JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Hebrews 10:25) “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is”
“I Believe in God, but I don’t do church.”
This is the beginning of a conversation that I have had countless times with people of all different ages, backgrounds and experiences.
This devotion today is an encouragement for all of us to be careful to consider why we or someone we know, would abstain from going to church.
If you are a child of God… a believer in Christ whom has believed and excepted the truth of the Gospel as the light and fulfillment of your salvation with God… then you are a part of the household of faith.
No doubt about it… it is a done deal… For by grace are ye saved thru faith and that not of yourselves but it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)
Our salvation is based "not on our works" or our church attendance.
But it is vitally important that as a human child matures and grows up become mature in life… it is just as vitally important that we grow up into maturity spiritually as well.
The writer of Hebrews encourages believers to “Press on to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1)
But my friend I have to stress you cannot press on to maturity in Christ with out help, with out teaching and coaching, with out the help of other believers around us.
That’s why we need to go to church… not only to worship, but to be taught in the things of God.
To be taught and fed the scriptures.
I can almost hear some of your thoughts as I type this:
“But I don’t like the worship music; the pastor isn’t friendly enough, I am too busy, having kids makes it too hard to get there, my husband/wife doesn’t want to go so I don’t go, people aren’t friendly and welcoming, it’s not the church that Jesus designed it to be”
And, of course, the most popular argument, “the Church is a corporation created by man for the consumption of money;
I’ve heard it all, and to be honest, many of these things I have thought myself.
Oh by the way the same things you are complaining about or finding fault with, some one else is complaining about and accusing you of as well.
But, let me ask you, “how will we fix what is broken in the church or help right the wrong, if we refuse to be a part of it”?
If you evaluate your life today, are you choosing “busyness and bitterness” over worship?
Ar you choosing spiritual entertainment over worship?
We can sit behind the scenes criticizing, or we can live out an active faith serving and getting involved…making real changes, loving on real people, living life alongside those in real pain.
The enemy of our soul is strategist.
Peter writes in (1st Peter 5:8) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour”.
He comes to steal, kill and destroy our faith and our relationship with God as well as our relationship with other believers.
All the enemy of our soul had to do, was distract them.
And with that distraction, we are more susceptible to his attack and deception.
A predator seldom attacks the group; they always attack the outside of the fold or the group, looking for those targets that are alone or separate from the fold or the rest of the herd/group.
Unfortunately I’ve witnessed “church-hopping” where people treat church like Goldilocks treated beds.
People want that “just right” perfect church, but when they can’t find it, they walk away setting themselves up for the attack of the enemy.
There is strength in numbers!
Because we are all human and imperfect, and as long as we are housed in these imperfect bodies, we will never find, “the perfect church”.
We should not be looking at what we can get “from” the church… but our hearts should be set on “what can we give” to the church… what can I give to the Lord?
And if you can’t do that in a “big building church”, then there are lots of smaller community churches that would love to welcome you and get you involved in the “on going work” of reaching out to their community and being a light of Christ
Be intentional and be a part of the solution, not part of the problem!
It’s not “all about you”, but it’s about others and the world around us.
How bright is your light shining?
Again the writer of Hebrews encourages us (Hebrews 10:25)
(Hebrews 10:25) “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is”
Lets talk some more about this tomorrow…
Good Day!
I can almost hear some of your thoughts as I type this:
“But I don’t like the worship music; the pastor isn’t friendly enough, I am too busy, having kids makes it too hard to get there, my husband/wife doesn’t want to go so I don’t go, people aren’t friendly and welcoming, it’s not the church that Jesus designed it to be”
And, of course, the most popular argument, “the Church is a corporation created by man for the consumption of money;
I’ve heard it all, and to be honest, many of these things I have thought myself.
Oh by the way the same things you are complaining about or finding fault with, some one else is complaining about and accusing you of as well.
But, let me ask you, “how will we fix what is broken in the church or help right the wrong, if we refuse to be a part of it”?
If you evaluate your life today, are you choosing “busyness and bitterness” over worship?
Ar you choosing spiritual entertainment over worship?
