My Thoughts for Today {08October2010}

Today's Devotional: Called to Warfare
Today's Passage: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

When reading this devotional the first thing I think about is the character from USA Network "Burn Notice" Michael Westin when he says, "When you're a spy you fight, you don't fight fair, you fight to win". I'm getting in my spirit again that this is how you have to fight Satan every single day. Alone I can never win against the Devil but when reading, praying and OBEYING God's word I have the victory each and every time.

My Thoughts for Today{08 October 2010}

Today's Devotional: Looking for Fruit
Today's Passage: Galatians 5:16-26

Reading this devotional for this Friday brings tears to my eyes because of how faw I have strayed from my Lord and Savior. This past year and a half I haven't been in His word like I should have, allowed issues from my past job become a worldly man in regards to my language and negativity. I haven't been to church God knows how long and instead of looking upward and being obedient I have been relying on my own wisdom. But as I read the devotional and the passage I began to smile because of His love for me. He has never left me and once you truly know Chirst Jesus you know there is no other way to live.

Daily Devotion Reading of Our Daily Bread 27March2010 - Loving God

I will try and do this on a daily basis if time permits, let me know what you think this reading.

Reflections for Saturday, 14 February 2009

Devotional Reading: Our Daily Bread
Passage Reading: 1 John 4:7-19 (New Living Translation)

This past week two tragedies hit people families and it began to hit, "We truly do not know when our last day is on earth". I mean, the way people lose their lives and how sudden it can happen. A person can land a job in another state and can be happy one minute and the next a drunk driver can end their life or just yesterday a plane full of passengers can be headed to another destination only to crash. I'm not trying to sound morbid or be a downer on Valentine's Day but we can not take two things for granted, the people in our lives and our life eternity.

Last night at work I was talking to my supervisor at work and we were talking about how another relative (his aunt) has passed away and she died on her birthday! In 2007 he buried his father then in 2008 he buried his mother. He surprised that she lived this long because of how close his aunt and his mother were. It's amazing how death can truly make you realize how precious life is on earth and for me how even when living a long life once it's over it's over.

One thing brings me so much joy and comfort is that knowing Jesus Christ. For knowing Him, getting into His word, he teaches you how to live life to the fullest, how I learn each time I am in his word that following His commandments, His teachings, fearing Him(not fear as in, "Or my God if I do this wrong He will strike me dead" but fearing Him in revering His word, knowing that His word is truth), knowing that what He wants for my life is good and when He tells me no it's not to keep me from life but to have a peaceful life. Turning my life over to God takes the fear from me in reference to death because He sent his son for me, for ME. A person for years that lived my life outside of His will but was so patient with me to realize one day that He truly loved me for me, flaws and all.

Life is short, life can be taken away from you in an instant but having and KNOWING Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior makes life so sweet. For the me this Valentine's Day I have two great gift: The love of God and without Him bringing someone to share the rest of my life with here on earth (my beautiful wife). And even if I did not have that special someone in my knowing that Jesus died for someone like me who has made mistakes and will make mistakes in the future is one of the best Valentine's Day presents I could ever receive.

Be Blessed/Be Safe
& Have a wonderful Weekend.

great messages to check out this weekend
Dr. Charles Stanley
> The Pathway of Faith {Part 1 & Part 2}

Pastor Paul Shepperd
> Dead Man Walking {Part 1a & Part 1b}

photo: InterfaceLIFT Wallpaper

Reflections from Today's Devotional

Devotional for Today: "Planting Time"
Passage Reading: Galatians 6:6-10 (New Living Translation)

"Sow today what you want to reap tomorrow."

What a powerful statement.

We never take this "sowing and reaping" theory to heart until something bad happens in our lives like a job loss, a love one walks away from us, a friendship ends then deep down when if we are really honest with ourselves we begin to self evalute our situation. We realize that we could have been a "little" nicer to that sales associate or we could have carried the weight a "little" more, we begin to run into the famous, "shoulda, woulda, coulda" senarios in our mind. It's amazing how I try and think behind the scenes of some events when it comes to bad news. When I see on the news when someone is being interviewed in reference to a job loss, the first thing pops in my mind is, "was he or she kind to the people around them?" "Did they treat the night cleaner nice?" Part of that comes from the fact that I'm a night cleaner and I see how corporate America treats the blue collar workers and it's not good and in my mind sometimes these are same people looking into the news camera, tears swelling in their eyes asking, "Why did this happen to me?"

