Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about offing praise to God, through Christ. To be honest, I don’t think I would’ve made it, if I lived in the times before Christ. I depend on Him for every step that I take, so without Him I would probably be an old wretched soul. He’s saved me from this evil world, and protects me from the weakness of my flesh, and because of that I will offer Him continual praise. I’ve come to a point in life where I know me. I know that we all have choices to make, which is the beauty of free will. I know my weaknesses, and I’m well aware of the choices I make. For the most part I know right from wrong, I will reap what I sow, so I’ve learned not to play the victim in life. Jesus offers freedom from the burden of life’s heartaches and pain, but it doesn’t come to us without trial. He knocks at our door, but it’s up to us to open it. Remember as we learned yesterday, it’s about mutual affection, so our praise is necessary to keep us rooted and grounded in the Lord.

We live in God, by Christ. When I read—for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live—it was an epiphany. Jesus was the Lamb of God, so He made it possible for us to live in God, and God in us. Before Christ, we couldn’t quite become one with God, because He is perfect and holy, and we were fleshly sinners. However, through Jesus, we have the opportunity to commune and fellowship with God. By the blood of the Lamb, the veil of wickedness that has acted as a shield, which separated us from God, has been lifted, and He only sees the righteousness in those who believe in Him. We’re able to fellowship with Him, without any more bloodshed.

Were you ever taught something, but it never really clicked [you get it, but you don’t get it]? Well when it finally click’s you have a “ah-ha” moment. That’s how I felt when I read this today. The Holy Spirit works that way, and I was reminded of that by a friend just a few days ago. He always reveals things to us at the perfect moments and times. It’s like reading the same verse of scripture over and over again, never really fully understanding it, but one day it’s meaning in your life is finally revealed. That’s how it feels when you start to realize who God and Jesus are, and who you are through and in them.

There’s a story in the gospel of John about when Jesus was approached by the Pharisee Nicodemus, who said to Him: “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2) Jesus’ reply was: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”(John 3:3) Of course this confused Nicodemus, so he asked: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (3:4) Jesus answered: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (3:5-6). Through Christ our Spiritual life begins—we start as a child, and grow in Spirit and righteousness. Our relationship evolves from God simply being our “Creator”, to Him becoming our Father. He begins to teach us—through Christ, His living Word, and His Holy Spirit—the ways to righteousness.

Paul reminds us: When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Cor. 13:11) Through Christ we all have the opportunity to grow spiritually, and when we spiritually mature to adults, our connection becomes deeper with God, through Christ. Throughout this process we continue recognize Jesus Christ simultaneously with God, because they’re equally responsible for our Salvation. You cannot praise one without the other. You cannot believe in Jesus without believing in God, the One who sent Him. As well as you cannot believe in God, without believing in Jesus, the One who makes a relationship with God possible. Remember what Jesus said, you will never meet either of them, unless you are born again. Faith in the Son is the only way gain Salvation, and freedom. That’s a reason to PRAISE! Please take a moment to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. (John 5:23)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455573&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 MONDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you’re enjoying the beginning of another workweek (for most). My brother Demitrius is in the following documentary, done on his middle school Washington Jesuit Academy. Here’s the link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/november-12-2010/washington-jesuit-academy/7470/. WJA is a wonderful middle school; I thank God for it, and other schools like it. They truly educate these boys, so they can become men for others. Both my brother and nephew are alumni, and WJA has changed their life, for the better. Everything that they’re saying in the video is true–the staff is very supportive and loving–and on top of that, religion is a priority. The teachers are awesome, and they truly care about the future of each boy that comes to the school. Please pray for the continued success of WJA, and other schools like it around the country, they’re much appreciated and needed. They further inspire me to want to teach, so I could make a positive impact on young women and men, in organizations like these. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today’s scriptures are about fellowship with God and Jesus Christ. Jesus once said: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.” (John 6:44-45 NIV) In order to get to the Father, we must go to and/or through the Son. It’s not as complicated as it seems, but we must know who Jesus is, and the role He plays in our life. To fellowship with Him takes on a whole new meaning, because it requires interaction, communication, and sharing love with Him. Unlike just believing in Him, which can be done by anyone, fellowship requires effort. Being a believer is just the first step. I want you to ask yourself a fairly easy question, but you need to be completely honest with your answer–How often do you interact with God, through Jesus Christ?