We can sit behind the scenes criticizing, or we can live out an active faith serving and getting involved…making real changes, loving on real people, living life alongside those in real pain.
The enemy of our soul is strategist.
Peter writes in (1st Peter 5:8) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour”.
He comes to steal, kill and destroy our faith and our relationship with God as well as our relationship with other believers.
All the enemy of our soul had to do, was distract them.
And with that distraction, we are more susceptible to his attack and deception.
A predator seldom attacks the group; they always attack the outside of the fold or the group, looking for those targets that are alone or separate from the fold or the rest of the herd/group.
Unfortunately I’ve witnessed “church-hopping” where people treat church like Goldilocks treated beds.
People want that “just right” perfect church, but when they can’t find it, they walk away setting themselves up for the attack of the enemy.
There is strength in numbers!
Because we are all human and imperfect, and as long as we are housed in these imperfect bodies, we will never find, “the perfect church”.
We should not be looking at what we can get “from” the church… but our hearts should be set on “what can we give” to the church… what can I give to the Lord?
And if you can’t do that in a “big building church”, then there are lots of smaller community churches that would love to welcome you and get you involved in the “on going work” of reaching out to their community and being a light of Christ
Be intentional and be a part of the solution, not part of the problem!
It’s not “all about you”, but it’s about others and the world around us.
How bright is your light shining?
Again the writer of Hebrews encourages us (Hebrews 10:25)
(Hebrews 10:25) “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is”
Lets talk some more about this tomorrow…
Good Day!
(Luke 11:1) “Lord, teach us to pray”
We all have people we admire.
Someone in your life that you admire for the love they have for Jesus.
You hear it in their voice, see it in their smile, and feel it in their love for you.
You know this person has somehow built a communion or relationship with God, personally, intimately, regularly.
You assume they have a vibrant and consistent prayer life, even though you’ve never seen or heard their private prayers.
And you wish your relationship with God was more like theirs.
It’s obviously no surprise that Jesus’s disciples experienced such a closeness with him.
Luke writes, “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’” (Luke 11:1).
We can safely assume that Jesus prayed with his disciples, probably regularly.
They had heard him pray many times.
Yet this was different. “Teach us to pray,” really meant, “Tell us what happens when you are alone with God”.
What Jesus says in the next few verses are the boldest, and most important words that we need to heed and to take with us into prayer.
Jesus said to them, “pray then like this” (Matthew 6:9–13):
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".
You may have memorized a version of the "Lord’s Prayer" when you were younger.
It’s simple enough for children to commit to memory.
But we need to remember that Jesus gave this prayer to "twelve grown men".
This is not just a prayer for a sixth-grade Sunday school, but for all of us.
Jesus taught these men this simple, yet awe-inspiring prayer, and then sent them into the world to be persecuted and eventually killed for their faith.
The “Lord’s Prayer” isn’t a childhood poem to be shelved and remembered with affection.
It’s not for nostalgic reflection!
These are words to be rehearsed and held with conviction, through whatever we face or suffer in this life, until our final breath.
Are you looking for a place to start in prayer, for words strong enough to help you in the heavy challenges and hardships before you in our broken world?
Then listen to and understand each line of this prayer.
Jesus is concerned more with Gods glory and Gods fame, than He is about His own.
He says “Father, spread your fame”.
The first and greatest line in this prayer is “Hallowed be your name.”
It comes first and hangs like a banner over all the others.
“God, make your name great, in the world and in me”.
“Reveal your glory”.
“Unleash more of your power and beauty on and in us”.
Paul says, “Whether you eat or drink” (or pray) “or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1st Corinthians 10:31)
This is how (1st Corinthians 10:31) prayers begin, “Hallowed be your name.”
You were made for God and His glory, and you were saved for God’s glory (Ephesians 1:5–6).
And your greatest happiness will be found only in God (Psalm 16:11).
Prayer allows us to daily "tie ourselves" back into that one great purpose and source for our lives.
Don’t ever take God and His glory for granted.
Set your mind and heart to enjoy Him daily, and to display Him daily to the world around you.
