WHAT IS FIRST? FACEBOOK OR HIS BOOK?

 

Be honest for a moment. When you get up each day and get ready what is more important to you? Do you check your Facebook and see what all your friends and family are doing or do you sit down with a cup of coffee and pick up the Bible and strengthen your spirit with God's word? The 'world' tries to distract you with the things that are not that important in the big scheme of things. Is the morning show going to help you more or is the Bible? Will seeing everyone's pictures on Facebook make your day any better? The things that are most important have to be prioritized. I am not trying to guilt you into not relaxing and enjoying a few worldly pleasures but trying to get you to think for a moment where you spend your time and what you put first.

The Bible says in Matthew 6:21(NIV) 'For where your treasure is there your heart will be also'. Meditate on that scripture for just a moment. Is Jesus your passion or just a passing thought? Do you look forward to spending time with Him each day or would you rather get up and turn on the morning news?

You may have been all excited about God and Jesus this past Sunday on Easter but guess what? Jesus is more than just an "Easter thing". For someone who names the name of Jesus He should be your way of life and a "habit". He is part of your going out and your coming in. He is mighty to save and ready to help you through all of lifes ups and downs. It is not just about church on Sunday but it should be a way of life.

Stop and ask yourself if you need more of Jesus in your life.Only you can answer this question. Do you want more of Jesus in your life or is Sunday enough?

Your assignment today is to read the first chapter of the book of John in the New Testament. After you have done this ask God to give you a passion for His word and getting to know Him better. He can and will transform your life if you ask Him to.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I need you in my life each and every day. I can not do life without you in it as an active part. At times I have let other things become more important and squeeze you out. Forgive me Lord. I run to you now and ask you to help transform me into your image. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link below and tune your heart into Jesus:

http://youtu.be/6Jo3y_XoHHQ

CARVE AND CRAVE

I came up with this title quite by accident or really it was another
"God thing." I was thinking of how important it was to set aside time
each day for Jesus and to really desire to do it. Whatever in life is
important to you will get put at the top of your list of things to do.
Is "spend time alone with God" on there anywhere? Why not take a
moment or two now and look at your daily schedule and see what you
need to do to readjust things and "CARVE" out crucial time with Jesus.
You do want to grow in Christ don't you? There are The Ten
Commandments found in Exodus Chapter 20 but there is another
"commandment" found in Deuteronomy 6:5(NIV) which says 'Love the Lord
your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength.' Do you?
Can you? Do you CRAVE this?

Think about your life for a moment. Do you pray daily and love
spending time with the Lord? Perhaps you are the person who just goes
to church to "check a block" for the week, an obligation, nothing
more. Maybe at the start of the year last month you had good
intentions to get closer to God but other things got in the way.
Perhaps now is the time to start loving Jesus and giving Him quality
time every day of the week.

PRAYER: Lord I do know there have been times when I go through my busy
day hardly stopping to even think of you. Forgive me. I know I make
excuses at times and let other more important activities squeeze you
out. Lord I want that holy passion back in my life. Forgive me for
ever putting you second or ignoring you altogether. In Jesus' name.
Amen.

Click on the links below to hear two awesome songs of worship.
http://youtu.be/JiD0_Krgbo4

http://youtu.be/6Jo3y_XoHHQ

SNACK TIME

This past week I was enjoying watching one of my favorite Christian
Bible teachers, Joyce Meyer, on TV and she asked her audience if they
were committed to Christ or if going to church on Sunday was more like
"snack time" and nothing more. What an excellent illustration! What
about you do you simply go through the Sunday motions to enjoy a one
hour "snack time" or are you serious about your relationship with
Jesus?

Many of us still are sucking on a baby bottle and not spiritually
mature. Going to church is great but there is more to growing to be
more like Christ. It takes some effort and some time. When you are in
school you don't expect A's if you do not study and get serious.
Similarly the Bible is not a coffee table decoration but should be
used.

Scripture says in Hebrews 5:12-14 'In fact, though by this time you
ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary
truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted
with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the
mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish
good from evil.'

Are you on milk or just snacking or digging into the "meat" of God's word?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus often I spend more time doing things that do not
bring me closer to you. I purpose in my heart to study the word and
make it a daily part of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.


