We Live Because Of His Grace

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

John 1:17

 

Today’s devotion reminds us of the thankfulness which we should approach each and every day of our lives with, knowing that we are living under the grace of God… John reminds us today that the law which was put in place by Moses (the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic) was not obeyed by mankind and thus judgment and condemnation should have been our end result; however, Jesus came to this earth with an assignment from His Father which He clearly defines in the 5^th chapter of Matthew with these words;“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” I don’t know about you, but I am thankful that Jesus was sent to this earth with the assignment of fulfilling a law that I could never stand up too; I praise God and believe that we should always offer up praise in knowing that God’s grace has spared us and given us the life which we have at this present time… Understand today that the law was set in place by God through his servant Moses. The Ten Commandments were set over the house of Israel when Moses led the people from the land of Egypt into the wilderness… These laws along with the 603 mosaic laws were put in place to govern the children of God and direct them as to how they ought to live on this earth… Even those who saw God’s hand in their deliverance from Egypt and bore witness to His authority over the earth with the parting of the Red Sea didn’t remain faithful to God and His laws… Through this disobedience all the generations led from Egypt were wiped out at the door of the Promised Land… Just like those children then; we find ourselves daily falling short of the laws of God… We find ourselves coveting, dishonoring our mother and father, stealing and serving other gods… We too deserved to be wiped from the face of this earth, we deserve the judgment of damnation which was placed upon our heads from our mother’s womb; however, we are reminded of the gift that Christ offered through His life… 

John says, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ…” I don’t know about you, but I thank God that I am under grace today… The gift that Christ has given that I didn’t deserve is the only thing that sustains me, it’s the only thing that keeps me and it’s the only thing that separates me from the fires of hell… Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ… The truth that we see in Christ is that He is the savior, the truth we see in Christ is that He has all power on this earth and in heaven; the truth that we see in Christ is that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us… Everyday you see on this earth you ought to thank God, every storm you face you ought to praise God and every experience you gain upon this earth you ought to worship God… The grace Christ deposited in your life woke you up this morning, the grace He dispensed this morning is what will keep you throughout the day and will not allow you to be consumed by the hardships you face and the grace He poured out from the windows of heaven will open up doors when it appears that others have closed and you don’t have anywhere to turn to… Remember Paul pleaded with God about his thorn in the flesh; however, the answer he received was that God reminded him that “My grace is sufficient…” Be thankful that you are under God’s grace and not the law, the law can’t save you, the law can’t heal you, the law can’t reclaim you; however the grace that God has spread to His believers will keep them, it will heal them when they are broken down and it will reclaim them when they are lost or have gone the wrong way… 

We are all familiar with the story of how Moses went up on the mountaintop and received the rules and regulations of God; we know how he returned to find the Israelites worshipping the golden calf and disobeying the will of God. Surely up until this very day we still worship the false images, only this time it isn’t necessarily gold, but rather greed, popularity, fame, and fortune. Just like the children of yesterday we too have not been able to keep His commandments and surely death should be our judgment. Stop acting like you’re better than you are, stop acting as if the things you accomplish in life are the works of your hands, stop acting like you have the power in your finite mind to comprehend and overcome on your own… Everything that you experience in life is allowed and governed by God… As a child of God grace is what has kept you and truth defines who you were and who you are… The bible says that“…every good and perfect gift comes from above…” The perfect timing for the financial breakthrough you need is through God’s grace, the perfect timing for the doors to close in your life and other to open is God’s grace, the perfect opportunity for you to work and have a stable job isn’t by the degrees you have obtained or the work experience you have but simply God’s grace… See when you realize that it is all God’s grace you have the ability to praise Him, you have the ability to love Him despite you situation and you have the courage to accept your current circumstances knowing that this is not your end because of the grace that has been deposited in your life… I can truly say that I am joyous over this scripture; because it reminds us of the love of Christ that though we were sinners and had fallen short He was a gift that brought more gifts (grace and truth) from God to us. Truthfully, we should have died along time ago, but the grace and truth that Christ poured on Calvary is what keeps us everyday and what allows us a chance to inherit eternal life (knowing this should allow us to always keep a praise in our spirit knowing that He is with us)!

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

His Name Stands Alone

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 1:11

Read the next sentence very careful as we study this verse taken from the prophetic book of Malachi… The things which you suffer upon this earth are a direct result of your lack of giving God the best which He deserves… This sentence embodies the meaning of today’s focus in the Old Testament; the Israelites were defiling the very alter of God; giving blemished sacrifices and believing that God would be pleased… It was through this that God rejected their cries and speaks this word through the prophet Malachi today… Make no mistake about it, God will be great among the nations whether you carry the torch of His will or are engulfed by it… Too often we believe that we can get over on God, we believe that just enough is enough and today we are reminded of what God truly requires of us… God requires that His name is great among the Gentiles and this is accomplished by receiving only the best which we can offer… This is not to say that we should be pouring thousands of dollars into the church but that we must give God our very best everyday of our lives… I recall growing up and how my father would speak about the importance of appearance and remembering who we are and who’s we are… I incorporate this lesson I learned in my early childhood to this devotion to say that you must remember that you are walking under the Most High and therefore anything less than your best will not qualify… In remembering who I am, I was able to decipher the road which I should be traveling… Knowing that I am a child of God, I know that there is nothing which God would not desire for me to have unless it would not be beneficial to me… I am a sinner saved by the grace of God… He didn’t give me leftover, He gave me His only begotten son and so it is time for me to fulfill the words of Paul in the 12^th chapter of his letter to Rome in which he said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” When you really begin to think about all that God has done for you and the paths which He has paved and set before you, it is your reasonable service to present your bodies as a living sacrifice… 

