The Passion on the Inside Forms Something Valuable on the Outside

His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. - Jeremiah 20:9

We face difficulties and tensions in life but that’s when the Holy Spirit fills us up on the inside so we can handle the pressure. God can provide a passion inside like a burning fire to get us going and do amazing things for His glory. As explained in the post “Power to Build an Amazing Day”, scriptures encourage, difficulties teach us endurance, and hope overflows.

God can take these pressures we face and turn them into something amazing. Diamonds are formed from small dust like minerals that are exposed to high temperature and pressure at depths of over 100 miles below the Earth’s surface. This occurs over a long period of time. In a similar way that God’s Creation forms a very valuable diamond out of dust, He can also forms diamonds out of us.

Receive inspiration from today’s song Diamonds by Hawk Nelson and get started on building an amazing day.

Index of devotionals

Desire and Power

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. - Philippians 2:13

As pointed out in the post “We Call Upon Your Name”, All who call upon the name of the Lord receive the way to freedom and even victory over death.

This day with God, let us call upon His name and just like in the song One Desire by Hillsong have one request and that is to be devoted to His Way.

To obtain the power the Spirit offers, let us have one desire; to call upon the name of the Lord for all of our days. To desire to hear His Word, see Christ at work, and bring the Good News to others.

Index of devotionals

Find Your Treasure

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:21

What God gives is a plan for life that is a treasure and the more you lose ourselves in this plan, the more passion we will have.

An idea pointed out in the post “Peace and True Life” is to find treasure as you gather positive thoughts, pictures, and sounds desired by the Spirit. These diamonds in the rough will fuel your actions revealing to those around you that you are a part of a group that follows Christ.

Some ideas that might help with our attitude and thought life is to start the day with uplifting positive music. Your thoughts will have a better chance to get in the right frame of mind as you take on the challenges of the day. If yesterday was a rough one, find a treasure like this song called Diamonds by Hawk Nelson to get the momentum going in the right direction.

Index of devotionals

His Spirit Dwells In Us

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? – 1 Corinthians 3:16

Reading in Exodus 25, a tabernacle was to be built according to exact instructions. The post “A Sanctuary for God to Dwell” pointed out that this tabernacle would be the place in which God would dwell.

Also pointed out was that because of Christ, we are each God’s Temple and His Spirit dwells within us. We can get ready for the challenge of each day by going to the ONE who created it all and passionately stirring each other up to boldly step ahead.

There are many reasons that some may worry in life; a job with unreasonable demands or trying to get through a difficult class in school among other things but all that matters is doing our best and trusting God. So live life with passion, with initiative, and gain momentum by getting ready for each day.

As the song One Step Away by Casting Crowns points out, we are never alone and we can go to the ONE whose arms are wide open and cast away all our anxieties.

Index of devotionals

Always by Your Side

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, present your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

God is like a mountain; standing rock solid over time and protecting you in your time of need. You can take courage, for God is there for you. If you feel anxious about anything today, go to God in prayer. Take courage, for He loves you; teaching through lessons and kindly providing for your needs.

Work with Him in faith, wait for Him in hope, and fulfill your purpose with a passion. As in the song Whom Shall I fear by Chris Tomlin, the God of angel armies will always be by your side.

Index of devotionals

Write a Wonderful Story

As explained in the post “Priceless Principles in the Scriptures”, Paul and the early church faced persecution for sharing about Christ but they wrote a wonderful story that today we get an opportunity to read and provide us with insight in how life should be lived.  

So the lesson is to stay interested and be eager to examine for yourself the priceless principles found in the scriptures. Keep going after what you believe in and people will be able to read your life story many years into the future. Many times in life, we find that it is in the tough experiences that we go through that provide the greatest growth.  

This day with God, keep writing your story so that you can share with others. Put this story to work for the glory of God. What is important is to never give up but keep going after what you believe in. Even under situations when things don’t seem to be working out, keep after it because you may find one simple thing to try and bam! It works.

Enjoy today’s inspirational video: Write Your Story – Francesca Battistelli

May He grant your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! - Psalm 20:4

Index of devotionals

Waiting Yet Anticipating

Patience is definitely a virtue. In the post “Desire to Hear More”, Paul and Barnabas shared the Good News; some desired to hear more but others were in no mood to listen and even took out their anger on the messengers.

It is still the same for us today and we should employ the same attitude that Paul and Barnabas did by continuing to be encouraged, simply shaking off the dust, and remain steady in offering the Good News to those ready to listen.

