SECRET SINS... Sunday

Devotional for 7/28/13

We have seen many public figures recently that have been exposed for having "secret sins" that have come to light.  In terms of those who hold a public office, there has been debate as to whether they should resign, or others to withdraw from their races for office.  Some still try to deny the accusations, others apologize and ask for forgiveness and then turn around and do it all over again.  We get frustrated, angry, and wonder when they will "come clean" or step down or withdraw.  We wonder how there can be such obvious double standards, when other people in other jobs would be immediately dismissed.  Boy, do we get disgusted with the "lack of morals" in public figures nowadays. 

You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.  Psalm 90:8 (NIV)

Have we ever considered how God feels when we do the same thing?  "ME?" we say - "I don't do THAT!"   But yet, we all sin.  On top of that, we often commit the same sins over and over again.  Sometimes we try to deny those sins, or even refuse to believe that what we are doing is even considered sinful.   We want to sugar coat them or give excuses for why we did them.  When we do admit we have sinned, and we repent and say we are sorry and will try to do better, what often happens?  We fall once again, if not in that particular sin, then another.  Some of those sins are so humiliating we keep them secret from others - from family, friends, the world.... even from ourselves if that is possible.  All sins separate us from God, big or small, and we are unable to "make it right" on our own.  Thankfully, God never gets angry or disgusted with us.  He loves us and forgives us when we come to him with a humble heart, because of the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus, Christ.  There is nothing - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that God will not forgive when in faith we ask him to do so. We may still have earthly consequences to endure, but God still loves us.  No matter what we have done or will do, or how many times or how far we feel we have fallen, God is still there to pick us up!

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.  Psalm 90:14 (NIV)

written by 
Jan Andersen

The Place...Saturday

Devotional...7/27/13

“He refreshes and restores my life (my self);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
(uprightness and right standing with Him- 
not for my earning it, but)
for His name’s sake.” 
Psalm 23:3 (Amplified Bible)

No matter what the season, it seems as if there is always a lot to do. Whether it is a calendar “season” or simply a “season” in our lives that we are going through, I find that “quiet” time is getting harder and harder to find. It seems to me as if the “demands” of life are becoming “louder” and “louder.” I am finding that at times these demands are (almost) all that I can hear.

A very special friend of mine has a meeting that is held once a month. It is called “The Place”. It is a place that you can come to and “set aside” the demands of life for a moment or two. It is a place that focuses on the Lord. There are testimonies given of His goodness. It is a place that “shows” His love through a kaleidoscope of different sizes, colors and backgrounds. His love and goodness is shown through the people whose lives He has touched.

I love this place. It is a place where all are welcome. It is a place where acceptance and love are the norm. There is no need to look for or to try and find a “position” to make you more acceptable. You are accepted, simply because you are there. You are loved, simply because you are you. 

This is a place where Jesus is welcomed. This is a place where He is exalted, and lifted up. Not only through the praise songs that we sing, or the testimonies that are heard, but most importantly, through the attitude of those who are there. The attitudes of those who have been personally touched and changed by the Lord are different from any others that I have seen. Where there was once pride, there is now humility. Where there was once hatred, there is now love. Where there was once fear, there is now peace. Where hands were once reaching out to “get”, those same hands are now reaching out to “give”.

What a beautiful place this is. This is the place that we pull away from all that hinders us. This is the place where our perspectives are changed. This is the place where our hearts can become full once again, and a place where our spirits can soar. This is the place where our dreams are allowed to grow, and the place where we find nourishment for all that is parched inside of us. This is the place of restoration. This is the place of abundance, the place of hope, and the place of joy. This is the place where Jesus is.

Now I have been talking about a physical place, but in reality, this “place” is not a building. It is a place where we can “go” to at any time of the day, no matter what our physical location is. It is the place that we go to in our hearts and in our spirits. It is the place where we meet Jesus. It is the place where He is always waiting for us. It is the place that He offers us His comfort, His peace, His wisdom, His love, His confidence, His strength and His perspective. It is a place where we can simply come, no matter what the state of our lives, or even our hearts are in. We do not need to be worried about “covering” up the places that don’t look so good. We do not need to be anything other than who we are, even when we don’t really know who that is, or even when we don’t really like who that is. It is a place where we know that we will be loved. 

Thank you Lord, for these “physical” places in our lives that You have prepared ahead of time for us, through your people, those who know You and serve You. But thank you also for the access that You have given to each one of us, into your Presence. Thank you that You have made yourself available to us, and all we have to do is to call out your Name. We know that You are beside us, even before we call. Our only right response to all of this Lord, is to let your “call” become the desire of our hearts. We desire to love others, Lord, because you have first loved us. Help us to do this, we pray.

In Your name, Amen.

Written by 

Beverley A. Napier

HOME SWEET HOME...Friday

Devotional...7/26/13

"In my father's house are many rooms; 

if it were not so, I would have told you. 

