“Why didn’t you just ask me in the first place?”  Devotional #19

           

            I am naturally an absent minded person, especially when I’m in a busy season of life.  There have been times when I’m running all over the house searching for my glasses unable to locate them.  It usually is not until I get frustrated that I stop and ask the Lord to please help me find them.  Then I’d find them sitting on my head!  There have been times that I have misplaced my keys.  I search all over the house and when I get frustrated because I cannot find them I stop and pray.  Then I find my keys. Same thing has happened with my cell phone.  I’ll misplace it, usually in between the car seat and the seat belt or in some pocket in my purse.  When I get frustrated from not being able to find it I stop and ask the Lord to please help me find them.  Each time I imagine the Lord saying to me, “Why didn’t you just ask me in the first place?” 

            Why is it that I wait so long to pray and ask for God’s help with these things?  It’s usually because I’m in a hurry and am depending on myself.  This is why I always come up short.  I know better!  Yet I have repeated this same pattern many times: try on my own because I feel it’s too mundane and unimportant to bring to God.  Fail because I’m depending solely on myself and then surrender and ask the Lord for help. 

            In Mathew 6:33 Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  “Seek first his kingdom” does include turning to God for the mundane.  For the things we consider unimportant.  Here’s the thing.  If it is important to us, even for just a moment, then it is important to God.  David had an interesting journey with God.  He had such a close relationship with God that he was called God’s friend.  David wrote in Psalm 4:1, “Answer me when I call you, O my righteous God.  Give me relief from distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”  He also wrote in Psalm 17:6, “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.”    Daniel was always praying.  Daniel 6:10, “…Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God…” 

            I know prayer is important.  I also know that prayer is powerful.  I know that to pray means to communicate with God.  I love to pray and pray consistently.  Truth is that when it is crunch time and I’m “running around like a chicken without a head” and it’s the mundane day-to-day on-the-go stuff that concerns me prayer is not on my mind.  The reason is because I don’t want to bother God with what I think is not important.  But who am I to determine what is and is not important to God?  Who am I to determine if God cares about the miniscule or not?  Is this not presumptuous of me?  The definition of presumptuous is to be rude or arrogant, inconsiderate, disrespectful, or overconfident, especially when something is done that you were not entitled or qualified to do.  So every time I determined that something, no matter how small, was not important enough for God, I was being presumptuous!  Lord, forgive me.

            In Mathew 21:22 Jesus said, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  Whatever means anything and or everything you can ever think of.  I know that there are no limits to God’s power and that it does include taking care of the miniscule, the mundane, the things that are branded insignificant.  Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us…”   2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”   

            God left us His guidebook called the Bible so that we can not only learn but apply what we learn to our lives.  It is when we apply His Truths to our lives that we can strengthen our faith and do what is good.  Getting caught up in the busy-ness of life is dangerous.  That is why it is so important to always be in the Word, applying the Word and praying on all occasions. 

            Would you be willing to take on this challenge with me?  Pray for God’s help for everything, the important stuff, the mundane stuff, the miniscule and insignificant stuff.  All of it is part of our day-to-day living and it is because it is a part of our life that it is important and needs to be included in our prayers.

 

Thank you for reading this devotional.  My dear friend, I appreciate you and am praying for you.  God bless you!

 *If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

“Here’s Your Menu”  Devotional #18

            I love going to restaurants with my husband Daniel.  I love the one-on-one time with him.  I love the break from not having to cook.  I love when the hostess says as they hand me the menu, “Here’s your menu.”  To get to pick and choose what appetizer, entrée, beverage and sometimes desert, is always fun.  When the food arrives it smells good, looks good and we both have a good time eating it.  Good food with good company and good conversation is always a blessing.

            Since I love to cook I always wonder how the dishes we order are prepared.  What seasonings were used, did the cook get to create this?  Makes me wonder, with as much thought and time it takes to prepare a meal how must it have been for the Lord as He created you, me, all of us?  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (NIV)  The word, workmanship, means work of art or a masterpiece.  We are His masterpiece which is why when He first created humans He said (Genesis 1:31) that “it was very good.” 

