Tag: Devotionals

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Treating Others

12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ~ Matthew 7:12

As a seller, I work hard to make sure that I go above and beyond for my customers. I become flexible to the best of my ability, in order to make the transaction as easy and pleasant as possible for them. I am very proud to say that by doing this, I have a 5-star rating across all platforms that I sell on. But no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you bend over backward for some people, it’s never enough.

I recently had a guy who wanted a PS2 system and some games, but couldn’t make it for over a week. Now, most sellers don’t hold items for people, especially not expensive items like this one, and for so long. But I did it anyway. I held the item for him, without asking for a down payment to hold the item (it cost well over $100). I met him on the date and time that worked best for us both. He came. Checked it out. Made sure everything was good. Paid. Took his item. And left. When I checked my rating, he had given me 4 stars. Why? I’ll never know. He said I was very nice, great to work with, great communication, but yet only gave me 4 stars.

It’s in these moments that I have to remind myself that you can bend over backward and go out of your way for someone, and it still won’t be enough. They won’t appreciate it. And that’s okay. How you treat others shouldn’t just be about what you can get in return. Yes, I would’ve appreciated a 5-star rating, and yes, honestly, it did bother me, but at the end of the day, it’s okay. We, the Church, are to be Christ to the world, whether or not we get the appreciation we deserve. Even in something as simple as selling a gaming system and some games, I was able to look back at that situation and interaction with pride, knowing that I treated my customer as I would like to be treated. That I treated him as the Church should treat others.

So often we get caught up with how we react in the huge things, that we forget that the little things matter just as much, and sometimes, even more. You never know how your actions and reactions can impact someone else. How they can either turn people to Christ or away from Him. We are His representation on this earth. And if we want to represent him well, then we need to live by His Golden Rule.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Treat Others As You’d Like To Be Treated.

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Fill

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV)

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Nothing is of value without love. In other words, nothing has any profit if there is no love. No amount of tongues. No matter how many spiritual gifts. No prophecy. Not even a good and correct understanding of all Scripture. Not even faith… and without faith, it is impossible to please God, so just imagine now how important love is.

So, in other words, the house has to be filled. You have to be filled. With what? The love of God. Not worldly love that had no definition, but Godly love. Love from God that brings you closer to Him. Closer to His heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fill.

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Who Will Go For Me?

16 Who will rise up for Me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for Me against evildoers? (Psalm 94:16).

This is a very pertinent question: God is asking, “Who will?” God has given us dominion over the earth. We have been commissioned to rule and to reign, to subdue, and to correct and to bring into submission to our God all inhabitants of the earth. Teaching what is right and correcting what is wrong by the Word of our God. We are the hands and the feet of Jesus, often referred to as His body. Now He is asking, “Who will rise up for Me against the Wicked?”

But instead of rising up, the Church has submitted its authority. We’ve compromised with the enemy and have gone to sleep on our watch. We no longer sound the alarm when the enemy is approaching. We no longer tell of the goodness of God. But why is that? Are we too busy trying to be like the world that we no longer are trying to save the world?

Church leaders are guilty of the same sins the world is guilty of, and some have taken it even further. God instructed His people, His Church, to come out from among them and touch no unclean thing. But the Church has stained her garments with the juices from the fruit of evil. Once in the book of Isaiah, God looked around for one man to stand in the gap to intercede for the nation so that He might not destroy it, but He found no one either willing or able. So, in Isaiah 6, He asks again, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”

God is always looking for someone to rise up, someone to stand up, and someone to go and tell. Is that someone you? Will you rise up? Will you stand up when no one else will? When all are satisfied slumbering, will you get up and seek the face of God on behalf of someone, maybe a close relation, or a good friend? Maybe for your country and your government leaders. Do you complain about what’s happening in the world and especially in your country, or are you seeking the LORD, are you standing in the gap for your country and calling upon His Name that He might not destroy or bring His wrath? Will you say, here am I, use me?

