Are you beautiful?

This last Sunday at Rhapsody Church Pastor Brandon preached on heaven as inspiration, incentive, and a reward for the pain we go through today. While preaching he read Revelation  chapters 21 and 22; when he passed through 21:2 it rocked me a little. The Holy Spirit started giving me word pictures. The verse goes as such "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." All I could think about is the bride of Christ! The bride is the church... God's people... us. I remember my wedding day and how relaxing it was all morning and even that day. I didn't have to worry about a thing, just showing up for my bride (a beautiful one at that). However, my wife recalls a different experience that day. Her day was a mess of crazy! Running here and there, making it to appointments, getting the dress on right, the hair, nails, make-up; it had to be just right. She wanted to be beautiful for her future husband. The bride has got tremendous pressure on her to be right. The groom just has to show up. Christ is coming for His bride, He will show up. However will he find a bride that tried to make every appointment? One that gave it her all? One that is spotless and without stain? Untarnished and beautiful? A pure bride is what He seeks, and all I could think of on Sunday was how WORTHY WORTHY WORTHY He is! Are you beautiful?
I wasn't until I met Him.
Check out the sermon on the web www.rhapsodychurch.com

Wisdom from above

In James 3:13-18 James is speaking about wisdom of the earth and man compared to wisdom from above.  Sadly I can identify with both. Wisdom is the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting. Wisdom that is earthly has selfish ambition and jealousy as well, it also creates disorder (I have caused plenty of disorder with my own wisdom in my lifetime).  James 3:13 says let him show his works in wisdom, this implying that wisdom isn’t just in our speech but also in our actions. How we live will show our wisdom as much as our speech.  “Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. “ (James 3:17) First its pure, then peaceable – wisdom to be pure and peaceable has to follow the truth. We know that the word of God is truth so it’s got to line up with that. We have a God of peace, so naturally wisdom from above will provide the peace we need in our decisions. When making a decision I want to have peace about it. Nothing more frustrating than deciding something and then feeling no peace about it. Wisdom from above gives us just that, peace.  

We can rely on our own strength and it will get us only so far; but when we allow God to have say in our choices and actions they become wise.

He already did it! (Pastor Ben)

Have you ever been in a place where you felt like your past were over taking who you were? I have been in this place. The past seems to dig its claws into you not allowing you to move forward, not allowing you to be free from the sin that once plagued you. There is something about the past that is determined not to be walked away from. It doesn’t want to accept the inevitable that we are always moving farther from it, making it more irrelevant with every passing minuet.

Being free from the sin that occurred in our past shouldn't be as hard as it sometimes seems. Jesus did a mighty work on the cross. One that will reverberate throughout history, shaking the sin of our past off of our backs forever. "For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Hebrews 9:13,14).

Hebrews 9:28 gives an implicit message that is powerful, "so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." He's coming back not to deal with sin! The implicit message is that it's already been dealt with! How cool is that?. We don't have to be burdened with a sin from the past for the Lord has already dealt with it. It’s his and the blameless sacrifice he did shakes us free of it.

Walking in freedom is what he designed for us, and it allows for a great impact on the kingdom when my attention is not on my sin but the reaching of others for the one truth... Jesus.

A cool thought from Psalms 80 "who are we"

Hey blog has been on a brief hiatus but is returning shortly. In the mean time I am blogging cool thoughts that I come across.

"Who are we"
Psalm 80:8-11 "You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with it's shade, the mighty cedars with it's branches. It sent out it's branches to the sea and it's shoots to the river."

What an awesome thing! The vine is the Church, and God brought his people out of Egypt. At His hand he cleared the ground of the enemy or weeds that wouldn't allow the vine to grow. The deep root is Christ, He's the one who makes us strong and sturdy. He's the one who provides what we need just as the root for a vine. The branches being the believers (you and me) and because we don't rest, we are able to spread far and wide from mountain to sea to river with the news that brings rest for the tired, with living water for the thirsty.

God has made us what we are, placed us where we are, and is the root or foundation that allows us to BE who we are! We have a mighty calling on our lives to be the vine/branches rooted by Christ planted by God. Now lets walk it out and continue to grow the way He intended us to.

Pastor Ben Rushing

Devos for may 24th (by Jordan W.)

“His mercy endures forever” (Psalms 136)

Some songs get stuck in your head and others get stuck in your heart.  This was the case for Israel in Psalms chapter 136.  Stubborn Israel, whose unfaithfulness was at times legendary, takes to heart the great mercy that God had shown them.  And, they don’t just sing it, they proclaim it over and over again.

The song describes every significant event in their history and after each event, they proclaim, “His mercy endures forever”.   But, was it really necessary for them to say it 26 times in 26 verses?  To them it was, because the mercy of God trailed their every step.  His mercy defined them as a nation.

It was mercy that compelled Him to strike Egypt and lead his people out of bondage.

It was in mercy that He divided the waters of the red sea so that Israel could cross safely.

It was His mercy that provided His people a land that they could call their own.

But, that was all in the past and they were not just talking about the past.  They said that “His mercy endures forever”.  And long after this song was written, the world saw His enduring mercy again.  They saw it when He opened the eyes of the blind man, touched the leper, befriended the outcast, restored the cripple, raised the dead, and died alone on a cross for you and for me.  Mercy, always mercy and it endures forever…  Even now.

There are times when our feet tread in places so dark that we are ashamed to admit that we have been… “ His mercy endures forever”.

There are times when our temptations consume us and the enemy wins…  “His mercy endures forever”.

There are times when we are no better than the Romans who struck him or Peter who denied him, and for all of these times and more… “His mercy endures forever”.

No matter where we find ourselves and no matter what mess we got ourselves into, we need to hear these words, we need to cling onto them and know that He is not willing to give up on us.  Let these words get stuck in your head like the chorus to your favorite song.  “His mercy endures forever”.  And as you cling onto these words for this moment, know that after you are gone they will still trail off into eternity.

Prayer:

Please remind us daily that your mercy goes deeper than our deepest, darkest sin.

