Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying another beautiful Friday eve. It's officially fall; I had to warm my truck up this morning, and wait on the windows to defrost before I took off. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather, but it's inevitable. I guess I better change my attitude and start bundling up. Tomorrow is Friday Night Lights, and my brother has a game at PG Sports and Learning Complex, against DeMatha High School, at 7pm. The Gonzaga/DaMatha games are somewhat a rivalry, so it's going to be exciting. DeMatha is known for their football team, the coaches recruit heavily, and is known to have a wonderful training regimen. I'm excited, and am praying that the boys have fun, and stay healthy, and of course win. This game is like Redskins/Cowboys for me, and I'm always routing for the Redskins. Go GONZAGA! Eagles all the way! My Grandmother is home from the hospital today, praises to God. She has a lot of rehab to do before she's back to full strength, so please continue to pray for her. Thank you for your continued prayers, have a blessed day family!

Today's scriptures are about having temperance. The word Temperance has two meanings: 1) Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression. 2) Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors. Today's scriptures touch on both. We're created in God's image as His children, and we're expected to conduct ourselves in the ways He's taught us. He’s described as being slow to anger in the bible. It's written in Palms 103:8: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. When we take on the mind and attitude of Jesus, we receive a sense of inner peace, and that peace allows us to be slow to anger, quick to forgive, which helps us avoid most temptations. However, this isn’t an easy skill to master, because patience is something that builds as we grow. Everyone has a different story, personality, and outlook on life. The devil knows our weak spots, so He often use different people or things to anger us, and make us sin against God. We’ll never know when God is testing us, so it’s important to show His love to everyone we come in contact with, no matter how much they push us. I've worked in customer service for over 10 years, and I’ve learned that it's very hard to be patient with some people. We have to deal with people from different social and educational backgrounds, etc. and everyone looks at life differently. Every situations requires more patience than you could imagine, but it helps teach us how to read people, and most importantly not to take things personally. I always try to take myself out of the equation, and find God’s will in every interaction. This allows me to stay calm and try my best to correct the situation, without becoming angry. We must truly take on the mind of Christ, by praying for the people who personally attack us, and mean us harm. Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Jesus warned us that these things would happen, so when we're having a bad day, we should pray without ceasing. A lot of people use drugs and alcohol to unwind, and deal with daily pressures, but those “Spirits” inebriate us. When we’re in that state of mind, we’re not able to be alert and ready to do God’s work at any moment. That’s very dangerous because everything we do has a consequence. At any moment, Jesus will return to receive those of us who are saved, so we must always be prepared. When we're not practicing temperance, or the other fruits of the Spirit, then we're most likely sinning. When someone makes us upset and we pick up a cigarette, have a drink of alcohol, or resort to trying to hurt that person in some way, we may get instant gratification, but in the end we end up disappointing Jesus. He paid a great price for our Righteousness, so we must always respect His constant presence in our lives, and do our best to avoid all sin. If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you aren't prepared for His return. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44) You don’t have to think about it another day, and you need to make sure you’re saved. It's a simple prayer, which only requires sincerity. Don't allow anyone to steal your shine, because you're a child of God. Are you ready? My favorite verses today are: Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world: looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:12-13)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455106&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=5492525

I love you!