Category: Daily Bread

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Our Own Timetable

“The head cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, ‘I just now remembered something—I’m sorry, I should have told you this long ago. Once when Pharaoh got angry with his servants, he locked me and the head baker in the house of the captain of the guard. We both had dreams on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. It so happened that there was a young Hebrew slave there with us; he belonged to the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, each dream separately. Things turned out just as he interpreted. I was returned to my position and the head baker was impaled’ Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph. They brought him on the run from the jail cell. He cut his hair, put on clean clothes, and came to Pharaoh.” ~ Gen 41:9-14 msg

God had given Joseph a dream and a promise, but it was taking a lot longer to come true than he had hoped. But God was keeping watch over His Word to ensure it would come to past, and He does the same thing today. Therefore, if God has given you a promise, wait for it, though it lingers, do not give up or lose hope for it will surely come to past. It awaits an appointed time and will not prove false, nor will it delay, but God’s Word will accomplish everything He has sent it to accomplish.

Our Heavenly Father, help us to hold on to our promises and not to give up. Help us to refrain from setting our own timetable because the righteous will live by faith. No more stumbling and doubting because of our unfulfilled dreams. For we know the day will come when the dream becomes a reality no matter how big or how small our dream is. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Look Away

“13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:13

As Christians, we see the world and everything that we cannot do. Sometimes we look at them in envy. We look and see their grass, and we believe that it’s greener than ours. They seem to be more successful. Life seems easier. More tolerant. More likable. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side; sometimes, that’s the Devil tricking you. Playing on all your flesh desires. Whispering in your ear, showing you all that you don’t have and will never have.

As Christians, we are under constant Spiritual Attack. Paul writes, “do not grow weary of doing good.” In other words, don’t grow tired or bored of following Jesus. Of being the good Christian. Of turning the other cheek. Of living a morally sound life. Don’t get tired of it. They may seem like their enjoying life now, but this life is only temporary. What they have now, they can’t take with them to Eternity. Look towards eternity, for your reward is great. This life and its troubles won’t last forever. Look towards eternity. Build up treasure for yourself in Heaven, for where your treasure is, so your heart is also.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look Away From Their Grass.

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Our Own Righteousness

“6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” ~ Isaiah 64:6

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Have you heard someone say, “I’m a good person, I deserve to go to heaven”? Maybe you yourself have said this. The truth is, none of us are inherently good. Meaning we are not naturally righteous people. Holiness doesn’t mysteriously appear and take up residence in us. If truth be told, we are all wicked and vial. Otherwise, Jesus would not have to come to earth, to be beaten, bruised, and crucified. There would be no need for Him to die such a horrendous death on a cruel Roman cross. It’s a lie from the enemy of our souls, trying to keep us from seeking that which we all need. Salvation. Without which, we will not receive eternal life. Look at what Isaiah says. We are all infected and impure with sin. Not one of us has escaped its nasty grasp, and Jesus knew it. That is why He came and died that we might be washed clean by the cleansing of His blood.

So, the question is, then, how do we receive this cleansing that leads to eternal life? We simply ask for it and believe that we have received it. Now, if we believe we have received, then we should now live like we received salvation. Which means we no longer do or say the things that offend God, or in other words, break His commandments. We seek to please Him by forging a relationship with Him through prayer, reading of His Word, and following His commands and laws.

Think about it. If you had a pet pig that lived in a nasty filthy pigsty, he would probably believe he’s clean and would want to come and play with you and have you hug him. But you would see him for what he is, a dirty pig. So, you bathe him and wash him clean; then you are willing to hold him and hug him. And you would not want him to go wallowing in the muck again. It’s the same with God. He desires to hold us and love us, but the stench of sin is overwhelming, and He will turn away. But once we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are immediately washed clean, and we are accepted as true sons and daughters.

Heavenly Father, forgive us of our sins. Create in us a clean heart. Give us an obedient spirit and a heart that is true. Help us to follow all your laws and decrees that we might be pleasing to You. Thank you for Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary and help us to draw close to You that You might draw close to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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See Yourself Worthy

“Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.’” ~ Acts 13:46

Let us not be numbered among those who consider themselves unworthy of eternal life. Let no one speak such things into your life. Parents encourage your children and teach them about eternal life. Sunday School and Church are great, but when our children see that we count ourselves worthy, they will feel worthy as well.

