Christsavedme's Daily Devotions!

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'I can't; God can'

by Jon Walker

“I can do nothing on My own …" John 5:30 (HCSB)

Fellowship--A common misconception of Christian fellowship is that it simply means spending time with fellow believers: coffee and donuts, a pot-luck supper, a day at the lake. This form of fellowship is a significant part of Christ-like fellowship because God shaped us to need one another.

But the heart and core of Christ-like fellowship starts with the Father. We are to abandon ourselves to his purposes, and declare ourselves totally dependent upon him. Without him, we can do nothing; why, if we believe what we say we believe, would we want to do anything without him?

This intimate fellowship, abandonment, dependence, means we can call upon the Father when we are in distress or when we are tempted, and he will provide more than just a celestial shoulder to cry on.

Now understand this significant sequence: You must confess 'I can't' before you can agree 'God can.' The danger is: If we rush past 'I can't,' we'll never fully embrace the truth that our rescue can only come from God.

Instead we'll continue to think there is still some way we can rescue ourselves. We'll still, wrongly, believe we can do some things -- anything -- apart from God. We'll start to believe that, if we keep all the rules (which is impossible) -- or even some of the rules -- then we've somehow made ourselves into good little Christians.

The irony is that this 'I can' living looks real good. The apostle Paul even says there's a certain glory to it because it's reflective of God's Spirit (2 Corinthians 3).

But these rules we keep are merely a ministry of condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9) designed to get us to finally admit 'I can't' and only 'God can.' They're a school of Christ meant to show us that we're not as strong as we pretend to be, that there is a limit to how well we can carry out the rules apart from God.

Being Spirit-led (abandoned to God) means you recognize that the rules written on stone are outside us and, therefore, inferior to God's full plan -- which is to write the new rules on our hearts with his very own hand. He's placed his Spirit inside us in order to change us from the inside out.

My prayer is that you and I will no longer slow the progress of God's hand-written note upon our hearts because we're so busy keeping rules that were meant to bring us into fellowship with God. In other words, we're so busy pursuing rules that we stop pursuing God.

So what does this mean to me? If there is an area of your life where you still think 'I can,' then it means you are also saying, 'God can't.' This is not a statement of condemnation; rather it is a message of relief. You don't have to do it on your own; your fellowship with God will provide the grace and strength you need for anything. God wants a deep, intimate fellowship with you. In what ways does your independence keep that from happening? Isn't it time to get out of God's way and let him transform your heart?

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We are teachers of the faith

by Jon Walker

“Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other.” (Colossians 3:16a NLT)

Discipleship – We are all teachers of the faith.

We may be good teachers or we may be bad teachers, but we all are teachers. Everyday, hopefully, we model biblical behaviors and respond with Christ-like attitudes.

Teaching involves more than unpacking Bible stories or giving theological insight; we teach when we help one another know how to love a spouse, make wise decisions, keep our thought-life pure, or get out of debt.

The Apostle Paul says we’re to “counsel each other.” That means we should be learners also – listening to other believers as they tell us about God’s work in their lives, and watching one another to see what “Christ in you” looks like in another human being. (Colossians 1:27 NIV)

He says the power of collective spiritual growth occurs when we:

*Let the words of Christ live in our hearts. We must know God’s Word before we can teach it. As we hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate on the words of Christ, we take them into our hearts. This gives us the wisdom we need to help one another grow in godly character. (Romans 15:14b, NCV)

*Use God’s words to teach and counsel each other. The Bible reflects the mind and will of the Father. When you’re carefully stepping along a slippery slope, would you rather consult the wisdom of God, or the wisdom of man?

It’s not enough to merely learn the Word; we must allow it to take root in our hearts so we then can apply it in our lives, holding tight, not relaxing our grip: “Guard it well – your life is at stake!” (Proverbs 4:13, MSG)

So what does this mean to me? Your friends and relations are not an accidental part of your life. (Remember that during the next family reunion!) They are gifts from God. They are the very people God designed to help you grow in Christ-like character. Even if they are not Christians, God can still use them to create Christ-like character in you.

If your life is a lesson to others, what are you teaching them about faith in God?

Sorry it has been so long since the last post! There has been a lot going on here! Glad to say I am back now and ready to go again!

God Bless!

[christsavedme]

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It's not the How; it's the Wow!

by Jon Walker

"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20 NLT)

Mission — Long ago and far away, there was a teacher who worked painstakingly to teach me how to play the guitar. Every week, we'd climb up and down musical stairs crafted from the pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic, and octatonic scales. This emphasis upon technique frustrated me, and I grew to hate it so much that I abandoned the guitar – until playing it became a positive part of my mid-life crisis.

OK, OK ... Yes, I would have been better guitar player today if I'd practiced what my teacher told me (and, kids, eat your spinach too). But somehow I became so buried in the technique of making music that I lost the exhilarating pleasure of the music – with its power to make my heart soar toward the grace-filled face of God.

You might say the How of guitar-ianity muted the Wow of the music.

And in our well-intentioned focus on the How of missions and evangelism, I sometimes wonder if we lose sight of the Wow – that God's Holy Spirit lives within us, and that he is with us always, day after day after day, until the very end of time.

Wow! Can I get an “Amen?” Say this with me, brothers and sisters:

Wow! The God of the universe is present by his Spirit within me!

Wow! The God who spoke the world into existence lives within me!

Wow! The same God who placed the moon and the stars and the sun into the sky also placed his Spirit within me!

Wow! The God who owns the cattle on 10,000 hills considers me one of his heirs and is pleased to give me a share in his kingdom!

Wow! The God of Creation spoke me into my mother's womb, SHAPEd me as a masterpiece crafted for the mission of proclaiming his Wow throughout the world! (Jeremiah 1:5)

It's not the How; it’s the Wow!