Devos special friday the 13th edition (by Hannah)

1 Thessalonians 1:2-9
In this part of Scripture the author who is the apostle Paul was encouraging a group of believers and sharing with them how their strong faith in the Lord is shining bright for all of those around them and people all around the city have heard of this mighty Savior. He tells them they live godly lives and are a great example to other believers. After I read these verses I thought what Paul was saying could be used to set standards in my own life. Not that I need to live my life so I can be better than people but with the mindset of with strong faith and actions that speak louder than my words I could be a warrior for Christ and make a difference in my sphere of influence. I need to be a good example for my friends that don’t know this awesome Jesus that I know.
Prayer:
Father I am so thankful for all that you do for me and my family. I would be lost and hurting without you. I pray for strength to stand tall even when the enemy tries pushing me over. I pray for boldness to speak your words to my lost friends and family. I ask that you would guide me in my every day decisions. I love you with all of my heart and I want to be a better person for you. Amen.

Devos for May 3rd (by Joy Berg)

1 Chronicles 17

What an amazing chapter!  David comes up with this really "good" idea to build a house for God.  Nathan, the prophet, thought it was a "good" idea too.  God had different plans. Psalm 139:16 says that every day has been ordained for our lives before we are born. How many good idea's do we come up with in our lives that really just keep us from accomplishing what the Lord has for us? That very night the Lord appears to Nathan the prophet and tell him to go have a chat with David, to let him know HIS plans for David's life. That David was not going to build a house for God, but told him some incredible insights into what God had in store for David. I love David's response to this message from the Lord.  He sits before the Lord and says this in verse 23 "Now, O Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever and do as You have spoken!" Instead of following his own thoughts (even though they were good) David surrenders to the Lord and prays that the will of God be established in his life! Are we listening? Are we paying attention to the prophetic voice in our lives? Are we surrendered to the will of God? Or do we choose to do it our way? 
I choose Your will for my life Lord.  I choose Your perfect plan ordained for me even before I was born.  I trust that you are good and that what Your desire for me is good. I completely surrender to Your will for my life Lord.  I love you Father.

Devos for April 28th (by Jordan W.)

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”   (Matthew 15:8)

Sinners never made Jesus angry.  He was concerned about them, he saw in them a brokenness that needed to be fixed, but never was he angry at them.  All the lowlifes and corrupt people of his day were drawn to him and in the hearts of each one of them, they found a friend in Jesus.  You would think that such a holy man would reserve his closest friendships for the religious leaders of the day, but he most assuredly did not.  In fact, the religious leaders of the day (the Pharisees) wanted no part in Jesus and were the only people that could do what no sinner could do…  Make Jesus angry!
Pharisees were not bad people, they were misguided people.  That is the mistake that we sometimes make.  We cast them as the villains of the New Testament, but these people committed their lives to living out God’s law, following it precept by precept, living by the very letter of the law.  Their problem was that they were not doing it for their hearts, they were doing it for their egos.  That is why Jesus said of them, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”  The Pharisees were responsible for leading God’s people closer to Him, instead they only pushed them farther away by heaping on them rule after rule.  Not to mention, at the same time, they thought that they had it all together themselves.
I think it is important to realize that Jesus was not angry at the Pharisees because their “hearts were far from Him”.  I think it actually grieved him deeply that they were far from God.  What made him angry was that they were causing others to be far from him!  They were the “blind leading the blind” and if “a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch”.
Look, you and I are not Pharisees, but we are representatives of God.  We lead and influence people by the choices that we make and we cannot lead people if we are blinded into thinking we don’t have any problems.  We are just sinners needing Jesus and that is the message that we need to project to the world.
At Rhapsody Church we have this saying, “It’s not about me”.  The Pharisees made a choice a long time ago that it was going to be about “them”.  We have the same choice to make.  We can be like the Pharisees and make it all about us, or we can be like Jesus’ sinner friends and make it all about him.
Prayer:  God, please teach me that what I do matters.  Help me to conduct myself in a way that honors you and does not cause others to stumble.

Devos for April 21st (by Hannah K.)

Psalm 57; Mt. 9

Application:

Psalm 57 made me think of all the times when I felt like everything in the world was against me and things were stressful and not going how expected and I was just able to cry out to the Lord and say “things aren’t going well I feel attacked and I can’t make it through this storm of life without you, protect me and guide me, and no matter what happens I will praise your name because you are the Great I am and your love is never ending.”

Prayer:

Lord, help me to see the light at the end of the tunnel during a brutal storm of life, I know that you will forever stand by my side and for that I am so thankful. I cannot withstand the trials that come my way without your grace and mercy. Thank you for sending your only son to die so that I might live what a sacrifice that is. May you help me to remember the significance of each day of this Holy week and praise your name that Sunday is coming. I love you so much and I am nothing without you, I pray all of this in Jesus name AMEN!

Devos for April 19th (By Joy Berg)

Matt. 6:1

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."

From whom do you seek your reward?  Your peers, your family or maybe someone you look up to in your life?  Do you look for the words of appreciation when you do something good for someone? Are you upset or frustrated when you have given your time or money to someone and invested in their life and yet there is no gratitude or thankfulness in response? This is so easy for our flesh to fall into. To seek the reward from those around us, to be noticed by others for our "good deeds" instead of looking to our Father for our reward.  The Bible says that if we practice our acts of righteousness before others, that's it! That is all the reward that we will get. How sad.  Look for creative ways this week to give, pray and fast for other's in your life in secret.  And in the secret place with your Father.....look for your reward.  It will be great! On earth and in heaven!

Devos for April 14th (By Pastor Ryan)

Voice

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took Mary as his wife.
Matthew 1:24

When God spoke, Joseph obeyed. His obedience allowed for his calling to be made real. But moreover, his obedience was actually a larger part of God's grand design for humanity.

Sometimes we get gut feelings. We know something we are doing is wrong. Sometimes we get the same feeling about something we ought to do. I am of the belief that many of those gut feelings are God speaking to us. How we respond to those little moments where His voice is faint decides, in many cases, how He will speak to us in the future - or for that matter whether He will. When we choose to ignore God's small voice, we harden ourselves from His large voice in the bigger picture of our lives and world. Our lives in Christ are determined not by a few big decisions, but by daily small decisions.

I pray that God would help you, and me as well, to honor His will by responding to His voice on the daily small issues. So that He may use us for His big plans.

Devos for April 12th (By Jordan W.)

