God’s love is what binds us together, love heals us, love fulfills us.
We can have all we ever wanted in life but if we don’t have love, we will still be lacking.
We can try to do and be the humblest, most compassionate, kindest, gentlest, most patient and forgiving person. But if we don’t have love we will only be striving instead of thriving.
Love shows us others as God sees them, love gives us the drive to put others first, love fulfills us so that we don’t need the approval of others.
By Jesus living in and through us. God is love and to love him and others we must let him shine through us. He calls us to die to self so that he can live through us. So it’s not about us, its about him.
It’s not about striving and trying to do and be like him. But it’s through relationship with Jesus that we learn who he is and by surrendering ourselves over to him so that he can live through us. We are simply willing vessels.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus never demanded respect or to be worshiped or honored. He came to serve. Not to be served.
Have you ever demanded to be honored or respected? Did the actions of the person you demanded respect from fulfill that need or desire. Or did it leave you still wanting more?
When we force appreciation from people it teaches them that honor and respect are demanded, instead of earned.
So in turn they will go and do the same to others.
But when we get our value from God, as Jesus did, we don’t need the approval or appreciation of others to feel honored or respected.
Getting our value from God turns the moments when we are honored or respected by others into ‘life bonuses.’
The apostle Paul was only who he was by following God and the encouragement of others believers, like Timothy. If we try to do what God calls us to do and be who he calls us to be without him. We will fail.
What he asks us to do and who he asks us to be can’t be done without him. It’s only by God’s direction, his grace and his love that we can move mountains.
Paul was a great apostle he wrote a third of the new testament and shared God’s love with thousands. But when Paul tried to accomplish what he thought God wanted without God’s direction. He persecuted those he would later in life call friends and fellow believers.
When we try to do things for God without the leading of the Holy Spirit, they can be good, but they will not accomplish anywhere near what we could if we followed God’s leading. A lot of terrible things have been done in the name of God that he never asked for or wanted.
The leading of the Holy Spirit is imperative and necessary to living for God.
God leads and guides us moment by moment, he gives us the words to say, direction to go, wisdom for decisions and joy and strength to accomplish his leading. Look to Jesus in your daily life and he will move mountains.
Its easy to excuse away our behavior by saying ‘that’s just the way I am.’
But if we are are made new in Jesus, then we are not who we used to be. We are like him.
By saying ‘that’s just the way I am’ we are resurrecting our old self and saying that Jesus in us, is not enough to kill off our old selves.
Jesus makes us new when we invite him into our lives. He gives us new life a new identity.
When we die to self, we are spiritually no longer that person and are given new life in Jesus and that new life is for him to live through us.
So when we find our selves reverting back to our old ways and our old habits we don’t need to try to change, we need to realize that, that is not us anymore.
That’s why knowing Jesus is so important, because the more we know him the more we know our new selves, its how we find our identity in him.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. –2 Corinthians 5:17
Sharing what God is doing in our lives and others sharing what he is doing in their live is how we encourage and build each others up. We are the body of Christ and how can the body function if it doesn’t communicate with itself. When one part of the body suffers others parts of the body come to heal that part.
When we lived in Michigan we were part of a small group that had no curriculum, no required reading, no plan, except that each week when we gathered we asked each other one simple question.
‘What has God been teaching you this week?’
Our facilitator/host always had something prepared but we rarely needed it. Some of the members would share, not always the same people even but somehow it always all connected. We would teach each other what God was teaching us and encourage each other to grow in our relationship with God. Sometimes when one or a few of us were struggling or hurting we did what the body does we would focus on that person and help them to heal. Even when we didn’t know what to do we followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and let God teach us all. But we made learning how to grow lose to God a shared experience.
Sharing with each others builds faith and trust. It shows that God is real and active in our lives everyday. That he does make a difference and he can do the same for everyone.
Share your life, share your stories of what God has done for you and seek to learn from others what God has done for them.
