Ministry

So I was driving home after a long stressful day at work, and I just so happened to have Christian Radio on. I’m glad I did because I caught the tail end of a story. I wish I knew who the story was from so I could give them credit. I caught the part of the story where they asked, “What was ministry to Jesus?” The response came rather quickly and I wish I would have had more time to think about it before we left for church. The answer was so simple. “Ministry to Jesus is whoever was standing in front of Him.”

Think about it. How often do we go someplace in this world and we run into an obstacle. How often do we do whatever has to be done to go around, under, over or through it, without, of course, confronting it head on in a Christ-like manner? I know I do it way too often. So it made me think.

Then during our Lenten worship service this evening I thought of a great example of shining as a light of faith when an “obstacle” is present (confronting it head on).

Luke 10:25-37 is the example:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” ²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]” ²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” ³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Good Samaritan shows us how we should act when running into an obstacle. We shouldn't try to avoid it, but rather confront it. Show your faith; help someone out, listen, care, give.

I don’t really know where I am trying to go with this, but rather simply wish whoever reads this would think about it also. Think about how whoever Christ ran into He didn’t run away from, but rather wanted to help. Whoever He came into contact with He wanted to share the Word with. Whoever Christ came into contact with He touched in some way shape or form. Every single one of us can do the same thing. Ever wonder why God puts someone in your life? Whether it be for a second, minute, hour, day, months, or years? That person is there for some reason, you may not know what it is then but someday you may find out. I pray, that when you are put in someone’s life, even just for a split second, that they can realize that you are a child of God, and that you can shine the Light of Christ on them.

Week 4 Devotions

Devotion Sunday 2/13/11

Its Valentines Day eve. Have you made you arrangements? Do you have the chocolate and flowers bought? Has the singles awarness party been planned?

Even if we had it all figured out weeks ago, God still had us beat. He had us picked out as His Valentine before the world began. And He planned to send His son for us as the best Valentines gift we could ever get, a true testament of His perfect love. He spent eternity preparing that gift for us. What gift of love to we have to give back?

Prayer: Lord, remind us of how much you love us daily, and teach us to love as you do. Amen.

Devotion Monday 2/14/11
Through Neil Harrington

Valentines day is the holiday of flowers, candy, teddy bears, secret admires, and just "love" in general. But what is love exactly? Is it a warm, fuzzy feeling inside that you get? Is just pure physical attraction. Not according to the bible. Love at times is choosing to do so and do things for others. It's not all about "me", it should be about others. Jesus is the perfect example of love. Of course dying on the cross for us was the ultimate gift, but I'm going to focus on one aspect of Jesus' character, which was compassion. If you notice in the gospels there are many accounts that say, Jesus felt compassion for the people or he felt pity on them, or felt compassion for them. What does compassion mean though? Compassion is defined as: a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it

[from Old French, from Late Latin compassiō fellow feeling, from compatī to suffer with, from Latin com- with + patī to bear, suffer].

Luke 10 29:37 gives us a perfect example of love and compassion. Jesus teaches in a parable.


29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus

said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” esus told him, “Go and do likewise.”



Prayer for the day: Heavenly Father, help us to be more compassionate towards others and to love and to chose to love others even when it's difficult or even if we don't get along with that person. Help us to shine Your light and spread Your Lord. In Jesus name, amen.


Happy Day of Love from all the devotional writers. May you feel God's love today!


The link below has a few examples of Jesus showing compassion to other people

http://dianagrayministries.net/bible/bso_compassion.html

Devotion Tuesday 2/15/11
By Joseph

Continuing with our Valentines Day love theme...

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Not many of us will be asked to die for a friend of ours, though I have many that I'm sure would do just that for me, and I know that I would for any of them. That is what Christ says there is no greater love than, to do just that.

What we can do is lay down our "lives" and our own desires and serve others, and so show our friends and familes this love. In the end, that's what it is all about, loving God and loving others.

As Jesus was saying this particular piece of Scripture, he was drawing that much closer to the death on the cross that he knew he must suffer. In this way it was almost like a prediction of his death in my mind. It was like him saying, there is no greater love than this, and guess what I am about to do for each of you...

Christ is also saying that same thing to you. He did it for you, because he loves you. Go and spread that love.

Prayer: Lord, help us to show love to those around us today and every day. Help us to remember the love you showed to us on the cross. Amen.

Devotion Wednesday 2/16/11
By Joseph

Valentines Week Continues

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is no self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... and now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13)

This verse in and of itself is a devotion. Talking with Lindsey Brummel, there is some disection that can occur from this verse. Patience should be placed in bold and all caps. Love does not always seem kind, but true love, love from God, love from family and friends, and love from a spouse all are. Love is about giving completely of oneself to the love receiver.

