Christsavedme's Daily Devotions!

[christsavedme]

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God came down (but I didn't!)

by John Fischer

"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being." (Philippians 2:3-7)

I have considered these verses before in these writings but just recently I saw something I had never seen before. This observation comes in the form of a confession that is almost too painful to record.

I have suddenly realized that all the while I have been interpreting this verse for myself, I have been identifying with Christ. You can see why it would be easy to do, since it starts out: "Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had," but the similarities stop there-in attitude, not in the position. My problem is: I assumed the position. I assumed I, like God, had something to give up when I served. When the example went on to show how Christ left his place as God and stooped to take on the form of a human being, I applied that to myself as well. It was somehow important for me to get down off my high and lofty place and become a human being. Well, hello ... what was I before that?

This realization has served to show me how I have thought of myself as somewhere up there with God-with a lot at stake here in this servant thing. God and I...we'll get down off our thrones here and go to work. OK God, I'm ready. If you can do this, so can I. (Gag me with a spoon!)

When Christ came down, he took on the form of a human being, which is where I start. The only place to come down from is the place I built for myself. And I need to do more than come down off it; I need to kick it over. I need to make sure it doesn't exist anymore, because it is a lie. There is only one God. That God came down to me in the form of Jesus Christ. I'm the one he stooped to meet.

This may be an obvious thing to most of you, but to me, it's a revelation of how skewed my thinking has been. I don't bend down to serve anyone. I am already down. I just need to wake up to my place and the attitude God wants me to have.

Most of all, I need to remember who God is, where he belongs, how far he has gone to reach me, and why he deserves my worship.

This was a really touching and eye opening devotion for me. It just goes to show how much our pride can get in the way of reaching others for Christ! God bless!

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

"Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed." 2 Chronicles 20:20 Holman CSB

Every life-including yours-is a series of successes and failures, celebrations and disappointments, joys and sorrows. Every step of the way, through every triumph and tragedy, God will stand by your side and strenghten you.....if you have faith in Him. Jesus taught His disciples that if they had faith, they could move mountains. You can too.

When you place your faith, your trust, indeed your life in the hands of Christ Jesus, you'll be amazed at the marvelous things He can do with you and through you. So strengthen your faith through praise, through worship, through Bible study, and through prayer. And trust God's plans. With Him, all things are possible, and He stands ready to open a world of possibilities to you.....if you have faith.

What an awesome thought......to know the power of God and to know that He is willing and ready to help us through the toughest of times.....if we just let Him. As the devotion says....we can move mountains if we just have faith! What about you, are you ready to move the earth.....I know I am!

Todays Prayer:

Dear God, sometimes this world can be a fearful place, full of uncertainty and doubt. But You are always near and You can overcome any challange. Give me faith, and let me remember always that with Your love and Your power, I can live courageously and faithfully today and everyday. Amen!

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Blood

by John Fischer

Jesus says in John 17:21, “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one …”

What does it mean to be “family”?

First of all, it means blood. Blood relatives trump all other relationships. You don’t get to choose your family; you don’t select your mother or your father, your siblings or your kids. What you have is what you got, and like it or not, it’s your blood. You will not be a healthy person unless you embrace this. Deny your family and you deny yourself in some way.

So what if your family is dysfunctional? Actually, I have yet to meet one that isn’t. I suppose, like all things, this is relative. Some are worse off than others. Some appear perfect by comparison, but time would reveal sores, wounds, and neglect. There are “black sheep” in every family. There are unforgiven sins. There are breeches, walls, and weak links in the family chain, but there is blood nonetheless, and the life is in the blood.

In the movie Parenthood, staring Steve Martin, there is a scene where the wayward son is asking his father to loan him some money. He’s in trouble and he owes someone who will harm him if he doesn’t pay back. He’s also got a new scheme that will make him “millions,” but will take him out of the country, which means he must leave his illegitimate son with his dad, too. And the dad gives him the money and takes the grandson, even though he knows he will probably not see the money or his son again. Why does he do it? Blood. It’s what a father does. God himself was represented in a similar story that Jesus told of the prodigal son, as one who gave his son his inheritance when he asked for it, knowing full well he was going to squander it unwisely. No questions asked. No lecture.

If this is the way it is with our earthly families, how much more with our heavenly one, into which we have been adopted by blood – the precious blood of Jesus? That blood not only paid the price for our sins, it put us in a family with a heavenly father who gives good gifts – who loves, disciplines, and is extremely patient because he has already forgiven. We’ve got a new kind of family with blood relatives for eternity. And even though these “blood of Jesus” relatives will disappoint us on earth, we are still family. We are one with God and each other. We will soon experience this oneness in heaven in its perfection, even as we have glimpses of it now, so we treat each other as family, regardless. We look past our dysfunctions. We embrace our brokenness, because Jesus has done the same for us. We are blood.

