In Christ - I am called of God

July 8, 2010
Sometimes I Feel So Overlooked
Lysa TerKeurst
"After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart, he will do everything I want him to do.'" Acts 13:22 (NIV) Devotion:
"I'm sorry. I try not to complain very often. I do know that I am incredibly blessed to have a grocery store down the street and a washer and dryer to use when doing laundry. But sometimes I wake up on Monday mornings a little grumpy. Time to do it all again. I'll go buy food that gets eaten. I'll wash clothes that get dirty again. I'll sweep floors that just an hour later will be littered with crumbs.

"Is there more to all this than just doing the tasks of everyday life?

"Before I jumped into the normal routine this morning, I sat with Jesus. And this is what I found... some big truths by taking a little glance at David's life. Despite how other's saw him, his own propensity to sin, and his lack of position in his own family, David had the sweet reassurance of God and that was enough.

"Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God.
"To his older brothers, he was a pest. To his father Jesse, he was just the youngest son. To on-lookers, he was just a shepherd boy. But to God, he was the one destined to be king. And not just any king. His lineage was the one from whom Jesus would come.
"Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God.
"Even how he was anointed to be the future king is such a telling story. In 1 Samuel 16, God tells Samuel that He has rejected Saul as king and chosen one of Jesse's sons to be the replacement. Think of the list of qualifications that must have run through Samuel's head as he pondered which of Jesse's sons would be qualified for such a position: tall, smart, articulate, brave, groomed, well mannered, regal, a natural born leader. "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his outward appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. (meaning Saul who had these qualities.) The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (vs 7).

"Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God.

"Next Samuel has Jesse line all of his sons up before him. All of them were to be looked at. Yet Jesse doesn't call David in from tending sheep. Was this an oversight? An assumption? A judgment call? A necessity? A deliberate choice?

"Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God.

"Samuel passes on each of Jesse's sons and then asks, "Are these all the sons you have?"

"I imagine Jesse with a quizzical expression replying, "There is still the youngest but he is tending sheep." Surely one who spends his time taking care of animals is not the one to take care of a nation.

"Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God."As soon as Samuel saw him, he knew he was the one. David was anointed to become king. But he was not immediately ushered to the throne. It was years before David would be recognized by the world. So, where did he go after being anointed as king? To a refining school? A government academy? Military training? Nope.

"He went back out into the fields and continued to shepherd his flock. A king doing lowly tasks. A king whose character was being refined in the fields of everyday life to prepare him for his calling.

"How like us. In the midst of smelly laundry, dirty dishes, snotty noses, misplaced keys, overdue library books, bills, and that birthday gift that still needs to be mailed to grandma - there is training there. There is character building. There is attitude shaping. There is soul defining. There is heart grounding. All which must take place for us to become what God intends.

"Ever feel overlooked by the world? Take heart sister - we are handpicked by God.

"I am not just doing tasks. I am building a legacy. I am shaping God's kingdom. I am in the process of not only discovering my calling but that of my family as well. And I don't know about you, but it sure does make me look at my everyday tasks, even the smelly laundry in a whole different light.

"Dear Lord, thank You that even when I feel overlooked, I can rest in the fact that I am handpicked by You. Help me to live my life for an audience of One. In Jesus' Name, Amen"

I just LOVE those two sentences that are in bold – “Overlooked by everyone else.  Handpicked by God.”  It’s SO easy to start feeling sorry for yourself when others are being recognized and applauded for something they’ve done or accomplished.  It’s easy to feel left out when the accolades are being given and you’re not on the list.  I know – because I’ve felt that disappointment myself.  It’s not something I’m proud of – not something I like to admit to myself – let alone anyone else – but it’s true.  I’ve grown enough in the Lord to know that at those times I really do need to rethink the situation, and accept and acknowledge that my calling is from the LORD, and that He’s the ONLY One who matters.  What I do I do for God – and there will come a day when I am face to face with Him – and what He says at that moment is really what it’s all about.  If you’re struggling today – and you feel like you’re being taken for granted by those around you – or you feel like what you’ve done is being overlooked – remember that God handpicked you to be right where you are.  You are serving Him right now!  He has NOT overlooked you!  What you do for Him matters!

In Christ - I am a partaker of His divine image

I am a partaker of His divine nature...