“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)

If ever there was a red headed step child of the bible, it was Paul.  He was the most persecuted of all apostles and boasted the most impressive resume of suffering since the days of Job.  Take a look at this rap sheet of persecution:
*5 times- whipped within an inch of his life.
*3 times- beaten with rods.
*3 times- shipwrecked and stranded in the sea.
*1 time- stoned and left for dead.
*Countless times in peril, weariness, toil, nakedness, and hunger.
The list could go on, but I think you get the idea, Paul had it pretty rough.  And despite all his great suffering, never did Paul utter a word of complaint.  Never, that is, until the “thorn” in his side.  We don’t know exactly what the thorn was; all we know is that it drove Paul to his knees, pleading with God three times to remove it.  He endured everything else, what "thorn" could be so bad that he felt he could not endure it?  We don’t know, but we do know that Paul wanted it gone.
Something inside of me wants God to remove this thorn, because if God won’t remove Paul’s “thorn” what chance do I have?  I mean, this is the apostle Paul, right?  This is the greatest evangelist that the world has ever known.  This is a man who gave up everything to follow Christ and held nothing, nothing back.  Surely God will answer this one small request, but… He doesn’t.
Instead, he offers him this, “My grace is sufficient.  My strength is made perfect in your weakness”
Paul learned what we must learn.  Sometimes at our weakest point, we lean on God the most.  And, only when we are weak, when we have no more strength of our own, do we see just how strong He is.  Sure God can take away all of our troubles, sure he can take away our thorns, but then we would never be weak enough to seek His strength.  Instead, he allows us to feel the pain as the world presses down upon us.  He allows us to limp weakly into His open arms.  Why?  Because when we are weak, He is strong.
Prayer:
“Lord, please help us to find your strength in our times of weakness”

Devos Saturday edition (By Pastor Brandon)

Thanks for nothin’!

2 Corinthians 2:14

Paul said, “Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (Emphasis mine)

What do you think about when you think of victory? Winning? Fun times? Bragging rights? The Packers winning the Super Bowl? Generally the thought of triumph and victory brings good thoughts, good times, and good feelings.

Did you know that Paul was thrown in jail, beaten with rods multiple times, once beaten so bad that they hauled him outside the city and left him for dead, falsely accused over and over, ship wrecked and had to float out at sea for a whole day, bitten by an incredibly poisonous snake and had some of his closest friends turn on him, and much more. Now, I’m not the smartest pastor in the world, but I know enough to know that this does NOT sound like triumph. It certainly is not ALWAYS being led in triumph!

So, we can only conclude one of three things… either…

1. Paul was crazy, out of his mind and didn’t know what he was saying.
2. He is a liar
3. Or… he had something else in mind when considering what triumph in Christ really means.

I choose to believe number 3. Paul did not go down in history as a crazy man. In fact, he was highly intelligent, well educated and well respected as a scholar. Further, had he been a liar his writings would have been exposed a long while before being put in the bible. So, we’re left with one explanation- triumph in Christ meant something different to Paul than what we normally think of when we think if victory and triumph.

The question really is triumph for who and for what? Me and my life? Me and my plans? Me and my family? For Paul the answer to this question was for Jesus and His Kingdom. You see, Paul shook the poisonous snake off his hand and turned it in to a testimony to tell others about Jesus. Triumph. The Philippian jailer who was guarding Paul in prison wound up getting saved because of Paul’s testimony. Triumph. The scars and marks from the beatings he took became an encouragement to other Christians facing persecution to hang in. Triumph.

No matter what we face, as long as we know for Who and for What (Jesus and His Kingdom), Jesus will ALWAYS lead us in triumph.

Devos for April 5th (By Pastor Ben)

Scripture: Psalm 61:2 “from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”

Here David is calling out to the Lord, remembering times that his heart has been faint yet he was able to lean on the Lord. David says “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” Two things about this jumped out at me. 1 is that by calling it a rock higher than he is saying the issue is bigger than he can resolve. Often when we are in a troubled situation we tend to lean on our own strength. David recognizes that the solution is higher than he can reach and asks for God to lead him to that place. 2 Throughout the New Testament we see that Jesus is our rock, our foundation. The rock that is higher than I would be Jesus. In times of trouble for you and I we would need to be lead to Jesus! I want to be lead to him so that he can be my helper, my strength, my portion, my refuge, my hiding place. Jesus is my all and he is the rock that is higher than I.

Lord let me turn to you before I’m in over my head, before I’ve exhausted all other measures. Help me to have a mindset of you first. I want to rest in you when things get overwhelming because you are my rock and tower from my enemy. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

Devos For March 31st "Have you let God's grace be in vain?" (By Jenny Rushing)

Scpriture: 1 Corintihians 15:10
     "But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain...."

This scripture is actually from yesterday's reading, but it spoke so much to my heart that I wanted to share it today.
I think that this one statement from Paul gives such a great understanding of God's grace. The simpliest way I can explain grace is "undeserved goodness." All our talents, abilities, and callings are a direct result of God's grace on us. Paul was definitely humble, as can be seen by his statements in verses 8-9. Paul knew who he was and all the authority that came with that. He just didn't feel like he deserved it after the life that he had lived prior to him coming to know Christ, which he didn't. It was a gift.
God's grace is consistent towards everyone. Paul acknowledged God's grace as the source of everything he had and was, and he allowed God's grace to have its full effect in his life through seeking God more than others around him.
How often do we sit back and not do what God is asking us to do? Do we not surrender what God wants us to in our lives? Do we not go and talk to the person on the street or the kid sitting next to us in class that He is asking us to? Is the grace that God has shown us in vain because we aren't living the lives we know we are called to live? Its not enough for us to just read our Bibles or to just be respectful of our parents or to just not lie. That's not enough. We are called to so much more and are capable of so much more and its only by the grace of God. Let's not let it be in vain.

Jesus, I pray that you would allow us to walk more fully in what you have called us to. I ask that you would help us to understand that nothing we have is because of ourselves, but it is by your grace and goodness in our lives. Help us to walk more closely with you so that the work that you have begun in our lives is not in vain.

Devos for March 29th (By Jordan W.)

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."  (Judges 6:12)

Gideon was not a brave man.  A mighty warrior he most certainly was not.  Bravery did not exactly run in his family and coming from the weakest tribe in Manasseh, Gideon was no exception.  He was the runt of the family and it should come as no surprise that the first mention of him in the Bible is of him hiding in a winepress from the dreaded Midianites, making a snack.  That is why what the Lord says to him is so puzzling.  A Mighty warrior?  More like a cowering weakling.  Nothing in his history suggests that he was ever "mighty" and he was certainly not a "warrior", so why not address him as the coward that he was?  It is because God does not see us as we are, but as we are supposed to be.

