Friday Devotional...5/18/12

The Oil of Gladness

I had a phone call from a dear friend and brother last night. When I answered the phone and knew who it was….he began to laugh and laugh and in return I started laughing hysterically. I don’t think we said a word for a minute or so as we both sounded like we could have been a recording for the fun house at a carnival.

Proverbs 17:22 says:

“A merry heart
doeth good like a medicine;

but a broken spirit
drieth the bones.”

What a blessing it is to be able to laugh or smile, for it is the oil of gladness to our bones. We carry so many weights of worry and stress….that it would do us good (like a medicine) to stop once in a while and call a friend who will lift our spirits so that we can get a good belly laugh!

I remember our Sunday School kids used to sing a little song that said >>> “Smile a while and give your face a rest” and “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.” And so it is….when we praise and worship the Lord, let’s smile a while, clap our hands and let our worship be of a merry heart. In return the Lord will pour out His oil of gladness on our souls, and this is when we can shout and sing!

Written by:

Glenna Williamson

Thursday Devotional...5/17/12

Blessing and Cursing

Who will commit for the next 7 days to only allow blessing out of their mouth and no cursing? My hand shot up as did many around the room. We were all moved and motivated to live in a way pleasing to God. I don’t usually use swear words so I was expecting to be able to keep my promise pretty easily.

My first realization occurred that evening. I was about to pass on some gossip I heard when I realized that the news I was going to share wasn’t neutral, such as ‘Jim Smith needs prayer because he hurt his back yesterday.’ Nor was it positive like ‘Mrs. Jones had her baby last week.’ I thought about what I was going to say and realized it was not a blessing and I didn’t need to share it.

As the week continued I found myself talking less. Well, not actually talking less, but ‘sharing’ less. Other than my own personal stuff I just didn’t have as many outside stories to tell. It was an eye-opener for me to realize just how much ‘cursing’ I did in the form of ‘sharing.’ We don’t call it gossiping anymore, that’s old school.

James 3:9-11

New Living Translation (NLT)

Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those

who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing

come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters,

this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with

both fresh water and bitter water?

Proverbs 18: 8, 20-21

The Message (MSG)

Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

do you really want junk like that in your belly?

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;

good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

Words kill, words give life;

they're either poison or fruit—you choose.

Dear Lord, please forgive me for using my mouth to complain, spread worry or fear, or pull apart someone else. Thank You for shining Your truth in my own life so that I will no longer be deceived. In Your precious name, amen.


Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Wednesday Devotional...5/16/12

"Rooted Deep In Christ"

Recently the region where I live has had some very severe rain and thunderstorms. After the storms we have noticed many of the trees that have stood for years completely uprooted. In fact as I was walking by a tree that had fallen over, I stopped to take a look at the root system of the tree. Because our state has had long periods of drought, it has caused the roots of many of the trees to retract. The root system has not been able to establish deep roots and strong stability in the trees. Some of that is also partly due to the fact that Texas soil also has alot of rock in it as well.

That brought me to realizing how important it is that we establish our roots in Jesus Christ deeply. Scripture says in...

Colossians 2:7

(New Living Translation)

"Let your roots grow down into Him and let your lives be built on Him.

Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught

and you will overflow with thankfulness."

When our roots grow down into Christ, we become grounded firmly. So when the storms come, and they will, we are able to stand firm and secure and anchored in Christ.

 

I encourage you my friend, to plant your roots deeply in Christ. In Him there is great strength!

In His Service and Love,

Sandy Billingham

Tuesday Devotional

1Peter 3: 8-9

Finally,
be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,

love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing:

 but contrariwise blessing; knowing that

ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

**************************************************************************************

Paul's counsel to the congregation in Rome (Romans 12:17-20; 13:8-10) is clearly in line with what Jesus taught. He insists that we must never allow vindictiveness, the desire to get even with someone for a suffered wrong, to drive us.