Good God Almighty, he lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives in me today! (Galatians 2:20) The Wow is with me always and forever, yesterday today and tomorrow, forever and again, amen.

The Good News we proclaim without shame is that the Wow is in our hearts, and the Wow will come into any heart that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord.

So what?

· Relationship over results – God is more interested in you than he is in your methods. Wow! And the Good News we carry is that God is truly interested in the life of each person he placed on the planet. Are there some relationships where you emphasize the How over the Wow?

· Set your heart on the Wow – You must be deliberate in staying focused on the Wow. "… Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1b-2 NIV)

· No commandment harmed – No commandment was harmed in the making of this devotional. Ha! Staying intimately focused on the Wow does not suggest the How is unimportant or that the How can compromise biblical truth or downgrade "the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6 HCSB) But the greatest How is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." The second is "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-40 HCSB) The Wow guides the How.

May the WOW guide you, my friend.

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Radiant Certainty

by Jon Walker

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:20-22 NIV)

Worship/Fellowship — There are some days when, frankly, I don’t feel much like worshiping God. There are probably more days like that than I’d care to admit.

But usually those are days are when I’m staring at my circumstances and making faithless judgments about what I see around me. And I struggle with the God-truth that he is in the circumstances that surround my life – all the circumstances.

Have you ever considered that heartbreak is part of God’s plans for you, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”? (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) We put so much energy into avoiding the hurt when God would have us embrace it. He wants us to know that he can heal our hurts, even use our hurts for his benefit, and for us to faithfully believe that sometimes the circumstances we think are harming us are actually positive situations God is engineering.

God, who is omnipotent, sees the breadth and depth of our circumstances, and he knows his plans for our lives. Thinking, then, like Christ, we can slowly, ever so slowly, begin to understand that avoiding the pain in our lives is actually an act of faithlessness. God calls us to faith in him during difficult circumstances; we’d rather place our faith in avoiding the circumstances.

As always, Jesus shows us the way – because he is the Way. Jesus embraced the pain of God’s plan for his life, and he did it with full faith that God was still working the plan to bring a “hope and a future” to your life and mine. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) Christ was so sure that his grief would turn to joy that he showed a radiant certainty in God’s faithfulness (“Radiant certainty” is a phrase William Barclay uses to describe the attitude of Jesus at the Last Supper).

Our Brother Jesus, who is also our King, was heading into a crisis that would cost him His life, yet He was so certain – radiantly certain – of God’s faithfulness that not one of his disciples even discerned the gravity of the crisis! Jesus was so certain of God’s faithfulness that it radiates throughout his whole being.

And we, too, can have this radiant certainty about God’s hand in our lives. We can say, when it comes to God’s faithfulness, “I know because I know that I know.” That’s radiant certainty! The Cross was Christ’s glory, not His penalty – and the same is true of difficult circumstances in our lives.

So what?

· God’s faithful character - You will develop this radiant certainty in God when you learn to trust in his faithful character. Your daily worship of God is irrevocably tied to your faith in God.

· Praise God anyhow - You must choose to praise and worship God every day, no matter what the circumstances of your life. Developing a radiant certainty in God begins with simple steps of faith and obedience.

· Respond to God, not your circumstances - When faced with a painful or difficult circumstance, ask God, “How do you want me to respond to this?” Keep your eyes wise for the ‘Why me?’ traps that lay about your circumstances.

You can be radiantly certain of this: Difficult circumstances are opportunities for you to intentionally focus your faith in God and to see what he will do to give you hope and healing.

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The armor of God

by Jon Walker

“Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:14-17 NLT)

Ministry/Service — As you engage in ministry for God, you will be attacked by God’s enemy, Satan. God knows this, and so he has provided you with the tools you need to stand your ground in ministry.

Father, today, in Jesus’ name, I put on the girdle of truth. I thank you, for I know who I am and that I have the power of the Holy Spirit within me. God is in control of my life.

Thank you that I can put on the breastplate of righteousness. In all situations, help me to respond from the truth and not from my emotions. I can refuse to receive lies from the enemy.

Today I strap on the sandals of the gospel of peace. Wherever I go, I can be a peacemaker, helping others make peace with you. Help me to remember that there’s a difference between a peacekeeper and a peacemaker – and that mercy triumphs over judgment.

You, my shield of faith, are sufficient to protect me from any arrows and slings the enemy throws my way, and I recognize that my faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Thank you that you are giving me the mind of Christ. Because I wear the helmet of salvation, I can receive the truth, and I don’t have to think in old, fleshly patterns. My mind is being renewed by the power of God. I can take thoughts captive for Christ.

The sword of the Spirit is your Word, the Bible. With guidance from the Holy Spirit, I can use your Word to deflect any slings and arrows from the enemy, knowing I do not battle flesh and blood but that the fight is against the father of all lies. Help me also use your Word to spread your Gospel across the world.

Lord, I set my mind and heart on you today. I dedicate this whole day to you. I only want your will for my life. Through the name and blood of Jesus, I ask you to bind the enemy in my home, at my children’s school, and at my job.

So what?

· God already has provided all the armor you need to face today’s battles.

· When you feel a battle brewing, whether it be a temptation or a conflict, remind yourself again of the armor God has given you.

· When you sense conflict, discouragement, or anxiety this week, thank God that he is your shield and deliverer.

[buckee]

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And help me to remember that my body armor is your righteousness Lord, and not my own, for I have none, I can call my own.

[christsavedme]

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So true Buckee.....so true.....something I think we all need to remember!

[christsavedme]

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The ministry of acceptance

by Jon Walker

“So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. (Romans 15:7 NLT)

Ministry/Mission — When I was growing up, I considered my older brother the embodiment of cool. Cole was funny, handsome, athletic, and popular. He married the homecoming queen and then became an Air Force pilot, where he exhibited courage and grace at war in Vietnam.

