“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," Hebrews 12:1
Man, did I need to hear this one! I have really been praying and actively seeking to do better on time management at home. My at home business is booming and I love it so much I could work all day on it. I have to watch the clock and no allow my home and family to suffer while lost in a time warp of work. God laid this verse out before me yesterday, and I knew it was a confirmation for me in my life right now.
Yet, your challenge before you may not be time management. You may be finding it hard to have quiet time with the Lord every day because of the daily snares that "entangle" your time and energy. You may be finding it hard to attend church on Sundays or Wednesdays because other things in your life seem to get in the way. You may be disobeying God by not serving in the church as He desires because you think you have too much on your plate. Or you may be struggling with a sin that you still have no confessed and is, therefore, keeping you from serving God the way you should. Whatever your snares are, I pray that you will meditate over this verse this week and pray for God's help in "throw(ing) off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."
Dear Lord, thank you for your everlasting love. Thank you for always loving and longing for us when we seem so far away from your will. I pray that you will help me cast off all the things that keep my mind, my time, and my energy away from you and your will. Help me to persevere in the race of life. Amen.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
God Ordains Marriage
"For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:24
This verse if often referenced in such debates as homosexuality or polygamy. I, however, want to focus our thoughts today on the sanctity of marriage. Those of you who are married can easily remember the day that you pledged your life and love to your spouse. We can easily remember the decorations, the food, and even most of the people in attendance. Yet how many of us remember the vows we took? How many of us remember the gravity of the words we spoke that day as we pledged our love to the one across from us?
As I look around today, it appears that more and more young adults feel the desire to have a wedding more than the desire to be married. As young women we dream of the perfection of the wedding day and how we will feel. For young men we see it as a right of passage. Yet it often seems as though we fail to see the future and how our lives will be forever linked as "one flesh." I had a young person tell me not long ago that as she looked around at her friends who are newly married and headed for divorce, she believes that too many times young people are running into marriage with little commitment to stay when times get rough. Divorce is an easy way out too many times for her friends.
For those of you who have been married for years, you know that there are times when the going is great and others when it takes both of you standing firm to make it through. I pray that you always remember that your spouse is your forever partner. Though you've been married a year or 70, your faith must be in the Lord, your love in your mate, and your backdoor barred shut! Remember that God ordained marriage --- your marriage. For better or for worse......for richer for poorer......in sickness and in health.
Dear Lord, we pray that your blessings pour over those who call you Father. We pray blessings over our marriages and our marriage beds. We pray that we, along with our spouses, turn to you in times of need. Thank you, Father, for sanctifying our marriage and gifting us with a devoted love with a partner for life. Amen.
This verse if often referenced in such debates as homosexuality or polygamy. I, however, want to focus our thoughts today on the sanctity of marriage. Those of you who are married can easily remember the day that you pledged your life and love to your spouse. We can easily remember the decorations, the food, and even most of the people in attendance. Yet how many of us remember the vows we took? How many of us remember the gravity of the words we spoke that day as we pledged our love to the one across from us?
As I look around today, it appears that more and more young adults feel the desire to have a wedding more than the desire to be married. As young women we dream of the perfection of the wedding day and how we will feel. For young men we see it as a right of passage. Yet it often seems as though we fail to see the future and how our lives will be forever linked as "one flesh." I had a young person tell me not long ago that as she looked around at her friends who are newly married and headed for divorce, she believes that too many times young people are running into marriage with little commitment to stay when times get rough. Divorce is an easy way out too many times for her friends.
For those of you who have been married for years, you know that there are times when the going is great and others when it takes both of you standing firm to make it through. I pray that you always remember that your spouse is your forever partner. Though you've been married a year or 70, your faith must be in the Lord, your love in your mate, and your backdoor barred shut! Remember that God ordained marriage --- your marriage. For better or for worse......for richer for poorer......in sickness and in health.
Dear Lord, we pray that your blessings pour over those who call you Father. We pray blessings over our marriages and our marriage beds. We pray that we, along with our spouses, turn to you in times of need. Thank you, Father, for sanctifying our marriage and gifting us with a devoted love with a partner for life. Amen.
Friday, July 22, 2011
The God Who Heals
"I am the Lord who heals you." Exodus 15:26
All of us have had a friend or family member ask for our prayers for their health or even healing. We often come to God on behalf of others with a confident faith that He will heal if it is His will. Yet how many times have you found yourself as the one begging for prayers for healing? Maybe the healing isn't for yourself but for your husband or children.
Often when we come to God with our own prayers of healing, we seem to become less confident in God's willingness to hear our prayers. Read the following example and think if you have ever been in that same place:
Kevin was an educated, part time minister for a small country church in Alabama. He often had calls from his church members seeking prayer or guidance. He would end each night beside his bed in prayer for all the needs that were known to him and praying to the Lord with a confident heart.