Love does not have a list that it checks twice, forgiveness is key. Love is like a protective shield, guarding, hoping, keeping on the keeping on. "Failure is not an option" for NASA in Apollo 13, nor is it an option for love.

Sure a lot of that there is just rambling, and not the best devotion I've ever written, but a little rewording of the classic love passage. Hopefully we can take a little lesson from it on what loving each other looks like. Thats the exact same love that God shows us.

Prayer: Help us to show each other love as you intended it to be, in all its pureness.

Devotion Thursday 2/17/11
Through Cody Seidel

Love is such an important word, probably one of the more important ones. According to BibleGateway.com the word love is used 686 times in the Bible. Wow! I mean for such a simple word, it is used a lot. Granted it is not Jesus or God, but still that is quite a few times in my opinion. We all feel love for someone in our lives (parents, friends, significant others). First of all, our love shows others who we are and who we stand for, Christ. Secondly, when we show that love, we are much happier most of the time because we are living for our Savior. I love to show my love to others because it makes me happy, and I am living for the Lord. This is what we should all be trying to do in our lives while showing our love to others, not only our friends but also our enemies.

Prayer: Dear Lord thank you for giving us the wonderful gift of love. Please help us to live and love for you and help us show our love as Christians not only to friends but also to our enemies.

Batteries

I really enjoyed writing this particular devotion. I'm probably going to edit this and try to extend it, but we will see what happens. I hope you enjoy and can get something out of it.

Batteries

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Humans are a lot like batteries. In the beginning we are made full of life and energy. Throughout our battery life though, we are "drained" through the various activities we partake in. Sometimes we get put in the fridge because that apparently extends battery life, though at the time, we sit there and wonder why God is allowing us to be so cold. We can feel empty or lifeless. Some people are even spiritually "dead."

Thankfully we are rechareable batteries. We became dead and should've been cast in to the waste basket by God. Instead he sent His son Jesus as the battery recharger, he reconciled us to God so that we would no longer be "dead batteries."

Take some time today and this week to recharge your batteries, because the recharger is always available. Have a faith discussion with a friend, get into the Word, help someone else, spend time in prayer, etc. Get some of that battery life and gusto back.

I'm going to take the bold move and change some words in that initial Bible passage, because you see, God is in the recharging line of work. Let's see if you can notice the difference:

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new model has come: The old has gone, the new model is here! All this is from God, who recharged us with life us through Christ and gave us the ministry of recharging others: that God was recharging the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's lack of energy against them. And he has committed to us the message of recharging. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be recharged to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become full batteries to do the work of God.

Prayer: Lord, make us full, that we might share your fullness with others. Amen.

Week 3 Devotions

Please feel free to comment on any of the devotions using the comment feature at the bottom of the post.

Devotion 2/6/11 Sunday
Through Joseph

Our comfort and our joy come not from this world. This world is topsy turvey. We can choose to rely on it and others, and even if they do not fail us, we place our trust and hope in vain. It is because the world we are living in is a broken one. This is not our home.

"I'm but a stranger here, heaven is my home," is the line of a beloved hymn of mine. "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness," is another. We are wandering children, waiting for the day our Father calls us home to live forever. It is there that "he will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Rev 21:4).

Until that day arrives, we awake each morning with the joy that Christ saved us and we are His. There is no greater joy than that.

Prayer: Lord, flesh and blood pass away and let us down, but your mercy and love for us endures forever. Keep us in your love and care this coming week and in EVERYTHING we do, may we keep focus on you and glorify your name. Amen

Devotion 2/7/11 Monday
By Joseph

A simple message for the start of this week. Whether you are facing pain or comfort, joy or sorrow, freedom or captivity, loneliness or large groups, or whatever it is that you run into, trust in the Lord your God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Prov 3:5-6)

Sometimes we have great struggles, God never leaves us though. Trust in Him. Facing what I will this week, I will try to trust in Him alone daily and hourly. Let us all support each other in doing just that.

May the grace of God guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Seize our hearts, turn them your way. Amen.

Devotion 2/8/11 Tuesday
By Joseph

Batteries

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Humans are a lot like batteries. In the beginning we are made full of life and energy. Throughout our battery life though, we are "drained" through the various activities we partake in. Sometimes we get put in the fridge because that apparently extends battery life, though at the time, we sit there and wonder why God is allowing us to be so cold. We can feel empty or lifeless. Some people are even spiritually "dead."

Thankfully we are rechareable batteries. We became dead and should've been cast in to the waste basket by God. Instead he sent His son Jesus as the battery recharger, he reconciled us to God so that we would no longer be "dead batteries."

Take some time today and this week to recharge your batteries, because the recharger is always available. Have a faith discussion with a friend, get into the Word, help someone else, spend time in prayer, etc. Get some of that battery life and gusto back.

