On Wings Of Eagles

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Easter thoughts


John 11:25 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.

1.  Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian religion.

2.  Americans spend $1.9 billion on Easter candy. That’s the second biggest candy holiday after Halloween.

3.  70% of Easter candy purchased is chocolate.

4.  76% of Americans think the ears of a chocolate bunny should be the first to be eaten.

6.  Egg dyes were once made out of natural items such as onion peels, tree bark, flower petals, and juices.

7.  There’s much debate about the practice of dyeing chicks. Many hatcheries no longer participate, but others say that it isn’t dangerous to the chick’s health because the dye only lasts until the chicks shed their fluff and grow their feathers.

8.  The first story of a rabbit (later named the “Easter Bunny”) hiding eggs in a garden was published in 1680.

9.  Easter takes place on a Sunday, after the 40-day period called Lent. Lent is referred to as a time of fasting, but participants focus more on giving up one significant indulgence.

10.              Holy Week is the celebrated during the week leading up to Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday, continues on to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and then finally, Easter Sunday.

11.              “The White House Easter Egg Roll” event has been celebrated by the President of the United States and their families since 1878.

With all the fun things of Easter we need to remember what Easter is really about. We celebrate Easter to remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us in order to save us from the sins we commit so we can go to heaven. More importantly Easter Sunday helps us to remember that Jesus came back from the dead. Although he is not physically among us, He is still present in our hearts.

As we get ready to celebrate Easter tomorrow take the time to be thankful for what our Lord did for us.

Dear Lord, we thank You for dying on the cross for our sins and then raising from the dead to conquer death so that we may live forever with You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Carry the cross


Luke 9:23-24 (ESV)
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

As creatures of comfort we try to avoid pain whenever possible—physically and emotionally. Even the most avid adrenaline junkie has soft spots. We cling to what’s secure, safe and feels good in our circumstances and relationships, naturally seeking to protect ourselves. A lot of times, that’s a good thing. We were designed to value life and preserve ourselves. On the other hand if we hold ourselves too tightly, we keep ourselves from following God with our whole hearts.

God often asks us to get out of our comfort spots and set ourselves aside for his glory. He wants us to trust him, but we can only do that when we let go and obey. More than likely, Simon had other things to do that day rather than get personally involved in Jesus’ scandalous crucifixion. His own plans and agenda where interrupted when he was given an order to carry the bloody cross for Jesus. It was hard work, bloody, and humiliating, but he carried the cross for Christ and walked with him in his most difficult hours. In doing so, he became part of the greatest story to go down in history.

What a powerful example of what Jesus had taught not long before. Even more significant is that what Simon was forced to do, Jesus did willingly. He subjected himself to public mockery, severe beatings, and one of the most horrific deaths the world has ever come up with. As the Son of God, he didn’t have to endure anything; he wasn’t a prisoner of the Roman soldiers any more than he allowed himself to be. Even in those last excruciating hours nailed to the cross, he could have opted out. But Jesus understood his suffering was not about him; it was the only way to restore sinners like you and me to our loving heavenly Father.

God doesn’t force us to follow him either. He doesn’t put the cross on us, but asks us to pick it up willingly. Our decision will cost us something; there’s heavy lifting, rejection, and personal interruptions. Actually, it will cost us everything. The only way to get the life we work so hard to protect is to give it back to God and trust him to take care of it.

Do we have it in us to carry the cross with Jesus like Simon did? To publically align ourselves with him no matter what the rest of the world thinks? To get dirty for the sake of the gospel? Do we have it in us to follow Jesus’ example and submit ourselves to God even when it gets tough?

Dear Lord,  give us the courage, strength, and endurance to follow You every day. No matter how tough the obstacles, how long the dark night, how our plans might be disrupted. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Lesson learned from baseball uniforms


Proverbs 26:1  (ESV)
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    so honor is not fitting for a fool.

In honor of Baseball season beginning I wanted to share some devotions around baseball. White at home. Gray on the road. You don’t mix them. You’ll never see a Big League team wear the white home jersey with the gray road pants, or vice versa. They just don’t go together.

Snow during the summer time would be really odd, just like the combination of white and gray in the uniform.

Rain during harvest would be frustrating, just like trying to figure out who was the home team with mismatched uniforms.

In the same way, both odd and frustrating, giving honor and recognition to a foolish person just doesn’t fit.

