Mark 6:34 - People need the Lord

“Jesus … was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”

Mark 6:34

Yesterday, while reading God’s Word I was looking at the story of the feeding of the five thousand. The Lord ministered to my heart a different way and gave me some instructions on what I was to do. Here Jesus saw a great multitude of people. He “was moved with compassion for them.” The Word says that “they were like sheep not having a shepherd.” Then “He began to teach them many things.” Just as I was reading that He was “moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd,” the Holy Spirit reminded me of all those that were on my prayer list that are in need of salvation. He told me that they are “like sheep not having a shepherd.” He told me that I should be “moved with compassion for them.” He told me that they are in need of Him, the true Shepherd. He told me that He needed my help and that I have a work to do. He revealed to me that I should take these people under my wing and shepherd them in little ways. I am to do this until they open their hearts and lives to Him, enabling Him to be their shepherd. I am to call on them (take the time to visit them from time to time). I am to get to know them personally, developing a relationship with them. I am to pray for them daily and love on them, believing all the while in faith that God will move in their hearts drawing them to Him. If, and when, opportunities arise, I am to share God’s simple truths with them. Some people have no shepherd, minister, godly influence in their lives. I am to be that person. Will you join with me and be that person in the lives of the people on your prayer list that don’t know Christ? I pray so. We are all called to be ministers of the gospel. Maybe we aren’t to be one that preaches in the pulpit, but we are all called to the work outside of the four walls of our church. And He has placed you right where you are. He has put people in your family and around you that are in need of a Savior. People need the Lord. Let’s pray that He reach them.

Father, today I am moved with compassion for those that You have put into my life that have no shepherd. May I befriend them and make them my friend. It is so easy to just hang around the godly people You have put in our lives. May we not forget those that are unsaved. May we not leave them hanging. May we care about their souls and reach out to them. May they be open to me and my love. Open their hearts little by little to You. And, in time, may You begin to give me opportunities to share your truth’s with them. My goal is to disciple them, take them under my wing, pray for them, and love on them to the best of my ability. And, in due time, I want them to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and allow You to personally Shepherd their soul’s. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

John 14:6 - Jesus loves me!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

Do you love God? Really love Him? God doesn’t just want us to believe that He is real, even the demons believe that. He wants us to love Him. And He doesn’t want us to just love Him a little bit, or half-heartedly. He wants us to love Him with all that we are. I was reminded of the old song “Jesus Loves Me” today. There are six verses to this song. The song was written in 1860 by Anna Bartlett Warner. Many of us learned the first verse and chorus of this song when we were little children. We even taught our children this song when they were little so that they would know that Jesus loves them as well. Verse 4 and verse 6 jumped out at me today. Verse 4 says  “Jesus loves me! He will stay close beside me all the way; if I love Him, when I die He will take me home on high.” If I love Him, when I die. If I love Him. Then the verse goes on to say “when I die He will take me home on high.” It is not enough to just know that Jesus is Lord. We need to love Him. Verse 6 says “Jesus loves me still today, walking with me on my way, wanting as a Friend to give, light and love to all who live.” Jesus loves you. He wants to walk with you on your way. He wants to be your Friend. And he wants to give light and love to all who live. This means that He wants to do this for you. He wants to include you. He desires this for us all. Accept this truth today. Accept Him. Open your heart and life to Him if you haven’t already. It will be the best choice you have ever made! Jesus says that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” If you have lost your way, come back to Him. Sing this song and you will be assured way down deep in your soul that He loves you.

Father, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I realize this today. Jesus loves us. Jesus loves me. Father, I am open to You and Your love and I welcome You and Your love in my life. May Your love do a work inside of me and heal me in each and every way that I need healed. May I not just know about You, but may I love You, with all that is within me and all that I am. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.    

1 Timothy 5:22 - Keep yourself pure

“Keep yourself pure.”