Today’s inspiring video shares this encouragement as we patiently wait on the Lord’s return: Even So Come – Kristian Stanill.

 I wait on the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His Word I hope. - Psalm 37:4

Index of devotionals

Receiving the Kingdom Like Children

In thinking of ways to receive the kingdom of God with enthusiasm like children as written about in Just be Yourself, we need to give all credit for what is accomplished in our life to God. We need to be humble and love others as God’s creation.

Have a passion for pointing out the good in others and let others know that God has great plans for them. Point out lessons in life that we have learned the hard way and that it is when God carries us that great things are done. Be inspired by today’s video: Free to be Me – Francesca Battistelli.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. - Philippians 2:3

Index of devotionals

Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

What God gives in a plan for life is a treasure and the more we surrender to His plan, the more passion we have. In the post Listen and Follow Directions, God would eventually bless Abraham with more descendants than stars in the sky or sands on all the beaches (v.17).

Here is a video I produced a while back about a person who settled in the city in which I currently live. He set out to fulfill his dreams many years ago; becoming a successful businessman in a new land. Eventually his family would leave a tract of land to the city. Today that land is a city park and zoo named in his honor. Enjoy this video: Beyond Your Wildest Dreams.

My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul, If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.  - Proverbs 24:13-14

Index of devotionals

Standing Up to Fear

A bird at our neighbor’s house was not scared when we walked near her. Wondering why she was not frightened, we then realized she was sitting on her eggs. We could get right up next to her and it would not fly away. Nothing was going to frighten her away from protecting her eggs. She stood up to fear because she was driven by a purpose more important than her own security. The bird was fulfilling her purpose with passion.

Photo Credit – whitegadget.com

http://www.whitegadget.com/pc-wallpapers/143280-birds.html

I love seeing photos of mountain scenes. What a great inspiration they can be. These great rocks have stood firm over time. They can shield from bad weather or protect from enemies during wartime. Nature is a great teacher like the examples above and we can also learn lessons of courage from history, from TV/movies, and in life experiences.

Even though TV shows may not be reality, there are still lessons of courage depicted. When my daughter was younger, we got in the habit of sitting down to watch episodes of Little House on the Prairie. One of the characters in the show named Mary received a teaching job in another county. A resident in this county didn’t want the school to succeed but Mary had the courage to stand up to her and get everyone thinking her way. Sometimes you have to ruffle some feathers and not be as friendly in order to get people moving in the right direction; it’s called leadership.

To make an omelet you, have to crack some eggs. There is a need for leaders to have courage to stand up and point out a problem so they can nip it in the bud before it grows out of control.

Think of the terrible shootings in the late 1990’s in Littleton Colorado Columbine High School and the recent shootings in the Aurora Theater or at Sandy Hook. The killers involved in these incidents showed many warning signs that were not followed through with. Was it because of a lack of time or attention by those around the shooters? Or was it a lack of courage to stand up and nip it in the bud before it got out of control? The killers in these tragedies all had planned in advance, and had problems with their behavior leading up to the events.

Do we simply need more courage to do what’s right? There are many stories that do demonstrate courage. I heard a story one time that a man fell 18 feet off a ladder onto an iron fence post. It jabbed through the man's side and out the other.  A neighbor had the courage to take action immediately. He cut the post stuck in him and hurried the man to the emergency room. The post was surgically removed from the man’s body; only missing his heart by an inch, bruising several internal organs, and severing some main arteries. The amazing thing about the story is that the man was recovering at home within a week.

Stories like the one above demonstrate to us that everything is in God's hands and we should have courage because God is in control. He has given us control over our thoughts and the thoughts of fear can be mastered. The starting point is desire. We all can control our own destiny by reaching a decision to have courage. When we go about our day and see or hear negative words or actions from others, we can be courageous for God is with us.

For building faith in God’s power, limitless, and promises there is an on-line devotional I’m using to keep me on track. I invite you to join the journey or check in from time to time for some inspiration by liking or following at the links below:

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This Day with God Devotional

Abundant Life with a Bright Outlook

Each day during the week, I write a post at this link. The mission of this blog is to demonstrate an instrument for Bible study that uses technology to develop a better way to study the Bible by integrating the principles or core values God gives into our daily life at work and at home. One core value God gives that I think is important is to take care of our physical and mental body.

To continue with the benefits of good physical and mental health, we need to understand that happiness is short term but joy last forever. People get excited about snow in central Texas and when it happens, they build a snow man. But it melts the next day. With God’s word, you build something inside which last forever and can never melt away. Some ways to brighten or warm up your day is to seek the truth of His Word, experience the joy Christ gives, and be aware of the wonder in Creation. These are the true treasures.

