November 25th - ONE MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is one month away...

Did you know that CHRISTMAS isn't all about the PRESENTS, yet it is all about His PRESENCE? Isn't that a cool thought??

More on that thought coming soon...

Blessings,

WE HAVE THE INTERNET BACK... YAY!

Well... we have been internet-less at our home for the last 2 weeks or so... so I have not been able to put up any new devotionals... I am really hoping to be caught up soon, as I haven't even typed any new ones... not so good I know.



Just a cool quote I found... such a great reminder that we are to forgive our brothers and sisters, because God has forgiven and will keep on forgiving us! WOW! Thank you Lord for your GRACE, MERCY, LOVE & FORGIVENESS!! (and of course more!) =)

Looking forward to Christmas coming, and some new devotionals for December...

New daisies fresh for the pickin' coming soon...

Blessings,

November 2nd - SALVATION PRAYER

“POINTS TO PONDER” – November 2nd
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

Do YOU know and experience GOD for all He is?

Do YOU consider yourself a Christian?

Do YOU have that relationship with Him? Check out this prayer...

The above is a cool prayer clip art that I found on the internet... (sorry I can't cite the source) but if you haven't made Jesus your Lord and Saviour, and brother, then this is your chance!

Pray this simple prayer (or preferably one like it from your heart) and ask Him in today...

It's all about relationship, not religion!

Make the RIGHT choice today! I'm proud to be called your 'sister' if YOU made this decision!

Did you know the ANGELS in Heaven rejoice when a lost soul comes back to Jesus? YAY!!

*If YOU chose not to make this decision now, remember

"NOW is the time of God's favour, NOW is the day of salvation"

-- Don't wait until it's too late!*

November 1 - Repent!

“POINTS TO PONDER” – November 1st
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” Acts 3:19-20 NIV

According to dictionary.com
RE-PENT (VERB)
1. To feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite.
2. To feel such regret for past conduct as to change one's mind regarding it: repented of intemperate behavior.
3. To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.
1. To feel regret or self-reproach for: repent one's sins.
2. To cause to feel remorse or regret.

Word Origin & History
repent
c.1290, "to feel regret for sins or crimes," from O.Fr. repentir (11c.), from re-, intensive prefix, + V.L. *penitire "to regret," from L. poenitire "make sorry," from poena (see pain). The distinction between regret (q.v.) and repent is made in many modern languages, but the differentiation is not present in older periods. Repentance is recorded from c.1300, from O.Fr. repentance (12c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

Repent is a verb, therefore it is an action word, something that we need to act upon, to do. Repenting is not a one-time action though we need to repent over and over, hence the use of the prefix “re”. “Re” means again, or in this case to do again. Unfortunately, most of our sins we do over and over again, which of course means we need to repent over and over again. Sometimes we do them unintentionally or subconsciously, but others we do intentionally and consciously. We need to be made aware of our SIN and then act upon the regret or remorse. We do not need to feel guilty. Jesus’ death has overcome our sin, and all we need to do is ask forgiveness. The devil however has other plans, and knows that our sin separates us from God. God cannot look upon sin, and therefore the devil wants us to hold on to our sin, so that we may not fully and boldly enter the throne-room of God when we wish to meet Him in our secret place, or in times of worship and praise in a corporate setting. The devil wants us to hold on to our sin, and feel guilty. The devil, our enemy, wants us to feel the pain over and over, instead of feeling God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness over and over. If we allow the devil to have our joy (because we give it to him, he doesn’t steal it), it gives him the feeling that he has power over us and our lives. However, if we give up our sins and guilt to God, He restores our joy, and gives us His peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV)

Jesus died for our sins, once and for all, yet we still need to repent for our sins, so that God can cleanse us from our unrighteousness. We have been ‘justified’… which means ‘just as if I’d’ never done it. Thank you Lord! He removes our sins, and doesn’t dwell on them, like we do. We seem to hold grudges a lot, and lack true forgiveness. In His word, He promises that our transgressions or sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12 NIV – “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”) Since we have been justified, we can have His peace as well. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 NIV) The devil does not want us to be able to approach God, but God says in His Word that we can approach His throne of grace boldly, and obtain that mercy that we desperately need. “Let us then come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 – In ‘The Message’, it reads, “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

There is a difference though, between grace and mercy, grace is getting what we don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting what we do deserve. I thank God for both His grace and His mercy. He bestows it upon us freely, we just need to ask for it. He sent His Son to this world, and He lived as us, except for the sin. The only time He took on sin was on the cross, when He took it for us. ‘He paid a debt He did not owe, and we owed a debt we could not pay’. (Hymn – ‘He Paid a Debt’ by G. McSpadden) We don’t deserve at all to come into His presence, but He lets us come in, and therefore we obtain His grace. Once we are in there, He loves us and forgives us, and doesn’t make us pay the price for our sin, which is where He bestows His mercy on us. He gave His Son so that we may live eternally with them in Heaven, after our earthly lives are through. What a promise!

Mark 1:15 (NIV) states, "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" John told the people then, and his words prove true today as well. Now is the time for repentance, now is the time for salvation. Another verse says, “As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NIV)

We need to forgive others, just as God forgives us. This is done with love, grace and mercy - unconditional love and an unending amount of grace, and mercy. Do not repay evil with evil, choose love. I close with one block of scripture found in Romans 13:8-14 NIV, “Love, for the Day is Near- Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Be blessed, and live the life of love that you are called to!