II Peter 1:4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional

November 18, 2011

A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. --John 10:10, The Message

“Have you ever wondered why Jesus launched His public ministry by turning water into wine at a wedding party? I once heard my friend, Bible teacher Kay Arthur, describe this miracle as one of highest quality and quantity. "That," she exclaimed, "is the way Jesus does things."

“Those six stone jars Jesus told the servants to fill with water were huge, each containing thirty gallons. And those servants filled each jar to the brim. Surely one-or possibly two-of those containers would have been plenty. But Jesus did six. And quality? This wasn't the plain label stuff they sell in a jug. The wine Jesus made was Gold Medallion-probably ten grades above the best French vintage. The master of the banquet was astounded after he tasted the wine that only moments before had been common well water. "You've saved the best for last!" That's what Jesus chose to do. He gave much better than anyone expected.

“Quality. Quantity. Not either-or, but both-and. That's what He wants to do in your life: "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." The life He is talking about, of course, is His very own life, flowing in and through you. This is life that spills over the brim. As the apostle says, you are a participator in the divine nature. You can't get any better than that!

“The key to this life is in the counsel the Lord's mother gave to the servants that day. Mary said, "Do whatever He tells you." Follow that advice, my friend, and be prepared for His abundant life-lavish with quantity and radiant with quality.

“Great God of grace, You didn't have to fill my life to overflowing... and yet You did. You didn't have to share Your character, Your strength, and Your joy with me... and yet You have.”

In our day-to-day life it’s really difficult to believe that we “partake in His divine nature,” isn’t it?  We live with ourselves 24/7 – we know our thoughts – our internal struggles – our motivation – the yearnings and urgings of our flesh.  But it’s still true.  Because we have been placed “in Him” at salvation, His divine nature is now ours.  It is our eternal destiny to be perfect – as He is perfect – and in heaven we WILL be truly like Him.  But here on earth we have to choose to BE a partaker in the everyday circumstances of our lives.  We can either reflect Him – or reflect our flesh.  We can either show the world our Savior – or not.  We can choose to die to self – or live to self.  The power to do the right thing is available to us – “in Him” we CAN reflect His divine nature – but it’s a conscious choice to escape the corruption of this world.  There are days when I walk through the muck and mire of life, and by the end of the day I feel anything BUT “divine” – and the enemy would love to have me wallow in the mud I’ve tracked into my heart.  I’ve learned that I don’t have to give in to his attempt to drown me in my own failings, and I CHOOSE to declare to him – in the power of the Spirit – that I AM the righteousness of Christ – not because of anything in me – but because of the grace and mercy of our Lord!

In Christ - I am the righteousness of God

I am the righteousness of God...

II Corinthians 5:21 God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 

I Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. 

Daily Word with Jack Graham - 10/18/11

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10

“Doesn’t it just annoy you when you’ve spent time getting ready for a nice event, put on your best clothes, fixed your hair just right, and without warning, you somehow get a stain on your nice clean clothes? It bugs me to no end!

“Now, what’s funny is that if I’m outside working in the yard, I really don’t care if I get something on my clothes because I’m probably wearing stuff I care nothing about!

“It’s amazing how when we are dressed in our best, we’re much more conscious of anything that might stain our clothes. And when we realize we’re robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we’re much more aware of the stain of sin in our lives.

“When you come to faith in Christ, you’re robed with His perfect righteousness. But God doesn’t just give you new robes so you can go to heaven; He does it so you can show His righteousness to the world!

“In Christ, you have been made fully righteous and clothed in His goodness. So live your life for Him by guarding yourself against sin and declaring His holiness to the world!

“CHRIST CLOTHES YOU IN HIS ROBES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IF YOU’RE IN HIM. SO GUARD YOURSELF AGAINST THE STAIN OF SIN AND LET YOUR ROBES BE SEEN BY DOING THE WILL OF GOD!”