He’d quite literally been all around the world, and he always returned with fascinating stories about the places he’d been and the people he’d met.

Because I grew up feeling like an outsider, I often wished I could be like my brother, who seemed accepted and liked by just about everyone. One summer, while I was in college, I stayed a few weeks with my brother, and while we were at a restaurant with his many pilot friends and their wives, Cole said, “I think Jon would fit in well with our group.”

Those words count among the most meaningful every said to me. My cool brother was telling me I was accepted, and his cool friends agreed with him.

The need for acceptance is universal; all of us have felt the sting of rejection. Perhaps you were the last one picked on the ball field, or maybe one of your parents let you know you’d never “measure up.” And the problem isn’t limited to adolescence. Perhaps you struggled through an unrequited love, or maybe the company you’ve poured your life into for the last 17 years let you go with all the flourish and finesse of a guillotine.

The Good News is, Jesus accepts “rejects.” We can see throughout the dispatches of the New Testament that Jesus didn’t care who you were or where you’d been. He accepted thieves, prostitutes, sleazy bill collectors, lepers, and the poor.

And, yes, my dear brothers and sisters, even now he accepts nerds, geeks, and freaks, people with zits, split ends, flat chests, or beer bellies. He accepts people who don’t have any friends, and he accepts those who have an abundance of friends. He accepts people who’ve made mistakes and those who will never admit they make mistakes. He accepts you, knowing you will make more mistakes.

Our lesson from Jesus is that he saw every person as an individual – valuable, important, a being created by God. Jesus looks past the surface, deep into our very souls, and yet he still loves us and accepts us.

Once, when Jesus was eating with a bunch of “rejects,” the teachers of religious law asked his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus responded: “Healthy people don't need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough.” (Luke 5:30-32 NLT paraphrased)

Inherent in Jesus’ approach is his core belief that each individual is a unique creation of God. Your bad behavior is temporary, and through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, it will quickly change to good.

That means Jesus accepts you and loves you, even while you’re still stuck in your sin: “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8 HCSB)

What does this have to do with missions? When you learn to accept the love of Jesus, you’ll be able to accept those who need Jesus. But before you rush into the remotest regions of the globe to share this ministry of acceptance, would you do me a favor and look across the dinner table and accept the ones you see there?

So what?

· Do what Jesus did – “So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!” (Romans 15:7 MSG)

· See people as God’s creation – “So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now!” (2 Corinthians 5:16 NLT)

· Practice non-judgmental listening – Listening is a powerful way to show acceptance. Ask God to help you hear the other person. Ask him to give you such grace that you won’t rush to judgment or push to immediately “fix” the other person.

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The Holy One of Blessing

by Jon Walker

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:36 NIV)

Worship — Last night I read the book, “Night,” by Elie Wiesel. The narrative was so compelling that I could not put it down. Wiesel described the unholy madness he faced during World War II as a prisoner in the German killing-camp Auschwitz and then as one of the few survivors of a death march to the concentration camp at Buchenwald.

Wiesel, an orthodox Jew, lost his faith in God and in humanity as, day by day, he fought to survive in a catastrophic pit of **** where, as one prisoner told him, “… There are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone.”

When he was finally liberated by Allied Forces in 1945, Wiesel was just 16. He’d witnessed the slow death of his father; his mother and sister were presumably dead; and he felt as if everything had come to an end: “… Man, history, literature, religion, God. There was nothing left. And yet we begin again with night” (a reference to the Jewish tradition that a new day starts as night falls).

Throughout the narrative, Wiesel records bits and pieces of traditional Jewish prayers as they’re recited by himself and other prisoners, and he honestly records his anger at God for appearing to ignore those who cried out for the Almighty’s protection.

In my life, I’ve never faced the kind of earthly **** Wiesel faced, yet I’ve found myself angry at God for appearing to ignore my cries for help. I’ve abandoned my faith for much lesser things.

I cannot say how strong my faith would be if I was faced with an evil so mind-wrenching. Just trying to write this devotional, I could not find adjectives strong enough to convey the horror at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and yet, in my life, I struggle to maintain my faith when I simply don’t get my way.

But then, it’s not about me, and it’s not about you. We serve a God of Blessings, even though we may not see the blessings in our hand. We may not even see the blessings in God’s hand, but as my sweet Southern aunt always says, “When you can’t see God’s hand, trust in his character.”

It would seem the stuff of faith is facing the fire, and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we say, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18 NIV)

In other words, we may not be rescued by God, but we will continue to worship him, and, just to be clear, no matter what happens, we will not worship your gods. We will not worship inferior gods made from gold, stone, and wood. We will not worship inferior gods made from the brick and mortar of self-centeredness, from self-will, from our demands for an easy, understandable life and an easy, “only if I can see it” faith. (Hebrews 11:1)

We worship God when we leave it up to him to interpret our circumstances. We worship God when we take the facts that we can see and offer them to the God-who-sees-all. We worship God when we allow him to define our lives and our purpose.

We worship God when we allow our heartache and our horrible circumstances to crowd us closer to the One who grieves with us because he loves us more than any other.

So what?

· Give your circumstances to God – God sees the big picture, so he is the best one to interpret your circumstances. He is in control of all things, even when it may not appear that way.

· Look for the blessing – When faced with heartache, ask God to show you the blessing, the dark treasures, hidden within. (Isaiah 45:3)

· Instead of asking, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ ask God, “What do you want me to do in this situation?”

· Pray: “Oh Holy One of Blessing, Your presence fills creation. Thank you for this day and for the simple blessings I so often overlook. You go before and behind, and I trust you to turn these circumstances into something that brings glory to you.”

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Somewhere else

by Jon Walker

“For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11 NIV)

Community — Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t want to be? Maybe it was a job, a town, or a marriage. Maybe it was a stage in life, like singlehood, or a state in life, like a disability. It’s very possible that as you read this, you’re wishing you were somewhere else – anywhere else – living a different life, but you know it’s not likely that anything is going to change any time soon.