Click on link below to worship the Lord in song. Speaking of
worship,in Huntsville, AL tonight is the Rockin Worship Road Show
which I plan to attend. It is a wonderful time with several wonderful
well known Christian artists lifting up the name of the Lord in song.
Check the link to see if it is coming to a city near you.
http://therockandworshiproadshow.com/

Here is a worship song to lift you up today:
http://youtu.be/6vvUf8nrSZA

MOTHER NATURE OR FATHER GOD?

I got the idea for this title after listening to author/speaker Bill Weise who wrote '23 Minutes in Hell'. So many people seem to be infatuated with using the term 'mother nature'. It is said quite frequently by meteorologists  giving the weather report on television. 'Mother nature' did this or 'mother nature' did that. It drives me crazy,as who on earth is this 'mother nature' anyway?  Many feel more comfortable with  the term and also call God 'the man upstairs'. It must be easier and less threatening to refer to God in these cute terms than thinking that there is a God who is responsible for this wonderful creation.

Just who is God? He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. He is the creator of the universe. He holds all things in his hand. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Almighty. He can do all things. He is glorious. He is amazing. He is all knowing. He never runs out on us.His love never fails.He is everlasting. His love never fails. His love is unconditional. He is called Abba Father or daddy. He is watching over you,

 Do you know Jesus? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength? Is Jesus real to you? Are you ready to meet Him should this be your last day on earth?

1 John 4:16 says "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

PRAYER: Father I thank you for who you are. I thank you for hearing my prayers. I thank you for mercy and forgiveness when I have messed up. I thank you that you love  me with an unconditional love. Help me Lord love others like you love me. In Jesus Name. Amen. .

Click on link below and be ready to praise God for who He is .

http://youtu.be/ikxztvcRSaU

Double your joy with song number two. Praise him in song.

http://youtu.be/SRqfnuxFCKY

SERIOUS ABOUT SUNDAY BUT NOT GOD??

Are you 'religious' or do you love Jesus? Do you like to read your Bible and go to conferences and things that help you grow in Christ? Do you feel people who get serious about God are a little freaky? Do you feel Sunday church is enough to get by on and do not even open your Bible the rest of the week? Are you ashamed to pray in public?

Sad to say but many people seem to have a 'Sunday only' form of Christianity. Go to church, check the block, remember the Sabbath Day, then back to their 'real' life on Monday. Jesus wants you to have an abundant and full life with him seven days a week. He does not want you to forget about him Monday through Saturday and just because it is the thing to do, get up grudgingly and out of habit and go to church. Being a Christian is much more than an obligation or duty.

Do you really truly love God with all your heart? Is he first place in your life? Do you search the scriptures to find answers to life's problems or do you go along with the way of me world? He is waiting for you to ask Him into your heart and be totally sold out to Him. It is exciting when you love Jesus that much.

When you ask Christ to be Lord of your life you are transformed and all things should become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is new creature. The old things are gone and behold all things are new."You can ask Jesus into your heart right now. If you need to find a church that is on fire for the Lord, do not be caught in the denominational trap of "that is where I go because that is the way it has always been." Perhaps it is time to move on in life and go somewhere where people are excited about Jesus and not afraid to praise Him.

Romans 12:2 reminds us " Do not be conformed anymore to the pattern of this work but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is. His good , pleasing and perfect will." Are you transformed for Jesus and get excited when Sunday rolls around or is it just another day?
PRAYER: Father I love you and want to get to know you better. I purpose in my heart to make each day your day and to get up and read your word to help transform me into your likeness. Give me courage if I need to find a new church home to grow in Christ if that is what is needed. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link for song of worship

http://youtu.be/SZ-fghqc8Oo

ARE YOU A 24/7 CHRISTIAN OR A CHURCH GOER?

What are you doing right this minute? Maybe you are in a coffee shop reading this or at work? Are you representing Jesus well in whatever you are doing? Does your light shine in the darkness around you? Just some questions to ask yourself.

There is a church in nearby Madison, Alabama that has a sign exiting the parking lot that simply says "You are now entering the mission field." Now that about sums it up. All of us who name the name of the Lord are missionaries in the little corner of the world God has placed us. It is not necessary to go overseas to be a missionary. There are many needy people right here. Look around you and see if there is a need you can meet in a hurting life. Get to know those around you. If you are working in an office somewhere do not chime in at the water cooler with all the other folks gossiping but instead let your light shine for Christ.

