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Monthly Archives: May 2012

Proverbs 31 Mom’s

Today if you didn’t see on FB, I lost almost and entire devotional when my computer battery died while working on this about 6am at the beach. It was the straw that about broke me with IT, and that Dell almost found out how deep the sea was. I have tried to remember, but only got close I think. I was just trying to thank my mom and my wife for all they do for me. I know it is late, but Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mom’s out there!

 

 

Proverbs 31 Mom’s

Ephesians 6:1-4   Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Honoring our parents is so important in Gods eyes that it made the Ten Commandments. If it made God’s Top Ten list, we should understand how important it is, but nevertheless it is even followed by a promise of a long good life as in Deuteronomy 5:16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. That may be in this life or the life thereafter in eternal paradise. The Bible is full of God speaking of the blessings of generations. Are not your parents worthy of such respect if they are striving to raise you in a Godly home?

Today is Mothers Day and I struggled on where to go until I remembered Proverbs 31 ministries Dana is so fond of. Proverbs 31 is almost unattainable, yet I see it in both my mother, and my wife. They have and are much more of a Proverbs 31 woman than in humility they will admit. Today it is with honor to my mother, and my wife I say humbly thank you for all you do for Him, and for us. I love you both.

Proverbs 31:10-31
10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Sun rising

Hey all, Between computer problems and early risers, this has proven to be a challenge today.

Sun rising

John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That Light was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

 As I was on the beach this morning, watching and waiting as the sun arose in all its glory, I was moved by its glory and all the colors, all the beauty, all the anticipation of it dawning over the horizon. There is something special about sunrises at the beach. I came up here to see where I was in John, and these were the next scriptures. Christ is the true Light, the Son of God, that gives light unto the world. I couldn’t help but think of His returning and how all the world will see, but yet in an instant. Matthew 12:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Will you be ready?

He is coming back and will gather all His children. Matthew 24: 30-31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. We get up and arise every day taking for granted the Creator who provided the sun at the perfect distance from the earth to sustain life. Do we get up every day and forget to realize His Son has come to sustain life for eternity in paradise also? All this is available to you, with the humble realization of your sin and the need for a Savior to keep you from dying in it.

Take a look at this link: http://www.kingswitness.com/pages/hes-coming-back

 
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Posted by on May 12, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Turn on the light

Turn on the light.

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Turn on the light

Turn on the light

John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

In the first five verses of the gospel of John, there is a beautiful summary of creation deep in theology. A summary of creation, sin, and redemption through Christ of a lost world. A summary of how everything is sustained by God’s sovereign power. We live in a dark sin filled world which is so evident all around us today in all arena’s. The darkness has not only entered into our daily lives, but our churches too  as leaders fall or preach false truths. This darkness has been here all along, but the Light has also. John 12:46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

When we get scared in the night, our first move is to turn on the light. That light brings an instant peace for the unknown of the darkness is revealed. Those troubling sins, fears, anxieties, and demons we battle can be conquered through the Light of Christ. Those tugs that you feel when you know you are steep in sin are convictions to turn from that sin. Turning from that sin to Christ will make you a child of Light, and Christ can conquer that darkness you cannot. John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” The way to battle those deep dark demons, is through the power of the Light that has not darkness at all: Pure Light. 1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Turn on the Light in your life that never grows dim, and the fears of the darkness will flee from you for eternity.

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Love as He does

Love as He does

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I was saying yesterday on Facebook how I don’t mix politics and religion; I pick religion. The passion that was in so many posts yesterday regarding Amendment 1 was coming through on both sides. It was on many stations that I listen to also. I did not vote, therefore I am not allowed to have an opinion, but I can understand some of the viewpoints on both sides. It does however hurt me to see the political arena bring such strong emotions and many times as Christians we begin to not act like Christians. We are to emulate Christ and the love of Christ. We must look past our differences on many fronts and have love for one another. 1 Peter 4:And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

God is a God of love and the book of 1 John is a great place to read of God’s love for us. In this short book John uses different forms of the word love 46 times trying to press the understanding of the importance of love we are to emulate. The more time you spend with God and begin to develop that relationship, the more you will begin to emulate Christ. You begin to see how you walk every day in His grace and mercy. That realization produces an outpouring of thanksgiving of a grateful heart full of love for Him. You will begin to see things in a different light and that hate that the world produces will flee from you. Light dis-spells darkness and in “that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Please……

Please…….

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Please……

PLEASE……

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

I awoke this morning with the service call I shared on Twitter & Facebook still fresh in my mind. I came the closet I have ever been to being killed at work. Only by God’s grace was I not electrocuted. I really can’t accurately express how close it was. Here is a link and a little more background:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1461145004

My heart just aches from the reality of how I was for many years. Of telling my parents I would “come to Jesus” when I was ready, when I was done living my life as I wanted to – partying and seeking all the pleasures of this world. If this event happened not so long ago and I was electrocuted; I would have ended up in Hell paying for my decision for an eternity. Do you truly think you are promised tomorrow, or even your next breath? James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. That day could be very soon, or even today.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” There is much more to life than your temporal time here. This time in your life is preparation for your eternal life and how you will spend it. There is no attainable pleasure this world can offer that can compare to the glory of Heaven. Streets paved of gold and mansions built for you by Christ! My heart aches for those of you who may be like I was chasing those temporary pleasures of this world; and yet they always seen just out of reach and driving us to seek the next one. There is another life through Christ that will give you what you can never obtain here, and He is within your grasp. Humble yourself and truly seek the One who came and paid your eternal debt through His blood, and has provided you a way to Heaven and the Kingdom of eternal paradise. It is never too late, until it is. Make today the best day of the rest of your life for eternity. Please……..