I'm going to take the bold move and change some words in that initial Bible passage, because you see, God is in the recharging line of work. Let's see if you can notice the difference:

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new model has come: The old has gone, the new model is here! All this is from God, who recharged us with life us through Christ and gave us the ministry of recharging others: that God was recharging the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's lack of energy against them. And he has committed to us the message of recharging. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be recharged to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become full batteries to do the work of God.

Prayer: Lord, make us full, that we might share your fullness with others. Amen.

Devotion 2/9/11 Wednesday

Through Colten Highley

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" -Matthew 7:22-23.

Garbage in, garbage out. We have all seen this principle at work, whether in sports, schoolwork, jobs, friendships, etc. Sooner or later everyone's true character is revealed. All too often we tell ourselves that the tv shows we watch or the music we listen to won't have an effect on our lives. But it does have an effect, and we find ourselves focusing on satisfying sinful desires, instead of focusing on Christ and remembering our many blessings. Our light grows dim, and we find ourselves being filled with darkness and bitterness.

On the other hand, if we devote ourselves to studying the word and fix our eyes on Christ, then we will surely be filled with light. Paul explained this in Phillipians:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or recieved from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." -Phillipians 4:8-9

Prayer: Father, thank you for sending your Son to die for our sins, and for all your blessings that You have bestowed upon us. Lead us not into temptation, but instead help us to fix our eyes upon You, so that we may be filled with light. Help us to keep our lamps filled with oil, so that our light may shine before men. Amen.

Devotion Thursday

Through Cody

Adversity. Everyone deals with adversity in their lives. During the course of a sporting event, everyone involved will go through adversity. Players deal with all sorts of adversity throughout the course of the game. The most frustrating things to see are the times when players put their head down. This to me is a signal of defeat; yes, you will lose games. That does not mean you are defeated. Putting your head down is a sign of weakness, and to me it shows that you cannot persevere through adversity. You have given up and do not trust your teammates or coaches.

Some people get down on themselves and or others.

Our spiritual health will also face adversity. God will always be there for us, but the real question is: “Do we trust Him when the things actually do get tough? Do we remember to call on Him?” We should not feel bad for asking him for help in times of trouble because he tells us in Psalm 145:18: The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. We must trust in Him in the good times along with the bad. He is always there for us, and will lead us through times of adversity. The most important thing is how we respond to adversity. We cannot let ourselves be defeated because we are giving up. This also tells God that we do not trust in Him. Keep your heads lifted high, high on your Lord and Savior.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for giving us your Savior who we can always trust in. Please help us to keep our eyes on you and to trust in you at all times. In your Holy name, Amen.

Devotion Friday 2/11/11
By Joseph Highley

Today is the start of pre-Valentines Day weekend, so from now until next Friday, the theme is love. Some of us are lonely during this time, others of us aren't. To be sure, I'm guessing that each of our Valentines Days will be a unique experience.

The simple reminder today, whether you have the love of a significant other in your life or not, is that God is the source of all. Love. I think the more we realize that, the more we will feel and give love to others in our daily lives.

There are literally hundreds of mentions of love in the Bible. Here is one: "God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8)

Make the conscious choice to reflect that same love to someone today.

Prayer: We love you Lord, because you first loved us. May we be reflections of your perfect love to others, so that they might see you through us. Amen

Devotion Saturday 2/12/11
Through Dan Schelp

Ever wonder what true love and attention feels like?

(The LORD said) "... I have called you by name; you are Mine!" Isaiah 43:1b

Ever feel like you are just a number? I know I do. Whether it be from a school, employee ID, a credit card or other group you are a part of you can often times feel as a number rather than as an actual person. Its very impersonal and often times doesn't come off very friendly.

Lucky for us, Christ has called us by name and has claimed us as His. He knows every hair on our head and knows everything about us before we are even born or before we even do it. Really, He knows you better than you know you. What a friend we have in Jesus!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for creating each and every one of us in our own unique way. And we thank you for assigning us names to be called by rather than numbers. Thank you for claiming us and providing us with the forgiveness we cannot live without.

Follow Me

Matthew 4: 19 “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

What did you want to be when you were a kid? Our minds wander when we are younger; we want to be everything from a pro athlete, firefighter, dancer, farmer, artist, pastor, or maybe even a circus clown. Then you grow up and get to college and you go through the same scenarios. What degree am I supposed to get? What job will I take? What field will that job be in? Where in the world will my job locate me? The list goes on and on and our list gets expanded before ever getting narrowed down. The big question is though, are you doing what you thought you would be doing as a small child? What about as a college graduate? Are you studying what you thought you would study or did you change your mind?

