local Daily Devotions

[04ctd]

New Things


"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13b-14

Our past can be a hindrance or a help in moving toward God's purposes for each of us. For some, the past has meant pain and heartache, and grace is required so that we do not let our past dictate our responses to the future. If we allow our past to make us a victim, then we have not entered into the grace that God has for us. If we live on memories of past successes and fail to raise our vision for new things, we again are victims of our past.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:19).

Our past should only be viewed for what we can learn from it. We must move forward and avoid viewing the negative or the positive for more than what we can learn. Many have allowed their past to dictate their future. God is always about doing new things in our lives. He gives fresh revelation of His purposes in our lives. Do not live in the past. Do not hold onto bitterness that may hinder God from doing new and exciting things in your life. He turns our wastelands into streams of water to give life, not death.

How have you viewed your past? Has it hindered you in some areas of your life? Have you relied on past successes to dictate what you will do in the future? Put aside such thoughts and allow God to do a new thing in your life. Ask Him to help you see the new things He wants to do in and through you today.

"When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave"

[04ctd]

Work Rewards

"For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way." (Job 34:11 NKJV)

There is a belief held by many in the body of Christ that says "If I'm not doing something that has an inherent spiritual value, then it has no value at all." This sacred/secular dichotomy impacts believers every day as they go into their secular workplace. They believe what their secular work is simply a means of supporting the real ministry carried out by local churches, ministers, missionaries, and vocational ministries.

However, this has no biblical basis. Some of the most important leaders in the early church had secular jobs. And, they did not see them as jobs only to support other ministry. They considered their own jobs as ministry.

Consider Dorcus (also known as Tabitha), who was a clothing manufacturer who was "abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did."(Acts 9:36)

When Dorcus died it was immediately brought to the attention of Peter which tells us she was very important to the early church leaders. "Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcus had made while she was still with them" (Acts 9:39). Dorcus was known equally for her business as well as her ministry among the people. However, she was about to be known for being raised from the dead!

"Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, 'Tabitha, get up.' She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord" (Acts 9:40-42).

What type of ministry in the workplace do you suppose Dorcus had after this event? Dorcus is a great reminder for every worker in the secular marketplace that "He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way."

[04ctd]

Four Attributes of a Life God Blesses

"So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.'" - Isaiah 28:16

Whenever God calls us into a consecrated life, it is made up of four distinct stages. Christ often compared this process to building a house.

First, we must prepare to build by laying a foundation. That foundation is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Any foundation other than Christ will not stand.

Second, as we enter a walk of faith with God, He allows each of us to experience trials, testing, miracles, and challenges in life that are designed to provide "faith experiences" that demonstrate tangible evidences of His work in our life: Moses' burning-bush experience, Peter's walk on the water, Joshua's parting of the Jordan River. These experiences built the faith of these people. The depth and width of our calling is directly proportional to the faith experiences He allows in each of our lives. If God plans an international ministry with you, chances are you will experience a higher degree of faith experiences compared to another. The reason being, you will need to look on these to ensure your calling and provide testimony to His work in your life.

third stage deals with motives. "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord" (Proverbs. 16:2). What is the motive behind my actions? Is it only financial accumulation? Is it to gain control? Is it to create independence? The primary motive must be God's leading you to take such an action - it must be obedience. These other factors must be by-products of the decision.

fourth, we are prepared to take action. Here we must ask, "Do we have the skill, quality, and ability to enter into this activity?" So often we have not trained ourselves adequately to be successful in our endeavor. You would never want someone working on your teeth that had not been trained and certified as a dentist.

Before you begin your next project, ask yourself these four questions:

What is the foundation this project is based on?
What experiences has God demonstrated in my life that indicates His involvement?
What is my motive for entering this activity?
Do I have the skill, quality, and ability to accomplish the task?

Answering these questions will tell you whether God will bless your activity.

[04ctd]

http://blog.tifwe.org/being-intentio...ith-your-work/

Overman has another document, Signs That I Have a Well-Developed Theology of Work, that you might find useful. Here are a few examples of the forty-seven ideas -

I am consciously aware of GodÔÇÖs presence everywhere in my workplace (Psalm 139:8; 46:1).

