JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Isaiah 6:8) "I said, 'Here am I send me!'"
Isaiah writes, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me!’ He said, ‘Go…!’” (Isaiah 6: 8-9).
In the preceding Scriptures, Isaiah had been making all sorts of excuses and telling God why he wasn’t qualified to do the job.
But in God’s kingdom, “calling”, trumps credentials every time!
And the litmus test isn’t experience or expertise, it’s availability and obedience!
If you are willing to go when God gives you the green light, He will take you to inaccessible places and do impossible things.
Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Esther, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah all have one thing in common.
They all said, “Here am I.”
Isn’t it ironic that we spend so much time and energy trying to figure out how to get to where God wants us to go, when all we have to do is simply say, “Here am I”?
It’s God’s job to get us to where He wants us to go; our job is to make ourselves available.
Like a doctor on call or a police officer on duty or a firefighter on shift, it’s our “readiness” to respond, that God is looking for.
Sometimes it’s a simple prompting to go out of our way and love our next-door neighbor.
Sometimes it’s a calling to move halfway around the world.
But it always starts with the little three-word prayer of availability:
“Here am I.”
That’s what Moses said at the burning bush.
That’s what Caleb said when he finally set foot in the Promised Land.
And that’s what God wants you to say today.
Lately there is a lot for concern with the economy, and the price of fuel.
Ministries like ours that travel lots, have a huge expense in keeping the fuel bills paid, besides paying team members and the monthly bills that are common to everyone.
Quite often I reach the place where I am on my knees asking God, where do you want me to go? How do you want me to get there?
In truth it is God that keeps us on the road with the ability to take care of financial commitments.
All I know is that when I need to pay the bills at months end, we seem to have just enough.
I want to encourage each of you reading this post today with the following thought.
God will not call you to where He cannot keep you.
With that in mind Romans (10:15) says “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?”
A lot of people ask me how we manage to stay on the road and travel as we do, accomplishing that which we do.
The truth is that there are several of Gods people, whom stand with us, whom believe in what we do, whom sacrificially give of their finances each month, to send us out and down the road, to “preach the good news”.
With out them being obedient and willing to give, our “availability” for ministry would be a different story.
People in this world need the Lord.
This world needs God.
But according to the scripture in (Romans 10:13-15), “how will this world find God unless someone tells them?”
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
This ministry, is committed to bring “good news” and spiritual encouragement to our world.
It’s what God has called me to do.
I wonder if God might be calling you to stand with us?
Sponsorship is the key to the success of most “not for profit” societies/ministries such as ours.
Would you be willing to stand with us today saying “here am I”, and help send us up and down the highways of our land so we can be that encouragement, so that we can be that inspiration, so that we can share with people whom seldom go to church the Good News of the Gospel of Christ?
As (Romans 10:14) says “How will they hear unless someone preach to them, how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
Good Day!
(Romans 12:10) "Take delight in honoring each other."
There’s a lot of talk in todays society about "rights".
"I have a right to this or I have a right to that..."
Trouble is, if everybody had there "rights", where would society be?
Utter chaos would reign and that would be wrong!
The criminal says he "has a right" to break the laws that force him to stop his criminal activity.
The gay rights society say’s "they have a right" to sleep with whom ever they want!
Those that support "transgender living" say "they have a right" to choose to use which ever bathroom they want.
The business man says “he has a right” to treat his employees the way he wants, the employee says “he has a right” to not go to work if he doesn't feel like it.
The husband says “he has a right” to lay around and watch TV on the weekend because he works all week long.
The wife and mother say’s “she has a right” to her freedom.
Everybody has "a right", in their own eyes.
The Bible says "there was no King in Israel and every man did that which was ‘right’ in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)
The end result was that the country was in chaos.
One thing I have learned is that life is complicated. And my rights are caught in the middle.
One of the most common sources of conflict between husbands and wives comes down to a simple matter of "differing assumptions" or each protecting "their rights".