1 Timothy 5:22 (NLT)

We should want our hearts to be pure. A pure heart before God means that it is clean through and through. It means that we are free from the world’s contamination and impurities. Purity may be old-fashioned but is something we should all strive for in our lives. God is holy and He wants us to be. We should do away with anything that will cause even the slightest bit of darkness to seep into our hearts, our loved ones hearts, and other people hearts that God has placed in our lives. Don’t be fooled. Sin contaminates us. God wants us to be pure vessels He can flow through. We have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We should live to please Him. We should not partake of anything that offends Him or hurts Him in any way. We can be sure that if something is offensive to Him or hurts Him in anyway, it will surely hurt us spiritually and those that are around us. Sin always affects more than one person.

Father, Help me to keep myself pure from the sins that are all around me in the world. I want to follow Your precepts and model myself after Christ. I want my heart to be pure, clean through and through, holy, set apart for You. I want to be free from the world’s contaminations and the impurities that are in it. Father, web phones, the internet, television, movies, books, magazines, satellite radio, even some people can be used for good. These very same things can also be used for bad. May we guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. May we not let any darkness seep into our hearts.  The world may accept things as okay, but may I know in my heart what is acceptable and what is not and may I adjust my life according. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Psalm 89:15-17 (NLT) Walking in the light of God's presence

“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice all day long in Your wonderful reputation. They exalt in Your righteousness. You are their glorious strength. Our power is based on your favor.”

Psalm 89:15-17 (NLT)

Having a worshipful attitude and worshiping the Lord all day long not only makes us happy it also causes us to walk in the light of God’s presence. Worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth throughout the day causes us to rejoice in God’s wonderful reputation. Philippians 3:1 tells us to “rejoice in the Lord.” Philippians 4:4 tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth causes us to exalt in God’s holiness and righteousness. Isaiah 25:1 says “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things.” Psalm 118:28 says “You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.” When we do these things then God becomes our strength and we receive power from on high based on His favor. Be encouraged today. Worship the Lord all day long. You will be happy. You will find yourself walking in the light of God’s presence. Rejoice in Him. Exalt and praise Him. He has truly done wonderful things. He will strengthen you and give you power from on high. You will be favored.

Father, thank You for this glorious day. We rejoice in You. We exalt You. We lift Your name on high. We praise You with all of our hearts, souls and minds. Lord, may we have a worshipful attitude today and worship You all day long. Make us happy in the Lord, and may we walk in the light of Your presence. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 9:36-38 - The Harvest is Plentiful, Get Busy

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”

Matthew 9:36-38

God sees the multitudes that are all around us. He is moved with compassion for them. He knows that they are weary and scattered. He knows they are like sheep having no shepherd. His heart goes out to them. We should be looking all around us as well. We should be moved with compassion for people. We should realize that they are weary and scattered. We should see that they are like sheep having no shepherd. Our heart should go out to them. Jesus told his disciples that “The harvest truly is plentiful.” There was a “but” after that. A “but” is usually listed after a positive statement with something negative. Jesus’ “but” concerning the positive words that the “harvest is plentiful” was followed with “but the laborers are few.” This was a true statement and it made Jesus sad. So He told the disciples to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” We should be praying for each and every person that has been put into our lives. He has put them there for a reason. We should pray that God “send out laborers” to reach them for “His harvest.” We should even be willing to be used as a laborer trying to reach His harvest.

Father, You said that the harvest is plentiful. May we see this as You do. You said that the workers/laborers are few. Send out laborers into Your harvest. Use me to reach those in the harvest fields too. Use my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us to minister to the hearts of those around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Revelations 20:12-15 - Fire! Fire!

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books … And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This was the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelations 20:12-15

A word we don’t hear about much anymore is the word H-E-L-L. Many preachers don’t even mention the word. They tip toe around it. Us Christians know about hell, but we often don’t bother to tell others about it. We don’t want to make anyone feel “uncomfortable.” Oh, how we need to proclaim the Gospel to a lost and dying world. They need to have an opportunity accept Christ and receive eternal life as well. We should care about other people and their salvation, and not just our own. Now, if my house was on fire and Dave and the girls were home, do you think I would say, “Wow, I believe the operation of combustion is proceeding yonder here right now?” No. I would call out, “Fire! Fire!” and everyone in my house would know what I meant and run to safety. There is a lie in our midst that many people believe. I even met a pastor a couple of weeks ago that believed the lie as well. This pastor was preaching my uncle’s funeral service. He said that everyone would and will go to heaven when they die. He was trying to reassure everyone there and encourage them. I couldn’t believe it. This simply is not true. Not everyone will go to heaven when they die. This is a lie from the devil. The sad thing is that many in the world actually believe this. God’s Word says that a persons name has to be “written in the Book of Life” or they will be “cast into the lake of fire.”  We need to be praying and interceding for the people around us. Jesus wasn’t afraid to talk about hell and we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about hell either. Hell is a real place. Jesus died to save us from God’s righteous judgment. We can escape hell by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and by making Him our Lord. If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ to come into your heart, I am sad to tell you your name is not written in the Book of Life and you are in danger of being cast into the lake of fire, hell. If you don’t want to go to hell, ask Jesus Christ to come into your life today. Pray. He will forgive you of all your sins and give you eternal life. Your name will be written in the Book of Life and you will go to heaven when you die.

