Category: Devotions

The glorious day when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus is just over a week away and the excitement is in the air everywhere in anticipation of this annual event! In honor of this wonderful day and season of Advent, Leanne and I wanted to share our hopes and prayers for you this Christmas so checkout our second venture into the media world of video below. :)

Well, this year’s Thanksgiving is in the books [and our bellies LOL] and the Christmas season is in full swing. The awe inspiring time of joy to the world, peace on earth and goodwill towards men [and women, too]. It is the world wide celebration of the birth of our gracious and glorious savior, Jesus. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Something about this beautiful season brings hope, joy, peace and a sense of well being. People have a smile on their face, an excitement for life and an optimism in their attitude. So what is it that changes our countenance, the way we think and the feelings we feel? It is Jesus, plain and simple. He is the one who bring about all these good things and as this season unfolds we are drawn more and more into the reality of the unmatchable gift that He is.

This is actually something we can experience all year round if we’ll but fix our eyes on the wonder and beauty of Jesus every day. What’s more the sweet fragrance that is Christ will bless those around us bringing more joy and peace to our communities and neighborhoods. Jesus is that way. He, through the Holy Spirit will permeate the atmosphere around us and bring more of heaven to earth each day as we set our focus on Him moment by moment.

So enjoy Jesus and as you do the hope of faith will rise and fill you with His joy and peace blessing not only you but those around you. Here is some snowy seasonal art and great verse that exemplifies this reality in such a vivid way. I pray they both encourage you today as you enjoy Christmas to it’s fullest.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and everyone gearing up for a blessed holiday giving thanks to God for all the good things He has done and enjoying lots of turkey, mash potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, butter, gravy and PIE, we wanted to share a few fun facts and ministry numbers in our first ever Thanksgiving video!

As we approach the gracious season of Thanksgiving, it is not only obvious but humbling to ponder and acknowledge how blessed we all are by the generous hand of our God through our Savior and friend Jesus. Salvation and eternal life are and will be more than we could ever hope for and imagine. However, the blessings don’t stop there as good gift upon good gift are poured out on us moment by moment leading to an abundant and joyful life for us each day.

We are blessed so generously not only because of God’s infinite love for us but so we can also be a blessing to others. There are dozens of verses in the Bible that make reference to this principle but I especially like the sentiment expressed in 2 Corinthians 9:8 that says “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

The amazing fact about the concept of “blessed to be a blessing” is that when we bless others in Jesus name we are again blessed creating a self sustaining circle of blessing. That’s something that does not always make sense but is a mysterious miracle of God in our lives. His blessings are all around us as the old hymn “Showers of Blessings” so melodiously proclaims but if we want blessings to pour from heaven even more then we need to take some action and bless someone else through our words and deeds in Jesus name. :)

I’ve been reading over and thinking about this verse recently and find it interesting that it does not say anything about reading books, learning theology, gaining knowledge, developing philosophies, etc. to grow in wisdom. It simply says all who obey God’s commands will grow in wisdom.

This is definitely counter culture to what the world says today where we have millions of downloadable books, thousands of sermon outlines and Bible studies online, internet degrees from tons of schools and answers to all your questions on every search engine……of course we all know everything we read on the internet is true. LOL

Could it actually be “less is more” in God’s eyes? Could it be that the less “stuff” that clutters our minds the more we can actually see and follow Jesus? Could it be that simpler faith is the path less chosen but more peaceful, rewarding and abiding?

I wanted to share a great devotion by “Our Daily Bread” I read [text is below] on wholesome words.

Words are a big deal. The Bibles says they have the power of life or death. Wow, that is kind of scary to me. It makes me realize what a responsibility we have when we speak. Which also, makes me sad when I use them carelessly or hear others do the same.

While the article below focuses on crude and lewd words, we need to also be wary of what topics, stories, jokes, sayings, metaphors and even news we share as this is what fills our minds and in turn other’s minds when we speak. Thoughts are where what we say begins and so we need to have our focus on Jesus and godly things above like it says in Col 3:2 before we open our mouths.

Just because you read it, heard it or even worse saw it does not mean you need to share it. What we say and share can give credit, acceptability, and even honor to things so we need to think before we speak. Does what we say fit the Philippians 4:8 model. Is it true, lovely, pure, excellent, praiseworthy, etc? Not just one of these but all of these. As my mother-in-law says “just because you have diareha does not mean I need to hear about your mess.” It is so tempting for us to think and talk about messy stuff but is that really edifying? You can see how what people say and in turn, think has effected our society as what we watch on TV turns up in the news. Things that once appalled and offended us now don’t seem to even cause us to blink an eye now.

Holy words, holy things, good words, good things, wholesome words, wholesome things. This is where we need to walk regardless of our circumstances as it will change our circumstances as others are drawn away from the pull of the world by the sweet fragrance of Jesus.

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Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. —Ephesians 4:29

A while back, an Emmy award-winning actress took a courageous stand and walked out in the middle of the Annual American Music Awards ceremony. Her reason? She grew increasingly upset and disappointed by what she described as “an onslaught of lewd jokes and off-color remarks” and raw and raunchy comments by presenters, performers, and hosts. She said the evening was an affront to anyone with a shred of dignity and self-respect.

Unwholesome speech was a problem even in the apostle Paul’s day. He reminded the Christians at Ephesus that they should put away vulgarity, lewdness, slander, and obscene talk from their lives (Eph. 5:4; Col. 3:8). These were expressions of their old lives (1 Cor. 6:9-11), and it was now out of place with their new identity in Christ. Instead, their lives were to be characterized by wholesome speech. Their good or wholesome words would give grace to the hearers (Eph. 4:29). The Holy Spirit would help guard their speech, convict of any filthy talk, and help them to use words to benefit others (John 16:7-13).

We are called to reflect God with all we are, and that includes our words. May our mouths be filled with thanksgiving and words that benefit others.

Holy Spirit, we need Your help. Guard our hearts and minds today. Help us control our thoughts and words so that we might lift others up and show them who You are and what You’ve done in us. Amen.

You know one of my favorite thoughts is the fact that Jesus is constantly calling everyone to him and bringing more of heaven to earth each day. He is working moment by moment to save people and bring about good here on earth.

I love how Jesus affirms this when he says in John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” God mirrors this thought even in the Old Testament when He says in Jeremiah 32:40 “I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.”

To me it is summed up in Deuteronomy 12:7 with the culmination of God’s gracious goodness for our lives ” There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”

What a great picture of satisfaction, contentment and safety! All because of God’s protection, redemption, constant care and great love for us. :)