Devotional for 5/7/13

The Light of the World

I was thinking about the words of our Lord saying that Christians are the light of the world and we’re also a lamp. Now how can that be? We are either the light or the lamp – right?  

Aha!  An opportunity to dig into scripture as though we’re looking for a nugget of gold - in this case – it’s a nugget of truth!  Jesus told his disciples, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5). Got it. Then He left this world to return to His father. Did that leave us without His light? 

Oh, contraire! Jesus told the disciples that they are the light of world (see Matthew 5:14) because they are in Christ who is the light of the world.  Wherever the Gospel is preached, there is light.  Jesus stands knocking at the door of our human heart; when invite Him in our body is the lamp which holds the Light!  

 

Kerosene lamps used to be a common source of light. The glass had to be cleaned often because the soot buildup reduced and eventually blocked the brightness of the glow of the light.  It was a messy but necessary task, which if delayed for too long would lead to stumbling in the dark, so the owner of the lamp was careful to keep it clean. 

I am like that kerosene lamp. I have the Light (which is Christ) in me. In order to obey God’s command to ‘Let my Light shine before men” (see Matthew 5:16) I will have to be sure my glass is clean; except I can’t clean myself! However, I can turn back to my Lord and turn away from my bad ways (repent). When I ask for forgiveness, His Grace and Mercy will wipe me clean. These two cleansing agents are all that’s needed – and I find I need them often! God never runs out of Grace and Mercy – He is always ready to forgive. 

 

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.

Psalm 119:105 NIV 

 

For You are my lamp, O Lord;
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

2 Samuel 22:29 NKJV 

 

Jesus, You not only accept us just as we are, but because we are Yours!

 

Written by Sandy Schott

Devotional for 5/6/13

Hello, My Name Is...

My husband and I were chatting with neighbors and as we were getting to know a little about each other, one of them mentioned their interest in scuba diving. Then I asked if they had heard of my father's company - he manufactures under water detection equipment.
 
Heard of it? Of course, they had heard of it. Was he really my dad? As I assured them of my relation, I watched their expressions as I rose greatly in their estimation from a 'neighbor' to the 'daughter of one who makes really cool things'.

As glad as I am to be my father's daughter - it is just a fraction of who I am. We are all made up of many parts, some of them good (being a friend) and some of them not so good (being adulterers, cheaters, addicts, liars) and different parts take up more of our time than others.

I have been called a lot of names in my life, some good, and some very bad. But I now know it is more important what I call myself, rather than what other people call me. Approval from others is nice, but it is a bonus, an extra in this world. I have to know who I am.

So, who am I? I believe in the Living God, who sent His Son to earth, to die on the cross and pay the price for all of our sins, so that we may live forever with Him in heaven. (see John 3:16). Because I believe, my name is "child of the One True King." If you believe, then you are His child, too.

There is a song by Christian artist Matthew West, called "Hello, My Name Is..." that encourages us to remember who we are, not who we used to be:
 http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0F9EB1NU

Dear Lord, thank You for getting my attention and showing me who You are in the Bible, so that I could discover who I am in You. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

TRIALS

Sunday devotional, 5/5/13

Most people know of many famous trials recently in the news.  Some of those trials will be remembered for a very long time.  But we only hear of a very few of the thousands of trials that occur.  News outlets usually focus on those that involve someone who looks good on camera, who did something that is horrible by conventional standards, and who is possibly facing the death penalty.  The media does like to sensationalize certain trials in order to gain viewership.  

Our curiosity is peaked in these cases perhaps because deep down inside we can all somehow relate to those accused defendants.  We try to "look good for the camera" eyes of others, yet inside we know we are guilty of sinfulness.  Throughout our lives we face many trials, tests of faith or adversities along our journey.  For some it may be simple hassles that face them each day.  For others it can be various tragedies that plague them throughout their lives.  Or perhaps it is a daily struggle just to survive or to not give in to temptation, and we must take it one day or hour or minute at a time to make it through to the next. 

While there may be similarities between us and those "famous" defendants on trial, there are differences too.  We have a solution to our problems.  If we understand that we are unable to conquer our trials on our own, and that we must rely on God to be with us and carry us through, then we can see these difficulties as lessons to learn things such as persistent dependence on God and faith in him.  As we mature in our faith we can even consider our trials as joyrides!