Notice that Paul says your bodies and not just your foot, hand, nose or eye… This is the same message we find in Malachi today, we have to present our entire being to the Lord which is the very best we can offer unto Him… The Lord requires you and anything else will simply not be enough… This is the problem that the Israelites faced; the sacrifices which they offered to the Lord were a part of a bigger problem which was the poor relationship that they desired with Him… The gifts offered unto God reflected the heart which His children had for Him… This is why the word of God tells us that we can tell a tree by its fruit… You have to give God your best if you want Him to know that you are putting forth your best… The gifts (offered on the alter of the Lord) which have defects point to a bigger defect that must reside within you… The children of God are suffering upon this earth not because of God’s absence, but because of their ability to truly seek Him in purity… God says for my name shall be great among the heathen; everyone will come to know Him, everyone will get a glimpse of His sovereignty and everyone will indeed bow down before Him… The question today is will you do it by choice or by force… God doesn’t need you to be exalted; however, He has afforded you to a golden opportunity to step before Him correctly and be used by Him for His glory… This again requires a pure decision in which you totally turn your life over to Him… The word says, in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering… The key to your life is the purity which you give it over to the Lord… God is not pleased or satisfied with hand-me-downs or leftovers; as a result of giving these things we encounter trials and tribulations instead of peace and exaltation… 

God calls His chosen people to remember all that He had done for them and even for generations before them… He speaks of the love which he had for Jacob and how Esau suffered; today, know that God loves and cares for you but He simply will not accept just anything in return…  Let us take this moment in time to reflect on the goodness of God! Malachi reminds us today of the faithfulness that God has already shown and that we should simply adore his name through every trial and circumstance that we face… Often times we overlook the small things in the world and ultimately overlook the blessings that God has already bestowed… When you laid down last night, you assumed that you would sleep in peace; you assumed that the sun would rise again, but for some that isn’t always the case… God watched over you as you sleep and has set the time for the sun to rise again… Let everyone reflect on God’s goodness, you have the activity of your limbs and a job to go to… You have been kept and blessed beyond belief! His name is worthy to be praised and shall be great among the Gentiles… Every man and woman will come to know that there is only one God; there is only one that has the power and controls the heavens and the earth… God spoke everything into existence and it is by his grace and mercy that we are here today! Don’t worry about yesterday, that’s why its called the past; don’t worry about tomorrow, that’s why its called the future; instead focus on today because it is a gift, that’s why its called the present… Give God praise for seeing another day; give him honor for guiding you life and keeping you! Don’t focus on the things that may hurt sometimes, don’t focus on the trials that must come to your door; instead know that there is always a positive side, there is always an eye in ever storm… Hold to his Grace and know that He will continue to display his faithfulness in your life as long as you remain faithful…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!!!

One Saved Soul Is Worth Rejoicing

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:7

Luke reminds us today that God is happy with the one who is seeking His will on a daily basis; however, He is overjoyed at the individuals who decide to leave their old paths and turn to Him today… This is not to say that He is doesn’t care about those who are trying to walk right, but that He is devoting His resources to strengthening you so that others can turn and seek Him… You play a vital rule in the kingdom of God and this is not about your appearance in church but how you appear to others that you encounter on your way to church or your home or workplace… God is smiling at the steps you are taking and joy is filled in heaven when you bring another soul to Him… Your desire on a daily basis should be to get at least one… Share the good news of the gospel with your peers, be the beacon light God created you to be and open up your hand of love to the stranger that may have never known love before… You are called to please God and the best way to do that is bring another person before Him…  Jesus made His mission clear on this earth clear when He said, “I am here for the sick…” The desire of God is not to see us perish, it isn’t to see us struggle nor to see us in bondage to sin or in captivity of the desires of the flesh; God desires that we repent from our natural form of sin and be reunited with Him… Repentance in the ability to acknowledge your sin and then choosing to turn away from it… There are a lot of us that have not completed the repentance stage of this Christian walk and this leaves our lives still full of voids and unanswered questions… God is ready to transform, mold and wipe clean; however, He is waiting for you to truly repent and turn… This message today reminds us that all is not lost… You may feel down and out, you might have written yourself off and may even be on the edge; the word of today is that there is joy waiting to spring up, Christ is ready to smile down with favor upon you and is ready to fill your life if only you would give Him a try… 

