Daily Devotion

The Love Walk

 

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."  2 John 1:6

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling smell." Ephesians 5:2

 "It (Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  1 Corinthians 13:7 (NRSV)

 

In the last scripture, Paul tells the Corinthians what extent love goes.  It bears all things, meaning when your brother or child cannot go any longer, you carry them along with your burdens.  You bear their pains, their struggles, their difficulties.  You are patient (GWT) and never give up (NIV) on the fact that God can change them even when they seem to have fallen off the path.  Love believes all things--not meaning that it believes everything, but here in another translation, it always has faith (NLT).  Love has faith and believes in spite of all things that it will get better even when worldly facts say otherwise.  Love trusts (NIV) that God will hold true to His word and respects the promises His words holds within.  The only similarity I have noticed through all of the translations is that love hopes through all things. In the love walk, you cannot give up hope.  It will get difficult to continue to love someone who hates you in spite of how they treat you.  It will be seemingly impossible to love the person that sins against you.  In marriages one of the hardest things to do is to hope for the best when one person has stepped outside of the marriage or has caused their spouse to lose trust in them.  But we must remember that we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)--so holding onto the transgressions of a person and living outside of love will cause you to disobey God.  For that purpose, we must have the love God gives, the love that can endure all things.  In spite of every obstacle thrown at you to lose heart, you must have that long-lasting, enduring love, the love that caused God to sacrifice the Son for our redemption.  Walking in love is not easy because we were no longer conditioned to love unconditionally, yet instead everything that goes against the essence of God is the predisposition of our flesh.  Walking in love means forgiving every wrong (don't be foolish though--use the wisdom God freely gives in all situations and the spirit of discernment--James 1:5), standing in the faith that God will bring His words to pass, hoping when it seems there is no need for hope, and enduring until the end--whatever that may be.  Yes this is a difficult road, but with the bounty being so great for us to reap in the afterlife, why risk living any other way?  Psalm 119:1-2 says this: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart."  Blessed in some translations reads 'happy', or 'joyful'.  According to the first scripture and throughout the Bible, the first and greatest commandment is that we love God and love others, or walk in love.  So to ensure your own happiness, you must simply love God and others from every part of yourself, because love has the power to change all things.

 

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."  Deuteronomy 6:5

Daily Devotion

Have YOU Been Crippled?

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27

I do not ask this question in the physical sense of the word. True indeed, we sometimes are physically crippled; many people suffering from debilitating diseases that serve to cripple them spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. We can be crippled by the past—but remember the past is dead and gone; it is over so let it go. But we initially become crippled with the negative seeds, thoughts and ideas that are tools the devil uses against us. Ephesians 6:12 GWT says “This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world.” Suffering from some physical problem or some inadequacy can really mess with your head. For a long time right after I got sick in school, I thought I was less than human, not deserving God’s best because I had an illness. I allowed thoughts that I wasn't worthy of good things to plague me, causing me to be complacent. Even last year I allowed things that happened to me to really paralyze me, stifling my growth and walk in God’s will. But we have to remember who we serve! We have to remember what He has given us: peace, power, love, and a sound mind. (John 14:27, 2 Tim 1:7) We have no reason to dwell on temporary facts about ourselves and let them stop us from getting the best God has already planned for us.