Father, thank you for Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Your Son and He died on the cross to take away my sins and to give me eternal life. I confess that I am a sinner and I am in need of Your mercy and grace. Please accept me as I am. Come into my heart. Make me a new creature in Christ. Thank you for making me Yours and for writing my name in the Book of Life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

1 Peter 4:8 - Have fervent love for one another, cover all offenses with His love

“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8

Something weighs on my heart today. Many people love those that are in their family or those that are in our church but they expose one another’s sins by pointing their failures out and talking about them to others all the time. This should not be so. It grieves the heart of God. We should have a “fervent love for one another.” Because of the love we have for those that are in our lives, our love should “cover a multitude of sins.” Dave, Brittney, Nicole and I are not perfect and we don’t claim to be. All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God. As a rule of our household, we strive to not talk bad about one another to other people. Why? Because we love them! We do this concerning those that are in our lives as well. The old saying “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” rings true for us. Colossians 3:14 says “put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” Hebrews 13:1 says “Let brotherly love continue.” Proverbs 10:12 says “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” If you are continuously talking about those that are in your family or the church’s negatively, the Word calls this hatred. Hatred talks about others and the enemy uses this as it stirs up dissension in your life and the life of those you are talking about it. It gives the enemy an open door to go through. It causes separation and division. It builds up a wall between you and them. Love isn’t this way. Love covers all the sins of those we love. It is not saying that everything they do is right. That is not what I mean here. It just means that we love them enough not to belittle them and defame their name. We pray and intercede for them instead and love on them when the opportunity warrants us. God’s Word tells us that “love never fails!” Oh, that we would keep our lips from speaking evil about people, especially those that we love and are praying and interceding for, those that we are standing in the gap for. James 5:20 says “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” Talking about people in an unkind manner can keep them from coming to Christ. Let’s love on them and pray for them instead. Let’s see the Holy Spirit move and bring them to Christ!

Father, may we be instruments of Your peace. May we not speak negatively about people behind their backs. 1 Corinthians tells us that we shouldn’t keep a record of wrongs. This is not love. Exposing people’s sins to them and others is not walking in love. It shows that something is not right in us. We are not the blessed Holy Spirit., You are.  May we love on them, cover their offenses and pray and intercede for them instead. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.   

Matthew 22:37 - We should love God even if He doesn't give us what we have asked

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

Matthew 22:37

God is our loving Father. He wants to bless us and to give us a good life. He wants us to know Him intimately. He wants us to love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds. Just as our earthly father’s delight in being good to us. God does. And just as our earthly father’s discipline us for our own good. God does. The truth that God is speaking to my heart today is that He is loving, kind and good, but sometimes (just as our earthly father’s do) we don’t get everything we ask Him for. The question is … what does this do to our faith when this happens? What does this do to our love for Him? Does it change? Will we still love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind if He doesn’t do what we have asked of Him? We should love Him just as much if He says “yes,” or if he says “no,” just because He is our Father and we should respect Him. No matter how He answers us He is kind, good and worthy of our praise. He has our best interest in heart. We can trust Him.

