JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Psalm 32:8) "I will instruct you."
Why are we still here?
When Jesus saved you and I… why didn’t He simply take us to Heaven to be with Him?
And the answer is… because He’s not only interested in your “final destination”… He wants to do a work in all of us and through all of us “on the way to it”.
We often get impatient when it comes to God’s will for our lives.
We just want to get it done!
But a great deal of time usually elapses between when God calls us and when we’ve fulfilled His will for our lives.
God has a plan for each of us!
And until we accept that… we’re not ready to go anywhere!
We need to understand that the journey is an important process.
It matters to God “what you become”… on the way to where you’re going.
Gods will for all of us is that we “become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
And following Him in obedience through many unknowns… trials… and difficulties… is an integral and indispensable part of your “conformation”.
God uses the journey to teach us faith… refine our character… and equip us for greater challenges that lie ahead.
And until we accept that… we’re not ready to go anywhere!
We need to understand that the journey is an important process.
It matters to God “what you become”… on the way to where you’re going.
Gods will for all of us is that we “become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
And following Him in obedience through many unknowns… trials… and difficulties… is an integral and indispensable part of your “conformation”.
God uses the journey to teach us faith… refine our character… and equip us for greater challenges that lie ahead.
In fact if you’re in the process of seeking God’s will right now… you’re already fulfilling part of it in your life.
God said, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.”
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you don’t know all you’d like to… that you’re not making progress.
Something is happening in you… in your attitude… in your thinking… in the way you think and respond to the old sinful life that once governed you… that you were once slaves to.
Little by little line upon line… we are changing while the Holy Spirit is leading… guiding… counseling… and comforting.
(John 8:34) Jesus answered them saying… “Truly, truly I say to you… everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
(Romans 6:16) “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves… you are slaves of the one whom you obey… either of sin which leads to death… or of obedience which leads to righteousness”?
(Romans 6:22) “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God (proven by your obedience to Him)… the fruit you get (that develops or grows within you)… leads to sanctification and its end… eternal life”.
(Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death... but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Your faith is being stretched… your patience is being developed… your doubts are being confronted and conquered… and your relationship with God is growing deeper and stronger.
If we are to love God completely… it will involve our whole personality…our intellect… our emotion and our will.
The Bible says (Jesus speaking) “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and with all your soul… and with all your mind… and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
I love this prayer that comes from the history books of 1253.
Its called the prayer of “Richard of Chichester”.
“Thanks be to thee… O Lord Jesus Christ… for all the benefits which thou hast given us…
For all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for us….
O most merciful redeemer… may we know thee more clearly…
Love thee more dearly… and follow thee more nearly…
For thine own sake.”
The better we come to know God… “may we know Him more clearly”,
The more we will love Him “may we love Him more dearly”.
And the more we love Him… the greater our willingness to trust and obey Him… in the things He calls us to do by... “following Him more nearly”.
He always prepares us in advance for what He has planned ahead for us.
Yes... the struggle can be uncomfortable as this “fleshly body… mind... and soul… is being changed.
As this “corruptible is putting on the incorruptible” (1st Corinthians 15:53)
Yes the teachings and the lessons can sometimes be hard to endure… but it’s a necessary part of the process.
How ever it does get easier and easier… as we submit to the process and allow Him to have His way in our lives.
The outcome is that we truly become “better people” rather than “bitter people”.
And the great finish in this race of life… is that we truly become more like Christ… and more like our Heavenly Father.
That is the challenge of every believer.
Good Day!
(Isaiah 46:11) "What I have said that I will bring about."
God has a plan for your life that requires certain things to happen at a particular time.
And since He sees the big picture… and you’re working with limited information… you must trust Him… even when you don’t see how it will all come together.
God can take the loss of a relationship or a job and make it work for your good.
The trouble is… while He’s doing all this… you can feel uncomfortable and downright miserable.
Seven hundred and eighty-two years before the birth of Jesus… the prophet Micah said that He (Jesus) would be born in Bethlehem
(Micah 5:2). “But you Bethlehem Ephrathah... though you are small among the clansof Judah… out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel… whose origins are from of old... from ancient times.”
But wait a minute… Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth.
So how did God solve the problem?
