Thursday, September 20, 2012

In Christ - I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world

I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world...

Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Today’s Devotion June 16, 2010
By Mike MacIntosh

Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?"  Mark 4:21

“Jesus raises questions here that even little boys and girls could understand. Do you light a candle so that you can cover the light up? Or do you light a candle to put it under a bed? Of course not! Both are clear misuses of light: one would extinguish the light and the other would start a fire (bringing about destruction). A candle has a purpose: to shine.

“Jesus is showing us here that as Christians we are given the awesome opportunity to shine as lights in the darkness. You have a purpose! Your life isn't to be miserable, full of bitterness and anger. You are a vessel of God's light, and as you grow in faith, your light gets brighter. The purpose of your light is that people would see Jesus through you. Look at Matthew 5:16:

"’Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

“Luke 11:34 says that people can see in your eyes if you're doing things for good or doing things for evil purposes. You see, when you allow God's light to shine through you, people will see that light and glorify the Father. We can choose to be lights or we can choose to live in darkness. You can choose to suck the oxygen out of your life and be a bitter person, or you can allow God's Word to permeate every square inch of your being, to radiate His goodness and love to others. Choose this day to let your light shine. You have every excuse in the world to be angry, frustrated, confused, and bitter, but Jesus has given you new life to shine for Him. Glorify your heavenly Father today and choose to be a light in the darkness. Let God's Word shine through you today.

"’Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).’”

To BE the light you must HAVE the light.  If you’re not shining brightly for the Lord, maybe it’s because you’re not spending time in His word – with His children – in fellowship – having your spiritual “batteries” recharged!  Christianity isn’t meant to be experienced in solitude – it is meant to be experienced in community.  And it’s in community that we get recharged so we can go back out into the world and shine for Jesus.  If you’ve been missing church – not making time for daily time in the Word – I hope you’ll commit to making both of those things priorities.  We’re living in a world that prefers the darkness – but there are still lost souls out there trying to find the way to truth – if your light shines for Jesus, you can help build His kingdom!  Sharon

Thursday, September 13, 2012

In Christ - I am loved by God

I am loved by God...

Jeremiah 31:3  The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." 

Romans 8:38,39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 


I John 4:16-19 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 him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because He first loved us.

This is a little longer than most devotionals – but it’s worth the read!  Be blessed!

The Choice
by Max Lucado

“He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground.

“All of the Garden's inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.

"’You will love Me, nature,’ God said. "I made you that way. You will obey Me, universe. For you were designed to do so. You will reflect My glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like Me. This one will be able to choose.’

“All were silent as the Creator reached into Himself and removed something yet unseen. A seed. ‘It's called 'choice.' The seed of choice.’

“Creation stood in silence and gazed upon the lifeless form.

“An angel spoke, ‘But what if he ...’

"’What if he chooses not to love?’ the Creator finished. ‘Come, I will show you.’

“Unbound by today, God and the angel walked into the realm of tomorrow.

"’There, see the fruit of the seed of choice, both the sweet and the bitter.’

“The angel gasped at what he saw. Spontaneous love. Voluntary devotion. Chosen tenderness.  Never had he seen anything like these. He felt the love of the Adams. He heard the joy of Eve and her daughters. He saw the food and the burdens shared. He absorbed the kindness and marveled at the warmth.

"‘Heaven has never seen such beauty, my Lord. Truly, this is your greatest creation.’

"’Ah, but you've only seen the sweet. Now witness the bitter.’

“A stench enveloped the pair. The angel turned in horror and proclaimed, ‘What is it?’

“The Creator spoke only one word: ‘Selfishness.’

“The angel stood speechless as they passed through centuries of repugnance. Never had he seen such filth. Rotten hearts. Ruptured promises. Forgotten loyalties. Children of the creation wandering blindly in lonely labyrinths.

"’This is the result of choice?’ the angel asked.

"’Yes.’

"’They will forget You?’

"’Yes.’

"’They will reject You?’

"’Yes.’

"’They will never come back?’

"’Some will. Most won't.’

"’What will it take to make them listen?’

“The Creator walked on in time, further and further into the future, until He stood by a tree. A tree that would be fashioned into a cradle. Even then He could smell the hay that would surround Him.

“With another step into the future, He paused before another tree. It stood alone, a stubborn ruler of a bald hill. The trunk was thick, and the wood was strong. Soon it would be cut. Soon it would be trimmed. Soon it would be mounted on the stony brow of another hill. And soon He would be hung on it.

“He felt the wood rub against a back He did not yet wear.

"’Will you go down there?’ the angel asked.

"’I will.’

"’Is there no other way?’

"’There is not.’

"’Wouldn't it be easier to not plant the seed? Wouldn't it be easier to not give the choice?’

"’It would,’ the Creator spoke slowly. ‘But to remove the choice is to remove the love.’

“He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene. Three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind.

“Men clad in soldiers' garb sat on the ground near the trio. They played games in the dirt and laughed.

“Men clad in religion stood off to one side. They smiled. Arrogant, cocky. They had protected God, they thought, by killing this false one.

“Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill. Speechless. Faces tear streaked. Eyes downward. One put her arm around another and tried to lead her away. She wouldn't leave. ‘I will stay,’ she said softly. ‘I will stay.’

“All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command.

"’It must be done ... ,’ He said, and withdrew.

“But as He stepped back in time, He heard the cry that He would someday scream: ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ (Mark 15:34) He wrenched at tomorrow's agony.

“The angel spoke again. ‘It would be less painful ...’

“The Creator interrupted softly. ‘But it wouldn't be love.’

“They stepped into the Garden again. The Maker looked earnestly at the clay creation. A monsoon of love swelled up within Him. He had died for the creation before He had made him. God's form bent over the sculptured face and breathed. Dust stirred on the lips of the new one. The chest rose, cracking the red mud. The cheeks fleshened. A finger moved. And an eye opened.

“But more incredible than the moving of the flesh was the stirring of the spirit. Those who could see the unseen gasped.

“Perhaps it was the wind who said it first. Perhaps what the star saw that moment is what has made it blink ever since. Maybe it was left to an angel to whisper it:

"’It looks like ... it appears so much like ... it is Him!’

“The angel wasn't speaking of the face, the features, or the body. He was looking inside—at the soul.

"’It's eternal!’ gasped another.

“Within the man, God had placed a divine seed. A seed of His self. The God of might had created earth's mightiest. The Creator had created, not a creature, but another creator. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return.

“Now it's our choice.”

From In the Eye of the Storm, Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado

I just LOVE Max Lucado – he has a way with words that I envy!  Can’t you just picture it? God creating Adam – and the angels and the rest of creation watching and waiting to see what He was up to?  Created “in His image” – and loved from before our first breath – His love is overwhelming – more than we can comprehend this side of heaven.  I hope you will rejoice in His love for you today!  Sharon

Thursday, September 6, 2012

In Christ - I am always in God's thoughts

I am always in God's thoughts...

Psalms 139:17,18 How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

Isaiah 49:15-16
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me."
Jeremiah 29:4-13
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon; "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters - that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD. For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
KPRZ - Encouragement for Today
July 5, 2012

My Name is on God's Hand

by Shaunti Feldhahn
"See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands." Isaiah 49:16 (NLT)
How can we know for sure God is thinking about us today? There are so many people in this world, why would He be personally interested in us?

"Not so long ago I was affected by something a pastor and his wife shared with me as we drove through the neighborhoods where they do inner-city missions work. Old cars littered the streets; warehouses with windows broken out were slashed by obscene graffiti, while unemployed men and women sat around lifelessly. The air was heavy with a lack of hope.

"The pastor told me stories of his ministry in this area, working with the homeless and those with mental illness. One day, after he had preached a short sermon in a park about God's great love, a woman named Mae came up to him with drug-deadened eyes that couldn't hide her anguish. From Mae's story, it was clear she had been looking for love her whole life and had never found it.

"She was abandoned by her father, had lived in poverty, been surrounded by drugs and alcohol from the earliest age, dropped out of school when she had several children by different fathers, and was now probably in her thirties with no life or hope.

"She told the pastor, 'I just don't know how God can love me.' She felt small, lost in a sea of despair. How could God ever see her, know her, love her?

"The pastor noticed she had written many notes to herself on the palm of her left hand and asked,

"'Why do you do that?'

"'So I can remember things. I have such a hard time remembering things.'

"'Does that help?'

"'Yes. If I have it on a piece of paper, I'll probably forget to look at it. But with the really important things, when it's written there, it's right in front of me so I see it and remember. I can't lose it or forget it.'

"The pastor looked at her with compassion. 'Sister, that is what God says about you in the Bible. 'See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.' Mae, that means He's written your name on His hands. You are the really important thing to Him.'

"He took her hand and pointed to line after line of notes on her palm. 'Just like these notes are right in front of you, God has your name always in front of Him. He is always thinking about you. Mae, an image of you is always on His mind. He loves you that much.'

"Mae burst into tears; great sobs released as she grasped the concept of how much God adored her.
"Not because she had done anything good, and in spite of everything she had done wrong. God had written her name on His hand.

"We can hold onto that promise too.

"Isn't it an amazing, glorious, freeing thing to realize God has our name engraved on His hand? He really sees us, cares about us, and knows us by name!

"Dear Lord, I am constantly amazed at how great You are and yet still You remember me. It is amazing that You not only remember me, but You have engraved me on Your hand. Thank You for that assurance. Help me remember this truth on the days where I feel forgotten and unloved. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

WOW. What an awesome VISUAL of this truth! I love having visuals to remind me of God’s promises. I don’t think I’ll tattoo my hand – but if it works for you, go for it! There are other ways to remind you of this promise that’s not so painful and/or permanent – I have a vial of sand that reminds me that God’s thoughts towards me outnumber the grains of sand – ON THE PLANET! You can get something like that – put it on your desk – kitchen counter – wherever you know you’ll see it often – and remember every time you see just how VERY much you are thought of by your loving and caring Heavenly Father! YOU are important to Him! When Jesus looks at His nail-pierced hands He remembers YOU – and it brings Him joy to know that you will be with Him forever! Sharon