Ooops!

At the school system where I work, we get paid one per month.  The money is always direct-deposited into our accounts on the last day of the month.  But when I checked my account yesterday, there was no money.  I panicked!  The Central office sent out a system-wide Email explaining that they "forgot" to release the money.  I am serious; they actually said "forgot".  They rushed paper checks to everyone today.  How does one forget to do what they have done every month for years?  There sure were a lot of unhappy campers around the system.

How do we sometimes "forget" to thank God for all He's done for us?  I know I am guilty of asking Him for more things I don't have than thanking Him for things I do have.  Do you think that hurts God?  I need to re-prioritize.  I need to be more thankful than I have been.  Instead of flipping out when I don't see my money right away, maybe I should next time just thank God I have a job.

Lord, thank-you for everything You do for me.  Help me to try to make a list tonight of those things You have blessed me with.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Do You Feel Saved?

Thank God we don't have to "feel" like we are saved to actually be saved.  Some days I am so ashamed of my sins that I feel like I have lost my salvation.  Have you ever felt like that before?  And when I have those days, I then feel like I have to be "super Christian" just to make-up for those sins.  I am so thankful that the Bible doesn't teach that nonsense.  When I have those kinds of days, I like to re-read parts of His holy Word.

Romans 8:38-39 teaches us that "nothing can separate a Christian from God's love".  John 10:28-29 teaches us "that nothing can remove a Christian from God's hand" 2Corinthians 5:17 promises us "that once we are in Christ, we are a new creature; the old has gone, the new has come".  And my favorite of all, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away.  If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then can God break His promise by taking away eternal life?  Have you ever known God to go back on His Word?  Yes, we all sin, and yes, we will all continue to sin.  But for us Christians that truly put our trust in Jesus Christ, that sin is already washed away by His precious blood.  And how we "feel" doesn't even come close to playing into that equation. 

Oh God, please forgive me for being so hard-headed sometimes.  Thank-you for giving me eternal life through your Son Jesus.  Help us all to know we are saved, and not  worry about how we sometimes feel.  In Jesus awesome name, amen!

I'm Walking On Sunshine

Katrina and the Waves had a hit song back in the 80's with "I'm Walking on Sunshine."  But when they wrote the tune, they were nowhere near sunshine.  In fact, it was cold, clammy, and not even daytime in New York City when they wrote it.  But listening to the song with its upbeat lyrics, you would never have known.  Maybe that is some very good advice for all of us.  Some days are just not all sunshine.  But, as the old saying says, maybe we should "fake it until we make it".  I find that "acting" happy even when I am not can sometimes snap me out of a funk very quickly.  Are you down in the dumps right now?  Well consider two things:  First, that is a normal feeling and second, you can change it with God's help.  Just think about Jesus and let His complete peace chase away your blues.  You know He can do it; think how many times he has helped you in the past.  Trust in Him, and before long you will be "Running on Sunshine"  Amen!!!  

Priceless

Not having to go to church on Sundays: Zero dollars.


Not having to be nice to other people: Zero dollars.


Not having to read the Bible: Zero dollars.


Not having to ask for forgiveness: Zero dollars.




Having to spend eternity in hell: CHRISTless.



Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."




Father, thank you for Your Son Jesus. Help us to always put Him first and to bring honor and Glory to His precious name. Touch the hearts of those who have not yet come to Him. In Jesus name, Amen.

Evil Amoung Us

It was on this day nine years ago when the terror began, and it lasted for 23 excruciating days before the killers were finally apprehended.  "Still recovering from the terrorist attacks of 9/11, innocent people in the Washington D.C. area found themselves under siege once more-by an unseen, unknown, and seemingly unstoppable enemy." [Angie Cannon of U.S. News and World Report]  We will never forget the pain, anger, and sadness that John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo injected into the lives of their victim's families and friends when they murdered at least 10 people and wounded even more with a stolen Bushmaster XM-15 semiautomatic .223 caliber rifle equipped with a reflex sight at ranges of between 50 and over 100 yards.  Muhammad was executed by lethal injection on November 10, 2009, and Malvo was sentenced to 6 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.  He could still be extradited to Alabama or Louisiana for prosecution stemming from crimes in those states as well.