I imagine that Gideon was the scrawny kid that always got picked last for kickball.  The girls ignored him, the bullies terrorized him, and the rest of the world never even paid attention at all.  And, why would they, he was small and insignificant?  But, God did pay attention, and saw in him something that nobody else could.  After all, God has a certain fondness for the misfits of society.  Abraham was too old, Mary was too young, Noah had a drinking problem, and Moses was a murderer with a stuttering problem.  Really, Gideon the coward was perfect
I was at Starbucks one time when this kid walked in with one of those pink Statue of Liberty hairdos, various piercings, and a shirt with satanic symbols on it.  I remember thinking to myself, “that guy has no chance”.  That is when this thought first convicted me and convicted me hard, “God does not see people as they are, but as they are supposed to be”.  I immediately thought of the weakling, Gideon.  Nobody thought of him as a mighty warrior, that is, nobody except for God.  And a mighty warrior is exactly what he became when he went on to rout and destroy the fearsome Midianites.
It makes me think about all of us.  God sees in us what we cannot see in ourselves.  If we think for a moment that God has no purpose in our lives, we are utterly mistaken.  You might say, "But, there is nothing about me that God can use.  I am a sinner and have a lot of real problems".  It doesn't matter, because God doesn't see you as you are, He sees you as you are supposed to be.
Prayer:
"Lord, please help us to see ourselves as you see us.  Help us to see your purpose in our lives and be the followers that we are supposed to be."

Devos for March 22nd (By Jenny the beautiful)

Joshua 14:11
"I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then"


One of my favorite characters in all of Scripture is a man named Caleb. When he was forty years old, Moses sent him along with eleven others to check out the Promised Land. While ten of the spies convinced Israel that the land was unconquerable, Caleb, along with Joshua, said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). The fearful, faithless generation died in the desert. Only Joshua and Caleb stepped foot on Canaan soil four decades later, and this now 85 year old man was as strong and vigorous and visionary as ever. But Caleb’s strong body is not what impresses me; it’s his heart.

The word Scripture uses to describe this choice servant is “wholehearted” (Joshua 14:8, 9, 14). He was a man whose heart was ignited with a passion to follow hard after God…until God called him home. He was sold out to the Lord!
We are in desperate need of more wholehearted servants like Caleb today. We need men and women (and young people!) who are not sliding for home, but rather are using all their gifts and resources to serve God until he calls them home. We need to not tire of doing what God has called us to, or feel like we have done enough or done our share and so we can now stop and take a break. Caleb was 85 years old and wanted to keep doing all he could to serve God.


Father God, give us physical strength in order to serve you. Never let us retire from your service, but rather help us to have the strength and stamina to do all that you call us to. May we be described like Caleb, as wholehearted servants of the living God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devos for March 17th (by Pastor Ryan Green)

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom, but on God's power."
I Corinthians 2:4 & 5

The Apostle Paul, who planted this church, is writing a letter full of wisdom. The counsel of this letter is so sharp that it has been included in the Bible. There is no lack of wisdom or insight here. Yet, rather than pointing to his powerful words, Paul points backward to the start of the church. He reminds those reading that the power of the Holy Spirit not only kick-started their church, but their relationships with God. Paul knows that words have their limits, but God's power has no limits.

So, I charge you, confront God's presence. Get into your Bible, spend time in prayer, grow strong in hearing his voice. Rest in God's presence. Let his power clean you, mature you, and guide you. Find a secret place to connect with him and find yourself there often. Make knowing Jesus in all his power your top priority.

Prayer
Father, help me and the young people reading this blog to find you. Help me to make a way for Your power to invade my life and theirs. I ask for your help, power and guidance, in Jesus's name, amen.

Devos for March 15th (By Pastor Ben)

Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

We all react to this passage in one way or another; either we gossip and tell a friend about another’s problems or we judge them or we even try to help and don’t know how to do it without getting overly involved as though we are the one with all the answers, (a righteous super hero of sorts) most often we react wrong. Paul understands the importance of us bearing each others burdens and restoring one another yet he also understood how we tend to mess that up. I’ve seen many young people share their concerns about a friend and shortly after they fall into the same problem. When Paul say’s “keep watch on yourself”, It’s because our concern often overrides our ability to be objective. Jesus has a heart to restore those who are fallen and broken so this call to restore our brothers is a call to act as Christ did. We are called to be like Christ and have the heart of Christ, so when we restore one another we must remember to do it in a Christ like manner so we don’t fall ourselves or let our need to help turn to gossip and judgment.

Be strong in the Lord and allow him to guide our steps in the restoration of others.

God, allow for grace and mercy to be present when we deal with restoration because we all fall short and without you hand of mercy none would be righteous. Lord I love you and ask for more and more grace so that I might look more and more like you. Amen

Devos for March 10th (By Hannah)

Life Journal Reading: Duet. 15:1-11, Gal. 1
Application:
Deuteronomy 15:9-10 “Do not be mean spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for cancelling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy cry out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you”
In these verses I feel like the Lord was trying to get my attention regarding my willingness to give. I always do my best to tithe every chance I get some sort of income, but I hold tight to other things in my life that I could give away to help others in need; for example my time and effort. I often think of ways to serve other people but I guess I don’t always follow through with it because I think the people won’t appreciate it. But in reality the service isn’t done to get gratification it is done so the person or people can live better and know the love of Christ.  We can’t let the fact that we may not get anything in return stop of from serving because the scripture says that God will bless us.
Prayer:
Lord I am so thankful for all that you have done for me in my life. I should feel honored that I am able to help other people and share your love. Help me to see that it’s not about me and how I feel but it is about everyone else. I pray for motivation and boldness to step out and meet a need that I know is out there. Help me to make a difference in people’s lives and share the love of Christ. I love you immensely. In Jesus name Amen.

Devos for March 8th (By Joy Berg)

Deuteronomy 8:2  "You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in you heart whether you would keep His commandments or not." 

vs. 5 "Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son."

vs. 11 "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today."

Another reminder to REMEMBER the goodness of our God!  REMEMBER what He has done in your life. REMEMBER where your protection comes from, REMEMBER where your provision comes from, where wisdom comes from, where health and victory come from! Our God! There is no other source.  And because our God is so gracious, even when we do forget, He disciplines His children and allows testing in our lives to guide us back to Him. What an amazing God we serve. So, the next time you are going through a tough time, be looking for what God is trying to teach you through it. He is looking at your heart and how you will respond when stress and trials come. Do you turn to Him? or something or someone else?  REMEMBER....only God can save, only God can transform hearts and lives, only God can provide for your needs. He is your source.