Father, You are a very loving Father. Oh, how we love You. You answer so many of our prayers and we give You all the praise, the honor and the glory for this. Once in a while You don’t give us something that we have asked of You. When this happens may our love for You be the same. May we still hold on to our faith. May our walks not falter. May we still sing praises to You from the depths of our beings. May we still set aside quality time to sit at Your feet and learn from You, just enjoying Your fellowship and company. May we still sincerely follow after You with all that we are and all that is within us. You deserve our honor. You deserve our respect. We should always revere You. Thank You for being kind and good. You are worthy of our praise, worship, and adoration. May we worship You Lord and serve You only. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

3 John 1:2 - Three things to pray for

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

3 John 1:2

The most important thing in a person’s life is their spiritual well-being. Our soul should be prospering. If it isn’t it is stagnant, or worse off dead. This is not God’s will for us and it should not be so. God is a well spring of life. His well spring of life is within us. We learn three things from today’s verse. 1) We should pray for those that are in our lives’ spiritual well-being. We should pray that their soul prospers. If they do not know Christ we should pray that they come to know Him. 2) Another thing we should pray is that they prosper in all things. 3) Lastly, we should pray that they be in health.

Father, we bring before You all we know and love. We want all of them to know You as we do. You brought us to the foot of the cross. You revealed Your Son and His love to us. We received this gift. We pray that You bring them to You too. May they accept You as their Lord and Savior. Prosper them in all things. May they be in good health. May their soul’s and body’s prosper as You will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 7:7 -- Use a Prayer List and Pray for Others

“Keep on asking and it will be given you.”

Matthew 7:7

The two words “prayer list” are not mentioned simultaneously in the bible, but it is wise to have a prayer list for those that God has given to you to stand in the gap for. Many in our circle of influence need our prayers. We need other people’s prayers as well. I don’t know if you have a prayer list or not, but it would be good if you put before yourself daily the needs of those you know and love—especially for those that need salvation. If you don’t have a prayer list anymore, I encourage you to write a new one and begin to pray for those on your list. There are also many apps available to help you with this if you love the newest technologies. Prayer journals are good too. God hears our prayers and prayers are needed for everyone. Be encouraged today. Matthew 7:7 says “Keep on asking and it will be given you.” I know people that have prayed years for something and then God finally answered their prayers in a miraculous way. God is able. PUSH through till the answers come. PUSH stands for Pray Until Something Happens. God is faithful. He can do it!

Father, thank You for the awesome privilege we have to pray and intercede for those that are in our lives. Our lives get busy, but may they never be so busy that we don’t take the time to pray for those that are in our lives. Thank You for moving in our hearts and for making us aware that praying for others is important. Please hear our prayers and answer them accordingly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

James 3:10 - Godliness and maliciousness do not go together

“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

James 3:10

Godliness and maliciousness do not go together. You cannot be malicious and by godly at the same time. You are not walking in the Spirit if you are being malicious. You are operating in the flesh if you are and maliciousness does not honor God in any way, shape, or form. Two of the major forms of maliciousness are gossiping and slandering. Gossiping involves repeating a matter, often something that is not good about someone. Slandering involves speaking critically about someone with the intent to defame or hurt them. When God’s children use either one of these forms, it hurts and grieves the heart of God. Sometimes when we use these forms it is about those that we love the most, often those that are in our family. Other times it is with those that we work or go to church with. This should not be. We are commanded to love others and to walk in love. We are commanded to love our neighbor as thyself. I want you to ponder something today. We would not want anyone to gossip about us behind our backs. It would hurt our feelings if they did. We also wouldn’t want others to slander our name with not even one other person. This, too, would hurt us. If we wouldn’t want anyone to be malicious concerning us, why do we feel it is okay to do that with anyone else. It is not.

Father, we ask you today to help us. May we speak only blessings about those that You have put into our lives. May we never curse others, talk behind their backs, gossip or slander them. Keep us in check. May we guard our hearts, thoughts, and the words that come from out of our mouths. We want to bring glory to You. We want to be godly at all times. Father, Psalm 19:14 says “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” May this be our life’s motto. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 John 5:20 - An understanding that we may know Him

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

1 John 5:20

Jesus Christ came. He has given us an understanding that we may know Him. He is true. We are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God. Only in Him is there eternal life. Oh, that others would be given this understanding too. Oh, that others would know deep within their hearts that He is true. Oh, that others would become in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. Oh, that others would come to realize that He alone is the one true God. Oh, that others would receive eternal life.

