Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about living each day as if it’s your last (in Christ). I’ve heard the saying, “live each day as if it’s your last” many times before, but there usually isn’t any spiritual inclination behind it. It’s usually people saying live life to the fullest, by having fun, fun, and more fun. You often think of partying, traveling, and just having a good time, with few boundaries. However, the biblical definition of live each day like it’s your last would be to be conscious of the way you conduct yourself, because at any moment of any time, Jesus could return, or we could die. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life, and having fun, but you must do it in a way pleasing to God, and there must be a healthy balance. We must take advantage of the time we have here, by doing our part to strengthen the Kingdom of God. We can do that by following God’s will for our life, and answering when He calls. Rest assured that when we’re living a life pleasing to God, we’re going to be blessed beyond what we could ever imagine.

If you knew that you only had one week to live how you would spend that week? That’s a hard question to answer, because neither of us really know how we’d react. I guess I’d try to enjoy some of the things I missed out on, and make amends for anything, or to anyone I’d wronged in the past. I’d also let all of my loved ones know just how much I love them, stay in the Word of God for comfort and strength, and live each moment that I have for God. In all actuality, we should live like this each day, regardless if we know we’re going to die or not. This means treating each moment as if it’s the most precious moment of our life, which is necessary to grow in Christ.

It’s written: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim 4:1-2) This is the call on the life of every Christian. We each have a mission or ministry, which is a charge to teach the word of God, and help the lost and the wicked find their way. Because of this, we take on the great responsibility to be prepared in every season. We have to work on our personal relationship, and walk upright in Christ, before, and even during our attempt to bring others to Christ. We must rely on Jesus, without doubt, that He will see us through, and He will do just that. I challenge you to ask yourself a very hard question today— one that my previous Pastor posed quite frequently— “If Jesus came back right now what do you think He would say to you?” Would He say “well done good and faithful servant”, or “depart from me, I do not know you”?

Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow remains a mystery, so what are you going to do for God today? How will you show Him that you love Him? How do you stay on the path of righteousness? These are questions that we should pose to ourselves each and every morning we wake up. God created us to fellowship with Him, and has made us part of His great Kingdom, so we mustn’t take that for granted. There are times when I get sad or depressed, and I honestly have to remind myself that I am a beloved child of God, and there’s a greater calling on my life. This takes me into praise mode, because it allows me to drop that “it’s all about me” attitude, and take on the mind and heart of Jesus Christ. At the same time, God created me to be Saundra, and I have to be the best me I can possibly be. Sometimes that requires making hard decisions, and walking away from things that are no good for my spirit but my flesh loves.

I have peace in knowing that if Jesus calls me home tomorrow, I’m ready to go. I haven’t been a perfect person, a great missionary, or a famous Pastor of a mega church, nor have I touched millions of lives, however, I love God with all of my heart, and make sure that everyone I come in contact with knows how much He loves us. In a nutshell, that’s all that He expects from us, but each of us have our own unique way of sharing His love. Never cease seeking Him and His will, and I guarantee you that you’ll be ready when the “chariot comes, to take you home” [flaws and all]. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you aren’t ready. Please don’t waste another day trying to “figure out” what you want to do. Try the Lord for yourself, you won’t be disappointed! Take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verses today are: The just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:38-39)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about recognizing our mortality, and the reason we’re here. There’s so much going on in this world, and it seems like people are here today, and gone tomorrow, which helps us realize just how short life is. We are only human, and we bleed the same blood, and our hearts beat the same way. The only real difference between us is the saved and unsaved. In God’s eyes, you’re either with Him or against Him. We have but so many years, days, hours, minutes, or even seconds to complete God’s will for our lives, and it’s important not to waste time. We must live for Him each day, because without Him, we’re divided, and risk falling in the hands of the enemy. There are billions of people on this earth, and God loves each of us as if we’re the only one, we are that important to Him. It’s time that we make Him that important to us, by recognizing His presence and power in our life, surrendering to what’s right. Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone of us, God could suddenly send a Tsunami our way, and what can we do about it? We must understand His place as the head of our life, and then a Tsunami doesn’t seem that scary after all, because we’re safe in the arms of God.

The enemy attempts to lead us away from God, because He knows that if we choose him over God, then he has us for all of eternity. That’s definitely not where we want to be. He uses everything that you could imagine to force us to waste time, and miss God’s callings, so we must also be aware of his presence at all times. He’ll use religion, money, envy, fear, lust, and all of the things that please the flesh, to attempt to draw us away. It’s important for us to stand strong as the vital part of the body of Christ that we are, in order to avoid division. Jesus once said: When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. (Luke 11:21-23) Remember, in the natural we are weak, the enemy is much stronger, and if given a chance, he’ll attempt to overcome us. However, through Christ, the enemy is defeated, and we’re no longer weak and frail, but we’re stronger than anyone or anything he can throw at us. The key is we mustn’t spend one day away from God.