Thank you Father for all that you have done in our lives. For our salvation, protection, provision, wisdom and guidence. Every good thing comes from You Lord. Thank you for loving us enough to discipline us and for leading us back to You when we stray. Help us to remember your goodness daily!

Devos for March 3rd (By Pastor Ben)

Mark 10:17-22

In this passage a young rich guy approaches Jesus and say’s “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He sights that he has followed the commandments and then Jesus asks him to give up all he had (which was a lot; it said he had great possessions…an ipad maybe?) and to come follow Him. The rich young guy declined and left. The rich guy lived his whole life being a believer and someone who followed the commandments but when face to face with the very Son of God he found out that his faith was no more than an empty belief system. Jesus challenged him to let go of all his possessions and follow after the Christ. Isn’t that what we are doing any way? Maybe we get a clue into true Christianity here when after the rich guy says he followed the rules then Jesus said now follow me!

            Rules and general moralities are not going to cut it! You can be the greatest humanitarian ever and it won’t matter if your not willing to follow the one person that does. Following Jesus is true Christianity. We ought to have faith enough to lay aside our possessions, relationships, time, hobbies, and everything else, to follow Jesus, nothing should be un-sellable. He asks and even invites us to come follow Him; he came just for you. The question Jesus is asking us is, will you “go sell all that you have…and come, follow me.”

Jesus, make everything in my life sellable so that I can follow you with everything that I am. Help me to make you first always.

Devos for March 1st (By Jordan W.)

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
-Mark 8:27-29

Who would’ve thought that mankind’s most significant question would be asked on some obscure dusty road?  Although few were there to hear its first utterance, all must give an answer.  “Who do you say that I am?” a question in which, depending on your answer, hinges our eternal existence.  Be careful how you answer because no question will ever be more important.
Were the bewildered disciples prepared for Jesus to drop such a question on them?  Probably not, but he did prepare them with another question.  Real casual like, he said, “who do people say that I am?”
“Oh”, they said “Lots of different things.  Everyone has an opinion about you.  Some say you are John the Baptist back from the dead, some say you are Elijah, others are saying you are some sort of prophet.  You name it and it’s been suggested”. 
But, you see, none of these opinions mattered and they still don’t matter.  People have had their opinions about Jesus ever since he was brought out of the manger and they always, always will.  In other words, who cares what other people think?  What Jesus wants to know, all he really wants to know is…
“Who do YOU say that I am?”
He doesn’t want to know who your parents or your pastor says that he is, he only wants to know who YOU say he is.  He wants to hear you say, like Peter said, that he is the “Christ”.  And, how you say it is important.  He is not looking for lip service here, he wants you to say it with your life.
Back to the bewildered disciples on the dusty road.  Who did they say Jesus was?  They said that he was the Christ by spreading his message to the ends of the earth.  They said that he was their king by living their lives for him, and they said that he was their God by dying a martyr’s death.
So, that’s who they said he was.  Now… who do you say that he is?
Prayer:
Father, please help us to proclaim our allegiance to you by all that we say and do.

Devos for Feb. 24th (By HKM)

Today’s Scripture: Numbers 14

Application:

Numbers 14:18

“The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

I underlined the parts of this verse that stood out to me the most. These are very encouraging words for when someone feels down in the dumps. I feel like this week has been full of unpredictable obstacles for my life, some situations specifically with people doing things that affect my life that I disagree with. I feel as though I can rest assured that not only is the Lord abounding in love that will wash away the hurt, but he doesn’t let the guilty go unpunished so I don’t need to worry so much about the sins done to me because the Lord will take care of it.

Prayer:

Lord thank you for all that you do for me in my life. I pray that your love would fill the void in my heart that can’t be filled by anybody else or anything. Help me to see the good in people especially in circumstances where I feel as though I can only see the bad. Thank you for your grace, mercy and willingness to forgive my sins. I love you Lord and pray all of this in Jesus name Amen.

Devos for Feb. 22nd (By Joy Berg)

Ps. 27:13-14
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord!

How many times in our lives have we been at the point of despair?  When circumstances around us look overwhelming and our life seems to be hanging by a thread? The longer that we live on this planet the more we see that "stuff" is going to come our way. It may be circumstances that we face because of our own poor choices and our fleshly nature, attacks from the enemy, or just the results of living in this sin cursed world. Whatever the cause, as believers, we have life line when despair comes over our lives. Heaven is not just for your future, it is for today.  As children of God we have access to heaven here and now. There have been many times in my life that if I would not have been able to see the goodness of God and see Him move in the circumstances in my life, I would have despaired. The key is in verse 14, " Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord." God will show up for His kids! Every time. There is not one situation in your life that He is not deeply concerned about and working in! We have to trust His goodness and wait for Him. Look for His hand at work even in the worst of circumstances. HE is there and His promise is to never leave us or forsake us.  Praise God!

Devos for Feb 17th (By Pastor Brandon)

“Calling my Name in the Wilderness”

Numbers 1, 2 and Acts 23-28

Numbers 1:1: “Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness…”
Number 1:5: “These are the names of the men who shall stand with you…”
Acts 23:11: “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome’”

God speaks to us in or ‘wilderness’. Moses was wandering around the wilderness with over a million rebellious, complaining, stubborn people. I’m sure Moses could have thought of 100 other places he would rather be than with those people; especially with them in the wilderness. Paul was in the wilderness of incarceration as an innocent man. Like Moses, I’m sure Paul could have drummed up a list of “100 other places I’d rather be than in jail, falsely accused, with angry mobs trying to tear me apart.”

God called Moses by name, He called Aaron by name and in the devotional reading today he called those who would stand with Moses and Aaron in leadership and war… all by name. God had the Israelites take a census of the people. They did this by calling out which family they belonged to and listed the names in their lineage. Why? So they could take courage in numbers or a strong army? No, it was about answering the question “Who are God’s People”. Especially those warriors who would stand with Moses. It was about identity. What about Paul? God called him by name in Acts 9. Why? It was about Identity.