Being able to adapt to circumstances, having self-control, and just being a good person are the best prescription for a sound mind and body. The trials we face in this world are not easy but we can believe that our reward is with Christ.

God placed extreme value on us, created us in His image, and crowned us with tremendous honor when He sent His Son to die for us. Because of what He has done for us, we need to give ourselves a chance to be happy. With Christ, we have a chance for abundant life today that only gets better in the long term with daily transformation; growing in grace and a future beyond our wildest imagination.

Take Care of God’s Temple and Honor Him

Take care of yourself because you are God’s temple; a holy place for the Spirit. Honor God with regular exercise, healthy eating, and good sleeping habits. Don’t misuse your body by smoking, drinking, overeating, or being promiscuous. Find your true love and demonstrate devotion. Clear your path to life with enthusiasm, passion, and peace of mind.

A physical workout builds physical muscle and in a similar way we can build muscles of faith by studying God’s Word, prayer, and by listening for direction from the Holy Spirit. If we plant seeds of Christ’s core values into a fertile soul and water with the Spirit, the result is abundant growth. 

Next weekend, I’ll continue with the core value of physical and mental health.

Change The World

Some float through life doing things for which they have no passion. They are consumed by their weaknesses. They never discover the benefit they could provide to our society if they would explore, dream, and discover! Over the next few paragraphs, my objective is to provide you with an example of someone who didn’t float through life but went down the roaring rapids of life.

He loved to draw and had an interest in motion pictures. Often, he took his sister to Electric Park which was only a few blocks from their home and one of the world’s first full time amusement parks. It was near Heim Brothers Brewery in Kansas City Missouri.

While in High School, he took night courses at the Chicago Art Institute. He became cartoonist for the school newspaper. He dropped out of school at sixteen to join the army but rejected because he was underage so he decided to join the Red Cross where he was sent to France during World War I. For a year he drove an ambulance.

In 1919, he found work as an artist but was told by the newspaper that he was not creative enough. He started his own animation company making Laugh-O-Grams or what we call cartoons today and secured a deal with a local theater to screen them. The cartoons became popular in the Kansas City area but studio profits were insufficient to cover employee salaries and it went bankrupt.

He moved to Hollywood in 1925 and started a studio with his brother Roy. By now many of you know who I’m writing about. Walt Disney was most valuable to their company when he was using his gift of innovation instead of running the day-to-day operations. Roy was good with running the day to day operations of the business. They had some success with a series put into production through Universal Pictures but Universal cut their fees and stole some of their artist.

But Walt continued to be an Innovator and created some of the world’s most well-known fictional characters including Mickey Mouse in the 1930’s and Donald Duck in the 1940’s. In 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated movie in America made in Technicolor. It became the most successful motion picture of 1938. In the late 1940’s, he drew sketches of ideas for an amusement park and Disney Land opened in 1955.

In the 1950’s, his company began expanding into other entertainment operations. Treasure Island became the studio’s first all-live-action feature, soon followed by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Old Yeller, and Swiss Family Robinson. The television show, Mickey Mouse Club debuted in 1955. Walt Disney won twenty two Academy Awards – More than any other individual in History. In May 1965, land owners were happy to get rid of swamp land a few miles southwest of Orlando. Walt Disney world opened in October 1971.

Walt Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized but he taught us to be enthusiastic about life. He taught us about having a passion; an absorbing interest in what we do. Things come easier when we do what we like to do. Kids seem to get it a little better than adults. Every day can be a holiday if we look forward to what tomorrow will bring. Each day, we should be like a child going on a vacation.

More pictures are taken at Walt Disney World, the world’s number one tourist attraction, than at any other single location on the planet. Today, Walt Disney’s animation/motion picture studios and theme parks have developed into a multi-billion dollar television, motion picture, vacation destination and media corporation.

What lesson has been learned: Just to have solid dreams and let God take it to a level that you never dreamed of. We serve a supernatural God who is not limited to the laws of nature. He can do what human beings cannot do and make a way in our lives where it looks as if there is no way; therefore we should stop focusing on what we can't do, and start focusing on what God can do. Give it your all. Don't settle for mediocrity but do things with a passion. Imagine approaching each day with enthusiasm because you have the chance to bring order to God’s world. You have a chance to enthusiastically explore, dream, and discover!

Below is a video I made of our vacation to Disney World last summer.

Thanks for reading. I'd like to invite you to take a look at my other blogs at the links below:

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