Here We Go Again

Have you ever found yourself wondering why in the world you just said what you said again? You know, like a word you’ll say out of bad habit. How about a reoccurring conversation sometimes even with…God? Have you found yourself in the same mess you thought was over with and thought to yourself, “Haven’t I been here before?” Why is it that we seem to find ourselves in the same mess over and over again? We tend to think that we cleaned it up somehow and we’ve moved on but, no it’s not over yet. When you least expect it, WHAM!!! THERE IT IS AGAIN! It can be an old behavior like compulsive shopping or it can be a curse word you haven’t said in a really long time. It could be a complaint you’ve given time and time again or someone complaining to you about the same thing again! Have you been there?

Well my friend the Bible teaches us that the Lord likes to refine us. “Like a refiner of silver he will sit and closely watch as the dross is burned away…refining them like gold or silver, so that they will do their work for God with pure hearts.” Malachi 3:3 (TLB) As believers in Christ we are to always be moving forward with growth and maturity. This is why the Lord will have us revisit the things which need to be worked on so that we will change for the better. Old behaviors that are anything but godly are to be changed. The way we speak and the actions we take are to be more Christ-like as the days, weeks, months and years go by. We are not to stay stagnant. God wants us to be an evolving Christian. With His help through His powerful Holy Spirit we are to be evolving into the men and women we were created to be. I thank God for His grace, mercy and His patience with us! For without Him there is no way we can ever change for the better.

I leave you with Romans 12:1-3 from the Message Bible. “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.“ Amen

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Thank you for reading! May God continue to bless you! I'd love to hear back from you! Please feel free to comment. 

 

I Do

After months and months of planning. After all of the preparations were done. After the exhaustive rehearsals were completed. There was one last thing to do. All stayed as still as they could to hear the answer? “I do,” I said full of happiness and love on my wedding day. Those same two words, “I do,” they need to be said to Christ daily.

Every day we have a choice we need to make. The same choice Jesus made for us, to carry the cross. “And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 (NASB) What does carrying the cross mean? “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG)

What is your cross? It can be the struggles you’re facing today. It can be the circumstances that seem to be weighing you down. It can be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a marriage, the loss of your home. Your cross can be the ridicule of others for the faith you have in Christ. Your cross is what you carry even though it is heavy, burdensome or unfair. Just like Jesus, we are to keep on going to the goal. What is that goal? To bring glory to God. To tally as hard as you can for the Kingdom. It is for the lost souls that are watching. For the ones who are lost and are desperately trying to find the Way. It is for you too. To grow you, mold you, mature you.

My dear friends. Today I said “I do,” to Christ. “I do” accept to live for you, sweet Jesus and to show without shame or fear of any kind that I live for the One and Only. Have you?

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Thank you for reading my dear friends. I pray these words are of a blessing. If you or someone you know would like to read this or any of my other devotionals in Spanish please visit www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

God bless you!

Do you do it?

There are several things a typical Christian knows they should do. They know they should pray daily. They know they should to go to church. They know they should read the Word of God. So, how many really do take the time to read and study the Word? According to the article, *“80% of Churchgoers Don’t Read Bible Daily…” by Jeremy Weber on CT, Christianity Today, there was a survey conducted by “LifeWay” that found that out of “2,900 Protestant churchgoers” only “19 percent personally read the Bible every day.” That’s only 551 out of 2,900 people!

Why is it that so few believers take the time to read the Bible every day? We live in a society that’s always on the go. This means that many expect everything to be fast, easy, and as effortless as is possible. Generally people will take the time to do what they really want to do. So, do you do it? My dear friend, do you believe that it is worth your time to spend in the Word? In fact the more time you invest in studying the Word the better it is for you. 

Why is it important to invest time in the Word? There are many reasons why but, let’s focus on three reasons. One, there is power in the Word. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 (NIV) “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) Two, it teaches us. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) Third, so that you may know the One who set you free more intimately. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)

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Thank you for reading! May God bless you and yours. If you or someone you know would like to read more of my writing in Spanish you can visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

*Article information: “80% of Churchgoers Don't Read Bible Daily, LifeWay Survey Suggests

Transformational Discipleship study reveals low level of "Bible engagement."”

By Jeremy Weber (posted 9/7/2012 10:50AM)  http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2012/september/80-of-churchgoers-dont-read-bible-daily-lifeway-survey.html

How precious is it really?

Just how precious is it really? The Word of God. The reason we read the Scriptures? Is it because, we’re told we should read it? Do we read it because, it’s the Christian thing to do? Do we read it because, it’s something we check off on our to-do list? The reason for me is mainly because, it’s the Word of God and it’s the way I can get to know Him better. “But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (MSG)

It’s His love letter to us. “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV) “God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.” Psalm 36:5-6 (MSG)

Reading His Word is spending time with the One and Only. Time in the Word is time well spent. It is life changing and life giving. You fall more in love with Jesus every time you read it. You can’t help but want to spend more and more time in the Scriptures because, it’s when you hear His heartbeat for you. My dear friends the Word of God is precious!

Thank you for reading! May you have a blessed day! 

Do you know Him?

This question is asked by many but, many do not know the answer. Many of those that do know the answer rarely share the answer. How about you? Do you know Him? If you know Him do you share who He really is with others? My fellow believers our daily challenge is to share Him! '"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20. I pray that you not only take the time to watch this very moving praise report of who our King is but, that you are also moved to share this clip with your friends/family. God bless you my dear friends. I love you. God loves you even more.