Dr. James Dobson writes: “Years ago I went through a very hectic period of my life professionally.
I was a full-time professor in a medical school, but I was also travelling and speaking more often than usual.
I completely exhausted myself during that time.
It was a dumb thing to do, but I had made some commitments that I simply had to keep.
Finally on a concluding Friday night…I came dragging home.
In my mind I had earned a day off, and I planned to kick back and watch the USC-Alabama football game that Saturday.
Shirley, (my wife) on the other hand, also felt that she had paid her dues.
For six weeks, she had taken care of the kids and run the home.
Now, it was entirely reasonable in her mind that I spend my Saturday doing things she wanted done around the house.
Neither of us was really wrong.
But the two ideas were "incompatible" and they interfered with each other’s “rights”.
Those rights collided about ten o’clock Saturday morning when she presented me with her "honey-do list".
Now, I had no intention of doing it.
There was an exchange of harsh words that froze our relationship for three days.
It’s important to understand that neither of us was looking for a fight, yet we both felt misunderstood and wounded by the other.
We both felt that “our rights”, were being violated.
Our conflict was typical of what goes on every day in a million other homes.
It all comes down, not to "deliberate antagonism", but to something called "my rights" and the defense of them.
Now here’s the question. Who was right?
Did I have a right to a day off? The answer, yes!
Did Shirley have a right to expect that I would help her around the house with some of these projects?
The answer is, yes!
We both had our rights, but our rights were not helping our relationship.
The same as when each person or group in our society demands its rights, it does not help our society.
It does not create unity, and it does not produce order in community living!
What’s the answer?
Somebody has to give! Somebody has to be willing to serve.
Somebody has to be bigger than the issue at hand!
Somebody has to say, "your right and I'm wrong"! And mean it!
Paul gives us a key to living in a community together with peace and joy.
Please take some time today to read (Romans 13:1-14).
I especially like the final verse (Romans 13:1-14) “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to ‘gratify’ the desires of the flesh.”
In Gods eyes, "my rights", don't really matter.
The real question here is “how much am I willing to give, for the sake of peace”?
For someone else’s comfort.
So here is the real challenge!
“How much” am I willing to prefer those around me, rather than demand and or fight for my rights, my own selfishness.
The truth is if “my rights” have to be honored before someone else's, then I am proving my own selfishness and immaturity.
Jesus had a right to bypass the cross.
But He didn't, He was obedient unto death!
Today you and I enjoy "peace with God" because Jesus took it upon Himself to “lay down” His rights.
What about you, are you willing to “make a difference,” by laying down your rights?
Or are you so selfish and immature, that you must demand and have "your rights.”
"Good Day"!
(Hebrews 6:1) "Let us go on...and become mature in our understanding."
"Lets go on."
Yes you've been hurt!
Yes You've been abused!
Yes you've not been treated right!
But it's time to move on!
Maybe your dealing with a failed relationship, or the passing of a loved one.
Or perhaps the secure employment you've enjoyed for so many years has come to an end.
Stop mourning the past and start looking to tomorrow.
The writer of Hebrews says "forgetting those things which lay behind us", and looking ahead unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith".
It's time to let go of the past and embrace your future.
Stop looking in the rearview mirror and start looking out the front window, other wise you'll continually be in the ditch.
Regardless of what it is, don’t become so settled with what was, that you can’t let go and move on to what is next.
They say the hermit crab looks for a shell that fits him and lives there until he outgrows it.
At that point, he has to scurry along the ocean floor and find a bigger one—a process that repeats itself throughout his entire life.
So here’s the question: are you clinging to something that no longer fits you just because it’s easy and familiar?
David said, “You…freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress” (Psalm 4:1).
In life we have to be willing to move out of our comfort zone and deal with a little “distress.”
That’s what makes us grow.
Patience and persistence are admirable qualities, but they don’t work in situations you’ve outgrown.