Faith is one of the most important parts of being a Christian. The Apostle Paul wrote: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (11:1KJV) What did Paul mean by that? Well the New International Version (NIV) of the bible translates it: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. From the beginning of time people preached about the love of God, even though most of them had never seen Him, but they were confident in Who He was, and what He taught. Most believers gained their confidence in Him, by building a strong and relationship with Him. They fellowshipped, worshiped, and praised Him, which helped build a bond, that assured them of His love.

Jesus’ coming was prophesied for years before He was even born, so people already expected the Messiah [the Son of God] to come. When He came they already believed in Him, because they believed in the Father that sent Him. He lived, died, and was resurrected, which changed the life of every human being, then, now, and forever. I don’t think a lot of people can grasp the complete truth in this, because it seems so unreal. There are people who suffer from internal pain–heart wrenching pain that they can’t seem to shake–and they can’t imagine anything other than that. They refuse to open up their heart to have faith in Him, because that comes with the risk of being hurt again. If you’re one of those people [like I used to be], then I need you to understand there is no one in this world who can love you like Jesus Christ. God loved you so much that He gave us His Son Jesus Christ, who reigns over us, and takes care of every aspect of our life, now and throughout all eternity. Jesus was created to give you life, so you can lay down your burdens and be free.

To have faith in God is to trust in Jesus Christ, and to trust in Jesus is to be obedient, and keep His commandments. It’s written: Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:21-25) Faith in the “implanted Word”, who is Jesus Christ, is the only way to save your soul.

I can promise you that when you experience the love of God, through Christ, you’ll truly understand what life is all about. Jesus is freedom, and through Jesus, God lives in our heart. He’s there to lead and guide us, shape and mold us, into the person He truly created us to be. All He asks us to do is have faith in Him, and through that faith we love Him with all our heart. I don’t care what else goes on in life, we can always depend on Jesus to be who He is, and He’ll always be there for us. God made sure that we will never have to be apart from Him again. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you don’t know God as Father–to have faith in the Son, is to have faith in the Father. Remember faith can move mountains, and the first step of your faith walk is to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (1John 4:15)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455516&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 THURSDAY!

Today's scriptures are about the Father and Son relationship of God and Jesus. God is the Father of all nations and creator of all things. He governs the world in its going and coming, at all the times. How then are we to connect with Him as mere mortal, sinful human beings, and He's pure love and righteousness? He had a Son, who came as flesh, to be the Savior of the world. This child was born by God Spirit, and in His likeness. God loved Him as any Father would love their child, and as He grew, He instilled in Him all of the wisdom, knowledge, and power He possess. Jesus was God in the flesh, but He experienced everything we experience on a daily basis. He was tempted by the devil, and faced heartache, trials, deceit, betrayal, and anything else the average child of God would, yet He was able to resist the devil, and complete God's will for His life. We are also children of God, created for His purpose, and we're adopted through the blood of Jesus. Paul said it best, in the beginning of His is letter to the Ephesians: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6) God has put our destiny in the hands of Jesus Christ, because only Jesus knows each side, Spiritual, being God Himself, and physical, having once lived in the flesh. Jesus communicates with God on our behalf, because only He can give first account of what we go through. He has dominion over us, and He loves all who's in His care. He doesn't condemn us because of our past actions, nor does He overlook anyone who calls on His Name. He was sent to save the lost (Matt 18:11), and once you're saved there's no turning back. Our Heavenly Father wants you return to Him, because He has a predestined journey laid out for you, and you can only complete that journey through Jesus Christ. One of Jesus' great disciples Paul, previously known as Saul, once sought out and killed Christians. Until one day Jesus came to Him and ask why he was persecuting Him. When Paul realized who He was, He immediately surrendered, and all of his sins were forgiven. Jesus temporarily blinded Paul, and allowed him to be without sight for three days, and he neither ate nor drank, I’m guessing to give him time to think about his past actions. Jesus sent another disciple Ananias to lay hands on Paul, to restore his sight. Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:13-16) Paul went on to do great things for Jesus, and he ultimately died in the Name of the Lord. He couldn't have made that transformation without Jesus, and neither can we. If Our Heavenly Father can forgive Paul, He surely will forgive us, because we’re all His children, through Christ. Never be afraid to go to your Heavenly Father about anything, because His Son Jesus has overcome the world, and through Him, so have we. If you don't know Him as Lord, then I suggest you confess your sins, and surrender. He's waiting patiently to hear from you. Just as Paul, He'll give you a new sight, which is sure to change your life forever! My favorite verse today is: The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. (John 3:35,17:2)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455211&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943547

I love you!