God has a word for you. It’s the same word he gave a group of people when they were stuck in another country, exiled from their homeland. They’d folded their arms and said, “We’re going to wait this thing out, and when we get home, we’ll start living our lives.”

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God told them, “You’re not going home any time soon, so start making your lives here. Plant gardens, buy homes, let your children get married, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the place where you’re currently living because, by doing that, you too will be blessed with peace and prosperity.”

To use a modern cliché, God was saying, “Bloom where you’re planted.”

Don’t invest your energy in hopes of leaving; instead invest your energy in the people around you. The Christian martyr Jim Eliot expressed it this way: “Wherever you are, be all there.” Don’t be physically present but mentally somewhere else, thinking of the future or the past, thinking of someplace else. Our journey with Christ requires that we be fully present in the present.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it “this worldliness,” and said, “It is only by living completely in this world that one learns to live by faith.” This focus allows you to see that your life is centered in God and not the place you live or work, not the person you’re married to – or not married to – not how you feel or how you look.

Investing in the people around you is exactly how you find life. Jeremiah even told the exiles that God had arranged for them to be in exile. So it was God’s plan all along to push them to the edge of their existence, so they would end up centered solely on God.

You may feel like you’re in exile too, but God is still working in your life; and his message to you is: Dig in and fully embrace the life around you.

So What?

· Center your life in God, not in your circumstances. God is constant; your circumstances are temporary. Ask God, “What do you want me to learn or to do in these present circumstances.”

· Change me, God – Instead of asking God to change your circumstances, ask him to change you in the circumstances.

· Practice being in the present – Today, whenever you find your mind drifting to another place, bring it back to the present, and ask God to help you stay in the present.

· Determine to be a good steward of what you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have. Make the most of what God has given you.

[christsavedme]

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Jesus stopped

by Jon Walker

“Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.” (1 John 3:18 NLT)

Ministry/Service — Jesus stopped. He stopped when people needed his help; when they needed his comfort; when they needed his protection; when they needed an answer to a perplexing problem.

Jesus saw the interruptions in his life as divine opportunities to show God’s love to people in desperate need.

Jesus approached love from a show first, then tell perspective.

He defined love as meeting needs, and when he touched people, they realized “… they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful – and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, ‘God is back, looking to the needs of his people!’” (Luke 7:16 MSG)

Jesus expressed his love through action. He calls us to be action figures, but he never wants us so busy saving the world that we ignore the interruptions of those in need.

Like the Good Samaritan, Jesus wants us ever ready to help someone in need (Luke 10). The Bible says, “If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.” (1 John 3:17 MSG, italics added)

Jesus showed that faith and service go hand-in-hand. When the woman of poor reputation anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive oil and tearfully washed them with her hair, Jesus said to her, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Her act of service was a reflection of her faith in God.

When the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus to verify he was the Christ, his response was to point to his service. He said, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Luke 7:22 NIV)

And the Jesus-follower James stressed that we are to be doers of the word, not just hearers: “Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup – where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?” (James 2:14a-17 MSG)

Francis of Assisi once wrote, “Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words.” In showing our love, no task should be too menial. Jesus specialized in acts of service most people usually try to avoid: washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him, because his service flowed from his love.

So what?

· Practical love – Jesus indicated our acts of love should be very practical; even giving a cup of cold water in his name is an act of love (Matt. 10:42).

· Serve today – Ask, ‘How can I serve you today?’ Look around and address what you see: Help mow the lawn, watch a neighbor’s child, bring food to a shut-in, visit a sick friend.

· We serve God by serving others, and we can serve even better when we serve with other believers (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Think about a ministry that you can share with a small group of friends.

[christsavedme]

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The anchor of our hope

by Jon Walker

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NIV)

Discipleship — God tells us in the Book of James that we can count it all joy when we go through trials and tribulations.

He isn’t saying we have to be happy when we suffer a loss. Rather, we can be confident that a just and loving and merciful Father is working everything out for the good of his perfect will (Romans 8:28) – and we can rejoice because God uses moments of crisis to reveal where we have anchored our hope.

Have you anchored your hope in your circumstances? Or have you anchored your hope “on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”?

Several years ago my daughter, Kathryn, died. And, to be perfectly honest, my wife and I became angry with God. We’d asked him to save Kathryn, and he didn’t answer our prayer.

But slowly we began listening to God, and gently … very gently … he taught us that our perspective was extraordinarily narrow. We’d placed our hope in our answer to prayer, insisting we knew best what should happen. We did not trust that God knew what he was doing, that with his Father’s heart he had figured it all out, making plans to take care of us and Kathryn, plans to give us the future we actually hoped for in the depths of our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG)

We’d hung our hopes on the wrong hook, forgetting our Creator is a God of hope, and that his hope will not disappoint. (Romans 5:1-5)

This is the Truth we can cling to no matter what our circumstances. We can trust in God’s character, even when we can’t see his hand at work. We can trust in God’s plans for us, knowing that he goes before and comes behind. We can trust that God is always in control and that he is bigger than our circumstances.

If our God is not God in times of trouble, then he isn’t God at all.

The Apostle Paul told us that, because we have this tremendous hope inside, we need not grieve our losses like those who have no hope. He’s not saying we can’t or shouldn’t grieve at all; rather, he’s saying that death or any other loss is not the end of the story because we serve the God of Glory.

We believe Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe God will resurrect those in Christ who’ve been taken from us. And we can encourage one another with these words of hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV)

So what?

· Let God be God – God is working out the details of your life. Even the darkness is light to him, and he can take even bad situations and redeem them for his holy purposes.