When I turned 16 I started working at the grocery store, and never in my life did I think that I would still be with them 8 years later. There is nothing wrong with my job and I love what I do, but I just thought I would go to college get a degree (which I did) and then move on to a different profession. But then, while looking at the book of Matthew I realized that I’m not the only one doing something different than what I had planned. Peter and Andrew (brothers) were out fishing when Jesus called out to them. These brothers left everything and became fishers of men, sharing the faith with all those they came into contact with.

Now I realize that times are different now and that I haven’t left a job dropped everything and followed Christ. But what I do know is that He gives me the opportunity to be a fisher or men while I do other things. By that I mean He allows me to work at my job and show that I am a Christian to others, not only in the way I act, but the way I present myself. The hours I work and the reasoning for not wanting to work Sunday mornings, or Wednesday nights during Lent and Advent. He gives us the opportunity to share our faith all the time, in devotions, at church at work, in groups when going out. We don’t necessarily have to drop everything to be fishers of men. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that. I have friends who are missionaries and I have thought of becoming a pastor and who knows someday my calling may continue to lead me there. I just pray today that you let God lead you to share your faith with all people you come into contact with.

I pray that every day you allow God to lead you to share your faith. Be it as simple as bowing your head to pray before you eat, or helping out someone in need. And who knows where Christ will lead you. Below is an e-mail I received from a good friend. It’s different but another way to look at not doing what you had dreamed of doing, and how God will continue to shine through you anyway.

Three Trees:

“Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'
-Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'
-Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'
-After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, 'and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
-At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
-When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.
-When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
-The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
-The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.
-The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
-Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
-Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
-Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
-The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.
-Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
-We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.”

May your day be blessed.

Week 2 Devotions

Please feel free to comment on any of these devotions using the comment feature at the bottom of the post. You do not have to sign in to leave a comment

Sunday 1/30/2011

Through Dan Schelp

Mark 9:34-45

³⁴ “They (the twelve) kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. ³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Ever argue with someone? If you notice when you are arguing you really don’t listen to what is going on around you (kind of like paying too much attention to one thing and missing out on something important). That is what the disciples were doing on the way from Galilee to Capernaum. Jesus was predicting his death to the disciples for the second time and they were arguing about something else. The verses immediately preceding those above tell us that Jesus asked what they were arguing about on the road. Verse 34 tells us that they were arguing about who is the greatest amongst them.

Then it gets to the real point. Jesus tells them (and us) that whoever wants to be first, must be last. “Christ came not to be served but to serve.” He is the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end, He is first and last and everything else falls in between. God created every facet of the world and put us in it. He knows everything about us, from the hairs on our head to every move we make.

Since He knows everything about us and as Ephesians says “for it is by grace we have been saved, through faith, not by works so that no man can boast,” there is no need for us to be first, and we most certainly won’t be last because each of us is a child of God. We each have a place saved for us in heaven, and no matter which place you receive in heaven it will be amazing.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I can only imagine what it will be like in heaven. I do know that it will be amazing and we thank you for creating each of us equal in your eyes so that we don’t have to worry about being first or last. Amen.

-I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship You.

Devotion Monday 1/31/11

Humbly through Joseph

The first day of a new week. It promises to be a busy one. Sometimes its hard to get started on. It can be a difficult world. Lest we be overly dramatic and crawl too far inside ourselves, we might think that we have it so much harder than everyone else.

My Pastor Sippy once said, sometimes when facing something scary or difficult, you just have to walk through the door. We just need to walk through the door and trust in God. We must turn our eyes to God and not on the world around us that wishes to drag us down.

I encourage you, brothers and sisters, stay strong, "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Heb 12:1). We have all been equiped with the Spirit, go forth and serve God this week!

Prayer: Lord, when I would lose sight of you, hold your cross before my eyes and keep me strong in my faith, through your grace. In Jesus. Amen

Devotion 2/1/11 Tuesday
Through Liz Marler

A new month. A snowpacolypse. What a great way to start the week :)

I LOVE new starts. A new week or month. A second chance or opportunity. New starts give me the opportunity to fix my wrongs and do things more effectively and efficiently. Snowfall also reminds me of the second chance Christians receive every single day. Snow is white, flawless, and perfect. It covers all imperfections on the ground and covers all of the potholes and bumps. Snow is a symbol of the forgiveness we receive from God each and every day. Despite all of our sins, failures, wrong doings, and faults, we always receive a second chance and a new start.

"Come now, and let us reason together, said the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . ." Isaiah 1:18a

Our sins sometimes seem as prominent of blood red in the white snow, but we will always be forgiven. Our souls will be a pure as white, perfect snow. Although our souls will not stay this white and pure, we will be forgiven again and again by our merciful God and Father. In fact, we are destined to destroy this pureness almost as immediately as it falls upon us. (this is like running in the snow and destroying its perfection)

As the large amount of snow falls upon Missouri (seems to be the only thing on my mind), think of how God forgives and blesses us each and everyday.