 I am going there to prepare a place for you.  

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back 

and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." 

John 14:2,3

     Everyone has probably heard two familiar sayings: "Home is where the heart is," and "There is no place like home."  This is so true for all of us.

     I remember after a trip overseas once, flying back on a plane with a number of service men who had been out of the states for some years.  As we neared New York City and could view the Statue of Liberty, I think we all could have jumped out of the plane and kissed the ground in gratitude and appreciation.  Home.

     It is fun to travel but after a vacation I long to get back to my own home with my two cats.  I like my cozy home and my own routine

.

     This is the same feeling Christians should have in relationship to their heavenly Father and His home in heaven.  our lives on earth are temporary.  Jesus is in heaven right now preparing a place for us in His Father's home -- our home!  We have security walking with Jesus now while wandering this wilderness on earth and we enjoy all the blessings of our earthly homes, but we all can anticipate our permanent home with joy and expectation.

     We do not get many details from Scripture about heaven.  But we do know that God gives only the very best.  Since heaven is His home and the resources with which He has prepared it are unlimited, it surely will be beyond our wildest imaginations.

     We're but strangers here on earth.  Heaven is our home!

Written byCarol Lynn Steficek

Love Revealed Lesson 7...Thursday

Devotional...7/25/13

“Extravagant Love”

Consider the incredible (extravagant) love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called “children of God”—and that is not just what we are called, but what we are. (1 John 3:1a

Extravagant Exceeding the bounds of reason, as actions, demands, opinions, or passions.

Going beyond what is deserved or justifiable.

Redemption in Christ

Scripture tells us...

³ 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, ⁴ 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, 

⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, 

according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory

 of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 

⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 

⁹ having made known to us the mystery of His will, 

according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 

¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might 

gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are 

in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 

¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, 

being predestined according to the purpose of Him 

who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 

¹² that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, 

the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, 

you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 

¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance 

until the redemption of the purchased possession, 

to the praise of His glory.

 Ephesians 1:3-14

(NKJV)

• We’ve been blessed with every possible blessing
• We’ve been chosen before the creation of the world
  
• We are without blame
• We’ve been adopted as his sons and daughters
• We are accepted in the Beloved
• We’ve been redeemed and forgiven
• We’ve had the whole plan of salvation revealed
          to us through the life and ministry of Jesus
• We have obtained an inheritance
• We are predestined for good things
• We’ve received the promised Holy Spirit
• We are guaranteed our inheritance

Consider the incredible 

(extravagant) love 

that the Father has shown us

 in allowing us to be called “children of God”

—and that is not just what we are called, 

but what we are. 

1 John 3:1a

Written by

Kathryn Hanson

"Friends Forever"...Wednesday

    MY BFF   

I was thinking how very honored I feel and extremely blessed that Jesus tells me He is my friend. Of course He is also many other things to me, as well. He is my Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Refuge, Provider, and the list goes on. But there is something very incredibly special when he says He is my friend.

His word clearly tells me... 

"No longer do I call you slaves, 

for the slave does not know what his master is doing, 

but I have called you friends, 

for all things that I have heard 

from my Father I have
made known to you."

John 15:15... 

He wants to share the very heart of the Father with me. He is not keeping any secrets from me but sharing the deeper things of the Spirit as I stay close with Jesus and build a strong, intimate, relationship with Him. Daily He is calling me to draw closer with Him so I can hear His voice. He loves spending time with me because that is what best friends do! 

I can honestly say I have a variety of friends in my life. Some are of casual acquaintance. Others I love to hang out with and have coffee and visit about our lives. And then there are those that I have known for many, many years. We have been there for each other through the storms of life. But Jesus... totally laid down His life for me. Jesus, never judges me and completely accepts me and loves me no matter what I have done or said. He is there for me every second of the day.

Yes!  Jesus is my very best friend forever!

Written by

Sandy Billingham

The Struggle of Two Sisters...Tuesday

Devotional for Tuesday, July 23, 2013

This is the story of two sisters who share the same house. Perhaps you’re thinking that’s not unusual. You’re right, except that one sister was born in the house they occupy and the second one came in from the outside by way of adoption. 

  

Hi!  I’m Big Sister FLESH.  I’m telling my story first because I’m the older sister. I have always had my way since being born into this house. I don’t know who had the idea to adopt another girl, but she’s here and I have to deal with the intrusion. 

At first I didn’t mind having her around, after all she was small and weak, being so young and all, but I was irritated when she got all the attention. As time passed I convinced her to accept my thoughts and feelings instead of talking about God this, and God that.  She frightened easily when I told her people didn’t want to hear about God things. I even convinced her that she wasn’t smart enough to talk about Him.  She listened to me as I defeated her with discouraging thoughts and words, and ridiculed her hopes of growing up and becoming stronger than me.   HA!  No way!