When we die to our selfish nature it’s to stop trying to achieve salvation on our own. We humble ourselves by acknowledging that we cannot achieve it by our own self abasement. So why after receiving Jesus’s free gift of forgiveness would we one again try to earn it?
The choices we make to abstain from things in our lives are to help us develop a deeper relationship with Jesus; building more dependence on him and less on ourselves. Things like fasting are to show us that God can sustain us, not to show others how devout we can be.
Our choices to abstain from things are for our focus to be undivided. If we focus on trying to redeem our past. We will miss what God is doing in our lives now. If we look to darkness for light we are missing the point that he delivered us from darkness.
Stop trying to earn salvation and accept the free gift that it is and enjoy the freedom from darkness that Jesus salvation provided.
How do you act, speak, think when your alone? Is it the same way you are in public, at work, at church?
Would you be ashamed to share who you are at home or what you do? Does who you are change depending on where you are? Or who you’re around.
If we have Jesus living in us and we are living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We should be the same person whether we are alone or surround by thousands.
If you worship God at Church worship him at home. If you pray at church, pray at work, in the car, or while doing the dishes. The Holy Spirit lives in us no matter where we are or what we are doing. Where we are or what were doing does not change who God is. So why would it change who we are or what we do. No matter what you’re doing or where you are. Remember God is with you. He doesn’t change, he is the same. And we can depend on him for everything anywhere anytime.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. -Hebrews 13:8
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! –Phil 2:6-8
Even Jesus didn’t consider himself equal with Father God when he came to earth. He could of been born to the highest king in all the world. He could of come as an adult.
But instead He choose to come as a baby, to a young girl and her fiance with no notoriety or status.
He choose to start with humble beginnings.
He never demanded to be worshipped, glorified, honored or respected.
He simple came to serve us in love. To do what we couldn’t, to live a sinless life and then die falsely accused the death of a murder.
All to give us the opportunity to have right relationship with Father God. To not have to earn anything, simple to let Him live through us. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus did the hard part.
We need to stop striving and trying to work for Him. Instead we need to start surrendering and let Him work through us!
Why do we have disagreements within the church body? I’m not talking about the big theological debates. More about the simple things like how the Christmas decorations get set up.
Why do we let these things bother us? Was it really our decision in the first place or are we giving our opinion. If it is our opinion, is that what we should be focused on? Isn’t our role in the church to be the body of Christ, to help others, not hinder. Have we asked Jesus His opinion on the matter? Or are we just blazing forward without regard for God’s opinion.
You may think He doesn’t care about the little things. Or that your perfectly capable of making that decision without Him. But should we be doing things without Him? Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
Jesus can make the simplest thing simpler or the most boring thing enjoyable. Make every moment a moment to deepen your relationship with Him. If doing something simple and boring is more fun with a friend; and He is the funnest friend ever. Then shouldn’t we want to do everything with Him.
If your have a differing opinion then someone else in the body of Christ. Then you should both seek God and ask him how you can serve others. Changing our perspective from ourselves to others. Changes our hearts to the gospel. As Paul is speaking of in this verse. Jesus didn’t come to earth to make things about him. He came to connect us to Father God. He came to serve others not himself or his opinion but to do and say what his Heavenly Father said and did. If even Jesus didn’t consider his opinion to be above others how can we.
God’s identity for each of us is so crucial to our relationship with Him. Who and what He has called us to is so much more then a career; it’s who we are.
For me, it’s writing, it’s who he made me to be and even though I don’t earn a dime from it currently, it’s still who I am. Writing uplifts me, it causes me to think about what He’s done, what He is doing and seek to know Him more. Writing about Him is how I understand Him and know His character.
In our American society we get so encapsulated that our job or career is our identity. But we are so much more the what we do for a living. Our identity can never be stripped away. We can lose everything and everyone and God will still be God and we will still be who He called us to be; His kids.
Paul knew that and that’s why he says by the will of God, because God completely changed who he was. God gave Paul a new identity, a new purpose and even a new name.
God does this with us too. When we seek God and ask Him who He made us to be. He reveals His identity for us, who He designed us to be. We become fulfilled by Him the more we walk in the identity He’s called us to.