One day Kevin received a call that his wife of 2 years was in an accident and at the local hospital. After arriving and speaking to the doctors, his wife's condition was grim. Barring a "miracle" as the doctors put it, she would not make it through the night. Kevin found the small chapel at the hospital and laid at the small altar begging God to hear his prayer of healing for his wife. After several minutes, Kevin arose and sat on the pew behind him. As he sat he thought back over his prayer to God. For the first time that Kevin could remember he had come to God not with a confident heart but with one that was so unsure that God had even heard his prayer.
Kevin got back on his knees and asked God to forgive him for his lack of faith when it came to prayers for one of his own. He prayed, then, with a more confident heart and asked God's provision to be on his wife. There was a knock on the door, and Kevin turned to find the doctor in the doorway. He asked Kevin to come with him to his wife's room. As Kevin tried to ask the doctor several questions about his wife's condition, the doctor told him that he needed to show him the answers. As they walked into his wife's room, he noticed that the monitors that seemed to show erratic functioning of his wife's organs had calmed. He looked at the doctor. The doctor smiled and said, "Whatever prayer you have been saying, you need to keep it up. She seems to be responding much better than we initially thought. She may just have a chance to pull out of this after all."
Kevin pulled up a chair to his wife's bed. He stationed himself beside her, praying confidently that the Lord would provide and heal as He saw fit. After 22 days, Kevin helped his wife slowly up the walkway to their home. Thankful not only that she was alive but that he had a renewed relationship with the Lord, Kevin invited his congregation to gather in his yard to sing the praises of the Lord that very night!
While doctors do what they can, it is only the Lord who can heal you eternally. I pray if you ever find yourself in need of the Healer, you will look toward heaven!
All of us have had a friend or family member ask for our prayers for their health or even healing. We often come to God on behalf of others with a confident faith that He will heal if it is His will. Yet how many times have you found yourself as the one begging for prayers for healing? Maybe the healing isn't for yourself but for your husband or children.
Often when we come to God with our own prayers of healing, we seem to become less confident in God's willingness to hear our prayers. Read the following example and think if you have ever been in that same place:
Kevin was an educated, part time minister for a small country church in Alabama. He often had calls from his church members seeking prayer or guidance. He would end each night beside his bed in prayer for all the needs that were known to him and praying to the Lord with a confident heart.
One day Kevin received a call that his wife of 2 years was in an accident and at the local hospital. After arriving and speaking to the doctors, his wife's condition was grim. Barring a "miracle" as the doctors put it, she would not make it through the night. Kevin found the small chapel at the hospital and laid at the small altar begging God to hear his prayer of healing for his wife. After several minutes, Kevin arose and sat on the pew behind him. As he sat he thought back over his prayer to God. For the first time that Kevin could remember he had come to God not with a confident heart but with one that was so unsure that God had even heard his prayer.
Kevin got back on his knees and asked God to forgive him for his lack of faith when it came to prayers for one of his own. He prayed, then, with a more confident heart and asked God's provision to be on his wife. There was a knock on the door, and Kevin turned to find the doctor in the doorway. He asked Kevin to come with him to his wife's room. As Kevin tried to ask the doctor several questions about his wife's condition, the doctor told him that he needed to show him the answers. As they walked into his wife's room, he noticed that the monitors that seemed to show erratic functioning of his wife's organs had calmed. He looked at the doctor. The doctor smiled and said, "Whatever prayer you have been saying, you need to keep it up. She seems to be responding much better than we initially thought. She may just have a chance to pull out of this after all."
Kevin pulled up a chair to his wife's bed. He stationed himself beside her, praying confidently that the Lord would provide and heal as He saw fit. After 22 days, Kevin helped his wife slowly up the walkway to their home. Thankful not only that she was alive but that he had a renewed relationship with the Lord, Kevin invited his congregation to gather in his yard to sing the praises of the Lord that very night!
While doctors do what they can, it is only the Lord who can heal you eternally. I pray if you ever find yourself in need of the Healer, you will look toward heaven!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Where Does Your Ministry Begin?
"Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation." Joel 1:3
I love to read other devotions from different Christian writers and speakers. I recently read a devotion by Charles Spurgeon based on this very verse. I loved what he said --- "To teach our children is a personal duty. We cannot delegate it to Sunday School teachers" or other aids. I completely agree. Too many times parents allow the church and those who volunteer in it to teach their children about the Lord, never taking the time themselves to teach these young minds about what the Lord has done for them as their parents. Parents have a huge influence over there small children. As toddlers and young children, parents are like super heroes. These years are most important, and we should never allow others to teach our children what we should be teaching them ourselves. Don't think that you are alone in this belief because Charles Spurgeon declared, "he is a bad preacher who does not commence his ministry at home." Each and every one of us should invest time and interest into teaching our children about the Lord so that they can, in turn, teach their own children one day. How can we expect our children to understand a personal relationship with God if we don't show them our own when they are young?