Plead with Him for “eyes to see His glory”, in His Word and in this world.
Pray for boldness to share it with others.
I’ve talked earlier about why some of our prayers are not answered.
James says its because we ask amiss.
The greatest mistake we make when we are praying is that we are asking God to do things for us in our selfishness.
For our glory our happiness our comfort. When we become focused in
His glory, and His majesty and His will… I believe we will see the protecting preserving power of God in our lives naturally manifested.
Jesus said “seek ye first, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness… And then all these things will be added unto you.”
I encourage you to read Psalm 91 after you’ve read this devotion and then give prayers of thanksgiving for all that He is, He is doing, and He has done.
Good Day!
(Luke 5:16) “He went away to be by Himself and prayed”.
As believers, as Christians, and as children of God, God wants us to
spend time with Him in prayer.
Jesus had come to earth to bring “The kingdom of God” to men.
He made it clear that things in “The kingdom of God” were very, very
different than the things in this world.
That’s why we need to pray to the Father and be in close communion with Him regularly.
As I started out at the beginning of this devotional, I shared with you that the Bible says “He went away to be by Himself and pray”.
Let’s talk about why Jesus took the time to pray.
Jesus had left His Dad’s side, where He lived in heaven, so as often as possible, He snuck away from other people so He could go talk to His Dad once again.
In these quiet places, Jesus could simply be real with God.
He could talk to His Father about everything that was going on in His life.
He could give God praise, seek God’s perfect will, and ask for the strength He needed to accomplish the amazing task of healing people, casting out demons, teaching, and ultimately going to the cross to pay the price for our sins.
A couple of years ago our church sent a group of teenagers on a month-long mission trip to South America.
The teenagers were told not to take their cell phones because they wouldn’t work so far away.
Telephones were hard to come by in South America, so the students wouldn’t be able to speak to their families for over ten days from the day they left home.
On the eighth day, the parents received an email from the group leader telling them when they could expect a phone call from their child.
It would come the following Saturday, between noon and 4:00.
Let me ask you!
Do you think the parents were excited about getting the phone calls?
Yes! Absolutely!
All the parents cancelled whatever plans they had so they would be home to receive that phone call!
They missed their sons and daughters so much; they couldn’t wait to hear everything that their child was experiencing on their trip.
Jesus was very much like a Son on a mission trip!
He left His Father to come to us, to make the way for us to enter the kingdom.
Prayer was a lot like that phone call.
It was His opportunity to speak to His Dad.
They were crazy about each other and they wanted to talk to each other as often as possible.
As believers in Christ we are on a kingdom mission as well.
This world is not our home!
(Ephesians 2:19) says “we are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God”,
Your Dad in Heaven is waiting for your “phone call,” and the awesome part is that there is no limit on the times we can go to the Lord in prayer!
Good day!
(Luke 5:16) “He went away to be by Himself and prayed”.
As believers, as Christians, and as children of God, God wants us to spend time with Him in prayer.
Jesus had come to earth to bring “The kingdom of God” to men.
He made it clear that things in “The kingdom of God” were very, very different than the things in this world.
That’s why we need to pray to the Father and be in close communion with Him regularly.
The disciples that followed Jesus saw that there was a significant relationship that Jesus enjoyed when He went away to pray, and so they requested that Jesus teach them to pray.
In response to the disciples request to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them this formula or example.
In Jesus’ prayer, He started by calling God “His Father”.
If you have faith in God and have put your trust in Him, He is your Father.
You have been adopted into God’s family and you have the right to call Him "Abba Father", or "Daddy".
(Romans 8:15) "but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, 'Abba Father!
Then Jesus praised His Father’s name... “Hallowed be thy name”.
This is the best way to begin any prayer!
Praise honors God, and it reminds you that God can do anything!
Next, Jesus asked for the Gods Kingdom to break out on earth... “May your kingdom come, thy will be done on earth”
In Jesus’ model prayer, God and His kingdom come first (Hebrews 8:10-11)
Space does not allow for a full explanation, but consider that Jesus prayer was about a world in which the human nature will one day be changed and the New Covenant that Jesus mentioned in the Bible will be completely mandated throughout the entire universe.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people".