· His hands hold your future – Where have you hung your hope? Is it in a job, a relationship, a dream home, a wishful chance to make a better choice in the past? Tell God you’re giving your circumstances and regrets to him, that you’re placing all your hope in his hands.

· Look above – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2 NIV) Look to God and not at your circumstances.

· Change what you do – How would you handle a situation differently if you were 100% sure that God was working the details out, according to his eternal plan and based on his love for you? “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see ….” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

[christsavedme]

Re: Christsavedme\'s Daily Devotions!

Being honest with each other

by Jon Walker

“No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your brother the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.” (Ephesians 4:25 MSG)

Discipleship — Honesty deepens our relationships, allowing us to be transparent with one another. (Proverbs 24:26) It keeps our fellowship open and authentic, freeing us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) as we practice remarkable integrity. (Titus 2:7) It keeps us sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance (John 16:13) and helps us battle deceptions that corrupt our lives in Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Being honest with each other requires us to say what we mean and mean what we say. (Matthew 5:37) It means we show the same honesty in public as we do in private. (Acts 20:20) It calls us to remain committed to the One Truth – God’s truth. (John14:6)

As new creations in Christ, we’ve taken off our old selves, and accordingly we should no longer lie to each other. (Colossians 3:9) In fact, the father of lies is the evil one: “There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar ....” (John 8:44 NIV; italics added)

Being honest in Christian community means we no longer use pretense to keep others from seeing who we really are – “We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2 MSG)

There should be no need to “read between the lines or look for hidden meanings” because we speak a “plain, unembellished truth.” (2 Corinthians 1:13 MSG)

In fact, we’re to “use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG)

So what?

· Dishonesty pollutes – When dishonesty pollutes our lives together, it becomes difficult to develop a deeper trust for one another. (Luke 16:10 NLT)

· There are two kinds of lies:

Lies of commission – These are lies where we specifically make false statements.

Lies of omission – These are lies where we fail to tell the whole truth, or we wink at the deceptions of others.

Do you struggle with either of these? Both?

· Practice telling the honest truth – God says that one day “every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” (Romans14:11b MSG)

[christsavedme]

Hopelessly in love

by Jon Walker

Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NIV)

Worship — We were singing praise choruses during a worship service when I noticed the typo. The lyrics for the song were supposed to be, “I'm hopelessly in love with you.”

But someone had accidentally typed: “I'm hopefully in love with you.” It was just a one-word typo, but it carried a message equal in power to a sermon containing thousands of words.

Think about it: What’s the difference between being hopefully in love with God as opposed to being hopelessly in love with him?

'Hopefully’ suggests tentativeness: “Gee, I hope I can love you, God.”

On the other hand, ‘hopelessly’ suggests total abandonment, an ice-tea plunge into the pool: “God, I'm in this relationship from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. No matter where it leads. No matter what it means.”

We express a desire to deepen our relationship with God – and all the while he’s already in the deep end, urging us to jump in and join him?

And there we stand, testing the Living Water with our toes, hesitant to take the flying leap into the deep that would fully immerse us into the life of Christ because it would require us to drown out so many pesky, little things that we think – that we imagine – give us life, when our real life is in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Our true life comes through the grace of God and our holy Spirit-connection with Jesus.

I know why I pause by the edge of the pool: It means I’ll have to put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11) and toddler-like attitudes (1 Corinthians 3:2). It means maturing when it’s easier to stay immature.

The thing is – and this is what deflates all my excuses and rationalizations – abandoning myself to God is a choice. The only thing hindering me from a deep, deep abiding relationship with God is – me. It is my unwillingness to give up those things that distract me from God and my stubborn refusal to make time with God a priority in my life are also choices I choose.

And, my friend, the only thing hindering you from a deep, deep, abiding relationship with God is – you.

In that sense, you choose to become hopelessly in love with God. It doesn’t take a saint or a special kind of person; it comes down to the simple, yet incredibly difficult choice to love God with “… all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

You don’t fall into that kind of love; you purposely immerse yourself in it. God is in the deep end, calling out: “Come on in; the Living Water refreshes!”

So what?

· Your choice – The only thing hindering you from a deep relationship with God is – you.

· What hinders? – Ask God to reveal anything that is hindering you from developing a deeper relationship with him. As he reveals the hindrances, face them honestly and talk to God about where to go from here.

· God guides the heart – Ask God to guide you deeper, bringing you to a place where you are hopelessly in love with him.

· How do you adjust? – What would it look like if you loved God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind?” (Matthew 22:37 NIV) How would you adjust your behavior and your thoughts?

[christsavedme]

A Hopeful Future

by Jon Walker

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you … thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV)

Discipleship — When you hear about the sickening shootings at Virginia Tech, it’s only human to wonder if God is fully engaged in the events of this world.

Why, God, do you allow these things to happen?

Over the years, as I’ve shouted this question to God, grappling to understand the explosion of evil into the lives of good people, I’ve encountered what seemed to be an unsettling silence from God.

I know that his Word tells us evil exists in this world because of sin, and that the fists of the Evil One are indiscriminate, hammering on the innocent along with the guilty. God’s Word also teaches that the Evil One will take direct aim at us as we walk more closely with God.

But, still, why, God, do you allow these things to happen?

I say it seemed like unsettling silence from God until one day, in the Divine’s still, small voice, I sensed God asking me a question in return – you know, the way Jesus often said to the Pharisees, “I’ll answer your question after you answer mine.”

God’s question: “Jon, do you serve the One True God (Deut. 6:4), or do you serve the ‘god of understanding it all.’”

More questions followed: “Are you trying to be the god of understanding, believing that if you can just understand what is going on, then – and only then – you’ll be able to accept it, live with it, or live through it? Is your faith in me based on what you understand, or is it based on your faith in my hand?”

