Stand Firm in Faith

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. - 1 Peter 5:8-9

The post “Iron Sharpens Iron” gave some ideas for ways we can have right relationships with others. We all have certain God given personality strengths and weaknesses. With our strengths, we should refine them and share with others. With our weaknesses, we should be humble, listen, and be sharpened by others.

Sometimes we learn by observing what not to do. Maybe a brother, sister, parent, or some other person struggled with an addiction and you saw what it did to their life. Their negatives taught about the importance of creating positives in life. To stand firm in faith.

To create positives that heal and inspire us to do what we should, let the scars from life be completely understood. Let Grace be ushered in as pointed out in this song The Hurt & The Healer - MercyMe.

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Adjustments

Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. – Job 6:24

The post “Interaction” highlighted principles that can be used for how we interact in our relationships and in life situations. Some main points brought out are to avoid the traps that get us into trouble by listening to those we can trust and striving to get along with others by watching what we say. When challenged with difficulty, continue to have a good outlook on life.

As pointed out in the song Dear Younger Me by MercyMe, life is not always a smooth ride but the bumps along the way hopefully help us learn and gain experience so that needed adjustments are made for a better future.

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Perseverance

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. - Romans 5:3

The post “Path of Righteousness” discussed the path a person should go in reaction to things that are meant to bring them down; insults from others, difficulties, and road blocks along life’s journey can be overcome if first met with perseverance.

I’m reminded of a sermon from my pastor who pointed out that God’s way is not always the easiest but His way always allows you to finish strong so follow God day by day and do not quit but persevere; keep going and God will stir up a passion in your heart. He will be with you to finish the race strong.*

If someone insults you, keep on being kind and working hard. Take the path of righteousness and look forward to a great reward. Along this path are beautiful meadows and majestic mountaintops. It is the path that leads to immortality.

So the lesson for us today is that even in difficulty, we can rejoice. Life goes on so we can be inspired towards a future in which God is in control. What we should do is what the song Press On by Building 429 says to do.

Index of devotionals

* "Sermons." FUMC Waco. Web. <http://fumcwaco.org>.

Memories for a Lifetime

Rejoice with the wife of your youth … and always be enraptured with her love. - Proverbs 5:18-19

Within the post “His Plan forSex and Love”, written were some thoughts about the institutions of marriage, about relationships, and about building great memories over a lifetime with the ones we love. The memories are some of the most valuable possessions we can have.

There are times of the year that bring back memories. The end of summer when family gathers for Labor Day, the fall and the smell of pecan pie, the winter when the leaves have fallen and you look up into the cold night sky and see more stars than you could ever count. The spring and the memories of kids playing youth sports and the summers going to the water park. You can depend on the seasons … they keep coming … you can count on it, but they never are exactly the same. O, they really don’t change but life and how you see things does.

Unfortunately, relationships can easily be broken and the people that are hurt are the ones we love the most. The song Keep Your Eyes on Me by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill has some good points on building stronger relationships that last. Things like being sensitive to the needs of your spouse and understanding that God’s plan is for us is to use good common sense by putting our attention on the one He joined with us in marriage.

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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.

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Called According To His Purpose

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

The post “Respond with Commitment” discusses how Moses was called according to His purpose to receive instructions called the Ten Commandments from God. During that time, only Moses could have a close relationship to God but because of the death and resurrection of Christ, we have the opportunity to also get instructions from God through reading His Word. We can read the Bible for the purpose of writing down lessons learned and sharing these lessons with future generations.

The song Every Good Thing by The Afters points out that our relationships are so important. Of most importance is our relationship with God. Then our time with family members and our friends should also be top priority. Let us remember that life is designed for eternity so let us put our time into good causes and into relationships that return eternal dividends.

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Be The Miracle

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. - James 1:22-24

The post “Prepared Way” is about the promises made by God to the Israelites as He prepares the way to the Promised Land. These same promises are available to us today in His Word as a guide to our relationships, our career, and everything we do. We can use it to plan and build our life to withstand the shakeups we may face.

The Word of God is our firm foundation and by knowing God’s plan for us , we can share with others so that we can be the miracle they may need. Just like in the song Be One by Natalie Grant. 

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Putting God First

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. - Colossians 3:2

One of the main questions I tried to answer within the post “Responsible To Each Other” was how do we put God first in the future? After reading the passage and giving it some thought, the best way to answer the question is by putting God FIRST in our finances, our interests, our relationships, and in our time.  Like the song Fix My Eyes by King & Country, we should fix our eyes on the things of God.

I remember a while back when I drove to work and saw a double rainbow in the sky. I got out of my truck and started walking up the hill to the office when I realized that I left my badge in my truck so I walked back to my truck and noticed the rainbow again.

