Six

The Truth Will Set You Free

The Truth Will Set You Free “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 I have spent the last fifteen years of my life really studying and reading the Bible, and as the scripture above states, when we know the teachings of God, the truth will set us free. This is what I have experienced in my own walk with God, as the more I have studied God’s word, the more peace and joy in my life He has blessed me with. Paul tells us that when we live our lives for God and begin to obey His commands our life will be transformed, Romans 12:2. When we know the word of God and begin to live our life for Him and obey His teachings our minds and our thoughts will be renewed, and we will want to do God’s will instead of following our own desires. When we get our minds on doing God’s will, we can withstand the worldly temptations that surround us. So many Christians remain in bondage to the stresses of fear, insecurity and anxieties of everyday life because they do not commit themselves to studying and following God’s teachings. They may go to church every Sunday but do not fully commit themselves to following God’s will for their lives. I spent many years of my life in this helpless situation before I began to really seek the word of God and began applying it to my everyday life. When we get our minds on doing the will of God we will see transformation of ourselves, and have a desire to worship and obey Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master. Our minds and our thoughts will be focused on doing the things that are pleasing to God, instead of satisfying our own selfish desires. The word of God will set us free, as without the knowledge of the truth, which we will find in our studies of God’s teaching, and having a closer relationship with Him, we will not be free, but remain in bondage to sin. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 11

Forgive And Forget

Forgive And Forget “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6 I have talked to a lot of people these past several years that seem to be holding on to grudges and past hurts that they won't let go. These seem to be difficult for so many people to overcome, and they try to hold on to them, and not forgive and forget these times, which cause them to not be able to experience the peace and joy in their lives that God can provide. We cannot seek God in His fullness when we harbor these grudges and memories of our past. We must be able to let go of these times to fully experience God’s presence. When we fully direct our life to seeking God we will be able to let these hurts and disappointments go, and rid ourselves of the bitterness we have harbored inside. When we seek and turn to God with all our hearts and souls, He will deliver us from this bitterness and hatred that we have stored inside. It is never too late to begin to seek God in our hearts as this is what Jesus died for. David was forever seeking God, and in the scripture below asked God to not let him stray from His commands. Psalm 119:10 “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” When we earnestly begin to seek God, He will respond to us, in a way that will change us and release us from our past and also from our sins. When we seek God and accept Him into our hearts, we will want to do His commands, and just as David did, give thanks to Him for all He has provided. We will have God in our hearts and on our minds at all times, and will be searching for opportunities to share with others the peace and joy we have. Seek God today and forget your past hurts and disappointments. Enjoy the presence of God in your life, and depend upon Him for your protection and guidance, and the peace and comfort He provides. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 10

Birds Don't Worry

Birds Don't Worry "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26 Every week, I talk to dozens of my readers who tell me they are worried about their jobs, a relationship with someone, their health and a multitude of other problems. Worry is a problem many people face in their daily struggles, as they worry about their problems, and strategize as to how to solve them. I know that over the years I worried about things at my office, about my family, about my health, about so many other issues that I dealt with on a daily basis. There are still things that happen in my life that I have no control over, such as sickness, or the death of a loved one, my friends lose their jobs, or the stock market crashes But as I have gotten older, and have a much closer relationship with God, I have put all that worry behind me, as God now gives me peace during these times. The scripture above is one I can relate to, as when I go out into my yard and hear the birds singing, they are not worried about anything. They are happy, and are always singing. They make me smile, and cause me to pause and take in God's beauty. Their songs remind me that God's angels, are all around me, singing praise to the Lord and watching, protecting, and loving me. My worries go away, as I know that God is beside me, and has promised me that He will provide all my needs, just like He provides for the birds. I would encourage each of you to think about your life, and the things you worry about, then think about the birds and God's promise that He will watch over and care for them, and that they matter to Him. You also matter to God and He will also watch over you, and take care of you. He will provide all your needs. Take God at His word, think about the birds, "Are you not much more valuable than they?" Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 9