            Psalms 139:13-16 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” 

I know that many cooks/chefs in these restaurants love to play with different flavors and cooking methods.  It takes time to develop a wonderfully tasting dish.  As the Lord was creating us into great masterpieces there was a lot of thought into how we were made.  Like what color we were given for our hair, eyes, and skin.  How tall we would be.  What our core personalities would be. 

The Lord didn’t just stop with how He created us.  He is always involved in our everyday.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (NIV) 1 Timothy 6:17b says, “...hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  (NIV)

Anyone who loves to cook knows that there are times that things don’t go exactly how you’d like.  There can be an ingredient missing or you didn’t realize there wouldn’t be enough for everyone.  But, any good cook would do what?  Wing it or go to your favorite cookbook to the rescue.  You make something else.  You use another ingredient that can substitute the one that’s missing.  Maybe even suggest a night out at a restaurant.  It’s the same with the ups and downs with life.  Instead of working on our own, trying to figure things out, He left us His Word to be of comfort, our guide. 

We know that we live in an imperfect world and we have to manage through all of the imperfections of life on a day-to-day.  In His Word He said, not to worry.  Mathew 6:31-32 says, “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (MSG)  But the Lord, the great craftsman, didn’t stop at just providing us His Word.  He knew His masterpiece would need a Helper and so He has also given his Holy Spirit.  In John 16:13b-14 it says, “…when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.” (MSG)

How awesome is God!  He created us.  He gave us His Word.  He gave us His Spirit.  Life with God, a great read (His Word) with a great helper (His Spirit) is always a blessing.

 

 

My dear friends thanks for visiting my blog and reading this devotional.  I appreciate  you and am constantly praying for you.  I’d love to read your comments on this devotional.  I’d also love for you to pass this blog site on to your friends and family.  Word of mouth is always so helpful.  God bless you and yours.

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

 

  

 

 

I Just Cleaned That!  Devotional #17

 

            I don’t know about your household but in mine there is usually disorder instead of order!  I love to have a clean home.  A home where there’s a place for everything and everything’s in its place.  I admit I do not choose cleaning over, well, anything.  I know it’s important.  I know it needs to get done but I don’t get so consumed with the need to clean that I can’t do anything else if the cleaning is not done.  Please, if you, my dear friend, are like this, then know that I admire you!  I wish I was more into the cleaning and the organizing.  Being honest with you now, I admire the clean, organized, neat homes but when I see a home like that I always wonder just how much time it took to get it looking like that.  I have family members and dear friends that are this way.  When I ask them this very question, “How long does it take you?” They always look at me funny and say, “Like, duh!  Not long at all.”  Hmmm….I don’t know about that.  It always takes me a while.  But then again, I’m just not fast enough with cleaning.  I’m the kind that takes their time cleaning, put the music on and jam with a Mandisa CD and have fun singing and well….I don’t usually finish everything that has to do with cleaning because I’m having too much fun.

            Now, when I’m channeling the energy of these dear friends and family and try to do the same in my household, clean, organize things, it’s as if my family has an issue with it.  Mind you, in my household we’re not filthy, dirty, disgusting people.  We’re just people that can handle a little bit of clutter here and there.  A pile of papers on the counter doesn’t make any of us lose sleep.  Even though, this is “our normal,” I still try to clean up and have the place look like there is some kind of order.  It takes time to do this and when I’m done (sometimes I do finish, lol!) I admit I do feel good about myself but the minute I go back to wherever I started in the home there’s, guess what?  The start of clutter or a new mess!  That’s when I say, “I just cleaned that!” 

            I have found myself in the middle of some friendly disputes with my family members and friends that are naturally good at cleaning and organizing things.  We just don’t see eye-to-eye on this issue.  My dear friend, I know you’re either like them or like me but, for the sake of this devotional can we just agree to disagree.  I’m literally laughing out loud right now!  This reminds me of the disagreement between Mary and Martha, Jesus’ friends that lived in Bethany.  These two ladies were sisters and Martha was the eldest of the two.  She seems to me, to be like how I’m told I should be.  I can’t relate to her but I can definitely relate to Mary! 

