Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you enjoyed the beginning of another workweek (for most). I think of how much of a blessing it is to have a job to go to, in to today's economy. I know a lot of the "recession" chatter is down in the news and in the papers, but being jobless and homeless is a very real-reality for a lot of people, all around the country. I think of how many people lost their jobs, homes, medical benefits, and any feeling of security they had. It's so important for us to remember how fortunate we are, because things could always be worst. I have to confess, I've been falling into this sense of "entitlement" lately, just because I am a messenger, or a child of God, and there's no real reason for me to feel that way at all. God wants us to stay humble and know that our every blessing comes from Him. I thank God for the message I received on Sunday morning, about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, it really opened my eyes. Take some time out today and think of where you would be without God. Thank Him for your blessings because you aren't entitled to them, they're given to you by His grace. God blesses us because He loves us, but none of us are so perfect that we deserve His best, it's by the blood of the only perfect child of God, Jesus Christ, that we have the ability to receive a life in abundance, and we should never forget that. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about Jesus' presence within us. When we invite Jesus to come into our heart as Lord and Savior, He does just that. His Spirit abides in us, and in return, we're to abide in Him. I read this phrase a lot in the bible, but it took me a while to understand what it meant. Can Jesus really live in our heart, literally? Our heart is our main organ, and without it, and the blood that pumps through it, we cannot survive. The heart is also where we feel love, and the emotions that go with it, which makes it the perfect place for Jesus to dwell. Our Spirit is inside of our body, and the heart is connected to it, and Jesus’ Spirit becomes a part of our Spirit. Through Jesus we inherit the Kingdom of God, and become children of God, and so He will protect and provide for us, as a Father, through the blood of Christ. Whew, that's a mouth full! Try saying that out loud and make some sense of it, keep reading, and I’ll try to break it down.

I think I may write this same thing each and every day, but it's still hard to grasp. It's hard to fathom the fact that Jesus lives inside of us, and He's a part of our life. He's with us twenty-four hours a day, and feel's every emotion we feel. He's here when we're happy, sad, angry, depressed, in love or hate, and He shares in all of it with us. He weeps with us and laughs with us, because He has taken up residency on the inside of us. Why is He there? First we must know Jesus’ purpose and this is how He explains it: "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." (John 15:1-4 NIV) We're each planted on this earth for a reason, however, God doesn't make us chose Him or follow His will. He gives us life, and we play a huge role in the overall cycle of life. If you're planted here, but don't produce fruit, or follow His will, then you're cutoff from the vine. However if you accept Jesus as Lord, no matter what state your life is in, you are important, and the vine will feed you everything you need to produce fruit.

Jesus goes onto say: "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." (vs. 4-8) If you think about a grape vine, you see the vine, and then there's individual branches on the vine, that ultimately produces that fruit. However, if the vine is strong and vibrant, but have a few bad branches, those branches will be pruned, to make way for new fruit producing branches. That's the cycle of life. Jesus gave His life to make us fruit producing branches, and all we have to do is love Him, because He's already done His part. If you invited Him into your life as Savior then He's there forever. There's no getting rid of Him. He's going to keep working hard to push us to keep baring good fruit. If we produce bad fruit, it's pruned to allow us to try again.

When we're conscious of His presence in our life, it helps us try harder to keep His commandments. Keeping His commandments allows us to grow in spirit, and gain undisturbed peace within. When we gather together as believers, and pray in His Name, He's present, and we can feel His radiance emanating throughout the room. It's so important to come together as believers and worship, pray, and fellowship together, because all of the branches are always connected on the vine, and we could help promote growth in each other. When we encourage, pray for and with each other, it gives us great power through Christ. I love meeting with a group of believers, because you feel this calming on the inside, as if your spirit is at rest. If you're one of those people who don't think that going to church on Sunday, attending a gospel concert, bible studies, or special Christian events doesn't make a difference in your Faith walk, and overall attitude as a believer, then you're sadly mistaken. I urge you to try your best to find a good church home. Invite the Holy Spirit along, and He'll help you find the right place for you.

If you don't know Jesus as Lord, then you're missing out on a lot. I've been reading a lot about other "religions", and have friends of different "faiths", but when I think about what people are missing in Christ, it makes me sad. I'm not the guru, or the master of theology, but I know what's in my heart. I know God speaks to me and I listen, and it's His Holy Spirit who gives me the wisdom to write these extensive devotionals each day. In the flesh, I'm definitely not qualified to do this, but through His Holy Spirit I am. Can you imagine how much more you could accomplish with the Spirit of Jesus Christ inside of you? If you're confused as to what you believe, but know that something’s missing take a few moments to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? ... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:22-23)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455495&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio
http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional

I love you!