This time, I took a few seconds to aim my smart phone to get a picture of the rainbow. If we focus on God’s beauty, we are able to make it through anything and realize that at the end of the rainbow of life, there is a pot of gold because those who give up what’s in the world and follow Christ, receive eternal riches in the kingdom of God.

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Guide Me in Your Truth

are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. - Psalm 25:4-5

As shared in the post “The ONE True”, knowing and trusting God makes a difference in how we treat others. God’s love for us as demonstrated on the Cross began the healing process for His people. We are brought together as one in Christ and our attitudes toward others are changed.  

If the past has been one in which we were careless in our relationships or have said or done things that hurt others, we can make things right by being honest with ourselves and with others. As in the song “If We’re Honest by Francesca Battistelli", we can set out on a new path which God has provided for all. 

Things of the world lead down a long and winding path to nowhere but the path of God leads to a glorious future. His promised future is laid out on the solid foundation of Truth and we can rest assured that the promise will be fulfilled.

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By Grace Saved By Faith

We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. - 2 Corinthians 6:3

In the post “All Obstacles Are Removed”, studied was how some spiritual leaders tried to set up stumbling blocks that confused the Galatians. They were more concerned about maintaining their own power over others rather than explaining God’s love for them as demonstrated on the Cross.

A person can go from being a nobody to a somebody when they understand God’s love for them. Jesus demonstrated that love and this song Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin explains the freedom we have received by accepting Christ as Savior.

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Choose Good News

In the post Creating Order, some thoughts were shared about the Ten Commandments. God wants the best for us but history tells us that humanity focuses more on the things of the world rather than the “Good News” of God. When we pay attention to the world, disorder expands to fill the void of human failure. When we pay attention to God, order fills the void with greatness.

Distraction steals our heart from God. Worry and the senseless noise of the phone, television, and the bad news of the world can get us down. Each of us could use more of God’s “Good News”. Here’s an uplifting video that inspires this thought: Stop the World – Matthew West

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:2

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The Application of Our Faith

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

The post Prepare the Heart was about David going to God in order for justice to be carried out against his accusers. Studying about David and others in the Bible along with learning the principles found in God’s word prepares our heart and initiates the application of our faith to handle the challenges we face in this world. 

Let us seek to do something today that brings glory to God and start by praying with a vision of what that looks like. With Jesus by our side, we can make it happen. Let us take inspiration from today’s video: Do Something – Matthew West.

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Post for Next day Great Attributes of Christianity

In the post The Strategy to Trap Jesus, The answer Jesus gave to the question raised by the Pharisee spies demonstrated that Christianity is broad-minded. It is clear from the response of Jesus that Christianity respects the state and can work alongside it.

Christianity celebrates our differences. God has made us all for a purpose and we need to understand that our differences are really our strength. Not only are we all different in how we think, but also in our physical attributes.

God has made us all for a purpose and we need to celebrate our differences. Here is an interesting fact about our physical differences: according to Guinness World Records, the tallest man living is 8 ft. 3 inches. The shortest man living is 2 feet tall. A startling comparison is that if humans varied as much in height as dogs do, the smallest person would be 2 feet tall and the tallest person would stand 31 feet tall!  

Human relationships are made complicated by our differences but this diversity actually makes us stronger. One great aspect of marriage is that a husband has certain attributes that help in a marriage and a wife has certain attributes. Each are united as one and offer something positive to the relationship.

Christianity is not only broad-minded in how people interact between their religion and the state, it is also perfect for human relationships. Most of all, Christianity is absolutely perfect in our relationship to God because it provides a way to return to Him. As this video points out, Christianity is a friend of sinners: Jesus, Friend of Sinners – Casting Crowns.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. - Romans 15:7

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Surround Yourself with People of Integrity

The post Association contained some written thoughts from the study of Genesis 14. A lesson learned was that the people we associate with are so very important. Lot was near the sinful city of Sodom and because of this association; he lost all his possessions and was taken captive. On the other hand, Abraham was where God wanted him to be and with the people He wanted him to be.

Being around a negative environment can cause great damage in societies. Think of societies that begin to break down. Respect for people breaks down, respect for authority breaks down, and respect for keeping the surroundings upright breaks down.

Like in Genesis 14, the area became a crime riddled wasteland and wars broke out. What once was the place to be, near prosperous activity and growth became a devalued area not because of location but because of the lack of integrity around it.

We need today more people of integrity like Abraham who promised God not to take the spoils of war. He kept his promise when he refused to take anything from the king of Sodom. Here is a video that inspires integrity: Search me Lord – Gaither Vocal Band.

Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. -  Psalm 25:4-5

Index of Devotionals

The Lesson of Growing Good Corn

Photo Credit: snowsoulmate via Flickr

There was a Nebraska farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon...

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. 

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is in our world. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. 

