Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God. John 13:3

Leading up to His death, Jesus performed several acts of servant hood to demonstrate His love towards His disciples and followers. Jesus knew who He was, His purpose and where He was going, following His death. He finished His life in complete surrender to the will of God by dying on the cross for mankind's sin. 

As a child of God, you too have been given a life, and the things and people in it, to demonstrate the character of Christ through your words and actions. Knowing that you will one day step across the barrier between earth and eternal life, should motivate you to follow His perfect will for your life. His plan , His ways are meant to grow you in your faith and bless other lives through Christ Spirit living inside of you. 

Know who you are in Christ, His purpose for your life and most of all demonstrate His character each day. He needs you to share His hope with those around you. Finish life well by being obedient to His calling, right up to the very end.     God bless.

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy. Who are you to judge another? James 4:11-12

A few years ago the company Holiday Inn Express had a comical commercial on TV. It showed someone in a hospital operating room, dressed like a doctor, about to perform surgery. When one of the nurses questioned if they were the doctor, the person replied "no, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express". The commercial made it seem as if you stayed at their hotel you had this great wealth of knowledge to perform any task, but in reality they were not educated and trained to perform any medical procedure.

So often is the case with God's children. We get this thought going that if we are a Christian and attend church, we are qualified to judge others based on their character and behavior. There is nothing further from the truth. Each child of God has a specific calling and our job is to remain devoted to the God given tasks before us. It doesn't matter what others say or do, it is up to God to judge them. We are to stay in our lane and not speak negatively of others, but to encourage and help them. 

Just because you might be on the right track with God, doesn't mean you can look upon others in judgment, especially speak evil against them. Leave the judging up to the expert, God himself. You've got a job to do, a job you know well....go do it and love others. 

God bless.

You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3

I learned something of value at church Sunday morning. The preacher was talking about clay and how in the hands of the potter, he applies the most pressure to the clay when it gets "off center" from the wheel. As long as the clay stays centered, the potter can make something useful from the lump of clay. 

How true this is in the life of a child of God. We are referred to as clay and the potter is God. When we stay in the center of His will, He can use us for His glory and make something beautiful from our life. But once we slide off center, He has to apply pressure to push us back within His will. The center of that spinning wheel is exactly where He can use us. 

Does it seem like difficulty has arrived and you are feeling the pressures of life zapping your energy? Believe me, I've been there and it's not pleasant. Check yourself.....are you in the center of God's will? Most likely you've slid in a certain area of your life. Unless you surrender your prideful ways to the Lord, the pressure will continue until you have no strength to hold up. Keeping God at the center of every aspect of your life will keep you centered on the wheel and He won't have to allow difficulty to press you back into good standing with Him. 

Stay centered friend by keeping God at the center of your life and you will find abundant blessings and your life will have more purpose in serving Him. Have a blessed day

So he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27

Today's verse gives us a good idea of how deep our love for God should be. It encompasses every aspect of our life, from our thoughts, actions and words spoken. God doesn't want just a portion of your life, He wants you to love Him with your all.

So, how do we know if we truly love God? One of the most powerful verses that answer that question was addressed by Jesus Christ, John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.". This very short verse answers the big question, your obedience is how you demonstrate your love to God. When you obey His word and His direction, you exhibit your faith and trust in Him, knowing His ways are sound and will protect and preserve you. 

And the benefits of love,obedience and dedication to God? Jesus said: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." John 15:7.  If you truly dedicate your entire life to loving and serving the Lord, He will bless you along life's journey. But it takes a commitment on your part to yeild every aspect of your life to love and trust Him. Do you love Him completely? Have a blessed day.

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

One of the struggles in relationships is not knowing how someone truly feels about us. We question in our mind: do they like me, do they find me attractive and fun to be with, will they be there when times get tough, do they love me? All of these and other questions run through our mind. Even couples who've been in long term relationships often question their significant other's thoughts, feelings and actions. 

Although human relationships are nice to have, they can be rewarding and challenging at the same time. There is one relationship that doesn't have to be questioned, worried about and if that person will always there. God's love covered you before you were even born. He created you at just the right time in the history of the universe to love Him, and love others. Why, because He loved you first. His love is unending and never conditional...His love remains the same; yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

Looking for a solid relationship of love, without doubts and worries? Look no further than your creator. He loved you first, He loved you enough to sacrifice His  Son Jesus so you could come into His presence in a closeness that no human could ever accomplish. Love and trust Him and have no fears or doubts...He will be with you through all eternity. Blessings my friend.

And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. Psalm 78:11

Have you ever fixed something, then over time it needed fixing again....and you forgot what you did to fix it the first time? Happens to me more often as I get older. Writing it down helps, so when faced with the need to perform this task again, I can do it without trying to figure it out all over again. Having those written instructions helps my confidence knowing there is a way to fix it.

Same is true in our walk with the Lord. He is with us, 24/7, always working His power to see us through life's broken moments. On the other side of our difficulty is victory. It's so important to keep a record of these "spiritual victories". Documenting the trial, words and scripture the Lord imparted for your benefit and wisdom, and the way that He worked to bring resolution to your crises, will be good reference when you face a similar situation. It can also be good reference material when someone you know is going through the same battle and you can offer assurance from what you experienced. 

Let us never forget the goodness of God and what He has done for us. Referring back through the journal gives us confidence in knowing God is with us and wants to help see us through each crisis, big or small. He loves you, never forget His expressions of love by His handiwork in your life. God bless.

So he (Moses) cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Exodus 15:25

Have you ever heard someone say..."that person is so sweet, they could sweeten tea by dipping their finger in the glass". That's a pretty sweet person if true. :) 

As humans, we do things and add things to our life to make it sweeter. We sometimes become obsessed with  sweetening our life with things, relationships and passions. As soon as the thrill wares off, we are back at it....trying to add more and more. The problem is we will never be completely satisfied. Life will never be sweet enough if we work at it on our own.

But, if you allow God to work in every aspect of your life, He will sweeten it with things that far outlast what the world has to offer. In today's verse we see the Israelites had traveled for 3 days with no water, when they run upon a body of water that unfortunatly was bitter. When Moses called out to God, His hand prepared a tree that would turn bitter water into something sweet. 

What are you thirsting for in life? If you want a life full of joy, peace and satisfaction, seek after the things of God. He is your life sweetener. Sweeten it today through prayer and the bitterness of life turn into something sweet, only God can provide. God bless.