We will always be.

[christsavedme]

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“God, please don’t send me to Africa”

by John Fischer

What do you love to do? Chances are that love can be tapped into as service for the Lord. This kind of thinking may seem obvious, but it is radical at least to my Christian upbringing.

I grew up with a kind of warped Christianity that taught that if I was passionate about something, it was probably wrong. God was the great killjoy in the sky. Virtue was painful. The good usually felt bad. The bad (we were told) felt good. Denying yourself meant never doing anything you really wanted to do. Conversely, if you hated doing something, that was most likely what God was calling you to do. “God, please don’t send me to Africa” was a prayer you’d better not pray, because that was the first place he would probably send you if you prayed that prayer. As you might imagine, this kind of thinking turned out a generation of very dull, boring Christians who were always suspicious of having fun. Where do you think the Church Lady on Saturday Night Live came from, anyway?

Actually, God is one who delights in giving us our heart’s desire. In fact, he’s the one who gave us our desires in the first place, and he gave them to us not to frustrate us but to help us be useful and fulfilled in our service for him.

Think of what you know about King David in the Old Testament. Now here’s a guy who obviously loved music, poetry, women, and war. So he became a warrior/king and all his passions, in their proper places and under the Spirit’s control, drove him to be not only a great king, but a man after God’s own heart. God didn’t give him all these passions and then tell him to spend his life being a scribe in a cave somewhere. (He saved that for me!)

As a child, I had a passion for music. I would spend hours doodling on the piano, and when I got my first guitar, it became the goal of my life to make the same sounds I heard in my favorite songs. When, as a young adult, God put the idea in my head to use all these passions and skills to write and perform music about his Gospel and his truth, I thought I wasn’t hearing correctly at first. That couldn’t be serving God; that would be too much fun! It took an adjustment of my understanding of God and his ways to really believe God was in this. Now I know that this is the way he works. If he wants us to do something, he’ll put a desire in our heart to do it.

God is not in the frustrating business; he is in the fulfilling, joy-filled business. So if you are desirous of serving God, think first about what you can do and what you love to do. Serving God will be along those lines.

Sorry that there have been several days of no devotions. Work has been crazy the last couple of days! Hope you all enjoy this one! God Bless!

[buckee]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

[ QUOTE ]

If you have ever wondered how far God would go to show his love, look in the mirror and wonder no more. We need not look any further than ourselves to find the most shocking and amazing displays of God's grace. If we think otherwise, it is only because we have not seen ourselves as we truly are.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been told many times by unbeleivers, that my faith in God is because I am a weak human being, not able to stand up to the world on my own, and all I can do, is agree, and at times even hang my head and agree. Everytime I look in the mirror, I see my faults and my weakness, and it is my only strength to have the Lord there with me. I sure hope his grace is greater that I...much greater, because I'm counting on it.

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

This one was sent to me by my mother in law! It is from a book she was reading, not sure of the name, but she added some to it! I find it very touching! It is a little long, but worth it! God bless!

"When you come before God, how does He look at you? The accuser [satan] wants you to see a Father who is harsh, demanding, never satisfied with your performance, mostly disappointed with you and frustrated with the rate of your spiritual growth.

Nothing is deadlier to the secret place than a false idea of how God views you; and nothing is more powerfully energizing than when your mind is renewed in the word of God and you come to understand how He looks on you. When you gain ownership of the fact that God is smiling on you, that He is desiring your company and that He longs to be intimate with you, then the truth of that reality starts to touch your emotional chemistry and you actually begin to feel attractive to God [and loved!]. This attainment has the power to change everything about how you relate to God.

It all starts with understanding how God feels about the cross of Christ. Revelation 5:6 describes Jesus as a Lamb standing before the eternal throne "as though it had been slain". In other words, the death of CHrist is as fresh to God's mind as the day it happened. Time will never erase from before God's eyes the immediacy of the horror of Calvary, and the powerful atoning work of the blood of CHrist. God is eternally and infinitely passionate about the His Son's Cross. Those who place their faith in this great demonstration of love come under the intense favor of God Almighty. Your faith in Christ's sacrifice unlocks the infinite passions and delights of an exuberant God who yearns to be joined to your heart in eternal affection. Because you have set your love upon the One whom the Father has set HIS love upon, you have an automatic "in" with God...you're His child, you're family!!