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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No doubt!

No doubt!

Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

How do you know, that you know, that you really know you are saved? If you have repented of your sins, asked Christ for His forgiveness of them, and for Him to be the Lord of your life, you are now a child of His and eternally secure. Has your life changed as a result? Did you immediately return to sin or have the desire to change? That desire to change inside you is His Spirit that wants to live a life glorifying God, not in rebellion any longer. The doubt that you are feeling is from Satan. The more time you spend with God in prayer and His Word, the stronger your assurance is of your Salvation. If you continually seek God and the things of God, you will attain the peace of God and the assurance is a by-product. This assurance if a promise from God – Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

This below is from a resource at GotQuestions.org that was so good I had to include it here.

Question: “How can I have assurance of my salvation?”

Answer: How can you know for sure if you are saved? Consider 1 John 5:11-13: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Who is it that has the Son? It is those who have believed in Him and accepted Him (John 1:12). If you have Jesus, you have life. Not temporary life, but eternal.

God wants us to have assurance of our salvation. We cannot live our Christian lives wondering and worrying each day whether or not we are truly saved. That is why the Bible makes the plan of salvation so clear. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). Do you believe that Jesus is the Savior, that He died to pay the penalty for your sins (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)? Are you trusting Him alone for salvation? If your answer is yes, you are saved! Assurance means “having been put beyond all doubt.” By taking God’s Word to heart, you can “put beyond all doubt” the fact and reality of your eternal salvation.

Jesus Himself affirms this regarding those who have believed in Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Eternal life is just that—eternal. There is no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ’s God-given gift of salvation away from you.

We hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11), and this includes the sin of doubt. Take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you, that instead of doubting we can live with confidence! We can have the assurance from Christ’s own Word that our salvation will never be in question. Our assurance is based on God’s love for us through Jesus Christ.

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Who is He?

This morning in prayer I just could not get the gospel of John out of my head. I was praying of thanksgiving mainly while on my front porch enjoying the stillness and the peacefulness of the early morning. I love John’s gospel and I was unclear why it felt so heavy on my heart. I have spoken much recently of Salvation, and the ideas of grace and works, but God was clearly pointing me to John. If your heart is being stirred by God, you need a better understanding of Who is doing the stirring. You need a better understanding of Christ, and the assurance that God came to earth to save your soul. If He had not, there would have been no choice for you, you would have died in your sin and gone to Hell. John presents the facts, and John presents the answers to show you the way from damnation to eternal paradise by the Way of the blood of Jesus Christ who came to redeem the world.

 

 

Who is He?

John 1:1-2  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

I love how my study Bible puts in the forward of John “Read This First”. The gospel of John clearly states how to find eternal life and presents a powerful presentation of the facts of Christ as the Son of God. John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. If you are a person looking for answers, or better yet the evidence of Christ, the gospel of John is the place to find them and Him. John presents his gospel much like the evidence you might find in a court of law.

John presents seven of  Christ’s “I Am” statements in his gospel. He even shows the relationship of what I believe is one of the most powerful statements in the Bible when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush. Exodus 3:14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “ Christ was being questioned by the Jewish leaders and He showed them His deity by speaking of Abraham; who they all held in high regard of his great faith. But Christ was speaking of being with Abraham, claiming to be God. John 8:56-58 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Do you want to find out and know more about Christ? Are you willing to have an open heart and accept what you find? Pray for God to open your eyes and your heart and try spending some time reading it. I pray somewhere in there, your heart is stirred, your eyes opened, and your soul saved for eternity.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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One Way

One Way

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.

Christ was with His disciples at the last supper and speaking of the future events about to begin to take place. He spoke of going to Heaven and the mansions built there for us. He spoke of returning to get us. Thomas had asked how to get there and John 14:6 above was Christ’s answer to his question. The disciples had been with Jesus, yet at so many times it seemed as though they just didn’t ‘get it’. But yet after Christ arose and the gift of the Holy Spirit came to us, the wisdom and understanding did also. This gift, this wisdom the Spirit brings only comes with humility of accepting Christ. James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

When God is pursuing you, the weight of your sin begins to weigh upon your soul. Many times we try to improve ourselves by changing our ways, living a better life. Although the idea and results may be good by our actions, they do not lead to eternal rewards. This feeling better about yourself is from Satan, for it is a works based faith alone. But when you feel that depravity or weight of sin, you can turn to God. 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. The desire you have to live a better life not only here, but for eternity, was placed in you upon Creation. But the was is stated in John 14: 6 and Acts 4:12 There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them. You can change nothing in your life until you accept that true change only comes through accepting Christ. Pray and repent, accept Him into your heart, and rest on the assurance of Salvation as a free gift of God for eternal paradise. It will be the best day of the rest of your life.

Here is a great link to a short detailed explanation of the Gospel:

http://www.gotquestions.org/true-gospel.html

 

 

 
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Posted by on May 6, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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