            In Luke 10:38-41 it says, “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”  ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed, Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” 

            According to Ms. Martha, she believed she was doing the right thing.  She was preparing a meal for her guests, which included Jesus.  Now, please keep in mind, Jesus traveled with the ultimate “entourage!”   He always had at least twelve men with him.  Can you imagine the appetites of these men?  There was a lot of work to do to not only prepare the meal but also set the table and everything else that goes along with a big dinner party.  I don’t blame her for wanting Mary to help her but yet Jesus didn’t pick her side.  Notice it doesn’t say that Jesus rebuked her for trying to get all of this done, but what He did was point out that though what she was doing was important, it wasn’t more important than spending time with Him.  She was so busy with her “to-do-list” that she was neglecting the guest of honor, Him. 

            Mary on the other hand did not neglect the guest of honor.  Notice it doesn’t say that she didn’t help Martha at all.  If she was like anything I am today, she probably did help and saw that there was a good stopping place, even if it was just for a few minutes, and chose to sit down with Her Lord.  She sat down and gave the Lord her time.  Oh, what a lesson we all need to pick up from this story.  Mary chose Jesus.  Not the “to-do-list.” 

            My friends, cleaning is important.  Organizing the house and keeping it that way is important.  The “to-do-list” is a constant thing.  It’s always growing.  There’s always something to do.  But, we should never allow anything to be more important than Jesus.  Everything else can come after spending time with Him.  That was what Jesus was teaching Martha.  Yes, Martha, you were working hard.  You were taking care of everyone and everything but, you neglected the most important thing that you needed to do.  You needed to, as we all do today, spend time with the guest of honor, the One that came to die for your sins and mine, the Savior, your Savior sweet Martha.  

 

Dear friend, I appreciate your time!  Thank you for coming on the blog and reading this devotional.  Know that I am praying for you.  Please, if you have not done so already, would you be so kind as to pass this blog on to your friends and family?  God bless you!

 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

“Where’s the Chocolate?”  Devotional #16

            I’m not a big candy person but offer me a good piece of chocolate and I cannot resist!  I love dark chocolate in particular.  There are times I crave chocolate and try to find my secret stash only to find out that one of my beloved children got to it first!  A craving is simply something you desire.  Until whenever I can satisfy that chocolate craving my mind will not forget!

At this season in my life I can honestly say, and the Lord knows my heart, I desperately crave my one on one time with Him.  I love and look forward to my prayer time with Him.  I love to read and study His Word and dive into what I’m currently writing for the ministry like a little kid in a candy store!  There was a time, though, that I didn’t crave the Lord in this way. 

Days’ even weeks would go by and I wouldn’t pray, read or study His Word on my own.  The only time I’d look for my Bible would be on a Sunday morning.  It never crossed my mind to study His Word on my own, let alone full time ministry.  If you were to have told me then that I would be doing this now I’d laugh and tell you that I wasn’t fit to be His servant in ministry.  Thank God Almighty I’m not the same now!  Thank God He changed my cravings for things that this world has to offer to craving Him above all else!  To have an unbelievably strong desire to spend time with Him and His Word instead of an unbelievably strong desire to catch the latest television program that night!

How about you my dear friend?  Are you similar to “the me I used to be” or like “the me I am today?”  I know that it’s challenging to be consistent and persistent with prayer and the study of His Word but just like everything else we hold dear to our lives if we make it a priority it will happen.  If you’re like “the me I used to be” then you’ve made the best decision in your life which was to accept the Lord as your Savior but growth has been slow going.  I used to go to church every Sunday and participated in the Youth Group every Friday.  I used to participate in church functions and I even served in the church as the pianist and choir leader.  Outwardly I exhibited what I thought a Christian was supposed to be but what was missing?  What was missing was a true and meaningful relationship with God and not depend on others to spoon feed me His Word.