Here are two things to remember to avoid making that mistake:

Don’t ignore what you don’t want repeated. No, foolish behavior doesn’t just go away on its own. If players aren’t motivated, don’t respect the coaches, refuse to get with the program, ignoring them isn’t going to make them go away. It will actually feed all those negative behaviors. In a sense, it gives them honor because they are allowed to continue.

Reward what you want repeated. Catch people doing the right thing and reward it. Call it out, make sure others know that’s what is desired, do something to recognize the behavior that creates the culture you desire in your home, on your team, among your friends, and so on.

We wouldn’t wear white with gray, so let’s not give honor to foolishness, either.

Dear Lord, help us to be wise. When the foolish things of live come our way help us not honor them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Heaven's womb


1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

When we were in the womb we had eyes, but there was little to focus on. Our eyes had rods and cones to distinguish shapes and colors, yet there were no shades or colors to see. We were in total darkness. But we had eyes that were meant to see light. Our eyes were the evidence that beyond the womb was a whole other world, still yet to be seen.

As we dwell in this world, our hearts cannot be satisfied by the things they see here. Deep inside, we know there is more... and we long for it. This life is Heaven's womb.

No matter what this world gives us, it can never satisfy what the eyes of our hearts long to see. It is here that we are being formed, and prepared to enter the realm of the Heavenly. Don't be discouraged that this this life can't give us all we want. It is a reminder of our inheritance yet to come.

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are preparing a place for us in heaven that is more beautiful than anything we can imagine. Help us to not get discourage while we are here on this Earth. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Life lesson from chickens


Psalm 90:2  (ESV)
Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

As we added three new chickens to our flock I wanted to share one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned since we started raising chickens. We learned about daily provision. Every day we go out to our coop to check for eggs. Every day we get at least one egg some days many more. 

One a day or six a day doesn’t seem like a lot, but after a week, it adds up.

When I was reading in the book of Psalms, I found so many psalms dealing with how God is enough. We can see His provision clearly when the waters of depression, anxiety, or life seems to drown us. But what about when life is good? Do we still acknowledge His provision?  

Did you know we can learn life lessons from chickens?

In the daily, with our chickens, we’ve found they don’t need much. They need food, water, and some bugs. They don’t go frantic when we’ve not fed them all day. They simply sit on their perch in the coop and roost. They trust us.

Before, when they were younger, they would run from all of us, scared and timid. Now, they know us. I don’t try to pick them up or handle them. They also know I feed them. So they will follow us around the yard, whether they need fed or not.

God will always prove true to the test of trust. The trust of God is where we find provision. In the daily, communing, walking, and drawing near to God, it is here we find our portion for the day. I’ve decided I need my Bible daily because every day I need to choose to trust God.

I know this because no matter my feelings, God shows up when I read His word. How is your Bible reading?

Dear Lord , we thank You for Your word. Help us to read our Bible everyday on the good days and the bad days. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Slipping by


2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev used to tell of a time when there was a wave of petty theft in the Soviet Union. To curtail this, the authorities put guards up around the factories.

At a timber-works in Leningrad, one guard knew the workers in the factory very well. The first evening, out came Pyotr Petrovich with a wheelbarrow containing a great bulky sack with a suspicious-looking object inside. "All right, Petrovich," said the guard, "What have you got there?" "Oh, just sawdust and shavings," Petrovich replied. "Come on," the guard said, "I wasn’t born yesterday. Tip it out."

The worker tipped and nothing came out but sawdust and shavings. So he was allowed to put it all back again and go home. When the same thing happened every night of the week the guard became frustrated. Finally, his curiosity overcame his frustration. "Petrovich," he said, "I know you. Tell me what you’re smuggling out of here, and I’ll let you go."

"Wheelbarrows, my friend, " said Petrovich, "wheelbarrows."

Is your attention being diverted? Think about it. Are you allowing yourself to be preoccupied with something that seems innocent, while the real, significant, substantial matter is slipping by every day, unnoticed? The strategies of Satan to divert our eyes onto “sawdust” and miss "wheelbarrows" are many. What is the "sawdust" in our life?  

Dear Lord, we pray that we would stay focused and not allow our self to be diverted.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.