Maybe our ‘wilderness’ is the struggle with an addiction, a bad relationship with parents, a mistake with my boyfriend/girlfriend, or persecution for my belief in Christ. Maybe depression, cutting, or deep hurt caused by a friend. It’s in these times we can feel distant from God, like maybe He has left, doesn’t care or has better things to do.

But its precisely in the ‘wilderness’ we need to remember who we belong to, and that Jesus desires to call us by name, speak to us and provide direction that will lead us out of the wilderness we’re in.

Devos for Feb. 15th (By Jenny)

Scripture: Psalm 25

Observation/Application:

I feel like I can probably write a book on all of the things I can pull from this that God is speaking to me just in this one chapter. I LOVE how the Word is the LIVING Word of God! I love that it speaks to us still today and that God can use it to speak to me, ever so gently about one thing, while at the same time using the exact chapter to speak to you about something completely different.

Verses 14-15  Where does true deliverance come from? Only from God. Deliverance is found in God and through maintaining our focus on him. Any other roads to deliverance are false and ultimately prove themselves to be a snare, creating strongholds in our lives. I'm reminded of one time when Pastor Ben and I were hanging out in one of our favorite places to go together. Its a set of railroad tracks that goes through town and if you walk down them you come to a bridge that the tracks go over. Now this bridge is an old wooden bridge above a small creek and I am terrible afraid of heights and bridges and water but somehow Pastor Ben got me out on that bridge. He of course had no problem running back and forth, but I on the other hand, was so scared that I could barely move. I thought for sure I would fall between the slots in the boards or that a big gust of wind would come and make me fall off the edge. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but I was so scared and focused on everything that was below me that I couldn't do anything to take my mind off of all of the what ifs. It wasn't until Pastor Ben came over and had me look straight out that I was able to make it across the bridge. I couldn't look down and away from my goal and destination because I would again get distracted and all of the fear would come rushing back.  Just like that day for me, our eyes must be on the Lord. Only by looking to him will he lead us to safety. If we have our focus on Him, not on our situations, then He will be able to guide us across any bridge we come to.

Prayer:
Jesus, Thank you for your steadfast love and guidance in our lives. I pray that you will give us the courage and strength to put our hope and trust in you. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you because we know that only through you are we saved and set free. We love you, Lord. Amen.

Devos for Feb. 10th (By Pastor Ryan)

"Therefore since we are God's offspring we should not think that the diving being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man's skill."
Acts 17:29

In times past, men worshipped gods they built from materials. While today we may look at the idea of worshipping something we built as lunacy, in truth, we see it all the time. Rather than building our gods from silver, marble, or gold, we prefer gods that we build inside of our heads.

Some worship gods like money or power and spend their lives avoiding their own internal hell of having neither. Inside of our heads we make plans to reach these gods and we consider how happy we will be when these gods are with us. Have you ever said the phrase - "I will be so happy when ..."?
That phrase is an idol identifier. When I have money, or sex, or control over my life that my parents can't take back - then I'll be happy. Because the life that follows inevitably is built around reaching that goal.

Idols aren't necessarily evil things as much as they are things that our hearts choose to place on higher priority than Jesus. The one we love most is truly our god. The one we serve and arrange our life towards reaching - that is our god.

How do we avoid idolatry? The answer isn't necessarily swear off things that can become idols. For some idols can be food, fun, clothing, or other things that are actually good and God made to be good. If you want to flee from idolatry the real answer is to get more Jesus. Spend more time with Him. Know him more. Read your Bible. Pray. Listen to Him. When Jesus is number one in your life the rest of your interests land in the appropriate place - below him.

Prayer
Father, have all of me. Every last bit. Be first in my life and first in the lives of those reading. I ask for your help, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Devos for Feb. 8th (By Jordan W.)

Leviticus 9:23-24

What happens when God hurls a fireball into the middle of your church service?  Ask Moses, Aaron and the rest of the Israelites on the day that God showed up and they could tell you.  If you were to wade through the cowering masses as smoke rises from the alter and choose someone, anyone, they would all tell you the same thing. 

"We gathered to sacrifice to God.  This wasn't the first time that we had done this, so I guess we were not expecting anything different.  Sure Moses told us that we would see the presence of God today, but nobody expected this!"

So, what were they expecting?

Ever since God sprung the Israelites out of Egypt, they labored under a heavy burden of sin.  God had repeatedly said that they were an “ungrateful, stiff necked people” and on this day in the book of Leviticus, it was time for the people to be made clean.  They gathered in front of the tabernacle and sacrificed to God.  This was an atonement that would be an ancient foreshadowing of Christ dying on a cross for our sin.  Finally, stubborn Israel stood clean before their God.  And, once they were clean, they cleared the way for God to show up with His consuming fire.  Repentance always clears the way for God to show up.  Just ask John the Baptist about that (but do that a different time, we are still dealing with the Israelites).

So, I ask again, “what were they expecting?”  Probably to just make atonement, feel good about themselves and go back home.  Unfortunately, we often come to our church services expecting the same thing.  We come to church to be made clean, it makes us feel good, and then we split.  But how often do we come to church expecting God to show up?  Israel sure didn’t, they were terrified when the presence of God came.  Now, I am not suggesting to you that if God comes and starts chucking fireballs in church tomorrow that I am going to play it cool and tell you “I told you so”.  That’s not what I am saying, what I am saying is that I WANT him to show up!  And, I wonder what would happen if each of us came expecting the same thing, to be made clean and see God’s presence.  Maybe we would walk out of church better than we came in.  Maybe we would walk out feeling pure and holy.  Or maybe, just maybe we would walk out completely on fire.

Prayer
God, do not allow us to enter your presence without an expectation of being touched by you.

Devos for Feb. 3rd (by HMK)

Scripture Reference: Acts 10:15

“The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

Application:

I must admit at first I was kind of having a hard time really getting anything from today’s reading, but when I read over this verse I went back and re-read it a couple times and really felt the Lord speak to my heart about my life. Pastor Ben talked about humility last night at youth group and how many view it as saying “I am not worthy of God’s love or Grace” but that isn’t the correct definition of the humility God wants us to have. I think this scripture is very applicable to the concept of humility; we are worthy of God’s love and grace and mercy only because he has made us clean. We need to accept his love and all it entails and not claim that we are unclean or not worthy. This can apply to how we view other people’s lives as well, only God can pass judgment and when we see something that may seem “unclean” the Lord may know differently and have his hand on that person’s life. I hope this all makes sense, if not feel free to text Pastor Ben for verification : )

Prayer:

Lord I pray that I may know the true meaning of humility, and that I can be humble when receiving your gifts and blessings. Thank you for all that you do for me, I know that I would be nothing without a relationship with you. Fill me up with your love so that I can speak your name and show your love to people around me. This I pray in Jesus name Amen.

