Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Fully Focused
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“Fully Focused”
Acts 20:24 NLT
But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
Isn’t it crazy and amazing how unfocused we can become at times in our lives? Many of us probably have consistent days of having tons of things on our minds. We try to cram as many things as we possibly can into one day. We need to get productive and do as much as possible. Sometimes I talk with others who say, “Too much to do and not enough hours in the day to do them”. While this is funny at first, it’s really actually sad. We get way too much on our plates and then we end up not fully focusing on really anything.
As I think about this passage in Acts, it’s amazing how focused Paul was on the task he had at hand. He accomplished many things in life, but nothing became more important to him than being fully focused on Christ and finishing the work for the Kingdom. That is ALL he was focused on. He came to realize that no accomplishment is better or greater than serving the Kingdom and doing the work of God. He considered everything else in life nothing unless it was serving Christ.
I often wonder how many things I put importance on in my daily life that really doesn’t mean much. Maybe we all need to take a step back and consider what all we do each day and what meaning it really has. What means the most to us? Work? Family? Hobbies? What means the absolute most to you? Hopefully it is a relationship and life served in Christ. Paul was fully focused and we need to be as well.
Instead of us trying to focus on a million things each day, perhaps we should realize there is only 1 focus we need each day. Our focus should be solely on Christ alone. I want to be fully focused, but I just have so many things on my mind each day. Now, don’t get me wrong, we need to take care of responsibilities each day for sure. However, we tend to get focused on way too many things and end up running ourselves down. We need to be fully focused as Paul was and strive to serve Christ each day. In doing this, our priorities will align and we will take care of things that are truly important.
Let’s be fully focused as Paul was and strive to finish the work God has called us to do.
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Lighten Up And Live
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“Lighten Up And Live”
Proverbs 17:22 NLT
A glad heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
I chose the title of this devotional from a phrase that Christian comedian and motivational speaker, Ken Davis uses in his radio ministry. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we need to be reminded that life is too short to take too seriously. I’ve often heard the phrase, “Don’t take yourself so seriously”. I admit I am WAY bad about this! I tend to find myself taking things way too seriously and not laughing more as I should.
I get so down on myself when I do dumb things instead of just laughing and moving on. My wife and my girls are great reminders to me that I need to lighten up and live and enjoy more of life! My wife especially reminds me of this and she is soooooooooo patient with me!
This devotional is nothing terribly deep, but a great reminder that we need to remember to laugh more often. I find when I laugh more, I feel so much better and I enjoy life more. I find that I’m less agitated and people want to be around me more. It makes sense, doesn’t it?
I really appreciate how Ken Davis reminds us to lighten up and live. We have to find more joy in everyday life in just being more lighthearted. I am totally preaching this to myself as well as to you. I have been so bad about this for so many years of my life. I tend to be a serious person naturally. Sometimes that can be good, but often times it takes me away from enjoying the wonderful every day things that God does around me.
God DOES have a sense of humor and He loves when we just laugh and enjoy life. He especially loves this when unexpected things happen to us and we make the most of it and find some way to laugh and move on. It’s so easy too often to get angry and focus on the negative. I have always appreciated people who are so laid back and find a way to smile through everything almost. I want to be like that!
Friends, some of us are naturally more light-hearted than others. The rest of us tend to take life a little too seriously more than we should. We need to learn to laugh more and lighten up and live!
Ken Davis, if you ever somehow come across this devotional, THANK YOU for your constant reminders of how we should lighten up and live!
Monday, June 26, 2023
Nothing Is Ever Useless
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“Nothing Is Ever Useless”
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
I’ve had so many instances through my years of life where I have tried to work hard at something, but then many times gotten very discouraged and threw my hands up and said, “This is useless!”
We have all had these situations in life in various ways. We try hard to get through to someone and we find ourselves wanting to give up because we feel we’re not getting anywhere. We start a project at home and spend possibly years on it only to find ourselves wanting to toss in the towel and give up. Maybe we want to take up a hobby or play an instrument. We try and try and try and try….and then try again. All the while we sometimes just want to give up and say, “This is useless!”