Deep down you know why.

This is not to say every bad thing that happens in a person's life it's their fault, many times that person has sown good in another person life or have gone over and beyond to help their company prosper and the end results is a loss of job. That person may have been a wonderful person to everyone they have met and events take place where they have no control over the same question arises, "I've done my best/I've treated that person with honor and respect and they walk right out of my life, why?"

I have been on both sides of that coin, many of us have and what I have learned from both sides is that believe it or not it feels much better in your spirit and in your heart to have tried your best and to be let down than to have caused the train wreck in your life. That may sound odd but think about, even though both hurt it takes most people more time to recover when you were at fault. You begin going through many, "What If?" moments in your mind. When you have not caused the hurt in someone's life it really hurts but in time you realize that it may have been the best thing to have happen to you.

The devotional today from rbc makes me take in the fact that when you seek God's heart you cannot go wrong because He will always be there for you. People will be people, they will let you down but when reading His word every day it makes you realize we live in a fallen world but when you constantly sow good in other people's lives you are the winner in the end.

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

Great messages for Friday

Dr. Charles Stanley - The Rewards of Service
Pastor Paul Sheppard - Conclusion of: Lessons We Can Learn from Abraham 1

Reflections from Monday's Devotional

Devotional from Our Daily Bread: Gossip-Free Zone
Biblical Passage: Proverbs 25: 8-18

I know this is going to sound bias and I'm going to sound like a male chauvinist pig so I'm getting that out of the way right now but I often tell people that the only women I enjoy working around are geek women. With geek women gossip is truly at a minimum. They care about their appearance but I have never heard them tear down another woman, well at least while I'm around. They are not into dumb shows like Desperate Housewives, Girlfriends, Sex & the City, The Starters Wife (while USA Network airs that show I will never know), Tyler Perry movies...yes I said it.

Gossip is something I have heard men and women do from time to time and it's very easy to get caught up in it. Gossip is one of those subtle sins that before you know it you're right in the middle of that mess. You don't think you get caught up in it? Have you ever read PEOPLE, US, Star magazines? Have you ever watch any so called Reality shows?

*my hand goes up slowly

It's amazing so many things that are positive that surrounds us and many times we are drawn to the negative. There is the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, TLC, National Geographic Channel, heck for me The Weather Channel is productive (they play some of the best smooth jazz when showcasing "The Local on the 8's"). Do you own a mp3 player? So many positive podcast are out here from pastor Greg Laurie, Paul Sheppard, Dr. Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, the late Adrian Rogers & Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Michael Yousef, James McDonald...and these are national pastors and I'm sure that there are local pastors in your area that great teachers of God's word. You have some great music podcast (mine included...hint, hint), great tech shows and yet we sometimes get sucked into the gossip abyss.

I love the book of Proverbs. If you ever want sound, no nonsense every day advice this is the book to read a chapter a day. So much is written about gossip because God knows that is where the majority of all problems begin...word of mouth. If we want our children, our grandchildren gossiping or talking ill of people we as adults must lead by example when it comes to what we read, what we watch, what we say. Let's begin to make our home, our speech a "Gossip-Free Zone".

Be Blessed, Be Safe,
& Have a Wonderful Monday

Christian Podcast to check out:
Thru the Bible Questions & Answers - Dr. J. Vernon McGee
Broadcast for Saturday, November 08, 2008

Tech Podcast to check out:
Windows Weekly 82: Pocket Paul
Hosts: Paul Thurrott with Leo Laporte

Reflections from Friday's Devotional For 07 November 08

Our Daily Bread: Waiting
Biblical Passage : Psalm 70 (New Living Translation)

There are so many ways to approach this subject on patience. I thought I was a patient person but then a situation comes up from time to time and I see I have a long way to go. There are some things I can just sit back and wait and other things I wish it would come and be over with (like the election...thank goodness it is over). It's amazing when waiting on God to respond to certain things in my life I want him to act "right now, CHOP, CHOP!