Mathew 22:37 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”  If we let it the busy-ness of life can keep us from a close relationship with God.  This world we live in today is stressful! It’s like we’re always on the run!  There’s always something to do, somewhere to go, someone to talk to.  It never ends!  This on-the-go-living can cause anxiety and the need to always “do” can keep one from doing the one thing that can and does help, really help with life.  That thing is pray.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

A relationship with Christ that’s constantly growing includes reading and studying His Word.  How are we to know God, like really know Him if we don’t get to know Him.  I use this example a lot in my Bible Studies: A woman and a man are at the end of their wedding ceremony and the Pastor declares them married.  They kiss each other and say, “See you in twenty-five years.” How many times has a believer in Christ done this very thing?  They may go to church or serve in some way, as I did, but, personal study is no where on the horizon.  The Lord gave the following advice to the future kings of Israel in reference to His Word but we can apply it to our lives too.  It’s in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, “…he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left…” 

To be “the me I am today,” took time, consistency, persistence and determination.  Believe me, if I could change you can too.  If you have also been growing in your personal relationship with God, praise God!  If not, then it’s never too late.  God can and would love to get closer to you.  Remember, Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” 

I’m so thankful for you my dear friend!  You are always in my prayers.  Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below about this devotional.  Also, if you have not done so already, would you be so kind as to pass this blog on to your friends and family?  I appreciate you more than you know!  God bless you!

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

“I’m coming!”  Devotional #15

 

It really irks me when my kids make me wait!  They love to say, “I’m coming,” but yet they’re not moving.  They’re still doing what they were doing before I called them and they don’t move until they hear the “Tough Mama.”  She’s the one that’s stern and won’t take “no” for an answer.  I really hate having to be stern but sometimes that’s what it takes for my kids to listen to me.  

My kids do not like the “Tough Mama.”  They say that I’m too strict.  My daughter calls me “meanie.”  It’s her made up word.  Mind you I’m not yelling, most of the time, but I do raise my voice a bit more than my usual tone and it’s when they hear this tone that they know I’m being serious.  When that “meanie” word comes out from my daughter’s mouth or when my sons tell me with their puppy eyes, “Mama I said I’m coming, don’t get mad,” I usually say the same thing which is something like this, “had you come when you said you would then I wouldn’t have had to act like this with you.”

I could see if it’s that they’re in the middle of something like schoolwork, cleaning their room (yeah right!), using the restroom, things like that, but its not any of these things they make me wait for which is why it bothers me!  They make me wait for things like being in the middle of a television program that they’ve watched over a hundred times already.  Sometimes it’s that they don’t want to shut down their video game at that spot because it won’t save.  Other times it’s that they’re listening to a song and they want to wait until it’s over before they move, really? 

Unfortunately I’ve done this to God myself.  I’ve made Him wait when He’s calling me to do something.  How about you?  Like my kids, its not that I don’t want to move and do what He’s calling me to do, it’s just that I don’t want to do it at that moment.  Oh boy!  Not good!  I can make a thousand excuses but I won’t because this is God I’m talking about.  How dare I make Him wait. 

The kids not listening to me is disobedience.  My not moving when God has told me to is also disobedience.  I know that what really bothers me with my kids disobedience is that I feel a bit unloved, less important, not cherished or appreciated.  If I feel this way how does God feel when I disobey Him?  In John 15:10 Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”  John 14:15 Jesus said, “‘If you love me, you will obey what I command.’”  John 14:21 Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”  John 14:23 Jesus said, “…If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.  These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” 

 I know my children love me, not just because they say it but because they demonstrate it.  Our demonstration of love to Jesus is through our obedience to Him.  Jesus teaches us things that are profound when we least expect it.  It can be a valuable lesson in the middle of a mundane day or in my case in the middle of waiting for my child to come to me after saying, “I’m coming.”  I have been learning to live obediently because I want my Lord to know that I love Him.  How about you my dear friend?  Do you live an obedient life and because of that obedience your love for the Lord is demonstrated?  

 

Thank you my dear friend for taking the time to visit my blog.  I appreciate your time in reading this devotional.  I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below about this devotional or any of the others that I have written so far.  I appreciate you and am constantly praying for you.   Also, would you be so kind as to pass this blog on to your friends and family? 

