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Tag Archives: new years resolution

Can you hear?

07 Feb

I am reading through the book of Acts with my boys at night. We read this scripture last night and talked about how awesome it must have been. This morning as I was waking up to my prayer was for God to give me a scripture this morning. I put on my glasses to watch the TV where we have Reflections on for awaking to every morning. It is a program that spools pictures of God’s beauty with scriptures inset. It was only a couple seconds later this verse was posted on the screen. I knew that was a word directly from God.

I found Reflections as a result of my New Years resolution to stop watching the news. We sleep with the TV on, and usually go to sleep and awake with the news. There could not be anything worse to put in your head last and first things of the day. I swear I am sleeping better. Go to sleep, and awake with God. I hope it will make a difference in your days too.

 

 

Can you hear?

Acts 2:17     And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

I am not brave enough to touch on the relation here to the “last days”, nor to touch on prophesy and visions. What I do wish to convey is our alertness to these things. Peter was preaching at the day of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit was given, and 3000 were saved that day. He was quoting from the prophet Joel (2:28-32) in the Old Testament. There are many views on this prophesy being fulfilled completely at the day of Pentecost, and also only partially fulfilled with the remaining upon the second coming of Christ. This is a fascinating scripture to study. Where my question lies, is our awareness to these “signs and wonders” from God.

How much time do you devote to seeking out Him in prayer and His Word? More directly, how much time have you left over for Him? Your devotion to Him, is directly related to hearing from Him. When we dull our senses with all the static this world provides, we simply cannot get through the distractions to hear the still small voice of God. Elijah desperately wanted to hear Gods voice, and after an angel appeared, these were his instructions to him. “ He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;  and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it…” (1Kings 11-13). God is not in, nor can be heard in the chaos. He is in the silence of your time alone with Him.

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Know it all

28 Jan
Good morning everyone. I was up earlier due to the storm, and I have had some great time in 1 Corinthians this morning. These scriptures really leaped of the page at me, and Matthew Henry had some powerful commentaries that I seemed stuck in for quite some time to. If you really want a better understanding of your bible, try picking up some quality commentaries sometime such as Matthew Henry, John Darby, and I love John MacArthur. They really have a great gift of helping to shed light on the Word. Much of today’s verses deal with pride, and as I have revealed before, I am a prideful man that God has been chipping away at for some time now. “Pride is the root of all sin” as Pastor Dean said one sermon. We have to humble ourselves to gain the glory of the Gospel and all our God has for us. Without it we can do nothing.

On another note, I hope that your New Years resolution has went well. Yesterday I watched more of the news than I wanted to trying to catch the weather to find out about this storm. It just turned my stomach, and I ended up muting it and keeping changing channels just in time to catch the weather. I think this is going to be a long term thing for me.

I have also secured a domain name, and web blog under construction to continue what you have helped spur me onto doing in writing these devotions every day. I am shooting for a launch Feb. 1.

Know it all?

1 Corinthians 1:17-18        For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

We think we know it all. Paul was preaching a simple message that neither the Jews or the Greeks could understand. The Jews were expecting a great king, and the Greeks rested on their intellect and could not accept the simplicity of the Gospel. They both thought they knew it all, and missed the eternal blessing. Matthew Henry said, “It is just with God to leave those to themselves who pour out such proud contempt on divine wisdom and grace.” Paul could have come with eloquent preaching with the wisdom he had gained in his upbringing, but he knew he would be glorified and not Christ. He realized he was nothing without Christ.

Once God grabs a hold of your heart, and you let Christ in, things change. The bible begins to make sense for you have the Holy Spirit residing in you, guiding your understanding of the scriptures. You will not understand the bible until you accept Him. The Light is given to us to be able to comprehend the great mysteries that were before us. We do begin to realize that it is the power of God that is at work in us. This becomes even more humbling, and even draws us closer to Him. You can have all these things, but you can have none of these things if you think you can do it on your own wisdom, without Christ you can do nothing.

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heavenly Love 01/25/12

26 Jan

This morning I was laying in bed watching a Christian TV show that just has beautiful pictures, and rolling scriptures. Today’s scripture verse rolled across the screen and I knew that was what God wanted me to write about. It has been so refreshing to not go to sleep (we do sleep with the TV on), and awake to the newscasts. My mind just simply feels clearer and more alert to the things of God, without all the mayhem that creates all that static between us. I hope you all have received a blessing as a result of our New Years resolution to Fast from the news. I honestly plan on continuing for some time. I just don’t miss it. Hope you have a great day, and I have some exciting news coming down the pipe about what you have unknowingly spurred me to do here ever day. I have secured a domain name, and a blog where I am in the process of getting ready to start these OneMinuteMinistries and continue sharing what God is revealing to me each day. I thank all of you for playing your part and the encouragement you have given me to do this, more than you realize.