So many of us have been trying things on our own, we have tried to figure it out, tried to come up with solutions and find ourselves continuing to fall by the wayside… While in this state we often times give up on finding the answer, if you are in this state right now than Luke has a word for you… All is not lost; and you can still come out on top… When you come out on top you will find yourself in the minority instead of the majority… You will be of a select few which have made it which is why the heavens are filled with joy… So many of us have let our past failures restrict us and limit us; however, the word is clear in that God wants you to be that 1 percent… Be the one person that brings joy to the Lord, your friends may become few and far between, situations may appear to be going south, but you just trust in the Lord knowing that you made the right decision and will be better because of it… I find another message in this passage which deals with a self-inventory that we must do… Luke says that 1 is better than the 99 which need no repentance… I declare that you must be that 1 percent today because we all need to repent… There are things that we have done that we might not be proud about, but don’t let yesterday limit your today; turn to Christ because He will be overjoyed in your decision instead of being turned off by your past mistakes… Luke records that the heavens rejoice when one turns from the ways of world to the Lord; however, the biggest key to this passage is that this one convert brings more joy than 99 just people… God isn’t worried about you being just in the world, He is worried about you walking in His will and according the path that was designed before you were formed… God’s focus is that you live in live more abundantly… Often times we confuse abundance of materials with God’s desires for us… When just said He came to give life it wasn’t because we were poor in finance but in spirit… 

The heavens rejoice because the poor in spirit have received their debt relief in the form of Christ and now have been added to the fold of those to join them in Eternal Bliss… This verse taken from the gospel of Luke embodies the true love and intent of God; heaven shall rejoice over the conversion of one sinner, than the ninety nine that are already believers… God’s purpose is that all would come to know Him and be saved; God’s purpose was that everyone would have a chance to inherit eternal life and the blessings of heaven and salvation… Jesus died that ALL can live; and the word of God even says that His return will come after His word has touched every area of the earth! When we think of love we think of God and the fact that true love is unconditional, it is forgiving and it is accepting of flaws… Luke teaches us today of the intent of God and what the intent of our very life should be! We go to church to learn and fellowship with God and His children; in learning we are too take that knowledge into the streets and bring souls to Christ! We too should be happy when one joins the church and accepts Christ as His personal savior; likewise, we should be uneasy at the sight of all the evil that is taking place in our various communities and societies… One of our personal missions in Christ is to spread the gospel, to be a beacon light and to carry our cross! God desires all to be saved, He isn’t happy with what He has (remember God is a jealous God)! Let us take on the mindset of Christ, let us desire to lend a helping hand, let us desire to be active in our communities, and let us desire to shine light in a dark and confused world! Let us stop being content with our church and seek to exalt the name of the Lord through our own bodies and dedication… Heaven smiled when you accepted Jesus Christ’s’ offering on the cross… Help bring more smiles to heavens door today by lifting up your fellowman and sharing God’s grace and mercy with him!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Live The Way God Intended

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

Zechariah 7:9-10 

The one thing that we must exercise as a Christian is love; in demonstrating this one word throughout our lives we encompass the desires of God for us and through us… The bible declares in 1 John 4 that God is love… We bring this passage into today’s devotional to make clear the command that God has for His people… When we walk in love, we are living as God has called us to live and therefore we are children of God by exercising His very being… Love keeps us from oppressing the widow and the fatherless; love opens up our door to a stranger and feeds the poor… This is why Jesus said the greatest commandment is that we love one another… The love you have for Christ is not a love that you speak, it is not declared by mere words but actions; notice that it is the Lord who spoke to Zechariah and has given him this message for the people… If you want to please the Lord, don’t speak of His goodness; demonstrate His goodness to others… The enemy has a lot of us actually believing that we can have a relationship with God without walking in His will and divine plan for our lives… So many of us walk this earth holding on to things which really are just tearing us down and separating us from God’s plan which is how the enemy prevails in your life… You go to church and don’t even leave differently than you came because you are busy holding on to a pass scar or wound… 

There are so many of us who have gone unhealed because we haven’t forgiven our brother or sister… This lack of forgiveness builds a wall between you and your maturation in Christ which is why Zechariah says let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart… This is the only reasoning that can be fathomed to how someone can say that they love God and allow animosity and resentment to build up within toward their fellow man… You’re heart is vital to your being not only physically but also spiritually… Proverbs 4:23 tells us“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” You have to guard your heart and this is accomplished by ensuring that you align yourself with the will of God… The Lord commands us through the writings of Zechariah that we are to execute true judgment and show mercy and compassion to every man… Whether we realize it or not, every person that we encounter is a (n) opportunity that is presented before us to demonstrate our devotion to the Lord… Executing true judgment means that we are to be fair and just no matter what the situation is or who it involves… So often we try to “pay people back” for the wrong they have done to us and we are reminded in today’s scripture that a true child of God can look beyond faults and still showcase God’s love and provisions… When you are able to love those who don’t love you back, when you are able to forgive those who have wronged you, when you are able to serve in the humblest of capacities than you are executing true judgment and showing mercy and compassion… Jesus was the greatest demonstration of executing mercy and compassion when He died on the cross, the true judgment came also when He laid down His life for us and gave us another chance to get back on track… Often times we equate judgment with evil intentions or a negative idea; however, true judgment paves the way to accountability and exaltation… 