Then Jesus asked for His needs to be met that day.
Do you realize that it is alright to pray for what you need?
The Bible says that “every good and perfect gift comes from your Heavenly Father” (James 1:17)
Jesus said “You can ask the Father for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do”,
Next, Jesus said to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others.
Again Jesus explained that “if we are not willing to forgive others, God will not forgive us” (Matthew 6:15)
Finally, Jesus said to ask God to keep us from sinning.
This comes only by God’s grace (Titus 2:11-12) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age”.
There is no magic formula for praying to your Heavenly Father... but here is a guide to help you pray:
-We start with Praise!
-We acknowledge His Coming Kingdom!
-We lift our needs up before Him.
-We ask for forgiveness, and we also express heart felt forgiveness to those whom have trespassed against us.
-We also ask for continued grace in our own lives.
Of course, there is so much more you can say when you pray, and you don’t have to touch on every point every time you pray!
Just talk to God like you talk to your best friend and remember that God handcrafted you!
(Psalm 139:13) “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”.
(Matthew 10:30) “He knows how many hairs are on your head”!
God knows you better than anyone and He wants to spend time with you every day and He promises to reward you when you come to Him privately in prayer.
(Matthew 7:10) “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake”
This does not mean that God will give you everything you ask for.
But you can be certain that He will hear your requests and will answer in the way that is best for you.
Good Day
(Matthew 7:7) "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened".
Don’t tolerate prayerlessness in your life!
Don’t allow the stress of "so-called progress" and “the busyness of life” dictate how much time you will sit at the feet of your Savior, your God, your Heavenly Father!
Crave those times, schedule those times, protect those times.
In the beautiful poem "The Difference"… the passionate need for prayer in the life of a believer vividly comes alive
"I woke early one morning, and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, that I didn’t have time to pray".
"Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. “Why doesn’t God help me I wondered”… He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
"I wanted to see joy and beauty but the day toiled on gray and bleak… I wondered why God didn’t show me… He said, “but you didn’t seek.”
"I tried to come into God’s presence… I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided… “My child, you didn’t knock.”
"I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish… that I had to take time to pray".
If you are wise you will stay “prayed up” and prepared for the inevitable crises of life that come everyday.
It’s foolish to wait until trouble shows up at your doorstep to begin this essential spiritual discipline.
The famous evangelist R.A. Torrey said that two of the greatest secrets to effective prayer lay in:
1) Studying the Word of God and finding His will as revealed in the promises.
2) Taking these promises and spreading them out before God in prayer, with the unwavering expectation that He will do what He said.
Jesus said “what so ever things you ask in prayer, believe that the Father has heard you and you will receive the things you pray for. (Matthew 21:22)-(1st John 5:14)-(Mark 11:24)
There is an old cliché that says “seven days with out prayer makes one weak”.
So “stay strong in the Lord and the power of His might”. (Ephesians 6:10)
It is accomplished thru prayer!
Good Day!
(Psalm 73:25-28) “I desire you more than anything on earth"
I woke up this morning hungry!
It was all I could do to wait until breakfast was ready!
My appetite was consuming my thoughts, demanding attention!
Which brings me to my thought for this day.
Can you tell me how much of an appetite you have for the things of God?
Does your soul crave more of God?
Do you miss Him and His presence when your not in church, or gathered together with other believers?
You may be physically healthy… but are your “spiritually healthy?”
And your Spiritual Health is often diagnosed or determined by your appetite for the things of God.
Unfortunately, there are many things that distract people from having a "spiritual hunger or awareness" of God.
Life, with all of its demands can overtake our mind and soul, cramming out our thoughts concerning God.
We get busy with the daily needs of our family, our business, satisfying our own desires and pleasure, and before you know it, the day has passed by the week has disappeared by hind you and God is left standing somewhere in in the recesses of our mind.
There is an old spiritual cliché that says “seven days with out prayer makes one weak”
Did you get that?
Just as seven days with out physical food will make your body physically weak, so to does our soul and spirit become spiritually weak with out spiritual sustenance.