Prayer:
Dear most merciful God,
thank you for your everlasting forgiveness despite how severe our sins are. please continue to poor upon me the pureness of your grace and mercy. also, help me forgive others as you forgive me.
In your name I pray, Amen.

Wednesday 2/2/11
Through Neil Harrington


" Perserverance"

There are many things which have been started but never completed. Sometimes this has occurred due to lack of funds, running out of time, or we just abandon the task simply because it was decided that is was too tough or it was taking too long. Those things which have a worthwhile end require persistence to bring them to fruition. Jesus told the parable of a widow who persisted in her request and it was her persistence which paid off. Luke 18:1-5. " Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” The point Jesus was stressing was to continue to pray and not give up.

There is no question that life is sometimes tough. There are times when we may have to push ourselves to keep going. It can be far too easy to give up and quit. Persistent patience is often needed. An anoymous author once said this, “Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn’t fall there.” God has provided something worth pressing on toward. We need to keep climbing as we hold the goal in view. The apostle Paul said.
“to those who by patience in well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life." Romans 2:7. It's very important to persist in doing what is good and right. Such is worthwhile because it pleases God and holds glorious promise for the future.

I also included a video from the group The OC Supertones called, "Perserverance of the Saints" which is very helpful and fitting.



https://pod51000.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=0a19fdda5f074876bf70cd3dc1fb40eb&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3d_Qd94oszy7k



Today's prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your continued blessings. Even though there are times that we don't see the big picture of your plan, help to keep trusting in You. Help me to persist in doing good and shinning the light of Jesus in everything I do. Help to be persistent even when faced with opposition. Keep everyone safe who has to go out in this crazy strorm this week. We pray these things in the name of your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Devotion Thursday 2/3/11
Through Colten Highley

Time: Where does it go? Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we were in 5th grade or learning to drive a car. For many Americans time is a thing to be feared; we spend our lives trying to lengthen our time on earth and get the most out of it. We set alarm clocks, go on diets to eat healthier, and multi-task in the car to save time. Too often, we find our lives mirroring the words of the Pink Floyd song called, appropriately enough, Time:

“And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking, racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older, shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.”

For those who don’t look beyond this life, time is a symbol of death and despair. But as Christians we have a different perspective of time. We patiently await the time when we will be called up to our heavenly home.
"We know that the whole creation has been groaing as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently."- Romans 8:22-25

Prayer: Father, help us to spend our time as you would want us to spend it. Help us not to spend our time in self-preservation, but to love one another as we patiently wait for your second coming. Teach us to not to worry about what the future has in store, but to remember your promises. Amen.

Devotion Friday 2/4/11
Through Cody Seidel

Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Friendship. We all have friends, some who are really close, some who we are just mere acquaintances with. Those friends who we are super close to are the ones we could tell anything to, and we count on them to be there in times of need. On the other hand, there are some people who we just say hey to, and keep on going with our lives. We all have these types of friends. What if we had one friend who never just wanted to say hey, and keep on going with their life? What if we had a friend who truly cares about who we are, and what is going on with our lives? What if we had the ultimate super friend? We do, and his name is Jesus. He is our lifeline, someone who will always be there, anytime of any day. He is the ultimate friend.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for all the great blessings you have given us in our lives, especially the gift of friendship. Please help us to see that Jesus is the ultimate friend, and that we should always put him first in our lives. You are that one true friend who is so close that you are closer than a brother. Please be with us this weekend, and bless all those who are sick and traveling. In your name, Amen.

Devotion Saturday 2/5/11
Through Joseph Highley

Right now in Egypt, a violent and radical group is rising up and attempting to over throw the government. To be fair, the Egyptian government isn't currently just the greatest out there, but this group is currently rioting in the streets, killing innocent lives, and attempting to set up an oppresive Sharia law system. It is a revolution.

How often does it feel like we are in revolution against ourselves and God? How often does it feel like some part of us is dragging us down a pathway we do not belong? Or keeping us from becoming the person God has outlined for us? Our human nature, our desire to be happy, belong, or just have fun, can conflict with the joy and peace that we really need from God alone.