We are accountable for our actions on this earth, but by the judgment of Christ we have been given a (n) avenue to turn back to the Lord and follow Him…To know that we were made in God’s image teaches us that we were made to be royalty and in good standing with the Lord… His desire is that we come back to Him and His judgment is that we are given a chance to learn from our mistakes and overcome our bad choices… We were made in perfection, yet we became imperfect; we lost sight of God but He never lost sight of us. Our fate had been sealed, but Christ overruled the verdict and came down from heaven to shine light into a dark and confused world. Many times people talk about the miracles He performed and how much He sacrificed, but His ultimate goal was to show us how to live. He didn’t come to show us how to turn water into wine, He didn't come to show us how to give sight to the blind, no; He came to show us how to love and be obedient to His father’s word. Think about all He endured from His own people (only in his own town is a prophet without honor), think about how much He went through for a love He had for us that we never gave back. He never turned His back on us, He never left us alone, and He never refused to look in on us. This passage reminds us that we are to love unconditionally just as Christ does and did... This passage reminds us that we are to show mercy just as Christ has and is... The bible tells us to love your enemy and pray for those who despite-fully use you. You want to know a true child of God, see how they act around mixed company, examine the mercy they bestow and the compassion that they have on the weak, abused and confused of our societies! Christ died not because He had to, but because He chose too… The choice is yours and it’s shown by how you execute judgment, show mercy and display compassion…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Love Builds Up

Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  But the man who loves God is known by God.

1 Corinthians 8:1-3

As we go through life accumulating knowledge on different subject matters; we are reminded today that the greatest thing we must learn to do is to love… The main difference between knowledge and love is that knowledge is shown predominately by what you say and love is something which is demonstrated by your actions… This is why our set of focus verses starts off by saying knowledge puffs up but love builds up…Knowledge centers around the individual whereas love centers around the individual’s ability to build themselves up through the building of another… We have to be about building up each other instead of trying to accumulate knowledge that we can use to better ourselves or our appearance to others… Knowledge is one of the most deceptive downfalls of a Christian, this is not to stay you are to be dumb, but that you must apply your knowledge in a way that God can use it and be exalted and not allow knowledge to lead you down a road of being conceited and separated from the will that God has devised for you… Paul writes this letter to the Church of Corinth speaking from his own experiences… It’s imperative that we remember who Paul was (originally Saul) and how he persecuted the church of “the way…” It was the knowledge that puffed up inside him and led him to conducting acts that were not of God… We must be careful of the things that serve as tools of motivation in our lives… Our hearts desire must be pleasing God; however, for many of us this desire take root in trying to up one another through pride and ego’s… Jesus came to this earth and served mankind; make no mistake about it, He was better and superior to mankind but He still humbled Himself and fulfilled the need that mankind had… 

Today, take a lesson from Jesus and read these verses recorded in Paul’s letter, learn to humble yourself and serve the needs of others… The best way to humble yourself is to not give way to thinking you not everything or that you can’t learn from somebody else… Paul says, “The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know…” You can never become complacent in your learning nor can you think that people can only learn from you… We must have a burning desire to study God’s word continually and grow with Him… I use the word burning because this fire cannot be put out!  You can’t allow the enemy to trick you nor can you allow the enemy to trap you or ensnare you by believing that you have reached the level in which God has called you too reach… Again, Paul thought he was there, but on the Damascus road he realized that he had so much more work to do… I firmly believe that every day you see on this earth is because there are new heights for you to reach and new bridges for you to cross… When your focus and the motives of your actions are centered around impressing others you begin to inflate a (n) ego within yourself that actually will end with you pushing others away; on the contrary, when you are about love you humble yourself and create avenues in which others may get closer to you… Through love we build each other up and exalt one another, when we are about knowledge we leave others behind and create a (n) atmosphere of me, myself and I… Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth reminds us today of the importance of remaining humble and seeking the word and will of God! He draws a very sharp distinction between knowledge and love; often times we look at knowledge and it causes us to feel “puffed up” or boastful about the degrees and other achievements we have, in a spiritual since knowledge can cause us to look down on others and act as if we are “holier than thou…” People in the church of Corinth had begun to take this approach toward new believers and it was causing a great multitude of the new Christians to remove themselves from the church… 