I had to write this for myself because I have been trying to overcome the spirit of doubt, and eradicate it completely from my life. But I had to be honest with myself, with every new situation and circumstance in life, doubt will always be there because as a human I cannot always see the big picture. God does not always reveal His plan in completion, why, because why would we need to trust Him? Why would we need to rely on faith that God holds true to His word and it does not return void? (Isaiah 55:11) I had to learn that with my dad’s health, realizing that our eyes deceive us. Yes, he may be in pain but God heals all pains. I had to realize that today, after I got a beautiful note from my friend Naomi. I had been questioning going forward with another pageant because of a money concern. But I remember for my surgery, I raised over 3 times the amount in question, having no needs after my surgery. So why wouldn’t God prosper me in this, if it is His will, especially since my goal is to do His will? But that is why we should pray to understand what His will is, and not be influenced by the devil, because we can trust God and God alone. Why don’t I trust that He will give us the desires of our hearts, when that is what His words say? (Psalm 37:4) Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that the battle is already won, because Jesus did it all already. (1 Cor 15:57) Psalm 21:2 says “You have given him his heart’s desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.” So we cannot be crippled by the tricks of the devil because we already have what we asked God for! We must believe, and cast out all doubt because the longer we let it set up shop within us, the longer we are keeping ourselves from what God has for us. Rebuke the devil and reaffirm your faith by speaking the word against him. Stand firm on the word and keep sowing God’s word seed in your life and the lives of others, because unlike grass, a true harvest does not happen overnight.

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Daily Devotion

For the Love of Money

 

"For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." 

1 Timothy 6:10

 

I really think I'm gonna turn this into a sermon.  I see about 10 scriptures so far about loving money.  This is one of the most commonly misquoted scriptures in the world.  You often hear people say that money is the root of all evil.  But right here, you see it for yourself, that loving money is the root of all kinds of evil.  You can get so caught up in loving or chasing money that you begin to idolize it.  Loving money warps your thinking.  I'm not saying I don't need money, because we all need it.  Yes, I need money to pay my bills, buy food, clothes, shoes, etc. but I don't love it.  In fact, nothing meaningful to me is influenced by money.  At this point I am willing to leave my job and a promise of a significant pay increase to walk in the will of God.  Why you ask?  Salvation is much more valuable than money, and I've come to know that when you are obedient, you are rewarded justly.  Paper burns!!  Coins can be melted, but eternity is forever.  Hebrews 13:5 says 'Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." ' Knowing that God will never leave me nor forsake me is comforting!  Every single need I have had, especially in those dire situations where there is more month after the money is gone, He has not let me down!

 

I say this because sometimes it seems like we are all on a constant quest for money.  What job will pay the most, how much will I get?  Is chasing money worth the price of your soul's eternal rest?  In 1 Samuel 8, Samuel appointed his sons to judge Israel, because he was getting up in age.  In verse 3 noted the difference between them and their father: "But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice." (NLT)  Indirectly, the greed of Samuel's sons influenced the Israelites to beg Samuel for a king.  We all complain about the injustices of the world today, how pride, greed and lust for money drive people to do evil and repulsive things.  But have we in some way committed the same act, on a smaller scale, and have not atoned for it?  A person that loves money will do anything in the world to get it, even at the cost of their soul and the lives of others.  Experiencing the effects of greed is not a pleasant thing.  It can turn the person with the most pure-hearted motives to an evil, cold-hearted conniving person that is willing to do anything.  Ask yourself, are you willing to go to Hell to get money? "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!" Ecclesiastes 5:10  The only thing you get from more money is more bills and more problems--that is, unless your heart is in the right place!

 

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."  Matthew 6:24

Daily Devotion #3

Fear the Wrath


"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God stays on him." John 3:36

After the famous John 3:16 is written, and the extent of God's love for us is revealed, we are told what awaits those that do not believe in Christ. Lately, I have heard many people say that you should be leery of demons and the wiles of the devil. I mean, I'm cautious but I have no reason to be afraid. Jesus gave believers the ability to cast out demons in Mark 16:17, so don't fear the devil! Why, you say, because God's wrath is much worse! Do you know what the eternal rest is for those outside of the body of Christ? As with those who accept the mark of the beast, "fire and brimstone". (Revelation 14:10) You can realize some of the extent of God's anger in His dealings with the Israelites and their wickedness. The books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah detail God's plans—the Israelites were taken from their homeland by war, famine, plundering, death and disease, and pillaging all because of their disobedience to God's will. Let's backtrack, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated because of their disobedience, and the world was flooded, wiping out the entire population because of wickedness! What more will God do against those that do not believe or reject His word and His Son!

