Post by: Drew Amber Gordon
By: Joyce Meyer
 
I hope you have a dream or a vision in your heart for something greater than what you have now.  It is important to have dreams and visions for our lives.  We atrophy without something to reach for.  God has created us to have goals.  Ephesians 3:20 KJV tells us that God is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think.”  We need to think big thoughts, hope for big things, and ask for big things.
 
Quite often we look at a task and think there is no way we can do what needs to be done.  That happens because we look at ourselves when we should be looking at God.
 
When the Lord called Joshua to take the place of Moses and lead the Isreaelites into the Promised Land, He said to him, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).
 
If God promises to be with us- and He does- that is really all we need.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV).  Whatever ingredients we are lacking in the natural man, He adds to the spiritual man.
 
“God is honered when we believe Him to do the “big things” we have dreamed about.

Do you like yourself?  It may strike you as an odd question.  And it could be quite possibly uncomfortable to answer.  If you said YES, do you feel arrogant?  If you said NO, do you feel depressed?  Personally, I have a very hard time with that question, and anyone I have ever asked has a hard time with that question too.  The sad fact is that most people really don’t like themselves, and it is a BIG problem.  God certainly doesn’t want His children to feel this way.  It is Satan’s attempt to RUIN us and our relationships. 

 Self-image is the inner picture we carry of ourselves.  If your self-image is unhealthy, you will suffer from fear, insecurity, and misconceptions about yourself.  It will devastate your life AND your relationships.  If we don’t get along with ourselves, we won’t get along with other people.  When we reject ourselves, it may seem to us that others are rejecting us as well.  When we feel rejected, we feel alone and are vulnerable.  Relationships are a vital part of life.  There is no better way to destroy people than to get them to dislike or even hate themselves.

 God never intended for us to feel bad about ourselves.  He wants us to know ourselves and yet accept ourselves in the same way He does.  After all, Jesus came to bring restoration to our lives.  One of the things He came to restore is a healthy, balanced self-image.  Accepting yourself is part of God’s plan for your life.

Jesus also talked about rest and had a solution for hard work (Labor) which we find in Mathew 11.

Matthew 11:25-30 (NIV)

Rest for the Weary

 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

My dad spent his life busy working hard to provide for my family. When he graduated high school he went to work for ARMCO Union Wire Rope. He had a talent for drafting but chose to follow in his father’s foot steps working in the wire rope industry. He was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam in 1967. He married my mother before he left and came home when I was about three months old. He returned to Armco and worked hard to provide for us. My parents helped raise some of my cousins through my teenage years and we moved from the city to the country during my junior year of high school. Dad always wanted a farm and when he finally got one he went a little overboard.

My father spent the majority of his life feeling that others disapproved of him and the way that he lived his life. He hurt emotionally, physically and spiritually. He showed love to others but he felt that they did not understand it or could not accept the love that he could provide. He felt the disgust that he perceived that others had for him. He felt that he was not the best father or husband that he should have been. Basically my father was depressed most of his life and was unable to figure out a way to get past it.

I had conversations with my father where he would tell me that he knew that he failed my sister and I as a father. I tried to reassure him that he did not fail us. We may not be perfect but my sister and I are the people that we are because of him and mom. We both have tried to do the best that we can to improve our education and raise our families with love. Neither one of us has been in serious trouble or done anything to break the law and end up in jail. Still this would not reassure him. He felt that he did something wrong to cause me to be gay and my sister was mad at my mom because he was not around enough in our childhood to help mom.

My mom performed the service for my father’s funeral this last saturday, September 4, 2010. While she was talking about the last few weeks of my father’s life she told how they would get up in the morning and dad read scripture to her while she made his lunch. His attitude became more pleasant and she did not fight with him as much and she was starting to really appreciate him. She told of how one morning he started to head off to work and then he turned around to walk back to her. He raised her chin up so he could look her in the eyes and told her that he really loved her. Then she said he gave her the most tender and sweetest kiss he had ever given her in 43 years. All she could say was “I know”, over and over again. Then he went to work.