I communicate with God at work, and I ask him for wisdom regarding the work I do (II Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 1:18-20; James 1:5).

I think about GodÔÇÖs justice being done throughout every aspect of my work (Psalm 33:5).

I realize GodÔÇÖs creation in my workplace includes both physical as well as spiritual realities (Colossians 1:16).

I understand my workplace is affected by corruption due to sin. IÔÇÖm not surprised when ÔÇ£bad thingsÔÇØ happen (Genesis 3:17; Romans 5:12).

I think about the fact that my workplace is a realm God intends for me to steward and govern over well (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:4-8).

I am conscious of the fact that since I am a believer in Christ, and I have the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, he empowers me to live a God-glorifying life in the workplace in all circumstances (I John 4:4).

I bear in mind that by GodÔÇÖs grace, he will work through me to bring his light to every sphere of my workplace (Luke 11:2; Matthew 5:13-16).

- See more at: http://blog.tifwe.org/being-intentio....IFR0Hz56.dpuf

[04ctd]

Relating to those Different from Us

"The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?'" (John 4:9).

Do you find it difficult to relate to others who are different than you? Do you shy away from interacting with those who may have a different belief?

Jesus interacted with his culture and especially those who thought differently than He. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well it was much like a Christian speaking to a Muslim or a Jew speaking to a Palestinian. Jesus built a relationship with the woman instead of taking an adversarial position.

In order to influence our culture it is vital believers engage with those unlike us. We often assume others who come from other cultures do not want to engage with us. This is a deception from satan. Many who grow up in other faiths do so as a cultural tradition, not because they have strongly held beliefs. For instance, many Muslims do not know what is in the Quran and simply believe what they are taught based on tradition.

Every person is looking for a genuine relationship with God. Jesus operated based on that assumption. Notice how Jesus engaged with the woman.

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet (John 4: 13-19).

Once Jesus established a rapport with the woman He began to engage with her. He spoke supernaturally into her life which broke through the religious spirit which prevented a theological debate. This led to faith in Christ and even the whole city being impacted.

[04ctd]

Seeing A Greater Purpose In Adversity


But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" - Acts 16:28
Paul and Silas had just been thrown into prison. An earthquake erupted and the jail cell was opened. It's Paul and Silas' opportunity. "Deliverance! Praise God!" might be the appropriate response. But this is not what Paul and Silas did. In fact, rather than leave, they sat quietly in their cell area. The guard, in fear of his life, knew that it would be automatic death if prisoners escaped.

Paul and Silas did not leave because they saw a higher purpose for which they were in prison. They were not looking at their circumstance; they were much more concerned about the unsaved guard. The story goes on to explain how Paul and Silas went home with the guard and his family. Not only did the guard get saved, but his entire household as well.

What a lesson this is for us. How often we are so busy looking for deliverance from our circumstance that we miss God completely. God is looking to do miracles in our circumstances if we will only look for them. Sometimes as workplace believers we become so obsessed with our goals we miss the process that God involves us in, which may be where the miracle lies.

What if that bill collector who has been hounding you is unsaved and he is there for you to speak to? What if a problem account has arisen due to something God is doing beyond what you might see at this time? Our adverse situations can often be the door of spiritual opportunity for those who need it.

I saw this personally when God allowed me to go through a number of adversities. It took some time, but I saw some great miracles as a result of those adversities.

When God said that "all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purposes" (see Romans 8:28), He meant all things. It is up to us to find the "work together for good" part by being faithful to the process. In the next adversity you face, tune your spiritual antennae and ask God for discernment to see the real purpose for the adversity.

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Thoughtlessly Causing Hurt

Luke 6:31 (KJV) "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."

This is considered as the Golden Rule to live by and I think it is one of the rules that all people should follow, as well as many more that are found in the Word of God. In the Book of Matthew 7:12, it says, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

It seems that there are a lot of Christians today that are trying to tell everyone else how to live! Wow, I think that is just amazing that someone would think that they have got it all together enough to be able to look at othersÔÇÖ lives and try to fix their problems! Oh, yes many times it is done in a joking, kidding, or picking way, but feelings still are hurt and hard feeling are started just because someone was INCONSIDERATE of others! I totally despise the demonic spirit of Inconsideration, TOTALLY!