Would you act the way you act if Jesus were standing right next to you?
Regardless of the circumstance around us. We are to represent Jesus in our words, our actions and reactions.
No one said Christianity would be easy or popular. But it will change you for the better if you let it.
We may be surrounded by opposition but that does not mean it has to change us. One of the biggest ways to witness to others. Is to let them see that we are faithful to share God’s love. Even in the toughest circumstances.
No matter if people are screaming at us and telling us, we’re wrong. We know the truth. That God loves us and that He loves them too. That truth can move mountains.
When we don’t falter during the hard times. We show others what God has to offer. That they can have the same peace in the storm and confidence that they are loved, that we do.
Regardless of the circumstances around us or the lack of support or encouragement from others. When we know God and His character. He provides all that we need and more to represent Him to others.
He gives us peace in the storm and the confidence to love others. Because we are loved by Him. We share that love that changed us with others so it can change them too.
Paul greets the people of Colossae and immediately reminds them of their identity in Jesus. That they are God’s people and that gives them God’s grace and because of his grace they have peace.
We should be the same when we see greet other brothers and sisters in the faith. We should see them as God sees them. Loved, forgiven and made new in Jesus. We should be encouraging each other to be who God created us to be. So that when we see others distressed. We can remind them that God’s grace gives them peace. By helping them to refocus there attention on who God made them to be instead of their problems. And that God is their provider.
When we spend our time with other believers, trying to point out their problems instead of the solution. It’s like poking a wound. Instead of trying to help. All we are doing is drawing attention to it and making it hurt worse.
But when we direct others to being made new in Jesus. It like applying ointment to the wound, promoting healing.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. –Psalm 23
Read this again. But see yourself as a sheep and Jesus as your shepherd.
Jesus provides water and food. He leads us on the safest path. Even when we can’t see, we know that he will guide and protect us with his staff as he leads us. Even in the presence of a predator he provides abundance and peace. All of this love, peace, provision and protection comes from Jesus. But only when we follow and trust him. Only when we depend on him to do what he’s promised.
We can’t be wondering sheep, doing whatever we want and expect our shepherd to provide if we don’t put our trust in him. Yes he will seek us out and bring us back to the flock. But it’s there in his presence where he provides all that we need and more.
You might have noticed a lot of these devotionals repeat some of the same messages. That’s because my passion is for you to have a deep intimate relationship with God, to find your identity in him and for him to use you to share the same work he has done in you and me, with others.
Paul the author of Philippians was repetitive in his teachings because he was passionate about what he taught, as am I.
What God has done for me in my life I could never repay and he still continues to shower me with his love everyday. I know he wants to do the same for you too.
Don’t worry about sounding like a broken record when you are sharing his love with others. Simply share what the Holy Spirit leads you to. Let the burden God has placed in your heart speak out through your words and actions as you share Jesus with others.
Jesus was not a back up plan. He is God. He is creation. He is the very word that created us.
He loves us and in loving us gave us choice. It would not be love if we were forced. God is gentle and he will never force us into anything we do not choose. We make choices in life that either brings us closer to him or further away from him.
He knew we would make mistakes and he planned from the very beginning to sacrifice himself for us. To make a way for us to come back into right relationship with him.
Jesus choose us because he loves us. We either choose to accept his sacrifice or we don’t. But in choosing we also choose to let him love and forgive us or we choose not to.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ~Colossians 3:16
We as believers in Jesus are meant to teach and encourage each other. But we need to make sure we are teaching what Jesus has taught us. Not what the world has taught us.
How do we separate the two, how do we know what God is teaching us and what we’ve learned from the world.
By asking the Holy Spirit and testing what we’ve learned against these verses.
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. ~Philippians 4:5-9
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ~Galatians 5:22-25
Seek God, expect his peace all that bolded above. If you don’t have these. Then ask him why and seek him till you have them. We are not supposed to be in charge. God is. And if we are following his leading then we will have the fruit of his Spirit.
