Do It

Devotion
1-29-10
Do It
John 2:5
"His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it."

Today's devotion took me all day to bring it together. As I re-read chapter 2 of John verse five kept grabbing my attention. In fact it got my attention so much that I had to stop and ask the Lord a very important question. I wanted to know if I was really doing what He tells me to do. I told Him, "Father, I need to be sure that I am living out this verse before I tell others how to live it out. Am I following Your will? Am I doing what You want me to do?" Then I just sat there for what seemed like hours, yet was only moments. I knew there was an area of my life that I have been struggling with and needed to know just what He wanted me to do about it. That area was my health.

I flipped the page in my Bible to verse 16 and read the words of Jesus after He had turned the tables in the temple because the people were selling the sheep, oxen and doves for a profit. These were animals normally used in Jewish traditions for worshiping God and now they were being used for personal gain. Besides that the animals were not even the quality the Lord required. I thought about how I have seen this same practice done in churches today, items we would use for worship, teaching materials, books, songs of praise, Bibles, and even the use of the church itself has been all too often marked with a price for profit. I wondered what Christ would do if He walked into one of our churches today and saw this taking place. Then I realized that perhaps for me today, He was trying to show me something else as well.

As I thought about what Mary said in verse five and what Jesus said in verse 16 it made me look even deeper within myself and how I have been taking care of the temple my Lord's Spirit lives in, my body. With my health seeming to be a continual struggle and the doctors giving me little to no answers as to what is causing the trouble, I began to ask the Lord how these verses applied to me. I wondered if I was doing everything I could to not only make my body strong and healthy but was I doing everything I could to find out what the problem was. I had to stop putting things into my body that were harming it, that would defile it, break it down, and in a sense selling out for foods that met my desires but not my needs. Was I being like the men who were making God's temple a place of earthly profit? With that in mind I hit the internet and began a search for the foods Jesus ate. I told Him I would do whatever I could to clean up His temple, my body and make it a place worthy of Him.

As I searched the internet I found so many interesting things but what got me really excited was when I suddenly landed on a women's health site. On the site was a survey to determine what was causing my pains. When I finished I received a result and to my surprise an answer that was more on target than any of my doctors had been. I found out I am struggling with "Adrenal Fatigue" and all the symptoms I was experiencing were there. I was so excited because I felt, at that moment, that the Lord had directed me to the site to show me what I could do to bring my body back to health. The question for me now was, "will I do it?"

This is the question for each of us. What is your struggle? What is weighing you down and keeping you from feeling well, strong, and confident that you can do whatever He tells you to do? Are you willing to do what it takes to find out how to fix the situation and then to do it?

For each of you who are reading this, it is my desire to do what He has now shown me to do to make my body well and to be a testimony for His glory. Will you do the same?
Let's take a stand today to keep His temple clean. Whatever He says to you today, Do It!

Write down verse 5 and memorize it this weekend. Then use it to remind you of the commitment you are making to Him to do His will.
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Now write down verse 16 and let it remind you of what not to do.
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Finally, write down a pray for His guidance and strength to follow through with doing what He wants you to do. He will provide you the information, like He did for me today, and He will provide the resources to make the changes needed, as well as provide you the encouragement to see you through the journey to do whatever He says for you to do. God bless you as we walk this journey together for better spiritual and physical health.
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Freely Given, Greely Give

Devotion

1-28-10

Freely Given, Freely Give

Matthew 10: 8b-9

“…Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts.”

I can’t explain to you how excited I was thing morning while doing my Bible study. I had prayed that God would reveal to me something, not just important for the body of Christ / the church, but something exciting that He wanted us to understand and to believe that He would do in us and through us as His church.  When He called me to serve as the women’s ministry director / visionary for FBC Glenpool, He placed a vision in my heart, a vision that would not only grow the women’s ministry but would transform the hearts of the women, their husbands and their children. In as much as this would happen, He would build the church stronger and more powerfully effective in reaching lost souls than ever before.  Why? Well, it was clear that the women, men and children are not just a bunch of individual people that walk through the doors of the church, they are each part of a family; they are moms, dads, sons and daughters.  Sadly though, many of the families are broken, hurting and struggling. They are fighting secret battles and are afraid to let any one in the church know they need help.  They are feeling alone and defeated way too often and with those feeling come hopelessness and depression. Before they know it the family unit has begun to crumble and break apart, the church becomes weaker because its very foundation no longer sits upon a sold rock. Therefore, dearly beloved, God has called us as His church to step up to the plate and no longer just swing into the air as if we have nothing to hit, no we are called to step up with our eyes open and alert to what is being thrown at us and be prepared to hit it with all our might, His might He fills us with, and defeat the opposing team, the enemy.  How will we do this? We will do it according to the word He showed me this morning in Matthew 10:8b-9. We will freely give as we have freely received.