Father, here am I, if You can use anything, use me. I will go where You send me, and I will say what You tell me; only be close to me and help me hear and understand Your voice and instructions, in Jesus’ Name, amen.

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Hear The Trumpet Blast

Joel 2:12-14 ESV

12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster. 14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?

The LORD is merciful; He is not willing for anyone to perish. He said that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). But men love darkness more than they tolerate the light. As it was then, so it is now, men refuse to heed God’s warning.

They decline His invitation to repent and to seek Him. They reject the offer to draw near to Him so that He can and will draw near to them. They want another way. A way free from personal responsibility.

They despise the way of the cross. They loathe holiness and hate righteousness. It’s their way or no way, so they turn and go their own way, rejoicing in their own will and delighting in their own strength.

Therefore, there’s coming a trumpet call. A day of reckoning. A day of great darkness and gloom. A day of intense dread and terror when the Spirit of the LORD shall be taken up, and the dead in Christ shall rise, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet our LORD Jesus in the clouds, and there we will be with Him forevermore (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

For those of us who are being saved… it will be a day of great joy, and much rejoicing. But for those who refuse to heed the alarm—those who reject the trumpet call to repentance, and who remain in their sins… it is a day of dread, fear, and trembling — a day of thick darkness and great gloom.

For on that day, the LORD, the LORD Jesus Himself, will come and take His Bride away, and those who have refused His salvation will be left behind.

The door will be closed. And it will be locked. And no one else will be let in. The opportunity has passed. The chance of repentance is gone—it’s over. Your choice has been made. The lines have been drawn in the sand. And now, it’s over.

So, the LORD who said, “Come all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” will also say, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”

And those who hear those harsh words of hopeless despair will go away into eternal punishment in the lake of fire that burns forever, and ever.

The opportunity is now. The time of repentance is now. Today is the day of salvation. The trumpet call has gone out, the alarm has been sounded. Are you ready? Are your family members ready? Co-workers? Friends? Neighbors? Today is the day of repentance, tomorrow is promised to no man.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hear The Trumpet Blast.

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The Lack of Vision

18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he KJV (Proverbs 29:18).

This is one of the most misused or misinterpreted verses in the Bible. It is widely used as a call for leadership to cast vision or as a confirmation to set goals and objectives. But this word, translated “vision,” is not from an earthly source but rather a God-given vision or revelation.

It’s actually a subtle call for pastors and church elders to humble themselves and seek the LORD for a fresh word from His lips and new anointing from His hands. It’s a call to study the Scriptures and show yourself approved. It’s a call for holy men and women everywhere to lift their hands in worship and seek, and knock, and ask, and then when you receive, to obey.

God is not interested in just giving a vision or a revelation for the sake of giving. He is interested in what you do with it. How you handle His commands. God is not in the habit of speaking just to hear Himself talk. It is for our own good and our own spiritual growth. Many times God will speak no more until the last instructions that He gave are followed. And truly, what is the use of someone giving fresh, new instructions or revelations when the receiver treats them as common and not worth the follow-through?

And the word translated “perish” actually means people become morally unrestrained, lawless, or run wild without God’s guidance. So, the writer is saying that when God’s word is neglected or rare, as in the days of Eli, the people will throw off God’s restraint and run wild, as they did in Aaron’s day when they made the golden calf. In the days of Eli, Eli’s two sons were without restraint, sleeping with the women who served at the Tent of Meeting, taking the sacrificial meat, and sometimes by force. They did things that greatly displeased the LORD, and He put them to death for it.

Then, the verse finishes with, but happy, or blessed is he or she who keeps God’s laws. Our command from Jesus is to love one another, love our neighbor, and love even our enemy. We are instructed to bear fruit and to win souls. Are you doing that today? Are you sharing the Good News with friends and family? Are you taking someone with you when our LORD Jesus returns to get us? If not, you need to.