When you know you're attractive to God, you come into His presence with boldness. You come into his presence the way He wants you to, with a lifted face, with expectant eyes, with a delighted smile, with an eager voice and with a burning heart. [Reminds me of how our children come to us when they are small, fully trusting....and God says we must come to Him as a little child]

He doesn't enjoy you any less because you struggle. He knows your weaknesses, He sees your failures, but yet He owns you as His child and enjoys you even when you fall!! He loves it when you pick yourself up and keep stepping forward again and again into His arms. How comforting to know we can bring the entire package of our inadequacies and shortcomings into His presence and know He lovingly embraces us and delights in us! He enjoys us at every stage of the maturity process.

In John 17:23 Jesus prayed to the Father "That the world may know that You...have loved them as You have loved Me". Think of it! God loves us just as much as He loves His only begotten Son! He feels the same way about us that He feels about his holy, spotless, selfless, Son. Incredible!!!!!

God feels much more passionately about me than I do about Him. Even when my passions are burning hot and bright for Him, they do not approach the intensity of His love for me. Here is one way I've noticed this to be true. The intensity of my love is very limited because I can only think upon one thing at a time. So when I work or go about the duties of my day, cognitive thoughts of God actually disappear from my mind. My mind will return to the Lord a few hours later, but for certain periods of time I'm not even thinking about Him. BUT He never stops thinking about me! ['How precious are your thoughts of me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are MORE in number than the sand'! Ps 139: 17-18. Have you ever tried to count the grains of sand in just one handful of sand?! There are thousands! Then look around at the beach you are standing on and as far as your eye can see both ways and out into the ocean and multiply that times all the beaches in the world!! And even that does not account for the thoughts God has toward you!!!!!!! AWESOME!!] His eyes are constantly riveted on me and His mind is incessantly focused on who I am and who He is making me to be. When I return to thoughts of Him, the immediate witness of the Spirit is "I've been here all along, waiting for you. I love you so much!"

He waits for you to come to Him! He waits all night long watching over you, waiting for you to rise, hoping that He might be the first thought of your morning. You don't have to wonder if He wants you to come into the secret place . He has been waiting for you and He'll continue

to wait for as long as it takes because His heart is bound up in your life. 'Lord, may I never again withhold myself from your embrace'!

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Ok here is one of my own. Well kindof. I took a Sunday School lesson and added a little hunting twist to it! Hope everyone enjoys and may God bless each and everyone of you!

A Hunter’s Five M's of correctly hearing God:

1. Look for the MESSAGE of the Spirit.

Listen to the Holy Spirit. Don't just casually ask God for guidance. Consciously turn your attention inward to see if what you are sensing carries the weight of God or if it is the unsure, unsteady voice of your own conscience.

You would think that those of us that are hunters would be good listeners. We sit in the woods for hours on end; cautiously listening for the sound of the game we pursue approaching us. How many times have you sat in a tree stand or ground blind and heard that twig break or the leaves rustle? You know the feeling! Your heart starts racing, your palms get sweaty, and your knees get shaky, at least I know mine do! Your mind starts running in circles as you search the woods for where the sound came from. It gets closer and closer and then suddenly a squirrel appears just beyond the old oak tree that you have been watching.

So often this is how I feel when listening for God to speak to me. Suddenly a door opens in our life that gets us excited. Whether it be a new career path, an easy financial gain, or anything else we just know that God has opened that door. But not every door opened to us is from God. That is why it is crucial that we learn to turn our attention to God.

2. Live in the MODE of prayer.

Submit what you hear back to God in prayer. Throughout your day when the issue comes into your mind don't spend time worrying; spend time handing the issue to God.

How much closer would we be to living a Christ like example if we just laid everything at His feet? A LOT!

Just think of it this way. Those of us that turkey hunt know that as we sit there on those early morning hunts just waiting on that gobble it is all about giving it back to him. When you hear the ole weary tom start his morning routine it is all about calling back to him. We call to him with those sweet yelps and purrs just hoping he hears us and comes.

Well hear is the best thing. We don’t have to wait on God to call; we don’t have to wonder if He will answer, and we don’t have to worry will He come. If we call to Him he will hear us and answer. Guaranteed! And we can call to Him anytime we want. He is always near!

3. Search out the MODEL of Scripture.

Carefully consider the Scriptures. Does what you think you're hearing in any way contradict the character of God or the Word of God?

Now this is a hard one but a crucial one. As those doors come open to us we must search for answers. The neat thing is God left us an instruction manual. The Bible is the most advanced instruction manual you will ever come in contact with. Also the only one you will ever need when dealing with life!