Father, we know that You came. We thank You that You have given us an understanding that we would know You who are true, and that we can be in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. We thank You that You are the true God and that You have revealed this to us. We thank You that You have given us eternal life. Today we come to You and ask You that You give others this understanding so that they would know You who are true too. May they come to realize that You are the true God. Reveal this truth to them. May they come from death to life. May they be in You who is true, in Your Son Jesus Christ. And, Father, please grant them eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 John 5:18 - The Wicked One Can Not Touch Us

“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

1 John 5:18

Because we are of God and are born of Him, we keep ourselves from sinning. We hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we don’t sin against him. When we do this the wicked one does not touch us. I like what NLT says. It says “and the evil one cannot get his hands on them.” We need not worry, fret, or be afraid of Satan and what he can do in our lives. Let God’s Word give you a peace today.

Father, thank you for making us of God. Thank You that we are born of You. May we keep ourselves. May we hide Your Word in our hearts so that we don’t sin against You. Thank You for 1 John 5:18 that ends with these words “and the wicked one does not touch him.” Thank You also for the NLT which says that says “and the evil one cannot get his hands on them.” Keep the devils hands off of us, Lord. May He not be able to touch us in any way, shape or form. May we not spend any of our time worrying, fretting, or being afraid of him and what he can do in our lives. May Your Word give us a peace today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Acts 26:19 - The Heavenly Vision

“I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.”

Acts 26:19

Sometimes the Lord gives us a heavenly vision to run with. We make it our life’s aim to fulfill the call of God upon our life and find great joy in doing so. Other times the Lord gives us little heavenly visions. We don’t want to ignore those visions or be disobedient to them. It’s important to listen to His nudging thoughts to do something. It very well could be Him that is doing the nudging. These little heavenly visions can often be mistaken as our own thoughts and therefore we don’t do what He is calling us to do. Not because we are being disobedient, it’s simply because we thought it was us thinking it. Then later on that day we find out that we should have done what we were nudged to do as it was Him. It pains us when we find out it was the Lord that was leading us. Act on those nudging thoughts, especially if they are to do something that it good and can show someone that He cares and so do you. Be prepared in season and out of season to do good.

Father, may we be obedient to the heavenly visions that you give us to run with, both the big ones, as well as the little ones. Help us to act on the gentle nudges that you nudge us to do. May we act in and with faith. Help us not to shrug things of as though it is just one of our own thoughts. Our obedience will move the hand of God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Hebrews 4:1 -- Jesus wants us to enter His place of rest

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it.”

Hebrews 4:1

God wants us to enter into a place of His rest. If we believe and live our lives solely in His presence doing only what He has called us to do, we do enter that place of rest. If our schedules get too busy and we have no time for the Lord (for what really matters), we miss out on that perfect rest for our souls and suffer because of it--spiritually physically, mentally, and emotionally. If we do too much, you may never have realized this but it can actually be an area of disobedience on our part. Hebrews 4:6 says “Since therefore it remains that some must enter it [the place of rest], and those to whom it was first preached did not enter [the place of rest] because of disobedience.” Another verse talks about it being disobedience as well. Hebrews 4:11 says “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”  God wants us people of God to have and experience a true, continuous rest for our souls. Hebrews 4:9 says “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” Matthew 11:28-29 says “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Psalm 37:7 says “Rest in the Lord.” Let’s not spend our time running around in circles and doing everything we can under the sun. Let’s slow down and take the time to rest and sit at the feet of Jesus, enjoy His presence and fellowship. Don’t get too busy that you can’t take the time to spend quality time with Him. If your life is to busy to do this, pray and ask Him what things you can eliminate from your schedule so that you do have this time. He longs for your life to be balanced. He doesn’t want you to be frazzled each and every day and to experience burnt out. He wants you to have and experience that “perfect rest” for our souls each and every day.