I have never experienced the magnitude of pain and sorrow that these families did, and I am not sure how one goes about forgiving such hideous acts.  I do know that forgiveness is a process, just like healing.  I can't imagine how a human being could possibly process all the emotions that are involved with losing a loved one to murder.  But I do know that Jesus Christ is a Master at helping people deal with such things.  Jesus helps us sort out problems through our friends, family, and counselors.  If you are dealing with an issue right now that involves you having to forgive someone, and you feel there is no way you will ever be able to do that, ask Jesus for help.  Always remain open-minded to the paths and avenues through which He may lead you.  If you are unable to forgive at this moment, don't beat yourself up over it.  We are only human, and God understands our struggles.  He created us, and He knows us even better than we know ourselves.  Don't give up.  With Jesus, there is always hope!

Romans 2:7 says, "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life."

Father, please wrap your loving arms around those who may need You most.  Help us all learn how to forgive, just as You have forgiven us. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Concentric Circles

In Geometry, concentric circles are defined as circles that have the same center point. You can create concentric circles by tossing a rock into a pond. After the rock hits the water, ripples or waves form and flow out from the center. These circles grow larger as they continue flowing away from the center. This is precisely what happens during a tsunami. The waves from a tsunami can travel up to 500 miles per hour and thousands of miles from the center. These waves travel out in all directions with incredible energy. I guess we will never forget the tsunami of 2004 that killed thousands of people. The power created by these concentric circles is unbelievable!

When we put Jesus in charge and at the center of our lives, many things change for the better. We become happier, live more peacefully, and gain tons of hope. Like ripples on a pond, these changes flow out from us in all directions and have the power to change others. Have you ever known someone who had such an electric personality that you were drawn to them? You can also have that kind of personality that draws people to you. And when people are drawn to you, they will see Christ as the reason. Just toss the Solid Rock that is our Savior into the center of your life. The ripples that result can be very powerful!

Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all thy ways, acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy path."

Father, I am proud to have You at the center of my life. I ask you to help me win souls for Your Kingdom, according to Your perfect will. In Jesus name, Amen.

Follow These Simple Rules

I had an awesome time in Salt Springs, Florida this past weekend!  It was amazing to see all my family, and especially amazing to see how much kids and grand kids have grown.  I didn't even recognize some of them.  Each family had their own personal cottage for the weekend, and I stayed in #17.  It was about as nice as being at home.  One thing that kind of amused me, though, was a form that was left on the coffee table for tenants.  It read, "Welcome to our cottage.  Please follow these simple rules."  It did seem simple, at first. There were only 8 rules...until I noticed there were some on the other side of the form, too.  The flip-side contained 14 more,  for a total of 22 "simple" rules.


In the Old Testament of the Bible, God gave Moses certain "rules" to follow.  Known as the Mosaic Law, those rules were intended for the people of Israel.  Such rules in the Old Testament covered a variety of topics including the Sabbath (seventh day), animal sacrifices, the Levitical priesthood, circumcision, special holy days, burning incense, tithing, instrumental music, and dancing in worship.  I have to admit that I have a very hard time just trying to remember all those rules, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been to obey all of them.  But the good news, at least for us today, is that these rules are no longer binding.  God gave the rules, and only He can change them, which He did when He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.  Hebrews Chapter 8 says, ""Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant . . ." says the LORD. “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 . . . In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."


Father, thank-you for the New Covenant that is Jesus Christ.  I personally accept it and will always have my faith in Him.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Trust Me

Back in the old days, a hand shake was all that was needed to solidify a contract. In contrast, it takes several pages of legal jargon and scores of sign heres and initial theres for a contract today. Back in the day, people never even considered locking their doors at night. But today, it is wise to keep them locked even in the middle of the day. What has happened to trust? It seems so hard to build trust anymore because of the number of times we get let down. Not only is it hard to trust others anymore, but it is also hard for others to trust us. A promise just isn't what it used to be. How many times have we let others down in the past? I know we are only human, born to make mistakes, but you know as well as I do that once trust is broken, it can be so very hard to regain.

