 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 I Chronicles 4:10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and extend my lands! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!" And God granted him his request. |
WOW! I was blessed as I listened in on several workshops offered by my church today. But during one of the classes, it hit me. The "Wow" factor. You know, when the light of understanding goes on in your head, or the first time you see your newborn child, or the time when that special someone said YES, or you hear a new piece of music and you bath in it, or you stop and look at a rainbow. Wow experiences! Experiences where you can only say, “WOW!” This particular class was on hospitality. Not a major topic to get excited about. Just make a difference by being clean, gracious, friendly, courteous, going that extra mile, etcetera. I knew this, but the speaker WOWED me. Her presentation was very good and made me think about and want to understand the subject better. She had shed new light on this subject for me and I was blessed to hear her.  Then the
WOW factor set in! I had been to several other workshops as well and I was
amazed. I became aware of what these leaders, these instructors, had done
for me. It was amazing that I had not been aware of or noticed it before!
But God had surrounded me with talented people who were blessing me in ways
I may not have even known about before. How often do we take for granted
what is around us?Are you
aware of the many blessings that go on around you? Have you given thanks to
God for the people he puts in your life on a daily basis? Prayer Dear Lord, thank you today for my daily bread. I thank you for the friends and family in my life. Let me appreciate them. Let me tell or show them what they mean to me and the difference they make in my life. I lift up this circle of people you have made come in contact with me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. . Additional Scripture Psalm 23:5; Luke 18:9; I John 4:7
Rod McKenzie
|
NOTE: This page contains 5 devotions. Pick
one using the above buttons. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less. |
Less Is More There appears to be a renewed interest in spirituality these days. Our television programs tell us this. Our bookstores tell us this. Our friends even tell us this. The trouble with this renewed interest is that much of it seems to be more of a fad than anything else. True Christianity isn't faddish. It can't be because it isn't easy enough. Jesus
calls us to the difficult life. This life is all about God and not about us.
The more that I am in the way of myself, the less God is able to do through
me. My personal kingdom must be set aside for the sake of God's kingdom.
This means I need not momentarily search for fulfillment of personal needs
as well as organize myself through a formula of rules and regulations. I am
only to find God! It is there in the midst of my search for God that God
finds me! The cross of Christ has entirely altered what it means to be a
success in this world today. The more that I am willing to give up, the more
I will have since God is taking over.Prayer Lord, if I am to be effective, I must let you be in charge. I am sorry for living selfishly. Lead the way and I will follow. Amen. Additional Scripture Matthew 8: 18-22; Philippians 2: 5-11
Jim Schul |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Isaiah 54:2 Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. |
Immeasurably More In the future age, Jesus will consummate His kingdom on this planet and there will be a completely righteous society. But as followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our now-mission on this planet (which is evil) is to dare to risk giving our all in seeking the lost and setting the oppressed free. We are not to be shy or timid in going about our Father’s work as He has given us a spirit of boldness to do His work. One of the
Christian’s main problems is their vision is too small. We focus on our
“lacks” such as, “Maybe I could do that, but I think I lack the knowledge it
takes to do it.” Heavens to Betsy, people! God, who is infinite in all His
attributes, allows us to draw on His resources, His power, His love. All we
have to do is call on Him and He will tell us all we need to know! In fact,
Scripture tells us God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask of
Him. Immeasurably more! Think about this. The extraordinary divine force by
which Jesus Christ was raised is the same power at work in and through all
believers! With such power backing us, we need to expand our tent pegs out a
few notches and live as if you have it all. Because you do! You have God
within you!Unfortunately,
there are times when we allow our focus to get out of focus. We get tired or
frustrated and just retreat to our little comfortable tents and have
ourselves a pity party. Cramped though they are, we do feel some comfort in
them. But praise the Lord, He doesn’t allow us to spend much time in such
cramped spaces because He desires our company under a larger tent so we can
enlarge his kingdom with him. Sometimes the only way to get rid of cramps is
to stretch and stretch and stretch. I have found that the Lord will never