Because you are worthy, live your life as an example for your children. Fathers set the standard for your sons. Mothers set the standard for your daughters. Raise up men and women who fear the LORD and count themselves worthy of eternal life.

Heavenly Father, I pray for everyone right now who is struggling between the pleasures of life that last only but a little while and the joy of eternal life that lasts forever. Please open our eyes that we might see the tricks of the enemy and that we will not lose heart but rather fight the good fight of faith.

I pray also for those who are weighed down by the troubles and concerns of this life and have no one to confide in or nowhere to turn to. Please be there for them like a good friend who sticks closer than a brother. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Seek Ye First

“33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” ~ Matthew 6:33

Sometimes we get our priorities confused and lose sight of what is most important. Jesus was teaching on that very thing. He explains that seeking God is the most important, even more so than money and clothes. He said if we got it right, God would add all the other things we need. Admittedly, that is a hard teaching when you have hungry mouths to feed and little naked bodies to clothe. But the truth is, these things aren’t eternal, but your soul is eternal. Your soul will live somewhere forever. No one says on their dying bed, “Man, I wish I had a few more suits of clothes.” Or, “Man, I wish I had more money in the bank.” No, they don’t. At that time, those things aren’t as important as they seemed when we were experiencing the lack thereof and eternity seemed a long ways away.

I’ve experienced lack, and I’ve experienced plenty, and yes, plenty is much better by far. The world is so focused on instant gratification that we’ve lost sight of seeking God. We’re so caught up with keeping up with the Kardashians, the rich and famous, the rock stars, the rap stars, the movie stars, and the fallen stars that we have no place or time in our busy lives for seeking the Bright and Morning Star. Statistics tell us that the average Christian attend a church service twice a month. I wonder how many diligently and fervently attend the weekly TV service of their favorite show.

At the beginning of every year, my family and I observe a twenty-one day fast. We turn off our TV, our secular music, entertainment like video games, social media, secular books, etc.; we limit shopping only to emergencies, we cut out soft drinks, coffee, meats, processed foods, and other pleasures of life and come together to diligently seek God. Our children have been doing the fast with us from time they were very young. We always have a theme and a specific thing or two (bedside lost souls) that we fervently pray about.

Admittedly, a few years ago, I was a bit discouraged at work because things were not working out the way I had envisioned them to be. To my shame, I was so discouraged I was even considering not doing the fast that year, something I’ve never done since we started oh so many years ago. Nobody knew how I was feeling. Then I received a family group text from my youngest daughter (18 years old at the time) stating how excited she was about that year’s fast. How she believed that was the year for open doors. She felt like Genesis 32:25-28 should be our theme. It is where Jacob wrestles with God and doesn’t let go until he receives a blessing from God. She felt in her spirit we needed to press in and wrestle with God in prayer and not let go until we received our blessing.

Wow! Now, if that’s not a reason to get excited and want to shout about, I don’t know what is. It’s not everyday parents receive a text from their 18-year-old saying how excited they are about turning off electronics, TV, computer games, etc., and putting away Christmas presents and deny themselves in order to seek God. When they were small, we were told, “Those children are too young to fast.” But look at them now. We didn’t deny them food as children; we asked them to give up certain things: playing outside, TV, Gameboy, etc. We taught them the importance of seeking God. Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not turn away from it.

Let me encourage you for this New Year to seek more and covet less. Do not teach your children the pleasures of instant gratification, and it’ll pay off in the end. Set a time to diligently seek God as a family, and may your New Year bring you peace, joy, happiness, good health, a closer walk with Jesus, and prosperity, with all your children serving the LORD.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and salvation that You’ve lavished upon us. Thank You for the privilege of being able to seek You. Help us to find You this year as we seek. Help us to hear from You, answer when we call. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Our Living Hope

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ~ 1 Peter 1:3

Every day brings new hope. Every new year brings even greater and more wonderful hope. 2020 was filled with its ups and downs, but we have a living hope that can never be taken away from us. A living hope that we can never be cheated out of. Our living hope is Eternal Life with our resurrected savior Jesus Christ.

