Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying this quiet Friday-eve. I'm doing well, but my head is spinning, because it's Thursday already. All week it's felt like I've been suspended in time, and there's one thing that needs to be pushed, in order the ball in motion, and it just isn't happening. Patience is a virtue, and definitely a skill that needs to be perfected. Practice makes perfect, and I'm trying my best to be still, but it isn't that easy for me to wait on the Lord to say move, because I’m a busybody. When we walk in the Love of God, faith, hope, and patience goes hand in hand, so we must put each into practice daily. It's written: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Heb. 11:1) Whenever I start to lose patience I open the bible, and I usually find a verse or two saying "wait on the Lord", or "hope in the Lord", so I know that's the answer, and I can testify that He's always on time. Continue to keep me in your prayers; I feel a great testimony coming next week. Enjoy the remainder of your evening, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about awaiting Jesus' return. What does it mean to hope for, and await Jesus' return? Every human being has experienced the evils of this world, but the believer knows that there's something better waiting for us when we die. As we grow in our Spirit, we build a closer relationship with God, and start to separate ourselves from the ways of the world. As we experience God's love, we start to long for the day that we would be with Him for all eternity. Each day we can rejoice that we're one step closer to the coming of the Lord.
Eagerly awaiting Jesus’ return has nothing to do with wanting to die, but it's the exact opposite. I don't know many people that say they can't wait to die to go be with the Lord, but I do know people who are so filled with the Spirit that they aren’t afraid of dying. Especially if that means that they'll enter into their final resting place, and be able to fellowship with God face to face. That type of attitude usually comes with Spiritual maturity, because you've spent enough time with God to know who He really is. When you get to this point in your Faith walk, you welcome the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, because you know He brings life in eternal bliss, and relief from the suffering of the world.
The fact that "All things will be made new", was revealed to the Lord's faithful servant John, and Jesus spoke to Him and said: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-4) Can you imagine a life with no pain, sickness, or sorrow? We know that as long as we're in the flesh those things are certain, because of the wicked and perverse world we live in.
We have the living Word of God to teach us the truth, and give instruction on how to be prepared for the coming of Jesus. Remember, "we know the day nor the hour", so we must be looking for Him at all times. It's written: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14) According to the Apostle Paul, expecting Jesus' return will help us live Godly lives on purpose. It also helps keep us aware of Jesus' presence now, and to come, which will makes us eager to do "good works".
If you know you had 6 months to live, what would do? I could only speak for what I would do, and to be honest with you, I've thought about that a lot, especially with the AIDS, Swine Flu, and Cancer epidemics. These things don't have a direction, they could happen to anyone. However, we normally discover the disease before we actually die from it, so we have time to prepare for death, and "get our life right". Jesus’ return isn't dated, so we have to be prepared, and waiting on Him at all times. I know it sounds like an urban legend, just something people have been waiting for for over 2,000 years, but it can and will happen. Jesus gave us "The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age", and most are happening today, but He said this is only the beginning, so we still can't know for sure. None of us will be able to predict it, or "get prepared" for it, because He's coming like a "thief in the night".
I urge all of you to look forward to Jesus' return with great joy in knowing that you've "fought a good fight, and are prepared to finish the race". My previous Pastor used to ask this question just about every Sunday, and it's been very sobering for me. He asked: What will Jesus say to you when He appears, "well done good and faithful servant" or "depart from me I do not know you"? I do my best to walk in step with God each day, not only because I don't want to disappoint or let Him down, but also because I want to be a good and faithful servant. I'm by no means perfect, and He has much more work to do in me, but I do know that when you love someone, you want him or her to be pleased with you. Because I love and reverence Him so much, I adamantly repent for my sins, and seek His face daily.
Please don't take this message lightly, because I want to see each of you in Heaven. I make it a point to tell you each day how much He loves you, and how simple it is to receive salvation. Jesus is coming back, but you may physically die before that happens, so what happens then? It's written: We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8) When a believer’s Spirit leaves this body, we will go be with the Lord. But for a unbeliever it's written: The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:41-42) These are facts that come from the Word of God and you can choose not to believe them, but I strongly advise against it. Take a few moments to take Dr. Stanley's God Quiz today! My favorite verse today is: Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455407&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio
http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional

I love you!

Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY FRIDAY!



I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying the end of another workweek (for most). I'm doing well, looking forward to the weekend, TGIF! Friday is my favorite day of the week, because it marks the beginning of your weekend. I call it "treat yourself Friday", because I always give myself a special treat, nothing fancy, a movie, or something really good for lunch or dinner (without counting calories or fat), or maybe a new dress (rarely). I'm not sure what it'll be today, but I know it'll be good. I believe that you should treat yourself at least once a week, my day is Friday, but yours doesn't have to be, the main thing is that you enjoy yourself. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says: I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God. I totally agree with this author, life's too short to just work, work, work, and never enjoy you. With that being said, have a wonderful weekend, and whatever you do, keep in mind that Jesus is always with you.



Today's scriptures are about being still. Being still, something that seems so simple, but in today's society, really isn't that simple at all. Yes we're chosen to help strengthen the kingdom of God, and that requires work on our parts, but we have to also allow ourselves to rest. Sometimes we can move so fast, that we get ahead of God, and start messing things up. Patience is a virtue, especially for the children of God, because it's written that He is a God of Patience. The inability to be still normally comes from a sense of unrest in our Spirits. We often busy ourselves with self fulfilling tasks to ether occupy our mind when trying to avoid dealing with stressful situations, or by trying to accomplish a goal that we have set for ourselves. When we receive the Spirit of Christ, we're supposed to follow the laws of the Spirit and not the rules of the flesh. When we start working mostly to fulfill our earthly desires, to please the flesh, our Spirit comes to a point of unrest. We each have to live by the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). When we lose sight of these things, it's most likely time to be still. Our minds are very similar to computers, but we are not machines, God requires us to take some time out to rest, or reboot and start fresh. It took God six days to create the earth, and on the seventh day He rested. He commands us to take one day out of our week to rest and rejuvenate, because if we're constantly going, we're bound to miss something. This is also why we should meditate daily, because God is constantly working in our lives. He's with us every step of the way, and He often reveals important lessons we need to learn. He gives us vital information we need to complete His will, so if we don't give ourselves time to just be still and process these things, then we just my miss a valuable lesson. Have you ever been mentally and physically exhausted, and just felt like you can't go on another minute? This happens all of us, and God allows these moments in our lives, to bring us back to Him, as a warning sign, because He's trying to get our attention. There is no way that we can effectively listen to Him when our minds are all over the place, thinking about deadlines at work, school, children, which bills are due, getting the car repaired, etc. all at once. At the end of the day, it's important to just sit still, talk to our Heavenly Father, and then listen. When we meditate, we give ourselves time to listen to, and focus on God. I challenge you to try that tonight. It's the end of the week, and most of us we've endured the first week of school, along with work, paying bills, and now it's time to be still. I can promise you that after you cast your cares on the Lord through prayer, and then let your mind rest, you'll feel so much lighter and free. Then repeat these steps every night, because we're commanded to "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God"; so time with Him is the most important time of the day. If you feel like your mind and spirit is in a state of confusion right now, please be still, and give it to God. If you don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior then most likely your Spirit is in unrest, and a quick, yet heartfelt prayer asking Jesus to be your Savior will open you up to the Fruits of the Spirit, try Him out, and enter into rest. My favorite verse today is: In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15)



ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455079&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=5408289


I love you!