Devos for Feb. 1st (Jenny's Post)

Scritpure:

Exodus 32, Acts 8:1-25

Obsevation/Application:

In Acts 8, we come across a guy named Simon, who was a magician. He practiced magic in the streets of Samaria and amazed all the people that watched him. Scripture says that he said himself that he was somebody great. He loved being the center of attention and having everybody amazed at his “powers”.

Phillip, a disciple of Jesus, went to the city of Samaria proclaiming the news of Christ and as he was traveling through the city, Simon, along with many other people, heard the Good News and believed and was baptized. The story goes on to say that a couple more apostles were sent to the city to pray for the people that just got saved so that they could receive the Holy Spirit. Now here’s where the story gets interesting. Simon saw what was happening and wanted to take part in it. He saw that people were getting the power of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, and he wanted to be able to have that same power to lay hands on people so that they can receive the Holy Spirit. He wanted this though for the wrong reason. He wanted it just for the “power” that it gave him, not for what it did for other people or for what having the Holy Spirit actually meant. Basically, Simon thought that it made a really cool trick and he wanted to learn how to do it. He even offered the apostles money so that he could be able to do it.

This story of Simon made me question how often I/we chase after the signs and miracles rather than the One that holds the power. Are we so busy looking for how we can appear to be super-spiritual instead of focusing on how we can truly get closer to God. The Bible tells us that signs and wonders will follow those who believe, so it’s all part of the package deal of following Christ, but first we have to make our hearts right and have pure intentions in what we are striving for. We can’t want to be able to do signs and miracles so that we look really cool, we have to want it so that, through the signs, God is glorified.

Prayer:  

Jesus, You are so great! It’s truly amazing to me that you still choose to use people to show your power and goodness. You tell us to desire certain gifts and so I pray that as we do, that are hearts stay pure and our intentions are only what they should be. Let us focus on and follow only after you and not be caught up in how we think it makes us look to other people. Lord, you are good. Thank you for your Word that it is alive today. Amen.

Devos for Jan. 25th (the passover)

Scripture

Exodus 12; 13:17-22

Observation/Application

Exodus 12:7 the Lord explained to Moses and Aaron the Passover. Taking the blood of the lamb and placing it on the doorposts as well as hanging it over the top of the door thus marking that your home was one that believed on the Lord and was an Israelite who shared in the Passover feast. If you were an Israelite and you shared in the Passover then your home would be protected or “passed over” from the Lord who was going to strike the Egyptians because Pharaoh wouldn’t let Gods people go.

Now all throughout the bible we see that to have life we must have death; in the old testament we have sacrifices to cover the sin, thus giving life. In the new testament we have the perfect picture of this through Jesus Christ; He came and died so there could be life everlasting. This is echoed in the message of Paul who says you must put the old life to death and walk in the newness of life. Jesus says we must  be born again as well, look at the parallels in baptism which is identifying with the DEATH, burial, and RESSURECTION (life).

To sum up the death to life idea we have this Passover thing which is by putting the blood of a lamb over your door you are being atoned for is the sight of God. Today we have a Passover lamb as well (1 Cor. 5:7) Jesus is our Passover lamb; He shed His blood for you and me and in His death we have life. When we deserve the consequences of our sin (which is death) Jesus covers us, makes us worthy when we are not.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for becoming our sin covering. For being the one who fills in the gap when we fall short on our own. I praise you Lord because you are worthy to be praised. If you do nothing else for me ever again, what you’ve already done is enough. You are such a Holy God with mercy and grace enough for my shortcomings. Lord strengthen me to be in a passionate pursuit of you; trying to be like your son every day.  Lord, I love you. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Extra notes – Generation Unleashed is this week, be in prayer and be expecting God to move! Stay in your word and be ready to see the Lord move. Start praying now about where you want to grow in the Lord.

Devos for Jan 20th

Scripture:

Genesis chapter 50; Psalms chapter 8; Luke 20:9-19

Application/Observation

This is the parable about the wicked tenants that Jesus shares in Luke 20. In it we see the progression of Gods relationship with man reflected in his words about the wicked tenants. First we see that a man plants a vineyard and allowed tenants to stay there to watch over it. Representing God creating the earth and giving authority over the earth to man. Then the man wants some of the fruits of his vineyard and the tenants rejected the one who came to get it. This being like the prophets who brought the word of God yet was rejected by man. The vineyard owner continues his attempts to get fruits from his own vineyard and the tenants only got more objective about giving back to the owner. Much like man pushing God away more and more as He pursues us. Then the owner of the vineyard sends his son thinking they must have respect on the son of the owner of the vineyard. But they treated him as a means to an end and killed him for their own selfish gain. This is reflective of the Son of God who was sent as a final effort to restore man unto Himself, Jesus came to point man back to God. When the Son of God came he too was killed with selfish motives in mind; man didn’t want to be held accountable for their sins, yet in the death and resurrection of Christ we see the truth and life that he brings. He still crossed the divide with man and God bringing reconciliation and restoration to all who believe. In the end of the parable Jesus says that the owner will go himself and remove the wicked tenants. This is saying that those who don’t believe on Jesus, God will remove them just as the tenants.

In this story we see Gods plans and heart; He gave us everything we have to begin with and all He wants is to have good fruits coming forth from the vineyard. God wants us to be in right relationship with Him, to accept Him and His Son who came for all. God just wants relationship with you and I.    

Prayer

Lord in the times I am like the wicked tenants with my actions not wanting to give with a willing heart or share my time, talents, and treasure please bring back to me a spirit of love for you. I want to be a cheerful giver with all that I have and all that I am. Lord let me set into right priority my time and giving so I can best be your servant. God you are great and worthy to be praised, I love you in Jesus name, amen.