We often feel like this when we think we are getting nowhere with someone or something. It’s often easy to feel like nothing is going to come of what we are doing and we’re just beating a dead horse. However, I have heard many stories of people who have spent years or decades working toward something and, finally, after so long something happens from their efforts.
We never know when or how, but we must always remember that God will ALWAYS use our efforts in some way. We don’t know how, but He will. The next time we take on a new hobby, project, or trying to talk to someone about our faith, we need to give it time and allow God to use us. At times, we need to step away, take a deep breath, come back and try again in another way.
It is so easy for us to throw up our hands and yell, “I’ve had it! This is useless and going nowhere!” When we feel like doing that, we need to take a deep breath, count to 10 (My mother used this tactic on me many times!), and regroup.
No matter what we are doing, we must always do it for the Lord and remember that nothing we do will go unnoticed. It might be days, months, years or decades, but God is working and we must trust that He will reward and reveal at the proper times. Nothing is ever useless when it comes to the work of the Kingdom. We may think it’s useless, but it never will be if we are striving to serve Him and make a difference in people’s lives.
Nothing is ever useless, so don’t give up.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
What Do We Seek?
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“What Do We Seek?"
Matthew 6:33
NIV- But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
NLT- Seek the Kingdom above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
I’ve often found that when I seek something in my life and focus on it for any certain amount of time, I catch myself tending to focus a little too much on whatever it is and expecting fulfillment. There’s nothing at all wrong with searching for certain things and looking forward to having experiences and possessions, but far too often, these things become and end in themselves. Instead of us enjoying what God has given to us, we often make these things idols.
I have to constantly remind myself why I chase after the things I do. I often find myself trying to chase after things because I think they will fulfill my needs. If I just have this, I’ll be happy. If I just achieve this, I’ll be content. If I just get that job that pays a little better, then I’ll have what I need. The list can go on and on. I’m never satisfied. It’s never enough if I constantly keep chasing after things.
A week ago Sunday, our pastor preached on contentment and I was reminded again of Paul’s experience of how he learned how to be content, no matter what. He finally learned to seek after God and be content, no matter what.
What do we seek in our lives? What are we chasing after? What’s next? What more do we need? When will enough be enough? We often seem to be like dogs chasing their tails around and around and around chasing after the next great thing the world offers.
Friends, it’s okay to long for certain things and want to have them. What we have to be careful of is letting those things be the end fulfillment instead of enjoying what God has given to us. He tells us to seek His Kingdom above all else. Do we really do that? Are we really seeking Him? He has promised to give us everything we need, but we still find ourselves chasing after what the world offers, somehow becoming convinced these offers are the answer to our problems.
We must never forget that seeking after God ONLY is the answer to our problems. He will supply every need. He will provide. The world only leaves us with a constant hunger and thirst that will drive us into despair. The hunger and thirst we have when we seek God just drives us to wanting more and more of Him and that will keep us totally alive!
What do we seek? Him or the world?
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Give Me A Clean & Pure Heart
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“Give Me A Clean & Pure Heart”
Psalm 51:10
NIV- Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
NLT- Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart each new day so that I can live fully for You and not for the world. Just like the song I grew up with says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me”. Lord, I still remember singing this at camp, youth group and in church services. It brings back so many fond memories. Father, I want these words to be more than just songs I remember from a song I used to sing so often. I want these words to echo in my heart each day as I strive to live with a clean and pure heart.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart toward my wife each day that I may be fully faithful in my marriage relationship.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart as I strive to turn away from any impure things that pull my attention to lust.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart as I strive to love on my kids each day and be a Godly example to them.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart when I am tempted to join in any gossip at my work place that I should not be part of.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart that is completely undivided as I strive to walk with You.
Father, give me a clean and pure heart as I consider how I should live each day of my future totally devoted to You.
Father, not only do I want a clean and pure heart, but I also ask that You give me a loyal spirit as well. I want to be loyal in my walk with You. I want to be faithful and loyal to You no matter what the cost. It’s so easy at times to go with the crowd because I don’t want to stand out and look foolish. But Lord You have called to a life that looks foolish to the world.