Be careful of the knowledge you obtain, because you will be accountable for how you use it! To know something is one thing, but to know how to use it is another… Paul says that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up; you may know God’s word, but you are not walking in it until you can demonstrate His love… Love is unconditional, love doesn’t cast down, love doesn’t close doors and love doesn’t cut or create wounds… As a child of God our mission is to exalt Christ and the church; we have been given the knowledge to do so, but we aren't doing it! This is what Paul is saying, you can study God’s word all you want and be able to quote scriptures all day long, but if you are not exalting your fellow man or helping the neighbor in need you are misusing the knowledge that you have obtained! Paul goes on to say that the man who thinks he knows something doesn’t, we will never know all the secrets that God has for us and His people and it is for that reason that we must remain humble and always seeking His word and will… We can’t become complacent in our walk with God, we can’t become fulfilled in our drive to know Him and His word; when this happens we have become “puffed up” we have put ourselves on the level of God as if we can’t learn anything else from Him (Lucifer is a prime example of a puffed up attitude)! We all have heard the saying that knowledge is power and if we believe that let us remember that the only knowledge we have is that Christ loved us enough to give His life and will come back for His bride! Knowledge is power because it should help us to remain humble and steadfast, avoiding the traps of the enemy and always trying to live a life pleasing to the Lord! No Jesus, No Heaven; Know Jesus, Know Heaven…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

You Shall Receive Power

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Within your own abilities and resources you are powerless; you couldn’t overcome, you couldn’t sustain and you couldn’t bear without the presences and power of God… I state this to reinforce the message from today’s focus verse… Jesus informs His disciples that they are to standby and wait for the arrival of the Holy Ghost before proclaiming the good news throughout the world… We need the Holy Ghost to share the good news to a loss and scattered generation; many have fallen into diverse temptations and have even lost sight of God’s promise and plan because we believed in our own power and were simply overpowered by the storm or circumstance that we faced…  You are called to witness and bring reconciliation between God and His creation; however, you cannot jump into action without first being equipped for duty… This is the grave mistake that we too often make, we have a zeal for God so much so that we move before His command and end up being rejected like Saul or running into the enemy’s territory like David… Jesus says ye shall be witnesses… You will have a story to tell, you will have a testimony to share and you will be given an opportunity to add your personal brick to the building of God’s kingdom; the thing you must understand is that there is a process that must be adhered to before you begin applying your bricks… The Holy Ghost is our guide, compass and power; we have to have the spirit of God living in us in order for the will of God to be carried out through us… 

This world can be a treacherous place and one of the biggest detractors to our walk of Faith is seeing a fellow believer become victim to society or circumstances because they were not prepared to face them… This is the difference between a praying man who has lost everything and a man who has turned to the streets to try and save his home… When the spirit rest upon you, you can rest in the will of God knowing that His plan is perfect and that you will reach His expected end… There are many mistakes that we can make in this life, giving into temptation, associating ourselves with the wrong people or even just denying the truth; however, one of the mistakes we often make which is never really discussed in our Christian journey is the mistake of moving before God calls you too… In the book of Acts the disciples were given specific instructions as it pertained to their life after Christ death and ascension; one of these instructions was simply to be patient and wait for the comforter… One can only imagine what must have been going through the disciples head, Jesus had died and rose from the dead, He has shown Himself to them and now He is going home to eternal glory… Their leader is leaving them and they are preparing for a life they have not known, we can put ourselves in this situation when something unfamiliar happens to us, we can draw a parallel to our lives when the usual is changed; however, we are called to remember that as a child of God we are called to wait upon the Lord… Isaiah tells us in his prophetical book that “…they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” You can’t do it on your own, stop trying to figure things out on you’re on, instead wait upon the Lord and the power that you will receive through the gift of the Holy Spirit… Peter denied Christ and left the courtyard weeping; however, when the Holy Spirit came upon him, he preached and 3,000 souls were saved… The point that we must learn is that we are nothing without the savior and that we are unstoppable with Him… The key is, understanding that He must be in the midst if we want to experience the success that only comes from above… 

There are many times in our lives when we feel weak, many days that we feel like we can’t go on and want to throw in the towel; however, Jesus reminded the disciples just like Luke reminds us today that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes… The message for us today is to wait on the Lord, this is not to be confused with not doing anything in life, but rather positioning ourselves in the will of God so that He can strengthen us and mold us according to His desires… As Jesus was preparing to depart from Earth and return to Heaven He instructed His disciples of things to come… He assured them of a comforter and guide in the form of the Holy Spirit which would be poured out upon them after He left! It is important to understand that the disciples were scared and captured by fear at the sight of Jesus leaving the earth; the disciples still didn’t really understand the magnitude of what Jesus came to the earth for and why He was leaving, they had walked with Him for three years turned away from normal practices and now they feel alone and isolated! I think it’s safe to say that we can only imagine the fear that had come upon them… In our lives we face that same kind of fear, Jesus may not be here with us physically, but when we choose to follow Him we separate ourselves from the way of the world and make a choice that will lead us down a path different from others…  The bible says, “Stand still and know that I am God…” It also says as we studied earlier that, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength!” The bottom line is that we must be patient, be attentive and be alert; your breakthrough, healing and deliverance are in His hand… Wait on Him, He is coming!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