Here is the meaning of the word, Inconsiderate; "Thoughtlessly causing hurt," now I ask you, should that demonic spirit be a part of a ChristianÔÇÖs life? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!

a little girl that was playing outside, her mother called for her to come in and eat. The little girl sat down at the table and her mother placed her plate in front of her. Once again, like many times before the little girl noticed that her mother had gloves on, which was nothing new, because her mother wore gloves every waking hour of the day. The little girl had never asked her mother why she wore the gloves, she just went about her day, but today was different.

Suddenly the little girl asked her mother, "Mother, why do you always wear gloves, I have never seen you without them?" The mother gave many excuses why she wore the gloves, but only to cover up the real reason. Next the little girl asked her mother, "Mother, please take off the gloves so that I can see how beautiful the skin is on your hands." After much pleading by the little girl, the mother took off the gloves. When the gloves were removed the little girl could not believe what she saw, quickly covering her eyes. The little girl, amazed by the scares on her motherÔÇÖs hands, told her mother, "Mother, those are the ugliest hands I have ever seen! What happened to hands?" The mother answered,

"When you were a little baby, our house caught on fire. The house was totally engulfed in flames and you were in your room, in your bed. Quickly, I fought through the flames to get to you. By the time I got to your room, the house was one ball of fire! I took a blanket and wrapped you up so that you would not get burned and made my way, with you in my arms through the burning house to safety. I was able by God's help to get to you and carry you to safety, but my hands were burned very badly and since that day my hands have been scared and are very ugly."

The little girl, after hearing the story that she had never been told, started crying, then she took her motherÔÇÖs hand and placed them to her face and said, "Mother, your hand are so beautiful, so warm, so caring, they are the hands that saved me from the fire."

Folks, don't tear down anyone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.

[04ctd]

Wrestling with God

"The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip" (Genesis 32:31).

Jacob was a man who was a controller. He connived and manipulated his way to get what he wanted. It was a generational stronghold passed down through his mother, who encouraged her son to play a trick on his father, Isaac, by pretending to be Esau. This trick led Isaac to give the family blessing to Jacob, which eventually meant Jacob would inherit the land God promised to Abraham's seed.

One must ask which was uglier in the sight of God; the self-centered nature and worldliness of Esau, or the control and manipulation of Jacob? Jacob also learned control from his uncle Laban who caused Jacob to work for fourteen years to take Rebecca as his lifelong mate.
Control is a problem for both men and women. Many women use sex to control their husbands. Many men use power and force to control their wives. It is at the core of everything that is opposite of the cross -- self rule. What delivers us from this fleshly nature of control; a crisis? Jacob's crisis came when he was faced with the prospect of meeting a brother who said he would kill him the next time he saw him.

Now, Esau had built his own clan and was about to meet Jacob and his clan in the middle of the desert. Jacob is fearful. He retreats. There he meets a messenger of God who wrestles with Jacob. Jacob clings to God and refuses to let go of this angel. It is the place of circumcision for Jacob; a new heart is brought forth. But it is with great pain. For Jacob now walks with a limp because God had to dislocate his hip in order to overcome Jacob's strong will.

For business people, God often has to "dislocate our hip" through failure and disappointment. Sometimes it is the only way He can get our attention. Our nature to control and manipulate is so strong that it takes a catastrophic event to wake us up. Yet, God did not reject Jacob for these character traits. In fact,

God blessed him greatly because He saw something in Jacob that pleased him.

He saw a humble and contrite heart that was beneath the cold and manipulative exterior of his life, and it was that trait that God needed to develop. He did this by bringing about the crisis in his life that led to total consecration. This event was marked by Jacob getting a new name, Israel. For the first time, Jacob had a nature change, not just a habit change. What will God have to do in your life to gain complete consecration to His will and purposes in your life?

