Category Archives: Devotionals

Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Cold Turkey?

photo credit: JLS Photography – Alaska <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/50830796@N04/48898951803″>Happy Thanksgiving Canada!</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>(license)</a>My heart overflows…

Going cold turkey?

Even before making New Year’s resolutions, many resolve to quit smoking, drinking of alcoholic beverages or other addictive behaviors. Declining outside assistance of support systems or medications; they think positive thoughts.

Oops! Wrong cold turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Traditional family Thanksgiving dinners feature the fowl, stuffing and all the trimmings. The aroma of butter basted birds’ beckons from kitchens. Family and friends eagerly anticipate yearly gatherings around the dining room table.

Who gets to carve the turkey? 

Drama continues after carving and feasting. What do we do with leftovers? Is that cold turkey desired or dreaded?

Visualize the remains of that scrumptious Thanksgiving turkey; once plump, it is now a skeleton on a spacious platter. Does cold turkey foreshadow feelings of sadness? The realization that another family gathering has passed may send a cold chill…

I want to keep the fires of Thanksgiving aglow.

The resurrected Lord sustains me; Christ Jesus dishes out the trimmings of abundant life. Knowing that He desires to fill me with His Holy Spirit, I come to Him with a hearty appetite. Thanks-giving is not a tip on a plate; it is praise on my lips.

“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,  rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:6-7 HCSB).”

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Bible Studies, Devotionals, Redemption, Salvation

The Census Taker

 

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The LORD, the census taker!

“And of Zion it will be said,
‘This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her.’
The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples:
‘This one was born there.’ Selah (Psalm 87:5-6 NKJV).”

Where were you born?

Have you been born again?

“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:5-8 NKJV).”

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Immersion in Immanuel, Christ Jesus

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“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4 NASB).”

Immersion in Immanuel, Christ Jesus.

“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:8-18 NASB).”

 

 

 

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Christian Growth, Devotionals

Blessings

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1 “I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing (Ezekiel 34:26 NASB).”

 

There Shall Be Showers of Blessing [Daniel W. Whittle, 1883/Public Domain]

There shall be showers of blessing:
  This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
  Sent from the Savior above.
  Showers of blessing,
  Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
    But for the showers we plead.
2 There shall be showers of blessing—
  Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
  Sound of abundance of rain.
3 There shall be showers of blessing;
 Send them upon us, O Lord!
Grant to us now a refreshing;
  Come, and now honor Thy Word.
4 There shall be showers of blessing;
  O that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
  Now as on Jesus we call!
5 There shall be showers of blessing,
  If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
  If we let God have His way.

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

The Green Grass of (My) Home

photo credit: Pamela P. Stroud <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/138014685@N08/48788069887″>Gospel Movie Clip – “Is the Lord Jesus the Son of God or God Himself?”</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>(license)</a>  

 

“They went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. They found rich and good pasture, and the land was broad and quiet and peaceful (1 Chronicles 4:39-40a NASB).”

Green, green…

As a child I ran through the green grass of home; I did somersaults and stood on my head. When tired, I laid down to rest on the green grass of ‘my home.’

“The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:1-2a NASB).”

 

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Women

TAKE ME AWAY!

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Wishing CALGON TM, could take you away?

From time to time, we can all feel overwhelmed.

“Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah  (Psalm 61:1-4 NKJV).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Relationships

He Called Him Friend

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Ever been betrayed by a friend?

“While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people.  His betrayer had given them a sign: ‘The One I kiss, He’s the One; arrest Him!’ So he went right up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him.

‘Friend,’ Jesus asked him, ‘why have you come?’

Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested Him (Matthew 26:45-50 HCSB).”

Jesus knew who His betrayer would be. He knew what was in Judas’ heart. Yes, the Master knew very well. Yet, He called Judas friend.

‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ [Joseph Scriven/Public Domain]

1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit;
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who with all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3 Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In his arms he’ll take and shield you;
You will find a solace there.

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Weighing In

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Thinking that you need to go on a diet?

My clothes have confirmed what I’ve been reading on the bathroom scales. I could ignore the scales; I have daily reminders when putting on my clothes. The first 5-7 pounds I gained showed minimal change; the last 5 pounds reveal a noticeable difference.

The signal light turned from caution to stop!

It’s time to put the brakes on. I don’t count calories; instead, I watch my portion sizes and cut down on sweets. This is not the first time I’ve gone this route; it takes patience and determination. 

I’m tempted to overindulge. Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread.

“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’

But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:3-4 NKJV).”

Christ hungered for a far greater food.

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest (John 4:34-35 NKJV)!”

LORD, I want You to control my hunger…

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6 NKJV).”

 

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Women

Blondes-the Brunt of Jokes

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I was naturally blonde until my early teens.

For the next several years I cheated; I dyed my hair. I hope I wasn’t the brunt of dumb blonde jokes.   

Some blondes are beautiful.

“A beautiful woman who rejects good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout (Proverbs 11:22 HCSB).”

Pity the dumb blonde. She lacks common sense.

“… develop common sense, you who are foolish (Proverbs 8:5b HCSB).”

Some blondes are foolish.

“The fool says in his heart, ‘God does not exist (Psalm 14:1a HCSB).” 

He does exist; He lives.

He loves.

He knows the number of hairs on a beautiful blonde’s head!

“Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted (Luke 12:7a HCSB).”

 

 

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Devotionals, Salvation

His Way

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Conversations about death and dying make many people uncomfortable.

Trying to relieve tension, they crack jokes about the afterlife. If unsure about where they will spend eternity, scoffers laugh off the truth about a literal heaven and hell. Living only for today (and what money can buy) the foolish forget you can’t take it with you.

Maybe you’ve heard what was sent with famed Frank Sinatra. I read interesting trivia in urbo.com. Sinatra’s friends tucked rolls of his favorite candy inside his casket. Someone put in dog biscuits for man’s best friend. I found one item very interesting; a roll of dimes was placed inside. Dimes? He made millions.

There was a time when dimes paid a crucial role in Sinatra’s life. His son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. had been abducted and held for ransom. The kidnappers feared phone tapping and said they’d only communicate through pay telephones. Frank Sinatra ran out of change during a conversation and panicked. Fortunately, he was able to get back in contact with the men holding his son.

To make a long story short, Frank Sinatra, Jr. escaped. The kidnappers were nabbed by the police and justice was served. It’s said that Ole’ Blue Eyes carried rolls of coins with him till his death. That explains the send off with rolled coins. So, some might say that he lived and died doing it ‘his way.’

Did he?

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.  For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NASB).”

 

 

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