A Time To Turn To God

A Time To Turn To God "In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free." Psalm 118:5 Many times during our lives we get up each morning expecting things to go as we have planned, but so often find that things immediately begin to go wrong. We do not expect to hear the news about a loved one passing away, from a heart attack. We do not expect to hear a report from our physician, about a test we had telling us that we have cancer. We do not expect to hear from our place of employment, that our job has been eliminated. Many of our plans can fall apart in just a few short hours, and our lives can be drastically altered forever. So what do we do when these things happen to us? We can do as David did many times, and cry to the Lord for His intervention. All of the incidents that happen to us are not unknown to God, as He knew before we did, that these things would happen. In these times of stress and despair, we have no one but God to reach out to, and no one but God who can help us deal with these situations. God may not immediately rescue us from these situations, but He can help us deal with them. He can give us peace and comfort us, and help calm the storms that we are suddenly facing. God also has the power to heal and restore, and in His time may elect to do so, but even if He does not answer us immediately, He can give us peace and let us deal with the situations we face. I would encourage each of you, if you are suddenly faced with storm clouds and mountains in your life, to turn them over to God, and let Him walk with you during these times. He can lighten your load and help you. These troubling times may be times that God has given you, testing you, to see if you will respond to Him. David, faithfully cried out to God, in his good times and also in his bad times and God heard him and answered him. God will also hear you. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 8

Little Things

Little Things "So, if you think are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man." 1 Corinthians 10:12 Have you ever stayed home from church to mow your yard before it rained, or gotten so excited about that new novel that you just bought, that you haven't taken time to read your Bible this past week? But do you know that this is none other than Satan that is tempting us, as this is just some of his schemes to get our mind off God. The devil seeks to compromise Christians through a steady diet of small, seemingly insignificant temptations. Many Christians pride themselves with the fact that we don't do this, or we don't do that, the so called big sins. But when we begin to let the little things keep us from our relationship with God we are lowering our guard and compromising. Little things can be the start to bigger things. There was a massive Redwood tree in California that had stood tall for 400 years, surviving countless earthquakes, storms, floods, and other violent natural disasters. But one day, without warning, this massive tree came crashing to the ground with a tremendous thud. No one knew why. A lumberjack didn't bring it down. A bolt of lightning didn't cause it to fall. After close investigation, the answer was revealed as to why the ancient tree had died. Tiny beetles had worked their way into the trunk and ate away at its life-giving fibers, weakening the tree's mighty bulk from the inside out. What powerful lightning could not do, little insects did. It is like the song that Simon and Garfunkel sung years ago: "Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again, Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping". Little things turn into big things. So don't lower your guard and fall for this trap. When compromise gets into your life, you will start going downhill. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 7

Through Our Struggles

Through Our Struggles "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." Psalm 119:71 Are you faced with the trials and troubles of this life and are having trouble knowing what choices you need to make? The Bible tells us to give thanks to God even through adversity. We will all face adversity, and yes, I know it is difficult to thank God for the problems we face; but God will be there with us. God will give us comfort, and provide us with peace even during the difficult times, when we have faith and trust in Him. This is why I can find such comfort in the scripture above as it is telling me that through my adversities that I am learning and growing in my walk with God. It tells me that God will provide for me even during my difficult times. Someone sent me a story recently which shows how God can provide. A mother got a call from school that her son was ill. She tried to leave, but she had locked her keys in the car. She spotted an old coat hanger. "I don't know how to do this," she said and silently prayed to God. A rough-looking man pulled up on a motorcycle. "Do you know how to do this?" she cried. "Sure," he replied, and soon the car was open. She hugged him and said, "You are such a nice man." He replied, "I'm not 'nice.' I just got out of prison for car theft." She threw her hands in the air and shouted, "Thank you, God. You sent me a professional." God is there to help in every trouble, it may not always come as we expect it to, but He is faithful and we can depend on Him. We should turn to God in every need and give thanks for His goodness. We should be grateful and recognize how God blesses us through the people around us who help in our times of need, but first we should turn to God who is always faithful and waiting to help us through our adversities. It is through our struggles that we see the goodness of God, and strengthen our relationship with Him. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 6