The last day that he was alive was August 31, 2010. On that day mom and dad went to town to do some shopping and laundry. While they were there dad took mom out to lunch. Then they went home to drop the laundry off. Mom went into the kitchen and dad came in with the laundry and when he passed the threshold of the front door he had a massive heart attack and feel to the floor right there.

I believe that on that day my dad was still looking out for mom because she wanted to go somewhere else and dad said that they needed to drop the laundry off first. I also believe that not only did he make it to his physical home with mom safe but Jesus was waiting there in the door way for him to take him to our heavenly home. Now dad can help prepare things for mom and his burden will be far lighter than he has ever known.

Please take a moment to realize that no matter how difficult this world is there is relief through all the hurt and pain that you feel whether it be emotional, physical or spiritually. My dad has seen the pain of this world but now he can truly see the glory of God and there is nothing to hurt him anymore.

“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”- Isaiah 48:17

 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
       in the morning I lay my requests before you
       and wait in expectation.  Psalm 5:3

Wait for the LORD;
       be strong and take heart
       and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

 I wait for you, O LORD;
       you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
       and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5

Many people think the meaning of “wait on the Lord ” is specifically applied to answers to our prayers, but I think the Lord wants us to go deeper like his relationship with David. As you can see from the psalms David waited on the Lord for everything. God wants to be a part of our lives, not just a distant relative who lives far away, but a daily guide, helper, protecter, provider, best friend. If we allow him in, he will be involved in every aspect of our lives.

Waiting is not one of my strong suits however, and I find myself running ahead of the Lord often. He is constantly reminding me to slow down, rest, sit still and listen.

I have been standing in his holding pattern of waiting on him for almost three weeks now. Everything in me says go get a job, you are unemployed, but the Lord says wait, rest, organize, get ready for a great challenge. He is very patient and gentle, but firm in his resolve that I should wait no matter how I struggle with it.

As I walk through his instruction he has taught me that in an instant everything can change. I lost my job and my house, in an instant, Penny lost her father in an instant, Jessie and Penny got a great gift and now have a car, it happened in an instant, etc. I’m learning whatever the circumstances I can wait on the Lord because any moment the answers could appear.

Think about including the Lord in your whole life and learning to wait for his wisdom, leadership, and guidance. In my experience, it’s worth the wait, and the results are miraculous. I am so grateful that he is ordering my life, changing my heart and mind, and delivering me as I surrender to his will and not my own. Peace be with you always.

Written by; Kellee Wells

Further Benefits of Wisdom

 ¹ My son, do not forget my teaching,
       but keep my commands in your heart,

 ² for they will prolong your life many years
       and bring you prosperity.

 ³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
       bind them around your neck,
       write them on the tablet of your heart.

 ⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
       in the sight of God and man.

 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding;

 ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
       and he will make your paths straight.

 ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
       fear(revere, respect in honor) the LORD and shun evil.

 ⁸ This will bring health to your body
       and nourishment to your bones.

 ⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth,
       with the firstfruits of all your crops;

 ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
       and your vats will brim over with new wine.

 ¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
       and do not resent his rebuke,

 ¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
       as a father the son he delights in.

 ¹³ Blessed is the man/woman who finds wisdom,
       to those who gain understanding,

 ¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver
       and yields better returns than gold.

 ¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;
       nothing you desire can compare with her.

 ¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand;
       in her left hand are riches and honor.

 ¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways,
       and all her paths are peace.

 ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
       those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

 ¹⁹ By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
       by understanding he set the heavens in place;

 ²⁰ by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
       and the clouds let drop the dew.

 ²¹ My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
       do not let them out of your sight;

 ²² they will be life for you,
       an ornament to grace your neck.

 ²³ Then you will go on your way in safety,
       and your foot will not stumble;

 ²⁴ when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
       when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

 ²⁵ Have no fear of sudden disaster
       or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

 ²⁶ for the LORD will be your confidence
       and will keep your foot from being snared.

 ²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
       when it is in your power to act.

 ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor,
       “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—
       when you now have it with you.

 ²⁹ Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
       who lives trustfully near you.

 ³⁰ Do not accuse a man for no reason—
       when he has done you no harm.