Sunday, March 25, 2018

He brings forth an abundance


Luke 9:16-17 (ESV)
16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

The disciples worried -- we only have five small loaves and two fishes! Whatever will we do?? Five loaves and two fishes could never feed the multitudes in the natural realm! But we have a God who is in the multiplication business! He works on an entirely different mathematical equation than we are accustomed to -- He takes the little we offer and turns it into more than we could fathom!

How often do we feel as if we have little to offer? The Lord is interested in everything we have to give, even if it seems minuscule to our eyes!

Let's not be afraid to offer up our gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and material things that we may find insignificant. They are not! When we give up even the littlest of things to the Lord, He brings forth abundance!

Dear Lord, help us not be afraid of using what You have given to us.  Thank You for trusting us with the gifts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Weeds


Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

One of the most exciting days with a new garden is that day when you see some tiny green shoots coming out of the ground. The seeds are good, the soil is warm enough, and a faint indication of a row appears. In your heart you feel a rising hope of what the harvest will one day be.

Then you spot it. One of those slender green sprouts doesn’t look quite like the others. Is it a weed or not? Should you pull it or let it go?

At first, it can be difficult to identify which little sprouts are the plants you intended and which are the evil weeds that will siphon nourishment from your new crop. One of the many lessons to learn is when it comes to weeds, it’s always best to know for sure what is a weed and what isn’t before you pull it up.

The more gardening a person does, the easier they can spot the sometimes minute differences between the sprouts of the plant you want and the sprouts of the plants you don’t want.

It’s a similar situation in our spiritual lives when it comes to the truth of God’s word and the false teachings we might encounter. Those who are new to the faith often have trouble distinguishing between what is real spiritual truth and what is a deception to lead them astray. As we grow in the Lord and we encounter some of these teachings, we learn to spot the lies and to weed them out while they are still harmless.

A gardener can study pictures of seedlings to learn what a specific seed should produce so when they see one that looks different from the seedling they are expecting, they can remove it. A Christian needs to know God’s truth so well that deviations from that truth will stand out clearly, and they can turn away from it before it does much damage. Just as there are many weeds threatening our crop, there are many spiritual weeds that threaten our spiritual lives. These spiritual weeds steal what we need to grow and end up stunting our spiritual growth.

Let’s train ourselves to spot these types of spiritual weeds and eliminate them as soon as they start—before they can take root and cause any damage.

Dear Lord, help us to train ourselves to be able to spot the spiritual weeds that will take us from You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Friday, March 23, 2018

Spiritual garden


Isaiah 58:11 (ESV)
And the Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters do not fail.

Today as I did a little more work in the garden I wanted to share some thoughts I had concerning the Spiritual garden we all live in,
What three things does a plant need to grow and thrive? Water, sunlight, and soil, of course! We need these three items in our spiritual gardening to have growth in our Christian life also.

Spiritual Gardening Necessity #1: Soil

Plants need a good foundation of soil to start their growth. For Christians, our “soil,” our foundation, is Christ. Christ nurtures us and supports us. He gives us a place to extend our roots in safety.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. – John 15:4

Just like a plant needs nutrient rich soil to thrive, Christ gives his children every possible nutrient we would ever need: Peace, Love, Encouragement & Wisdom… and His supplies are unlimited.

Spiritual Gardening Necessity #2: Sunlight

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

The Bible is our sunlight. Plants grow towards the light. They long for the warmth and strength that only sunlight can give. As children of God, we should also lean towards the light, His Word, for guidance, and strength. It can give us warmth and comfort in times of struggle, and lead us on the clear path in times of doubt. The Bible is a source of many things we need in our Christian life.

Spiritual Gardening Necessity #3: Water

Last but not least, plants need water to sustain them. I like to think of that much-needed water as fellowship with fellow believers. God didn’t intend for us to grow alone, but to be there to encourage each other in Christ.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. – Matthew 18:20

Fellow believers are meant to come together, loving one another and supporting each other as we grow. Fellowship can be refreshing to a soul, just like water to a plant. It can help us perk up on a particularly draining day or quench a thirst. Water can be a vessel for the nutrients we need to grow.

Don’t Forget the Weeds.

Now that we’ve talked about the essentials, let’s not forget about the “weeds” that can sprout up in our gardens, both in real life and in our spiritual life. Weeds come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. The worst weed in our spiritual gardens, Satan, can sometimes be easy to spot, while other weeds, like wayward friends or feelings of bitterness and anger, can be hard to keep away.