Our Time Is Short

Our Time Is Short "But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable." Jeremiah 2:7 During the past year the news out of Washington has been all about the debt ceiling, and the mountain of debt the United States owes, because as a nation we are spending more money than we are taking in. I am not a politician, but I feel that the battles we are facing as a nation, is due to getting away from Biblical principles and values. We have abandoned God, taking Him out of our schools, our government, endorsed abortion, and approving same sex marriages. I have felt for some time now that God is turning His back on our nation, and allowing these things to happen, as a form of His judgment, because we have turned our back on Him. I feel that our nation is suffering a spiritual crisis, much more than a financial crisis. Our nation has prospered in the past by keeping God present in our government, as regardless of what political party was in power, they still kept Godly values in focus, and governed by Biblical principles. God gave our leaders wisdom and understanding from the time our great nation was founded, because they kept their eyes on Him. But now they have turned away from these values, and no longer have their eyes on God. The wisdom they need to govern our nation, according to Biblical standards has dried up, and is not there, and God is turning His back on us. The financial issues, the defense issues, the social issues, the civil rights issues that are facing us today is just a glimpse of what will come, if we continue in this path. We will soon become the modern Sodom and Gomorrah, and God will bring down His wrath and punishment against us, unless we repent and turn back to God. Our time is short. We all need to pray daily for our nation, that God will give our leaders the wisdom and understanding they need to bring our nation back to God.. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 5

Stay In The Presence Of God

Stay In The Presence Of God "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who direct you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" Isaiah 48:17-18 Throughout the Bible we can find scriptures like the one above, that tells us that God can give us the knowledge and wisdom about what is best for us, and how we should live our lives. However, so often we do not pay attention to His commands. For example, as long as we read our Bibles each day and pray to God we are staying in His presence. However, it is so easy to become distracted one day due to the pressures of life, that we don't read our Bible and pray and let God minister to us. The next day it becomes even easier to make excuses that we don't have time to worship God, and spend time with Him. Soon, after a few days we don't have the presence of God to direct us, and we notice other areas of our life being affected as well. Our speech, our actions, our thoughts and our behavior begin to stray from what is pleasing to God. We begin to stray from God's commands, and begin to let Satan take control of our life. This is how easy it is to be led away from the presence of God in our life. I would encourage each of you to not give Satan a foothold in your walk with God, as you must make time in your schedule for Him. Make sure you devote time for God every day, even if you have to eliminate other commitments. God's time is the most important time you should have on your schedule. Don't neglect your prayer time. Make time in your schedule to read your Bible. This is the only way to stay connected, and in the presence of God, and to continue to worship Him on a daily basis. Stay in the presence of God and He will continue to direct your life. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 4

A Safe Haven

A Safe Haven “The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.” Proverbs 16:21 Once our words are said, they can never really be taken back. This can be a frightening thought, as so many people say things they really don’t mean, which can have catastrophic ramifications on other people. We must consider both the right words and the right timing, especially when speaking words of correction to our children. We must always be thinking about building others up instead of tearing them down. We have tried to communicate our values to our children throughout our lives, and I believe we have successfully done this, as I believe they are living their lives with the values we have taught them, and are passing these values on down to their children. This is the process I believe God wants families to operate under. Our parents were able to communicate with us, and pass what their parents had passed down through them, and we in turn have been successful in passing this down to our children. This is what the family is all about, as God has given us the guidelines throughout the Bible, and it is the responsibility of the parents to know these guidelines and teach these to their children. Our homes are the most intimate places on earth, for us and our children. Our homes need to be a greenhouse of beauty and growth for us and our families, but this will only become a reality when we follow the instructions of God. When we’re tempted to treat each other harshly, we need to consider God’s model of forgiveness toward each other. Learning to communicate with your spouse and your children is a process, and I know that sometimes it may seem like we are speaking different languages. But over time, and with enough effort, we must learn to understand each other. It is so important to make our homes a haven of peace for our families and our children. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 3