[04ctd]

No Confidence in the Flesh


"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more." - Philippians 3:4b

The apostle Paul surely could relate to the business executive. Paul reached the height of his profession only to have it completely stripped and torn from him. What he thought mattered in life became rubbish compared to what God did in his heart as He destroyed what seemed valuable at the time. It took a dramatic event to bring Paul into this revelation. It took a bright light, blindness, and the most fearful experience a human could have - being addressed personally by God, who was questioning why Paul was persecuting His people.

It would not be too long after his conversion that Paul would learn one of the greatest lessons every child of God must learn. That lesson is to avoid putting confidence in the flesh. In our work we are rewarded for achievement. It is a "measurable" life. We work. We see results. We get certain feelings of accomplishment from these activities.

It was not until I was placed in a situation to experience utter failure that I could identify with the words of Paul. I have met other workplace believers as well who achieved great success in their business life only to experience dramatic failure. That personal handshake with failure leads to a realization that:

"Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..." Philippians 3:7-9).

Sometimes God lets us experience great pain to learn the lessons of greatest importance. Knowing Christ intimately is the most important lesson we will learn. Take stock in what you find your greatest pleasure in today. Avoid placing your confidence in things that are but rubbish so that you might know Him more intimately

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Significance


"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

Many of us begin our careers with the goal of achieving success. If we haven't entered our work as a result of God's calling, we will eventually face a chasm of deep frustration and emptiness. Success flatters but does not provide a lasting sense of purpose and fulfillment. So often we enter careers with wrong motives-money, prestige, and even pressure from parents or peers. Failing to match our work with our giftedness and calling is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. If that happens over an extended period, a person crashes.

At this time, many make another mistake. Workplace believers think that beginning a new career in "full-time Christian work" will fill the emptiness they feel.

However, this only exacerbates the problem because they are again trying to put another square peg into a round hole. The problem is not whether we should be in "Christian work" or "secular work," but rather what work is inspired by gifts and calling. If there is one phrase I wish I could remove from the English language it is "full-time Christian work." If you are a Christian, you are in full-time Christian work, whether you are driving nails or preaching the gospel. The question must be, are you achieving the God-given calling for your life? God has called people into business to fulfill His purposes just as much as He has called people to be pastors or missionaries.

It is time for workplace believers to stop feeling like second-class citizens for being in business. It is time workplace believers stop working toward financial independence so that they can concentrate on their "true spiritual calling." This is the great deception for those called to business.

Significance comes from fulfilling the God-given purpose for which you were made. Ask Him to confirm this in your own life.

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The Finger of God


When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. - Exodus 31:18

Throughout the Bible, the word testimony is used in many ways. Testimony comes from the Hebrew word eduwth, which means "witness." The Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments, written and inscribed personally by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These became known as the testimony. The ark was a divinely inspired structure that was to be used as a witness to the people of Israel and the whole world of God's power and majesty. These divinely created tablets were a witness of God's activity on earth with man.

Throughout the Bible, God looked to create testimonies with His people. At the Red Sea, He created a testimony through Moses. God created a testimony through Joshua when He parted the Jordan River and allowed the people with the Ark to cross on dry land. When Lazarus lay dead for days, Jesus came and created a testimony of His ability to raise the dead.

Jesus is still looking for those who are willing to have a testimony created through their lives. One of the major characteristics of a God-ordained testimony is for something to happen that cannot be explained in the natural. In other words, if you can make it happen through your abilities, it is not a testimony about God, but about you.

God wants to create a testimony in every aspect of your life - your family, your work, your church, and in your community. He is waiting to put His finger on your next endeavor to reveal His power through your life. Look carefully at the events where God might want to create a testimony out of an impossible situation. He delights in using His children for this purpose because it brings Him glory.

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Empowering Others


"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

The CEO was excited that he'd found the right man to be general manager of his growing enterprise. He had all the training, the right skill set, and great people skills. The CEO gave him all authority to fulfill his role. However, after six months the CEO had to fire him. It seems the general manager refused to use the empowerment given him to accomplish his tasks.