How many times would it take somebody breaking your trust before you simply threw your hands in the air and gave up? How many times of them breaking your heart before you finally decided you were just a fool to trust and believe them in the first place? I know I have had my share of let-downs. Not only have others betrayed my trust, but I have broken theirs as well. But aren't we lucky that we serve a God who trusts us no matter how many times we sin against Him? If other people did to us only occasionally what we do to Christ daily, we would never trust them again. But our Jesus forgives us no matter what we do or how often we do it, and He even forgives us before we ask Him. What an incredible demonstration of the power of God's Grace! I know there is a big difference between forgiving somebody and trusting somebody after they have betrayed us. Maybe the forgiving part is easier than the trusting part, but with Christ's help, perhaps we can learn to do both. And that's a promise we can "shake" on.

Psalm 103:8 says, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy."

Father, thank you for forgiving and trusting us when we mess up. Please help us to do the same when others betray us. In Jesus name, Amen

A Teaching Moment

Yesterday in my classroom, a very good opportunity came up to teach my students about something beyond the regular curriculum.  Although a sad topic, most students were very involved in the discussion.  We got to talking about some of their classmates who had been called to heaven by the Lord.  Most of those who had already passed were involved in motor-vehicle collisions.  But two of our Dothan High students stood out in my mind as dying from something other than a car crash:  One was struck and killed by lightning, and the other was playing a stupid game of Russian Roulette.  A few of my students were not familiar with this deadly "game".  After explaining it to the class, most could not believe a person with any sense would play such a game.  So I questioned them about it.  I asked if any of them thought they might ever try it.  One student told me, "I know peer pressure can cause students to do some dumb things, but I don't think any pressure would cause me to do something that dumb".  100% of the class agreed that the game was too risky and that their lives were much more important to them, their friends, and their families to try something so stupid.  So then I asked how many of them text and drive at the same time.  Silence....

I was not judging my students, because Lord knows I have texted while driving before, too.  But when I think about it afterwards, I realize that it was just as dangerous to do that as it would be to play Russian Roulette.  But texting while driving is much worse because there are a lot of innocent people on the road that can be affected by it.  I will never forget when I lived in New Jersey and learned about a 17-year old that had been drinking and driving.  He veered just a little too far over the center line and hit an on-coming car head-on.  It killed three people in that car...his mom, dad, and little brother.  They just happened to be driving on that road at that very moment.  To this day, he continues to struggle with his bad decision that wiped-out his family.  We all do dumb things, but God gave us a brain and expects us to use it.  Please don't drive while intoxicated nor when intexticated.  I'm challenging you as well as myself to never, ever do that again.

Father, please forgive us for continuing to do certain things that we know we should never do.  Help us to place our bibles on top of our cell phones while we are driving.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Family Matters

This coming weekend, I will be on my way to Salt Springs, Florida for a family reunion.  I am looking very forward to it!  Although I am ashamed to admit it, this will be the first one that I have attended in 3 years.  I haven't been absent from the past 3 reunions because of anything me family did to me.  I have been absent from the past 3 reunions simply because of my own self-centered, bull-headiness.  Each year that I would announce I wasn't going to attend, my family, though not too surprised, was still very understanding and encouraging.  You see, I have the best family in the world, and I know they always love me.  As I write this devotion, I am almost in tears, both happy ones and sad ones.  I am sad that I have wasted 3 years with them that I will never, ever get back.  But I also have happy tears too, because, well, I feel like I am coming home.  I feel like the Prodigal son, and just like the Father in the Bible story, my family will be waiting for me with open, forgiving arms.  Trust me, I am going to absolutely enjoy every single second of this trip!

If you are having any trouble with your family, whether it is a result of your own doing or theirs, I encourage you to make every attempt to patch it up as quickly as you possibly can.  You know, when it comes right down to it, family is all we truly have.  Think about those people in the world that have no family.  They probably feel extremely isolated, like tiny islands surrounded by a big ocean.  Can you only imagine their loneliness?  But God chose to bless most of us with family.  Why would we try to separate ourselves from the very thing God gave us?  I can not tell you what a relief I feel for reuniting with my family.  Is it now possibly your turn to do the same?

Father, thank-you for our families, and I ask you to please help those who may not be seeing things eye-to-eye.  In Jesus name, Amen.