Your Only Choice

Your Only Choice "You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. 1 Kings 18:18 Today our government has declared that this is to be a national day of prayer. During this past year, I have warned you that the greatest problem we have in our world today is a void in real spiritual leadership. A true spiritual leader is one who has the courage and intestinal fortitude (guts) to take a stand for God's Truth regardless of what people think, say, or do. A true spiritual leader is never going to win any popularity contest since the masses live in rebellion to God's Truth. A true spiritual leader is not concerned with the temporal things of this world, so he can't be bought. For the child of God, every day should be a day of prayer. We don't need the Federal Government to give us a special day to do what we should be doing already. This reminds me of Elijah's challenge to the people of his day to choose who you will serve. At the time this Biblical account is happening, there is a famine in the land. People were starving, looking everywhere for food. It is my opinion that we have a famine in our land today, only it is a spiritual famine. People are starving for the truth, and looking everywhere for answers to deal with day-to-day life. During Elijah's time, God's people were being blamed for many of the problems the people of that day were facing, much like in our society Christians are fair targets for every kind of criticism. In this politically correct time, it seems the only group you can get away with publicly condemning are those who profess Jesus Christ as their Savior. The truth is, in Elijah's day, and in the age we live, it is God's people that keep society from completely melting down. We are the spiritual glue that holds society together. We would be living in total chaos without people who loved and served the Lord. Just as Elijah challenged the people to choose which God they would serve, we have that same decision to make today. The choice we have to choose from is between the false prophets of Baal and the God of Israel. Our decision today is the same. We can choose to serve the false prophets and gods of this world or the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ. Let me warn you, this is not a game, it is a real life decision that determines where we spend eternity. The false prophets of this world claim they have the answers. They have the answers in the psychic hotlines. They have the answers in alcohol and drugs. They have the answers in money and material possessions. They have the answers in illicit sex. They have the answers in their abortion mills. They have the answers in empty rituals, imaginary gods, and in idols. The only problem is, when you need them, there is no response. In times of trouble, these false prophets of this world are nowhere to be found. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus stands by His promises and proves that He is true and faithful, as this was validated when He rose from the dead on that glorious morning. When He rose from the dead, all He said and taught was validated. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us, and that promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower believers. Millions of lives in the last 2,000 years have been transformed through a personal faith in Christ. Jesus is alive today and at the right hand of God, interceding for those who believe in Him. Elijah challenged the people to "choose who is going to be the God of your life and follow him.' Jesus told us no man can serve two masters. There was only one winner that day on Mount Carmel. The false prophets of Baal failed to produce their god, however, the God of Elijah, the God of the Bible, answered by fire that day, and is still answering the prayers of His children. On this day that our nation celebrates prayer, we need to turn to the one true God, the God of the Bible. I will be praying today that you will make the only choice there is, the choice to choose Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the only one that can guarantee you an everlasting life in Heaven. You have no other choice.

Stay In Control

Stay In Control “I urge you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” Romans 16:17 How do you react when someone around you, a fellow employee, a school mate or a neighbor, causes division and is constantly creating strife and being disrespectful to others. Having been in business for my entire career, rebellion is contagious in any organization, and also in your own personal life. One rebel can destroy any organization and lead people astray. Jesus did not tolerate disrespect and divisions with the people who followed Him. He confronted those who caused divisions, and rebuked them, as evidenced by the words He said to Peter: Matthew 16:23 “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” When we permit disrespect, and condone any kind of behavior that causes problems, and divides people, we are promoting a behavior that God does not approve of. I remember the staff manager for President Ronald Reagan, once saying that he managed by the acorn management philosophy. “I look for problems when they are the size of an acorn. I refuse to watch them grow into oak trees.” You must constantly be aware of signs of discontent with the people around you, and deal with any issues, before they spread like a virus in your life. We must have the discernment and courage, to keep those around us from becoming disrespectful and causing divisions. We must respond to them in a manner that will defuse the wrong attitudes, and guide them towards the higher standards of God. There will be many that will look at your walk with God as an example of how God controls your life. Be the example for others that God desires. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 30

Strive For Excellence

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. Colossians 3:23-25 Having spent my 45 year career in Health Care Administration, I was always careful to make sure that I gave all I had to my job, and strive for excellence. God wants us to be people of integrity and excellence. We need to be honorable and trustworthy in all our dealings. A person of integrity is honest and open to all the people he meets. He does not have any ulterior motives or hidden agendas and treats everyone with respect. He keeps his word in all things he does, and is the same in public as he is in private. Each one of us is constantly put in situations where our integrity is tested. How do we react when a clerk mistakenly gives us too much change for something we purchased? Do we keep the money or immediately tell the clerk that she made a mistake, and give it back? No matter what we do we must always be fair. The way we conduct ourselves with friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others we come into contact with reflects upon our character and our integrity. Most people are content to being average, but we need to be better than average and go the extra mile to help someone. I believe that God does not want us to just be average, and settle for mediocrity. He wants us to strive for excellence in all that we do. He does not want us to do just enough to barely get by, or to do what everybody else is doing. 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 integrity, character, attitude, and the way we conduct our lives. God blesses excellence, character and integrity in your life, but he doesn’t bless mediocrity, He wants you to be special. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 29