 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

“In This Corner” Devotional #14

            My husband, Daniel, loves boxing.  He’ll watch it any chance he can.  He’ll even watch old matches from back in the day.  At one point he was even considering boxing professionally.  He trained for it and loved it!  Out of my love for him I have sat down and watched several of these matches with him plenty of times.  I’m not a fan of boxing but I can get into it too.  Especially the big matches when the championship belts are on the line.  I can really get into the ones that last all the way through the end of the match and both boxers are evenly matched up and everyone sitting in the audience surrounding the ring is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting with anticipation for the judges to decide who they believed would be the winner and give the results to the announcer.  I love the announcers too!  They really get into the introductions of these boxers.  Right before every match with their deep baritone voices they say, “In this corner…” 

            There are days that I wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  You know, tired, grumpy, wishing I could sleep just a little bit more.  I drag my feet more on those days and it takes me a really long time to get into the day.  It takes more than one cup of coffee to do the trick.  It’s on these days that the grumpy Mildred is not at her best.  She’s a bit moody and frankly just not in the mood to deal with anybody else’s mood.  This Mildred is different from the usual happy-go-lucky, cheery, always smiling Mildred which is the nice one that gets along with everyone and is pretty patient and joyful.  Grant it this moody, grumpy, cranky, smart-aleck, defensive, argumentative woman doesn’t come out often.  It’s on these days that I know my family would love to have the boxer announcer there with them giving them the stats on who exactly is going to greet them in the morning.  He’d say something like, “Now in this corner we have Moody-Toody Mildred.”

            We all have our good days and our bad days.  Sometimes we’re the ones that create these bad days.  Let’s be honest.  Sometimes we’re the ones that can get into a really good stink and stink up the day for everyone else around us, especially our own families.  It’s usually the closest people to us, the ones we love dearly that receive this less than graceful behavior.  Why is that?  Why is it that we do that?  Why are we so ready to “let them have it,” but we rarely, if ever, behave this way with anyone else?

            The definition of attitude is that it’s a state of mind, opinion or a feeling with regard to something.  Sometimes these feelings are down right nasty!  So then, what about our less than graceful attitudes?  According to Philippians 2:5 our attitude “should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 2:14 says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe…”  1 Peter 4:7b says to “be clear minded and self-controlled…”   

Ephesians 6:10-12 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  On those days or those moments when we feel like we’re about to lose it, it would be good to also remember Ephesians 4:26-27 which says, “‘In your anger do not sin;’…and do not give the devil a foothold.”            “Do not sin.”  Does this mean that being upset is a sin?  Not necessarily.  It’s what we decide to do when we’re upset that will determine if we’re going to sin or not. 

Being tired and a bit grumpy is one thing.  Using that as the excuse to misbehave and therefore sin is another.  What is the better alternative is to pray and depend on God’s strength and power to get us through the day without sinning against our Lord.  That way the boxing announcer doesn’t need to come out and prep the family for who is going to join them that day.   

     My dear friend, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below about this devotional or any of the others that I have written so far.  Also, would you be so kind as to pass this blog on to your friends and family?  I appreciate you and am constantly praying for you.    

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

“A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That”   Devotional #13

 

            I love to cook.  I love to season the food and stick with the type of seasoning that goes with that dish.  For example, if I’m cooking an Italian dish like, Chicken Parmesan, my favorite, then I’ll use only Italian seasonings.  If I’m cooking Puerto Rican food, like corned beef with white rice, my husband’s favorite, then I’ll use only Puerto Rican seasonings.  If I were to always use the same seasonings then everything I’d cook would taste about the same and then where’s the fun in that?  The variety of seasonings and herbs keep it interesting for me.  I don’t like bland food.  I find that the blander the food the more boring it is.  I also don’t like to cook the same foods over and over again.  Eating the same thing over and over gets monotonous. 

You see, for me, food is like an art.  I love to learn new recipes.  I love the Food Network.  I love food.  Food is an expression of my love for my family.  I love it when my family enjoys what they are eating and can’t wait until the next time I cook their favorite dish.  Since my food is an expression of my love for them I cook with love.  The same can be said about how we express ourselves during our personal one on one time with the Lord.  If our praise and worship are always the same then it is like the bland food or the same food over and over that is boring and tasteless or monotonous. 

            During Isaiah’s time the people worshiped the Lord as part of their religious routine.  In Isaiah 29:13 it says, “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”  Due to neglect there was no love or devotion just hypocrisy towards God. 

            In Mathew chapter 6 Jesus gave an awesome “recipe” for prayer.  Right before he gave the sample prayer he said in verse 5-6, “…when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  There is time for prayer with others, like in church, prayer groups, Bible studies.  Then there’s the private prayer, the one that’s between just you and God.  That’s the one that the Lord said should be done in a room with the door closed. 