Father, may we enter that place of rest each and every day. If we are putting too much into our schedules, reveal to us what we should cut out of our schedules and may we obey what Your Holy Spirit reveals to us. We know we will be blessed because of our obedience for we will experience Your place of rest. You tell us in Your Word that Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light. We want to experience this. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

John 15:14 - He calls me friend

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”

John 15:14

Jesus calls us His friends if we do whatever He commands us to do. Do you consider God one of your dearest friends? Do you view Him as Someone who listens to your heart (prayers) and understands you fully. Or do you perceive Him as Someone that is harsh and has made up His mind about what you are going through before you even go to Him? Jesus had a reason for calling us His friends. He desires to be close to us. He wants us to call on Him at anytime, day or night. He is always ready to spend time in fellowship with you. Friends listen to one another. You can be real with them and vent to them if you must. Friends are there for each other during the good times and the bad. They find joy in being together. Jesus is all of these things and so much more. Make Him your best friend. Make it a habit to share your all with Him. It’s okay to still have other friends. They are gifts to us. Just get into the habit of going to Him first. He will satisfy your longings and fill your soul like no human on earth can do. He loves you and accepts you just the way you are. He will speak and minister to you. And, then, remember to do whatever He commands you to do. If you do, you are truly His friend. Hallelujah, we can be friends of God!

Father, thank You for making us Your friend. May we make You our best friend and go to You with all our innermost feelings. Thank You for accepting us and for satisfying our deepest longings. Guide and direct us and help us to do each and everything You command us to do. There’s nothing we want more in this life than to be a friend of You. In Jesus’ name we pray. 

Matthew 5:13 - Be God's salt to the world

“You are the salt of the earth.”

Matthew 5:13

God’s Word compared Christians to salt. We are to give a Christ-like flavor to those that are all around us in this world. Just as salt would be useless without any flavor, a Christian is useless without a Christ-like flavor. We are to season everything we come in contact with. Matthew 5:13 says that “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Oh, how we should be flavoring the world for Jesus. Salt is not only good for seasoning everything, it is also a healing agent. If a person has a cut on them and they get into the ocean, the saltwater helps heal the wound. It may cause pain at first, but afterwards one will notice that their cut is better. When Christians demonstrate God’s love to unbelievers, that love rubs into the open wound of their heart. Although it may be a bit painful, in time the exposure to His love can bring healing to their wounds. Be encouraged today. Season (salt) those that you come in contact today for Jesus. God may use His love in you to bring about a healing in their lives.

Father, we love you so very much. May we be like salt and season every person that we come into contact with today for Christ Jesus. We know that this will encourage and bless them in their faith causing them to grow in You and Your love. Father, if anyone is hurting may You love them through us so that the salt can be used as a healing agent in their lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 John 4:10 - How Deep is the Father's Love For Us!

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sin.”

1 John 4:10

Right from the start God has been the Initiator of love. He loved the world and created it. He loved man and created him for fellowship. When man fell, it was love that clothed Adam and Eve in the garden. And since His heart was grieved over sin entering the world and mankind was separated from Him, it was love that put into effect the plan of redeeming mankind back to Himself and taking away our sins by sending us His Son “to be the propitiation for our sin.” Love took our place on Calvary’s cross and later rose from the grave. It is love that knits us together in our mother’s womb. He wanted us. We are not here by chance. It is love that draws us to Him in the first place. It is love that enters our heart when we receive Him as our personal savior. It is love that transforms us into His likeness. It is love that forgives us when we confess our sins. It is because of His love that He loves us abundantly and lavishes His love on us. It is His love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is love that reaches out to us each day making His mercies new every morning. God made you to know Him and His love. He wants you to experience this love for yourself. Sometimes people wonder how He could love them so deeply. But He does. He is love, and He loves you and me. There is no God like our God. May we learn more and more and have more of an understanding of His great, unfailing, never-ending love with each passing day. And may we love others with His love because He does.

Father, there is no God like You, our God. May we learn more and more and have more of an understanding of Your great, unfailing, never-ending love with each passing day. And may we love others with Your love because You do. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

Matthew 13:16 - Seeing and Hearing Spiritually

“Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.”

