Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you enjoyed this “terrific Tuesday”! I’m doing well, excited about the fact that we’re about to enter into another Lenten season. Today is Fat Tuesday [or Mardi Gras in French], which falls the day before the beginning of the Lenten season, also known as Ash Wednesday. It’s said that today we're permitted to overindulge in the things we're committing to give up throughout our fasting period. My friend sent me this last year, and I wanted to share it with you again: Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. Are you ready to start your fasting process? Fasting doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up food, but something that's near and dear to you, which requires sacrifice on your part. I haven’t given it much thought, because it snuck up on me this year, so I’ll pray on it tonight. I’m so grateful for the love of Christ, and pledge to do my best to follow in His footsteps. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today’s scriptures are about the mercy of God. Sin is the cause of the fall of any man who has and will walk this earth, but one. He was the son of God, and the Savior of all mankind— His Name is Jesus Christ. Because of the merciful heart of our Creator, God the Father, He sacrificed His Son, so that we can be free from sin—the downfall of men. When we’re covered with the blood of Jesus, we have the privilege, and the right, to go to God, in the Name of Jesus, and confess our sins, He’ll quickly forgive us. However, the penalty of sin is death, so we will reap the consequences of that sin, because we in fact went against God, but He’ll never be angry for long, and will always continue to love us, no matter what.

Yesterday I wrote about God loving us as a Bridegroom loves His bride, well today I want to talk about another facet of His love—how He loves us as a parent loves a child. There isn’t too much a child could do to their parents that will make them stop loving them. In some cases it’s a given, you love this child because you gave birth to them, and you have a permanent bond with them. You raise them, and teach them the ways of life, and offer them every opportunity to do the right things, but the child will sometimes fall short, because they’re human. This is how they grow, and learn from their mistakes. The parents also learn and grow from these experiences— there’s the times when the children stop becoming cute little babies, and start terrorizing the house. I’ve experienced the “terrible twos”, when the toddler just learns how to walk on their own, and sets out on their path of discovery. The time when your favorite lamp is broken, or the finger paint is all over your favorite shirt, you’re a bit angry at this precious little baby. What about adolescence and puberty, when so many other things start changing in them. They pick up a little sass, and start pushing the boundaries of the rules, and it takes everything for you not to kill them. God experiences times like these with us, within our Spiritual growth.

We expect most of these things when we become parents, but there are plenty other things that we don’t prepare for. When we live life one day at a time, and we punish the children when they do bad, and reward them when they do well, they’ll be fine. As well as do our best by setting good examples for them to follow, and teaching them the ways and love of God. Everything is a choice for them, and It hurts when they choose not to obey our rules, because we only put them in place to keep them from harm, and from experiencing the past hurts and disappointments we’ve had to face. However, when the fall, we’ll be angry for a moment, but we’ll still welcome them back with open arms, because we love them. We’ll do our best to make the hurt go away, but most importantly, we’ll be there for them whenever they need us.

Jesus said it best: If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13) God’s love goes deeper than anything we could ever imagine, so He will have mercy on us, more so than we could ever be merciful to our children. He created us for a purpose, and His main reason for granting us salvation through Christ, is so that we can stay in close fellowship with Him forever. He understands our weakness, and He wants us to understand that He’s there for us no matter what. He lives inside of us, so He knows what we’ve done, how we’ve done it, and even why we’ve done it. All He requires of us is a confession and repentance, and forgiveness is granted. What if you crashed your mom’s car and try to hide it, and when she finds out about it, you lie to her and say that you didn’t do it. Or, if you crash the car and immediately go to her and say, “mom I’m sorry, it was an accident, I was trying to follow the rules, but I somehow I became distracted, it won’t happen again”. Which scenario do you think would receive mercy and forgiveness quicker?