Weeds choke plants, creating an atmosphere where growth can be impossible. Weeds work in our lives much the same way. They distract us from Christ as we pour all our vital nutrients into them instead of our Christian growth. Weeds can crush smaller, weaker plants easily.

We need to strengthen ourselves with good soil (Christ), sunlight from above (His Word), and refreshing water (fellowship with fellow believers), so we may find ourselves with strong roots that dig into our foundation, and have a close spiritual walk with our Father.

Dear Lord, help us to tend our spiritual garden.  Help us to strengthen ourselves with good soil, sunlight from above and refreshing water. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

In the Garden


Genesis 2:15 (ESV)
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

This evening after our walk we started working in our garden.  Tonight’s goal was to get the potatoes in the ground. It made me think about how cultivation and care for living, growing things is grounded deeply in the soul of who we are as created beings in God’s garden.

In the beginning God planted us human beings in his perfect garden. Previous verses from the creation story make clear that God is the original gardener. He created the vegetation—seed-bearing plants, trees that have fruit with seeds, shrubs, and all kinds of trees. From the beginning, God intended this first garden to produce food for all kinds of creatures and humankind year after year.

Genesis 2:15 shows that God planted people in that first garden “to work it and take care of it.” This suits us because we are from God—created in his image to be like him—and we are also from the ground. We might even say that gardening—working and caring for growing things—is in our bones. Cultivating the gifts of God for the glory of God is what we are meant for.

Gardening involves cultivating, planting, watering, pruning, protecting, harvesting, and much more. When we are drawn to the world of soil, plants, and trees, it is no coincidence. We’re designed to care for the earth, other creatures, and each other. Cultivation is rooted in our beginning and continual thriving in God’s garden.

Dear Lord, thank You for this vision of the garden you planted in paradise for us to work and care for with You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Perspective


Exodus 4:10-12 (ESV)
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

When you are worried about problems in your life, do you ever stop to think about where you are coming from in facing them vs. where God is coming from? Perspective can be an interesting thing. Consider a $5 bill lying on the ground to be found by 2 different people. 1 person finds it who is homeless and might sustain himself for 3 days on the food that money would buy. They are grateful for that money beyond belief. The other person is wealthy and may choose not to pick it up simply because it is soiled and wouldn't be worth the trouble. Such is true of the difference in the perspectives of God and man. We see many of our issues as insurmountable, He sees them as opportunities for us to show our faith and trust in him, and opportunities for us to learn and grow from the situation. When trouble finds you, lean not on your understanding, but trust the Lord that he will see you through.

Dear Lord, we thank You for opportunities of faith all around us. Give us perspective and help us learn about Your love each day. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Our spiritual vision


John 9:25 (ESV)
He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

Several months ago I noticed the vision in my left eye was getting worse and worse. I couldn’t read road signs, the computer screen was hard to see, making measurements in my shop was difficult and the print of books were blurry. After consultation with a doctor, I was told that I had cataracts that needed to be removed.

The lens of the eye works much like a camera lens, adjusting for both changing light conditions and the eye’s focus, letting us see things more clearly. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which, over time, may grow larger, clouding more of the lens and making it harder to see.

After further diagnosis and examination, today was set for cataract removal surgery. While the technique is intricate, it is also a very common surgery with few negative after effects. After only two hours at the clinic, we were on our way home.

Our spiritual vision—outlook on life and view of other people—can be similarly clouded when there is a buildup of negative attitudes and thought processes, critical attitudes, unchecked prejudices. We too often allow uninformed opinions, especially about ethnicities or lifestyles, cloud our vision and thus cut ourselves off from people unlike ourselves. Even worse, if we are unwilling or don’t allow the Holy Spirit to perform “cataract removal surgery,” we continue to build barriers that make it impossible for others to clearly see Jesus.

The first step toward clear spiritual vision is described in the song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart” by Paul Baloche:

Open the eyes of my heart Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart,
I want to see You.

When we clearly see Jesus, He performs the radical surgery necessary for us to see the world as He sees it.

Dear Lord, we pray that we will allow You to perform the surgery necessary for us to see the world as it is. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Worry?


Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.