Great leaders, mentors, and managers must empower others to fulfill the mission of any organization. Jesus invested time and energy developing leaders. Only at the point at which they could properly manage the resource did Jesus empower them. The teacher who offers empowerment too early sets up followers for failure. On the other hand, the leader who fails to empower capable people creates frustration.

Part two of good empowerment is engaging your follower to use his/her authority entrusted to them to fulfill their mission.

Jesus imparted to His followers a balance of both of these concepts. Peter was not ready for leadership before the crucifixion. He failed to use the empowerment given to him by Jesus. It required a failure in Peter's life before he matured in his leadership. However, once Peter began to appropriate from Jesus what He had imparted to him he became a powerful and effective leader. Jesus told his disciples they would be able to not only do what He had done, but they would do even greater things than He did.

This is a key attribute of a leader who wants to empower others to advance their mission.

[04ctd]

Managing Money


"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income" (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

A successful businessman once confided in another businessman known for his wisdom. "I've made a lot of money. I will soon be able to retire comfortably and do just about anything I want."

"John," the wise businessman replied to the man, "I've noticed that every time someone thinks they've built a tree that is so tall it almost reaches heaven, God often decides to shake the tree."

The minute we start trusting in riches, God will, in fact, "shake the tree" to demonstrate who is the source of wealth to turn us back to trusting Him completely. He did it in my life, and He'll do it in your life too because He loves us too much to allow us to continue down this destructive path.

Money is mentioned more than 2,000 times in the scripture. Jesus used it many times in illustrating an important lesson to his disciples. He spoke often of being a good steward of the resources He entrusted to us. He wanted a return on His investment and He wanted us to stay away from making money an idol in our lives.

Jesus understood that He was here on earth only to do the will of the Father. "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; He can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does."

As we look at our relationship to our heavenly Father and our use of money, it is clear that we, like Jesus, are here to do the will of the Father in all areas of life. This means seeking to live a life that is totally yielded to His purposes -even in the financial area.

Money, independence, and security are often the reasons many start their own businesses or change jobs. Check your motives today and see if your financial life can stand Jesus' scrutiny. Are you operating as a steward of the financial resources He has entrusted to you?

[04ctd]

Making Adjustments


..."Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." - John 21:6

A friend of mine was the marketing director of a large food brokerage company and told me a story about one of their client grocery stores located in the upper Midwest. It seems that the store could not understand why at a certain time every winter sales plummeted. They studied their product line and interviewed customers. They did everything possible to uncover the mystery. Finally, someone made a remarkable discovery that changed everything.

It seemed that whenever it was really cold outside, the manager raised the temperature in the store. When customers came into the store it was too warm for them, so they removed their coats and placed them in their shopping carts. This meant less room for food and resulted in reduced sales overall. They lowered the temperature of the store, and as a result, the sales climbed back to the levels they were accustomed to. Their adjustment resulted in restoring sales levels.

Jesus stood on the shoreline and watched Peter and a few of the disciples fish. Jesus yelled from the shoreline asking if they had caught anything. They had not. He then suggested they cast their line on the other side of the boat. Without knowing the person who was addressing them, they took His advice. They began catching so many fish they could not bring them in.

Adjusting our lives to God is the first thing that has to happen in order to begin experiencing Him in our daily lives. For some, it is simply following the advice of those above us. For others, it may require a major change in our job situation. Still, for others it could mean making changes in relationships. Whatever the case, you can be sure that until we adjust our lives to God we will not receive His full blessing. Ask Him today where you need to adjust to Him.

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According to GodÔÇÖs Word

And that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:4)

The Scripture has not changed in hundreds of years. From Genesis 3:15 through the end of Revelation, one truth is proclaimed: Jesus came as man to live without sin so He could become the sin offering for hopeless humanity.

Human beingsÔÇÖ last enemy, death, was conquered through JesusÔÇÖs resurrection so we could have eternal life. This truth will never change, Praise God. It is penned in the matchless blood of Jesus, proclaimed by the biblical writers, and validated by God Himself.