I urge you to look around you, there are so many things going on that are so far out of our control. When I think of the current Tsunami in Japan, the major earthquake in Haiti, and even Hurricane Katrina that hit over five years ago, it helps me better understand how precious, yet frail, my flesh is. We’re talking thousands upon thousands of people wiped out, in a matter of minutes. If that isn’t enough to make you want to live right, I don’t know what is. When I first started seriously studying the Bible, I read stories of massive lost of life, in the Old Testament, and I questioned the love of God. However, He later helped me realize that He is God. All we can do is accept and love Him to the best of our ability. I cannot explain to you why God allows mass destruction to happen, however, I know that God is who He says He is, and loves us just as much as He says He does. What happens to the flesh isn’t as important as what happens to the Spirit once the flesh parishes. Spend more time focusing on storing up your treasures in Heaven, than hoping for more days on this earth. Trust me you cannot control whether your part of the world is hit with a massive Tsunami or earth quake, so don’t waste time worrying about it; all you can do is live. If you’re a follower of Christ, God will take care of you regardless.

The Apostle Paul sums up exactly what I’m attempting to say in this devotional, in his letter to the Romans when he explained God’s everlasting love. Especially when he said, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom.8:32) In life there’s a time to reap and a time to sow; a time to live, and a time to die. It was so for the Jesus, and it will be so for us. What matters most is how we live while we’re here, which determines how we’ll live for eternity. God sacrificed His ONLY Son, so what makes us exempt? When you love God, and accept Jesus as Lord, you have salvation—if you were to die tomorrow, you’ll go on to spend a peaceful and blissful eternity with God in Heaven. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing, (if you’re a believer). If you don’t Jesus as Lord, then I suggest you take that step today, as you can see, you don’t have time to waste. Take a few minutes and take the God Quiz right now! My favorite verse today is: What is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about knowing who you are in Christ. There are many Christians stuck in the same type wilderness our ancestors were in, because they don’t know who they were created to be. God created us in His own image, to rule over everything on this earth. Out of all of His creations, He made us wiser and stronger. It’s written: Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Gen. 1:26) From the time we were created we had the ability to overcome the world. If we couldn’t do it physically, we could do it mentally. Brothers and sisters, we are most important to God, and to prove that, He’s given Heaven and earth to everyone who believes in Him.

One of my favorite scriptures in the bible is when Jesus said that we have enough power within us to cast a mountain into the sea. (Matt 21:21-22) How powerful is that?! All we have to do is have faith the size of a mustard seed. After reading that, I thought to myself, how great and wonderful is Christ, and how great and wonderful am I, because I’m made in His likeness. His Name is what we stand on, and the authority we have, to live above this world. It’s written: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9-11)

We’ve been placed here to strengthen and uplift each other, not tear each other down. We’re to work hard at making Jesus a reality in the lives of those who don’t know Him, or think that He’s unreal. There are many people who are lost that think that Jesus is “too good to be true”. So it’s time for us to step up and show His love to others. We must always be true with ourselves, in order to be true to others. We need to stop going by the worlds ideas of success and what happiness should be, and define that through our personal walk with Jesus. Don’t sell your soul for a piece of “the life”, because in the end it truly isn’t worth it. We are vessels for God, and He’s using us each day to touch someone, so don’t be quick to judge or condemn anyone God puts in your path, but learn how to be the friend and brother you want others to be to you.

Life moves so quickly that it seems like we’re here today and gone tomorrow. This makes me realize my own mortality, and the certainty of my death, which always causes me to praise God! I’ve spent many days and nights in misery, because I was unhappy with my life, and unsatisfied with the little that I had. I disliked myself because of who I was, and where I’d come from. At one time I wanted to just give up on life, and everything around me. I felt like this because I had failed to realize what’s real, and why I’m here. I failed to realize the truth, and who God created me to be. I lost sight of the real meaning of joy, peace, and happiness—fellowship with God, through Christ. I failed to realize that He loves me, and calls me wife, friend, daughter, and sister, all rolled up in one—now that’s a lot of love. I failed to realize that He wasn’t judging me because of my career, looks, bank statement, credit score, what type of car I drove, the size of my home, the color of my skin, or the neighborhood I grew up in—He loved me for me!