How often do you worry? "Will I pass this test? Will I make the team? Will I keep my friends? Will I get the raise? More?" It's amazing how much time and energy we all spend in worry, even though God tells us he will take care of everything. Our challenge is to give those worries and concerns to God and He will show us the way. Does this mean we sit back and watch "TV" instead of doing the things we should do? Well, no. We must pray for wisdom, not just for solutions. God will calm our hearts and minds so that we can focus on what we need to, like tests, and how to deal with things at work. Make a concerted effort to spend the time and energy you would usually spend worrying in prayer about what's on your heart.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your comfort, that we may have peace. We know, Lord, that you will carry us through anything. In the Name of Jesus,  Amen.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Learn to be better people

Image result for better peopleProverbs 1:5 (NIV)
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—

Sandhya was a grandmother who enjoyed life in the company of her family members! She had two very affectionate grandchildren named Shruti and Gaurav. They were 8 and 10 years old. Lot of love, affection and caring was being exchanged in their relationship. There was lot of happiness around.

Shruti had a lovely handwriting. There was beautiful flow in her writing. Sandhya used to praise her quite often while secretly feeling bad about her own which was not as good. One fine day Sandhya decided to learn the art of good handwriting and take some finer tips from Shruti.

Shruti's initial reaction was that of surprise. She said "Grandma! You are sixty years old now, why do you want to learn?"

Sandhya said "Age has no barriers, my little darling! I feel I have a keen desire to learn & improve the way I write so would you not help me doing it?”

And so started a different kind of an adult education project. Sandhya told Shruti to buy her a notebook. Shruti used to write a sentence every day for Sandhya and would say, "Grandma complete your homework". Grandma faithfully and sincerely did her homework before her young little teacher returned from school.

There were also days when the young teacher was not happy with her pupil's work and would give her a remark as 'O.K.', "needs improvement" etc.

Grandma would ask "Why O.K.?"

And the teacher would reply "You have not written the 'P' properly, look at these strokes, these need to improve etc."

Grandma took the suggestion very seriously and acted on them with full sincerity. It must be mentioned here that the young teacher was often quite generous with her evaluation as grandma earned a lot of remarks like excellent, very good and good etc.

A wonderful process was on but the young minds were still unable get over the question that why is grandma trying to learn the art of good handwriting at this age!

Gaurav and Shruti kept on asking her “But why do you want to improve your handwriting at this age, when you have already crossed sixty."

Grandma would try to explain "Learning can be done at any age, any time, my sweet little darlings, provided there is a keen desire to learn."

Days passed, months went by and there was significant improvement in Grandma's handwriting! It was now the turn of her friends & relatives to be pleasantly surprised when they received her letters in the newly learnt & perfected hand!

At first they thought someone else is writing these for her. There were compliments from one & all when they came to know that it is this 60 years young student who has this charisma!

The whole process was a living expression on the significance of the four R’s of our life i.e. REACHES OUT, RELATE, RECEIVE and REJOICE.

If one is to draw a lesson from the above story, it is evident that these processes are not only complimentary to each other, their adoption in the above order leads to lasting happiness in life!

The results in the current exercise were also no different! While it fuelled Grandma's desire to lead a creative & healthy life, added few more reasons for her to make active contribution to her environment, she and her grandchildren experienced a kind of openness that brought them closer to each other! More than ever before!

Growing older is an eventuality! Growing younger is a possibility! Only you can make it happen! Last take the time today to help each other learn and become better people.

Dear Lord we pray that we would take the time to encourage others and help them learn. We thank You that we have the ability to learn and to teach. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Lesson from Saint Patrick

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

“Patrick, is an intensely human person and not a plaster saint to admire from afar. He offers us a Christian vision of life honed out of his own experience and trials. He offers us a challenge to live our own Christian life today in changing and turbulent times. He comforts us when we are criticized and ridiculed. He gives to us the Celtic vision of the intimate presence of God in creation, in the Church, in people and in Scripture. He is a model for us, giving us an example to follow as we struggle to live authentically our own Christian lives in our own difficult times.”

Patrick’s life and ministry teach us to be open to the call of God in our lives. His beginning in Ireland did not dictate his future but it drew him into a love relationship with Jesus Christ. His relationship with Christ helped him to overcome adverse circumstances in his teen years. His ability to draw close to God and forgive had a dramatic impact on the Irish people and the success of his life. His willingness to follow God’s call made him a hero of the faith.