 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 NIV

We all like to "look good" on the outside, yet inside we are all imperfect.  No matter how hard we try to look good, we are all guilty of sin.  At the end of our lives the Judge will find us all guilty of the charge of being sinful.  None of us are innocent - no one can keep all of God's law perfectly.  The mandatory sentence for sinfulness is the death penalty.  But someone else stepped in for us and paid the price so that we would be set free from the punishment for our sins.  Because Jesus gave his life in our place, we are given the free gift of eternal life at the end of our earthly trials if we just remain faithful. And even remaining faithful is a gift from God!

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12 NIV

written by Jan Andersen

Saturday Devotional,,,,Not Wanted

                               ...Don't let the little voices in your ear lie to you!

I never knew as a child what it felt like to be wanted by my parents. Really wanted. Like when their eyes light up when they see you, and they look forward to seeing you when they get home from work. Or when your Mom takes you shopping and buys you pretty clothes and you laugh and do silly things together. Girly things.

My home was a very unhappy home. From the outside it looked like were a perfect family, nice home, all dressed up with a wholesome stance. When my Dad was alive he worked a lot, and when he got home, he usually had already started drinking. If we walked to heavy he complained. If we got in his way he complained. He would have violent rages and threaten us with horrible threats.  If we upset him in any way, we were told that we were a burden or unwanted, and that the drinking was our fault.  We were told that he never wanted kids. My Mom was so focused on trying to make my dad happy that she barely noticed us. The only time she paid attention to us was when it was time to go to church.

Feeling wanted? No. Not ever. So, I had mixed ideas about God. I felt that when I prayed to Him I was a burden. Why would He want to hear my prayers? Surely, I thought He had better things to do than to listen to me. I also felt that He had already given up on me .I felt forsaken.

I broke down on the highway one time, and when I called my Dad to see if could come get me he said no that he couldn't, because he it was too late. He was already in bed. If my own Dad felt that way, I thought that God was the probably the same. Years later, after I had started my pursuit God's heart, I came across a scripture that spoke to my hurt.

                                                 It said …
                                         "When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the Lord will take care of me."

(Psalm 27:10)

In the Bible, we read about a slave woman named Hagar. We see how much she suffered and how many tears she had spent in loneliness. She was discarded by her own family. Our Lord is One who commands light to shine out of darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6). This is something very true. Even if your parents forsake you, my friend, the Lord will accept you.

                                 The Holy Scripture says,

"Can a woman forget her nursing child,

and not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you."

(Isaiah 49:15)

"A Father of the fatherless,

a Defender of widows is God in His holy habitation.
God sets the solitary in families;

He brings out those who are bound into prosperity." 

(Psalm 68:5-6)

When we have a God who grants us such great blessings, why should we worry?

Hagar sat in loneliness, worried about her future. She saw darkness all around. She lost hope. Those who loved her had forsaken her altogether, and her child was about to die. She had none to help her and comfort her, and she did not know where she could go. She thought that she had come to the end of her life.

Very often we also become discouraged like Hagar. We fear and tremble saying, "Alas, there is no one to love and comfort me. Even my parents and relatives poke fun at me. I wonder what is going to happen next in my life." But our Lord says, "My dear child, I came to grant you a bright future to replace the dark life you lived in the past."

My dear friend, do not grieve. Do not be disheartened. The Lord assures you and me...

"From this day, I will bless you"
(Haggai 2:19)

He will surely bless you as He has promised.

I had lost hope until I saw the promise God gave me that He would not forsake me written in the Bible. He also promised me that all of my needs would be met without fail. It was not because He had to. It was because He loved me, and I was his child. I belonged to Him, and He would protect me with a bond of love. I had never felt that kind of love until I knew Jesus. It is something that I don't ever want to let go of.

I won’t have to worry, because He is never going to let go of me. The same is true for me. We are WANTED by God.

Written by

Angie Madison

Friday Devotional...Life is not a Walk In the Park but GOD IS AT WORK

Jody Dean of  CBS KLUV messaged me the other day and asked me if he could something I had said. I said, “Go for it." He said it was the best analogy he had ever heard that Christianity is not “a ride on the good ship lollipop.” I almost died laughing, and I asked Jody if I could, in turn, quote what he wrote. He said, " Go for it."

As my friend Jody Dean @KLUV quoted..

 "Being a Christian Is Not a Ride On The Good Ship Lollipop"

GOD USES PROBLEMS AND PERSECUTION TO CORRECT YOU

================================================

"...It was the best thing that could have happened to me,
 for it taught me to pay attention to your laws.” 