So as you sit on that tree stand and hear those sounds, are you sure it sounds like that big buck you have been hunting? As you sit in that ground blind cautiously waiting on that ole tom….is that him you hear in a distance dragging his wing tips? Could be, but if you study the behavior of the game you hunt, you will more likely be able to tell what the sound is long before that squirrel pops out and laughs at you so to speak.

4. Submit to the MINISTRY OF ELI.

Seek the counsel of a wise, more mature believer who can discern God's leading in his or her own life.

Don’t we learn a lot of our hunting strategies from more experienced hunters? Don’t we turn to them to teach us things we don’t know? I know that I look forward to meeting those that have been hunting longer than I have because I know that most of the time they can help me hone my skills.

Why would we expect anything different from God? He has placed those people in our lives to do just that. To teach us and help us become more like Christ! Seek out someone that you can turn to with those touchy subjects and let them be a wise counsel to you.

Does the ole tom or the ole buck not teach you new things every single time you come in contact with their great presence? Sure they do. Every time I enter the woods I learn something new. Especially on the days I let an ole tom get the best of me. Those are the days that I truly get “schooled!”

5. Expect the MERCY of confirmation.

Ask the Lord for confirmation. If ever you are in doubt just turn to Him and ask Him to confirm the situation. There is nothing like enjoying the confirmation of the Lord, much like there is no greater feeling than the confirmation of a great and successful hunt!

God desires you to know His will. He's not hiding it from you. "When I ask the Lord to confirm what He is saying to me through the Holy Spirit so I can be sure He is indeed speaking, he allows the Holy Spirit to speak to me and verify His message through His written Word, circumstances, or even another person." Priscilla Shirer.

[christsavedme]

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Communication breakdown

by John Fischer

Lord Jesus, are we talking?

It seems like it’s been a while. My voice to you feels weak. There’s no doubt about my belief, but I guess believing doesn’t count as communication. (I think I’ve assumed that it does without really thinking about it.) I can believe in my wife and not talk to her for a week. How long has it been since you heard from me – really heard from me? If I have to ask that question, it must have been a while. Somehow I’ve got you doing nothing but waiting around to hear from me while I go about my business oblivious to our lack of communication. Like I’ve got more important things to do than you do. Ouch! That sounds pretty close to blasphemy, making me wonder how often I blaspheme you with my ignorant assumptions.

Is our relationship more important to you than it is to me? If it is, I am grossly overestimating my own importance. The issue is not whether you are on my side; the question is: Am I on yours? And only I can answer that. Am I centering my life on you? The fact that the lines of communication seem rusty right now indicates there is a lot of inequity here.

What do I need to do to get back in touch? What’s that? I’m doing it right now? You just want my attention and you’ll take it any way it comes – through joy, sorrow, confession, pain, or the reestablishment of communication? That seems almost too easy. What’s that you’re saying? “Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:29-30 MSG)

I think I’m getting it now. No matter how far I may have strayed away, it’s always a short trip back. The breakdown in communication was only on my part, never yours. I don’t have to retrace my steps back to the last place I got off before I can hear you again, because you’ve been dogging me the whole way. As soon as I turn my heart and attention toward you, you are there to meet me because you never left.

It seems almost too good to be true. Where did I get the idea it’s supposed to be so hard?

[christsavedme]

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The fine print

by John Fischer

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)

These verses are what I call the fine print of the Christian life. When you sign up, you sign up for this, but unfortunately, not too many people read that far into the contract, and not enough leaders point it out. So when bad things start happening to us, we think something went wrong with our faith. Not necessarily. In fact, it’s an honor to think that your faith is worthy of being tested.

It’s a reverse spiritual principle that nonetheless is true: We get beaten down so that Christ might rise in us. It’s the whole idea God has of avoiding confusion. See, he doesn’t want people confusing human power and achievement with his power and what he is achieving in and through our lives. If all Christians were super-Christians, people would be impressed with them. As it is, God wants people to be surprised at us, not so much impressed – surprised that we can keep on believing, given what has happened to us. Surprised at us – impressed with God. That’s the way it should go.

It’s important to know this so that the things that happen don’t throw us into a tailspin. Paul wrote in the passage above that troubles, confusions, knock-downs, and drag-outs are all to be expected in a life of faith, and they are not just something to suck it up and endure, they are what will actually release the power of God in our lives. We encounter death-like experiences so that Christ’s life-like nature may clearly be seen in us, despite what is happening.

Let me try and say this again. This is not just endurance training through tough times. This is God’s strategy for ministry through us. There is no other way for it to be done. His strategy is his power and strength through our weakness – his life through our death. This doesn’t just happen to some Christians; it happens to us all if we desire to be effective in our faith.

So don’t forget the fine print today, and allow the troubles you face to springboard you into finding God’s purposes even in this. He had this planned all along. It’s even in the contract!