When I realized that it wasn’t about anyone but me, and my personal walk with God, I was able to “let go and let God”. When I came to the point in life where I started to feel the Holy Spirit’s conviction, and actually repent, I’ve had more peace than I could’ve ever imagined. When I started to understand that it’s not my place to judge my fellow brethren, but to always offer my love, support, prayer, as well as food for the soul, I could see the heart of a many through their eyes. I started to understand that everyone has roots—a past—a place that they come from, which causes them to do the things that they do. No one is all bad, because God created all of us, and we each have potential to be extraordinary through Christ. We must put Him on the throne of our life, and reverence Him as Lord, but also love Him as our closet most dear friend. The first step is asking Jesus to come into your life as Lord and Savior, and then you too will have the power to live above the world—that’s where the true peace lies. Once you do this, if you’re “gone tomorrow”, you won’t leave with any regrets. Live life to the fullest, in Christ, each day that you’re given on this earth. If you aren’t sure if you’re save, but want to be, please take a moment to take the God Quiz today, or feel free to contact me at anytime for prayer. My favorite verses today are: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about looking forward to the fate of our eternal life. Death is such a gloomy subject to talk about, because it brings such sorrow and pain. However, it should be the one thing that a believer should look forward to. Not in a way that we want to die each day of our life, but we shouldn’t fear it. At the same time, we’re only human, and have never been anything but, so it’s natural for us to question, and even fear, the unknown. Even Jesus briefly feared death. He understood the things He had to suffer, but the human side of Him couldn’t fathom the amount of pain He would endure. He prayed to God, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matt 26:39) He understood better than anyone, what had to be done, and He stood on the promises of God. He knew what waited for Him on the other said, so that gave Him strength to complete the will of God.

Jesus truly lived by the saying, “obey God and leave the consequences to Him”. He was obedient up to death and now He’s King over all mankind. He’s been given power and authority—a Name above all Names. He received this power because He survived human life sinless, and with unwavering Faith in God. He endured the temporary pain and suffering in the flesh, because He understood that one day it’ll all end, and He would be able to experience eternal bliss. He gave up His life to free us from the fate of the wicked man. He offered himself in the place of our sin, and willingly shed His own blood for us, so that one day we’ll be with Him. What’s so awesome about this news is that it’s all free! If you simply believe in Jesus Christ, you will enter into the Kingdom of God when your flesh perishes. You’ll be able to give Jesus the biggest hug you can imagine. God will tell you how proud He is of you, and you will never hurt, hunger, stress, be depressed, or cry again. Can you imagine a life like this?

Jesus taught us that: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35), which is just the way God does things. I always wondered why God says throughout the bible the last will be first and the first last. I questioned whether if it was wrong to have an abundance of success and wealth on earth. I’m now learning that when God said the “last shall be first”, He means being last at heart. It means living your life as a humble servant of God. It means not putting the wealth and desires of the world, before the work of God. Servants are humble, meek, and subservient, and want nothing more than to please their Master. They put themselves last and their Master first, in hopes of pleasing Him, and in return the Master will blessed the servant tenfold. We are servants of God, and He comes first in our lives. He’ll bless us with much if we learn how appreciate little. The more we humble ourselves, and put His will before our own, the greater our reward would be in Heaven.

There’s also a hierarchy in Heaven, and the more we serve God on earth, the more we have to look forward to in Heaven. As if eternity with God isn’t enough, those of us who put in the work while here, are storing up treasures in Heaven as well. It’s said that once we reach Heaven, and we go through our judgment, we’ll receive an “Incorruptible Crown” (1 Cor. 9:25). In this crown will be jewels, and the amount of jewels you receive, represents your level of prestige. I love the example my Aunt gave me years ago, she said, “it’s like if you have one jewel in your crown you’ll be a janitor, and if you have fifty jewels you’ll be a King or Queen”. I’m sure it’s not exactly like that, but this can give you an idea of how it works. The amount of work you put in here on earth, does matter when it comes to your eternity. There are many people who think that just believing in Jesus is enough, and you can go through life sinning with no regard for Him, because you know that He’ll forgive you. I beg you, for you own sake, to turn away from that thought process, because we’ll each stand judgment.

The one thing we can rest easy in knowing is that Heaven is the final destination of any, and everyone, who believes in Christ. No matter what you go through in life, make sure you acknowledge Him, and quickly repent for your sins. Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) These scriptures give me so much peace, because I know that God is in control of my life now and forever. If He is with me, who can be against me? Can you honestly say the same thing? If you’ve accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, then yes you can, and don’t let anyone tell you any different. If you don’t believe in Jesus then you can’t, and there is no mansion for you. That can be changed right now, by confessing to God that you’re a sinner, and asking Jesus to be Lord of your life. Repent and follow the ways of the Lord! For more information, take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth. (Isaiah 25:8)

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