If you are blessed to get to be a stay home mom then your mission field is right there with your darling gifts from God. Do not beat yourself up comparing yourself to professional women thinking you need to be out there too. Your children are only home for such as short time you have such as small window of opportunity to impact their lives for Christ.

So around the clock in all of your waking hours no matter where life takes you your light should be bright for Jesus. Do not gripe, complain, worry, bicker, frown, judge, and get angry but focus on doing things to bring joy to others around

Is Sunday the only time you bring out the Bible or think about things of Christ? Do you desire to
change that? Ask God to place within you this desire for his word and the things of Christ. Be hungry for righteousness.

We are to be different than the world. 1 Peter  1:16 reminds us to" Be holy for I am holy." Does your life reflect the holiness of God? Matthew 5:16 says "Let your life shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Finally 1 Peter 2:12 says " Live such good lives among the pagans that , though they may accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us."

So there you have it? Do not just feel that you have arrived by checking the 'church block' on Sunday but go into the world the other 6 days sharing his love with others and above all do not forget to dust off that Bible and read it!!

PRAYER : I am so thankful for freedom in Christ.  I am  thankful Lord for the opportunity to freely go around different places impacting the world for you. Forgive me for any time I may have fallen short and did not set such a favorable example. In Jesus name. Amen.

LIFE SUPPORT

In this modern era we live in it seems everyone has to have a 'mobile device' or they're out of the loop. You have to be able to be connected 24/7 or the world is going to fall apart. Recently I was in the food court of a mall observing busy shoppers of all ages scurrying to and fro. A good majority of them over the age of 14 seemed to be having a death grip on their cell phone, aka 'mobile devices'.  Back in the day the only people that 'had' to stay connected were medical doctors and they wore pagers. It is my opinion we would all do just fine if it went  back to that. Didn't things go along just fine then? The younger generation would shriek "eeh gads"! Seems like we can not go out the door of our house without being able to be connected. It can be a rude habit as well if we neglect who we are with to be chatting or texting on our phone with others. Sure it is convenient and fun but is it always crucial? The answer is no.

If only we were enamored with Jesus and our 'walk' with Him the way we are with our cellular 'life support' devices. To get so excited about being a believer you would dare not forget your Bible on vacation. Maybe even carry a Gideon's pocket New testament to have 'just to read' when you are waiting somewhere. It has lots of good stuff in there to help your life. Instead of reading a gossip magazine while waiting somewhere why not pick up the Bible? Just something to think about.  Carry scripture memory cards with you and while waiting go over a verse or two to feed your spirit. We can find all sorts of other distractions to kill time, why not add getting close to God to that list? Who cares if someone thinks you are weird or stares at you? Are you ashamed of Jesus? I hope not as it says not to be in Mark 8:38. It says " If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his father's glory with His holy angels."

My prayer for you is this. That you would grow to love Jesus more than TV, more than hobbies, more than eating out, more than life itself. Jesus is the reason we are all here yet we ignore Him and He sits waiting for us to call on Him. Let Philippians 1:9-10 be your prayer. Say it out loud. "And this is my prayer , that your love may abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight , so that you will be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless til the day of Christ."

PRAYER: Lord I love you and want you to have first place in my life. Help me structure my day around you and not wait til the last five minutes of the day to squeeze you in. Forgive me for not putting you first in my daily life and only calling on you in a crisis. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link for praise song to go along with this devotion.
http://youtu.be/I17edLkBDCo

RELIGIOUS FANATIC? NO I JUST LOVE JESUS!

 Anyone who watches late night TV can attest to the fact that the late night talk show hosts sure are not user friendly to politicians and others  who are bold in their love of Jesus.  They just kept teasing the other night on one show about Presidential Candidate Rick  Santorum, who is outspoken in his faith in the Lord. Seems like it is not allowed and those who do not understand it continue to ridicule and poke fun at those of us who are not ashamed of our faith. Many may say what church they attend or what denomination they belong too but if you are serious about loving Jesus it is somehow not allowed in some circles.

Even some within churches, think people can go overboard and become religious fanatics or Jesus freaks. What is the point of church then anyway if you do not come out changed and loving Jesus?  What do you think heaven is going to be like? There will be no people discussing denominations or doctrines there. There will be no people there twisting scriptures to justify lifestyles and sins.