Lord, You rested in a tomb; You waited on Your heavenly FatherÔÇÖs promise of the resurrection from the dead. We, too, now wait on Your glorious day. Until then, preserve our hearts and minds in the one true faith. Guard us from the temptation to wander from Your saving light. Grant repentance to those who have shunned Your Word. For You alone are the resurrection and the life, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Thank You Lord for the truth revealed in Your Word upon which I can stake my life, Praise God. Amen

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Jos 23:6
And be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, so that you do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left;

In Joshua's farewell address, he reminds the people then, and us Believers today, of the following:
1. Love the Lord your God
2. Walk in all His ways
3. Obey His commands
4. Hold fast to Him
5. Serve Him with all your heart and soul

How are all of us as Believers doing on these five things? Loving the Lord is easy, holding fast to Him is easy, serving Him is another matter, and walking in His ways and obeying His commands... well that's another matter entirely.

Oops, guess we forgot about Deuteronomy 30:1.
"The command that I am giving you today is not too difficult or beyond your reach.


However, in order to walk in His ways and obey His commands, we must know what they are. We do that by studying His word and listening to the Holy Spirit speak.

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Learn from God's Creation


"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20).

Have you ever had someone say, "I don't see any evidence of God? How can a person believe in someone you can't see or see any evidence even exists?"

The Bible tells us that God is revealed in His creation everyday. Look at the human body and consider the likelihood of how thousands of body parts that must work together. Someone created it to work this well. If it were a manufactured product, it would be in the repair shop all the time because of all the moving parts required to make it work.

Consider the wonderful order and balance of nature and how the seas know their boundaries, the beauty of the mountains, and the balance of rain and oxygen needed to balance the ecosystems. Consider God's signature, the rainbow.

The 12th century Scottish Christian mystic, Richard of St. Victor said, "The whole of this sensible world is like a book written by the finger of God." Look at nature and wonder at the creative design of the hundreds of thousands of species of animals like the tiger, the elephant, the great whales, and the millions of species of birds, just to name a few.

Consider the planet we live on. "The Earth is a rough sphere about eight thousand miles in diameter, which means that it's about four thousand miles straight down to the center. We're accustomed to thinking of it as a ball of rock, but that's not so: the great majority of the Earth is liquid - molten rock called magma swirling, incredible slowly, beneath our feet. The solid part of the earth that we live on, and in whose hollows the sea sits, is called the crust, and on average it's only a few miles thick - maybe ten miles. That's like a layer a third of a millimeter thick coating a football. We live on that incredibly fragile, thin layer of plates floating on the subterranean sea of magma."

Yes, God has revealed Himself in His creation.

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Live As Though You Are Dead


"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Roman 6:11-12).

"How will I know when I am going to come out of my adversity pit?" said the woman sitting across from me. "When it doesn't matter anymore," I replied. It brought back memories, when I also sat across from a mentor who said to me, "The only problem you have is you are not dead yet. You need a good funeral." He was talking about my carnal flesh life.

When Joseph was elevated to be ruler over the entire kingdom of Egypt after years of slavery and imprisonment, my guess is that it didn't really matter that much to him. He thought he was going to get out of prison years earlier when he successfully interpreted the cupbearers dream only to remain there two more years. "Why should this situation prove any different?" he must have thought to himself.

I believe Joseph had come to a place with God where he resigned himself to remain wherever God had chosen to keep him. He had become dead to his circumstances. It does not mean we can't have a longing for better days, but there is a Godly contentment that allows us to remain in any condition with a peace that passes all understanding.

The Bible says we are to live as though we are dead. This does not mean we do not have emotions or dreams. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them (Mark 14:34). That sounds like anxiety to me, yet we know Jesus never sinned. So, we can conclude that we can have concerns and emotions without crossing over into sin. God has given us His Spirit to allow us to operate inside the storms of life without sinning.

Place your faith today into the hands of the One who can calm any storm in life.

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something different:

The Reality of Our Ordinary Days

What do your days look like? How do they begin, and how do they end?
If youÔÇÖre anything like me, my days look pretty ordinary.