[christsavedme]

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Different parts and different hearts

by John Fischer

Why do we all have different passions? So everything that’s supposed to get done will get done.

Sometimes we get overwhelmed because we are constantly exposed to people with various passions for service, and when they represent their cause, they are so committed to that which has captured them that we feel guilty for not sharing their zeal. We seem indifferent in comparison.

When I was in college, we had chapel every day and almost every day we heard a message from someone who had a passion for some particular ministry. They were usually in some ways recruiting us for service, whether it was in missions, or in the church, or in society, or among the poor. It was overwhelming, and often frustrating, because everyone made every concern sound like the only thing any caring person would support.

The same thing happens in our churches. Sometimes we feel guilt because we don’t have the same passion as the last person who talked about missions, or abortion, or the homeless, or marriage, or singleness, or men’s ministry, or AIDS prevention, or prisons, or evangelism, or the military. What we forget is that there are so many needs because there are so many of us to meet them. We aren’t supposed to get our bell rung by every appeal that comes by. We are a body made up of different parts and different hearts; we don’t have to all be moved by the same issues and needs.

This is where the concept and the practical nature of spiritual gifts come in. There are a variety of gifts and there are a variety of ministries, but the same Lord working in all and through all. No one has to do everything; no one can. It is up to us to find out where we fit and what God put us here to do. Soon you will be just as passionate about something because it’s your thing. This is the way it’s supposed to be. We only get frustrated when we forget this and try and take on everything or get so overwhelmed that we take on nothing at all.

All of this should just make us marvel at the wisdom of God even more. He’s designed us all with different abilities and different interests so that we are not only good at what we do, we do not have to be frustrated or depressed over what we aren’t good at. When we all do our part in the Body of Christ, everyone gets a job, everyone gets honored, and everyone’s important. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

[christsavedme]

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Someone else’s problems

by John Fischer

Evangelicals often put being saved and going to heaven in the same sentence, as if heaven were the only goal of our salvation. But the truth is, we are saved to serve. Heaven is important, but heaven can wait. God saves us because he has a job for us to do in his Kingdom here on earth. If heaven is the whole point of our salvation, then what do we do while we wait? Change the channel on our Christian entertainment?

It’s amazing how many of our own problems dissipate when we begin caring about other people’s problems instead of focusing on our own. We’ve picked up some very bad habits from our culture. We have a tendency to be preoccupied with our own needs and constantly trying to fulfill them. Advertising plays into this self-indulgence, promising that one more product will be the thing that will finally satisfy us. The truth of the matter is: Getting will never come close to the satisfaction that giving affords.

Think of someone you know who is truly happy and I venture to guess you will find that someone busy serving others. If, in fact, our troubles will never go away (and I don’t believe they ever will in this life), then to focus on them and try to solve them is going to be nothing but a broken record. Make one problem go away, and watch another one crop up immediately. To give ourselves to the task of attending to the problems of those around us may not make our own problems go away, but it will make them less of a drag. Focusing on our own problems can lead to anxiety, frustration, and even depression. Focusing on other people’s problems leads to usefulness and a greater sense of health.

So today, when we are tempted to look in, to our own needs, let’s look out, instead, to the needs of those around us and see if our own needs diminish by comparison. Who knows, we may even forget about ourselves in the process.

Jesus hung on a cross and thought of those who were putting him there, and even pleaded their case before his Father, because he knew they didn’t realize the full impact of what they were doing. Can you imagine having even a fleeting thought about someone else if you were in that much pain yourself? But that’s just the thing about Jesus: He was always thinking of someone else.

[jbeck]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

God gave us all talents to use to further his kingdom. I have been given the talent of relating to teenagers, this gift can sometimes be seen a curse. LOL But I will do his will and spread his word with these kids.

Thank you for these messages, I just found them and I'm looking forward to following them in the future.

I know that I'm never as close to God as when I'm in the outdoors, I love being there and sharing devotions with my father. I never understood the love of my savior until I looked down in a crib in China and saw my daughter laying there. I met her one hour earlier, and knew I would give my life to save her. I now know of Gods deep desire to know me, share with me, and walk with me.

I'm going to quit rambleing now, thank you for these words.

God Bless, and I'm sure he has.

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

jbeck,

Glad you have stumbled upon what God has laid on my heart to do! It is a way for me to stay accountable to myself. I try to post a new devotion everyday! I would love to say that I wrote them all but as you can see only a few are mine! Oh well!