Heavenly Love

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

God is a God of love, and you must possess love to emulate Christ. Chapter 13 is all about love and a great description of that love lies between verses 4-8. We cannot claim to be a Christian, and not have love for our fellow man. But we say, “How can I? Look at what they did!” What if Christ had said the same thing about you and I and the Redemption never came at Calvary? Their is no higher sacrifice that what Christ did for you, all from love, for all your sins past, present, and future. Once you realize that, humility and love come as a product of the reality of the Redemption.

The world we live in breeds only love for ourselves. Another reality of the depravity of the world that we live in, but once you are saved, you are no longer of this world. Faith is realization of the power of God for Creation and Redemption of the entire world. Hope is where place our security of future paradise with great expectation and the peace of living for that. Matthew Henry said of when we reach heaven “There is no room to believe and hope, when we see and enjoy. But there, love will be made perfect. There we shall perfectly love God. And there we shall perfectly love one another. Blessed state! how much surpassing seen as He is, and face to face, there charity is in its greatest height; there only will it be perfected.” Come Lord Jesus, come.

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heavenly Love 01/25/12

25 Jan

This morning I was laying in bed watching a Christian TV show that just has beautiful pictures, and rolling scriptures. Today’s scripture verse rolled across the screen and I knew that was what God wanted me to write about. It has been so refreshing to not go to sleep (we do sleep with the TV on), and awake to the newscasts. My mind just simply feels clearer and more alert to the things of God, without all the mayhem that creates all that static between us. I hope you all have received a blessing as a result of our New Years resolution to Fast from the news. I honestly plan on continuing for some time. I just don’t miss it. Hope you have a great day, and I have some exciting news coming down the pipe about what you have unknowingly spurred me to do here ever day. I have secured a domain name, and a blog where I am in the process of getting ready to start these OneMinuteMinistries and continue sharing what God is revealing to me each day. I thank all of you for playing your part and the encouragement you have given me to do this, more than you realize.

Heavenly Love

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

God is a God of love, and you must possess love to emulate Christ. Chapter 13 is all about love and a great description of that love lies between verses 4-8. We cannot claim to be a Christian, and not have love for our fellow man. But we say, “How can I? Look at what they did!” What if Christ had said the same thing about you and I and the Redemption never came at Calvary? Their is no higher sacrifice that what Christ did for you, all from love, for all your sins past, present, and future. Once you realize that, humility and love come as a product of the reality of the Redemption.

The world we live in breeds only love for ourselves. Another reality of the depravity of the world that we live in, but once you are saved, you are no longer of this world. Faith is realization of the power of God for Creation and Redemption of the entire world. Hope is where place our security of future paradise with great expectation and the peace of living for that. Matthew Henry said of when we reach heaven “There is no room to believe and hope, when we see and enjoy. But there, love will be made perfect. There we shall perfectly love God. And there we shall perfectly love one another. Blessed state! how much surpassing seen as He is, and face to face, there charity is in its greatest height; there only will it be perfected.” Come Lord Jesus, come.

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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The First One Minute Ministry – 01/01/12

25 Jan

I have to tell you this verse was given to me last night at 11:30 by my son. I had the idea of what I was going to send out this morning, but when he came in and read me this, I knew that was it. I knew that I must not “pass on” another devotional, but write something original as I sometimes do. But then Satan stepped in, and the distractions came, and I have found myself still battling them this morning…but I press on. The idea here is a simple One Minute Ministry.

Find The Good

Philippians 4:8    Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.

Where is your focus? Is it in the news story about the mayhem you just saw on TV? Is it all the gloom and doom being thrust into our conscious by the media everywhere you turn? The idea of our New Years resolution is to clear our minds for 30 days, and to make room for God from all the static this world creates.

The Apostle Paul was trying to encourage the Philippians in their walk as Christians. He knew their surroundings had an impact on their lives just as we. Even 2000 years ago, the similarities are striking. But the question is do we let our worldly focus be pulled to earthly things, or keeping our eyes on things above? If we once realize that we are not of this world, and our lives here only a speck of sand in eternity, the worldly things should not get a grasp on our focus.

The simplicity of the beginning of this verse is what we all have learned as a child- find the good in everything. Do you look for those silver linings in the clouds, or do you find yourself looking for the rain?  My prayer for you today is to take time to give thanks, and to see the good in what is around you,  tuning into God’s blessings, and tuning out the worlds woes.

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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