Day 29: October 29th, 2009 - - Mark 9:35

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 29
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, "Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35

Last? Who wants to be last? I work in a daycare, and the children, like these disciples always argue over who is going to be first in line. Being first is important to today’s society. That is why everything is ‘fast’ now. We have fast food, microwaves, internet banking, debit machines, express lines at stores, self-checkouts, etc… we have learned that we need to do things quickly, to get ourselves ahead of the other guy. Jesus says in this verse that we are to be last, and servant to all. That doesn’t mean every time in the grocery store you should let someone ahead of you, but yes, sometimes you should. Sometimes Holy Spirit may be telling you to pay for the groceries, or the gas, or Timmy’s, or whatever for the person ahead of you or behind you in line. Serving others is a difficult thing, because it requires a humble spirit on our part, and we need to show a little grace, and kindness. We also need to strip ourselves of our selfish fleshy desires, and put others desires first. We are not called to be ‘doormats’ though, or to be taken advantage of, and we do have the right to say ‘No’.

A servant’s heart is an important character trait to have, and it is not easily come by. It takes time to train yourself to put others first. You need God to help you see others with His eyes. Simple things like making dinner for a family who’s mom is sick, or watching the kids for a young couple who have a lot of things on their plate can truly be a blessing to those with needs. Slipping $20 to a single mom in church on Sunday, playing baseball with her son who doesn’t have a dad… taking time to care! Being like Jesus… it’s not as hard as we may think!

Rick Warren did a study on a “Servants Heart”. He found 6 main points or characteristics to know if you have a servant’s heart:

1. AVAILABILITY - Real ‘servants’ do what’s needed, even if it is inconvenient for them. It’s been said that ‘God isn’t interested in your ability He’s interested in your availability’. Are you available for your family, friends, co-workers, enemies, strangers?? What steps can you take to make yourself available?
2. PAY ATTENTION TO NEEDS – Real servants see the needs and act on them before anyone else may even notice the need. They take initiative and do what needs to be done. They see the need, and do their best to meet the need, or at least try to find someone who can. Do you have the ‘eyes of Christ’? Can you see the needs of others quickly and easily? Are you too occupied with your own needs that other’s needs fall to the wayside? What steps can you take to pay more attention to other’s needs?
3. DO THE BEST WITH WHAT YOU HAVE – It basically goes along with the last one, where they do what needs to be done, with what they have available, or who they have available. This leads us back to the first one as well. Are you available for others to use to help serve someone? Do you procrastinate, and wait for a better time to help… wait for more money to help… wait for… ? Can you use everyday items or giftings that are available to you to make things work for other’s needs to be met? Are you one who says, “Well I haven’t gone to Bible College…” or “I don’t have the training…” or use other excuses not to serve?
4. DO EVERY TASK WITH EQUAL DEDICATION… or with all your heart. Small tasks or large tasks, tasks where you get noticed and appreciated, tasks with which you remain anonymous… Do you work diligently at every task, no matter what it is or who it’s for? It says in the Bible, in Colossians 3:23, “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.” Do you serve with the heart that you are working for the Lord, or do you work grudgingly or looking for a reward all the time? Do you feel yourself to be too important to be doing the ‘little jobs’?
5. BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR MINISTRY – Finish what you begin. Stay committed, and don’t quit. Commitment these days isn’t as strong as it once was. Lack of commitment in marriages today results in a really high divorce rate. People are giving up too easily on things of great importance. We need to remember that we are working for the Lord, and He has given us the gifts, talents and traits to fulfill the position we are in. Sometimes we may feel like we are insignificant compared to others in the church… but we should still work hard at what we’ve been called to do, as we are all the same in the Lord’s eyes. We need the fruit of faithfulness in our lives to grow, so that we may persevere. Can you be counted on? Can people trust your word? Are you faithful in the little things?
6. MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE – Be humble. “Hey everyone, look at me, see what I did, I’m so humble” is not a sentence that should be in your vocabulary. No one should think they are more important than others, and you certainly should not brag about it. Doing a service or fulfilling a task in ministry should not be something that you brag about to others. Others may lift you up and thank you for a job well done, but you are not to seek praise from others. We are working for the Lord, so it is His rewards that we should seek. No one is more important than another. “If anyone thinks he is important when he really is not, he is only fooling himself.” Galatians 6:3 (NCV) WOW… do you seek the praise of men or the praise of God? Do you do tasks only when others are watching or can notice that you are doing them? Can you anonymously fulfill a task large or small, and not receive praise? Do YOU take credit for work that someone else did? Can you do the ‘little things behind the scenes’ and not receive acknowledgement or acclaim? Are you a self-promoter?

A servant’s heart is a humble heart, it requires a lot of work, yet it should be really easy to accomplish once you set your mind to it. These steps are just a start… putting others above yourself, requires putting Jesus first in your life, and spreading the JOY of being in a relationship with Him. To have real JOY, you need to have your priorities in the right order – J.O.Y. = Jesus, Others & You! Be blessed and ask the Lord to help you have a servant’s heart.
Serving… it’s not really that difficult. It’s an important part of life, one that should not be overlooked. Where would the game of volleyball be without serving?
1 Corinthians 15:58 –“So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.”

Here are some ‘Christian cartoons’ regarding humility, and servant-hood… enjoy! (Clicking on the link below the cartoons will take you to the cartoonist’s website – REVERENDFUN.COM and CHURCH MICE)

http://www.reverendfun.com/

http://www.zorowski.com/churchmice/frames.htm

PRAYER: O’ Lord it’s hard to be humble… help us to have a heart for others instead of ourselves, and to walk in humility. Help us to STEP UP and SERVE! Help us to love others like you love us, so that we may put their needs ahead of our own. Let us be filled with joy when we perform both large and small tasks for your glory and not our own. Continue to guide us and direct our steps so that we may glorify You and Your Son, and it’s in His Name I pray, AMEN!