            When its time for that prayer time what “spices,” if you will, do you use?  Do you always say about the same type of prayer?  Is it short but sweet?  Is it long and very detailed?  Is there praise time with music or do you sing a cappella style, do you sing at all, ever?  No two prayers should ever be alike.  That is when the prayer becomes routine and over time lifeless and dull.  Jesus went on to say in Mathew 5:7, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” 

            You may be thinking, “If the Father already knows what I need before I even ask Him, then why pray at all?”  Think of it this way.  It is like a child that needs a new pair of shoes because the pair/s they usually wear are starting to get tight on the toes.  The parent/s may already know that it is time for new shoes but is waiting for the child to ask them for the pair they would like to have, what style, color, that kind of thing.  This is part of the love relationship between a child and their parent/s.  It is the same with our Father.  Yes, He already knows what we need before we ask for it but He would like for us to give Him the details of what we would like and while we’re asking just have a wonderful conversation with Him.  And, yes, “sprinkled with some seasonings,” of affectionate words, praise, worship and love. 

My dear friend, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  You are constantly in my prayers.    

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

“To do or not to do…It’s that time of year for resolutions?”  Devotional #12

 

            I’ve been working on the same resolution for about eight years now.  The resolution has been to lose weight.  I know that this resolution is a very popular one and many, many, many people around the world make this same resolution but not all of us keep this one.  There are many other resolutions that I have made and have kept like, not watching countless hours of television anymore.  Another was to be consistent with prayer.  Another one was to be content no matter what the situation.  I shared with you in a previous devotional about contentment.  This is one that for the most part I have kept.  Grant it there are days that I’m not feeling so content and I have to pray through it. 

            This resolution, weight loss, has been a really tough one!  I’m not talking about a couple of pounds because I want to drop a size in clothes.  No!  I’m talking about losing some major weight.  Through the past eight years I have started and stopped and started and stopped several different types of exercise regiments.  I have tried walking on treadmills and in the neighborhood, swimming, step aerobics, working with trainers, rowing machines and even circuit training.  I’m not big on crash diets but I have gotten strict, no grains, dairy, low sugar.  Sounds like a recipe for some actual results but there wasn’t much going on with the needle on the scale.  Weight loss was at an absolute minimum. 

            How about you?  Have you started and stopped and started to then stop again on some kind of change that was good for you, needed, but difficult to do?  Have you had any resolutions that have an “I” for incomplete like me?  A definition for resolution is the process of resolving something.  Aren’t we to always be in the process of resolving something?  To always be in motion, (always changing for the better) as far as God is concerned?  Isaiah 64:8 says, “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”  Philippians 1:6 says, “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.”  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

            Perseverance is the key.  A key ingredient to any lasting change is perseverance.  The definition of perseverance is to have a steady and continued action or belief, which usually is over a long period of time, especially despite difficulties or setbacks.  An athlete can never stop pushing themselves to get stronger, faster, better.  If we were to have the same type of attitude then we can do the same!  In James 1:4 it says, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  In order to persevere we need our minds to also be renewed, to believe that we can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13) and therefore do things, make the changes that Jesus would want us to make.  In Romans 12:2 it says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  

I have been extremely frustrated with this problem I have with weight, so frustrated in fact that I had all but given up.  But I knew that giving up was not the right decision.  There had to be something wrong.  It wasn’t until a little over a year ago, after my doctor ran some blood tests, that I found out I had a thyroid problem.  This was the cause for the weight gain and not being able to lose weight.  It’s taken a while but I’m on the right medication for it.  This past November the doctor checked the thyroid out again and I’m doing well.  Now that my thyroid is under control, according to my doctor, I can start trying to lose weight.  So, here I am, starting the year with this same resolution.  This time though, I can do it.  I have already started and have seen some results!  Seems like this resolution will go from an “I” for incomplete to an “A” for job well done! 

My dear friend, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  You are constantly in my prayers.    