Romans chapter 7 verses 7 through 25 is a very good section. Verse 15 says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." We are in a spiritual conflict, a spiritual war, a spiritual revolution. Satan once revolted against God and lost. Satan wants us to join in his revolt against God. Instead, we are part of Christ's revolution, one that has already suceeded, and was only bloody in that it cost the Lamb its life and we are now saved by its blood. We have the power every morning to wake up and cling to God and His Word and be made righteous. We are "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17)

Prayer: Father, help us to fight the battle that wages within us, attempting to throw you out of our lives. Keep us strong in the one true faith, today and everyday. Wash us in the Lamb's blood and make us holy. In His name we pray. Amen

Week 1 Devotions, Thoughts and Comments

Feel free to comment using the comment feature. If you would like your email added to get daily devotions written by us and our peers, please email highley07@missouristate.edu

This is the first daily little devotional. Hope it focuses your day on God in the morning or whenever you read it.

Sunday 1/23/11
Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Basketball games can be tense times if you are a big fan. One seems to live and die with every made or missed shot. Its certainly easy to get anxious and nervous watching some games. In watching basketball this seems to be okay, as its part of the fan experience. In life it is not.

We have a God who Himself bore every burden we could ever have to the cross on calvary. We truly have nothing left to be anxious about that he hasn't already borne for us. The solution and alternative is to pray and talk to God about that with which we are worried..

in sports, when worries and hardship overwhelm, one must sometimes rely on a "Hail Mary" pass or basket. In life, we can always rely on Christ.

Prayer: Lord, when we want to set our sights on the problems we face, let us instead fix eyes on your only begotten Son who died for each of us. Amen

Monday 1/24/2011

Dan's Post

Isaiah 61:1a

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. “

The sermon yesterday was all about darkness and who to shine your light to, and where Jesus set up shop (so to speak). The pastor continued to remind us that Christ set up shop in a dark spot because those in darkness are the ones who need to be reached.

The pastor was from our sister congregation in the city and he was telling us all about the location of the church and the drug deals that go on down the street and the homeless and how they were put there for a reason, and how each of us is put where we are for a reason.

The book of Isaiah tells us to “proclaim the good news to the poor”. Not just those lacking income, but poor meaning those living in the darkness. I pray that each of us strives to shine as a light to all individuals, but especially to those who remain in the darkness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the Light of the World, help us to walk in your light and to shine as a light to those we come into contact with. Amen.

Tuesday 1/25/11

Written through Jason Highley

The God of Beginnings

Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”

Many people want to label Genesis as a tale about our origins. I prefer to think of it as a story of beginnings. After all, Genesis is no canonized Origin of Species. It won’t put to rest the evolution argument, it doesn’t have much to say about geology or astronomy, and it certainly treads non-politically-correct ground when it comes to sexes. But those who would attempt to vivisect Genesis as a tale of origins focus too much on our own significance, and lose sight of the cosmic nature of our God.

On December 24, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 transmitted video from their lunar orbit to the earth. In that transmission, the world saw it’s first “earthrise” (with accompanying audio from the first 10 verses of Genesis) and realized just how small we really are. Astronaut Jim Lovell tried to put thoughts into words and remarked, “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." I don’t know that any of us have felt as alone as Jim Lovell did, seeing the only world he knew as a small blue sphere rolling through the void. But awe-inspiring it certainly was, because it reminds us of that basic truth that is more and more frequently neglected – God is really, really powerful.

I often feel that we as a society have lost touch with this God - the God of Genesis. After all, we “created” iPods, Android phones, the Motorola Xoom, and Xbox Kinect. The whole question of us - as affluent Americans - getting anything we truly “need” from scripture can start to feel laughable as we exercise our power to order anything from Amazon with two touches. It seems sometimes that what we really want is for God to acknowledge that we are the creators now. Just give us Jesus and all his feel-good talk about love and redemption, and leave the crazy, unpredictable pillar of fire from Exodus at home with our Palm Pilots. But our God is not tame, not watered-down, not packaged up inside our comfort zones. He is wild and miraculous. Next time you start to doubt God’s power to accomplish his will in your life, look up at the moon and ask yourself, “Who imagined that this whole world would be, and made it just so?”

Prayer: Lord, you are mighty and awesome. I trust you with everything that I am and everything that I will do. As your breath moved over the surface of the waters in Genesis, so let it move over the waters of my life, that you can create in me a clean and powerful heart, capable of doing your will. Amen.

Wednesday 1/26/11

Written through Liz Marler

This may be a girl thing, but I know EVERY single clothing item that I own. When I turned 13, I began to purchase my own clothing with my own money and became much more possessive over my belongings. Right now, I have a beautiful black cardigan with pearly white buttons from Old Navy that is missing. I wore it literally two times and then it disappeared. It was one of my favorite sweaters to wear! And now, it's GONE. If any of you happen to know where it is, please tell me...although, this WAS three years ago......:)

This situation may seem not to apply to most of you (who are men) and it may seem extremely dramatic for something so unimportant, but it relates to your very own life. Lucky for you, you are the classy Old Navy cardigan! :) We are specifically chosen by God to be his children (you feel free to substitute cardigan for children if that would make it better). God sent his most precious gift, his son, Jesus, as a price to pay for our sins so we could be God's belongings and His children! And He knows us all and never forgets even one. What a promising thought to "hang out" in God's closet/Kingdom!