The Roman emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken: “All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
And because Joseph was a descendant of King David... he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea... David’s ancient home.
He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
He took with him Mary... his wife.. who was now very pregnant.
And while they were there... the time came for her baby to be born.
She gave birth to her first child… a son” (Luke 2:3-7).
Are you worried about the future?
Here what David writes from the Psalm’s for you and I.
(Psalm 37:34). “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act!
Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing”
Relax... the God who arranged for His Son to be born into the right family… at the right time… in the right place… is looking out for you today.
I love the assurance of (Psalm 37:3-4) that tells us… “Trust in the Lord and do good and He will give you the desires of your heart”
Christmas each year is the proof of Gods timing and His promise to mankind arriving at just the right time.
What He said He meant... and He meant what he has said.
(Numbers 23 :19) “God is not a man that He should lie... Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
It’s all in His timing... and we will benefit from it in time to come.
Good Day!
Relax... the God who arranged for His Son to be born into the right family… at the right time… in the right place… is looking out for you today.
I love the assurance of (Psalm 37:3-4) that tells us… “Trust in the Lord and do good and He will give you the desires of your heart”
Christmas each year is the proof of Gods timing and His promise to mankind arriving at just the right time.
What He said He meant... and He meant what he has said.
(Numbers 23 :19) “God is not a man that He should lie... Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
It’s all in His timing... and we will benefit from it in time to come.
Good Day!
(Luke 15:20) "When he was still a great way off…"
The Bible says concerning the Prodigal Son, “When he was a great way off… his father had compassion… ran… fell on his neck… and kissed him.”
The point brought home to us in this parable or story of the prodigal son is that we are not beyond the reach of God’s grace… so your future can be greater than your past!
When he was “a great way off…” his father ran to him.
Why?
Because his relationship with his son wasn’t based on the sons performance… but on the fact that the father had given the son life… and brought him into the family.
When you think about the things his father gave him that day… you realize the significance of each item.
(1) The robe. That confirmed his identity as a son. God doesn’t see you in your weakness; He sees you clothed in the righteousness of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:18-19.
(2) The ring. This was a signet ring with the family seal that gave him back authority to do business in his father’s name.
(3) The shoes. Household servants didn’t wear shoes… only family members did.
He returned home thinking the best he could hope for was a job in the servants’ quarters.
But his father not only restored his identity and authority… he restored him to full son-ship in the family.
(4) The party. Back then when you rebelled against your father’s authority and left home… they conducted “a ceremony of shame”… which meant you could never return.
Not this father… he threw a party!
A Party of rejoicing… a party of acceptance… a party of acknowledgement of the sons restored status in the family.
“For God made Christ who never sinned… to be the offering for our sin… so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)
The word for you today is this…. You can come on back home! Come Back to faith and trust in God!
Like the father who was watching from afar off for his son to return… God is watching for you as well!
Realize that there are those whom love you more than what this world ever can.
And they have only the best in mind for you.
The world stole the son’s inheritance thru their offer of love and acceptance while he had money.
When it all ran out he was left hung out to dry with no friends and no one to comfort… stand… and support him any longer.
Today God says “come unto me and I will give you rest” (Matthew 28:11)
What are you waiting for?
Come on Home!
Good day!
(John 14:26)…"The Helper...will teach you all things."
Jesus said, “The Helper… the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things… and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
The Holy Spirit has these two functions in our lives that make walking with God easier:
1) He teaches you how to walk with God.
(2) He reminds you to do it each day.
As a “child” of God… we constantly need to be taught how to walk with Him and to be reminded of the blessings that await us when we do… as well as the trouble we get into when we don’t.
If you have raised kids, you know the routine.
They have to be taught their ABCs so they can read and write… then they have to be reminded until they master it.
They have to be taught to walk… and falling down hundreds of times is just part of growing up.
The Bible says, “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again” (Proverbs 24:16).
Just as you don’t tell your child “Forget it… you’re never going to learn to walk”… your Heavenly Father doesn’t give up on you either.
And just as you had to often teach your child personal hygiene and cleanliness and remind them continually…
Likewise the Holy Spirit will remind you of the importance of reading God’s Word each day.
Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).
