2 Chronicles 9:3 - When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, she was overwhelmed.
When our hearts are right with God, His blessings can be overwhelming. But in a good way. Everyone has their daily grind and can feel overwhelmed by it from time to time. But when we give the overwhelming burdens to God and trust in His healing and comfort, He blesses us because of our faith. He blesses us in ways that shine to others. When we are feeling those overwhelming blessings, we should share them with others and not hold them in. Some might take take it as boastful, but it isn't. It's showing them how much God will abundantly bless us for our faith.
Have I shared the joy of my abundant blessings with others? I sure have. I love sharing the amazing ways in which God works in my life. It might be taken the wrong way, but it shouldn't be. I love to encourage others in their faith, and showing my joy and strength in the Lord is one way for me to do it.
Dear Lord, thank You for the abundant blessings You have poured out in my life. You have overwhelmed me with Your love and grace, and I am happy to share that joy with others. I want everyone to experience the same joy I have because of You. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Don't Go For Broke
James 2:10 - For a person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.
A sin is a sin is a sin. All sins are equally bad. We can't justify our sin by saying, "Well at least I didn't kill someone." It doesn't work that way. God hates the sin, not the sinner. He hates all sin. And we should never say, "Well I did this, I might as well go for broke and get it out of my system." Never go for broke. You're never going to get it out of your system. Instead of going for broke, go for rich.
What do I mean by going for rich? I certainly don't mean material wealth. I mean aim for being rich in His love, His mercy, His grace, and His salvation. That is the only thing that will ever save you. How? Confess your sins to God, repent and turn from your old way of doing things, so God can bless you abundantly. That's what He wants more than anything - to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. God will always love you - ALWAYS. But if you aren't trying to become more like Christ who is rich in love, mercy, grace, and salvation, He won't bless you. We should always be seeking these things.
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me despite my best efforts to make it difficult to do so. I pray that I will keep my heart focused on Your love, mercy, grace, and salvation, so that when I do make mistakes (not if), I will know to confess and repent. I want to always be seeking Your righteousness and showing others what true love really is. I know I can do this by Your strength, and not my own. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
A sin is a sin is a sin. All sins are equally bad. We can't justify our sin by saying, "Well at least I didn't kill someone." It doesn't work that way. God hates the sin, not the sinner. He hates all sin. And we should never say, "Well I did this, I might as well go for broke and get it out of my system." Never go for broke. You're never going to get it out of your system. Instead of going for broke, go for rich.
What do I mean by going for rich? I certainly don't mean material wealth. I mean aim for being rich in His love, His mercy, His grace, and His salvation. That is the only thing that will ever save you. How? Confess your sins to God, repent and turn from your old way of doing things, so God can bless you abundantly. That's what He wants more than anything - to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. God will always love you - ALWAYS. But if you aren't trying to become more like Christ who is rich in love, mercy, grace, and salvation, He won't bless you. We should always be seeking these things.
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me despite my best efforts to make it difficult to do so. I pray that I will keep my heart focused on Your love, mercy, grace, and salvation, so that when I do make mistakes (not if), I will know to confess and repent. I want to always be seeking Your righteousness and showing others what true love really is. I know I can do this by Your strength, and not my own. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thanks For Everything
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
We are commanded by God's will to be thankful for everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Be thankful for what you don't have, as well as for what you do. The things we don't have are because they aren't part of God's perfect plan for us. And that is what we should always be seeking. We should never complain about things (easier said than done sometimes), because complaining turns our hearts away from worshiping our Lord and Savior. Instead, we need to be thanking Him for everything.
Over the past month (almost), a lot of people have been doing a '30 days of thankful' thing on various social media networks. I couldn't do that. For starters, 30 days of thankfulness just doesn't sum it up for me. I am thankful 365 days a year, and I know that if I tried to list one thing at a time for 30 days, someone or something would get missed. My 365 days of thankfulness to the Lord is quite a long list, and the best way to sum it up in prayer to Him is to just say thanks for everything. That is the only way I can think of to make sure that nothing gets left out.
Dear Father, thank You for EVERYTHING. Thank You for Your unfailing love and grace that I have felt in my heart since I turned my life over to You. Thirty days of one thing at a time just aren't enough for me. You know my heart, and You know it belongs to You because of everything You have done (and not done) for me. I am forever changed, and forever grateful because of Your abundant blessings in my life. In Jesus' precious, powerful, and Holy name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
We are commanded by God's will to be thankful for everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Be thankful for what you don't have, as well as for what you do. The things we don't have are because they aren't part of God's perfect plan for us. And that is what we should always be seeking. We should never complain about things (easier said than done sometimes), because complaining turns our hearts away from worshiping our Lord and Savior. Instead, we need to be thanking Him for everything.
Over the past month (almost), a lot of people have been doing a '30 days of thankful' thing on various social media networks. I couldn't do that. For starters, 30 days of thankfulness just doesn't sum it up for me. I am thankful 365 days a year, and I know that if I tried to list one thing at a time for 30 days, someone or something would get missed. My 365 days of thankfulness to the Lord is quite a long list, and the best way to sum it up in prayer to Him is to just say thanks for everything. That is the only way I can think of to make sure that nothing gets left out.