Lets learn from this man of God and ask our self a few questions, “Am I willing to draw closer to God in turbulent times? Am I willing and able to forgive those who have caused pain in my life? Am I willing to follow the call of God and even give my life to those who enslaved me? If you do you could become a hero of the faith like Patrick.”

If you learn to be like Patrick you have the benefit to really start living right were you are at. You really start to live when you take your eyes off the circumstances of life and draw closer to God. Then you will learn to recognize God’s voice. This spiritual maturity will lead you out of bondage and slavery to freedom. Then as you continue to draw closer to God through study, prayer, and spiritual disciplines you will be called upon by God to do a ministry for Him. Who knows maybe you could win an entire nation to Christ? Maybe you could win a generation to Christ? Maybe you could win your family to Christ? The benefits to you will be eternal and the most rewarding thing you could do with your life.

Dear Lord we pray that we would let You use us Like Patrick did. We pray that we may be the beginning of winning our generation to Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Let God's love shine through you


1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.

When someone does you wrong, how do you respond? When someone gets the part in the school play that you wanted, how do you react? Most people when faced with being treated wrongly, or being jealous of someone else tend to blow up. They might get angry, be mean and want to get back at the other person.

However, in this verse, we’re encouraged in this verse to be patient, to be kind. When someone does better than us, we’re encouraged to not get envious of that person. These are all hard things to do in our own strength and ability.

No matter how hard it might seem to love someone when you’ve been wronged there is good news. The Bible tells us God’s love is already in our hearts. So what we need to do is let that love dominate the way we act and treat others. The love is already there, it’s just up to us to bring it out!

Dear Lord, help us to let Your love shine through us in whatever circumstance we are in. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

In ALL things


1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

To be honest, sometimes it's the "all" in that verse that gets me. Most of us can be thankful, for lots of things, at lots of times, but in "all" circumstances? That can be tough.

What about when you find yourself suffering illness, or defeat, or you're walking through huge loss...what about when a loved one leaves this world too soon and you still can't see past your tears...or when you've been praying for your prodigal loved one to come home and it seems like the prayers are unanswered...what about when you're discouraged, disillusioned, and struggling with disbelief...or when you're overwhelmed, overextended, and just fighting being over-stressed...what about when the needs mount high and the way doesn't look clear...or when people are cruel, life seems unfair, and the enemy's breathing down your back...what about when the storms come, and the car breaks down, or the air conditioner stops working?

Yes, these are the "all" things that can be hard to find gratitude in, whether it's huge losses or just life irritations. But God's word never changes to fit our circumstances. His Truth rises above our circumstance, so that we can too. He doesn't say give thanks "for it", but "in it all," for He knows He's building more deeply into our lives and character than He could ever build without the hard times.


We're gaining strength. We're gaining perseverance. We're being reminded that true joy is never based on how we feel or our outside situations. We understand that God's ways are bigger, His thoughts are higher, and we can be assured that He holds us in His hands.

No matter what you might be facing, the good news is this, you woke up. He's given us today. And if we're still here, living and breathing, may our every breath bring honor to Him.

Dear Lord, we thank You that we never fight the battles in life alone. Help us to stay strong, choose joy and be grateful in  "all." In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Worrying about the what ifs


Matthew 6:25-27 (ESV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Today we took our car into the shop to get the air-conditioning repaired. As we waited to pick up the car I remembered a story I read about a little boy.

The following is the story. When I was a boy, we had pre-air-conditioning features on our car called “wings.” Little vertical windows that directed outside air into the car. Open the wing and air would hit the glass and fly into the car.

The downside was that the wing also directed anything that was flying in the air into the car.

One Sunday a bee hit the wing, was jettisoned into the car and got caught in my sweater. I began screaming, “A bee! Agh! Mom! It’s a bee! I’m gonna die!”

“Pipe down!” my sympathetic mom shouted.” If you don’t bother the bee, it won’t bother you.”

I didn’t know what bothered a bee.
What if the bee didn’t want to go to church?
Certainly any bee that just hit a piece of glass at 60 mph would be bothered already.
The “what ifs” of life often paralyze us.

What if the stock market crashes?
What if I lose my job?
Here’s what the Bible says about that kind of worry.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

God gives the best antidote to worry:

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Dear Lord, help us to seek You first above all things in live that try to get us off track. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.