I love to read other devotions from different Christian writers and speakers. I recently read a devotion by Charles Spurgeon based on this very verse. I loved what he said --- "To teach our children is a personal duty. We cannot delegate it to Sunday School teachers" or other aids. I completely agree. Too many times parents allow the church and those who volunteer in it to teach their children about the Lord, never taking the time themselves to teach these young minds about what the Lord has done for them as their parents. Parents have a huge influence over there small children. As toddlers and young children, parents are like super heroes. These years are most important, and we should never allow others to teach our children what we should be teaching them ourselves. Don't think that you are alone in this belief because Charles Spurgeon declared, "he is a bad preacher who does not commence his ministry at home." Each and every one of us should invest time and interest into teaching our children about the Lord so that they can, in turn, teach their own children one day. How can we expect our children to understand a personal relationship with God if we don't show them our own when they are young?
Monday, July 11, 2011
Praying for the Sinner
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)
Sin is alive and well in the world today. We all know people in our lives that we continue to pray for as they battle through different sins that may ensnare them daily. We, as Christians, find ourselves satisfied that we have prayed for the "sinners" around us, asking God to forgive them and help them see their shortcomings.
I know this woman who is a great and loyal friend, but who can be prideful and self-righteous many times in our conversations. This woman can be judgmental at times and entertains gossip more than she should. You see, the one thing I have prayed about with this woman is the fact that she continues to deny her own sin. She can immediately see the sins of others yet fails to admit her own sin. She often brushes off her sin as an accident or an indiscretion, which a quick "my bad" can fix.
If you haven't already guessed this woman is actually me. Yes, I, like you, am a sinner. It is just as easy for me to overlook my own sins as I sit back and judge the sins of others. Romans 3:23 reminds us that we ALL have sinned. Everyone of us has sin in our lives. We ALL fall short of the glory of God. Yet there is Hope!
If you stop at verse 23, you would assume that the verse would go on to say the following -- "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and now there will be hell to pay!" Yet, verse 24 offers hope not damnation. We are "justified freely by his grace!" Praise the Lord!
As you spend time with Lord, don't just stop at praying for the other sinners in your lives. Pray for the sinner in your own life!
Sin is alive and well in the world today. We all know people in our lives that we continue to pray for as they battle through different sins that may ensnare them daily. We, as Christians, find ourselves satisfied that we have prayed for the "sinners" around us, asking God to forgive them and help them see their shortcomings.
I know this woman who is a great and loyal friend, but who can be prideful and self-righteous many times in our conversations. This woman can be judgmental at times and entertains gossip more than she should. You see, the one thing I have prayed about with this woman is the fact that she continues to deny her own sin. She can immediately see the sins of others yet fails to admit her own sin. She often brushes off her sin as an accident or an indiscretion, which a quick "my bad" can fix.
If you haven't already guessed this woman is actually me. Yes, I, like you, am a sinner. It is just as easy for me to overlook my own sins as I sit back and judge the sins of others. Romans 3:23 reminds us that we ALL have sinned. Everyone of us has sin in our lives. We ALL fall short of the glory of God. Yet there is Hope!
If you stop at verse 23, you would assume that the verse would go on to say the following -- "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and now there will be hell to pay!" Yet, verse 24 offers hope not damnation. We are "justified freely by his grace!" Praise the Lord!
As you spend time with Lord, don't just stop at praying for the other sinners in your lives. Pray for the sinner in your own life!
Friday, July 8, 2011
We Bow Down
"I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame." Psalm 138:2
If you have turned on your TV or opened a news website in the past week, chances are you have been bombarded with feelings of pity, unimaginable sorrow, and even downright anger over many recent news stories. From gunshots to disappearances to murders, our world is full of sin and sinners. We often question how someone could hurt another or how one person could torment another without remorse. Our hearts ache for the sorrows of others as they live with the pain of losing a loved one or having a loved one hurt by acts of violence. It is completely normal for us, as humans, to be upset or to feel the pain of others in those situations. Our hearts ache along with our neighbors for the wrongs of this world.
God knew that the world would one day be filled with darkness, and He proclaimed that His vengeance would come down upon those who turn their backs upon the Lord and take up with Satan. One day each one of us will have to answer for the sins we have committed, whether it was the lie you told your parents or the torment of a classmate or the gossip about a neighbor. To the Father, these are all the same as the people who commit murder! God the Father hurts when we sin. Yet He promised that one day, the darkness of this world would bow down to Him upon His return.