Father, give us revelation lest we run wild. Restrain our mortal flesh that is prone to leave the God that we love, and who first loved us. Help us to see, hear, and obey the revelation that you give or send, or that we receive. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Start With Your Mind

[28]  I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” [29] (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, [30] but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) [31]  “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? [32] They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ [33]  For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ [34] The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ [35] Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” ~ Luke 7:28-35

Jesus was called a drunkard and a glutton by the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the teachers of the law. The ones who studied the Scriptures earnestly. The strictest party of the religion. These and the lawyers, those who argued, defended, and held others accountable to the Law. These not just called, but accused the LORD Jesus of being a drunkard and a glutton. Now, whether or not they realized when they said it doesn’t matter, it was said. When they accused Him of these things, they were condemning Him to death. Look at what the law says about drunkards and gluttons.

[18] If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, [19] then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, [20] and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ [21] Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Deuteronomy 21:18-20

The Father already audibly declared Jesus His only begotten Son. By accusing Jesus of being a drunkard and a glutton, they were accusing Him of not obeying the voice of His Father. They, the elders, were making a judgment on behalf of that entire generation that Jesus was a rebellious son who does not listen to His Father. Jesus declared that He does nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees His Father doing (John 5:19-29).

We will be judged by our words (Matthew 12:36-37). Not just our actions, but the words let we allow to come out of our mouths. Solomon warned that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Jesus said it’s not what goes into a person’s mouth that defiles them, but what they allow to come out of their mouth (Mark 7:14-23). The Pharisees and lawyers knew Solomon’s verses, and now Jesus was calling them out for the words they had been speaking. Words they would be judged for if they did not repent.

Our words aren’t just empty phrases we put together, speak, and then they just vanish into thin air. No. They linger. They stay. They have power. Therefore, we cannot just speak them carelessly. So, what are we to do? Stop them before they come out of our mouths by monitoring and controlling our thoughts. Paul tells us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

Peace. Love. Go forth and Start With Your Mind.

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My Blind Servant

Who is blind but My servant, Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the LORD? (Isaiah 42:19 NASB1995)

If you think about this statement by the LORD, it is pretty frightening. He is not talking about the blindness or the deafness of the heathens, or those who hate Him. No, God is talking about His own people, His own servants. The one who is supposed to be working for Him. The one who should have a close relationship with Him. But instead of closeness, we find distance. Instead of intimacy, we find lukewarmness.

Just because we claim a relationship with the Almighty God does not mean we have one. God’s people, the ones who should know Him intimately and serve Him wholeheartedly, are the very ones who are trampling the blood of Jesus underfoot and making the Name of the Holy One something common. That’s why God asks the question in Isaiah 1:5, “Why will you be struck anymore?”

In other words, why continue to rebel after, with His own blood, He has washed you, cleansed you, and made you His own. Why rebel? Why disobey and receive just punishment, punishment that He takes no pleasure in?

It is not God’s will that anyone perish, but all come to repentance. But many people refuse to come, while others refuse to draw close to God because they love the pleasures of the world too much.

Let us forsake evil and turn from rebellion and lukewarmness and cling to God and pursue holiness.

Father, forgive me for not seeking You. Forgive me for not drawing close to You. Help me to know who You are, and how to draw close. Help me to turn from the things that glitter and sparkle. The things that draw me away from my God. Please open my eyes so that I am no longer blind or deaf. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

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Clear It Out

19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses.

The Israelites were not to eat any leaven for seven days. They were not to look at it. No one was allowed to have it in their houses. It was to be removed from them entirely.

See, leaven is the same thing as yeast. No yeast was to be found in their houses; they had to get it out.

Yeast is that substance we put in the dough that causes it to ferment and rise, making the bread light, airy, and puffed up. Paul uses puffed up as a metaphor for pride, something that the LORD hates.

See, leaven represents the sin, the junk, the rubbish in our lives. Malice. Pride. Backbiting. Sexual impurity. Hypocrisy. False teachings. We are commanded to correct it and get rid of it, not overlook or tolerate it. This is a command from the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Clear It Out. 