Anyways just wanted to say that I love to see other people that love and share the same passion as me and that is a love for Jesus Christ and sharing it in His creation is amazing. I love when I get the chance to share with someone in nature....whether it be on a hunting trip, fishing, or atv'ing! Just something about the Great Outdoors .... He is good all the time and all the time He is good!

God bless!

[christsavedme]

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It’s not about being a good Christian

by John Fischer

Here’s one of the greatest things about being a Christian: You can accept yourself for who you are.

Here’s one of the most tragic things about being a Christian: You can be one for a long time without knowing this.

I was what you might call a model Christian. I filled the bill. Any church or Christian school would have seen me as a poster child Christian. There was only one problem: I thought I was, too – when all the while I knew I wasn’t. I knew it was all pretty much a game.

All this was back when I thought a Christian was all about being a good person – someone who would rank high in relative goodness when compared to others more spiritually challenged.

This was before I realized that Christ died to save sinners, and to qualify for the free gift of salvation you have to realize you are desperately in need of being saved. You are drowning. You are dying. As a sinner, you are among the worst.

Once you make “being good” the criteria for being a Christian, out of necessity you become the judge of others because you have to judge others in order to remain good in your own eyes. So if you have not come to this, (i.e. you are still pretty good in your own eyes), and you preach the Gospel (many do, from this perspective), it becomes a Gospel for other people – not for you. And something doesn’t ring true.

You also remain aloof to just about everybody because you can’t really know anyone for fear they might come to know you and find out your secret, that you really are a scoundrel like everybody else. It’s a lonely life. Believe me. It’s much better to be a sinner whom Jesus Christ loves and for whom he died so you can spread the Good News about him to other sinners like you. Then you have nothing to hide, and only Christ – and a lot of friends – to gain by telling the truth.

I think this is one of the things that made Billy Graham such a good evangelist. When he preached about the Gospel, he never excluded himself from needing it. He knew the Gospel wouldn’t preach if it were not, first and foremost, for him.

Which brings us back to being a Christian and accepting yourself as who you are. That’s why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we all have unveiled faces. We have nothing to hide because we are reflecting the face of Christ whom we worship in continual gratitude for our salvation.

Thank goodness. I never liked being a good Christian anyway.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

The power of a changed life

by John Fischer

“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35 NIV)

It would appear that Christ’s first convert, other than the disciples he called, was the Samaritan woman he met at the well of Jacob. Up until this time, Jesus had performed some miracles and healed a few people, but this is the story of a woman who was not sick or demon-possessed; she was just an ordinary sinner like any one of us. This is our story as much as it is anyone’s.

The essence of this encounter is that Jesus knows everything about this woman’s past – her five husbands and current illicit relationship – and is offering her the living water of a new life. It’s a wonder that he was talking with her at all, with three strikes against her – a woman, a Samaritan, and a sinner. But Jesus not only talked to her, he gave her life significance. He noticed her, knew who she was, and knew what she needed.

She was so taken by this encounter that she left her water jar – the reason she came to the well in the first place – and ran back to town to tell everyone about this incredible man she just met. But what is equally remarkable was that Jesus appeared to be taken by this encounter as well, for when the disciples returned from the town bringing him food, he responded that he has food to eat that they don’t know anything about (John 4:32). Could it be that Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed over what his love could do for a desperate human being – how it could lift a huge burden of sin and set someone free. It’s one thing to heal a body; it’s another thing to heal a soul.

I think Jesus was overcome with joy and a passion for others who were lost – indeed, for the whole town. That’s why he responded to his disciples’ offer of food with: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. … What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!” (John 4:34-36 NLT)

Jesus was a man on a mission, and I believe he got introduced to the power his message would have on people that day. There’s nothing to equal the power of a changed life, and there’s nothing that will change a life like God’s forgiving love. Once this has happened to you, you can’t sit still. You have to run and get all your friends. And once you experience what it can do for someone else, you’ll be beside yourself, too, just like Jesus.

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Because of you

by John Fischer

Your mission is to live your life.

In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul addresses believers who are married to unbelievers, and outlines a general rule that if the unbelieving spouse chooses to stay in the marriage, it would be good for the believer to stay, too. He gives two reasons for this: First, the children will have a godly influence through the believing parent, and second, the unbeliever may be converted “because of you.” (1 Corinthians 7:16) (Exceptions to this rule would of course be situations of abuse and endangerment of a spouse or child.)

Just what does he mean by “because of you,” I wonder? Does it mean you are on a personal crusade to save your spouse? Does it mean that you will preach the Gospel to your spouse at every possible opportunity? Does it mean you will turn your house into a religious institution that coerces your spouse to either put up with Christianity or leave? No, it doesn’t mean any of these things.