Psalm 119:71-72 LB

Here is another of five ways God uses problems and persecution in your life: God uses problems and persecution to CORRECT you.

Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It is likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove, but you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something—health, money, a relationship—by losing it.

JJohn 17 clearly teaches that He does not desire to have His church in the comforts of a problem-free society. He desires for His church to be faithful in the midst of trials and testing.

During a recent visit to Indonesia, some co-workers had the joy of participating in an Open Doors Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) Seminar held in an area of intense conflict. The constant presence of armed soldiers outside the building confirmed that this seminar was far more than just a theology course—this was reality! More than seven hundred churches were already burned to the ground and the church was facing a severe onslaught.

On the second day of teaching, one pastor suddenly jumped up and with all his heart cried out: “My brother, please don’t teach us just to survive, teach us to be faithful.”

In understanding God’s purposes for the church it is vital to understand His requirements for us to remain faithful within these purposes. Faithfulness is not a request it is the duty of every believer. “Teach us to be faithful in the midst of our circumstances” should be a far greater priority in our prayers than that of making our society a safer place. Perseverance is far more important than transformation or preservation.

William Barclay said the following about praying for our circumstances. “When we pray for ourselves and others, we should not ask for the release from any task or situation, but strength to complete it and endure it. Prayer should be for power and seldom for release: not release but conquest must be the keynote of the church.”

RESPONSE: God is at work in my life—even when I do not recognize it or understand it. It is much easier and more profitable when I cooperate with  Him. This is the way to victory!

PRAYER: Lord, teach us to be faithful in the midst of our circumstances. Amen.

Written by
Jody Dean

Shared by 

Angie Madison 

Thursday Devotional...May 2, 1913...Living Stones:

Stones are:

Long and skinny

Polished, smooth

Rough around the edges

Roly poly

Jagged

Crumbling

Colorful

Gray

Fragile

Shaky

Cracked

Split

Flat

Flaky

We are the living stones of Christ’s Temple.  To form a solid, unshakable  structure, the base is laid on strong flat stone slabs with Christ as the Cornerstone.  If only round stones were used as a base, the entire structure would collapse.  No two stones are exactly alike, and need to fit together with their equal but opposite shapes and sizes.  Some stones are long and skinny and need to be stabilized by sturdy square blocks.  The smooth and polished stones might cause some of the less notable participants to shrink back in insecurity, but without the contrast of the more ordinary stones, the shimmering, polished beauty is not as spectacular.  Even the tiniest, most insignificant pebbles are important to the Temple structure.  Without the little rocks filling in the cracks between the larger members, the entire integrity would be compromised.  As the Temple continues to take shape and flourish, we might wonder why there are so many pieces that are jagged and rough around the edges.  As the winds of time blow against the Temple, the jagged and rough stones begin to soften and smooth out.  They are polished by the even smaller bits of sand that add grit to the structure.  As the weight of the world threatens to crush Christ’s Temple, and even the strongest members sometimes crack and crumble, more stones will be brought in as solid assurance that this Temple will not fall.  Gray, split, colorful, porous, or granite – all stones are usable, valuable, and necessary. 

  Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life.
The workmen took one look and threw it out;
 God set it in the place of honor.
Present yourselves as building stones
for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life,
in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering
Christ-approved lives up to God.

1 Peter 2:4-5
(The Message)

Written by
Paula Glauber

Wednesday Devotional...."Better Is One Day"

The best possible place I could ever spend my time would be in the presence of Jesus. The harder I think of it the more I am convinced that there is no other place I truly want to be then at the feet of Jesus.

The rewarding factors of being in God's presence are endless. In His presence is fullness of joy. I experience His ongoing peace. All worry and anxiety is totally gone. Being with Jesus there is great confidence that He is taking complete care of my life. I am covered from head to toe with His protective shield  I have eternal delight in Him. Abiding in Christ totally diminishes all fear.

The list goes on and on with spending time with my Lord in whom I am eternally grateful. Every day I have something to look forward to because with Jesus life is so exciting.

I can boldly and confidently share the scripture with deep conviction that says... 

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere, 

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God 

than dwell in the tents of the wicked." 

Psalm 84:10 NIV

One day with Christ is far better that a thousand elsewhere! 

In His Radical Love, 

Sandy Billingham