Matthew 13:16

Jesus was a good listener. People were drawn to Him because of that. Jesus knew and understood the hearts of the people he met so people felt comfortable with Him. He loved people and He accepted them. That’s how the Lord listens to us today. He has eyes of love and He accepts us. Not only does He want to listen to what is on our hearts, He wants us to listen to Him. He wants to share His heart with us and wants us to hear His voice. Be sure to be listening throughout the day. He will speak to you. When the communication with Him is a two way street, we bond closer together. We become more intimately acquainted with Him. We learn that we can trust Him more and trust Him with each and every thing that life sends our way. Think of all the countless hours He has spent listening to our prayers through the years. Let’s be His friend and listen to Him as well. And may we become the good listener that He is with people too. May people be drawn to us because of that. May God give us wisdom on understanding the hearts of the people we meet so they can feel comfortable with us. May we have eyes of love towards people and accept them. Remember that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. May we be a friend to sinners as well. Prayerfully, in His timing, they will be drawn to Him through our love. 

  

Father, thank You for giving us spiritual eyes that see and spiritual ears that hear. May we hear today what is on Your heart and pray, act, and love accordingly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

John 10:10 - Have and experience the life Jesus has for you

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

What constitutes real life? This is a good question we can ask today. Jesus has come that we “may have life, and have it to the full.” A sad fact that we have in this day and age is that people value quantity in their life more than quality. The thief has caused us to desire “things” more than substance. “Things” of quality and substance are “things” that money can’t buy. Examples are our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, being in His presence each and every day, praising and worshipping Him, reading His Word, and doing His will throughout the day. There is no greater joy than walking with Jesus. Other examples include quality time with our spouse, our parents and siblings, our children and grandchildren, our church family, our friends and loved ones, as well as the people that are in our community. Spending quality time with them enrich and bless our lives and encourage us in the faith. These “things” are the “things” that make us rich! Instead of spending our time being with Him and those that He has given to us to love and enjoy time with, we spend time on working for “things” that serve no purpose in life. People work hard so they can have the fastest internet service, android cell phones for every member of the family, cable television with lots of channels, new vehicles, new houses, “toy’s” for the children as well as adults. These things are not sinful in and of themselves but if you are spending all your time using them instead of fellowshipping with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and spending quality time with your loved ones you are being robbed from the good life He wants to give you and you are robbing them. You will find that you are spiritually dry. This will cause you to feel empty inside and depressed. It will also make you unhappy. Let’s seek God’s face and be open to the life He wants you to have. Don’t spend as much time on the “things” that deplete from your life. Spend time on “things” that enrich and bless your life. God wants to bless you. Let Him.

Father, may we spend the time that we should with You as well as with others. We want to have and experience the life that You want us to have. Keep our priorities right. You have blessed us in so many ways and with so many “things.” We thank You for all Your blessings, the ones that money can’t buy and the ones that money can. May we be good stewards of our time as well as the time we spend on our “things.” We don’t want to be robbed of the life You have come to give us, and we don’t want to rob others of this life either. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

2 Timothy 2:15 - We are all called to be ministers of the gospel

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15

We are each called to be workers for the Lord, ministers of His gospel. We should strive for God’s approval in what He has called us to do. We should want to be a good worker, one that doesn’t “need to be ashamed, rightly diving the word of truth.” What has God called you to do? Are you a construction worker, a doctor, a schoolteacher, a pastor, an office worker, or a factory worker? Do you have friends and family? How about neighbors? Our Father has surrounded you with people that only you can reach. You are to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ with them. Be on the lookout for their needs. Pray for those people and intercede for the needs that they have. He may even lead you to reach out to them with a kind deed using you as His hands and feet. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Jesus met people’s needs in His day and age. He still wants to meet people’s needs in this day and age too. He wants to do this through you. Isaiah 61:1-2 says “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” Jesus was anointed and the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. It was upon Him to do good and to make a difference in the lives of those around Him. He has given us His Spirit too. Be sure to look around you so you can see the needs of the people and can act accordingly. Notice that He reached out to the poor, the brokenhearted, those held captive, those that were bound, and those that were mourning. May we reach out to the people around us, like He did. And may we make a difference in their lives, like He did too.

Father, thank You for making each of us ministers of Your gospel. May we love those that You have put into our lives to love. May You show us their needs, even the deepest needs of their hearts. We want to pray and intercede for these needs so that You can answer them. If you want to use us as Your hands and feet, lead us along in this way. Help us to walk in love, towards You and them. And may they sense Your love through us. Touch the poor, the brokenhearted, those held captive, those that are bound, and those that are mourning. Touch them with Your anointing setting them free. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.