Hello.  I’m Little Sister FAITH.  I was born into this house by way of adoption, as you’ve heard.  I have an older sister named FLESH who accepted me when I arrived and I thought we got along fine at first. I looked up to her because she knew things about living in this house.

As I grew up, however, she began to bully me into thinking her way. I believed she knew more than I did about who we were and who we should be. I struggled often to say and do the things I knew were right for me but then I got in trouble with her for being what she called a know-it-all.

In Sunday School I learned that my sister's father was a human whom the Creator had made from the earth and named him Adam.  Then the Creator breathed His eternal life into him, making him alive.  Adam was supposed to take care of the Creator’s earth and He even made a woman out of one of Adam’s ribs so he wouldn’t be lonely.  Then one day they both chose to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge which was forbidden by the Creator.

Because they rebelled against Him the Creator's punishment to Eve was to bear fruit, (children), with pain.  Adam’s punishment was to work hard in order to get things to grow. They were also banished from His garden. Then the Creator killed one of the rams Adam was taking care of, so the bloody skin of an innocent one, put on a human, saved them from eternal separation from Himself.  When they left the garden, He set holy angels at the gate so they couldn’t enter again and eat of the Tree of Eternal Life, which would have meant they would live forever in their sin, because sin separates all humans from the Creator. 

Big sister FLESH said the Creator shouldn’t have tempted them with the Tree in the first place. I knew that was wrong somehow. She has said lots of things over the years that are wrong. She won’t agree with the Creator, ever.  He says that FLESH must die, be separated from Him, and FAITH will live forever!  That’s ME! 

FLESH says I think I’m special because I believe the Creator made me from His Holy Spirit instead of Adam and this time she’s right!  My name is FAITH because I trust the Creator and that’s something impossible for FLESH to do.  He told me not to listen to her while I’m here on earth and when my physical body dies I’ll be separated from her forever!  Now when Flesh speaks, I can say, “Go to your room!”  I’m the Big Sister in this house now. 

The Greek meaning of the word adoption in the bible means “to place as a son.”

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again,
but you have received a spirit of adoption
as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15 NASB

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

 Ephesians 1:5-6a NASB

Written by
Sandy Schott 

Deceived by Whom?...Monday

Devotional...7/22/13

It is one thing to be tricked or deceived by another person. It happens. But it is quite another matter to deceive oneself. I am not perfect (believe me, really not perfect) but I’d like to think that I am aware of most of my sins. I try to keep all skeletons out in the open. That way there are no surprises and no fear of exposure to keep me on edge. Yet there is no way I can find every deception within myself. 

That’s why the Psalmist wrote in

 139:23-24:

Search me [thoroughly], O God, 

and know my heart! 

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there is any wicked 

or hurtful way in me, 

and lead me in the way everlasting. (AMP)

There’s the catch. What’s in my heart and my thoughts are important, too! There’s really no way I can sift through all this in my own wisdom and strength. Therefore I must ask God for help in uncovering my sins and then cleansing me from them. 

Can I do anything to reduce the chance of being deceived? Yes, I believe so. Let’s start with the acknowledgement that the goal is to not deceive myself or anyone else.

The first thing is to stay connected and open. No secrets allowed. I’m not talking about ‘what are you getting me for my birthday’ secrets. I’m referring to relationships, conversations, actions, or going places that I wouldn’t be comfortable with if someone else was listening or watching. Almost every article I’ve read about keeping my marriage healthy included the advice to be careful with whom I make connections. I think this is even more important given the perceived privacy of email and the like. I have 4 people who know the password to my email and they are welcome to read anything at anytime. 

Secondly, if I want to have a deeper understanding of truth, so that I will be wiser about deception, I must study God’s Word; input His Truth as much as possible. Daily scripture reading gives my mind something to chew on or mull over for the day. Renew my mind by repeating scripture out loud.

Third, often my problem is habit. Old ways die hard. What I need is a plan for strengthening my spirit and weakening my flesh. My flesh is my natural desires and tendencies. Say “No” to what my ‘self’ wants; do this just as an exercise (like a work out routine!), not for any reason except to teach myself who is boss. Check what is going into my heart, mind, imagination and body. I agree with moderation in all things acceptable; but if I’m being convicted of something, cold turkey is the most effective medicine for me.

The last step is two-fold. I must pray to God asking for strength every day. I must believe that the Spirit in me is stronger than the spirit in the world.

The Goal: 

Avoid deceiving myself and avoid deceiving others.

The Plan: 

Stay connected; open; no secrets; accountability.

Input His truth every day; think about scripture; repeat it out loud.

Say “No” to myself occasionally regarding things that are acceptable, 

for no reason except to let my spirit be the boss of my flesh.

Ask God for strength. Believe He is stronger than the world.

My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world's language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception. 1 John 4:4 (MSG)

Written by 

Mary M. Wilkins