Thank You God

Thank You God ”Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 Today is my birthday and is a day I want to give thanks to God. God has blessed me with a long life and so far pretty good health. From the time I can remember, I was raised in a wonderful Christian family by a mother, and grandparents who loved me very much. They were the kind of parents that watched over me with great care, protected me, provided for me, and most of all gave me love. I could not have asked for a more wonderful family than I was raised up in. Then one day I met the most wonderful person in the world, my wife Margaret. She is the most beautiful and precious person that God could ever have sent to me. I have had over forty nine years to spend with her, and these have been the happiest days of my life. We have three wonderful children and six precious grandchildren. God has blessed me tremendously during our life together. He has allowed me to earn a good living in health care administration, which I have enjoyed, and has allowed me to be able to serve others while raising my own family. But most of all I want to thank God for saving my soul, and giving me peace, joy and contentment in my life. He has been patient with me at times, and has been there in my times of trouble. He has been there to pick me up when I was down, and was there also during my times of joy. He has been with my family and protected them over the years, providing all that we needed. I thank God for my children who have all accepted Jesus as their savior. and now they are all born again Christians. I thank God for blessing me and my family throughout the years, and give him praise for his kindness, patience, love and goodness that He has shown me over these seventy two years. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 28

Forgiving Others

Forgiving Others “Make sure that no root of bitterness shoots forth and causes trouble and many become contaminated by it.” Hebrews 12:15 Forgiveness is a choice, but it is not an option if we want to live a happy life. We need to be careful that our bitterness and lack of forgiveness does not contaminate others around us, as they are influenced by the way we handle a bad situation in our lives. Our children can be influenced so easily by the parent’s lack of forgiveness and this can affect our children in a way that will not be pleasing to God. Forgiveness is in many cases a necessary ingredient in letting go of the past, and in so many families it is one of the most difficulties obstacles for people to overcome, but it is necessary to forgive if you are to have a happy and joy filled life that is blessed by God. If we are a Christian many of our friends and neighbors look to us to be an example for them in times of trial and trouble, and our children surely look to see how we are reacting. Our actions during these times can be an influence as to how they may handle a similar situation. If we have bitterness inside it is going to contaminate everything that comes out of us. It will affect our personalities and our attitudes, as well as how we even treat our children and other people. We must strive to be a positive influence to our children and others, as they will watch to see how we react to times of stress in our lives, and will have less respect for us if we react badly during these times. We need to examine our hearts to make sure we haven’t buried anger and unforgiveness on the inside. Matthew 6:15 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” I know it may be hard to forgive someone who has done an injustice to you in the past, however when we don’t forgive, we’re not hurting the other person, and we’re not hurting God. We’re only hurting ourselves. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 27

Communicate In Love

Communicate In Love “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2 I believe our family has had very good communications over the years, and our disagreements have been few and far between. Our relationship has always been good and everyone has had an open door to communicate with each other and with us. Conflict is a normal part of any home. What will set your family apart is how you respond to each other when circumstances collide. It is important to make our homes a haven of peace for our families and our children. We must speak the truth at all times in our dealings with our families and with our friends and neighbors. To speak the truth means to be honest, even when that involves taking a risk. To speak in love is to communicate the truth in kind and gentle terms. Often it has less to do with what you say, than with how you say it. I have seen many good communicators over the years and have also seen some very bad ones. Even though they might be saying the same thing, the way they expressed themselves can many times mean the difference between the person listening and becoming defensive and irritated, or whether they buy into what the person is saying. Consider your communication style and change it if you feel you are not lovingly expressing yourself to others. We need to communicate intentionally, what we want to say, and not communicate in anger. Anger is a God given emotion, but things said in anger will usually result in an outcome that will not benefit anyone. Our words should always be uplifting to others, and not to make anyone feel bad or hurt them in any way. We should be building others up instead of tearing them down. Always speak in love. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 26