allow you to be stretched beyond your capability to do His will. We do not
need to be afraid because He will fill all our needs exactly at the time we
need them to be filled. We just have to respond to His instructions
instantly in faith and obedience. And I assure you, do it just once and the
next time, and the times after that, will become easier and joyful. It is
the most fantastic feeling to experience God’s power and goodness and love
at work in you! He fills your cup to overflowing.Brothers
and sisters in Christ, let us expand our tents to hold more and more of the
lost and oppressed so they can fellowship with us because our fellowship is
with the Lord God Almighty and with His Son, Jesus Christ, who loved us and
gave His life for us. We who believe in Him are His anointed and are
commissioned to go out and bring the lost sheep in.Prayer My Lord God, let the knowledge of knowing your glorious power will sustain me be all that I need to expand your kingdom. Enlarge my territory to bring others to You. I am tired of being tired. I want the excitement of seeing others come to know You. O Lord, how magnificent and wonderful You are. Thank You for allowing me to serve You. Yes! Additional Scripture Ephesians 3:19-20; I Peter 1:3-5; Psalm 23; II Kings 4:1-6
Pat Hedleston
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Malachi 3:10 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouses so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do", says the Lord Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove to you!" |
Digging Through Our Rubble Who would have ever thought two months ago that the people of our nation and the world could come together with open arms and open wallets in the way that has happened? I have not heard the total amount that has been raised in relief efforts, but one concert last weekend is said to have generated over 100 million dollars. Across the board, from elementary school children to senior citizens, from minimum wage earners to chairmen of the board, people have given of their hard earned savings. Will it be enough to clean, rebuild and sustain our wounded families? We may never know. But we now know how strong we are when we come together to do good. Now
imagine. If the people of our country continued to be as generous, to work
as hard and think of others first, the kind of a dent could be put in our
own problems of homelessness, hunger and need! The Scripture tells us that
the Lord wants us to work a little harder and give a little more. When we
do, we will be rewarded with such generosity that we won't know what to do
with all of our blessings. We have been blessed already. Now is the time to
give and work hard so that we may see all of the goodness that is possible
in each of us. Prayer Lord, help us to be unafraid to give of our time and money. We know that you are always there to provide for us in our time of need. Let us be your angels to those who need a friend, or a meal, or a ride, or a coat. Let us be the ones to dig through the rubble of our own lives and our own communities and clear a path for the beautiful work that you have planned for us in the future. Forgive us of our sins and help us to forgive those who do us harm. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Additional Scripture II Kings 4:1-6
Ruth Moorman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Matthew 13:23 The good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God's message and produce a huge harvest – thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted. . |
Fruit of the Spirit Have you ever felt that when you are sitting in church, the sermon you are hearing is being preached only to you? Today’s subject had to do with "Living Large." Stepping out of the boat and letting the Holy Spirit lead you. Actually, it's more like following the Spirit. Letting yourself be a vessel for his work. My own
experience is from writing these devotions. I always loved to read. Since
I've enjoyed reading, I tried my own hand at writing. I did short stories
and my own biography. I can tell from all my experiences of reading books,
my own writings stunk with a capital S.When I was
asked to try writing devotions for this ministry, I didn't think I could do
it. I knew I didn't have the talent. I prayed and ask for the Spirit to use
me and to let my own experiences reach someone with my devotional writings.
I now understand better the fruit of the Spirit. I understand it's not my
talent that's writing this. It is humbling to feel I am not worthy, but at
the same time, I feel blessed to be use by God.
Prayer Dear Lord, let whoever reads this, be encouraged to ask for the Holy Spirit to work through them for your purpose. In Philippians 4:13, you tell us we can do anything through Christ who strengthens us. We can be like David, up against the giant. Be a leader like Moses, who asked for someone else to do the job. Or like the fishermen who became fishers of men. Lord, take my bread and fish and multiply it for your glory. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Additional Scripture I Samuel 17:50; Exodus 4:13-16; Matthew 4:19
Rod McKenzie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
