Stay Positive; Things Could Always Be Worse

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The challenge of every Christian is to live every day and every hour of their life to fulfil God’s will… This doesn’t mean simply inquiring about God’s will, but executing the very steps outlined in today’s devotional scriptures… We are called to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances… The part we tend to lose sight of is the “in all circumstances” as we find ourselves from time to time becoming distracted by situations both positive and negative, and ultimately losing sight of what God’s will is… Understand today that it is very easy and even natural to rejoice when things are pleasant; it can become second nature to pray when things become difficult, and we can bear thanksgiving when we hear things which we have longed for… But how do we handle the opposite; are we able to rejoice when things or situations are unpleasant? Can you continue to pray to the Father when the storm has left your doorstep? Can you give thanks when you don’t receive what you desire…? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves today, knowing that we are to live these points in every area and situation of our lives. As Christians, we are to rejoice in all circumstances, pray without ceasing, and be thankful for everything. God has a plan for you, and it is perfect. You rejoice because your Master is in control, you pray because this is your direct line of communication with the Father, and you remain thankful because things could always be worse. 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

It All Starts With Christ

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26-28

We live in a world where people are constantly frowned upon based on their religion, upbringing, color, or nationality. The same things that plague our communities today are the same things that existed at the time this letter was written by the Apostle Paul. It is through today’s devotion that we are reminded that Christ justifies every walk of life to be clothed with Him in and through Faith… Neither your economic status nor your popularity has any impact on your heavenly dwelling… It is only through Christ Jesus that we have life and have it more abundantly… This message today is an important one, as we all at some point in time have felt or have been deemed unqualified...  To understand that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, teaches us that your former doesn’t have to restrict your latter in Christ… Yes, we all have done things which we are not proud of; we all have missed the mark and fallen short of the glory of God… Paul once called himself the chief sinner; however, through Christ, His former was wiped clean and His latter included writing a majority of the New Testament… We must understand the message written to the church of Galatia and how it applies to our lives today; we cannot allow our thoughts to be captivated by the enemy and thus begin to disqualify others from knowing Christ based on their past… You yourself do not have a right but have been afforded a privilege and an opportunity to come to know Christ, and it is your duty to share Him with others... We all have our own testimony as to how we came to know Christ as our personal savior; we all have a past; however, the end result of each member of Christ is the same (we are saved through Him)… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Give God Your Best

​Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

The priority that God holds in your life is demonstrated not when you are without but when you have plenty… It is very easy to cry out to God when we need something; however, how many times have we found ourselves forgetting about His saving/delivering power when we seem to be ascending…? In all phases of life, the Lord should be honored “…with thy substance…” This isn’t just a monetary application, but a principle that we as Christians are called to live by… When God receives the firstfruits, you are making a declaration not only to the position He holds in your life, but you are recognizing that it is only by His grace that you have obtained the level of increase in your life… The 6^th chapter of Matthew, verse 33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key to success is not how much money you make or how many degrees you have; on the contrary, the key to success lies in the priorities that you have in life… Hardships come knocking on everyone’s door; however, when we are aligned with the will of God, we see numerous times throughout the bible and in our everyday life that success follows thereafter... The book of Proverbs tells us that our barns will be filled with plenty and they shall burst out with new wine; in short, you will be prosperous, you will do great things and reach higher heights, but let us notice the first thing that we are to do in this scripture, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase…” Recognize God in all things and give Him your best!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Everybody Will See His Glory

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah 40:5

Despite how daunting this Christian journey may appear, there is good news for you and me today to hold on to… Many people in the world appear to be succeeding in various aspects of life, even though they are not walking according to God's will. Isaiah informs us today that we must be careful not to get caught up in the way things appear or seem to be because “…the glory of the Lord shall be revealed…”God will be exalted, He will be recognized as Lord of Lord and King of Kings and you should find courage today in your walk because you know that when His glory is revealed, you will be as well… Those who think they are mighty will become weak, those who think they have plenty will not have enough and it’s good news for all those serving in whatever capacity that God desires of them to know that “…all flesh shall see it together…” Everyone will come to know your path and see how God has kept you and secured you… There are times in life when circumstances aren’t what you desire them to be; situations that seem unfair and unjust; times when the trials and tribulations, the storms and rain, just are too much to even comprehend. Again, this passage that we focus on today informs us that the glory of the Lord will be revealed.  That means that we will behold His majesty, we will see His omnipotence, and feel His favor. Some things take place in your life so that you will understand that only God can deliver you, and some things happen so that you will increase in faith in the Lord. 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Don't Talk About It, Be About It