When we’re facing trouble, we often quote Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV): “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you … thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Listen carefully: God is telling us that we may misunderstand his plans for us, that we may wrongly perceive his plans as evil, but those plans are the very thing — the only thing — that will give us, literally, “a hopeful future.”

To echo Eugene Peterson, in the midst of our distress, we think that we’re being pushed to the very edge of our existence; but once there, we realize we’ve been pressed into the very center of God. The peace that God speaks of in Jeremiah is not an absence of conflict; it’s about wholeness (shalom). It’s about becoming a people who are whole again because we are face to face with God, learning to think, not like mere men, but like God.

So what?

· Nasty now and now – The things we truly believe emerge in what Peter Lord calls the “nasty now and now.” Your faith is hammered out in the everyday, mundane experiences of your life, and when you face the fists of the Evil One. Faith is not resolved in heady discussions about the nature of evil.

· God is at work – Like a dormant tree in winter that appears to be dead until the buds of spring, God is always at work in our lives and throughout the world – even today on the campus of Virginia Tech. Don’t assume the tree is dead in winter; look expectantly toward the buds of spring.

· Seek God’s face – Seek God’s face, instead of seeking to understand. Trust that God will give you insight and understanding when the time is right. Until then, he’s developing your faith in him.

[christsavedme]

Cooperating with a smile

by Jon Walker

“Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had – though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave ….” (Philippians 2:5-7 NLT)

Discipleship — Cooperation is doing with a smile what you have to do anyway. You’ll never find that sentence in the Bible, but I think its spirit is implied throughout God's Word. We are called to be obedient to God's commands, and part of that obedience is having a sensitive servant’s attitude.

I learned this lesson years ago when I was working for someone, who at the time, I didn’t respect. I would do whatever he asked me to do – eventually – but I tended to drag my feet, complain, or point out how wrong he was.

But God used that relationship to teach me godly obedience. Through his Word, God taught me to obey my earthly authorities. He showed me that Christ-like character required me to work with the same servant’s attitude regardless of how I felt about my work environment or my employer.

God not only changed my attitude, he led me to seek forgiveness from my boss for my disrespectful attitude. It was a major turning point in my life, as I came to understand what it meant to be a man under authority, regardless of who was in authority at the time. God could work through a boss who was a believer, and he could work through a boss who was a tyrant – because he is God and in all situations I ultimately should be responding to his authority.

Eventually, I developed considerable respect for my boss, and he became one of my greatest mentors and supporters. Though not a believer, he taught me, “Cooperation is doing with a smile what you have to do anyway.”

So what?

· Live the Gospel – How you conduct yourself at work is part of your Christian witness. Today, go beyond the minimum requirements and see how those around you respond. To quote Francis of Assisi: “Share the gospel; if necessary, use words.”

· Change your attitude – Be respectful, helpful, and gracious to those in authority over you – no matter how difficult it may be.

· Go the extra mile with a smile – Christ said, “If someone compels you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two.” People are more likely to listen to what you say when your actions show respect and concern for them, when you do more than the minimum required.

· Hey God, a little help! – Ask God to turn those tough situations at work into opportunities to share the Gospel, but check your own attitude first.

[christsavedme]

How to win by losing

by Jon Walker

“I beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so that there won't be splits in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10 LB)

Fellowship — In any argument, your goal should be to love, not win.

It’s much harder to love someone than it is to merely beat them in an argument. In fact, no one ever really wins an argument. The truth is that Love – and only Love – wins.

We see God’s strategy in the Resurrection, where it appears that all is lost, but then the Almighty snatches victory from defeat, not by winning arguments, but by loving those who wage war against him – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

You can win any argument when –

· You let mercy lead (Proverbs 3:3-6) – You have to abandon the idea of what is fair. God's approach is never based on fair. (Romans 5:8) When other believers treat us unfairly or fail to carry their load, God calls us to meet them where they are, applying mercy in the relationship.

· You are directed by truth (2 Corinthians 13:8) – Your feelings or thoughts do not determine truth (1 John 4:1), and the opinions of others – even a majority of others – do not have the final word on what is God’s Truth. Truth is what God says it is; he is the one and only final authority for interpreting any situation. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

· You acknowledge God’s presence (Matthew 28:20) – The enemy wants us to think the battle is ours alone, and when we believe that we fight like we’re separated from God. Simon Peter provides an example: his use of blustery words, curses, lies, and a sword were all desperate attempts to care for himself. (Matthew 26:52) Peter learned, as should we, that the battle is the Lord's (1 Samuel 17:47) and that we should trust the outcome to him.

God may call you to make the first loving move toward genuine healing by asking for forgiveness, or he may ask you to extend forgiveness – forgiving others as you also have been forgiven. (Matthew 6:12)

This may not seem logical, but then we’re not supposed to lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) What appears to us to be right may very well be wrong. (Proverbs 14:12) Instead, we’re to rely on the holy logic of Christ, where the interests of others are placed above our own. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)

The Bible teaches that when we’re in conflict, the real enemy is not the person we’re arguing with – rather we’re in a battle against Satan’s “unseen spiritual forces of wickedness.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Until you fully and totally believe this, you’ll never get to the root of any conflict, and so you’re prone to keep trying to win every argument, as opposed to loving those you argue with.

So what?

· You never lose when you love – In any argument, your goal should be to love, not win.

· Stop using human weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) – Any method apart from God that you use to get your own needs met is a weapon of the flesh. Flesh weapons include: manipulation, gossip, slander, ridicule, threats, blame, nagging, deception, and silence. They push us into an “evil for evil” cycle, and that’s like trying to fight a skunk with stink – everybody loses!

· Fight with prayer – Many Christians never think to pray together when an argument breaks out. Yet prayer refocuses us, reminding us who God is and who we are as his children. Prayer draws us into the eternal perspective, giving us God's interpretation of events.