One day He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and we will reign with Him for a thousand years. One day we will be enjoy God’s perfect peace and rest. Until then, let us strive to make every day and every new year, especially 2021, another chance to better ourselves and the world around us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To Our Living Hope.

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End In Hope

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

2020 has seen the promulgation of fear across the nations. 2020 has seen us banned from gathering to worship our God. It has seen us banned from gathering in our own homes for fellowship. It has gone as far as to try to ban us from singing to our God in our homes. It has seen us banned from visiting our loved ones, especially our elderly family. 2020 has come with multiple attacks on our liberties and freedoms bestowed upon us by God through the Founding Fathers.

We have been afflicted in many ways, but we are not crushed. We have been persecuted, but God has not abandoned us. The Church has been deemed non-essential by many men and women in our government, but God deems the Church and our assembling essential. 2020 feels as if it is ending on a negative note, but that doesn’t mean that it has to actually end negatively. Make today count. Make the last day of 2020 be filled with joy, hope, faith, and love.

May you be thankful for all of the many blessings God has bestowed on you. May you be filled with the joy of the LORD, for that is our strength. May you be consumed with the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. May you live in the eternal hope accompanied with the faith that this life is temporary for Jesus will be coming back for His bride.

We are the Bride of Christ, so let us begin to act like we are the Bride of Christ. Let us end 2020 better than we started it. Let’s make this final day of 2020 count, help someone, give someone hope, pray for your enemy. Don’t let 2020 end discouraging; let 2020 end in hope. For we have eternal hope in Jesus Christ. Don’t go into 2021 filled with fear and anxiety, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).

Peace. Love. Go Forth and End In Hope.

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Hold Your Tongue

“26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” ~ James 1:26

Our tongues often can get us into much trouble. Whether it’s because of anger, sadness, hatred, hurt feelings, pride, our tongue can easily and quickly start a fire; all it takes is a few words. Why does what we say matter? Proverbs says, “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” Words matter.

The entire universe and everything in it were created with words. Next time you get angry and your tongue wants to cut loose, keep your mouth closed. Don’t speak until you’re calm because you can’t always take back your words.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold Your Tongue.

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Be Doers of The Word

“22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” ~ James 1:22

Sometimes we get caught up in ourselves. We treat the Bible as a book we read but don’t really follow. We know the Scriptures, but we don’t put them into practice. We know the commands of Jesus, yet we shy away from them. We set up our own rules, justifying them with Scriptures taken out of context. We go to church every Sunday, but we don’t really take in the message. We want things sugarcoated and easy to swallow, but that’s just not Christianity.

Christianity is an action-faith. You can’t just say you’re a Christian and live however you want, cherry-picking your way through the Bible. Being a Christian takes restraint from certain things, faith, love, and imitating Jesus. But many of us have fallen asleep, and we don’t even know it. We have an appearance of Godliness, but it doesn’t go any deeper than that. Be doers of the Word, not only hearers. Don’t be deceived, allowing yourself to drift off into Spiritual Slumber. Awaken. Rid yourself of all of life’s sleeping pills.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Doers of The Word.

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The Love of Money

“8 But if we have food and clothing, with these, we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” ~ 1 Timothy 6:8-10

One of the worst strongholds a person can have is the stronghold of greed. The love of money will destroy not only the person it is affecting but also those around them. Paul isn’t telling Timothy it’s bad to have money but to only strive for money. He’s saying even if we aren’t rich, but we’re going to sleep with full bellies and comfortable PJs, then we should be content. We don’t need more, but it’s okay to have more. Placing money on a high mantle will ruin friendships, relationships, marriages, even jobs. Because money easily becomes a god, replacing the one true God.

So, don’t feel bad if you have money, but don’t let it control you. If we allow God to use us and place Him above everything else, making Him our one and only God, He will bless us. He will bring us to the next level. He will take us out of poverty, but first, we must lay everything down and place Him above all.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Not Money.

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