 ³¹ Do not envy a violent man
       or choose any of his ways,

 ³² for the LORD detests a perverse man
       but takes the upright into his confidence.

 ³³ The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
       but he blesses the home of the righteous.

 ³⁴ He mocks proud mockers
       but gives grace to the humble.

 ³⁵ The wise inherit honor,
       but fools he holds up to shame.

Proverbs 4

Wisdom Is Supreme

 ¹ Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
       pay attention and gain understanding.

 ² I give you sound learning,
       so do not forsake my teaching.

 ³ When I was a boy in my father’s house,
       still tender, and an only child of my mother,

 ⁴ he taught me and said,
       “Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
       keep my commands and you will live.

 ⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
       do not forget my words or swerve from them.

 ⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
       love her, and she will watch over you.

 ⁷ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
       Though it cost all you have,  get understanding.

 ⁸ Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
       embrace her, and she will honor you.

 ⁹ She will set a garland of grace on your head
       and present you with a crown of splendor.”

 ¹⁰ Listen, my son, accept what I say,
       and the years of your life will be many.

 ¹¹ I guide you in the way of wisdom
       and lead you along straight paths.

 ¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
       when you run, you will not stumble.

 ¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
       guard it well, for it is your life.

 ¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
       or walk in the way of evil men.

 ¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
       turn from it and go on your way.

 ¹⁶ For they cannot sleep till they do evil;
       they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.

 ¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
       and drink the wine of violence.

 ¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
       shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

 ¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
       they do not know what makes them stumble.

 ²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
       listen closely to my words.

 ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
       keep them within your heart;

 ²² for they are life to those who find them
       and health to a man’s whole body.

 ²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
       for it is the wellspring of life.

 ²⁴ Put away perversity from your mouth;
       keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

 ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead,
       fix your gaze directly before you.

 ²⁶ Make level  paths for your feet
       and take only ways that are firm.

 ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left;
       keep your foot from evil.

By: Drew Amber Gorton

Taken from: A Journey with God

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever.  Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

Too many Christians treat the Bible like any other book.  But get this loud and clear: THE BIBLE ISN’T LIKE ANY OTHER BOOK!  Period!  And if you’re wise, you’ll give your Bible the reverence and the attention that it deserves.

Is God’s Word a bright spotlight that guides your path, or is it a tiny nightlight that occasionally flickers?  Is God’s Word your indispensable compass for everyday living, or is it relegated to Sunday morning services?  Do you read the Bible faithfully or sporadically?  The answer to these questions will determine the direction of your thoughts, the direction of your day, and the direction of your life.

God’s Word can be a roadmap to a place of righteousness and abundance.  Make it your roadmap.  God’s wisdom can be a light to guide your steps.  Claim it as your light today, tomorrow, and every day of your life- and then walk confidently in the footsteps of God’s only begotten Son.

“If you’ll flip from cover to cover, you’ll notice that it’s overwhelmingly a book of stories- tales of men and women who walked with God.” –John Eldredge

  ]]> http://slcchurch.org/devotional/?feed=rss2&p=851 0 http://slcchurch.org/devotional/?p=845 http://slcchurch.org/devotional/?p=845#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:06:13 +0000 Jessie Hayes http://slcchurch.org/devotional/?p=845

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love  is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:3-6

There was a time when I was so disheartened that it made me wonder whether I should remain in the ministry. How could I tell people that Jesus would give them peace and joy when I felt discouraged by my own failure to be godly? I understood what “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23) meant but was never sure which of those qualities, if any, would be apparent in me from day to day.

God let me stew in my anxiety until I was fully committed to finding out if His Word was true or not. I encountered my answer in a biography of Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Missions. For a long time he, too felt that his efforts fell short of the Lord’s expectations. But Taylor came to realize that the Lord wanted believers to trust Him fully and rest on His promises. So when Jesus said to abide in Him, He meant that His followers were to stop striving and struggling. Instead they were to trust Him to subdue their flesh.

As a child, I was taught that a person got saved and then went to work for God. You did the best you could to act godly, think right, and speak wisely. When your best wasn’t good enough, well, you tried harder. Such an impossible expectation was wearing me out. This idea of letting Jesus Christ work through me sounded both biblical and liberating.