It means simply what it says: “… because of you” – because of who you are, because of how you live, because of the way your faith affects everything you do, because of the way you carry on your life, because of the reality of Christ in your life. That’s it. No more; but certainly, no less. Paul is suggesting that living your life with a sense of purpose that comes from your faith in God is enough to convert someone.

It occurs to me that this could be applied to all believers in relation to life in the world among people with whom we work and associate who are not believers. General rule: Don’t leave the world. (Where would you go anyway?) Stay in the world – in relationships with unbelievers – for the chance that someone may be converted “because of you.”

We are not on a crusade; we are on a mission to live our lives according to God’s purposes. When we do that, we make possible an environment of change where a person who does not have a meaningful relationship with God might become curious about someone who does. “Because of you” is a statement of subtle influence, not coercion, and in the context of Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 7, it is a steady influence over time, as would be implied by a marriage. There’s nothing complex or even premeditated about a “because of you” influence. This is a believer going about the process of believing; and this is an unbeliever going over their life with a microscope, observing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Does not matter if God is there.

Thought for the day: Don’t ever sell short what God can do “because of you.”

[jbeck]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Well said, I know the guys at work watch to see if I bow my head before every meal. I got in a hurry one time and was half way through lunch before bowing my head. They jumped on me and said it didn't count since I didn't pray before hand. This hit me hard because I knew instantly that these guys are watching me every day and judging my savior by my actions.

Boy what a load, I'm trying to show Christ's love and forgiveness. But to fellow christians please remember, fair or not, christianity is weighed by your actions.

God Bless

Jeff

[BearClaw]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

I am a newcomer to the Realtree forum but I love the Lord and hunting and fishing! I wanted to share some books that I have read recently that really relate to us hunters. They are written by Steve Chapman and they are "A Look at Life from a Deer Stand" and "A Hunter Sets His SIghts". They really help you to reflect on what is really important in life. He also has two daily devotionals, one is called "With God on a Deer Hunt", I have read that and it is really good and he has a great way to relate things he has seen and experienced in the woods to our spiritual life. He has another one called "Reel Time with God" geared to fishermen and I'm looking forward to reading that one. Just wanted to share some things that will help us to grow in the Lord and really get our attention because of the way he presents them. Blessings!

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Jeff....You said it bud.....So often our actions are watched by those around us, and slip and you know that because of your love for the Lord you are going to come under fire! But the way I see it, that is a small price to pay!

Didn't Christ come under "fire" for us? Most certainly! Keep your head up bud and keep your faith strong! God bless!

Bearclaw....welcome to the forums. Glad you found this post and hope you will continue to visit. I try to post as much as I can here, but some days just don't get in here!

God bless!

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Better than who?

by John Fischer

One of the more damaging fallacies Christians can fall into is the thought that because they are a Christian, they are better than most people out there who are not. For example, they are a better mom, a better husband, a better child, a better teacher, a better coach, or they have a better marriage, a better family, etc. Though it may appear prideful or self-righteous, that may not necessarily be the case. This kind of thinking can spring from a genuine, though incorrect, assumption that Christianity, in order to be true, must produce better all-around people. In other words, we take on the responsibility to defend the truth through the “better” lives we display.

Now granted, we are all growing in Christ with the ultimate goal of becoming like him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are “better” than other people. It means we are in the process of becoming more loving, more truthful, more peaceful, more patient, and more kind. “Better” is often defined in terms that have little to do with becoming like Christ. The religious leaders of his day would never have described Jesus as being better than anybody. In fact, they thought Jesus was a scoundrel – they called him a drunkard and a glutton (Matthew 11:18,19). So “better” is a relative term.

What’s true is that we should be getting better, but “better” compared to what? Compared to ourselves – what we used to be – which may still be a long way from someone else out there who is perhaps a more healthy person overall. Bottom line: It’s not good to compare yourself with others, whether they are Christians or not. “Better” means better than I was yesterday, not better than you.

Admitting that an atheist has a better marriage, a Mormon has better kids, a Muslim family is more loving, or a Buddhist is healthier need not be a threat to one’s Christianity. The point is, as Christians, we are saved and that’s the most important thing. We are all sinners saved by grace, and rather than making ourselves out to be different from everybody else, we should be focusing more on our similarities. If we need Jesus, so does everybody else, which makes us basically the same as the rest of humanity.

I might think of myself as a good father but you know there are lots of good fathers out there, and when it comes to fathering, I have much to learn. So someone might teach me about fathering, and I might, in turn, be able to share Christ with that person because he may be experiencing a lot of guilt inside, or he may be carrying around a sense of failure, or he may feel alone and distant from God and wondering what his life is all about.