There Is Nothing To Hard For God

Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee

Jeremiah 32:17

The very power of God was on display when this earth was formed and light was spoken into existence… It was the very power and authority of God that allowed man to be formed from the dust of the ground then to be destroyed by water… The power of God is unstoppable and as a child of God we can draw strength in recognizing His power… This is the message that we must receive through the words of this verse today; the same power of God that formed the earth is the same power of God that can form and mold you… You can be better than your former, you can overcome your past mistakes and you can accomplish more than people think you can… Jeremiah pens this during great oppression in the lives of the Israelites, captivity, hardship and trials seem to be hovering over the children of God; however, instead of giving up in defeat and or becoming content, Jeremiah begin to refocus His attention on the abilities of God instead of the storm being endured right now… This message is very important for us to understand today, when we face trials and obstacle the biggest mistake we make is not giving up, it’s trying to take on the problem within our own abilities… This is not to say that giving up is okay, this simply makes the point that giving up is a result of trying to accomplish something that you are not strong enough to do… This is why Jeremiah focuses on the power of God in this verse and doesn’t focus on the power of the Israelites… The enemy will always win when battling you when you go into battle under your own abilities… He will win because your own abilities can accomplish nothing on this earth; in the bible, I challenge you to name a single man who was able to do anything upon this earth without the power and authority that only comes from God… 

Moses was a stuttering outcast that defied the odds walking in the power of God; Job was stripped of everything only to receive double since he maintained is intimate relationship with the Lord and Saul was able to overcome the naysayers to write most of the New Testament… God’s abilities cannot be categorized as He is able to do the undoable and comprehend the unthinkable… Today, know that God can do anything but fail and apply this to your life knowing that you will be victorious over whatever comes your way, not because you are strong physically, but because you relationship with God cannot be severed… As Peter told us in his book, let us learn to cast all our cares upon the Lord for he cares for you… Go to God in prayer for that is the most powerful weapon that you have… Despite the way things may appear to be or even how much you may feel like giving up, know today that there is nothing too hard for God… There are situations in our lives that we may not understand; there are things that we may endure in this life that we may never know the answer pertaining to why we had to go through them in the first place… Whatever the case and whatever the circumstance, we are reminded today two very critical points that a child of God must hold on to and adhere to… One is the fact that the Lord is all powerful; the second is that in realizing that He is all powerful we can come to the conclusion that there is nothing to hard for Him… God can transform the darkest situation and reach the furthest lost and confused soul… The message I gather from today’s devotional is how much faith and belief we have in God… There are so many of us that doubt the Lord, we pray to Him about situations; however, we never leave the situations for Him to handle… This happens all too often in our daily lives and as a result we never know the truth of this passage… In reading this passage, Jeremiah pens this verse trying to drive home the point of maintaining our focus on what God has promised to do instead of being misled by what Satan threatens to do…  There are a lot of us that fall into this category, we have received a threat from Satan; however, instead of going to God we were captivated by fear…. 

The bible tells us in 2 Kings about a threat received by Hezekiah from a powerful adversary; it is in this passage that Hezekiah doesn’t give into the threat, but rather turns to his father, the word says, “Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.” Hezekiah acknowledges the threat; however, He did not allow the threat to turn Him from drawing from the source of His strength… You can overcome, you can go higher and you can do more; just stay the course and walk in the will of God… Jeremiah comes to a realization today that many of us should know too… The realization is that there is nothing to hard for God! Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because of the tears that flowed from his message concerning God’s people, he was known as the bearer of bad news and every time he opened his mouth, sadness filled the land! There is a lot of sadness upon the earth today, a lot of people crying out for help in these desperate and trying times… Although things look dire and condemned, Jeremiah reminds us to remember who God is and what he has already done! Thou has made the heavens and the earth… With mire words, God spoke this world into existence, with a touch upon the dust he created man and with a gentle breeze breathe was instilled in us. God has the power to transform anything with a word, touch or breeze… Understand that the same God that created everything around you is the same God that can pick you up when you’re down and sustain you when you feel all hope is gone! There is nothing to hard for thee; Jeremiah is saying turn to God and know that he has the ability, power and might to do anything that he wants too… “Stand still and know that I am God!” “Is there anything too hard for me…” “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

We Shall All Stand Before Him

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10

Remember that Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” These words were spoken by the savior in the 13^th chapter of the gospel of John after washing His disciples’ feet… The message from this passage is simple, you are known of God by the actions that you perform on this earth… We all abide by rules and regulations; however, Jesus encompasses all of these rules into one when He gives this command which is that we love one another… Not only did Jesus say that we must love one another, He also went on to say in the 12^th chapter of Mark, “The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Love is not only the very being of God; it promotes the very desires of God in and through us… It is of the utmost importance that we obtain the concepts outlined in today’s message; notice the questions that Paul posses in this verse; “but why dost thou judge they brother? Why dost thou set a nought thy brother? In reading these questions it is very easy for me to come to the realization that we are our own worst enemy… We pass judgment on our peers, we will step on others to get ahead and we will stop at nothing to reach our own personal goals even if they don’t align with the will of God… You have to dare to be different, you have to walk to the drum of Christ and not according to what the world says you need to do… Let people talk; don’t get tied into the minds of others nor allow yourself to be engaged in useless chatter… Paul writes to the Church of Rome teaching them the desires of God in how we should conduct ourselves on this earth… Romans 3:23 says “For we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…” 