They are filled with instant oatmeal in the morning as I scurry out the door, somehow always forgetting my laptop charger, as I begin my half-an-hour commute to the office, where I work diligently until about 5 oÔÇÖclock, when I then rush home to participate, if IÔÇÖm lucky, in some brief form of exercise, cook a quick meal for dinner, and then face the loads of laundry and mounds of house chores and rent bills that seem to never end.

Ordinary life and ordinary time are what some may call my ÔÇ£bread-and-butter.ÔÇØ How, though, can these rhythms of ordinary living be nourishingly sweet and even glorious?

We live in a time and a culture constantly celebrating the extraordinary, and yet, the reality is that daily life ÔÇô that is, what makes up our time and culture ÔÇô is ordinary. ItÔÇÖs instant oatmeal and work commutes.
We are ordinary people living in ordinary places. But to God, we are also so much more.

GodÔÇÖs Glory in the Ordinary
Hebrews, concludes with some famous exhortations we have all heard. Hebrews 13:5 says, ÔÇ£Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.ÔÇØ While this Scripture is particularly comforting during times of hardship, it is also comforting during times of ordinary life.

For me, and perhaps for you, sometimes it is not difficulty that makes me think that God will forsake me, but just the routine of daily life.

There is no ÔÇ£hill to climb,ÔÇØ no vision given, no miracle performed, nothing wonderful or beautiful ÔÇô just the commonplace day in and day out.

Sometimes, we have the idea that God is going to do something exceptional, that he is consistently preparing and fitting us for something extraordinary. Please hear me, he is! He is preparing us for the most extraordinary thing we could ever imagine: the New Heavens and the New Earth!

But, even more, as we trod on, in our studies and our jobs, by his grace, we find that God is glorifying himself here and now, in this very moment.

Eugene Peterson once said,
Christian spirituality means living in the mature wholeness of the gospel. It means taking all the elements of your lifeÔÇöchildren, spouse, job, weather, possessions, relationships ÔÇöand experiencing them as an act of faith. God wants all the material of our lives.

If Christians are called to live in the mature wholeness of the gospel, then that means we must take every single element of our lives- as ordinary as they may be ÔÇô and live into them as a tangible act of faith in King Jesus.
God wants our work, our extracurricular activities, our afternoon treadmill runs, our meals, our conversations, and our fears about the future.

He not only desires to be Lord of those things, but he is the Maker, the Creator, the Engineer of those very ordinary things.

A Prayer for Our Ordinary Days

How can you begin to take all elements of your life and experience them as
an act of faith?

Do you believe that no matter your circumstances, as ordinary as they may be, God is with you always and will never leave you?

Father, thank you that you never leave us, even when life seems so ordinary and common. Thank you that you are still working in and through our lives of instant oatmeal and rent bills. Help us to see your grace in every aspect of our lives. We are so thankful for the opportunity to praise you in this very present minute. Amen.

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Hearing God's Voice


Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. - 1 Samuel 3:7

Samuel was born to Hannah, a woman who had a deep commitment to God. She was barren, but she cried out to God for a son. The Lord gave her Samuel, whom she completely gave to the Lord for His service. After weaning him, she took him to the house of the Lord to be reared by the priests. Eli was the priest of Israel, but he was not a godly leader. He had allowed much corruption, including the sins of his sons, in God's house. God was not pleased with Eli and later judged him and his household.

Samuel grew up in the temple serving God. He also grew up seeing the hypocrisy of Eli's household, yet this did not change the young man. God was with him. We learn that even though young Samuel had a belief in God, he had not yet experienced a personal relationship with Him. God called to Samuel three times, but Samuel thought it was Eli, the priest, calling him. Finally, Eli told him to say, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:9b). This is what Samuel did, and God began telling Samuel important things to come.

Many of us grow up in religious environments. We go to church every week. We have head knowledge of God, but we do not recognize God's voice in our lives. There comes a time when we must recognize God's voice for ourselves. God does not want us to have a religion; He wants us to have a two-way relationship with Him. Samuel was never the same after this encounter. He would know God's voice and would respond to Him in obedience.

Do you know God's voice? Can you recognize it when He speaks? In order to hear God's voice, you must be clean before Him and listen. Listen to God's voice today and follow His plans for you.