Monday, March 24, 2014

He First Loved Us

Monday Morning

"We love because He first loved us." -- I John 4:19

-- Exactly the way we are -- He loved us. 
-- Gave His One and Only Son for us.
-- To live among us.
-- To die -- to sacrifice His life for us.
-- But He rose again on the third day.
-- And now He sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us.
-- And He is still loving us, still caring for us, still wanting our best, and still believing in us.

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." -- I John 4:16

Bottom Line for this Monday Morning: God loves you! Know that. And because of His love -- we are able to love and care and want the best for others.  Amen? Amen. 

Monday, March 17, 2014

Be Confident

MONDAY MORNING

Psalm 71:5-6a -- "For You have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on You."

Jeremiah 17:7 -- "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him."

Hebrews 10:35 -- "So, do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."

Philippians 1:6 -- "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Our confidence, our trust, our assurance has to be rooted in the Lord.  In the lordship of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Let's remember where our confidence comes from and as Christians -- as believers -- let's be confident of who we are and who we belong to.

We are children of the Most High God bought and paid for by the precious blood of the Lamb of God -- Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Bottom Line for this Monday Morning: May we all be confident in who we are and who we belong to because our confidence is in Him. And may we carry that confidence with us into our respective homes and market places. Amen?

Monday, March 10, 2014

MONDAY MORNING

"Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this." -- 2 Timothy 2:7

So, let's backup into Chapter 1 and part of 2 and reflect on what Paul has been saying to Timothy up to this point:

1. 1:6 "...fan into flame the gift of God..."

2. 1:8 "...do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord..."

3. 1:13 "What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching..."

4. 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you..."

5. 2:1 "...be strong in the grace that was in Jesus Christ."

6. 2:2: "...teach others."

7. 2:3 "Endure hardships..."

Bottom Line for this Monday Morning: Reflecting on God's word is a good thing --- and ask Him to give you insight as you do.

Monday, March 3, 2014

MONDAY MORNING

"Finally, brothers and sister, 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." -- Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Just some very brief definitions here ---
true: that which is not false
noble: speaks of honesty, generosity, courage
right: morally correct
pure: clean, not harmful
lovely: delightful for beauty, harmony, grace
admirable: deserving highest esteem

Paul gives us instructions here on what our minds should be thinking.  There is so much negative stuff to be thinking about these days.  Hardly any news agency reports on what is actually true, noble, right, pure, lovely or admirable. If they do it is very little.

With all we are inundated with through the media, let's take some time to put out all the false, the unclean, the harmful and the ugly things we hear and see. Then let us think about and claim this verse of scripture in and over our lives.  Let it soak in and clean us up. Let it clean up our thought life.

So, bottom line for this Monday Morning -- Where are our thoughts this week?  What are we thinking about? May we think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.  May we think on things that are excellent and praiseworthy.  Amen? Amen.

Monday, February 24, 2014

For in Him we live ...

Okay, for some time now I have been thinking and have felt several promptings from the Lord to begin doing a weekly devotional.  Lord, help me to be faithful in this.  So, here goes -- I'm calling it:
 
MONDAY MORNING

"yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things come and through whom we live." -- I Corinthians 8:6

Whom are you living for? -- God, the Father?
Through whom are you living? -- the Lord, Jesus Christ?

"For in Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28

Our very existence comes from God, the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ we have a new life. (II Corinthians 5:17) Do you have that new life in Christ? If you do, then are you living for God the Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord?

This week I encourage you to examine inwardly whom you are truly living for and through whom you are living. There are many things vying to be our reason for living -- our work, our friends, our habits, our giftings, our careers, our "things" -- the list could go on and on.  And, many times some choose to live vicariously through other things or people other than Jesus Christ.

So, bottom line this Monday morning -- Whom are you living for and through whom are you living --every day?  May it be for God the Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen? Amen.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Fear Not!

I received this word from the Lord during praise and worship time at New Covenant Church in Tifton, GA.  on February 2, 2014. I had permission from Pastor Lawrence Thomas to share it with the congregation that same Sunday morning.  I have since shared it with several other people on an individual "face-to-face" basis.  I believe it is one of those words that can be a "now" word from the Lord to claim at any time in and over your life or the lives of others.

A Now Word from the Lord

Fear Not! Fear Not! Fear Not!
Is the arm of the Lord God Almighty to short?
No! It is not.  It never is and it will never be too short.
That thing -- that problem -- that circumstance -- that situation 
that you think you are in all alone and that I cannot touch?  
Listen when I say to you concerning that thing -- 
Fear Not! Fear Not! My arm is not too short. 
Fear Not! and trust in Me -- Trust in My Word.  
Fear Not! Fear Not! Fear Not!