How We Hear From God

Good Morning!! Be quiet, be still,...this is how we hear from God. Most people today, never hear from God,...because we live in a never ending stream of noises, technology, and motion. We're some of the most sleep-deprived people in the world. We work long hours, come home to more work, and there is always a radio or TV, blaring in the background. Some of us have become so accustom to the movement and noise, that we allow it with us when we collapse into bed,...just to repeat the process again the next day. Why do we live such frantic, hyper stimulated lives? Sometimes it's out of a sense of obligation,...we feel it's a sin to say "no" so we overextend ourselves trying to fill the roll of Savior for everyone around us. Sometimes our frenzied lives stem from a sense of inadequacy,..."If I work hard and accomplish such-and-such, I will have value." Sometimes it's a mode of escape,...burying ourselves in work or in a TV program, keeps our minds off life's disappointments. But mainly, I just think we've lost sight of our priorities, defaulting to the heightened pace of the culture around us, unaware that we're letting our down time slip away, little by little.

Be still, and know that I am God.—Psalm 46:10a (NIV)

We need time for ourselves, to recharge and renew. In Scripture we see that time and again, God calls us to find peace in Him, to lighten our burden with Him,...to set aside our anxieties and meaningless business. We see God speak to the prophet Elijah through a "gentle whisper",...and tell an anxious Martha that her sister Mary chose the "better" part when she abandoned household duties to sit at Jesus' feet. Even when life seems to be pressing on all sides, make the choice. By seeking stillness we are effectively saying, "Nothing else is as important to me as You at this moment, Lord." You'll find you're not just sitting in an empty room doing "nothing" but you're a place filled with God's presence and love,...a place where you I can truly hear from God.

Our souls crave peace, stillness, and silence,...and if we ignore the cries of our souls for too long, our minds and bodies will wear down, and out.
Lord, help us to find a place and time to be still. Teach us to retreat from the frantic forces, that would drain and distract us. But more important than all of this,...let us hear from You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

"Small minds find faults,...great minds find solutions."

Stress is pressure applied

Good Morning!! Stress is pressure applied, or perceived,...and it was designed to keep us out of harms way. But I'm afraid now it's become common place. Most of us have been in a sink-or-swim mode for so long, that we've accepted it as normal. More than once, I’ve joked that all Sheila and I do, is go to work, or come home to work. There is always so much going on with family and jobs, that we find ourselves exhausted. The funny thing is we all work so hard, to simply be able to relax and enjoy ourselves. We’ve all heard, or read, dozens of encouraging bits about waking up early to start the day with God.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.—Psalm 90:14 (NIV)

The truth is, I don’t usually wake up wanting to praise the Lord,...there have been many mornings when I’ve rolled over looked at the clock, and moaned or grumbled. But lately, though, a quiet voice has reminded me that the "dis-pleasure" is in my own attitude,...in how I've chosen, to face the day. That voice doesn’t come from Christian inspirational reading, it comes from a Holy Spirit that reminds me from time to time, what the morning means,...new mercy, straight from the Lord. There is an order to things,...and starting your day with God, should always be "thing one".

Stress is a gift from God to keep you safe,...but the devil often uses it as a stick, to beat us with.



Sweet Spirit of God, we thank You for reminding us to take a moment to pause, at the start of each day, to rejoice that the Lord has made us new creations,...like the morning. Praise Him, Amen.


"Small minds find faults,...great minds find solutions."

Salvation

Good Morning, It's Another Wonderful, Worshipful Wednesday!! How do we handle our Salvation? Are we careless or slothful? Do we share it with others? What if we could lose it? Our salvation is the most precious of all gifts,...and these are questions we need to ask, now and then. Personally, I want to be found faithful with the gifts and talents God has given me. These gifts are too valuable to be taken for granted,...and yet, we still do.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.—1Timothy 6:12 (NIV)

At first, we cherish our salvation, knowing that it is a gift too precious to ever earn. We thank God for the privilege of knowing Him and we praise Him for His Spirit dwelling inside us. Then as time passes, we start to take our Christianity for granted,...mostly because we forget what it meant, and the price that was paid for it.

Jesus has given Himself to us as a gift,...and nothing is of greater value than that.
Are we thanking the Lord for it still,…every day?
Lord, impress upon us when our heart is wondering. We really do value all You've done for us, and we appreciate all that we have. We ask You to convict us of any behavior that is not pleasing to You. Forgive our carelessness regarding the privilege of knowing You through Your Son, Jesus. We pray for the return of the joy of our salvation, and to lead others to You. Amen.

"Small minds find faults,...great minds find solutions."

Being Blessed

Good Morning!! Believe it or not, showing signs of being blessed, can bother some people to the point of questioning God's judgment. This is a thyme that repeats it self, from the story of Jonah, to the older brother from the prodigal son story. We want to decide who is deserving, or worthy of God's blessings. Like the worker, that even though he had agreed on a certain wage, became angry at the end of the day, when he saw others getting the same amount without having spent as much time, as he had, in the field.