A grape branch doesn’t bear fruit because of its determined efforts to get sunshine; rather, it simply abides in the vine, and fruit appears. The vine does all the work. In the same way, believers are to be in union with their Savior so that spiritual fruit can grow in their life.

By: Dr. Charles Stanley

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

 ”I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 ”I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 ”As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. John 15:1-17

“Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others.  You can never finish paying that!  If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill ALL the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:8).

Love is God’s commandment: “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13).  We have been given love that is beyond human understanding, and we are to be loving servants of God.  We can choose to turn the love we feel for God into love and compassion we show to our families, friends, and all those that cross our path.

“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our natural lives.” –C.S. Lewis

 

Titus 3: ⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The Christian life is just that–a life, not a lifestyle. Sadly, a lot of churches preach Christianity as a list of dos and don’ts. Then faith looks like a formula: JESUS’ SAVING GRACE PLUS DOING GOOD THINGS MINUS DOING BAD THINGS EQUALS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Most of us have enough problems without worring about whether we’re following the extra-biblical rules of one church.

A man-made formula for righteousness runs counter to scriptual teaching. In fact, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for such heavy-handed religion (Mt. 23:1-14). He, on the other hand, offered liberty through grace. Neither keeping God’s Law by self-effort nor adhering to extra rules makes a person free. Legalistic believers are in bondage and growing ever weaker.

When a person accepts the saving grace of Jesus, he or she receives a new life (Rom. 6:4). This is not a uptight lifestyle of doing good works. A believer is a changed person–same body but a transformed mind and heart. Christ lives through you. His Holy Spirit flows into your spirit as sap runs in a grapevine. It’s like getting a spiritual blood transfusion! Strength pumps into places where weakness once prevailed. Why rely upon your frail self when the courage and power to follow God’s will is available through Christ?

I know what it feels like to burn out from trying to do good in my own strength. My desire for you is that you’ll surrender to the Lord. Depend upon Him to change you from the inside out, and trust that He will. Jesus is your life. He will never get tired of transforming you!

By: Dr. Charles Stanley

Luke 22: Jesus said, ³¹“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. ³²But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

 ³³But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

 ³⁴Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”…………………………

 ⁵⁴Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

 ⁵⁷But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

 ⁵⁸A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
      ”Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

 ⁵⁹About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

 ⁶⁰Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” ⁶²And he went outside and wept bitterly.

All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. The question is, How are you going to respond? Plenty of people give up and exchange a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure need not be an end. It’s a chance for a new beginning living in Christ’s strength.

Peter had a life-altering failure. Jesus warned that Satan had asked permission to “sift” the disciple like wheat–vigorous shaking is required to separate wheat kernels from debris. The enemy wanted to shake Peter’s faith hard in hopes that he’d fall away from Jesus like chaff.

Peter fervently believed the promise he’d make to Jesus: “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not”(Mk. 14:29). But Satan knows a few things about the power of fear. What’s more, he realized that the disciple would be wounded by his own disloyalty. A man with tattered pride can’t help but question his usefulness.

When Satan sifts believers, his goal is to damage our faith so much that we’re useless to God. He wants us shelved far from the action of the Lord’s kingdom. Therefore, he goes for our strengths–the areas where we believe ourselves to be invincible, or at least very well protected. And when the devil succeeds, we are disappointed and demoralized. But we don’t have to stay that way.

If we are willing, God can use failure to do spiritual housecleaning. Peter laid down his pride and instead put on the Holy Spirit’s courage. Thereafter, he risked humiliation, persecution, and death to proclaim the gospel. Failure was the catalyst that brought forth greater faith and true servant-hood.

By: Dr. Charles Stanley

We all possess a faith faculty. We trust things around us: people, food, bus and car drivers, businesses, banks. We can extend it to include God. Jesus put a library of wisdom into four words ‘Fear not, only believe’. Worry is fear. ‘Fear has torment’ the Bible says. God doesn’t want you tormented. Nothing can happen that you and God can’t handle together. ~REINHARD BONNKE

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you”

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.