Dear Father, thank You for EVERYTHING. Thank You for Your unfailing love and grace that I have felt in my heart since I turned my life over to You. Thirty days of one thing at a time just aren't enough for me. You know my heart, and You know it belongs to You because of everything You have done (and not done) for me. I am forever changed, and forever grateful because of Your abundant blessings in my life. In Jesus' precious, powerful, and Holy name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
The Joyful Helper
Psalm 94:17-18 - Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, "I am slipping!" but Your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
God loves to help us. I love how this passage says that God's unfailing love supports us. God is the best example of a joyful giver. When we slip or backslide in our faith, it hurts God. But when we come to Him, He gets joy out of helping us back to our feet. He does it with a great big smile on His face. It reminds me of the story of Job.
At the end of Job's story, it says that God restored to Job twice as much as he had before. He was never angry with Job, and He never tested him either. He allowed Satan to test him so that God could show Satan what real faith was like. God knew that Job had the right heart for Him, and He blessed him for it. The Lord loves to give us abundant blessings when our hearts are rightly aimed at Him.
God's abundant blessings are His way of helping us. And He does it out of His unfailing love for us. He picks us up off the scrap heap. He rescues us from the silence of the grave. And He does it with a big smile on His face. The smile of a joyful helper.
Is my heart aimed correctly at God? I desire His blessings in my life and He has shown Himself faithful to me with His unfailing love. I need to make sure that every part of me is turned towards Him.
Dear Lord, thank You for this reminder of Your love and support. I cannot do this on my own, and I am beyond blessed to know that You are there for me every step of the way. Please help me to keep my heart focused on You every minute of every day, so that all I do will honor You. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
God loves to help us. I love how this passage says that God's unfailing love supports us. God is the best example of a joyful giver. When we slip or backslide in our faith, it hurts God. But when we come to Him, He gets joy out of helping us back to our feet. He does it with a great big smile on His face. It reminds me of the story of Job.
At the end of Job's story, it says that God restored to Job twice as much as he had before. He was never angry with Job, and He never tested him either. He allowed Satan to test him so that God could show Satan what real faith was like. God knew that Job had the right heart for Him, and He blessed him for it. The Lord loves to give us abundant blessings when our hearts are rightly aimed at Him.
God's abundant blessings are His way of helping us. And He does it out of His unfailing love for us. He picks us up off the scrap heap. He rescues us from the silence of the grave. And He does it with a big smile on His face. The smile of a joyful helper.
Is my heart aimed correctly at God? I desire His blessings in my life and He has shown Himself faithful to me with His unfailing love. I need to make sure that every part of me is turned towards Him.
Dear Lord, thank You for this reminder of Your love and support. I cannot do this on my own, and I am beyond blessed to know that You are there for me every step of the way. Please help me to keep my heart focused on You every minute of every day, so that all I do will honor You. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
All By His Power
2 Corinthians 10:4 - We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
In this letter to the Corinthians, Paul points out that there is nothing that man can do or physically possess that will win victories for God. It is all about God's mightiest weapon - His Word. That is what wins souls for Christ. His Word, when shared, will penetrate people's hearts and lead them to accept Christ as their Savior and repent of their sins. The Word of God opens the door to His Kingdom.
Although I was saved over 15 years ago, I didn't really have any kind of relationship with Jesus Christ until about 4 years ago. For reasons unknown to me (at the time), I started getting this urge (for lack of a better term) to open up my Bible and start reading. The Book of Isaiah was what I read first. That book is filled with so much great stuff. Even after spending a couple of years being in and out of the Bible, it wasn't until I finally found a great church, and heard the Word of God taught in a way that it finally made sense. Hearing and understanding God's Word has opened the doors to His Kingdom for me, and I am forever changed by it. I can't imagine going a day without reading and studying His Word.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your Promises. I have been so blessed over the last few years to really come to know You better, and understand all the great things You have planned for me and my life. Please use me to share Your Word with others who don't know it, so that they will come to see Your love for them as I have. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
In this letter to the Corinthians, Paul points out that there is nothing that man can do or physically possess that will win victories for God. It is all about God's mightiest weapon - His Word. That is what wins souls for Christ. His Word, when shared, will penetrate people's hearts and lead them to accept Christ as their Savior and repent of their sins. The Word of God opens the door to His Kingdom.