God already knew everything about us, before we were formed in our mother’s womb, so why try to hide anything from Him? I still struggle with times when I blatantly sin, and am so convicted the next day, that I find it hard to talk to God. I truly struggle with the enemy’s attacks of guilt and shame, so I confess and ask for forgiveness of that sin several times a day, because I’m convinced that God is just way too angry with me to even talk to me. However, that is far from the truth, God has an “Open heart” policy, where He eagerly awaits our prayer, so He could be gracious to us. He anointed us with His Holy Spirit, just so that we can quickly and easily repent, and come back into perfect fellowship with Him, through Christ. Please, don’t ever allow the enemy to place false shame or guilt in your heart, because God already has it in His heart to forgive you; He’s just waiting on you to ask. He’s a gracious, wonderful, and merciful God, and He’s that way to everyone to seeks Him, whether Saint or Sinner.

Nobody’s perfect, but does that give us an excuse not to try our best to make God proud? The most rewarding thing we could ever do for Him is to humble ourselves, and allow Him to be Lord of our life. I can testify that life is so much easier with Him. Some people may think its harder living righteously, however, when we turn to Jesus, we take His Yoke upon us, and He gives us rest for our souls. In all actuality, it may seem harder, but Jesus makes it so easy for us when we trust Him. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, please take a moment to confess to God that you’re a sinner, and ask Him to renew you, by coming into your heart as Lord. The only thing standing between you and freedom is your willingness to just ask—once you ask, consider yourself a sanctified child of God, through Christ, and you never have to worry about that again. If you are saved, but don’t know where you stand with God, He’s been waiting on you to confess and repent, so that you can get to know each other better. For more information, take a few moments to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 1:18-19)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