 

In the same vein, Peter taught that we must not repay evil with evil, insult with insult, but we must bless (I Peter 3:8-9). Why are we called to react this way? Because if we want to be in God's Kingdom, it can only happen without the spirit of murder dwelling in us, and those evil retaliations are the spirit of murder. We are not to take vengeance because God has retained that responsibility to Himself. Is that not the way it should be? Only He fully knows and understands every facet of the circumstances and can judge perfectly. By the way, Paul addresses the issue of retaliation four times in Romans 12, which begins by stating that we are to be living sacrifices and not to conform to this world's ways.

The picture should be clear. Somebody must be willing to do this if there will be peace. Jesus set the example: He, refusing to strike back, died for the entire world. Christ's non-retaliatory remedy is ultimately for everybody's benefit, but until He returns, the standards He set can be met and lived only by those who, like Jesus, have the Spirit of God, are living by faith, and are enabled to keep God's ways by God Himself

Submitted by : Annie

Monday Devotional

Psalm 91:14-16



                                                                             The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me,

There is nothing for me to fear. There is no aspect of my life that will ever be left undone, for weather I walk thru the rain (endless bombardment of issues), the fire (dying to self), or pestilence (others biting at my heals). HE will rescue me – it is a promise not dependent on me….HE is called “Faithfull”.

I will protect those who trust in my   name.


It doesn’t matter what I see – It doesn’t matter what I hear – It only matters who I put my trust in. My eye is on the Lord. HE is my shinning knight, the faithful one, who is always larger than my life….HE is “Trust”.



When they call on me, I will answer;


Here I find my rest. I may not know the outcome of a situation, or the answers to change it, but HE is in control. HE has the provision to make it thru and gives me grace, that HE may receive glory in all that comes my way….HE is “Rest”.

I will be with them in trouble,


Never do I ever have to be alone. He walks beside me, showing me the way; holding me up, and causing my life to become a testimony of HIS goodness. Saying that HIS right arm upholds me….HE is my most excellent “Friend/ Companion.

I will rescue and honor them,


Not only will He deliver me, and show me the way out but he will bestow honor on me, not for what I have done, but because I have trusted him. HE will move on my behalf and HE will then be the lifter of my head….HE is my “Shield & High Tower”.



I will reward them with a long life


My feelings don’t have to be apart of the equation. But my eye must be on God, my heart lost to Jesus, my days hearing HIS voice and my actions doing HIS will. My body is only a vehicle of transportation….HE is my “Healer”



and give them my salvation.


All this is given unto me by my greatest love and what HE requires of me, is love. Love that runs to, yearns for, listens to, makes time for, my LORD. Salvation to me is about living day to day, with HIM. It is nothing I take for granted...HE is my “All in All”.

Written by
Kathy Bireley

MOTHERS - A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

(devotional for Mother's Day 5/13/12)

I had a mother who never spent a single day with me - she was distant and unavailable.  She also was very naive, and succumbed to temptation very easily.  In fact, she did something absolutely wrong and clearly against God's commands, and I inherited the same propensity to that sin as she had.  Do I hate her for passing that on to me?  No.  I can see both sides.  She deserves my honor and respect because that too is commanded by God in the 10 commandments, "Honor thy father and mother." She gave birth to me, and that is a gift in itself.  I can love her as another human being, deserving of forgiveness, just like myself.  She had some great qualities - she had a very intimate relationship with God and passed that on to me also.  Her name was Eve. 