But God does not want us to have to endure that fate. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,". God freely gave Himself to free us from the curse, but by rejecting His word, we reject the redemption. There is no need to inherit this as your final recourse. God loves us, and gave of Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to set us free!

Daily Devotion #2

Everything is an Opportunity for Ministry

"There comes a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus said to her, Give me to drink." John 4:7

In the story of the Samaritan Woman at the well, it is most notably known for Jesus' ministry to a non-Jewish person, perhaps serving as basis for sharing the Good News of Christianity with the Gentiles. But I saw something else here. At this point, Jesus was heading back to Galilee. To get to Galilee, He had to go through Samaria to get there and chose to stop and rest. I mean, picture this, you are walking everywhere from town to town because I don't think that they had buggies to get around, nor did they have water surrounding these places to go by boat. So I suspect they did a serious amount of walking to get everywhere. Everybody knows that the Jews looked down their noses at the Samaritans; from what I've read the Jews distanced themselves from Samaritans because they were not true Jews.

Yet back to the story! Jesus asks the woman to give Him something to drink. The woman asked Him how could He ask her to give Him something to drink, being that He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan. Jesus used that opportunity to speak of God, and the 'living water' that will remove all of her thirstiness. 'Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."' John 4:13-14. Often times we are faced with situations with people we may not like, we may not know or have anything in common with. God often uses those times to challenge us into being better, and to test our faithfulness to Him. Have you ever been in one of those situations where you had to step outside of your personal indifference to a person and use that to minister to God? Sometimes God challenges us for our personal growth, so that we can overcome whatever issues we may have with that person. We have to recognize that every chance we get to glorify God in someone else's life is a chance that we can say we were walking in the love of God. It could be as simple as listening to a complainer and changing their perspective of the situation, or as complex as preaching to a group of unbelievers. In my case I sometimes find myself testifying about my life to complete strangers or to these people I work with. Whatever it may be, trust that it is no coincidence that you are in that place at that moment in time and it was God's will for you to be there all along so use that for God's good!

Daily Devotion

Awestruck and Caught Up in the Glitz

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." 1 Peter 5:4


This past weekend was my pageant. I must say, I was very proud of myself; I overcame many personal issues and I surprised myself. I was very happy with my performance. I came to find out that I love pageants and that it is something I enjoy doing, like my love of the fine arts (art, dance, singing). It allowed me to express all of those things as well: I had to be creative in my performance, got to dance some—no singing but plenty of talking. To my initial surprise, I did not win, and I did not even place. But even with that, I am proud of myself. I saw a lot of people crying about it, but I did not have a reason to shed a tear; I did what I went out there to do. I did an excellent job, but more so I got what I entered the pageant for and grew as a person during the process. Why be sad when I got every single thing I asked God to give me through the process?

You see, many people do things for different reasons. For example, you may take a particular job for the money, you may volunteer for the hours, and you may join an organization for what it can do for you. Or, you may take a job because of your passion and desire to do that particular type of work, and you many volunteer simply for the love of what you are doing. I have learned that as varied as we are, we all tend to do things simply for the 'glitz' and with no true passion, and this always leads to failure.

