Reflections from Monday's Devotional

Reflections for Monday

RBC Monday Devotion: God’s Catalog
Bible Gateway Passage: John 17:20-26

I love this devotion for Monday. It sums up how we are to represent Jesus Christ. It makes me wonder what do we as Followers of Christ have to do to make non-believers see that being a Christian is a wonderful life.

One thing we should do as Followers of Christ is that to get across that we do not try and keep up with the "Jones" when it comes to material things. I am not saying we cannot have nice things but I think many times as Christians how we go about obtaining them is another matter. We now have this "have to have it NOW" attitude and not saving little by little is now a thing of the past. Have you noticed how many get into debt? Little by little. We have to get the attitude and discipline back that our parents and grandparents had. When you true want something, you have to sacrifice to achieve it. Still enjoy and appreciate what you have at the moment while at the same time striving for your goal.

Another thing we as Followers of Christ feel we have to do is blend in with the world. Christ Jesus wants us to be a shining light for Him. We are in this world but we are not to become of this world. We have to know when to act and when to just pray. Many times we as Christians allow ourselves to be sucked into the way the world lives and once that happens our creditability is gone. We have to know when to jump in, when to let go, when not to get involved altogether because it's easier to be pulled down than to pull someone out of the abyss. Our job is to plant the seed, another will come along and "water" the seed and God will take care of the rest.

Reading the devotion for this morning makes me realize I need to do more in regards to my prayer life, how I carry myself and cutting away from things on the web that has slowly taken me away from being a better disciple for my Lord and Savior.

Be Blessed, Be Safe,
& Have a Wonderful Monday.

Christian podcast to check out for Monday: Thru the Bible Questions & Answers
tech podcast to check out for Monday: TWiT 167: More TWiT Than You Require

Reflections for 28Sept08 Sunday

reflections from ODB "Showing Up" & the passage for today

The really great thing about the devotions from Our Daily Bread is that it breaks it's meaning down in reference to understanding God, Jesus Christ, how to communicate with him that a child can understand. This morning devotion [Showing Up] hit a cord with me this morning. When you pray you have to do it every day, even when you do not feel like it. You have to keep that line of communication open with God because if you don't you find yourself making excuse after excuse not to pray. If you don't do this then you begin to treat our Lord and Savior like a "genie in a bottle going to him only in emergencies.

That is what I have been doing and I'm being honest with myself. I have allowed myself to think of God's word as a chore and not a pleasure and that is so wrong. What he has done for me I can't begin to measure and at times when reading the devotions and God's word I find myself struggling to read it and sometimes feel myself rushing through Bible and that is not right. It's amazing how I have become so lazy in reference to reading His word because when I am really honest with myself I find so much peace when reading God's word, applying His word but yet many times I do not feel like doing it. There is no excuse for me NOT to do this and from this day forth I have to hold myself accountable for my action. I can't use the excuse of not reading because I'm too busy. As a person told me years ago. You and Bill Gates have the same amount of time in the day (24 hours)...it's what you do with them is what counts".

As the writer in the devotion from today says,

"The writer Nancy Mairs says she attends church in the same spirit she goes to her desk every morning to write, so that if an idea comes she’ll be there to receive it. I approach prayer the same way. I keep on whether it feels like I am profiting or not. I show up in hopes of getting to know God better, perhaps hearing from Him in ways accessible only through solitude."

Today is that day for me. I will go to bed at the proper time, spend time with God, write when I feel like it or not. I have to put things in order because if I want to be my best, if I want to know the will of God for my life, I have to use the tools that have been blessed with because it is so true...if you don't use them, you will lose them.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, &
Have a Wonderful Sunday.

Great podcast to check out today: Thru The Bible Q&A w/J. Vernon McGee