Instead of “hanging in” and trying harder, at certain points in life you have to stop and ask yourself, “Is this situation good for me?”
If you’re not sure, ask God for “an understanding heart so that [you] can…know the difference between right and wrong” (1st Kings 3:9).
And when He tells you what to do—do it—even though at first it won’t feel comfortable.
When God says it’s time to move on, it’s because there’s another shell out there designed to fit you even better.
"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord!" "Plans to prosper you and give you a future." "Not plans for evil". (Jeremiah 29:11)
John writes "beloved I wish above all things that you prosper and be in Health even as your soul prospers" (3rd John 1:2)
Yes life has thrown you lemons, now make some lemonade and let God bring a refreshing change for you!
Good Day!
(Matthew 9:36) "He was moved with compassion for them."
The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and dictionary, defines compassion as “being moved in one’s bowels” (the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).
It shares a root system with splanchnology, the study of the visceral (inner) parts of the body.
Compassion, then, is a reaction from deep within—a kick in the gut, if you will.
Being aware of the need around or before you and responding to it.
Perhaps that’s why we turn away when we see news reports of children starving in refugee camps and hear about the 1.7 billion people who live on less than $1.25 a day and go to bed hungry every night.
It’s too much for us—especially when we perceive the need as so overwhelming that we couldn’t begin to meet it in our own strength.
But what if we could?
What if we could make life better for one hurting person?
Jesus talked much about being “a people” that reached out to those around us whom are hurting.
He said “as much as ye do it for them, ye have done it unto Him. (Matthew 25:40-45)
The hurt that He is referring to can be summed up in a word or phrase called circumstances, or circumstances of life.
And we are taught as believers to be aware of, and ready to reach out in whatever way we can, to help our fellow man caught in his or her circumstances.
The implication here is “to go beyond ourselves” reaching out to others that cannot help themselves, or that are overwhelmed with responsibility or needs that are beyond their ability to deal with.
We may not have the “financial ability” or the “physical ability” ourselves, but we all have the “Spirit motivated” spiritual ability to reach out to others with compassion.
Encouragement and empathy are resources we all possess and need to utilize in reaching out to others less fortunate than ourselves.
When we respond to the world around us in this manner, God thru the power of His Holy Spirit, will be faithful to enable us with His power and with His spirit, to be able to do “exploits” in His name, for the sake of others.
For example (Acts 3:6-7) “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand…lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength”
What if Peter had said, “I have no silver or gold, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut and pass on by”?
But he didn’t, and as a result, a crippled man who had sat begging for thirty-eight years rose up and walked into a new life.
You say, “But I don’t have that kind of power!”
No, but God does! And when you see someone’s need and reach out your hand to meet it—God will release His power in you!
It’s your compassion that flips the switch.
So today, let the Spirit of God move thru you and reach out to others around you.
A kind word, a warm hug, a cup of coffee, a meal, a shoulder to lean on, maybe even helping hands if the need is a physical one.
Like our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, let yourself “be moved” with acts of compassion.
And when it goes beyond your ability or resources, that might just be the time when you’ll see a miracle happen before your very eyes.
Good Day!
(Acts 3:6) "What I do have, I give you."
In this story from the New Testament of the bible, three people are the main characters of the event.
Peter, John and the lame man begging at the side of the entrance gates to the temple.
This man had sat there for days, weeks, months and years, hoping for a hand out or some form of “benevolence" from the pious believers that went to church.
How many times had Peter and John walked by him before.
How many times have you or I passed by people that are stranded on the roadside of life, looking for a hand out or a helping hand.
There are two things that jump out at me in this story.
First, it’s important to know what you have and what you don’t have.
“Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.’”
If you have been blessed with an abundance, then you must be careful diligent and generous to give of that abundance, as God moves on your heart.
But if your like Peter and John, who had little in the way of finances, they could have said, "I can't give this man any thing, I don't have enough myself to buy my next meal or feed my family."
