Devotional Christian » change

Wholesome and Clean

Patricia Day — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:42:02 +0000

Ezekiel 37:23b – I will wash away their sin and make them clean, and I will protect them from everything that makes them unclean. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (CEV)

There is a major house renovation going on close to where we live. Actually, it has been in progress for weeks and weeks – new roof, insulation, siding, windows, doors, sunroom and storage addition – a complete overhaul! I don’t know, because I have not seen inside, but I have to assume that there is a great deal of updating, repair and cleaning being addressed inside the home too: and I assume this due to the time it is taking to complete the work.

I recall when my husband and I, were looking for a home in this park, that we viewed one particular unit that was in a beautiful location, the price was amazing (it would have left a great deal of ‘spare’ cash for renovations) but the condition inside was nothing short of ‘disgusting’: how anyone could have lived in the home in the condition it was in, was beyond our comprehension.

We had agreed that we were willing to move into a house of our choice and do work while living there, but the filth and the updates needed in that particular house, were way too bad for us to even consider moving in and living there in – there was far too much to do to make it habitable.

When some people are challenged to give their lives to God and invite Jesus into their hearts, they recognize the truth that they have sinned before God. As a result, they want to clean up their lives before they issue an invitation to Jesus. They don’t yet understand that God comes into our lives to clean us up, precisely because we can’t do it for ourselves.

Isaiah 64:6a – But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. (NKJV)

The good news is that God loves us just as we are. So when we become willing to accept God into our lives, thankfully, He does not shun our dirty lives like we rejected that dirty home. He welcomes us and cleanses us. He does not leave us as we are, with our disparaging thoughts, our criticism of others, our idolatry of all things material, and all our major and minor sinful ways. This process is called “sanctification”.

Isaiah 1:16 – Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong. (CEV)

Just as the house we viewed had much to clean up before being habitable, so God needs to clean up our lives, thoughts, and actions, so that we become a true reflection of His Son, Jesus, in our hearts, minds, and spirits.

James 4:8 – Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can’t make up your mind. (CEV)

Prayer: Abba, make us aware of all that is in our lives, our thoughts, and our deeds, that is unworthy of Your presence within us. Wash us clean, and renew our spirits and hearts so that we are wholesome, presentable, and welcoming to all who look at us and the ways that we live. We want to be acceptable to You and winsome to them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

http://pepeprays.wordpress.com

Change of Plans

Matthew Fry — Mon, 16 May 2011 01:53:58 +0000

33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
-Acts 2:33

This morning my wife and I were woke up at 4:00 AM when our room filled with so much light that, for a split second, I thought that someone had flipped a light on. The light disappeared and was replaced with the crashing sounds of thunder. A few seconds later our door busted open and our dogs, who had escaped from where they sleep at night, came in panicking because of the storm. My wife comforted the dogs and took them to the living room and fell asleep on the couch with them.
I laid there in bed and memories of when I was a young child came flooding back. I remember laying in bed and hearing a storm developing off in the distance. My body began to fill with fear as the thunder grew louder and louder. I remember laying down on the floor next to the couch with my pillow and blanket and thinking that as long as I was near my dad that everything would be okay. I remember the light from outside shining in the windows and how it turned off several times as the flashes of lightening lit up the sky.
Growing up I was always afraid of storms. I became nervous and uncomfortable whenever the little tornado icon appeared on the television screen. I lead a Sunday morning service for middle school students and our lessons are completely planned out for the rest of the school year and we do this so students and parents know where our teaching lessons are going and at the end of the year we can see where we’ve been. A Rush of memories of moments in my life that I was filled with fear began to flood my mind. I couldn’t fall asleep and then God put the idea in my mind that I needed to completely change my lesson that I was to teach in 5 hours. That my lesson was to be on the fear that we have and how we deal with it. We walked through several Bible verses about fear and it was a great lesson that I know God had me lead because someone needed to hear it.
Sometimes we get so caught up in our plans that we forget to listen to what God wants. C’mon, we can’t break away from our calendar. We spent an entire day devoted to planning out the entire school year’s calendar and we even bought the big fancy post-it notes to write out our plans on them.

It is in those moments where we listen to what God wants to do in us that we truly see God do a work in us. When we listen to God and step out in faith and do what He calls us to do…that is the faith that can move mountains. When we realize that our plans are meaningless in terms of what God’s plans are.

We Are More Than Just “Background”

Dionna Sanchez — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:08:11 +0000

Last summer when our family was visiting New Orleans, they were filming a movie. It was scorching-hot weather; but we managed to pause for a few minutes to watch.