Help me to be strong for You, Lord. Please revive and renew a steadfast and loyal spirit within me.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Living To Please God Is Getting Harder
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“Living To Please God Is Getting Harder”
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
So whether you eat for drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
I almost titled this devo “Living To Please God”, but after thinking more about it, I decided to add “Is Getting Harder” because that’s really how it feels these days in the world we live in. We all want to live to please God, but it seems, day after day, that’s becoming more and more difficult to carry out with all the temptations and pressure we face in our culture.
I really, really do desire more than anything to please God….most of the time. I know that sounds odd I added “most of the time”. But to be completely honest, I often find myself fighting the desires of my flesh as Paul described that he often did. I know I need to please God and I want to with all my heart, but when I am faced with daily temptations of worldly things, my desires go astray and I tend to desire what I’m tempted by. I fight temptations every single day and I ask God for strength to get me through so that I can continue to faithfully follow Him.
I want to live a Godly life for my marriage, my relationship with my kids, and my relationship with others in my extended family, work and church. This verse is powerful stating that whatever I am doing, I need to do it to the glory of God and strive to please Him no matter what I am doing. I need to be sure I’m in places that won’t lead me astray and not looking at or listening to things that will pull me away from where He wants me.
It is becoming harder and harder each day to fight temptations with all the corrupt things happening in our world each day. It absolutely sickens me when I hear of the corrupt way of life of some people. I’m not saying I’m perfect in any way at all, but just stating that it makes my stomach churn at all the ways people are living to please themselves. I want to stray away from that. I don’t want to fall into temptation that will lead me away from a solid relationship with my wife and with my kids.
Friends, living to please God is getting much harder as we continue to follow Him. He is calling us to be faithful and we must stay strong so we don’t stray. I hope and pray that we all can stay strong in His Word and through prayer to build our faith. His Word will continue to be a lamp for us to shine the way we need to go and help us stay off the path that leads to corrupt living.
Living to please God is getting harder, but God gives us strength each day to carry on.
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
People Need Jesus
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“People Need Jesus”
Romans 3:23 NLT
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
For the past few weeks, my heart has felt heavy every time I hear of some kind of attack happening. Whether it be someone crazy on the road, someone in a mass shooting or someone just doing something that makes me shake my head in disbelief. So many emotions go through me when I hear of another tragedy happening, wherever and whatever it might be. I think of all the people involved and who has been affected. So many hurting, discouraged and confused people.
As I think about these tragedies happening, it reminds me of how much people desperately need Jesus in their lives. It’s often easy for us to get upset and demand justice and wish they’d be locked up for life for what they’ve done. There’s no doubt we have a right to be upset when these things happen, but we must also remember that everyone really needs Jesus.
The past few weeks, I just keep thinking of the phrase “People need Jesus”. It keeps crossing my mind. It’s not just those who have made choices to hurt other people in these awful scenarios, but it’s also people we come across each and every day in our work places and other places we go. Every one needs Jesus.
While it’s easy to get angry and pass judgment on these people who do horrific crimes and think they don’t deserve forgiveness for what they’ve done, we must remember that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. It’s easy for us to think people who hurt others physically are much worse than us. However, it’s all sin and, instead of passing judgment, we need to pray for them. We really, really need to pray for them. If their lives were taken in the event, we need to pray for their families, friends and others involved.
I know I’m guilty of not taking the time to pray about these things, but I’m convicted that I need to do more. People need Jesus. No matter who they are or what they’ve done, they need Jesus. I’ve heard various stories of people who have lost loved ones in crimes and instead of casting judgment on them, the person prays for the criminal. When I hear those stories, I honestly don’t know if I could do that if someone hurt a loved one.
Friends, we all need Jesus. I’m hoping and praying that we will all choose to pray the next time we hear about a tragedy, no matter what it involves. Pray for the person who has gone mad and ask God to move in ways we won’t and don’t see.
Again, it’s easy to pass judgment and think they don’t deserve forgiveness, but neither do we and Jesus Christ gave that to us. We don’t deserve it, but He died for us all. They need Him as well as we do. We all fall short. Remember that when it’s tempting to pass judgment.