'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "—Luke 15:31,32 (NIV)

What has it got to do with you, whom God blesses,...or by how much? Do you think that the God of ALL, will run out of blessings? Don't you know; that our blessings, are not based on our actions alone. What God has for us is for us,..and it will not run out before we receive it. When God blesses someone we should all rejoice. And if He blesses someone we think undeserving,..we should rejoice all the more,...because of what it means for us, and ours. If He takes care of those that do not know Him,...how much more will He care for His own children?

The reason so many people, past and present, have been confused by Jesus’ ministry is because; man continually tries to define who and how, God should be,...according to their own wisdom and standards.
Father God, who are we to question You? Even Your Word reminds us, that Your ways are not our ways. The righteous shall live by faith…no matter how it feels,...or how weak we are,...or how confusing the circumstances may be. We need to have an attitude of worship in our thoughts, our actions and our words. We are to follow Your lead,...not tell You where to take us. Help us to understand; that when there is hope for the least of us,...there is hope for the rest of us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"Small minds find faults,...great minds find solutions."

Let It Go!

Good Morning!! What do we do when we’re faced with failure in our relationships,...especially when we fail to meet each others' expectations? (L.I.G.) Let It Go! Much has been said about the necessity for forgiving trespassers. Scripture makes it clear we are to imitate Christ and show mercy to those who have wronged us, and counselors have written extensively on the personal freedom one finds in forgiving, even the most terrible sins. But I think sometimes it’s not the huge transgressions that challenge us nearly as much as the smaller infractions,...that simply wear on our nerves.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.—Colossians 3:13,14 (NIV)

Sometimes our biggest stumbling block for living the Christian life, comes from our interactions with those closest to us. And it's no different for Christians. Those who profess faith in Christ are very capable of hurting each other,...perhaps even unusually “gifted” at it. Fellowship within the Church can be wonderfully fulfilling, offering true glimpses of the unity we will experience in heaven,...but (as life frequently reminds us) we’re not in heaven yet, so our relationships with one another will often fall short.

We must remember to be patient with others,...as we ask God to be patient with us.



Sweet Spirit of God, don't allow us to continue to run, hide or avoid the the people that rub us wrong,...but rather help us realize how we are failing to love, one of God’s children. Keep to the front of our mines, that we have personally experienced Christ's love, with full knowledge of our invisible imperfections,...so how can we hope to justify failing to love others,...just because their faults are more visible? In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

"Small minds find faults,...great minds find solutions."

Jesus Is The Gift

Good Morning, Great Friday!! Jesus is the Gift that gives,...and one of the gifts we get as a result of knowing Jesus, is a change of perspective,...we see those in need. We even see our own need for grace and mercy. And the more we come to know Him, instead of knowing of Him,...the more we can see through His eyes, and with His heart. We see a world that's filled with the people He loves, and died for,...people He expects us to reach out to.

When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd. He felt sorry for them and healed everyone who was sick.—Matthew 14:14 (AAJB)

Jesus has the ability to transform the hardest of hearts, and fill them with love and compassion. Through Christ we change,...through Christ the world is changed,...not just for a moment but lasting changes that are birthed from a relationship with His Perfect Love. There is no other power in heaven or Earth that can create such a change to any life. Amazing!

Jesus is a gift we have received,
...and must share.
Father in Heaven, we thank You for the precious gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Refresh our hearts and minds,...continue to work within our life, transforming our every thought and emotion, bringing it into alignment with Your perfect will. Open our
eyes that we may see the world with Jesus' heart,...and give us the courage and strength to reach out to each aching and dieing soul, You place in our path. Allow us to reflect Your perfect love, and grace, in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

"The nature of man is to seek explanations,
...because we believe whatever we can explain, we can control."

I Love Food

Good Morning!! Anyone that remotely knows me, know I LOVE food. I love to cook it,...I love to eat it,...I even love to experiment with new ways to serve it up.(So what else would my daily devotional be called?) For a long time, even my directions were associated with how far away, or near it was, to some place I had eaten at,..or wanted to. From microwave dinners, to drive-throughs,...food has become a part of our lives, and culture. Food is a necessity to our physical bodies,...and to enjoy good food is one of our greatest pleasures. However, even with all its necessity, this earthly food has no value, outside of fellowship, to us spiritually.

But food will not commend us to God: neither, if we eat not, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.—1 Corinthians 8:8, 9 (ASV)

It's been close to twenty year since I stopped eating pork,...mainly because I believe the harm it does, out weighs it's taste. But it does not matter what we eat, or don't eat,...none of it has any effect on our relationship with God. So then why can't we as Christians eat whatever, drink whatever and as much as we want? One reason is because the choices that we make impact others. And another is that God care about the behaviors and attitudes we exhibit that affect those around us. There are numerous examples of this behavior in our churches today. The things we display an appetite for; like movies, television choices, or places we chose to go, can influence our families and friends. if it OK for God's people, then it must be OK for others too.

For most hunger is simply a drive necessary to sustain life,
...while appetite is associated with the desire to satisfy our cravings in life.



Jesus, you gave Your Life for us, so that we could have the real food,...the bread of life. As we follow You, allow our choices in this world will bring glory and honor to Your name, while also setting the right example for others. We pray not to get hung up on things of no value spiritually,...but to get caught up in the Spirit of God so that we may be a blessing to others,...and not a stumbling block. Amen.


"The nature of man is to seek explanations,
...because we believe whatever we can explain, we can control."