Softly And Tenderly

Softly And Tenderly " For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." Luke 15:24 As I was growing up one of my favorite old hymns was "Softly and Tenderly", which was usually sung at the end of the church service, when the altar call was given. The words now mean much more to me than they did then, as they applied to me personally all throughout my life. Even though I always went to church when I was young, and after Margaret and I were married, she always insisted that we attend church. I went through the motions of being a Christian during these years, but my heart was never in it. The words of the song are "softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, he's calling for you and for me". These words were so true as Jesus was softly and tenderly calling for me to come home. It took over 40 years of my life before I accepted this call and gave my life to Christ and came home, but I am so glad that I did, as my life has never been the same since. Look at the words of this beautiful song below, and let its words minister to your heart, as these precious words will tell you that Jesus is also waiting for you to come home. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; see, on the portals he's waiting and watching, watching for you and for me. Come home, come home; ye who are weary come home; earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home! I pray that God will speak to your heart today just as he did to me about coming home, as He is also waiting to rejoice in your homecoming and is speaking "Softly And Tenderly" to you. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 25

Let Us Give Thanks

Let Us Give Thanks “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95:2 The last Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day, along with many of our holidays, is observed by most Americans as a day of feasting. It is sandwiched between Halloween, a day that has become a day relegated to ghosts, witches, demons and other wicked creatures, and Christmas, which signifies the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Today, millions of Americans regard Thanksgiving Day only as the day before they head off to the malls to begin their shopping for Christmas. Somehow our perception of Thanksgiving Day has gone askew, as we’ve forgotten the reason for celebration of that first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day historically was a time of feasting for the pilgrims and Indians. In the early 1600’s the pilgrims had only been in the United States several years, when they hosted the first feast to celebrate life with their Indian friends, and give thanks to God for His provision in their difficult circumstances. Thanksgiving Day should be a time that each of us should give thanks to God for what He has given and blessed us with. We as Americans are extremely blessed, and Thanksgiving should be a time when we show our gratitude to others by sharing some of our blessings with them. It should be a time when we share our love with a special friend, and show the people around us that we care about them. We should make it a time when we focus on God, and thank Him for our material wealth, our health, our country, our church and our families. God loves when we give thanks to Him, when we read our Bibles and pray to Him. Each day should be our Thanksgiving day as we should make it a habit to pray and make it a time of thanking God for everything He has provided to us, especially thanking Him for our salvation. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 24

Are You Running On Empty

Are You Running On Empty "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." Philippians 4:4-5 As I write my Daily Devotionals, I have only so much room on each page to deliver my message, as each page in my books has a margin. My devotionals would not be very readable if the print ran to the edges of the paper. Our lives also need a margin, as there are always boundaries we must never cross. There is good and evil and we must never cross the line where evil is in control of all we do, and all the choices we make. We must always have our life in balance, and decide what the margin is between rest and exhaustion, and what our limitations are, and always have "Something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations." Often people get themselves in situations where they are running thin on margin, my guess is that if you find yourself in this situation you are on overload in at least some of the following areas: You may have too many commitments, too much debt, too many expectations, too many hobbies, or too many selfish desires which take up all your time. God does not want you to go through life always running on empty, not having time to do the important things you need to do, such as reading your Bibles, praying and having time to develop a relationship with Him. There are several things you can do to insure that the proper margin is built into your life. Learn to expect the unexpected, because most everything takes longer than anticipated, learn to build margin into your planning. Learn to say no. Contrary to your perception, you are not indispensable. Cut down on your activities as they have a way of multiplying. Practice simplicity and contentment. Choose to live with less. Get less done but do the right things. Assess all your activities as to their spiritual authenticity. Decide to live the life that Jesus wants you to live, whatever the cost. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 23

Speak The Truth

Speak The Truth "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16 Let me ask you a serious question, "Are you more worried about what someone will say about you, or pleasing God"? Many Christians have become afraid to tell others about their faith, because they don't want to offend others. In many of our workplaces there are people who profess to be Christians, but their fellow employees don't know they are. They go to church on Sunday morning, but the rest of the week, you could not tell they are Christians. This is why those who God raises up in leadership positions have got to be true spiritual leaders, boldly and visibly leading people to Christ wherever God has placed them. The few who have ventured into the marketplace have done so with a watered-down, politically correct, "positive" message that insures nobody is offended. The problem with that is the Bible states that the Truth is offensive to those who reject it. The goal is not to offend, but to tell the Truth, however, the result of telling the Truth is that people will be offended. Look at what happened to those who heard Stephen simply state the Truth. They got so "offended," they literally took him to the edge of the city and stoned him to death. Don't wait for someone to lead you. You already have your marching orders from God Himself. We have been ordered to go out into the highways and byways and bring in the lost. God ordered us to go into the world and preach the Gospel. Don't wait for someone to lead you, as the Nike commercial says, "just do it." Go forth knowing that the arm of the Lord is with you. Know that you will be attacked as you enter the battle field. However, God told us that our battle is not with flesh and blood, that it is a spiritual battle. He also has equipped us with all we need to fight and win. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 22