Though they could not give the man money, they could give what they did possess; and that was the" presence" and the "blessing" and the "Spirit" of God.
And that only comes when you have spent time at the Masters feet and in prayer and communication with Him.
The second thing we must realize or learn is to "recognize" the difference between what people want, and what they truly need.
Sometimes they need to be strengthened; other times they need to be stretched.
Sometimes they need comfort, not correction;
Other times they need correction, not comfort.
This lame man didn’t need a handout—he needed a hand up.
And that’s what Peter gave him. “He took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:7).
So in order to help people, we must love them first.
Recognize what they need second.
Know what you have to offer third, and then connect with them at their point of need.
Now, none of us seem to have an abundance of money that allows us to buy the help that others need, but that may not necessarily be what they need.
I recall a story of a wealthy business man whom met a beggar on the street looking for "a hand out".
Instead of giving the beggar "a hand out", the business man hired the beggar to come and clean his business offices and his many buildings.
He could have given the man "a hand out" which would have met his need at the moment.
But what the man really needed was self worth and a job so that he could provide for his family and pursue life.
This man at the gate was looking for coins to survive.
But what he got, freed him up to live!
Now he was able to walk, to work, and to provide for himself and his family.
And it came as a result of time that someone else spent with God.
Because Peter and John were full of the Holy Ghost; because they were filled with the Spirit of God, they were able to give something to this man that was worth far more than silver or gold.
You and I can do the same, if we spend the time in prayer, time in the word, time in the presence of God.
But it takes a commitment!
Not, "if I have time" or “when I have time.”
No!
We must “make time.”
Time for God, which in turn will help not only our selves, but others around us as well.
You see there is a “spiritual” principle at work here.
The more we take time for God, the more time we have for others and the less concerned I become for myself.
So my point this morning is this.
Humanity does not need our material goods or hand outs.
Humanity needs "spiritual resource".
The only way they are going to find that "spiritual resource" is thru you and I!
And that happens only as we spend time in the presence of the Master and then take that presence into the presence of the lost around us.
People need the Lord!
But they are only going to find Him when you and I share Him with others.
And we can only share what we have.
So the question is this morning is, do you have enough of Jesus in you, do you have enough of the Holy Spirit in you to share Him with others?
That’s what you have to give that is more important than any other physical thing.
Good Day!
(Galatians 2:21) "If a...relationship with God could come by rule-keeping...Christ died unnecessarily."
While grace doesn’t give anyone license to live as they please, the judgmentalism that comes from insisting that others live by our standards has caused untold damage.
Chuck Swindoll writes, “Legalism spreads a paralyzing venom…it blinds our eyes, dulls our edge, and arouses pride in our heart.
Love is overshadowed by a mental clipboard with a long checklist requiring others to measure up.
Soon friendship is fractured by a judgmental attitude and a critical look.
And before you conclude that you’re not guilty of it, (judgmentalism) observe your reaction when you meet another believer who doesn’t think, act, or dress the way you do.
Even when you think you’re sophisticated enough to disguise your real feelings, they come out in the ‘stony stare’, the side ways look, and the ‘holier than thou’ attitude.”
Jesus said, “Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you” (Luke 6:37).
A judgmental Christian acts as though blowing someone else’s light out will cause their light to shine brighter.
But it’s not so. Paul writes, “If a…relationship with God could come by rule-keeping…Christ died unnecessarily.” (Galatians 2:21)
You say, “But what if someone is getting off track or sinning intentionally?”
The Bible says, “If another believer is overcome by sin…humbly help that person back onto the right path…be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1).
When you take it upon yourself to condemn others, you are denying them the same grace you may need before the day is over.
Remember (Romans 3:10) the Bible says "there is none good no not one".
But we all are forgiven when we come to Christ. Our job as believers is to help each other come to Christ.