Unfortunately, sin and the devil (or a night out on the town) draws us away from the secure hand of God. We tend to get lost very easily due to many worldly distractions and temptations. Unlike myself, God does NOT give up on his lost children. Just as in the story of the lost sheep in Luke, our Shepard would leave his 99 sheep to come and look for the one, lonely sheep.

Luke 15:4 (KJV)
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, doth not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it?"

"I once was lost, but now I'm found..." <--Amazing Grace may never have been sung by my cardigan, but it is sung daily by Christians around the world, who give thanks to their heavenly father for finding them in a world of darkness. I know I would most certainly wear and use my cardigan as much as Mr. Rogers did if I had it back. Similarly, God uses all of our talents and gifts to spread his Word in this lost world. We are FOUND! Praise God! Prayer: My gracious Shepard, thank you for choosing and finding me in this dark and fallen world. Forgive me for all the times I have hidden from you or your Word. Please give me the energy and strength to use my gifts and talents to praise you all the days of my life. Amen. AUTHOR'S NOTE: {I began to think of Lost and Found after seeing the concert at River of Life on Sunday. The men stress that the most important word in their name is "AND". They did an excellent job by the way...}

Thursday1/27/11

Devotion 1/27/11
Through Neil Harrington

Good morning everyone!

I don't know about you all, but it has been a long week that won't seem to end. I am definitely looking forward to the weekend that's for sure! ( and hopefully a Bears victory over UNI! :) One thing that has got me through this week is staying in the word and praying daily. I'm going to focus on the aspect of prayer for today. A lot of times it's hard to know how to pray or even what order to pray. The bible is clear that we need to pray in all that we do. Paul says in his letter to the church in Ephesus, "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere." Clearly Paul says to pray at all times and on every occasion. So that means not just your "morning prayer" or evening prayer before you get tucked in! He means throughout the day we should be in constant contact with our Lord. The second part of that verse is where fall short at, including myself at times. Paul says stay alert and persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. What Paul is to pray for others and not just yourself. It is definitely important to pray for yourself and give your needs to the Lord, but the focus of praying shouldn't be "ME". Jesus gives us the perfect example on how to pray. "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Matthew 6:9-13. What does all that mean exactly?! Does that mean we are to pray those exact words every time we pray? No, that is not the case. Jesus was giving us an outline of how to approach praying and that we should pray for all things according to His will. There was a great way to approach prayer that my pastor taught me and easy to remember and to understand. A wonderful acronym for prayer that I learned from my pastor is ACTS. So four basic aspects of prayer:



Adoration (is to adore God, to worship Him and to fulfill the commandment to love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul. As we spend time in adoration, we praise God for who He is - our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer.)



Confession ( allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him. All of us have sinned.The Apostle John writes in his epistle "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:8,9)



Thanksgiving( From childhood we are brought up to say "Thank You" when someone does something for us, or gives us a gift. Each moment God is blessing us, every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given. And so, we need to be constantly thanking God for his blessings. In writing to Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we also need to be giving thanks for everyday, worldly things.



Submission( Finally we come to ask God for our needs and the needs of others. There are many demands on our prayer time - many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific).



I guarantee if we follow this way of prayer then it will make a huge difference in our lives.



Prayer for the day: Heavenly Father, thank you for all of your continued blessings and all that you do for us. Most importantly thank You for who You are and for what you have done for us. Guide us the rest of the week as we go in our daily lives and to shine the light of Jesus in all we do. Help us to be more caring for others and not to be selfish in things we do, including prayer. We love You and praise You and we do this the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.



As always, please visit twomenandabible.blogspot.com to comment on this or any other devotion

Devotion Friday 1/28/11

Through Colten Highley

Like Neil, I also chose to write about prayer. Neil covered the topic very well, but hopefully I can explain it a little further. Mine is more of an example of how not to pray, and why we don’t always get what we want.

“You do not have, because you do not ask God. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask for the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. “- James 4:3

When I was in 4^th grade, I received my first pair of glasses. At the time, I hated it and thought it was the worst thing in my life. I prayed and prayed that I wouldn’t have to wear them. It seems ridiculously silly now, but I tried to rationalize my thoughts with God-

Just think, if I woke up tomorrow and had 20/20 vision, how great of a miracle that would be! I would tell everyone how I was healed, and it would lead more people to Jesus!