When we are in any leadership role at work, at home, volunteer or any other capacity we need to be mindful of how we lead. Jesus lead by example as a servant, he never asked his disciples to do what he was not already doing, he never saw anything or anyone as above him.
He knelt in the dirt for an adulteress. He dined with a tax collector and saw greatness in fisherman.
He saw each person as valuable and worth eveything and he treated them as priceless.
Jesus lead with humility, patience and kindness. Shouldn’t we do the same?
Where we draw our strength, is what lets us stand in the storm.
Our faith is built on Jesus and when we know that he is our roots. We can weather the storm. When we draw our nourishment from Jesus, we grow stronger in him and we can withstand more then we can imagine.
When the storm is over we may see damage to branches and leaves. But its what we can’t see deep down the root of Jesus that give us the strength to grow back bigger and stronger that matter.
Let Jesus be your roots.
So when the storm comes it’s his words, his love, his strength and his character that we depend on to weather the storm and come out stronger.
Sounds exhausting right, and it is. If we try to do and be these things on our own. But that’s not what God intends.
He wants to be these thing in us and through us.
When we give our lives to him he lives in us. That’s why we die to ourselves (not literally, spiritually) We let Jesus live through us.
But we have to nurture that relationship and feed it. By reading his word, talking with him (prayer) and surrounding ourselves with what draw us closer to God, not further away.
The more time we spend with God, the more we know him the more he pours out of us.
When we hear of new believers there is an excitement and a joy that comes with knowing that others have found the same love and peace that we did when we surrendered our lives Jesus. Knowing that more people have found Jesus and are in turn sharing Him with others is something that over joys all believers.
Often we divide ourselves by what church we go to or what denomination. But God never intended for us to be divided. We are all believers in Jesus and His grace and that is what brings us together.
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how when we meet other believers our first responses is usually. ‘What church do you go to?’ And then we immediately begin to either bond or judge each other based on the answer to that question.
But what if our first question to other believer when we find out we share faith in Jesus is.
“What has God been doing in your life or teaching you recently?”
This question can direct our conversation to encourage and uplift each other by focusing instead on what draws us together, instead of what separates us.
The Lord’s Prayer. Some say it everyday. But we have to do more than just say it. We need to know it, understand it and mean it. God’s word is not a magic formula that you say the words to and they work. We have to believe what these words say. They need to be lived through us.
Below is the Lord’s Prayer with links to a few versions. I want to encourage you to read it slowly. Read it multiple times and let the words affect you. Seek to know their meaning. Click the links and read the whole chapter. Whatever you do don’t receipt them from memory until the words have a personal meaning to you. Jesus was teaching us how to pray. Not to repeat words but how to posture our hearts before our Heavenly Father.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Before these verses God talks about giving to the needy but in secret. So we get store up treasures in heaven not on earth. And after he talks about fasting and not being anxious. Both of which are accomplished by submission to God.
When I pray the Lord’s Prayer I often don’t even get through it. I just focus on the first two verses. In short “Glorify God and Build His Kingdom.” In our world it’s easy to focus on ourselves. But he calls us to focus on him. The rest of the verses are about him caring for us. But he only cares for us if we focus and depend on him.
Here is a free download for a screensaver. To help us all focus on our King.
We are meant to stand out by our words and by our actions. We are to be known by how we react. We should have peace in times of trouble and pour our lives out for others.
Jesus never complained, he served people without prejudice or regard for himself, and we should do the same. Not out of obligation, but out of love. We are to serve, to demonstrate his love to others, to stick out like stars in the sky because of our compassion.
If you are serving or volunteering out of obligation or because you think it will earn you points with God. Stop. Ask God how he wants you to help others and ask him to show you those you serve the ways he sees them.
I have been on many missions trips and seen destitution and poverty but I have also learned from the people I have served because I saw them as equals. Don’t serve people because you see them as less fortunate, uneducated or less then you. Serve because he asked you to and learn from those you serve.
We are all people and we all have the capacity to share God’s love with each other.
Can you imagine being born where the livestock are stored? Laying in hay to give birth and being surrounded by animals.