What Is Success

What Is Success "The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered; and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master." Genesis 39:2 Many people struggle with the term success, and value it greatly in life. To be successful in our life is something that we all pursue and desire, in one form or another. The funny thing is that each us has a slightly different definition of what success is. Success for some might be to have enormous wealth and material possessions. For another success might be a grand title after their name. Others may want to be famous and be recognized for their achievements. For another success may be to be president or CEO of your own business or company. One thing I can guarantee you is that not a single one of us would include being a slave in that definition. But take a look at the verse above, as we see Joseph being a slave for much of his life. Notice that Joseph was a successful man in our Bible, all while being in the house of his master. Joseph was sold into slavery. He was forced to be a servant... first for Potiphar and then directly under Pharaoh. Never in his days in Egypt did Joseph live independently of his Egyptian masters. And yet the Bible says repeatedly that Joseph found favor with God and that everything he put his hand to prospered. You see, God can still show us His favor, even if we're not in what we feel like are the best circumstances. We just need to let Him be in control of our life, and He will use us in the way He chooses and fulfill the plan He has for us. We need to shake off the world's definitions of success and take on God's definitions for success. But most importantly, we need to learn to be content where God has placed us in life. Only when we learn to be content and thankful for where we are, and what we have, will God see fit to prosper us. This is not sometimes an easy thing for us to do and accept, but it's what God desires for us. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 21

Make God Your Obsession

Make God Your Obsession “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.” Colossians 3:23 In the hustle and bustle of today’s modern world people are hurrying and rushing from place to place, involved in all kinds of activities, but hardly taking the time to devote themselves to any one thing. We have too many things going all at once, and do not take the time to devote ourselves to doing any of them completely and as capable as we could. I believe that we will never have significant success with anything until it becomes an obsession with us. An obsession is when something consumes your thoughts and time Jesus also had a passion for his mission and goal in life. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Jesus focused on doing the exact instructions of His Heavenly Father. He healed the sick, He listened to all the people who sought His advice, He helped the needy, He came to make people successful, to restore and repair their life to the full fellowship with His Father. Jesus was so obsessed with the salvation of all mankind, that He gave His life on the cross for us. We all need to become obsessed with and have a passion for the things we do. We can start small, and start with little thoughts, little projects, and small dreams, but when we put our thoughts and devote all our efforts to these little things, we can see them grow into bigger and better things. We all need to find something to do that we will be passionate about and will become an obsession with us. We need to find something that is worthy of building our life around that God would want us to do, and then become obsessed and passionate about it. When we devote our time and our talents to these things God will let them grow abundantly, and we will be doing His will.

Making The Right Choices

Making The Right Choices "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 All of you parents reading this devotional today will make many choices during the rest of the day. You will make choices concerning your family, about your children, choices about your finances, maybe a choice in a relationship, choices in your job and many other choices. Many of these choices will be based on your selfishness and your own desires, as you will not consider others around you. Many of these choices will have been taught to you by the way your parents handled their choices. In most cases we learn how to be husbands or wives, based on what we saw others do. If we saw happiness, we may have happiness, if we saw abuse, either verbal or physical, arguing and threats, then we will be prone to carry this out in our own life, and we will have the same or worse results that we saw growing up. We are products of the decisions others have made around us, for us and on our behalf. The same is true in our spiritual life as we carry the things we have learned from out parents over to our relationship with God. We carry laziness, back biting, gossip, malice and viciousness all into our Christian faith as so often we think this is the way we are to behave. This is why it is so important for each of you to have a daily relationship with God. You may have grown up in a family where your parents did not make God first in their life, but you can be the one to change this, as you can bring God into your family for your children to see. A family that makes God first in all that they do will prosper, have more peace and be content with what God gives them. They will be able to make the right choices in all the situations that confront a family, as our God is a loving and caring God, and will bless a family that follows His commandments and makes Him first in all that they do. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 19