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

“I can see!”  Devotional #11

            You will never guess what happened to me over the Christmas holiday!  I am nearsighted and have had to use eyeglasses or contact lenses since I was seventeen years old.  I know that the ideal is to have eyeglasses as a back up if for any reason I end up without any contact lenses.  I know that but did I do that?  Hmmm…no, I did not.  The last time I had my eyes checked I only ordered contact lenses with the thought that I would eventually order eyeglasses too but that thought turned into an afterthought.  I know, big mistake!

            Financially 2012 was another pretty rough year for my family.  Ordering a pair of eyeglasses would have surpassed our budget.  So, I did not have a backup pair of glasses.  It was just a week before Christmas and I was on my last pair of contact lenses and I tore them!  I knew that I had to make an appointment to the Optician but with Christmas around the corner and money being stretched as far as it could for presents as well as the necessities of life, I did the only thing I could do, pray for His provision and wait.  Thankfully, as usual, God’s timing and provision is always right on!  My parents’ Christmas present was that they would pay for my eye exam, contact lenses and a pair of eyeglasses!  (They had a wonderful coupon!)  A little over a week after Christmas I was sitting in the eye exam chair!  Contact lenses and a pair of glasses ordered!  I can see!  Thank God!

This experience reminded me of the wonderful gift eyesight is and what a wonderful gift seeing the world through God’s eyes is through His Holy Spirit.  The moment the contact lenses were on I could see the world around me with clarity.  It’s the same with the Holy Spirit.  As believers in Christ the world around us is seen with clarity if and when we are sensitive to the leading of His Spirit.  In Galatians 5:25 it says, “Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.” (The Message) 

When Jesus told the disciples He was going to be leaving and sending the Holy Spirit to them as their helper he explained just how the Spirit would be helpful.  In John 16:12-15 Jesus said, “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’ (The Message)

There is a lot that could be taught about the Holy Spirit and what a wonderful gift it is but for this devotional I will stick to the making “sense out of what is about to happen” part. One of the many things the Holy Spirit does for us is to help us live in obedience to God day in and day out.  It helps us to better understand the Lords will with our lives.  It helps us to know if what we are about to do or say is good or not…if it will be encouraging, inspiring, loving, edifying, etc.  It is through the Holy Spirit’s leading that we are shaped and molded by The Potter.  Isaiah 64:8 says, “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter, we are all the work of your hand.”  (NIV)

It always amazes me how God uses the stuff in our lives, what I like to call the good, the bad and the ugly, to teach us new things and to remind us of what He has already taught us in the past.  I am incredibly thankful to be able to see clearly again with my new contact lenses (and in a week or so, eyeglasses too) and I am even more thankful that I can see life clearly through the leading of His Spirit. 

Thank you my dear friend for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  I am praying for you.

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

For the Love of…vanity?  Devotional #10

            Vanity.  The definition of vanity is to have excessive pride especially in one’s appearance.  I am not one of those people that are vain especially not with my looks or in how I dress.  I am by nature a tomboy.  I loved playing freeze tag, basketball, soccer and a lot of other types of sports and games with my friends when I was growing up.  I didn’t really take notice of makeup until I was in the latter part of High School.  But as far as consuming myself with beauty treatments, skincare, full lines of cosmetics, waxing, tweezing…I never allowed myself to get so consumed by any of this stuff because I saw it for what it was, being vain, which was just an extension of pride itself.  Let me be clear, my friend, I do wear makeup and use skincare and do partake in other beauty regiments (lotions, nail polish, hair, etc) but it is, as with everything else, important to have limits.  Just how much is overboard with beauty regiments is different for everyone but is it vain to do it all?

            As believers in Christ we are to take care of ourselves because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  In 1 Corinthians 6:19 it says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own…”  So, yes we need to take care of our bodies.  Yes, exercise is important.  Yes, some type of skincare regiment is important.  Yes, sleeping 8-10 hours is important.  Does this all sound familiar?  It’s what the media loves to tell us is important but the media, well society as a whole, places a lot of emphasis on beauty and on all the products and services available to take care of the body.  But the question remains, “It is all good for the body but is it really necessary?”

            It took Esther 12 months in total to prepare for the King.  In Esther 2:12 it says,
“Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.”  She was also placed on a special diet as per Esther 2:9b, she was placed on “beauty treatments and special food.”  So, even back then it was known that special foods or what we call today healthy foods was and still is an important part of taking care of the body.  Also, the beauty treatments were considered important, to the King anyway.