[christsavedme]

Should We Hunt?

by Rev. David L. Roose

While it is true that in today's society people do not have to hunt in order to survive, is there a biblical mandate which prohibits a person from taking animals for food?

Genesis 9:2-4 it is very explicit about God's permission to kill and use animals for food. In that context, God had just punished His people with a great flood because of their sin. After the flood was over, Noah killed animals and made burnt offerings unto God, which was the Old Testament way of saying, "Lord, I've sinned, have mercy on me." God liked what he saw concerning Noah's repentant heart and humbled spirit and vowed never again to curse the earth by destroying all living things with water. Then God set the seasons for as long as the earth should last and placed His bow (a rainbow) in the clouds as a reminder of His promise (Genesis 8:20-22, 9:8-17).

Then a most interesting action took place. God reversed the "order of fear" between animals and humans. Genesis 6:11-13 gives reason to believe that before the great flood and because of sin, animals were in a state of fearless destruction and man had reason to fear them. Whatever the sinful and fearful conditions, God changed them. He said in Genesis 9:2 "into your hand are they delivered." God not only made it more difficult for man to come into contact with animals, but also gave them direct permission to hunt animals and kill them for food. He said, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green plants have I given you all things" (Genesis 9:3, Deuteronomy 12:15). People who speak out against hunting do not seem aware of this unique action of God's permissive will.

However, keep in mind that God's original plan for people had been tossed aside because of their disobedience. A single act by Adam and Eve changed the relationship between God and us forever (Genesis 3:22-24). Their sin caused a life-giving God to institute a second plan which mandated life-taking as the means of reinstatement to favor with Himself. The Word of God shows us that God did not overlook sin, but He chose to erase it with blood instead (Genesis 4:3-5). In the Old Testament this was continually done through sacrifices of slain animals, symbolic of the coming sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for all of our sin for all time (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

The only prohibition that found in Scripture concerning the killing and eating of animals is that their blood is not to be consumed (Genesis 9:4; Deuteronomy 12:23; Leviticus 17:13). Why? ". . . for the blood is the life." Life is not in the flesh of an animal. The flesh is the product of the life which is in the blood. God did not say, "Don't hunt animals." God did not say, "Don't kill animals." God did not say, "Don't eat animals." But God did say, "Don't eat the blood which is the life." Therefore, the blood is the only part that matters to God. And rightly so, because life-giving blood is the only hope we have for redemption in this life and for the eternal life to come.

One of the elements of this whole debate, which has come in a very twisted form within the ranks of oriental religious belief, is the idea that animals have gained equality with humans. Granted, animals grace the beauty of the natural landscape as part of a perfectly created order. However, for a person to venerate animal existence equal to that of man, or to place animal needs above human needs is pushing the limit of God's design. God created all things, both living and non-living (Genesis 1:1-27). But creating man and women was absolutely His best and most sacred work. The making of Adam and Eve was God's fulfilling His desire to reproduce His own likeness. In no other creative wonder was that desire expressed. In Genesis 1:26, God is saying, "Let us make man (plural) in our image, after our likeness and give him stewardship of all that we have made in the earth" (paraphrased). Two things are seen here. God made us with a special likeness and for a special place. There is no other creation of God which was made to bear His likeness and no one else was given that place of stewardship. This in itself is enough to refute any and all arguments that animals are equal with humans.

The specialness of our creation is further emphasized by the fact of redemption. Salvation was provided for people, not animals (I Corinthians 15:20-26). Animals do not sin, they are the victims of our sin (Romans 8:22). They were not given any "thou shalt nots". They are not moral beings having been given a will to choose between good and evil (Genesis 3:1-7). The moral and eternal nature of the human spirit makes a decisive difference between us and animals. The difference is so great that an eternal God, through His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, made provision to give eternal life to all people, who have eternal spirits (John 3:16). Animals are not rational, moral, eternal bound beings. People who think that to be true are fully given over to the heresy of oriental religions and have sealed their fate to **** by the denial of sinful man, a holy, justice seeking God, a condescending Savior, a resurrected Christ and life with Jesus forever.

For the sake of establishing these Biblical truths, let us summarize:

Should we hunt?

Yes. We have permission from God to do so (Genesis 27:3; 9:2; Leviticus 17:13).

Is it wrong to kill animals?

No. To take the life of an animal is permitted by God, but not the life of a person (Genesis 9:3; 9:6).

Are animals equal in value to people?

No. Animals are not made in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:27; 9:6; Ecclesiastes 3:21).

Does God have any prohibitions regarding the killing of animals?

Yes. The consuming of blood (Deuteronomy 12:23; Leviticus 17:13).

Do we have a responsibility to animals?

Yes. We are to be stewards to animals and the fate of their collective numbers is in our hands (Genesis 1:26 & 28).

[christsavedme]

God's Guidance

The steps of the godly are directed by God. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:22 NLT

God is intensely interested in each of us, and He will guide our steps if we serve Him obediently.

When we sincerely offer heartfelt prayers to our Heavenly Father, He will give direction and meaning to our lives-but He won't force us to follow Him. To the contrary, God has given us the free will to follow His commandments........or not.

When we stray from God's commandments, we invite bitter consequences. But, when we follow His commandments, and when we genuinely and humble seek His will, He touches our hearts and leads us on the path of His choosing.

Will you trust God to guide your steps? You should. When you entrust your life to Him completely and without reservation, God will give you strength to meet any challenge, the courage to face any trial, and the wisdom to live in His righteousness and in His peace. So trust Him today and seek His guidance. When you do, your next step will be the right one.

God never leads us astray. He knows exactly where He's taking us. Our job is to obey. Charles Swindoll

Well it has been awhile since I posted one of these and when I started I told myself that it was something I was going to stay devoted to. Well we all know how life is. First you miss something once or twice due to some unexpected reason and then it just gets easier and easier.

Hope you all enjoy this one as well as those previously posted.