Jesus birth may seem humble to us and in a way it is. But he was surrounded and heralded by his creation, the very animals he spoke into existence and his birth was announced by angels and celebrated by the poor and the rich.
The Bible says that if we do not praise him the very rocks will cry out, and in many ways they do. Have you ever seen the majesty of a mountain. All creation cries out to praise Jesus and we being his creation are to do the same.
He created us, each one of us, he knit each of us together in our mothers womb. We are his creation. As his creation, we should praise him too!
God always does what he says he will. But rarely is it how we would think he would or in the time that we think is best. Do you think that the people expected their savior to come as a baby. That he would grow up like them and wouldn’t start his ministry till he was thirty years old.
I’m sure most people thought he would come charging in on a cloud bold and strong, pushing all the kings and rulers out of the way and declaring his kingdom with thunder and lighting.
But God’s ways are not our ways.
He had a different plan. To show all of humanity love and compassion. To serve us and give us the opportunity to be made new in him.
What circumstance are you looking for God to move in? Are you only looking for him to do it as you expect, or in the timeline you prefer.
Stop looking for the answer and look for God instead. He’s there. You just have to look for him and trust him to do what he promises.
“My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary rejoiced in her suffering. Yes she was blessed to carry the son of God but that didn’t come with welcome arms from her family, fiancé or community. Having a baby out of wedlock during her time period was punishable by being stoned to death or at the least being considered an outcast.
Mary knew all this could happen when she said yes to the angel. But she considered it a greater honor to carry Jesus inside her and took the risk of being ridiculed.
Her faith was why she was chosen.
Photo by Arteida MjESHTRI on Unsplash
We are all blessed with the opportunity to carry Jesus inside of us too because of his sacrifice. If Mary was willing to endure ridicule and being outcast and the possibility of being stoned. Why can’t we risk being made fun of for our faith.
God provides for what he call us to. Just like provided for Mary and Jesus. Trust him when he asks you to speak to someone and take a risk for Jesus. I bet you’ll be surprised at the outcome.
Today is a great day to put that into practice. As you go about your plans today look at your surroundings, at the people you are with and find new things to be thankful for.
You may find that you appreciate things or others more then you have in the past. Ask God to reveal to you how he see your friends and family, or if your alone ask him to show you what he would like you to do today.
Thankfulness is about perspective so change your perspective and let the joy of Jesus fill you.
Freedom from guilt and shame is amazing. We have all done something we regret in our lives or the word ‘sorry’ wouldn’t exist. We all have days where it feels like the world is ending either by choices we have made or choices others have made that affect us. But its when we dwell on those and let them consume us that we give it power over us.
Forgiveness is powerful; God’s forgiveness gives us freedom from the guilt and shame of all our mistakes and forgiving others takes away their power over us.
When you are forgiven its like a ton of bricks is lifted off your back, forgiving others gives us that same freedom.
Don’t let a simple choice keep you from lifting the load of unforgiveness from your back.
It’s easy to be envious of other’s ministries or success, but we are each called to our own ministry.
God made each of us unique and has called each of us to our own ministry. I can’t reach someone the same way you can and in the same respect; you can’t reach someone like I can. We are all special, all chosen by him and he has a calling for each of us. For some it’s to minister to thousands, for others it’s to reach the person no one notices. The point is we are each special and unique and we all met God in different ways. We are to be those different ways for other people.
We need to stop comparing ourselves to others and start seeking what God has special just for us.
What has he called you to? Who has he set on your heart? Seek him for how he wants you to reach the people he has given you a heart for and enjoy your unique calling.
Pain is something we all have in our lives. We have all been hurt and we all try to escape it. But avoiding, ignoring, overcompensating, deflecting and straight out running in the other direction regardless of what that is doesn’t remove the pain. It only distracts or numbs.
But what if instead of holding onto that pain we could be free from it.
Forgiveness is powerful and it frees us from pain.