We observed them film the same 30 sec piece again and again. Each time, as they were about to begin, they’d shout through the megaphone, “Background!” And all of the extra’s would start walking across the street acting and looking casual.

That became an inside-saying in our family. Every once in awhile, when the situation deemed it appropriate, one of us would say, “Background!” We all knew what was meant by that.

Sometimes in life, we can feel like we are living in the background. We can feel like the wallpaper instead of the designer item that sits in the center of the room as the focal point. I don’t believe that God means us to live life in this way.

I don’t think we are meant to be the center of everyone’s world. We aren’t to act as if we matter more than someone else. But we shouldn’t feel as if we are simply the “background” either. We should have people in our lives who hold us in high esteem; simply because they love us as we are. We should feel like our lives are vibrant and alive – that we are moving forward instead of simply staying in the same position….the same background image day in and day out.

Change can be scary. Hard. We tend to avoid it at times. But sometimes it’s very necessary. Having a servant’s heart and living life from your heart is much different than feeling ignored – neglected – and overlooked. It is too easy to be taken for granted by others for others always have needs that need to be taken care of!

In Proverbs 3:15, God tells us that we are “more precious than rubies….” God holds us in high esteem. He finds us valuable.

Our hearts should be bursting with the knowledge that our Mighty and Great Lord finds us so precious to Him! That thought, those feelings – should be able to fuel us into pursuing a life that is rich and full. A life that lives out it’s calling and purpose.

None of us were meant to simply be “background.” We were meant to stand out. If that means you need to make some changes in your life today – do it. For you are a gift. A priceless commodity that has a lot to give. Don’t waste it away simply being background.

~Dionna Sanchez

http://beautyinthestorm.blogspot.com

When God Fashions Our Hearts

Hariette Petersen — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:31:49 +0000

When my granddaughter and I squashed Play-doh into a flat blob and cut out the shape of hearts, we left our fingerprints on each heart. We impressed our index and pinky fingers into the soft clay. These hearts were just like Haylee wanted them to be. She wanted different colors. She pushed her finger clear through some of them. But none were made without her leaving an imprint of some kind upon them.

“The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men…He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.” Psalm.33:13-15

Can you imagine? Millions and billions of people. And the Lord fashions each and every heart individually. Such care He takes with each of us. Such attention He pays to our needs. As He fashions us, He considers our works. He watches what we do with what He’s given us: our intelligence, personality, talents, and ability.

As God “fashions hearts individually”, He also leaves His fingerprint. None of us are formed without His knowledge or His input. I don’t know about you, but I constantly mess up and often seek that which is temporal instead of the eternal. Scripture tells us: ”Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) Sometimes I ask myself, What is within my heart? What do I desire? It’s really not bigger homes, finer cars, nicer clothes, or notoriety. I know that the desires in my heart must be in tune with the fingerprints which the Lord placed on my heart. Only He knows what I truly want. I only think I know what I want.

When the Lord who fashioned my heart looks down from Heaven what does He expect to see as He considers my works? It’s not how much I accumulate–it’s not how successful the world thinks I am. It’s not how much I’ve given to the church, nor how many committees I worked on. It’s how much the world sees Jesus in me. It’s how my actions reflect the love and mercy I’ve so freely received. It’s how many of my words bring Him glory and honor. It’s how intimately I know Him, and how often I yield myself to His Spirit.

PRAYER: Lord, help us fulfill the desires of Your heart. Help us go and tell. Let us walk humbly and live a life pleasing to You.

What We Cannot Change

Hariette Petersen — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:32:35 +0000

Yellow, gold, and red leaves whipped across my windshield as I made my way down the highway to my painting class. Autumn is giving way to winter, I thought as I drove. I noticed two huge sycamore trees standing side by side like two wooden soldiers in the blustering wind. Oddly, one tree was brilliant yellow, the other was summer green. I wondered why. Why did two kindred trees, standing in the same place, with the same soil, having the same water source and the same measure of sunlight, appear so totally different in color? Surely they both experienced identical temperatures, be it daylight or night. Such mystery is the science of life–of change–of Autumn.