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

James 1:22

There are two vital elements to the life of a Christian: one is hearing the word of God and the other is applying and/or doing the word of God… We cannot hear and be satisfied, the word of God must not only be heard, but be rooted within so that it can sprout and bring forth fruit from the lives we live and the examples we display to others…  You deceive yourself when you think that you have done enough by being able to say that you faithfully attend church; you deceive yourself when you put on your Sunday’s best and display the worst example of a Christian each and every other day of the week… Applying the word of God is what leads to positive fruits and results in one's life… The word of God being heard without being applied is the same as instruction being received and not carried out… You wonder why you fall short over and over again, you wonder why your life continues to spiral out of control as you attend church faithfully, and the answer may be in the failure of applying what you heard in church to your life.

The proof is in the pudding; the question is “how does your life taste?”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Listen More And Talk Less

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

James 1:19-20

I was once told you were given one mouth and two ears for a reason… You should listen twice as much as you speak… Growing up with 7 siblings, arguments seemed to be a daily routine within our household; whether someone was wronged, an item was taken, or the channel on the television was switched, it was never a matter of talking through things but rather yelling out of control until our parents stepped in and took whatever we were arguing about away from us… Being rebellious and retaliatory are natural traits by way of the fall of man and have not become part of our human nature… When someone has wronged us, we want to get them back or, at the very least, let them know our thoughts (most of the time these are not kind words)… If we come to the realization that the state we enter this world in produces negative things, then we will understand that as a child of God, we show our maturity and growth in how we resolve issues and communicate with others… 

Personally speaking, my father will tell you that I was beat the most of any of my siblings and that I caused the most chaos, there was no question that if you negatively crossed my path you were susceptible to my wrath; however over the years I can truly say that I have grown as a child of God because I can turn situations over to the Lord in prayer and not allow my emotions to get the best of me… To be able to refrain from what comes naturally is a testament to your faith and advancement in the will of God… Sin is natural; however, when we make attempts to avoid sin and live a life that is pleasing to God, we are displaying the characteristics that a child of God should display, and we are living the life that James speaks of in our focus verses today… Self-control demonstrates how far we have grown in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… James reminds us today that we must be swift to hear, but slow to speak… In other words, it’s best that you shut your mouth and open your ears… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

He Hearkens To Those Who Fear Him

"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name."

Malachi 3:16

Take some time today to think about this next line of text, which I am about to write; God knows and sees all that we do… Oftentimes, we (for whatever reason) think that we can get over on God, we come to a conclusion that if we do just enough in church, God will be pleased, or if we read just enough throughout the week, that everything will be okay… The Bible constantly reminds us that God looks at the heart of man. The acts that you do on this earth aren’t what God notes, but the thoughts that spur your actions are what God is watching. If you give simply for someone to see your act of kindness, the bible says that you have already received your reward; however, if you sow a seed with a desire not to gain popularity from men, then God will reward your deeds because you are truly doing them from the kindness of your heart… 

This is why we are instructed in the gospel of Matthew to be secretive in our giving, the word says “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” So many of us do things to be seen and praised by men, and Jesus said that those who do that have already received their reward… Understanding this in today’s time means that we must stop doing things to get a rise out of people, we must stop trying to inflate our own egos, and we must stop trying to “trick” God… The steps you take this day are recorded, the avenues and paths you walk have been written down, and if you are walking with the Lord, know that just as Malachi says, even though you may experience ups and downs, highs and lows, God has “…heard it…” God knows what you stand in need of, He knows the battles you have faced and the trials that you have overcome, He has seen the storms that have approached your door, and at the end He will justify you through the blood of Jesus and say “come on in…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!