Don’t you just HATE it when you wear your favorite blouse – only to spill soup or sauce down the front?  When that happens here (at the office) I do my best to scrub it out, but there’s always that stain letting the whole world know I have a hole in my lip!  Sometimes that stain never comes out – and I have to live with it – or toss the blouse – forever.  The difference between my blouse and the robes of righteousness I’ve been given is that when I get something on it – when I sin – there’s always a remedy – something that will remove the soup or sauce and leave my  robes spotless – that’s called repentance.  What a comfort, no?  The down side of that, though, is that when we’ve soiled our robes of righteousness in public – and it was witnessed by others – THEY may always see that stain, even if you can’t (and neither can God).  Some people have a really hard time letting us walk in the truth of who we are “in Christ” – they’d rather see us wallow in our past – and some of them are determined that we will never forget what we’ve done.  If you’ve got those kind of people in your life, you’ll need to fortify yourself with the TRUTH of your identity whenever you know you have to spend time with them.  Rest, though, in knowing that the One who really matters has forgiven – forgotten – and from His vantage point your “robes” are dazzling white!  Over time He can use you to show your detractors the truth, too – keep living for Him – keeping your robes clean – and let Him change their hearts!  Sharon

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I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God...

Ephesians 2:19  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household...

January 21, 2010

Our Ultimate Hooray

by Charles R. Swindoll

John 11

“What gives a widow courage as she stands beside a fresh grave? What is the ultimate hope of the handicapped, the abused, the burn victim? What is the final answer to pain, mourning, senility, insanity, terminal diseases, sudden calamities, and fatal accidents?

“The answer to each of these questions is the same: the hope of bodily resurrection.

“We draw strength from this single truth almost every day of our lives---more than we realize. It becomes the mental glue that holds our otherwise shattered thoughts together. Impossible though it may be for us to understand the details of how God is going to pull it off, we hang our hopes on fragile, threadlike thoughts that say, ‘Someday, He will make it right,’ and ‘Thank God, all this will change,’ and ‘When we're with Him, we shall be like Him.’

“More than a few times a year I look into red, swollen eyes and remind the despairing and the grieving that ‘there's a land that is fairer than day’ where, as John promised in the Revelation, ‘He shall wipe away every tear . . . there shall no longer be any death . . . any mourning or crying or pain . . . there shall no longer be any curse . . . any night . . . because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever’ (21:4; 22:3, 5). Hooray for such wondrous hope!

“Just imagine . . . those who are physically disabled today will one day leap in ecstatic joy. Those who spend their lives absorbed in total darkness will see every color in the spectrum of light. In fact, the very first face they will see will be the One who gives them sight!

“There's nothing like the hope of resurrection to lift the agonizing spirits of the heavyhearted. But how can we know for sure, some may ask. What gives us such assurance, such unshakable confidence? Those questions have the same answer: the fact of Christ's resurrection.

“Because He has been raised, we too shall rise! No wonder we get so excited every Easter! No wonder we hold nothing back as we smile and sing and celebrate His miraculous resurrection from the grave!

“Jesus Himself promised: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies’ (John 11:25).

“Easter is a double-barreled celebration: His triumphant hurrah over agony and our ultimate hooray of ecstasy.”

He is risen!  He is risen indeed! The death – and resurrection – of Jesus assures us that we have a “forever home” waiting for us!  This life is TEMPORARY – our true citizenship is in Heaven!  We will never be completely happy – satisfied – settled – safe – until we’re with Him there!  Yet – He empowers us to live as Kingdom People in the here and now .  I pray that this Easter will be a time of celebration as you remember what He has done for you!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Sharon

I am free from condemnation...

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...


Colossians 1:21,22 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation--

Mike MacIntosh – Today’s Devotion from 11/15/10

"Have you ever been shut-out of fellowship and relationship with someone? Maybe a friend, perhaps a co-worker, a son or daughter, or even a spouse? When someone shuts down that relationship and fellowship, we experience a loss of intimacy with that person we love and trust; it is very disheartening. Being shut out of fellowship is the very alienation Paul is referring to here, in this passage from Colossians.

"Prior to giving my heart to Jesus, that is exactly where I was -- alienated and shut out of fellowship with God. But I wasn't alienated because I didn't pray enough or because I didn't do enough good deeds. No, I was alienated because I was an enemy of God in my mind. And it is in the mind that the devil can attack us so often. Who, reading this, does not have a radio in their car, a television in their home, or a newspaper delivered to their door? Those things are not designed to speak to your feet or your hands; they are designed to speak to your mind. So often radio, TV, movies, the internet, and the newspaper can fill your mind with things that alienate you from God.