Christians are like that. We each have Jesus. We access the Heavenly Father through prayer. We have Bibles, and Sunday School, and even the same preacher who preaches the same sermon to each of us–week after week, month after month, year after year. Yet, we do not grow at the same pace, nor change to suit the desires of man. Why? We are each on an individual journey. We each face trials, discern solutions, and resolve things in ways as only we can. What one person does with information, guidance, and trials does not ensure another will do. Sometimes this frustrates us, we want to grow and change faster.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Each person has needs in life, and with each need comes a choice. Each choice brings about a specific result. Not all results are equal. The way you process information, may not be the way another processes it. We each move at our own pace. What God wants to change in me, may not be what you desire to see changed. What could take me year to change, may take another two days–or a month. Change comes from within, and Jesus is working on each of us, with our particular need in mind–with His particular purpose for our lives. The person I meet on the street is not the same as the one you meet. Thus the change needed in me to meet the purpose God has planned for another person I meet, may not be the change needed in you for the person in your life. We need not be frustrated with Christ’s timetable.

Sometimes we get impatient with others. We think they need to change. We think we need to change them–to fix them. We try to make them fit our little plan, our time constraints. How very silly we are. We can no more change a person than we can change the leaves on a sycamore tree. It’s best we stop trying to change others and yield ourselves to Christ, allowing Him to perfect in us as He sees fit.

PRAYER: Lord, give us patience to accept others as You do. Help us see others through Your eyes of patience, kindness and mercy. Let us surrender to You today and rest in Your hands as You work out in us the perfection of Your choosing. selahV

When You Commit Your Way Unto the Lord

Hariette Petersen — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:22:16 +0000

A long time ago I committed my writing unto the Lord. It was back in 1981. Since then the Lord has taken me on some pretty interesting journeys. I’ve met some extraordinary people, and learned some pretty remarkable things. I watched God open doors for me to walk through which I never dreamed possible. It’s almost effortless. However, I have also noticed whenever I am veering off into a direction He is not interested in me taking, the sky begins to fall in upon my efforts. It never fails. Just when I think everything is going smoothly, the road becomes bumpy–fraught with detours and warning signs. Sometimes it takes me a while to recognize that the problem is not in my commitment to write, or my lack of interest in a particular subject–it is God. He shows me I am off on a trail of my own choosing–a trail He has not formed.

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:5,6

God wants to be in charge, and rightfully so. Every time I am in charge, things get all tangled up in a mess. God has a plan to bring my efforts in line with His whenever I stray. He has said He will keep working on me until the day of completion. He will direct my paths when I acknowledge Him and do not lean unto my own understanding of a situation. I need only “trust in the Lord with all my heart”; I need only “commit my way to the Lord.” He stands ready to guide, to teach, to mold and complete. He has the route mapped out. He even gives me the wisdom to discern when to go and when to stop and rest. Can you just imagine your righteousness shining “like the dawn”, and the justice of your cause like “the noonday sun”?

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for allowing me to share in the work of Your kingdom through writing. Thank you for this venue to reach the world. Let the Good News of Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation found in Him be proclaimed far and wide with words You lay upon my heart. selahV

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I Once Was a Blasphemer

Emily Riley — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:11:12 +0000

Five years ago, I mocked those who called themselves Christians. I thought they were phonies, simply living their lives in a happy little bubble with no sense of realism. After all, I knew that life was hard… and the joy and peace they manifested was simply unexplainable in my mind.

The only sense of joy I found was in mocking them for their beliefs. I was verbal in these attacks, even telling the pastor of the church I was visiting (which is now the dearest place on the earth to me) that he was a fool for giving his life to serve others and tell them about Jesus. My only goal in even attending this church was to find their faults and prove them wrong. I did everything I could to make these people’s lives hard. I mocked them. I purposefully did hurtful things just to see their responses.

But God showed me something I wasn’t expecting. He showed me love through the very folks I was mocking and persecuting. As these folks showed me undeserved grace, I began to see a picture of what Christ was offering me… undeserved grace to me, the chief of sinners. My arrogant, self-seeking life was radically changed.

Five years ago, I was running towards hell as fast as my sin-ravaged feet could take me. But the love of Christ broke through my stone cold heart. God the judge chose to offer me grace and redemption, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit worked in drawing my heart through faith to accept that amazing gift of love.

I am constantly overwhelmed by the grace of God to me. His patience and mercy is astounding.

Paul talks about this same grace in his first letter to Timothy:

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

I long for every day of my life to be one of bringing glory and honor to my Redeemer. His death provided the way that God the Father can judge me as a faithful servant.

This is the redeeming work of Christ. We who were once blasphemers and insolent opponents of the gospel are now welcomed in as friends, beloved children and heirs with Christ.

Let us join together and thank Jesus today for His sacrifice and the transforming power of the cross. To Him be honor and glory forever!