Devos for Jan. 18th

Scripture

 Gen. Ch. 45; Luke 18:15-43

Application/Observation

Luke 18:15-17 talks about coming to Jesus like a child for those are the ones who will enter the kingdom. This passage is short but shows us a glimpse into the theology of eternity. Entering the kingdom is speaking about eternity (heaven), It simply says you gotta come to Jesus and you gotta do it in a way that is like a child. We all know that Jesus is the gate to eternal life; however Jesus goes as far as to tell us the manner in which we should. What characteristics of a child should we have that are so vital to our salvation? Two of them jump out at me and I believe they are no selfish motives and humbleness. The sinful world is saturated with worldly pride, which is what the humbleness of a child keeps us from. Our pride and selfishness for the things of this world want nothing to do with the holy God of the Bible. It is man's love for sin that keeps us from coming to the Savior. Yet a child comes to Jesus with no reserve or ties to the world and the things in it.

Prayer

Lord you are high and lifted up, mighty to be praised. Be the center of who I am so I will not stray away from you. May you keep me from having ties to worldly things that would keep me from you. Help me to have the faith and humbleness of a child so I may see you. I love you, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

Devos for jan. 13th (Guest blogger HMK)

Scripture: Genesis 33, Luke 13:10-30

Luke 13:20-21 “He also asked. ‘What else is the Kingdom of God like?’ It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Application:

This scripture says a couple different things to me. First I see it as encouragement that we shouldn’t under estimate the power of a small act of kindness or service we do for someone else, something seeming small can go a long way.

Secondly it can be interpreted as God being the main and most important ingredient to the recipe of life. We can have the good grades in school, be most popular with many friends, have good relationships with our parents, but without that one ingredient “a growing relationship with God” then our recipe won’t turn out how it is supposed to.

Prayer:

Lord, I come to you right now and ask for boldness and selflessness that will allow me to put others before myself and be able to offer encouraging words or a helping hand when I see someone who needs it. I ask that you will create opportunities for me to share your love to those hurting. I pray for those whose lives seem perfect on the outside but maybe on the inside they are missing the most important ingredient, you. May they come to know you and feel your unconditional love. Thank you for everything you do for me on a daily basis. I am nothing without you. All this I pray in Jesus name Amen.

Devos for Jan. 11, 2011 (Jenny's Post)

Scripture:
Genesis 28:10-22, Luke 11:1-13, 33-36

Observation/Application:
In today’s reading in Luke (11:33-36),  Jesus is teaching us about our Christian experience using light as an analogy. He breaks the teaching into two parts: First, Jesus describes what we should do with the light we have in us and second, He exhorts us to keep the light that is in us pure.
Luke 11:33 - “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light
In this verse, Jesus is teaching us that once we were converted something fundamentally changed in us. We have become different because God has called us to fellowship and commune with Him through the salvation of Jesus Christ. We are no longer like everyone else, no longer destined to suffer God’s wrath because of our rebellion, but rather we are set apart, adopted by God and given citizenship in God’s eternal Kingdom. What an awesome reality that is. Jesus challenges us in this verse to reflect that reality to a world that is looking on. Ultimately, Jesus is the light and as his disciples we should be reflecting the image of our teacher. The implication is that when people look at us and our lives, ideally they should be able to see Jesus on some level.
Luke 11:34-36- "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” I think here, Jesus is reminding us here that after conversion there is a still a battle that occurs between the new life of the Spirit and the old life of the flesh. These verses give a good practical teaching on how we subdue the flesh and fill our being with the pure light of God.  The teaching here is that our eyes have the ability to fill our inner being with either light or darkness. I think Jesus challenges use to inventory what we consume with our eyes. Do we fill our eyes with scripture, wholesome media, God made nature, and the company of friends and family, or do we fill our eyes with pornography, corrupt media, items we covet, and second lustful glances? I would submit that there is no greater conduit to our inner being that our eyes. We have to guard them.
So what’s the application? For me, I have to realize that Jesus is teaching us fundamental truths here. We have to constantly remind ourselves that even after conversion we are in a battle with the old life of rebellion that put us at odds and out of fellowship with God in the first place. The reality is that we have died to our sinful nature because of our rebirth in Christ, but our sinful nature is not yet dead and won’t be until our physical death ends its rebellion. That sinful nature, the flesh, is the seed of our temptations and the receptacle for the all darkness we take in. So we must guard our eyes and our minds and our bodies so that we don’t give the flesh an opportunity to taint the light in us.

Prayer:Heavenly Father, thank you so much for life and salvation. Thank you God that we are not left to dwell in darkness but because of your grace we are able to be called your sons and daughters. Help us with temptation today. Help us lay waste to the old life of the flesh that desires to entice us with darkness. Forgive us our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. Work in us today to reflect your glory and illuminate your Kingdom. We pray these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Devos for jan 4th 2011. First blog of the new year!

Scripture:

Genesis chapter 9 and Luke 4:14-30

Observation/Application

In Gen. 9 it blows me away and makes me sad and at the same time relives me a little bit. Noah, who was the one that amidst all the earth being corrupt found favor with God and walked with him. Noah was righteous and blameless in his generation. That was a generation that God saw fit to destroy because of the violence and immorality that they lived in. So Noah didn’t exactly have a lot of iron sharpening iron with fellow believers around him, yet was able to live righteously among adverse culture. In chapter 9, the flood was over, and God commanded Noah’s family to be fruitful and He gave them a covenant (the rainbow, and yes even the double rainbow J) to never flood the earth again.

So Noah had just seen the biggest display of God’s wrath ever known to man (besides child labor for the ladies perhaps) and he turns around and plants a vineyard and gets drunk off the wine he makes…really Noah? What was he thinking? At the beginning I said this makes me sad and relived; sad because God put His hope in Noah when the rest of the world had walked away, then Noah who was blameless now is a drunk. It’s sad for God whose heart is for His people. However, I’m relieved on some level that I would probably do the same thing (sin). Relived is an accurate word because God knew that Noah would do this, God is all knowing, yet He chooses you and I to reach the world. He chooses you and I to be His witness throughout the whole earth. Chooses you and I to speak life in to dead circumstances. Chooses you and I to be salt and light to all the earth. I’m relieved because I’m covered by His son Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, I am no better than Noah yet when I read this story I see Noah as a broken sinner. I wonder how you see me and still love me sometimes. Yet you see me through these glasses of love that has no conditions to them. You love me as I am. Sinful as I’ll ever be you take me. Continue in your grace because I need it so much Lord. You’re a God of forgiveness and we see that in your word. Enable us to walk in your light so we don’t find ourselves in compromising situations. I love you Lord. I pray in Jesus name, amen.