 

God wants us to rebuild and strengthen our families. He has given us all the tools and information we need to accomplish this. The question isn’t, Will He or can He do this? The question is: Are you willing to do what it will take to rebuild and strengthen your family?  If you say yes than understand this. God wants to freely give you the help you need to unite your family which will in turn unite His church.  Freely is the key here. Christ died to set us free from the chains of death, this we know, but He also set us free from the chains of sin, all sin. He freely gave us His word to guide us and teach us. When He walked upon the earth He freely gave of Himself as He taught the multitudes and feed the thousands, when He healed the sick and cast out the demons. He freely gave His life in place of ours on the cross. Freely He gave and He asks us to freely give.

 

With this in mind God has given us a vision to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters (this includes you) and freely give the encouragement, teaching, discipleship, training, and equipping that is needed to develop a stronger personal relationship with Him, our spouses and our children.  No charge; paid in full at the cross He says. No cost to study His word, to listen to the testimonies and stories of how He is working in each of our lives.  No desires to gain or build the bank account for our ministries; He will provide everything needed to make it possible. We are to have no focus on what we can get but instead on what we can give. Trusting Him not ourselves to accomplish the task. Reaching out to each other and to our community with the free gift of God’s love as we freely share His word and hope. As we open our doors and hearts to others we will find a new strength in our spiritual walk, in our marriages, in our homes, and within the church. Why, because we will be learning how to love the Lord, how to live by His word and how to share His truths. Then we will be, not just strengthening the church, but we will be building His kingdom through our obedience to freely give as we have freely been given.  All in Jesus name and to His glory! It’s time to give!

The Greatest Discovery of My Life

“The Greatest Discovery of My Life”

By Max Lucado

1-27-10

 For years I owned an elegant suit complete with coat, trousers, even a hat.  I considered myself quite dapper in the outfit and was confident others agreed. The pants were cut from the cloth of my good works, sturdy fabric of deeds done, and projects completed. Some studies here, mission work there. Many people complimented my trousers. The coat was equally impressive.  It was woven together from my convictions. Each day I dressed myself in deep feelings of religious fervor. My emotions were quite strong. So strong, in fact, that I was often asked to model my cloak of zeal in public gatherings to inspire others. Of course I was happy to comply.  While there I’d also display my hat, a feathered cap of knowledge.  Formed with my own hands from the fabric of personal opinion, I wore it proudly.

 

 Surely God is impressed with my garments, I often thought. Occasionally I strutted into His presence so He could compliment the self-tailored wear. He never spoke. His silence must mean admiration, I convinced myself. But then my wardrobe began to suffer. The fabric of my trousers grew thin. My best works started coming unstitched. I began leaving more undone than done, and what little I did was nothing to boast about. No problem, I thought. I’ll work harder.

 

 But working harder was a problem. There was a hole in my coat of convictions. My resolve was threadbare. A cold wind cut into my chest, I reached up to pull my hat down firmly, and the brim ripped off in my hands. Over a period of a few months, my wardrobe of self-righteousness completely unraveled. I went from tailored gentlemen’s apparel to beggars’ rags. Fearful that God might be angry at my tattered suit, I did my best to stitch it together and cover my mistakes. But the cloth was so worn. And the wind was so icy. I gave up. I went back to God. (Where else could I go?)

 On a wintry Thursday afternoon, I stepped into His presence, not for applause, but for warmth. My prayer was feeble. “I fell naked.”

 “You are. And you have been for a long time.”