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. Genesis 3:20 NIV

What an amazing position to be in to be the mother of ALL the living!  My actual immediate earthly mother is a very loving and kind mom and grandmother.  We have always had a good relationship.  I realize not everyone can say that, and that I have a wonderful gift in my mother.  I also am a mother of two awesome sons myself.  I also realize that there are others who are not or cannot be mothers of their own children for various reasons - some who even do not have the options of adoption or artificial reproductive methods, etc.  And even though we may have children, the relationships may be strained and difficult for multiple possible reasons.  This day may be difficult for many.  Sometimes that is due to unfulfilled desires, unexpected losses of either their mothers or their children, or unrealistic fantasies of what it would be like "if only" they could be a mom.  No matter what our relationship is with our own mothers or our own children if we have them, God is always watching over us, loving and forgiving us for our human sinfulness in those relationships.  Even Eve was still watched over by God, never abandoned in spite of being a part of bringing sin into the world and the entire human race.

How is your relationship with your mother? Whether she is alive or not, and whether you are on good terms or not, can you see the the gifts?  How is your relationship with your children or anyone you "take care of" in this life?  Can you embrace the positive aspects?  May you have a blessed Mother's Day, whatever your position in life and maternal relationships.

written by Jan Andersen

Saturday Devotional

What Can I Say?

We live so much of our lives knowing our guilt, knowing our hidden sin, keeping it stuffed, never addressing it, feeling trapped by it, and unable to come to terms with it. We practically live in denial that it’s there, though hearing the voices reminding us of its existence, until finally God says it’s time to face it head on.

For some, it’s easy to confess them all at the time of salvation, basking in His forgiveness, and never looking back. However, for many of us, it takes a long time to fully grasp that, “Yes, even those sins are covered, and we can heal from them.” We say that we are a new creation, but there’s still that part of our life from way back when that we’re determined to keep stuffed inside unwilling to even go there.

Maybe we convince ourselves that it’s not even necessary to bring it up because we already know we’re forgiven, but those words are actually masking the fact that we won’t forgive ourselves. We render ourselves unable to heal spitting in the face of the One who sacrificed Himself so that we could be. In essence, we’re saying that Jesus’ death was in vain.

Sometimes it can take a lifetime for God to bring us to a place where we find ourselves in a head-on collision with whatever it may be that we said we would never comes to terms with. Rest assured He will bring it up. God wants nothing left unforgiven or unhealed. It’s really not even possible for Him to leave something unforgiven once we asked for it, but He’s not willing to leave us in a place where we don’t accept that forgiveness. He’ll keep at it and keep it at until we have no words left to argue with.

I was moved by the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis. I felt the pain of these grown men who had kept a dirty little secret for years and years. Their actions and their unwillingness to attempt to “make things right” caused their father’s heart to remain broken and full of despair. The guilt they must have experienced likely haunted them night after night. They had sold their brother into slavery and led their father to believe that he was torn to pieces by a wild animal. They probably thought it best to leave things the way they were, to leave Jacob believing this lie, because after all, if they tried, could they actually track down their brother? Continuing in their charade might have prevented an angry father on top of a grief stricken one, but it did nothing for their souls but tear them to pieces over and over again day after day.

God said that enough is enough. After a hopeless amount of time had passed, these brothers were face to face with their past, and they didn’t even know it. They were staring at it and it was staring back at them…the possibility of restoration…but they were blind and did not recognize it. All they could see was their guilt and assumed that God was punishing them. The breaking point finally came, and it was Judah, the very one who had suggested the dirty deed of selling his brother in the first place. He stepped away from everyone else, and then he said these words, “What can I say? What can I do? My guilt is exposed.” Well, at least that’s my paraphrase of what was said. He had no words left. He had no way of stuffing it. He didn’t necessarily confess his guilt, but he did say that there was nothing left but to become a slave…a slave to the very one he sold as a slave.

He didn’t know that he was speaking to his long lost brother. He didn’t know that in a few short minutes, everything would be revealed. He didn’t know the beautiful ending in store for him. He had just gotten to the point of complete humility, and was willing to surrender it all. That’s what God is waiting  for…complete humility…complete surrender. Throw yourself at His feet today. Completely surrender yourself to Him.

What can I say?

What can I do?

But offer this heart oh God

Completely to You

Written by
Amie Spruiell
5/11/12