Look Up For Your Answer

Look Up For Your Answer “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28 It is always interesting to watch people in a big crowd, some always look down, others always look around, and others are always turning and looking back, but God doesn’t call us to do either of these as He only wants us to look up. When God told Noah to build the ark, he instructed him to build a roof to within 18 inches from the top as a window, as He wanted Noah to only look up, as if he looked out from the side he would only have seen the endless water, the debris, and the people screaming for help. The answer to all of life’s problems is to always look up, as God has solutions for all of the struggles and problems you may be facing today. You can look around you, and may find some comfort in talking to other believers, pastors, family and friends, who can give you advice. You may also be able to look back and see how you and others have dealt with some of the same issues in the past, and not make the same mistakes again. You may look in front of you however, and see that there is no way out of your situation, and realize that you do not know where to turn. When all these fail you realize that the answer to your problem is to look up, and ask God for help. You will find that God is always there, and is always waiting for you to ask Him to help you, and give you His peace and His comfort in your situation. So if you are dealing with problems and difficulties today, you can raise your hands, lift up your heads and look up, where God will let the faith build up in your hearts, and fulfill His promise that everything will be all right. You will then realize that God promises to provide all that you need. My Daily Devotional Volume Six October 14

God Loves You

God Loves You "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 1st Corinthians 2:9 This week as I was voting in the recent election, the clerk asked for my identification, which I gave her. Even though my name and picture was on my driver's license they had used a number to identify me. When I got back home I had to call my bank to transfer some money from one account to another, and again was asked for a number. Before we can even get a job our employer must have our Social Security Number, as this is how we are identified in the world today. These series of events made me think that we are only a number when it comes to being recognized in society today. No one cares who we really are, what we do, what our wants and needs are. They only see us as a number. I am so thankful that God does not use a number to identify me. The Bible tells me that He knows all about me, He even knows the number of hairs on my head. He knew me before I was born, and in my mother's womb. He knows my inner most thoughts and my words before I think or say them. He knows what my future holds, and what I will be doing next week, and even next year. God has a plan just for me, one that no one else has or will ever have. He has not classified me as only a number, but knows everything about me, as I am one of a kind, and am unique and special in His eyes. You are also special in God's eyes as he knows you just as He knows me. There is nothing hidden from Him, as He knows all about you. You are so special to God that He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins, that you might be saved. If you have not accepted this free gift, please accept it today. Always remember that God loves you. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Six October 13

A Sin Free Life

A Sin Free Life "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." James 1:10 In scriptures like the one above the Bible is telling us that all of our sins are important. I realize that people have a tendency to want to place a value on the type of sins. For instance most would say murder is a horrific sin, but that telling a little white lie is not bad. In the sight of God both are still a sin, and nowhere in the Bible does God make a distinction about the severity of them. He does not rank them by their importance, or tell us to never commit the first six as they are really bad sins, and that the last four are not really all that bad. His words tell us just the opposite and that all sin is bad and must be avoided. Other scriptures tell us "And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." 1st John 3:5-6. These are powerful words that tell us just how important it is to lead a sin free life. With such powerful scriptures in mind, please do not take your daily walk with God too lightly, and try to justify any sin in your life. You need to avoid any sin, whether you consider it small or large, as God does not put a value or ranking on any kind of sin. Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are expected to remove all sin from your life. 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." When you accepted Jesus into your heart, your sins were forgiven to that point, but if you continue in sin, your guilt remains. Jesus expects your life to change after you accepted His gift of salvation, and wants you to remove all sins from your daily life. My Daily Devotional Volume Six October 12

A New Life

A New Life "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2nd Corinthians 5:17 There is something exciting about getting something "new". I can recall our children's faces when they got a new toy, or when they got new clothes, or got their first new bicycle. There is something inspiring about getting a "new" anything. Most people even try to change their appearances by new hairstyles, makeovers, whiter teeth, to plastic surgery in hopes of creating a new look. The problem with these superficial changes is that it is only skin deep, and only covers what is on the outside. In the scripture above Jesus promises us that our entire being can become new, not just the outside surface, but also our inner being, when we ask Him into our hearts. Our happiness and joy begins with what is inside us, in our hearts, not on the outside. Just think what a new beginning could mean to you today. I am confident most of you have made mistakes during your life. You have committed sins you are ashamed of, you have done things that you regretted doing, you have hurt others, and done things that you wish you could erase and eliminate in your past. When you accept Jesus, all of these are forgiven, as anyone who comes to Jesus is given a brand new start. "All things have become new." What an amazing promise God has given us. We not only get a new start, but we become a new creation. "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43:25 Once we accept Jesus as our Savior He wipes all our sins away, and we are given a new start with a new life. This precious gift of salvation, gives us the opportunity to begin a new life, one that will lead to an eternal future in Heaven. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Six October 11