Although I was saved over 15 years ago, I didn't really have any kind of relationship with Jesus Christ until about 4 years ago. For reasons unknown to me (at the time), I started getting this urge (for lack of a better term) to open up my Bible and start reading. The Book of Isaiah was what I read first. That book is filled with so much great stuff. Even after spending a couple of years being in and out of the Bible, it wasn't until I finally found a great church, and heard the Word of God taught in a way that it finally made sense. Hearing and understanding God's Word has opened the doors to His Kingdom for me, and I am forever changed by it. I can't imagine going a day without reading and studying His Word.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your Promises. I have been so blessed over the last few years to really come to know You better, and understand all the great things You have planned for me and my life. Please use me to share Your Word with others who don't know it, so that they will come to see Your love for them as I have. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Watch What You Say
Ephesians 4:29 - Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
The words that come out of our mouth say what's in our heart. We are commanded to build each other up, not tear each other down. We have to watch what we are saying, because we don't know how bad it could really hurt someone. There is nothing wrong with speaking the truth and telling someone what's on our mind, but we should be doing it in love not sarcasm.
Guilty, guilty, guilty...I have a mouth like a sailor sometimes, and a fairly sarcastic wit. I remember my mom used to always tell me (more times than I care to remember) that if I didn't have anything nice to say then I shouldn't say anything. So, even before I came to know Jesus Christ, I was always being told to watch what I say. I came across references to how our words affect others in a couple of different devotionals this morning. God's obviously trying to say something to me. I have to be mindful what I am saying. Certain jokes and being a smart mouth just isn't right. I, or others, might find it funny at the time, but those aren't the words I should be saying to other people. Those words could be hurting someone, and I'm supposed to be helping them. Whether or not they tell me it hurt them, doesn't mean it didn't. I need to be mindful of what I'm saying and how I'm saying it. The last thing I should ever want to do is tear somebody down when they need to be built up by the love of Christ.
Dear Lord, thank You for this. Thank You for Your gentle reminders to be doing things in love, and to be careful that I'm not breaking someone down. Please give me the strength to be mindful of my words by working on my heart so that it is focused on Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
The words that come out of our mouth say what's in our heart. We are commanded to build each other up, not tear each other down. We have to watch what we are saying, because we don't know how bad it could really hurt someone. There is nothing wrong with speaking the truth and telling someone what's on our mind, but we should be doing it in love not sarcasm.
Guilty, guilty, guilty...I have a mouth like a sailor sometimes, and a fairly sarcastic wit. I remember my mom used to always tell me (more times than I care to remember) that if I didn't have anything nice to say then I shouldn't say anything. So, even before I came to know Jesus Christ, I was always being told to watch what I say. I came across references to how our words affect others in a couple of different devotionals this morning. God's obviously trying to say something to me. I have to be mindful what I am saying. Certain jokes and being a smart mouth just isn't right. I, or others, might find it funny at the time, but those aren't the words I should be saying to other people. Those words could be hurting someone, and I'm supposed to be helping them. Whether or not they tell me it hurt them, doesn't mean it didn't. I need to be mindful of what I'm saying and how I'm saying it. The last thing I should ever want to do is tear somebody down when they need to be built up by the love of Christ.
Dear Lord, thank You for this. Thank You for Your gentle reminders to be doing things in love, and to be careful that I'm not breaking someone down. Please give me the strength to be mindful of my words by working on my heart so that it is focused on Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Obeying His Commands
Galatians 6:2 - Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
In the message my Pastor shared with us this week, he spoke of the reason's for being in community with each other. Why we are supposed to be doing life together and not alone. This passage he referred to here really stuck with me all weekend.
As much as I try to disconnect myself from other people, it's not the way God designed me. Or anyone else for that matter. In Genesis 2, God says that it isn't good for us to be alone. He created us to need one another.
Proverbs tells us iron sharpens iron (27:17). We are supposed to be there for each other. Share each other's burdens. Just because we may not have all experienced the exact same things in life, does not mean that we couldn't offer a different perspective to a problem.
I know my heart is in the right place with my relationship with God, but am I doing it right? I don't think I really have been. I should be seeking to obey all of His commands, not just the ones that I feel work for me. It is my responsibility to work them into my daily life, not make them work according to how I need them to. It's all about His will for me, and He wants me to do life with others, not alone.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for this message this weekend. It was something I really needed to hear to be reminded not to isolate myself so much from everyone. Give me the heart to obey Your commands and seek Your will in all aspects of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
In the message my Pastor shared with us this week, he spoke of the reason's for being in community with each other. Why we are supposed to be doing life together and not alone. This passage he referred to here really stuck with me all weekend.
As much as I try to disconnect myself from other people, it's not the way God designed me. Or anyone else for that matter. In Genesis 2, God says that it isn't good for us to be alone. He created us to need one another.
Proverbs tells us iron sharpens iron (27:17). We are supposed to be there for each other. Share each other's burdens. Just because we may not have all experienced the exact same things in life, does not mean that we couldn't offer a different perspective to a problem.
I know my heart is in the right place with my relationship with God, but am I doing it right? I don't think I really have been. I should be seeking to obey all of His commands, not just the ones that I feel work for me. It is my responsibility to work them into my daily life, not make them work according to how I need them to. It's all about His will for me, and He wants me to do life with others, not alone.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for this message this weekend. It was something I really needed to hear to be reminded not to isolate myself so much from everyone. Give me the heart to obey Your commands and seek Your will in all aspects of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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