Many see forgiveness as excusing the one who hurt us or saying it’s ok. But it’s not. Forgiving someone does that make what they did right. But it does free us from letting that pain control us.
Holding on to the pain of the past gives that pain power over us. We give it the power to influence our decisions. We let pain control our actions. Keeping us from things because we are afraid to face the pain.
Holding onto our pain instead of forgiving really controls us, not the other person.
But we can make the decision to stop letting that pain rule us and surrender it over to Jesus. He came to free us from our pain and free us from allowing unforgiveness to control us.
Stop letting your past determine your future and let go of the pain.
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'” Luke 23:34
Limiting you perspective to what you know and not being willing to believe or even conceive of something outside your current knowledge, limits your ability to grow.
I heard a Pastor say once “unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
When we hold on to unforgiveness it grows into bitterness and resentment. We think we are hurting the other person because they hurt us, but most of the time the other person doesn’t even know they hurt us.
By holding onto it we just hurt ourselves more.
But by choosing to forgive we extend the same gift God gave us to them. It’s His grace not our ours and who are we to withhold His grace from someone.
Forgiveness is freeing.
Remember how you felt when you accepted Gods forgiveness, it’s the same when we forgive others.
So why would you choose to hold yourself back from that freedom?
Its easy to skip over verses like these, but its part of the bible and we can’t pick and choose, but we can read in context. The previous verses talk about servants submitting to masters; then it talks about consequences for actions which is all this verse is talking about, it’s a natural progression.
Many would wonder well what if my master/boss/parent is rude or mean or cruel. Most likely they are that way because someone was like that to them and being rude back only perpetuates the cycle. But when we submit to authority in our lives God bless us, regardless of whether that authority deserves it or not. Maybe that person has never experienced the love and grace of God. We can be that to them. By showing honor and respect.
None of us deserved God’s forgiveness, but he gives it freely. We can’t earn it. That’s why Jesus came to a be sacrifice in our place. Because as hard as we try we can’t earn our salvation. So if we are given a gift that we didn’t and can’t earn how can we hold back that gift from others.
Everyone fills their heart and their head with something.
What we focus on in the morning will be with us all day and what we focus on at night will be with us in our dreams and may even wake us up. Starting our day with God sets the tone for the day. Putting him first gives us the energy, wisdom and stamina to not just get through the day but to thrive.
When we let God fill us up in the morning and ask him to direct our steps through the day, our days go smoother. We have more peace and calm. Because he gives us all we need. He helps us do what we need to better, more effectively and efficiently. And helps us to avoid the pitfalls that can drain us or steer us in the wrong direction.
Let God direct your steps and you’ll be surprised how amazing your day will go.
Paul was imprisoned for his faith in Jesus but that never stopped him from sharing his faith with people. He wrote letters to believers from prison, encouraging them to continue in their faith in God. He shared his faith with those he was imprisoned with. He never stopped or allowed his circumstances to change him, who he was or what God had called him to.
It’s easy to allow our circumstances to dictate our mood, our behavior and our decisions. But when we surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit, he can change our attitude, our perspective and lead us to make better decisions.
We can either choose to let life dictate to us or we can be the change that makes a difference.
If your faith is dependent on your ability or lack of ability it’s not faith. Faith is in God and his ability not our ability.
What are Gods abilities: He multiples food He can part the Red Sea He overflowed two boats with fish He heals the sick He raised the dead
What about his record makes you doubt his ability to work through you? Him working through us is about us surrendering and being a willing vessel. Spending time reading the Bible, worshiping God and praying is how we hear him. But we have to be surrendered. Willing to hear him and do as he says.
When I prepare to preach I ask God what scripture he wants me to share. Then I read it over and over for days asking him to reveal it to me. So his word and his message are ingrained in my heart. I pray asking him to speak his heart through me. And I worship surrendering my heart, mind, voice and body to him for him to speak through me.
It’s the same when God asks us to speak to someone in the grocery store or at work. But we often don’t have time to stop pray read and worship first. That’s why prayer, worship and reading the Bible should be part of our lives everyday. So we are prepared when he asks us to do something. Prepared to be a willing vessel.