God Has A Plan For You

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-------------------- God Has A Plan For You "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Do you know what God has planned for your life? I am sure that most of you don't know what you are going to be doing 10 years, 20 years or 30 years from now. I know that I had a completely different plan for my life, when I was 20 years old, than what I am now doing at almost 70 years old. During all phases of our lives we develop strategies, game-plans, life-plans, whatever you want to call them, but many times they do not become realities. Life is always sending us unexpected surprises, but God always knows what is in store for us, as nothing takes Him by surprise. He's the master planner. Even though we may face storms and trials during our life, which derail what we have planned for ourselves, God's plan never changes. Joseph is a prime example of life's surprises. It took him 13 years to realize what God had in store for him. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was betrayed and imprisoned, and must have wondered where God was, and what was going on in his life. But, finally, Joseph was placed in the highest position in the land, second only to Pharaoh, and was in the position to execute God's plan for saving his nation from famine. When our situations become difficult to handle, and impossible to explain, we need to remind ourselves that God said, "I know the plans I have for you". God knows what we can handle, and will never give us more than we can bear. The fact that we have problems in our lives is a sign that we also have a promise, and it's only a matter of time before God will reveal His plan for us. My Daily Devotional Volume Four August 13 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Your Inner Beauty

Your Inner Beauty "When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." 1st Corinthians 13:11-12 When you stare into the mirror each morning, who do you see? Your friends, family, the people you work with, your schoolmates, all know the person you see in the mirror pretty well. They see the same person that reflects back to you in the mirror, and may think that you are a pretty nice person, hard working, honest, kind and over all a person they like. However, when God looks at you, He not only sees the outside, but He also sees what is inside you. He knows your thoughts, and what is buried deep inside your heart. He knows all the pride you may have stored inside you, that prevents you from humbling yourselves to others. He knows the un-forgiveness that you hold inside, where you have not been able to forgive and forget the sins others have done against you. He knows the lies and falsehoods that you have told, the times you have taken things that were not yours. He knows the times you were angry and said things, or did things that hurt others. God sees all the darkness you have hidden away inside you, that others do not see. You may also see this same person that God sees, and know what is deep down inside you, that is hidden away, and not be proud of the person you see. However, no matter how much darkness you may have hidden from the people around you, Jesus still loves you and can remove all this darkness. He wants the people who see you each day, to not only see the outward person, but also to see your inner beauty. He wants them to see Jesus in your life. If you do not like who you see, you can ask God to change you to be a person that both you and God are pleased with. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Six October 9

Leave The Past Behind

Leave The Past Behind "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14 It is so easy to want to look back in life and see the mistakes we made, the things that have gone bad for us, and use these as an excuse to not move forward. If you want to run the race of life successfully, then don't look back. If you have ever run a race and looked over your shoulder to see what your competitor was doing, then you know that looking back can break your stride and ultimately cause you to lose the race. In the scripture above, Paul tells us not to look back on life, but keep our eyes focused on what lies ahead. You cannot allow the things that happened last week, last year or ten years ago affect you, and take your eyes off what lies ahead. When you accept Christ as your savior, your sins, no matter how bad they were, are forgiven; you start anew with a clean slate. God no longer holds your sins against you. Sometimes we want to dredge up the things God has forgiven and forgotten, which keeps us locked into our past routines and practices of sins. This is why we must forget the past.. The Lord says, "I will remember their sins no more" (Jeremiah 31:34). Yet many times we will bring past sins up, forgetting the fact that our God has a big eraser. Why should you choose to remember what God has chosen to forget? If God has forgiven and forgotten your sins, then you need to leave them behind also. You must learn from your mistakes, and not do them again, but then you must move forward. You can't change your past, but you can change your future when you accept God's gift of salvation. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Six October 8