 I once  heard  that a Jesus freak is someone who loves Jesus more than you do. When you say you love the Lord and really mean it, you should want to stand up and do the wave in church. We do the wave at sporting events. Why not in church? Even some songs where it mentions lifting your hands up in the lyrics, in some churches, everyone stands there frozen. The frozen chosen?? Anyway the point being if you love God with all your heart you want to declare his praises and shout it from the roof top. If the church you are in isn't excited about the Lord and is just doing the church thing and you leave and get nothing from it perhaps it is time to find a place where GOD'S word is alive!! Or if it does not bother you then perhaps it is time to examine your own heart.

1 Corinthians 1:18 says "The message of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Wow! Are you excited about God and His word?  Many things in the Bible are spiritually discerned and until the Holy Spirit opens your eyes you are not able to understand much of it. Many things are simple and to the point such as John 3:16 but if you have no desire to get into the word ask yourself why.

1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us "but the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them for they are spiritually discerned." Mark 8:38 is a verse I will never forget for a very bold Christian lady was at a military ladies coffee one night several years ago back in Kentucky and in conversation over the refreshment table with someone. I heard her quote this verse. It says " be not ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation or the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father with  the holy angels."

Are you excited about Jesus? Do you want to be? Start today and renew your mind with the word of God and ask Him to take control of your life. Then next time you are out eating in public and want to pray it will not be necessary to do the 'headache prayer' where you sort of bow but hold your head looking around like you are embarrassed. Just do it and praise the Lord! There is no shame in Him!

PRAYER: Father create in me a clean heart and a pure heart that wants to serve you and love you. Forgive me for the times I have acted ashamed. Make me a light in the darkness and put me in places during my day where I can shine unashamedly for you. In Jesus name. Amen.

IS CHURCH THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE OR IS CHRIST?

What is more important to you, going to church or loving the Lord? Sad to say, to many, neither matters much. They live life and give Christ little, if any, thoughts throughout their day or their week. Many people talk about their church but hardly ever talk about the Lord. It is like they are embarrassed. Mark  8:38 says "whoever is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation, of Him the son of man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father and his holy angels". Why is it so easy to cheer at a sporting event but not get excited at all about worshipping the Lord? There are those who claim the name of Jesus but deny his power. Titus 1:16 says "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good."

Church becomes like a social club of sorts or Holy Huddle club. That is one reason so many people who love the Lord and choose to not go, as they reason there are too many hypocrites there. Go figure. For many we go there and feel comfortable and punch the 'Sunday go to meeting ticket' so to speak but then when the clock strikes 12, just like in Cinderella, all things go back to normal. This is really not what loving Jesus and being a Christian is all about. We need to be living for the Lord throughout the week where life's journey takes us. As I sit here writing this at a local car dealer while I get my oil changed, I recognize I may be the only Bible some folks here in the waiting room ever 'read' or in other words we are to be good examples for Christ. A good place to start would be to smile.

Do you think someday,for those making it to heaven, that it will be a place where no one raises their arms and voices in praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Believers will be excited to bow to the Almighty Saviour and be in awe in his presence. You could start practicing doing it here on earth maybe?

Do you suppose in heaven  there will be a Baptist section, a Presbyterian section, a Methodist section, a Catholic section, an Episcopalian section, a Jewish section, and so forth? The answer is no. We will be in unity with our Lord and Saviour worshipping Him.  Acts 2:46 says "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts". Further Ephesians 4:5 says "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism." How all the different denominations started I can not explain. I just know that we are to be one in the name of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:10 says "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." There is only one name and that name is JESUS. We are not to be ashamed to say the name or proclaim His name. Are you?

Why not start getting excited now about loving Jesus more that loving your church or your denomination? We need a place to worship but we need to realize Jesus is the reason for our worship. Psalm 95:6 says "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker". It does not say to do that when you die and go to heaven. It means NOW! Revelation 5:13 says "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" Love Jesus more!

PRAYER: I love you Lord and I lift my hands in praise to you King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Help me to represent you well out in the world and never hide the light of Jesus. Help me not put church before loving and worshipping you in spirit and in truth. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on following link and worship the Lord:
http://youtu.be/Aq8P5i9U7-g