As children of the living God, we have already been promised a crown. God has chosen to redeem those of us in Christ when He returns and will give us His eternal glory. Therefore, why seek out some arbitrary thing for fulfillment—something that can only be given by God? Jobs, titles, friends, family, even relationships will not give you the contentment and peace that God gives. John 14:27 says "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." But God gives His peace all through the Bible including in 2 Thess. 3:16, Jeremiah 14:13, Numbers 6:26, and Psalm 29:11. Essentially, I ask you to evaluate why you are doing the things you do in your life. Take me, for example. When I was in high school, I joined the track team to please someone else and to prove a point to myself. When there is no true desire or passion behind your motives, you are quick to fail, hence my quitting the track team to keep both of my jobs and allow myself to study more. After long evaluation, I chose to participate in the pageant to allow myself to grow, to step outside of the box I allowed other people and things of the past to put me in. I won't say I did not want to win, but it was bigger than the competition and the actual pageant. I overcame my fear of public speaking Saturday night. Let's be real here, I had to wear a swimsuit, an evening gown, and even dance in front of people I did not know. I had to perform a talent, about a situation unique to me, and give it my all. For me, it was more than winning, because the minute I decided to go forward and do my best while glorifying God I already won. Overcoming my personal hang-ups in order to achieve something I never achieved was a blessing for me. I learned through all of this that rather than have false pretenses or presumptuous goals, that I should instead use this experience as an opportunity to touch someone else, much like my reason for mentoring. Don't get so caught up in the perks of what you are doing to the extent that you lose sight of your purpose, and don't expect to maintain the false sense of contentment to last. We are all children of God, so why not use the opportunities you are blessed with to bless the Lord? I say this to say, remember that we already have crowns that we inherit through our being born into the body of Christ. We are royalty and are blessed through our belief in Jesus Christ. As the saying goes, when the praises go up, His blessings come down…

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

Daily Devotion

The 'Why' Paradox

 

"The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)." Proverbs 4:7

"Get skillful and godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth." Proverbs 4:4

 

Last night at Bible Study, we were studying what it means to be blessed.  In the midst of that discussion, the question was asked, is it okay to ask God 'WHY'?  My immediate answer was yes.  I have come to believe that it is okay to ask God why things are happening to us.  I need to comprehend and learn the relevance of why I am going a particular thing.  Sometimes when I do not have the strength, I rely on God's divine wisdom to reveal to me why I am going through it and for Him to strengthen me to get through.  There have been many things in my life that have happened and at that point in time, I did not understand why.  Realistically, unless you have peace about something, how can you move past it?  I have been able to reconcile some of the things that have happened to me because I have finally received the revelation of why it happened. 

How can you prevent yourself from making the same mistakes if you don't understand why that particular thing is a mistake to begin with?  How are you to go forward from a situation without God's understanding of how you should proceed?  Proverbs 3:5-6 says that we are to TRUST God, we are to not depend on our own understanding, insight, and comprehension, and we are acknowledge--know and recognize--Him.  From there God directs, makes clear and plain the path in which we should go.  Don't try to understand things without first asking God why because you can yield yourself to a fleshly understanding of that situation and make the wrong decision.  Get that understanding that God promises and understand why.

Daily Devotion

God Sees the Best in You

"In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.” Deuteronomy 8:16

I love that song by Marvin Sapp. It reassures me that God knows me and sees past all of the things I have gone through, all of the trials I have to endure and my response to life. He sees the best within us. Sometimes even when we do not see it ourselves, when everyone we turn to are saying things to contradict how we feel, we can rest assured that God sees our future selves, the person that He is working in us.

The purpose for this devotion is that sometimes when we feel so low we have to remember that God has chosen us for His work. I personally get weighed down by the negative thoughts of things that have happened to me, and I sometimes wonder how God could want to use someone like me. Don’t get me wrong, I know that God loves me, but the hardest part of loving others is truly being able to love yourself in spite of everything that has happened in your life. The situations we face are often discouraging and disheartening, sometimes crushing our spirits and are intended to ensure defeat. But Jeremiah 17:10 tells us that “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” We know that God is all-seeing, all-hearing, and all-knowing. So with God searching our hearts, He sees our destinations. Not just potential, because quite frankly, some people never reach their potentials. God sees the end result, the result of all those difficult issues, trials, and circumstances that are intended to defeat us. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 God already wrote the vision for your life. He knows what He desires and plans for you; He sees your best, He sees your future. So don’t let the burdens of life lead you astray. Psalm 139:1 tells us that God has already searched and known us; even before we were born. Don’t let what somebody says about you hurt you or turn you away from what God puts in your heart because they don’t know what they are looking at! (1 Sam 16:7) Trust the Spirit of God within you to guide you and know that God sees (and has already seen) your best! As the song says, the best is yet to come!

“And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.” Romans 8:27