"Let me ask you, do you spend more time during your day keeping your mind in harmony with God, building up your relationship and fellowship with Him, or do you let your mind get filled with things that alienate you from Him?

"God sent Jesus down to earth to die on a cross because He no longer wanted you to be alienated from Him, but wanted to have that relationship and fellowship restored.

"'Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8).'"

SO – Jesus has already done what needed to be done to restore us to fellowship – and if we’ve come to Him on HIS terms, we are restored. This devotional makes a good point, though, that we can allow other things to clutter our mind and heart – and we can start erecting another barrier to replace the one Jesus tore down! I hope you’ll take a few minutes right now to consider what things you’re allowing to come between you and Jesus. He didn’t let ANYTHING stop Him from doing His part – because HE LOVES YOU like no one else ever will! Start tearing down that wall you’ve put up – until each and every brick is lain at the foot of the cross! Sharon

I am complete in Him...

Colossians 2:9,10 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority."

Charles Stanley – Into His Presence

"Many believers do not understand the vast riches they already possess in Jesus Christ, an infinite treasure of wisdom and knowledge and all good things. The moment you accept His as your Savior you receive everything God is, everything God does, and everything God provides. You lack nothing. God’s immeasurable, overflowing love and power are available to you by His grace for every trial, every decision, every challenge."

Matthew Henry – Concise Commentary on Colossians

"Under the law, the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim, in a cloud which covered the mercy-seat; but now it dwells in the person of our Redeemer, who partakes of our nature, and is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, and has more clearly declared the Father to us. It dwells in Him bodily…The fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Christ really, and not figuratively; for He is both God and man. The Jews thought themselves complete in the ceremonial law; but we are complete in Christ."

I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time with the process involved in projects. I LONG for completion – yet I’ve learned that for most everything I need and/or want to do I have to be patient with the process of doing it. Whether it’s painting a mural – sewing a dress – putting up new curtains – installing new software – redesigning my garden - there are steps and processes involved to get me from point A to point B. How AWESOME it is to know that I am already complete "in Christ!" The process is done – once I committed my life into His hands I was (and still am) complete! What a comfort that is! I don’t have to strive to follow the letter of the law (I tried that for years – and ended up with a bleeding ulcer) – now I can rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross!

Now – sanctification is another story altogether – that IS a process – a day to day process of growing "in Christ" and allowing God to conform me into the image of Christ – but He’s already done all the work – He’s given me everything I need – and He’s promised to get me to that final finish line where I hope to hear "well done thou good and faithful servant!" Sharon

In Christ - I am complete in Him

I am complete in Him...

Colossians 2:9,10  For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority."

Charles Stanley – Into His Presence

"Many believers do not understand the vast riches they already possess in Jesus Christ, an infinite treasure of wisdom and knowledge and all good things. The moment you accept His as your Savior you receive everything God is, everything God does, and everything God provides. You lack nothing. God’s immeasurable, overflowing love and power are available to you by His grace for every trial, every decision, every challenge."

Matthew Henry – Concise Commentary on Colossians

"Under the law, the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim, in a cloud which covered the mercy-seat; but now it dwells in the person of our Redeemer, who partakes of our nature, and is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, and has more clearly declared the Father to us. It dwells in Him bodily…The fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Christ really, and not figuratively; for He is both God and man. The Jews thought themselves complete in the ceremonial law; but we are complete in Christ."

I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time with the process involved in projects. I LONG for completion – yet I’ve learned that for most everything I need and/or want to do I have to be patient with the process of doing it. Whether it’s painting a mural – sewing a dress – putting up new curtains – installing new software – redesigning my garden - there are steps and processes involved to get me from point A to point B. How AWESOME it is to know that I am already complete "in Christ!" The process is done – once I committed my life into His hands I was (and still am) complete! What a comfort that is! I don’t have to strive to follow the letter of the law (I tried that for years – and ended up with a bleeding ulcer) – now I can rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross!

Now – sanctification is another story altogether – that IS a process – a day to day process of growing "in Christ" and allowing God to conform me into the image of Christ – but He’s already done all the work – He’s given me everything I need – and He’s promised to get me to that final finish line where I hope to hear "well done thou good and faithful servant!" Sharon