Until that time, I can only cling to the worlds of Psalm 138:2 because even in these dark days, God is always faithful. He is always just. He loves us with an unfailing love. I pray that each one of us will turn to him and praise Him, bowing down to His holy temple, and thanking Him for saving us so that one day we can live in Glory with Him!
Dear Lord, we may not understand the sins of this world. We look around us and see unjust acts and unpunished people yet we stand firm in the knowledge that you will return. In the meantime, Lord, I pray that you hear our praise and thanksgiving for your unfailing love, your vast forgiveness, and your open arms. Amen!
If you have turned on your TV or opened a news website in the past week, chances are you have been bombarded with feelings of pity, unimaginable sorrow, and even downright anger over many recent news stories. From gunshots to disappearances to murders, our world is full of sin and sinners. We often question how someone could hurt another or how one person could torment another without remorse. Our hearts ache for the sorrows of others as they live with the pain of losing a loved one or having a loved one hurt by acts of violence. It is completely normal for us, as humans, to be upset or to feel the pain of others in those situations. Our hearts ache along with our neighbors for the wrongs of this world.
God knew that the world would one day be filled with darkness, and He proclaimed that His vengeance would come down upon those who turn their backs upon the Lord and take up with Satan. One day each one of us will have to answer for the sins we have committed, whether it was the lie you told your parents or the torment of a classmate or the gossip about a neighbor. To the Father, these are all the same as the people who commit murder! God the Father hurts when we sin. Yet He promised that one day, the darkness of this world would bow down to Him upon His return.
Until that time, I can only cling to the worlds of Psalm 138:2 because even in these dark days, God is always faithful. He is always just. He loves us with an unfailing love. I pray that each one of us will turn to him and praise Him, bowing down to His holy temple, and thanking Him for saving us so that one day we can live in Glory with Him!
Dear Lord, we may not understand the sins of this world. We look around us and see unjust acts and unpunished people yet we stand firm in the knowledge that you will return. In the meantime, Lord, I pray that you hear our praise and thanksgiving for your unfailing love, your vast forgiveness, and your open arms. Amen!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
When Life Gets You Down
"I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help comes from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2
Sally reported to work one day only to be given a pink slip after 10 years of faithful service to the company. Johnny received some devastating news about his health after having what he thought was the flu. Debbie received the news that her parents would need around the clock help, and she would have to think about placing them in a nursing home. Mark's girlfriend thought she was pregnant, and now both of them were scared to death. Patrick felt the Lord calling him into service yet he was discouraged by the many obstacles over the past year to seem to divert him from what God wanted him to do.
Do any of these scenarios make you think of your own crossroads? Or maybe one of these people is you now. The words in Psalms 121:1-2 give me great hope in the times of life that seem to drag me down. God never promised that life would be easy or that the choices in life would be easy. Yet He did promise that He would be with you always!
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We have a great promise from the Lord that if we place our faith and trust in Him, then we will find the promise of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 to be true in our lives. The devil, himself, seeks to drag us down and make us believe that God has abandoned us in our time of need, yet we know this to be untrue. God not only is with us always but he understands our hurts. He seeks to comfort us in our time of need if we only seek Him.
When the things in your life seem to be overwhelming, where will you turn first? Where will you find peace and comfort? Cling to the words of Psalm 121:1-2 and believe that God will see you through!
Sally reported to work one day only to be given a pink slip after 10 years of faithful service to the company. Johnny received some devastating news about his health after having what he thought was the flu. Debbie received the news that her parents would need around the clock help, and she would have to think about placing them in a nursing home. Mark's girlfriend thought she was pregnant, and now both of them were scared to death. Patrick felt the Lord calling him into service yet he was discouraged by the many obstacles over the past year to seem to divert him from what God wanted him to do.
Do any of these scenarios make you think of your own crossroads? Or maybe one of these people is you now. The words in Psalms 121:1-2 give me great hope in the times of life that seem to drag me down. God never promised that life would be easy or that the choices in life would be easy. Yet He did promise that He would be with you always!
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We have a great promise from the Lord that if we place our faith and trust in Him, then we will find the promise of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 to be true in our lives. The devil, himself, seeks to drag us down and make us believe that God has abandoned us in our time of need, yet we know this to be untrue. God not only is with us always but he understands our hurts. He seeks to comfort us in our time of need if we only seek Him.
When the things in your life seem to be overwhelming, where will you turn first? Where will you find peace and comfort? Cling to the words of Psalm 121:1-2 and believe that God will see you through!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Happy 4th of July!
Happy Independence Day to you all! I pray that you remember from where your freedom comes -- a Risen Savior -- as well as those who continue to fight for our nation's freedom. Take a few moments today to appreciate those who put themselves in harm's way as well as their families, who sacrifice here at home as well! Thank you to all my friends and family in the military! My prayers are with you all!
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