Today and each day forward… lets be careful to stop for a few minutes through out the day… acknowledge Gods presence and ask Him to walk with you through out the busyness or activities of your day.
I remember when my sons were just kids four and five years of age.
They were overjoyed when they could go with daddy to his work or to some activity that I was involved in.
Lets be like that today!
Lets take every opportunity to stay as close to Him as we can, despite the daily grind and demands of life.
(1st Peter 2:2) “crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.”
Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Luke 4:4)
Are you hungry for God?
Here are five ways to develop and satisfy a spiritual appetite.
1) Remind yourself how much God loves you.
The more you understand how much God loves you, the more you’re going to love Him.
The Bible says in (Ephesians 3:18-19), “May you have the power to understand … how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God”
2) Stop filling up on junk food.
You are a spiritual being with a God-shaped hole in your heart that only God can fill.
When you try to fill it with money, status, success, passion, possessions, power, prestige, or anything other than God, it’s not going to be fulfilling.
(Proverbs 15:14) says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.”
3) Make knowing God your number one goal.
Happiness is a byproduct of knowing God.
Jesus says in (Matthew 6:33), “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well”!
4) Get into God’s Word.
The Bible is food for your soul.
Eating a meal once a week won’t keep you healthy.
In the same way, you need to feed on God’s Word every day.
(1st Peter 2:2) “You must “crave” pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment”
5) Appetite is influenced by association.
If you hang out with people who only care about politics, that’s all you’re going to care or talk about.
If you hang out with people who only care about sports, that’s what you’re going to care or talk about.
Today start developing “a spiritual appetite” and make God your #1 priority!
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in Him will I trust" (Psalm 91:1-2)
(Psalm 107:9) “For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things”.
Good Day!
(Genesis 1:31) "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."
Insecurity is a hideous thing!
It robs you of peace, inner joy, and the confidence to become all you can be.
African-American novelist, multimedia journalist, and radio host, Farai Chideya graduated from Harvard, worked for Newsweek Magazine, and quickly rose to the top of her field.
Yet she spent years fighting bulimia, trying to become like the glossy images in the make-believe world around her.
When she finally broke free from her disease she wrote… “Losing weight didn’t change my personality, and it didn’t lighten the emotional baggage I carried from my childhood.
I thought I wanted to be thin… but what I really wanted was to be happy, and neither my looks nor my achievements could do that.
Because I couldn’t love or accept myself, the acceptance of others was never enough.
When I tried to be perfect I came across as remote and unapproachable, yet the exact opposite was what I wanted.”
Then she shares four life-changing principles that are ideal for those of us trying to find our place and purpose in this world: (They could in fact be a whole topic each one by itself to write about).
(1) Your obsession to be perfect will keep you trapped in loneliness. Satisfying relationships can only be built on honesty and total acceptance.
(2) Your obsession to be perfect will force you to see your shortcomings as something to hide, instead of opportunities for growth.
(3) Your obsession to be perfect will keep you fixated on what you’re going to be" some day", instead of enjoying what you are right now.
(4) Your obsession to be perfect will rob you of the chance to make your life count… for by focusing constantly on yourself you’ll have nothing left to give to others.”
Bottom line is… God didn’t "need" to create you… He "chose" to.
He told the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart”!
(Acts 10:34) if God is no "respecter of persons", (choosing one over another) then that means that He saw you in your mothers womb and He formed you as well!
On the day you were born, He smiled and said, “Very good.”
When you fully grasp that, you’ll begin to overcome the problem of feeling “less than”, or inferior.
So today, get up from this reading and tell yourself these words.
I am good stuff!
I am created in the Image of God!
God does not create junk!
I am just as good, just as lovable, and just as important in the eyes of God as anyone else!
Now today, from this very moment, begin to operate your life on the premise and the promise that God loves you!
That He is walking beside you and with you through every thing you do, every place you go, and every one you meet.
Let His daily, hourly presence, give you the confidence to go out and take life by storm “being all you can be”, fulfilling your purpose and destiny!
Remember you were fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, you are not junk!
Good Day!