How was your first day of Lent? I know some people failed, and some persevered, but it's just day two, so dust yourself off and continue on the journey to grow closer to the Lord. Here's something that was placed on my heart that I wanted to share with you: “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."(Matt 6:16-18) The Spirit reminded me that whatever commitment I make to God is between me and Him, that's what makes it so special. The Black History Month quote of the day is: "The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now." (~Bill Cosby) Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about hope in the Lord in times of trouble. It wasn't until I grew in my Faith walk did I start to notice certain things around me. When we're growing up in the world and learning new things, we get accustomed to its ways. Depending upon the way we're raised, we either learn to become immune to the evil ways of the world, or we rise above it. However, because we’re created with an inquisitive nature, we're going to test the waters, and experience several difficulties. Overall, the world is filled with a lot of evil and wicked things, and has been that way from the beginning of time. Take the story of the brothers Cain and Abel; one killed the other because of jealousy (Gen. 4). Then we also know of the Israelites who were freed from slavery, and lead to the Promised Land, by Moses. This nation of people fell into so much evil that they wondered in the wilderness for forty years, until they changed their ways. They were doing all types of ungodly acts, but God finally decided had mercy on them, and let them into the land promise to their people. Close to the end of the Israelites forty year journey, Moses wrote a song for this new generation, before his death. It was partly about the importance of praising God for the things of the past, to allow them to learn from the ways of their parents. He went on to remind them of the evil done, and the reasons they had to suffer so much. Although these people lost their way, and openly and intently disobeyed God, He still stayed with them, and continued to appoint great leaders like Moses and Joshua to get them back on the right path. After Moses recited this song to the people he left them with this: "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." (Deut 32:46-47 NIV) Everything happens for a reason, so we that are living in the year 2010 can take from this message great and wonderful things. We also learn from many who've come after Moses and the Israelites, but the most important thing we learn is that we're all vulnerable to evil, violence, sin, and failures, no man is above it. As long as we're in the flesh, wickedness will affect us in some type of way, yet we're still expect to maintain an upright life. We're expected to try our best to do right by God, and show others His ways. At the same time, we're not expected to do it alone, because God is always with us through our many periods of “wilderness”, and “Promised Lands”. He gives us free will, but sometimes we're so enthralled with our “worldly” life that we miss His calling. Now you may be asking yourself, "if evil is inevitable then way even bother with trying to be good"? Well the answer to that question lies in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He came in the flesh and was tempted in every way that we are, yet remained untouched evil. Through Him we have hope, because He offers us strength, righteousness, love, and most importantly Salvation. When we're covered with His the blood, we’re lead by the Spirit, and the love of God keeps us moving forward, and not constantly going in circles. That is a reason to rejoice! Through Jesus we're being renewed from the inside out, and when we nurture that relationship, and work towards growth in Him, we'll learn how to separate ourselves from evil. Remember it’s written, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The only way to do that is through the Jesus Christ, and right now He’s calling you, accept Him today. My favorite verses today are: For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7-8)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying this terrific Tuesday. Today is also known as Fat Tuesday, which falls the day before the beginning of the Lenten season, and Ash Wednesday. It’s said that today we're permitted to overindulge in the things we're committing to give up through our fasting period. My friend sent this to me earlier today, and I wanted to share it with you: Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. Are you ready to start your fasting process tomorrow? Fasting doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up food, but something that's near and dear to you, that will require sacrifice on your part. Last year I did pretty well with my menial sacrifice, but it kept me in constant contact with Jesus. This year I pledge to do something more meaningful, and put more time into my bible studies. I urge you to pray on this tonight, do your "soul searching", and remember that this is a serious vow you're making for Christ. Today's Black History month quote is: "God gives nothing to those who keep their arms crossed." (-African Proverb) Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about the precious Jesus Christ. Jesus is often referred to as sweet smelling ointment. The word ointment is mentioned in at least twenty-nine different verses in the King James version of the bible, and in majority of those verses it was used to anoint someone special, or given as a special gift. In modern times we use ointments to help heal deep wounds, as well us help us look and feel better. Would you use those definitions to describe Jesus? Jesus is in fact precious in all senses of the word, and the gift of His presence in our life enhances the way that we're perceived to the world. Through the Lenten Season, during your times of prayer and meditation, you should read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and as a friend put it earlier, "See yourself walking with Jesus through these books". They will help you get to know Him on a personal level, and allow you to see how wonderful and precious He really is. I've read the book of Matthew twice, and the rest of the books once. The knowledge I gained from them allowed me to not only learn the character of Jesus Christ, but the ways of Gods, through parables, Jesus’ own life experiences, and through the life of those around Him. As we read, we’ll virtually experience His hardships, joys, pains, and most importantly we get to know both His human and Spiritual sides. Jesus is indeed meek in Spirit, loving, forgiving, caring, but straight to the point, and passionate about the Word of our Father in Heaven. He was always slow to anger and quick to forgive, and He kept God first in everything He did. We're to use His life as a blueprint of how to live pleasing to God, because that's the only thing that matters. As Christians, it's constantly drilled in our heads that we should strive to be like Christ, but I don't think most of us get it. All we have to do is look around, and we'll see a big difference in our way of life. The only reason this world is the way it is today is because we have lost sight of what's most important. Most Nations were built on Christian beliefs, and the law of God was included in every decision our ancestors made. In the United States, “In God we trust” is printed on the currency, and our Pledge of Allegiance says, "One Nation, under God", so our foundation was built on the blood of Jesus. When we lose sight of Him, we lose our way, and we can see that all around us. Things must change for the better, or times will get worst. We must first change within ourselves before we could change anyone else. Jesus said: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) These verses remind us of how sweet Jesus really is, and He's open to anyone who comes to Him. He's the sweet smelling ointment designed to heal our deep wounds, give us beauty for ashes, cleanse us from the inside out, and renew our souls. When we're anointed with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and we take His yoke upon us everyday, there will be no mistake as to whom we are, because we'll shine brighter than everyone around us. Remember the old saying, "it's not what you do, but how you do it"? Make a commitment to live life for God, watch Him work in your life, and then touch the lives of the people around you. The key to real success is to revolve your life around Him. Only then will you be showered with peace, joy, happiness, continent, and everything you touch will be multiplied, revived, and renewed, by the Spirit that lives inside of you, for all eternity. I can only tell you about the life of Jesus Christ from my personal experiences, so it’s up to you to seek Him for yourself. When you do that, your Spirit will reveal exactly what you need to know, at this time in your life. I am here only to point you in the right direction. The precious Lamb of God loves you, and is waiting on you to answer His call. The first step is to invite Him as your Lord and Savior, and then you must initiate and maintain a relationship with Him. Believe me, He's seen and heard it all before, and yes He can and will heal you too. My favorite verse today is: Christ ... hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)

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