And the psalmist wrote, “How can a young man cleanse his way… by taking heed… to Your word” (Psalm 119:9).
We need every minute of every hour of every day… to be aware of and listen to and for… the urging of the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
We need to pray and ask the “Holy Spirit to teach us what I need to know and remind us of it throughout day.”
Jesus said in (John 14:26) that “The Advocate… the Holy Spirit… whom the Father will send in my name… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
That’s why we need to be “God conscious”… through out every moment of every day.
“If you love me keep my commands. And I will ask the Father and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever… the Spirit of truth.
The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him… for He lives with you and will bein you.
When we live with our thoughts and mind centered on the things of the world… we are bound to miss out and not hear that still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
That’s part of the reason why I write these daily devotions.
To help you and I be aware of His voice and His desire to be active in our lives… and remind you that it is not by happenstance… or by simple circumstance… but that God wants to actively correspond with you on a daily basis.
Its called relationship…
So today… start listening… start practicing to “be aware”… of His presence… His activity… His voice… His whisper in your life.
Good day!
(Galatians 5:16) "Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives."
I remember this story from a radio program hosted by Dr. Charles Stanley.
He said “During a photography trip… our group had been traveling up a trail for almost three hours… and I began to have a funny feeling that we were going in the wrong direction.
I asked the guide about it and he assured me everything was fine.
Not wanting to be presumptuous or argue with Him… I kept on following him.
After a few more minutes… I developed a strong sense of uneasiness that kept growing and getting stronger each step we took.
I pulled out my compass and looked at the map.
Sure enough… we were headed away from our intended destination.
It took us close to an hour and a half to return to where we had taken the incorrect turn.
Sadly this meant by the time we got to the site… our window of opportunity for taking photographs was cut short.
That event helped me realize two valuable lessons.
First… when we sense an internal witness encouraging us to take a certain course of action… we should listen.
Second… when you and I choose people to guide us… we must be certain they know the path ahead better than we do. “
Have you ever felt something alerting you to pay attention or pulling you in a particular direction?
Perhaps you were listening to a sermon and you sensed God telling you to follow Him in obedience.
Or maybe you walked into a restaurant and were filled with dread… as if you should leave quickly.
If you’re a believer… most likely these feelings were the promptings of the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart… warning you about a potential danger and encouraging you to submit to God’s purposes.”
There are many voices in our world today with all kinds of ideas and supposed direction to success and or victorious living.
Jesus said that we should be careful of some of these voices… because they would be false teachers.
(Matthew 24:24) “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive… if possible… even the elect.”
That is why it is so important that we be quick to listen to and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit… as He operates with in our lives.
Jesus said “my sheep know my voice and the voice of a stranger they will not recognize” (John 10:5)
God wants to have day to day… hour by hour… minute by minute activity and dialogue with you.
“Lo I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20)
The Holy Spirit will be there to lead you… guide you… and fill you with all wisdom and understanding… but you must be aware…listening for …and ready to recognize His voice.
That means that you need to shut out the clamoring voices of the world… that tend to drown out His still small voice.
Remember that (1st Peter 5:8) tells us that “the enemy of our soul… Satan… is like a roaring lion seeking to devour…”
What that means is that He is trying to generate enough noise and distraction… to keep you from the hearing the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within you.
There are times when you need to “come aside” and separate your self from the business and the noise of the world… so that you can hear and recognize His voice.
How about taking some time today to set yourself aside and purpose to listen to that still small voice… and invite God to speak to you and give you direction.
Today take some time to listen to what the Spirit is saying to you!
Good Day
(Psalm 39:1) "I will put a muzzle on my mouth."
The psalmist has a lot to say about the dangers of the tongue.
Apparently he had to guard himself in that particular area himself.
He writes “Set a guard over my mouth Lord… keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3)
Again He wrote “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight Lord” (Psalm 19:14)
Just because a thought comes up… it doesn’t mean it should come out!
(Proverbs 29:11) … “A fool vents all his feelings… but a wise man holds them back”
How many times have you said… “But I didn’t really mean it… I was just sounding off!”
You may not think you meant it… but the Bible says… “Out of the abundance of the heart… the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34)
What’s harbored on the inside… inevitably shows up on the outside.