            Did you know that in 2011 there were about 14 million cosmetic procedures performed just in the United States alone, that’s according to www.huffingtonpost.com .  Surgeons made about $10 billion dollars in just the surgical part of the cosmetic procedures.  That’s a lot of people performing some kind of treatment on them.  Should we as believers be buying into all of this stuff too since we are the temples of the Holy Spirit? 

            In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says, “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.”  So, my take on what is best in taking care of the temple, our bodies, is that if its something that is taking care of the body then do it but if it is not really necessary then don’t.  Going back to the word vanity, if the need to take care of the body is so important and so time consuming that it takes away from the priority of a believer, God being first then it should not be a part of the daily routine.  Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” 

            If we’re not careful our beauty regiments, diet and exercise routine can become idols if we let them.  Going back to 1 Corinthians 10:13, the “not everything is constructive” is huge.  Its important to understand just how much is best and how long it takes to do it.  For some people running, cycling or swimming in the early morning for at least an hour is soothing, relaxing and they feel healthy.  Is that wrong?  Have they taken away time from the Lord?  Not if they made sure that they gave the Lord time in that same day.  How about the skincare, cosmetics, and diet?  Same thing, if the amount of time taken does not take away from time with God then it’s alright.  The question to ask, as with everything in our lives is, “will this be constructive for me, spiritually, emotionally and or physically?” 

            My friend, thank you for taking the time to read this devotional.  I’m praying for you.  God bless you!

 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would like to read it in Spanish please visit www.reflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com  

 

Goodbye! Hello!  Devotional #9

            Every New Years Eve is a day to say “goodbye” to another year and wait for the moment the clock strikes midnight to say “hello” to a New Year.  Every year we do this.  Every year we’re ready to leave the past behind and hope that all that will come in the New Year is as good or better than the year we’re leaving behind.  There’s always a list of what we’re thankful happened to us in the current year and a list of what we wished never happened.  There’s a list of things we’d love to have happen to us in the New Year and things we pray will never happen to us.  I find this intriguing.  We do this every year…year in…year out.  No one tells us to do this.  It’s instinctive.  It’s somehow engrained in our D.N.A.  The desire to let go of the old and to desire something new is human nature, isn’t it?  I know it is for me.

            Every year, as far as I can remember I have always looked forward to ending the current year and look to the New Year that’s starting on the next day with a newfound hope.  It is as if I’m standing on the edge and am ready to jump…ready to jump into the new…ready to let go of what has exhausted me, of experiences that have shaken me to the core and have changed me forever.  Ready to leave behind in what is now history all that angered me or to put into practice what had been awakened in me, new dreams, new heights that need to be climbed because its what the Lord is calling me to do. 

The New Year means an opportunity to take the hand of hope being extended to us by Him. Psalm 40:29 says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

            There is nothing in this world, in my “world” or in your “world,” that God doesn’t know of.  Whatever happened that we may or may not be comfortable to share with others is of course no shock to Him because He already knows everything.  There is nothing we can hide from Him.  Maybe we can hide things from everyone else but not from Him.  So, why hide anything at all?  Isn’t it better to rest in knowing that He already knows all we’ve done and just come clean and therefore start the New Year with a clean slate?  Be honest and confess all that is hidden in the deepest corners of the mind and heart and start the New Year fresh.

One of my end-of-the-year routines is to sit down with God and have intimacy with Him.  I covet my prayer time especially on the last day of the year.  I review my year with Him.  I review the good, the bad and yes, the ugly with Him.  I pray for the year that’s about to start, for His guidance to be crystal clear to me and the willingness and courage to live in obedience.  In Mathew 6:6-8 Jesus said, “...pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  My dear friend the Lord knows and desires what is best for us in this New Year and always.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’  

As we start this New Year I pray that we all may have a new beginning.  That we all may experience all that God has for us each and every single day with His love, His courage, His passion, His peace, His strength, His grace, His mercy and His patience!  May this New Year be better than the last for you my dear friend and for me, spiritually, emotionally and physically.

 

            Happy New Year my friend, God bless you and thank you for reading this devotional.