I am no better than you and you are no better than I when we are living in this world… Likewise, when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior our desires and hearts should be to align ourselves with His will and bring others to Christ… The bible says in 2 Peter 3:9 that “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God desires for all men to come to know Him and understand the saving power that lies within Christ bloodshed… Knowing that God desires all (even those in the darkest corners of this life) to be saved tells me that I am not in a position to judge… Think about where you would be if God would have judged you before you came to know Christ… Think about the life you once lived or maybe even currently live and how much you have tried to put away in your secret closet… In the end we all stand before God and give account for everything that we do, or have done. Jesus came here to lift us up out of the muck and mire that had trapped us and set us on a course for damnation. Just as Jesus came to lift, we should also lift each other up in the time of need. God will judge you not for your words of devotion to Him, but the actions you toke to display your desire and loyalty… This is why Paul say that we all will be judged… Make no mistake about it, God looks at your heart and not what you say… This is true and imperative for us to understand because there are so many people trying to down their fellow man and yet call themselves a child of God… I never saw Jesus tell anybody that salvation wasn’t possible to be received… I have read scriptures where men and women cast out by people were accepted in Christ… Jesus mission was to save, our mission should be to direct others to Christ and you cannot do that if you are piling on to people’s problems with your tongue or if you are telling people that they are hopeless… Speaking these words not only are detrimental to anyone who hears them, but they also shed light on the fact that you aren’t a true child of God… If you speak these words than you deny the power that Christ has to save… 

You deny the authority He has on earth and in heaven and you deny that He can reach the outermost parts of this world… The great commission tells us to “go…” Too often we try and avoid others, we try to do what we want instead of living according to God’s plan and it is in these times that we are not following the direction of God and therefore will soon find ourselves in the same boat as those of this world. John 8 tells us of a story of hope for those who were thought to be hopeless and also shines light on the path that we must be on as child of God in extending a helping hand as oppose to passing judgment… Here is the story: ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” The moral of this story, live what you claim to be or profess on Sunday mornings; the only way to show this on this earth is to help your brother!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Gods Love Molds You

Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

Job 34:12

It is not of God that you should perish or suffer; the word of the Lord today declares to us that God will not do wickedly… There are so many people in this life that want to blame the Lord for things that occur in their life when in reality you are a living witness of what the people calls sowing and reaping… If God were to have passed judgment on you then you and I would not even be able to read these words today let alone grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ… These words are recorded from the mouth of Elihu (a friend of Job)  speaks these words to 3 of Job’s peers who came to the conclusion that there must have been something going on in Job’s life for which he was being punished… Understand today not only the importance of having the right people around you, but also come to the realization that some people speak word that are untrue and should not be spoken… There were several negative comments hurled in Job’s direction as a result of his life being stripped and it is truly a testament to his faith and reliance on God that he did not adhere to the negative words surrounding him… When you go through trials and tribulations, the biggest test is not the storm it self, but the actions that you take amidst the advice or suggestions that people give you… So many times people have asked me to weigh in or give my opinion on different matters which they may be facing and as a child of God my response is that I don’t know what it is that God is trying to show or accomplish through the storm which they are currently facing… I bring this into our devotion to make the same point which was made by God in the book of Isaiah which says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.” 

We don’t know the full plan of God even in our own lives, so it is of the utmost importance that we refrain from speaking about someone else’s lives whom we could harm by our words… This is what happened with Job, if the words spoken by his friends were received by Job than his relationship with the Lord would have been scarred with doubt and a negative fear… You must be careful what you say to people when they are going through a tough time; you also must be careful what you receive from people when you are facing a challenge or hardship… In this passage Elihu is setting the record straight concerning God being just and fair… Your life speaks to the fairness of God in that He has spared you and loved you while you were yet sinners… No matter what you have had happen to your life, know that God will never do things in a wicked manner… This is not to see that you will not endure consequences that are a result from your actions, this simple means that you will be afforded opportunities to grow and become what God had designed you to before you came from the womb… It never ceases to amaze me how often people what to classify God as unjust or even begin to associate Him with having a hand in wickedness when we have reasoned nothing but love and grace from Him… Often times we confuse judgment with acts of wickedness, we complain about a situation when the very situation we dislike is actually serving a purpose that will promote growth in us… In the bible we find multiple stories that paint a clearer picture as to how we must understand that judgment comes to bring about repentance and lead us to salvation… We all know the story of Job; we remember that he was a devout God fearing man and that he had a great amount of riches… We know that Satan killed off his family, took his cattle and eventually caused a great sickness in Job’s body. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die, his friends accused him of wrongdoing and believed that he was sinful; through all his hardships Job never turned from God and today we understand why… 