So you see, being a Christian has nothing to do with being better than anybody; it has everything to do with getting better, which is something we could all stand.

[Guest bruteshooter]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Thanks for each day Josh.

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Don't thank me....Thank Him for giving me the passion for Christ that He has. This is something that I love doing. I feel it not only may help others but keeps me a little closer!

Glad you are enjoying and I pray everyday that someone finds just a little tidbit here that helps them along the way during their day!

God bless!

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Thinking something different

by John Fischer

“Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” — Roger von Oech

I love this quote. I found it in the sign-off of an e-mail from a friend and it has provided a good deal of reflection, some of which I offer to you today.

First is the use of the word “discovery.” You could replace that word with “worship” and the quote would still work. “Worship consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” I have found a good deal of worship is discovery. As we find out more about who we are and why we are here, we discover that God is more involved than we thought. When you find out the truth about God, it's like discovering what was always there; we just missed it somehow.

C.S. Lewis coined the phrase “of course” to describe the discovery of God's presence in the world and in our lives. Worship is the uncovering of God at work in the world. It's all about discovery. For instance, when you find out you were made for God, it's not like some radical thought that never crossed your mind. It's almost as if you knew it, but you forgot. The phrase “of course” seems to capture this discovery aspect perfectly. A purpose driven life rings true because it confirms something we all knew deep inside; it's just that no one put words to it for our generation until now.

Secondly, I like thinking something different. A follower of Christ looks at things differently. Learning to “see” is a lot of what it means to be a Christian. Christ gives us new eyes, and nothing looks the same to us anymore.

A follower of Christ looks at:

death and thinks life,

losing and thinks winning,

tragedy and thinks opportunity,

brokenness and thinks humility,

accidents and thinks purpose,

coincidence and thinks destiny,

despair and thinks hope,

poverty and thinks wealth,

wealth and thinks poverty,

failure and thinks success,

the seen and thinks about the unseen,

history and thinks God's story,

science and thinks God's laws,

psychology and thinks Christ's wisdom,

anthropology and thinks God's image,

astronomy and thinks God's heavens,

the human body and thinks God's dwelling place,

war and thinks man's rebellion,

the cross and thinks everything made new,

truth and thinks Jesus.

The list is certainly not exhaustive. You can add to it I'm sure. In fact, that would be a good idea – to add to this list your own observations. You might surprise yourself at what you come up with. A lot of what we know, we don't know until we think about it. You might just discover you think something different!

Hope you all have a great day and God bless!

[Exturkinator]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Great devotions you've been posting - keep em coming.

Josh - I just noticed you are a paramedic in Olive Branch. I have a old dear friend who is a police officer in Olive Branch named Kevin McKenzie - he is a great Christian, a deer hunter, and is actually a pastor in a local church... Any chance you know him?

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

God's passion for oneness

by Jon Walker

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 HCSB)

Worship — When Jesus speaks of love, he allows no room for sentimental fantasy or momentary emotion. He sees love through the eyes of the Father, and from this point of view, he deeply understands that true, eternal, godly love is bold and strong, but also painful, messy and sacrificial.

A love of this strength and magnitude can only take root in the soil of abandonment. We abandon our rights, our thoughts, and our schemes. It was this total and uncompromising abandonment to God that led Jesus to say and do only what the Father told him to do (John 14:10). And it was this uncompromising abandonment that led him to the Cross.

If we are to become just like Christ, then we too must be abandoned to the Father. We must line up with the thoughts and plans of God so closely that we appear to be 'at one' with him, just as a married couple, deeply abandoned to each other, appear to live as one. Through abandonment, we walk so closely with God that, when people see us, they see the Father at work.

It's this abandonment that Jesus is teaching when he says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments." In other words, He's not demanding that you be obedient; rather, he's telling you that love for him should compel you to embrace his purposes.

The Jesus way is that you obey God's commands because you love God, not because you must obey God. By actively pursuing the purposes of God, you worship your Creator.

This also gives you a Christ-like perspective on the daily details of your life, turning every decision into a moment of adoration for God. When you let someone else take the parking space, when you stand behind a promise that proves more costly than you imagined, when you extend hospitality to the cranky neighbor next door, these are moments of worship to God because you are choosing to be obedient to his purposes, rather than doing things your own way. Even choosing not to sin becomes an act of worship as it brings you into closer alignment with God's commands.

As you face decisions today, ask God to show you which path will be an act of worship to him. Then, and I know this is easier said than done, move where he tells you to move.

As you take this step, keep your eyes sensitive to God’s Grace and presence in the moment. Do this throughout the day, keeping a log so you can track your movement toward oneness with God and his purposes.