Hope you all have a blessed day, and may God bless each and everyone of you!

Josh

[christsavedme]

Seeking God and Finding Happiness!

Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Psalm 146:5 Holman CSB

Do you sincerely want to be a happy Christian? Then set your mind and your heart upon God's love and His grace.

Happiness depends less upon our circumstances than upon our thoughts. When we turn our thoughts to God, to His gifts, and to His glorious creation, we experience the joy that God intends for His children. But, when we focus on the negative aspects of life, we suffer needlessly.

The fullness of life in Christ is available to all who seek it and claim it. Count yourself among that number. Seek first the salvation that is available through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and then claim the joy, the peace, and the spiritual abundance that the Shepherd offers His sheep.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, I am thankful for all the blessings You have given me. Let me be a happy Christian, Father, as I share Your joy with friends, with family, adn with the world. AMEN

[christsavedme]

Thy Will Be Done

"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not My will, but Your's be done." Luke 22:42 NKJV

Before His crucifixion, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and poured out His heart to God. Jesus knew of the agony that He was destined to endure, but He also knew that God's will must be done. As human beings with limited understanding, we can never fully comprehend the will of God, we must always trust the will of our Heavenly Father.

We, like our Savior, face trials that bring fear and trembling to the very depths of our souls, but like Christ, we, too, must ultimately seek God's will, not our own. When we entrust our lives to Him completely and without reservation, He gives us strength to meet any challenge, the courage to face any trial, and the wisdom to live in His righteousness.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, You are the Creator of the universe, and I know that Your plan for my life is grander than I can imagine. Let Your purposes be my purposes, and let me trust in the assurance of Your promises. AMEN

With the events that have unfolded over the last week here within the Realtree Forum Family, I felt that this was really touching to me! It just kindof reminds me that nomatter what happens......He has it all planned out! All I can do is trust Him completely and know that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

May God bless each and everyone of you over the next week.

In His Grip,

Josh

[christsavedme]

Perspective

URGENT:Feed Your Soul!

Much of contemporary life is toxic to the care of your soul and your spiritual life with Christ. In our day and age of "hurry, hurry," "rush, rush," and "busy, busy," what often gets neglected is our souls and this neglect is to our own detriment. We are not just physical creatures but have both bodies adn souls that must be supplied with needed nutrients. Summer and its change of pace is a perfect opportunity to energize your spiritual life by intentionally focusing on developing your spiritual muscles. Listen to the following description from Psalms 1 of a soul that is properly cared for:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. --Psalm 1:3

I will admit that my soul is starved from the pace of life that I am keeping. Here are some suggestions in designing a program for the proper care of our souls.

SOUL Development Program

S-Schedule a time to meet with God.

• Many times we plan to meet with God when it is convenient with our schedule and too often time with God is never convenient- there are always more important things to accomplish. Grab your calendar and determine the time you will invest in your relationship with God and your own soul.

O-Outline a Plan

• The core spiritual disciplines that develope our soul are reading the Word of God, meditating on what God has said to you, prayer and conversation with God, solitude and contemplation, and journaling your observations and what God lays upon your heart. Determine your plan and spend as much time in the contemplation and meditation as you do in reading and prayer.

U-Understand what is important

• Often times we let the clock dictate whether we are having consistent time with God rather than hearing the voice of God in our lives. Yes, we need the time for God to speak with us but what is important is that we hear His voice..

L-Listen and Obey the Voice of God

• God desires to speak to you and transform you. As you spend time with God, ask your self the questions, "What is God saying to me?" and "What does this mean in my life?" Once you hear Him clearly, then take the necessary steps to obey him.

As we feed our souls, God will expand our lives. He desires to feed those who are hungary. Here is my prayer for us all, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God-Psalms 42:1. May we become thirsty for the living God- our soul truly needs it.

Ernie Frye, Ph.D.

Senior Pastor Central Church

This was a lesson that was printed in our bulletin at church yesterday. As I was reading it, I was drawn to how true it was in my life. How often do I not make time for God and His word because of things that I put before Him. I pray that we will all Feed our Soul.

God bless you all!

Josh

[christsavedme]

The Shepherd's Care

For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things. Psalm 71:19 NASB

Life isn't always easy. Far from it! Sometimes, life can be very, very difficult. But even then, even during our darkest moments, we're protected by a loving Heavenly Father.

When we're worried, God can reassure us; when we're sad, God can comfort us. When our hearts are broken, God is not just near; He is here. So we must lift our thoughts and prayers to Him. When we do, He will answer our prayers. It's a promise that is made over and over again in the Bible: Whatever "it" is, God can handle it. He is our shepherd, and He has promised to protect us now and forever.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, when I obey Your commandments, I am blessed. Today, I invite You to reign over my heart. I will sense Your presence, Father; I will accept Your love; and I will praise You for the Savior of my life: Your Son Jesus. Amen

[christsavedme]

The Miracle Worker

Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father." John 10:32 NIV

God is a miracle worker. Throughout history He has intervened in the course of human events in ways that cannot be explained by science or human rationale. And He's still doing it today.

God's miracles are not limited to special occasions, nor are they witnessed by a select few. God is crafting His wonders all around us: the miracle of the birth of a new baby; the miracle of a world renewing itself with every sunrise; the miracle of lives transformed by God's love and grace. Each day, God's handiwork is evident for all to see and experience.

Today, seize the opportunity to inspect God's hand at work. His miracles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so keep your eyes and your heart open. Be watchful, and you'll soon be amazed.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, absolutely nothing is impossible for You. Let me trust in Your power and in Your miracles. When I lose hope, give me faith; when others lose hope, let me tell them of Your glorious works. Today, Lord, keep me mindful that You are a God of infinite possibilities and infinite love. AMEN

[gone_postal]

thanks for these devotionals.....very inspiring for me!