Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying the beginning of another workweek (for most). I'm doing well, a little under the weather today, but I'll survive. My weekend was really nice, I had some people over on Sunday for a barbecue/dinner party, and it was nice. I played Spades for the first time in years, and we had fun. The card game made me want to get our Friday night card games going again. A few family members and I used to meet up at my Grandmother's house and play Tunk, and we'd always get some good food, and have good clean fun. I truly miss those days. Now that the summer is quickly coming to a close, and the kids are back in school, things will start to slow down a bit. Maybe we could get out card games back on track. It's also Football season, so Sunday dinners will come back into play. I wasn't looking forward to the fall, but it's inevitable, so I might as well get geared up for it. Have a wonderful day!

Today's scriptures are about balancing between our Spiritual and fleshly growth. What are you here for? Take a few moments and think about your life, you're goals, and what you want to accomplish before leaving this earth. God's main concern is our Spiritual growth, because we are His children, and He wants the best for us. We know that the flesh is temporary, and it will die one day, and we're left to live all of eternity in Heaven (if you're saved). We're all familiar with the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." This sermon is written to teach us how to properly live our lives, so when you get a moment read Matthew chapters 5 and 6. Jesus explains how to live a life pleasing to our Heavenly Father. There is a very thin line between living in this world and living of this world. We have to physically be in this world, and work toward making a good life for ourselves, and the people around us, but we mustn’t allow the world to get us caught up. Money is one of the most vital yet dangerous obsessions on this earth. It's written in 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Money itself isn't evil, because we need it to survive, however, when we allow it to consume us, then we get ourselves into trouble. Some of us spend our entire lives trying to gain earthly riches, but spend very little time getting to know our Heavenly Father. When Jesus comes into our heart and we begin to grow in our Faith walk, we’re to take on His likeness. We begin to see people for who they really are, outside of the physical appearance or prestige. God's main concern is to grow us up in our Spirit, and in order to do that, we must be able to separate ourselves from the world's ways. We're such a trendy society; we tend to fashion our lives around what we see on television or in magazines. Especially in America; we're in debt trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing, when as children of God, we're to be trying to live our lives like Christ. Ask yourself an honest question, how much time do you spend on strengthening the Kingdom of God? Take a pen and paper and write down your average day, including hours at work, surfing the Internet, writing, or reading books (that don't have anything to do with Spiritual growth), etc. and compare that with the time you spend with God, studying His word, praying, and meditating, as well as time spent telling someone about the Gospel of Christ and His kingdom. I could almost guarantee the fraction of time that we spend with God is a very small part of our day. God should always be at the head of our life. In everything we do, we should ask ourselves is this going to please the Lord. If the answer is no, then we should refrain from doing it. There has to be a balance, because God knows our heart. Our outer appearance, education, or bank accounts don’t impress Him, it’s the work we do for His kingdom that makes all the difference in our position in Heaven. Being successful on earth isn’t a bad thing, however, what we do with and how we share our success makes all the difference in our Spiritual growth. If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then God isn't in the picture of your life just yet. First say a prayer asking Jesus to come into your life as Lord and Savior, confess that you’re a sinner, and receive that precious gift. Then allow Him to transform you into that perfect balance between Him and the world. My favorite verse today is: The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455083&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=5408289&ct=7318161

I love you!