Jesus sacrifice gives us the opportunity to come into right relationship with God. This relationship makes us heirs with him so we can experience his blessings.
But God’s blessings are not all tangible, like we so often look for. Most of them are spiritual. Peace that surpasses understanding, freedom from guilt and shame, being loved more than we can imagine. These things can’t be taken from us.
The next time your looking for God to provide. Seek his kingdom and know that he provides and blesses us with the things that really matter. Love, hope, joy and forgiveness.
You may have heard some preachers or myself say to die to self. But what does that mean.
Dying to self, is just that dying to self. It’s putting to death your selfish desires, wants and even needs and putting others before yourself.
Sound crazy right, but that is what Jesus did in his life and death. He came to serve not be severed. He paid the price of his own life so that we could have his life in exchange for ours.
When we surrender our lives to Jesus and let him live through us. He provides for all our needs and fulfills many of our desires beyond our wildest dreams.
You may think, I still need to live, to eat, to breathe, to sleep. So don’t I have to be selfish at someone point. No, because when we following the leading of the Holy Spirit he takes care of those needs. I have never regretted putting someone before myself, but I have regretted not putting someone else first.
Marriage is a example of how our relationship with Jesus is supposed to be. We are supposed to put our spouses needs before ourselves. They are supposed to do the same, which brings balance. I can’t tell you how many times I have been doing something for my husband and he surprises me by taking care of the other things I needed to do after I took care of him.
It’s the same with Jesus. When he asks us to do something for someone else he already has something in the works to take care of us.
So dying to self is simple putting God first and trusting him to take care of all that he has promised us.
I thank God for what he has done in my life. His sacrifice gave me the opportunity to start over, to build a new life, free from shame and guilt. Free from my past mistakes.
That’s what Jesus did when he came to earth. He lived life as a servant and sacrificed his life for us. He never gave in to temptation but gave his life over willingly to take our place. We are that valuable to him that he gave everything for us, every moment of everyday of his life, even unto a death he didn’t deserve so that he could deliver us from darkness.
See it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, because Jesus forgives you. Don’t worry about thinking you have to clean up your act or change before you come to God. You come to him just as you are so that his sacrifice and his forgiveness can free you from guilt and shame and give you new life.
Peace in our hearts is something we all desire. But how do you get it, when there is always something, to worry about.
Simple. God’s peace surpasses our worldly concerns. It may sound crazy, but he created us and he created this world, so his peace can supersede our worries and concerns.
So how do we get his peace?
We trust him and give our worries and concerns over to him by asking him for his perspective or solution. When we look to him for the answer that’s when he can give us his peace.
His peace, is like shifting the responsibility over to him. You know that feeling when you feel overwhelmed with a task, like it will never end and you have no idea how to accomplish it. Then your boss comes to you and says you were never meant to worry or deal with that task in the first place.
That’s how God’s peace feels, that immediate relief, that lift of tension and stress.
God never meant for us to bear our own burdens, he came so that he could relieve that stress and give us his peace.
Stop living as if you have to do it all on your own, because you were never meant to, we are meant to life live in peace, because we are meant to live life with Jesus 24/7.
Prayer is simply a conversation with God. Talking with him, listening to him, enjoying his presence. But our approach to the conversation determines the outcome.
If we come to him with demand after demand without giving him even a moment to respond. How do you think that would go? How would you react, if that was how someone approached you?
Go to God with thankfulness for him, humility and appreciation of who he is. Speak to him as you would to the person you respect and love the most and listen for his answers.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.-Colossians 3:1-4
We are meant to think like Jesus, act like Jesus and be Jesus. But we are not meant to play act, we are supposed to let him shine instead of us.
Think of Jesus as your boss in a way, but imagine he is the best boss ever, who only ever wants the very best for you and others. You wouldn’t make decisions without your bosses approval so why would we make decisions without first going to Jesus.
He knows everything and therefore knows the best way, the most efficient way and the funniest way to do things. So why wouldn’t we look to him for guidance.