Put yourself in the other person’s place… listen to what you’re saying… and ask yourself how you would respond.
When you’re in a tense dialogue or discussion with someone… their acceptance of your opinion and
or advice doesn’t come from your heightened decibel level... but from your ability to listen… understand… care and empathize.
And if none of those things work… do what Jesus did when He stood before Pilate… “He opened not His mouth” (Acts 8:32).
Amazing!
He had the power and authority to call twelve legions of angels (72,000-plus) to His defense… but He didn’t.
That’s strength… not weakness!
Another word to the wise is this.
Never resort to profanity.
(Ephesians 4:29)… “Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful… so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them”
When Jesus was being tried by the religious kangaroo court of the Pharisees... and Peter was hiding in the throng of people gathered outside the Palace waiting to hear what was going to happen to Him… the bible says several recognized him and said to him “your one of His because your speech betrays you”… and then Peter began to curse saying “I know not the man”… (Matthew 26:73)
To convince those people that He was not one of the disciples the scripture says… “He then began to curse”… using profanity to convince them that he was not a follower of Christ.
Now some bible teachers say that it was Peters accent that betrayed whom he was.
That could very well be… but when it happened a third time… he then resorted to foul language to prove to them that he wasn’t a follower of Christ.
The point here… is that a follower of Christ does not talk like the world useing profanity to express itself.
We all face a much greater problems than just our accent.
No matter how hard we try to deceive others with the right words… they will see right through us.
People don’t really see us as we seek to portray ourselves… they see us as we really are!
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good… and the evil (man) out of the evil (treasure) brings forth that which is evil… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke. 6:45)
Although we seek to choose words with care… they always come “from the heart”.
Since the mouth can only speak out of the abundance of what is in the heart… what we truly are… will always come out in our words.
As with Peter our “words betray us.”
All our talk of serving God and being a devout Christian or a believer in Christ... is destroyed in just a few moments… by an angry outburst or a few choice profanities.
An off color joke… a discussion of what we watch on TV… or bragging about an evil deed we have done… and “our speech betrays us.”
And if none of those things work… do what Jesus did when He stood before Pilate… “He opened not His mouth” (Acts 8:32).
Amazing!
He had the power and authority to call twelve legions of angels (72,000-plus) to His defense… but He didn’t.
That’s strength… not weakness!
Another word to the wise is this.
Never resort to profanity.
(Ephesians 4:29)… “Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful… so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them”
When Jesus was being tried by the religious kangaroo court of the Pharisees... and Peter was hiding in the throng of people gathered outside the Palace waiting to hear what was going to happen to Him… the bible says several recognized him and said to him “your one of His because your speech betrays you”… and then Peter began to curse saying “I know not the man”… (Matthew 26:73)
To convince those people that He was not one of the disciples the scripture says… “He then began to curse”… using profanity to convince them that he was not a follower of Christ.
Now some bible teachers say that it was Peters accent that betrayed whom he was.
That could very well be… but when it happened a third time… he then resorted to foul language to prove to them that he wasn’t a follower of Christ.
The point here… is that a follower of Christ does not talk like the world useing profanity to express itself.
We all face a much greater problems than just our accent.
No matter how hard we try to deceive others with the right words… they will see right through us.
People don’t really see us as we seek to portray ourselves… they see us as we really are!
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good… and the evil (man) out of the evil (treasure) brings forth that which is evil… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke. 6:45)
Although we seek to choose words with care… they always come “from the heart”.
Since the mouth can only speak out of the abundance of what is in the heart… what we truly are… will always come out in our words.
As with Peter our “words betray us.”
All our talk of serving God and being a devout Christian or a believer in Christ... is destroyed in just a few moments… by an angry outburst or a few choice profanities.
An off color joke… a discussion of what we watch on TV… or bragging about an evil deed we have done… and “our speech betrays us.”
We must never forget that once we begin speaking… we cannot hide who we are for long.
(Ecclesiastes. 5:2 - 10:3) “A fool’s voice is known by his many words.
Even when a fool walks along the way he lacks wisdom… and he shows everyone that he is a fool.”
Since our speech betrays us… what we “do not say”… is often more important than what we do.