Looking back now, I understand why those prayers weren’t answered, or haven’t been answered yet. God had better plans in mind for me. As the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) God chose not to restore my sight, so that I might learn to rely on grace. I look forward to being in heaven where I shall see with clarity- “And I- in righteousness I will see your face, when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” (Psalm 17:15)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your many blessings. Great is your faithfulness; your mercies are new every morning. Help us to make your motives our motives. Help us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Thy will be done. Amen.

As always, please visit twomenandabible.blogspot.com to comment on the devotionals. Coming to you tomorrow is Cody Seidel

Saturday 1/29/11

Through Cody Seidel

I was listening to a song on the radio on Wednesday. This song is by Carrie Underwood, a country singer. I have put this last verse and refrain here which I have always found very interesting.

Old man, hospital bed / The room is filled with people he loves / And he whispers, “Don’t cry for me, I’ll see you all someday / He looks up and says, “I can see God’s face” / “This is my temporary home, it’s not where I belong/ Windows and rooms that I am passing through/ This was just a stop on the way to where I’m going/ I’m not afraid because I know this was my temporary home.” This is our temporary home.

An old man understands that our lives here on this Earth are just temporary. We are all living in His creation, using everything that He has given us. Even though we do not thank him for every single thing that has been given to us, he knows what is truly on our hearts. I believe we all appreciate the lives God has given us, and we should thank him for that by living our lives the way that He wants us to. We should be ready for that day because it can come at any time. A question you can ask yourself is, “If I were to die tomorrow, would I be ready?” The old man was ready to die because he knew that this place, our bodies, and everything in general is just a temporary place. John 14: 2-3 says “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. The absolute best place is awaiting us in heaven, and our names are written in the Book of Life. Yes, it can be scary, but I take great comfort in knowing that our names are written in the book, and God has loved has since before we were even born. He will continue to love us always!!! Oh how I cannot wait to be there, and be in His glory until the end of time.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for everything you have given us, from the most complex things to the simplest ones. You are truly great and awesome!! You have cared for us, and done so much for us. Help us to be better missionaries for you, and tell the world what you have done. Keep us safe through the weekend, and be with us always. In your holy name, Amen.

"Child of the Light"

A couple Sundays ago we sang a hymn titled, “I want to walk as a child of the Light.” I didn’t think too much of it that Sunday morning, I knew I hadn’t heard it before but I liked it. Then as I arrived at work today it hit me why. Let me explain:

Most days at work I do the same things, spend time on the floor helping customers, managing to ensure the store runs smoothly, ordering product and adhering to any other tasks the director asks of (just to name a few things). Today was different though, the boss asked everyone to review the Crisis Management binder. As you can imagine the binder has all the information to help you out if any sort of a disaster were to strike. We looked at everything from shoplifters, to injured customers to bad weather and the results of it. At that time I remembered how a few months back I was walking the store and all of a sudden the power was out, and the back-up generator didn’t kick on. I was standing in unfamiliar territory, no power, which means no lights to guide our way. I had to find a flashlight. That’s when the song hit me. “I want to walk as a child of the Light,” I was walking around the unlit store, with merely one little light leading my path, directing me so I didn’t run into things.

“I want to walk as a child of the Light, I want to follow Jesus.” Life brings all sorts of interesting situations, some good and some bad, but in all of them we need to follow Jesus. In all times, we need to shine as a light and in the good times, thank God for all He does for us. In the bad we need to trust His Word and know that when we don’t know where we are or what to do or where we are going (much like being in a store without power and only a flashlight) that He will guide us. We know that he has a plan for us, and that His plan is not to harm us and not to lead us astray, but rather a plan to lead us through life (Jeremiah 29). Through the thick and thin He is there for us.

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” is how Jesus responds in the book of John. The world is a big place and not everyone knows him as the Way, Truth and Life. So my question for you is, are you walking as a child of the Light so that others can see God’s work in you? And are you using the Word as your Crisis Management book, not only in the bad times but in the good times as well?

Sojourn

According to dictionary.com, sojourn means, "a temporary stay"

The word "sojourn" appeared in several of the daily verses that I got the other day. was

One of these verses was 1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."

Another instance was Psalm 15 "O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?..."

Now certainly there were many good points and thoughts in these verses and the other verses I got that day. The thing that stood out to me was the sojourn part. A familiar hymn that I love comes to mind, "I am but a stranger here, heaven is my home." We are all exile, travelers, wanders, on this earth. In the first verse that I particularly like that we are then urged to abstain from passions of the flesh.

Not only are we wanders, we are in a war against the forces of this world. Just because we are wandering and lost in this world, it doesn't mean we should give in to it and live for its pleasure.

The great message then from Psalms, is taht we will get to spend time and live in God's house, not as visitors or wanderers, but as sons and daughters coming home eto live with the Father.

Blessing, peace and joy