We are meant to set our mind in heaven where Jesus is and bring heaven to earth to those around us.
Jesus is with us all the time. He is our constant companion. We can talk to him anytime anywhere, in a traffic jam, at work, with our family, anytime he’s like your best friend that you can text anytime but you don’t need a phone to communicate with him.
We have the creator of the universe with us at all times, why wouldn’t we use that to our advantage?
We are meant to see the world through his eyes not him through the worlds eyes.
Trusting God can seem hard if you have no faith in him, but if you know him and his character. Then you know he more then earns our trust.
When we ask God for things, it’s easy to become discouraged if we don’t get the answer we wanted or in the time we think we should get it. But when he asks us to wait for something or doesn’t answer us the way we wanted he gives us peace beyond our understanding.
Our uneasiness, fear or anxiety about his answer comes from us not trusting him. Not his answer. He knows what’s best for us and when.
Many times when he says “no” or “not yet” it is because he has something better for us, beyond what we could image or what we want in the time we want it, would harm us more then help us.
I’ve used this example many times, but my husband and I both went through a time period where we were lonely and looking for our future spouse and both of us chose people who were not good for us and took advantage of us. They were not the right people for us but we tried to get what we wanted, when we wanted it instead of waiting for God to bring us into each others lives.
Because of our selfish decisions we both had to learn how to be in a healthy relationship and heal from the wounds of those past relationships. In the same respect it took time for those wounds to heal and we were both glad that we had not met sooner as God was working on both of us to be ready to have a healthy relationship, so that we would not bring past hurts into our relationship.
Trust God’s timing and his answer. Know that he has good plans for you.
Jesus saw people as valuable. We all are the joy set before him that he endured the cross. He gave everything to bring us into relationship with Him, Father God and Holy Spirit.
We should be encouraging others to find Jesus so that He can show them their true potential through relationship with Him.
He changed our lives. Why wouldn’t we want Jesus to do the same for others.
Bringing others into the family should be our joy and be the crown that we lay at Jesus feet.
We can’t take money or possessions to heaven with us, but we can take people.
See people as the true value that they are. The value that Jesus placed on humanity is priceless. You are priceless. All of us are priceless in God’s sight. Treat people the way Jesus did; as valuable beyond measure.
I’ve had a few seasons of struggling with finding intimacy with Jesus. As life changes so has my devotional time.
In one of these seasons I realized that the connection I was lacking at that time was because I wasn’t writing like I used to. Writing is part of who God has called me to be and it’s how He teaches me. It’s in that teaching that I grow closer to Him and learn more about Him.
God designed each of us and He has his own special way of connecting with each of us and revealing our identity in Him is the key to that.
We don’t need to fear Him and worry about our past neglect or inadequacies. We simply need to come to Him, hold His hand and let Him lead us.
Life and death reverberate throughout all creation. In creation the dead bring life to the living. Plants draw nutrients from the compost of the creation that has died and gone back into the earth.
If you look and listen God is always teaching us, echoing his message throughout all creation.
Death brings life.
Jesus died to bring us new life. His sacrifice paid for our mistakes and makes us a new creation before God. So that we might have freedom from guilt and shame. So we can have have a pure, loving, deep, intimate connection with him.
Jesus’s death brings life and so does our own. When we die to our selfishness and let him live through us it’s like a light being turned on in dark room, we can finally see and find freedom from the darkness that once surrounded us.
Find freedom in him and let his love and sacrifice lead you to the light of forgiveness.
Ministry is so much more then the person with the microphone.
There are always others, working to make events, outreaches and ministries happen.
When was the last time you thanked the person who faithfully makes the coffee each Sunday or the person who cleans your church, how about the person who opens their home up for your small group. Ministry is a group activity, we can reach other on a one on one basis but to reach a multitude is hard without a team that supports each other.
Paul acknowledged that in this passage. He appreciated the work and support of Epaphroditus.
If you are a leader remember to thank those that make it possible for you to do what you do, if you serve encourage and lift up those who serve with you.