“A fool is counted wise when he holds his peace” (Proverbs 17:27)
Often the best way to keep our words from betraying us… is to hold our peace.
(James. 1:26)… “If anyone among you thinks he is religious… and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart… this one’s religion is useless”
“Since even a fool can appear wise if he holds his peace… and wicked thoughts remain hidden if we do not express them,… we must learn to bridle our tongue”.
As I said earlier… there are many things that “we think”… but that we should never say.
In a moment of anger we must “bridle our tongue” lest “angry words ... from the tongue unbridled slip.”
Truly “a moments reckless folly”… can “desolate and mar”… and “brightest links of life… are broken by a single angry word.”
All we seek to accomplish with our religion and devotion to God… is useless if our speech betrays us.
Good Day!
(2nd Corinthians 12:15) "I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you."
In (2nd Corinthians 14:15) The apostle Paul wrote… “I don’t want what you have… I want you…
I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you... even though it seems that the more I love you…
the less you love me”
Paul found his greatest fulfillment in giving… not receiving.
For him… giving was its own reward.
For him… being successful meant making others successful.
For him… being joyful meant bringing joy to others.
That’s because he didn’t look to people for his reward… but to God!
“Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do” (Ephesians 6:8)
The hardest thing for most of us to do is to fight our natural tendency to put ourselves first.
That’s why it’s important to continually examine your motives… and make sure you’re not sliding backwards into selfishness.
If you want to check your motives… follow the example set by Benjamin Franklin.
Every day he asked himself two questions.
When he got up in the morning he would ask… “What good am I going to do today?”
And before he went to bed he would ask… “What good have I done today?”
If you can answer those questions truthfully with selflessness and integrity… you can keep yourself on track.
Seeing those in need… and giving to meet that need… keeps your priorities and your perspective in the right place.
It increases the quality of life for both the giver and the receiver.
The truth is… there is no life as empty as the “self centered” life… and there is no life as centered… as the “self empty life”.
My prayer this morning is that I could be come one whom is a living example of this thought.
Because we live in a world that is consumed with “Me, Me, Me”… and “I, I, I,”… it is a tough
Paul found his greatest fulfillment in giving… not receiving.
For him… giving was its own reward.
For him… being successful meant making others successful.
For him… being joyful meant bringing joy to others.
That’s because he didn’t look to people for his reward… but to God!
“Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do” (Ephesians 6:8)
The hardest thing for most of us to do is to fight our natural tendency to put ourselves first.
That’s why it’s important to continually examine your motives… and make sure you’re not sliding backwards into selfishness.
If you want to check your motives… follow the example set by Benjamin Franklin.
Every day he asked himself two questions.
When he got up in the morning he would ask… “What good am I going to do today?”
And before he went to bed he would ask… “What good have I done today?”
If you can answer those questions truthfully with selflessness and integrity… you can keep yourself on track.
Seeing those in need… and giving to meet that need… keeps your priorities and your perspective in the right place.
It increases the quality of life for both the giver and the receiver.
The truth is… there is no life as empty as the “self centered” life… and there is no life as centered… as the “self empty life”.
My prayer this morning is that I could be come one whom is a living example of this thought.
Because we live in a world that is consumed with “Me, Me, Me”… and “I, I, I,”… it is a tough
job to really live out the second greatest commandment that Jesus spoke of in (Matthew 22:38-40)
“This is the first and greatest commandment… and the second is like it… Love your neighbor as yourself"…
Loving others… preferring others… doing for others… giving to others!
Jesus said these were the most important activities we could be involved in… in service to the Kingdom of God.
So I wonder if I could just stretch your thinking and your responsibilities as a child of God just a little bit this morning
If you really love God… then what are you doing to love others above and beyond your normal activities... in obedience to His will.
Good Day!
“This is the first and greatest commandment… and the second is like it… Love your neighbor as yourself"…
Loving others… preferring others… doing for others… giving to others!
Jesus said these were the most important activities we could be involved in… in service to the Kingdom of God.
So I wonder if I could just stretch your thinking and your responsibilities as a child of God just a little bit this morning
If you really love God… then what are you doing to love others above and beyond your normal activities... in obedience to His will.
Good Day!