(1st Peter 4:8) "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
While we don't "condone" sin, we must love the one caught in it.
And besides, most people outside of the household of faith, don't realize they are sinning or what sin really is.
That’s why they need you and I to be there, standing as "living witnesses" of what real love is, what real forgiveness is, what real hope is, what real Christianity is.
So ask yourself today, "Lord am I being the witness of your wonderful love and mercy, that my kids need today? That my spouse needs today? That my neighbor needs today?
Love and acceptance will open the door of opportunity to share Gods love with people quicker than shame and guilt.
And quite often when they see our faith and our Christianity in action, motivated by love, they tend to follow.
O by the way, just in case you think that your above judgment yourself, remember the words of our Master in (Matthew 7:2) “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
One day you are going to need the same forgiveness, the same mercy, the same love, the same acceptance.
So start giving it out now so that there will be droves of it when you need it coming back to you
Good Day!
(Psalm 40:8) "I delight to do Your will."
I myself am not a pet lover!
Don’t get me wrong, I think pets are great and they help with loneliness, they provide great companionship and in some cases they provide security and protection.
And a well trained pet that is obedient to the voice of its Master, I truly find delightful.
However there is nothing more frustrating than having a pet or being in the vicinity of a pet that is not well trained, a pet that does not listen to its master.
I recall a story I read concerning a certain pet that Ruth and Evangelist Billy Graham owned.
Mrs. Graham said, “Tonight I sit on the porch, with our old German Shepherd dog lying at my feet."
"Thunder rumbles in the distance and as the storm nears, he tears into the front yard to meet it…barking and growling furiously doing battle.
As the storm passes, he returns to the porch, convinced he has driven it away”.
"He’s a German guard dog, carefully trained in search and rescue, attack and obedience.
"But it’s the obedience training that gives me real joy with our pet."
"To see him stop, to sit, to lie down, to go away, to search, to stay, to heel with just a word from my lips, makes me love that dog more than I thought I could ever love a pet”.
“A disobedient dog is not only a headache, he can be a liability, but obedience makes a dog a joy”!
“Is it less so with God and His children?"
"I rejoice in and over the many I have met who live to be obedient to our Lord.
“As I find great pleasure in my dog when He is obedient to my voice and my command, I think this more than anything else, must give the Lord great pleasure."
"Simple obedience; joyful, eager, unquestioning obedience."
To be able to say with the Psalmist, (Psalm 40:8) “I delight to do Your will, O my God”, would be the height of obedience for the Christian; for this is what truly gives God the greatest pleasure.”
God says in (1st Samuel 15:22) the scripture says "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams”.
(Hosea 6:6) says, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."
Friend, understand that there is nothing that you can do to "earn" a right relationship with God.
If there was, then Jesus Christ would not have had to die on that cross so long ago.
Understand that the only way "to peace with God" is "by way of the Cross."
By being "obedient" to His command to be "born again".
To choose to love others, no matter what the circumstance.
By making a choice to believe that Christ died for you personally!
That is the kind of faith that puts you right before God.
(Ephesians 2:8) "for by grace (Gods love) are ye saved thru faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God"
Today, right now be obedient and come to salvation by way of His plan and receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart, right now!
That’s what obedience is all about, "doing the will of the Master", obeying His command immediately!
No more excuses, no more what ifs, or buts.
Obedience to His Word!
Obedience to His voice in prayer!
Obedience to His Holy Spirit as He whispers into your conscience!
Again God says "I desire obedience more than sacrifice." (1st Samuel 15:22)
David writes in (Psalm 40:8) "I delight to do Your will."
What about you?
What has God been telling you to do, but you keeping making excuses?
Come on, be obedient!
Sure it may be hard on your pride, but Oh its so rewarding and satisfying when completed.
To know that I did what my Master wanted.
As any well trained dog wants to do for its Master, I desire to be obedient to mine, and so should
we all!
Good Day!
Good Day!