This passage reminds us today that God will not do wickedly; He will not conduct evil or wickedness upon you nor is he to blame for your circumstances… Yes we all do have to face hardships, but we must be able to accept trials and not blame God for our misfortune! The bible says that God knows what we can bare, he will never put more on you than you can face; so know that your life will deal with tribulation, but simply remember that God doesn’t work in wickedness, he works on and in us through the trials that WE face… Job is realizing today that he doesn’t need to blame God for his inflictions, but rather praise him knowing that it is not God who placed evil in our lives…Ask yourself this question, if God was a god of wickedness where would you be today… The Israelites deserved more than just wondering aimlessly in the desert for forty years, they deserved more than captivity; however, God saw fit to judge them by their actions; however, He was sure to make it possible for them to learn from their mistakes and change their habits… The Lord will not pervert judgment; this simply tells us that God will not change or alter the judgment that we should receive… This is not dealing with the sin we have committed, but the life that we live through our sufferings in Jesus Christ! Job never gave up and ultimately God gave him double what he had originally… God sees your pain; He hears your cries and knows the circumstances that you face! He will not hold back the blessings that He has in store for you when you stand on faith! Job had to face his trials, but because he stood on faith God showed His faithfulness… You must accept your trials knowing that trials bring blessings, hardships bring peace and tears bring joy! God isn’t hurting you; He is preparing you for blessings and exaltation! If you show your faith and don’t waver, God will not waver on you… HE WILL NOT PERVERT JUDGMENT, He will lead you to exaltation and honor!!!! Every trial that comes your way is a step that God presents for you to be elevated and get closer to reaching your goal…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Adversity displays the true character of an individual... You shouldn't judge a book by its cover; often times the ruff and ragged books are the best to open and read...

God's Approval Is All That Matters

Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

While you live upon this earth, know today that you have a choice to make… This choice is not something that is decided verbally but is declared by actions and intentions… Paul reminds us today that we must get away from the thinking of trying to appease or appeal to our peers and focus on winning the approval of Christ… There is no one on this earth who has a say-so or can even decide where you will spend eternity; however, there are so many of us who spend valuable amounts of time trying to please people as if they have power over us… The message of today’s devotional is simple, adhere to the voice of God even if it means that you will lose friends and find yourself alone at times…Paul faced several doubters after his conversion, he could have very easily given into the peer pressure and walked away from the voice of the Lord; however, in walking by faith as he told the church of Corinth he continued to do what God desired of him and reaped the bountiful rewards because of his obedience… Not everyone will approve your transition or transformation, not everyone will be happy about the new you, so as you grow in Christ make the decision and stand by it that you will not be governed or restricted by man… We all must learn from prior knowledge or our very own experiences that we must strive to seek the approval of God verses the approval of men… 

Paul was a prime example of what we all face at some point in our lives; it doesn’t matter whether it is your youthful days dealing with peer pressure or your adult hood dealing with the levels of success according to the worldly standards… Paul was a book smart intelligent man who (by seeking the approval of men) sought out the Christian churches to persecute them and tear them down… It took His very own encounter with the Lord to bare witness to God’s divinity and to the will He had for Him… See, we like Paul find ourselves doing things that appear right; however, we always end up filling empty and out of place… Today, make your election of the Lord sure… Stand by faith and know that it doesn’t matter how many friends you lose and it doesn’t matter how many people turn their backs on you… The bible tells us that when we leave our areas of comfort behind that God sees that and we will be rewarded… “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)… Paul makes is clear to the Church of Galatia that he isn't worried about being approved by men or adhering the ways of the world, this verse calls for us to examine the motives of our actions everyday and what is it that we seek in this life… What is your objective on this earth? What are you focusing on or what is driving and motivating you? This is the question that Paul is addressing to the church of Galatia... The church was being divided by people who were succumbing to the pressures of the nations around them! The church was under attack by sexual immorality and debauchery… Galatia was being torn apart and some were trying to stand on God’s will, while the others were saying that they should adopt the culture that is being lived around them… 

Paul is saying that you must make your election sure; you cannot waver on where you stand or who has the influence on your life! So many people say that they are a child of God and walking in His will, but they allow the people around them to dictate how they live their life… They hide their Christianity to fit in and deny God as their father to abstain from conflict. Paul is saying that you have two options to choice from, either walk with God or walk with the world… There is no middle ground! Notice the last sentence of this verse, “If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ!” The bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters; whether you believe it or not, focusing on the opinion of man will lead to serving their opinion which will lead to you straying away from Christ… Paul understands that there was a time when he was worried about what his peers thought, there was a time when he was persecuting the church and filled with the poison of the world… He knows that in pleasing man you cannot please God! We all at one point and time were “still trying to please men,” we accepted bad habits; settled for sinful things and fell short of the glory of God, but now is the time for you to show through your actions and lifestyle whom you serve… Paul says today that I am a servant of God because I don’t care about what man thinks of me, I know longer am caught up in titles or peer pressure, I know longer need to fit in or fill wanted by the people around me… I know I am a servant of Christ because I can let things go, I can let people go, I can let circumstance go, I can let fleshly desires go… Whose approval do you seek? Paul sought the approval of man and fell upon his face; God picked him up and planted him on a solid foundation to preach the Gospel of Christ…. When you seek the approval of men you will fall flat on your face, when you seek God’s approval He will pick you up and plant you on a solid foundation that will remain forever! The choice is yours; just know that a choice must indeed be made…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!