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See The Need For Justice

18 You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Deuteronomy 16:18-20

15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. ~ Proverbs 21:15

I recently had a very short conversation with the daughter of someone who had gotten into a car accident. Thankfully, there was no serious damage to her vehicle and no injury to her. We were all talking about how the man who hit her car from behind was so scared when the police showed up. They were driving without a license, as well as having entered the country illegally. Her daughter felt that he shouldn’t have any punishment at all, that it’s just a car, and her mom is fine, there’s no need for him to be arrested or charges pressed. I can’t lie, this genuinely annoyed me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This lady, the daughter, is probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. She’s a genuinely nice person. She’s not someone who comes across as disingenuous or fake, but just a genuinely nice person. Here’s my issue. When we remove consequences from actions, we invite anarchy. We invite chaos into our society. The lack of laws and the lack of enforcement of laws have always led to more problems than good. Just look at the past couple of years. Stores have been looted over and over again. Businesses have shut down because of theft issues that keep happening due to a lack of enforcement of the law.

Yes, we’re thankful that her mother wasn’t harmed and that her car wasn’t too damaged (and was covered by insurance). All of those things are true. But what else is true is that the law was broken, and repercussions are necessary. Someone could have been killed, but by the grace of God, no one was harmed. Enforcing the law doesn’t mean that we don’t forgive them. That doesn’t mean that we don’t love them. That means that we are holding people accountable for their actions, which is the only thing that keeps a society safe. The laws of the land have to be enforced.

We as Christians aren’t to just overlook each and every person’s actions. That’s not how the LORD works, nor His Church. The LORD never just overlooks sin. That was why Christ came, died, and rose again. He cancelled our debt and washed us clean by His blood. He was pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Yes, as Christians, we are to turn the other cheek, but we aren’t to ignore laws. We don’t seek personal revenge but rely on the justice system of the land. Without justice, a nation is lost.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and See The Need For Justice.

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Look Deeper Than The Surface

16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth He has given to the children of man. ~ Psalms 115:16

I recently saw a video of a girl eating out at a restaurant, showing that she refused to drink her drink with a plastic straw in order to save sea creatures. When she put her drink down, she pulled her plate of food in front of her and started to eat. What was she eating? Louisiana Seafood Boil. Crab Legs. Shrimp. Crawfish. There were so many comments and reaction videos to this video, making fun of her. And in all honesty, I thought the same thing when I first watched the video, but then I started to think about it. And I actually get her point.

See, she isn’t against fishing and/or catching sea life. She’s against the pollution of plastic killing off, injuring, and hurting sea life. We were put on this earth to take care of the earth and the animals on it, yet the LORD told Noah and Peter to kill and eat. There was never a point in time when the LORD set a law not to kill and eat.

See, fishing isn’t the issue. Hunting isn’t the issue. Overdoing those things is. Pollution is. Think about this, more than one hundred thousand sea mammals and approximately one million seabirds die from plastic pollution each year. An estimated 8 to 14 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually, with projections suggesting this could triple within the next two decades. Recent research indicates that as few as six pieces of rubber can kill 90% of seabirds, while 29 pieces of plastic are often lethal to sea mammals. Plastic has been found in the digestive tracts of nearly 1,300 sea species, including all sea turtle species and every family of seabird and sea mammal. Discarded fishing gear, known as “ghost gear,” kills hundreds of thousands of animals annually, with 640,000 tonnes of such gear entering oceans each year. In fact, scientists warn that by 2050, the weight of plastic in the ocean could exceed the combined weight of all fish in the seas.

This isn’t how we should treat the home the Good LORD above gave us. This isn’t how we should treat His creatures. Eating seafood isn’t the problem; how we treat the earth and the sea is, though. It’s easy to quickly cast a judgment and not really think about what’s being said or what’s happening. We have to learn to think deeper and contemplate more.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look Deeper Than The Surface.

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