A Lukewarm Christian

A Lukewarm Christian "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20 This was a message from Jesus to the church as Laodicea telling them that their church was lukewarm. They had turned their faith in what Jesus did and said, into selfish ambitions and toward worldly things. It is so easy with the daily temptations of Satan, to turn a life that was once on fire for God, into one that begins to compromise and follow the ways of the world. It is easy to let the busyness of life, keep us from the daily reading of God's Holy Word, sometimes only reading a single scripture, instead of really seeking the wisdom of what our Bible has to offer. It is easy to diminish our prayer time to just a few short minutes each morning, not truly taking the time to talk to God about our problems, and thanking Him for the many blessings He bestows on us each day. It is so easy to let Satan begin to tempt us with the things of this world, and the busyness of this life that can get our minds off God, rather than the things that God wants us to pursue. Satan can get us so caught up with our hobbies, our jobs, and even our families that we no longer have time for God, and we become a lukewarm Christian. We may still go to church on Sunday morning, but the rest of our week is devoted to our own selfish desires, and the fulfillment of our own pleasures. This is the message that Jesus was warning the people of Laodicea about, which can certainly apply to our world today. It is easy to be a lukewarm Christian and follow the ways of the world, instead of building a daily relationship with God, so that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us in the way that God wants us to go. The book of Revelations, is about the end times, and the second coming of Christ, and what we can expect. We do not want to be caught short and not be ready for God's judgment day. Don't be lukewarm in your devotion to God.

A Time To Turn To God

A Time To Turn To God "In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free." Psalm 118:5 Many times during our lives we get up each morning expecting things to go as we have planned, but so often find that things immediately begin to go wrong. We do not expect to hear the news about a loved one passing away, from a heart attack. We do not expect to hear a report from our physician, about a test we had telling us that we have cancer. We do not expect to hear from our place of employment, that our job has been eliminated. Many of our plans can fall apart in just a few short hours, and our lives can be drastically altered forever. So what do we do when these things happen to us? We can do as David did many times, and cry to the Lord for His intervention. All of the incidents that happen to us are not unknown to God, as He knew before we did, that these things would happen to us. In these times of stress and despair, we have no one but God to reach out to, and no one but God who can help us deal with these situations. God may not immediately rescue us from these situations, but He can help us deal with them. He can give us peace, and help calm the storms that we are suddenly facing. God also has the power to heal and restore, and in His time may elect to do so, but even if He does not answer us immediately, He can give us peace and let us deal with the situations we face. I would encourage each of you, if you are suddenly faced with storm clouds and mountains in your life, to turn them over to God, and let Him walk with you during these times. He can lighten your load and help you. These troubling times may be times that God has given you, testing you, to see if you will respond to Him. So often we try to fix things on our own, by our own abilities, but only God can use these situations to lead and guide us to fulfill the plans for us, and lead us to the only place that matters, our eternal home in heaven. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 17

Strings That Bind

Good Morning to all my friends. This is another day that God has given us, let us be glad and rejoice in it. My prayer for you is that God will bless each of you today and give you His peace and His comfort in all that you do. Today's Challenge---------------- Strings That Bind "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 Several years ago, a young man in India read some of my devotionals, and accepted Jesus as His savior, and is now a minister, leading many people to Christ through his ministry. During one of our recent conversations, he was telling me how they train young elephants in India. The trainer ties one of their hind legs to a tree with a thick rope. The young elephant naturally tries to break free at first, but after awhile gradually gives up. As the elephant ages, he has become so accustomed to being chained, that he no longer tries to break free. Even a simple string is enough to keep him captive. This reminds me that so often our mistakes, failures, our sins and other issues can hold us captive to the past, much like these simple elephant strings. Scriptures, like the one above, however, tells us that we can break free from our past, as we have the power through Christ to break the chains that binds us. If you find yourself living with past sin, and you feel that you are hopelessly bound, I want you to know that you can break free from this string of habitual sin. "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles" Hebrews 12:1. Unless you break free, that string of guilt will hold you back from a deeper relationship with God. Each of you has made mistakes in your past, and you need to learn from them, but don't allow these past sins to hold you back, because if you don't break free, you will become so accustomed to them, that you will forever be held captive. Today, is the time to break these strings that bind you, as God tells you that He will give you all the strength you need, to free yourself, and accept His free gift of an eternal life in Heaven. October 30 Robert William Brock, Jr. My Daily Devotional Volume Six