 

 What He did next I’ll never forget. “I have something to give you,” He said. He gently removed the remaining threads and then picked up a robe, the clothing of His own goodness. He wrapped it around my shoulders. His words to me were tender. “My son, you are now clothed with Christ”

 

Ephesians 2:8 – 9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

 

Turning The Tables

1-26-10

Devotion

Turning the Tables

John 2:13-22

Today’s devotion is one that deeply touches my heart and the heart of God. It is an important message about how He wants us to share His message, His truth, and His love. I pray you will take a few moments to go to the Father and ask Him to, first of all forgive you for any sin that you need to confess to Him so that you are clean and ready to hear and receive the truth of His word. When you have finished praying open your Bible to John 2:13-22 and read it out loud, than read the story below.

 

The homeless mission was all set up and ready for the coming cold weather.  Ice and snow was on its way and the director knew she had better hurry and prepare a safe warm place for the many homeless people living on the street in her city.  Day and night she worked to make sure everything was in its place and all the supplies were stocked.  Now all she had to do was wait. 

 

It was 3:30pm and Joyce needed to leave and get dinner ready for her own family; she would be back before the doors opened to feed.  When she reached her home her children ran to her with open arms, smiling to see her.  She had worked so hard on the homeless mission in the past week that her family had not seen her much.  She cooked dinner and sat down with her husband and children to enjoy the meal together.  However, her time at home would be interrupted by a knock on the door.  It was a police officer and he was there to tell her there was an emergency at the mission and she needed to hurry and get back there right away.

 

As Joyce pulled up to the mission she couldn’t believe her eyes.  There were people everywhere and they were pushing and shoving each other as they fought for sweaters, coats and shoes that lined the tables in front of the entrance.  “Where are my helpers?” she thought to herself.  What is going on here? Then as she walked past the people and into the shelter she stopped and just stared in disbelief.  Right before her eyes were tables of warm clothes that were being sold to the homeless people.  Joyce’s anger began to boil.  Then without warning she marched toward the tables and began to turn them over and the clothes came crashing to the floor. The small boxes where the money was kept went up into the air and than back down, flinging the money in all different directions.  Everyone was shocked and came to a sudden stillness, when Joyce said.  “I built this place to help the pour and homeless free of charge, not to take advantage of their needs. You have made it a place of profit like a den of thieves. This is not a place to sell merchandise but it is a place to give and share the love of God. 

What do you think about the way Joyce responded to seeing her workers selling the clothes instead of giving them away? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Does the story above show you how important it is to use things for what they were created for?  If so; How? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Now go back and take another look at the book of John, 2^nd chapter verses 13-22.  When you have finished, answer the questions below.

Where was Jesus? ___________________________________________________

Why was He there? __________________________________________________

What did He find in the temple? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How did Jesus respond to seeing all the selling going on in His church? ________________________________________________________________________

Why did He get angry? _____________________________________________

What did He do to all the tables? ________________________________________________________________________

Write down verse 16 and let it sink into your mind.

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Now ask yourself this important question.  Am I living my life of service so that it brings God glory and not gain for me? _______________________________________________________________________

Is my church serving the Lord or making a profit off of Him? _______________________________________________________________________

Jesus did not want His temple used for personal gain.  We are the temple of God, our bodies house His Spirit and so we need to keep our hearts souls and minds clear and clean.  What is in your life today that needs to be removed?  What are you doing that dishonors our Lord?  Whatever it is, if it does not honor God, remove it, because your life will be a whole lot better and purer because of it.  Let’s not make our lives, lives of merchandise, selling our thoughts, idea, dreams and our giving for a price. Let’s not put a price on sharing the Gospel, teaching His word, expressing His heart of love or bringing words of encouragement.  There is too much of this going on in our churches today, within our Christian communities.  

 

Re-read John 2:12-22

 

Use the gifts and talents God has given you to bring Him glory. Don’t allow Him to walk into your life or into your church and see you misusing His temple.  Will He look at your lives, your churches and say well done good and faithful servant or will He come in shouting and turning the tables?