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

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Source:Indianchild.com

Today's post comes from coach Muller, a friend who has a blog called Good Time Stories. For great stories, be sure to check out his blog.

Peace of Mind and Joy

Billy Graham was quoted to say the following, “The word romance, according to the dictionary, means, excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime”. When I was single, the guys in a small group at my church made lasagna from scratch for the single girls of that group and planned a dinner for them on Valentine’s Day. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or what but about four or five marriages were produced from that group.

There is something to be said about having a partner for life. Researchers have found that people who are lonely have more health issues. Loneliness is more of a factor in health concerns than being overweight, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. There are not many happy hermits. God created us to be social beings that depend on one another. Psychiatrists have done studies to proof that having meaningful relationships will add to better health.

In Luke 14:16-24 is the parable of the great banquet. Invitations were sent out for a feast but everyone made excuses for not showing up. The lesson is to not miss out on the gift of God who helps us physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

What provisions has God made for us? Every person is in equal standing with God who wants to provide us with joy and peace of mind. He is a God of justice who makes wrongs right. This is provided for in that everyone who believes in what the gospel clearly explains and accepts God’s Son as their savior has a protective antidote to a life of eternal misery. Our needs are provided for and He provides joy and peace of mind.

Two ways to increase both physical and mental health are to be kind to others and to be the person that God desires you to be by following His instructions. These are prescriptions to keeping a sound mind filled with wisdom and a sound body that makes available a wholesome dwelling for your soul.

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. Next week, we will continue with this core value God gives that I think is important to being all we are intended to be. We will get more into how to build up this key core value in the post next weekend.

Lovers’ Leap

If you go to a movie or read a book, romance is depicted in stories of courtships and love affairs or in historical settings of heroic deeds or pageantry. In a colorful and scenic world full of fanciful stories and daydreams. I once heard about a legend similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. An Indian maiden named Wah-Wah-Tee from an enemy tribe of the Apaches and her Apache brave lover knew that their love would be forbidden. They were determined to be together and tried to run off together, only to be intercepted by her angry father and brothers. The tale ends with Wah-Wah-Tee kissing her lover before they both jump off a cliff and plummet to their death. Today, people around Waco Texas call the cliff just north of downtown at the east end of the Bosque River “Lover’s Leap” because of this legend.

The world does not give a good guide to relationship but we can look to the greatest servant of all, Jesus, for a perfect model to follow. A relationship fueled by "serve-you" love is a lasting love that begins when a couple start viewing their relationship as a chance to meet each other's needs. A couple should admit their needs, ask God for help and serve each other in God's strength. For any leader of a family or group of people, take inspiration from the following video: Lead Me - Sanctus Real .

Pray for God to lead you to make good decisions and for the strength to lead those you love in the right direction. 

John Ed Mathison in his book “Treasures of a Transformed Life” Wrote about a guy in a romantic mood. He said to his wife, “If I had a thousand arms, they’d all be around you. And she said, “Quit complaining about what you don’t have, and use what you do have!” My pastor, Steve Ramsdell pointed out in a sermon one time that God gives us an amazing proposal and invitation to intimacy. From the beginning in Genesis 1:26-28 to the end in Revelation 21:6-7, He understands our needs and wants. The focus is on a relationship and sometimes we need to slow down and smell the roses. Billy Graham was quoted to say the following, “The word romance, according to the dictionary, means, excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime.

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

This Day with God
Step Ahead
   

Friendship and Lifting the Spirits of Those Around You

Being able to work together with others in a pleasant, courteous, and agreeable way is a very important trait in today's highly technical and specialized world. Things seem to run smoother when those you work with are in good moods. What are some ideas that can lift the spirit of those we are around on a daily basis like our co-workers, family members, and neighbors?

Like anything in life, it may take some research, practice, and hard work. One idea is to be on top of current events, news, and other readings that are uplifting. Another idea is to collect amazing facts of the world or nature; asking God to reveal these in order to share with others. Here are a few examples:  collect facts like how amazing the universe is like below:

• Did you know that the sun travels 150 miles per second as it rotates around the galaxy yet it takes it millions of years to go all the way around?
• Did you know that there are over 100 billion galaxies with each galaxy having billions of stars?

Regard each other as a national treasure because we are all brothers and sisters that should live in harmony with one another, building each other up, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. We should dream big because we live in a big universe and God can handle big dreams.

The objective is to stimulate conversations that are uplifting; being a friend that is concerned about their co-worker, family member or neighbor. Click on the video link below:

http://www.truefriendsthemovie.com/

Think about your day and how busy it is. There is so much time spent handling pressing problems or meeting some deadline when we should be focusing more on activities like preparation, planning, and relationship building. See each day as a gift of God with a limited amount of time. Be careful to live wisely and most of all realize that it is relationships that last forever and bring true happiness.