But I realize I am on His time table and not the other way around and deep down I know in the end it is always in my best interest. I think back on past relationships that I knew "man she is right for me" and now I look back and say, "Thank you Jesus for not answering that prayer." I have to get this through my head day in and day out which is so true each day I am on this earth, God ways are not my own ways plain and simple. He knows what I need in my life, what I need to pursue, what I need to avoid but it's up to me that when I go His way that I learn how to realize that while I'm waiting, God is working.

Now waiting on God does not mean I just sit back at do nothing. This means I keep doing what is right for my family, for myself and just know that God is working it out in my favor and I'm not going to lie that is not easy to do many times but if I don't want to start from zero it's best to do it His way. The next time you read about Abraham or about Jonah read how when they did not do it God's way and not have patience how many times that they were placed at the very starting point where they began. I have had those kind of situations and let me tell you, the older you get the less fun that is beginning all over again. You begin to learn that doing it God's way, the right way saves you so much unnecessary grieve.

Not being patient, doing it your own way will work for you for a little while but when it falls apart, it falls apart hard and your ways breaks in sometimes a million pieces and sometimes you cannot put it back together again and in the end you are left with the three famous words many hate to say and go through, "shoulda, woulda, coulda". Learning not rush God is a lesson that will save you heartache in the very end...but being a Follower of Christ we already know this right?

RIGHT!?!

Be Blessed, Be Safe,
& Have a Wonderful Friday

Christian Podcast to check out...
Love Worth Finding - Dr. Adrian Rogers
Are You Fit to Be Tied?

Tech Podcast to check out...
TWiT - net@night with Amber and Leo
WeadWiteWeb

Reflections from Thursday's Devotional

Our Daily Bread Devotional: Serve Or Die
Biblical Passage: Mark 10:35-45 (New Living Translation)

You hear this all the time, "If God is a loving God, why does he allow suffering in the world?" Straightforward question and here is the straightforward answer: God has given HUMANS, yes, You and I, domain over the world. It's amazing how we forget things like this. We want to do want we want, live anyway we want to live but when trouble hits the world or our little part of world we want God to wipe the slate clean.

God has blessed us all with a very solid blueprint on how to handle things in the world...the Holy Bible. I have to be honest, whenever I have wholeheartedly obeyed God I can not say He has ever forsaken me. But I have to keep telling myself when I live God's way I am on his time table, not my own. I may get upset with him wondering why doesn't He move in my life when I want Him to but I am old enough now to know that many times I get myself in certain situations that has caused me grief. I was the one that went right when God told me and has taught me to go right. When you get real and honest with yourself it humbles you and you begin not to play the "blame game" so much which many Christians and non-Christians do now.

I'm I saying that all Christians have this "oh whoa is me" attitude? Of course not. But we have to get to a put that we as Followers of Christ can not disobey God and assume that we can treat Him as our own Genie in the bottle and wipe our mistakes away. He can do that but what would he have learned from our mistakes? There is the other scenario...there are things that popped up in our lives that we have no control over and it will bring us heartache and at the time it hurts like heck and we have every right to asked God why. Job asked God why, Many prophets in the Bible as God why. In the book of Psalms King David asked God why time and time again but what I have learned to ask God now is not "why" but "what can I learn from this situation." Now that I have learned that very important key it stops me from being a victim to becoming a conqueror.

We must come to the realization that God has put us in charge of the world. It is not God that fail people, we fail people but every day we have the power to correct this mistake when we wake up each morning.

Be Blessed, Be Safe,
& Have a Wonderful Thursday

Christian podcast to check out for today...
Conclusion of: Dealing With Detractors- Paul E. Sheppard
net@night 73: WeadWiteWeb- Amber MacArthur and Leo Laporte