 

Cake Salvation

Devotion

1-25-10

Cake Salvation

John 2:1-11

Howard, Joyce’s husband, stood in the lobby of the church talking to the guest speaker when suddenly Joyce rushed over to tell him something.  “Excuse me sir, but I really need to talk to my husband for a second.” Taking her husband aside she explained that she had overheard a women talking about a situation she was going through. Joyce had never met this lady before; she was visiting with a friend. Her daughter was getting married in two days and her husband had been laid off from his job. Now she was in a panic as to how to pay for the wedding cake.  Everything else was in place, but there was no more money for the cake and she didn’t know what to do.  As Joyce explained the situation to her husband he looked at her a bit puzzled and said, “Sweetheart, what are you telling me this for?  What do you want me to do about it, it isn’t our concern.  It’s just a cake, they can live without it. It’s not like it will keep them from getting married.”  Joyce’s eyes filled with tears as she heard her husband speak. His heart melted with conviction as he looked in his wife’s eyes and he knew he couldn’t deny helping the lady. So Joyce went to the lady and told her, “My husband wants to talk to you, listen to what he has to say and he will explain how he can help you.” The lady listened to Howard as he explained that he would buy the wedding cake for her daughter’s wedding. Tears began to fall and a shaky smile appeared on her face as she softly said, “Thank you.” 

 

Later during the evening service, the pastor read a letter to the congregation.  It said. “Dear First Baptist Church, I can’t tell you want a blessing I received this morning from one of your members.  He went beyond saying he was a Christian to showing he was a Christian.  My husband was laid off a month ago and our daughter is getting married in two days.  We were out of money and somehow this man found out.  This man handed me a check for the amount of my daughter’s wedding cake.  I stood crying and only the words thank you could come out of my mouth.  When I returned home, my husband, who doubted if there is a God, had out of desperation prayed to God that morning asking Him to show His self if He is real. So when I told my husband the story of what happened at church and handed him the check for the cake, tears began to pour. Though we could have had my daughter’s wedding without the cake, the Lord used the lack of money for it, to reveal Himself to my husband.  My husband was so touched and in awe that God had answered his prayer that he dropped to his knees right in our living room and asked Jesus to be His Savior. The Lord had showed up for him and proved His love for him through the obedience of a man in your church who loved the Lord enough to reach out and help a stranger.  Thank you First Baptist church for opening your doors to me this morning; and thank you Howard and Joyce for opening your hearts and allowing the Lord to use you to reveal God’s love to my husband.”

 

There is a wedding in the Bible that was similar to this story. Let’s take a look at it in John 2:1-11.  However, before you begin pray to the Father and ask Him to reveal any sin in your life that could be hindering you from hearing His voice. (Psalm 139)  As He reveals those sins ask Him to forgive you and make your heart ready to receive His word today.  When you are finished read, out loud, John 2:1-11.

 

This is the story of Jesus when He, His mother, and His disciples were at a wedding in Cana. The wine had run out and Mary, Jesus’ mother came to Him concerned about it. Take a look at verse 3.  What did Mary say to Jesus? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was Jesus’ reply in verse 4? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now take a good look at verse 5, what happens? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why do you think that after Jesus told His mother that His time had not yet come, that Mary told the servants to do whatever He said? Do you think he did it because he was honoring his mother? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did Jesus do with the six stone waterpots? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The headwaiter and the bridegroom were amazed at what Jesus did, why? (v10) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ok, so what is the big deal about this miracle Jesus did?  Was it the fact that He turned the water to wine or that the wine ended up being the better wine?  Was it because He showed His power? Was it the fact that His mother wanted Him to do this even though it really wasn’t the right time? All these are important parts of the story, but take a look at verse 11.  Write it down. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The key to this story is found in verse 11, turning the water to wine was like the check for the wedding cake in our opening story.  Both of these events revealed God’s power, His love and concern for the little things in our lives, but most of all they were used to manifest His glory and to bring someone to believing in Him.  In the above story, the man who had asked God to prove Himself came to an acceptance of Jesus through the check for the cake.  Who came to believe in Jesus in verse 11 because of the water being turned to wine? ________________________________________________________________________

 

Wow, His disciples? Yes His disciples. You see there are many people running around and inside our churches today that believe Jesus is real but they don’t believe in Him.  This, “believe” being talked about in verse 11 is a trust, not only in who Jesus is but in what He can do. 

 

Jesus Christ will manifest His glory through our needs.  We can be sure that by His glory we will see our needs met, our hearts changed, and lives forever blessed.  Most importantly however, there is someone who will come to know Jesus because of the need in your life where God can show up and create a kind of wine or cake salvation miracle. Thank Him for your needs, watch Him work in your life and see who comes to believe because of it.