Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

 

Today’s verse brings a vision to mind of a momma bird flying back to her nest to feed her little babies. With their heads held high, mouths wide open, they eagerly wait for momma to drop a morsel of food into their tiny mouths. Yet, one of the babies is trying to feed on a bug that landed on the nest and has difficulty catching it. In the end, he went hungry, while the other birds are fed and nourished.

 

By now you are probably wondering if I was asleep, dreaming this stuff up. I promise I was awake. But, let me share the correlation between today’s verse and my vision.

 

Do you want a blessing from God? I think we all do. Yet, we are oftentimes like that little baby bird, distracted by the things of this world, and we miss God’s blessing when we take our eyes off Him and rely on our own resources to keep us satisfied. Just like the momma bird, God has something very satisfying to share with you, but you must hunger for it. He won’t give it to you unless your desire is for Him.

 

Need a blessing in your life? Hunger for God’s goodness, live a life of righteousness, and protect yourself from the things of this world and God’s blessings will keep you satisfied in life! God bless!  

 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46

 

Safety is paramount these days. When someone is injured on the job, it cost the employer money and lost productivity. To encourage employees to work safely, many companies have signs in view, showing the number of days the company has gone without a loss time accident. As the days grow in number from the last incident, it makes the employee think they don’t want to mess up that positive trend so they do all they can to be safe.

 

As we go through life, we all have spiritual accidents where we really mess up, possibly costing us our witness, reputation and the effects of a horrible mistake can be felt for a significant amount of time. Think about one of these occurrences in your life. Let’s be honest, you most likely weren’t living in the light of Christ. You were probably in the shadows of your reputation, thinking you were safe and comfortable. Eventually the light exposed your errors and the price you paid for it was costly. How can you keep from making the same mistake? How can you distance yourself from the last devastating event?

 

Every day you walk in the light of the Lord, you add another day to your safety record. Yes, you’ll sin occasionally, but keeping your focus on God and staying away from the dark practices of sin will help ensure your safety for another day. It takes work to avoid sin, but God gives us His Helper, The Holy Spirit, to guide us, strengthen us and keep us on the path of spiritual safety. Pray daily for His guidance as you add another day to your spiritual safety record. God bless!

 …for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

 

Christmas Eve, a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and share our love with family and friends. No doubt 2020 has been a rough year and many have lost loved ones due to Covid-19. In addition, there is the separation of family members who have to stay quarantined or in a facility where no visitors are allowed. And then of course there are families broken apart by divorce, leaving family members to celebrate alone. Whatever the situation, many will be alone during this holiday season.

 

I can tell you though, at my lowest times, the only place I could look to for relief from my loneliness was God. As a result of my seeking after Him, He made His presence known in my heart and comforted me when no one was around to share this special moment of celebration.

 

Maybe you are at home right now thinking about your dire situation. Put your heart in the hands of God and let Him comfort you in this moment. He can’t relive moments from the past, but He can start a new life for you and bring happiness and blessings in the quietest day of your life. Find your perfect company with the Lord today. God bless!

 

Finally, all of you, be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.        1 Peter 3:8-9

 

It’s the start of Christmas week. Many families will be gathering to celebrate the birth of Christ. Sadly, there are family members that have had their feelings hurt by other members in the family circle and carry with them bitter feelings. As a result, attitudes, actions and words can dictate the dynamics of the family gathering, making for some tense moments.

 

Friend, don’t let the past imbitter your celebration of the birth of Christ. Today’s passage gives some great advice on how to navigate the holiday gatherings with those who you are not fond of or fear will take a punch at your spirit. Keep your calm and season your gathering with blessings to others, even your enemies. We are reminded that when we bless others, a blessing can be expected in return from God.

 

As a child of God, that bitter person, most likely needs to see the heart of Christ. You can be that tender heart and light that will help bring them from their darkness. Trust me, if they are bitter, they are in the dark and need your guiding light to bring them to peace with you and family. Pray to God for strength and His guidance as you gather this holiday season. God will help you navigate the holidays and bless you in the process!

 

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25:28

 

I have to admit, I got caught up in my emotions during last night’s SEC Championship college football game with Alabama defeating Florida. My wife is a devout Alabama fan, myself an Auburn fan. Alabama has a great football team, but for me, I don’t care to see Alabama keep winning. Every time I see them score, I get worked up to say the least.

 

As I pondered the game and my emotional state last night, I thought to myself, its simply a football game. Why do we get so worked up over something we have no control over and truly doesn’t even impact our life? Good question and sometimes hard to answer.

 

Today’s verse provides some sound advice on preserving our faith, “a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Truth is, when we get all twisted up in our emotions, we let down our guard and sometimes evil and dark thoughts creep in and poison our attitude. As a result, actions and bitter words come out, potentially damaging our witness.

 

Lesson learned for the day, keep those emotions in check. Without guarding your emotions, you’ll end up sounding and acting like someone on the opponent’s team (Satan) and we don’t need for him to score one over on God’s winning team! Keep your emotions in check friend! God bless!

 

 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

 

During this Christmas season, organizations and people find creative ways to tap into everyone’s generosity by providing gift drop boxes at places of businesses, people standing by the roadsides asking for money and even at checkout you are often asked if you want to donate to a certain charity. To be honest, it can be overwhelming with all these requests to give. Then I look at my bank account and think to myself…I sure could use some donations. Can you relate?

 

No doubt there are many people in need. I encourage you to not stop supporting those in need. The old saying…”you reap what you sow” is true, especially when it comes to giving. Every time I have given, God has blessed me either financially or by other means. I never go without a meal, shelter or clothing (my wife can attest to that). God will do the same for you.

 

Your few dollars might not seem like much, but when you bless someone else, God will bless you. Even if you don’t feel like you have much to offer, God will increase your giving in a way only He can do. Give and leave the rest up to Him! Your giving will reap a plentiful harvest of blessings! God bless! 

Asking with faith

 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1: 6-8

 

When I was a kid growing up, I recall asking for things from either parents or elders. Oftentimes they would always say “What’s the magic word?” upon my request. Of course, it was always “please” and generally my wish was granted.

 

There is one thing necessary when you come to the Lord with a request, faith in Him! So often we come to the Lord with a request and in the back of our minds question whether he will fulfil our request or work things out the way we want. When your request comes with lack of faith, you might as well forget asking. So why is faith in God so important with your request?

 

Obtaining the Lord’s help is a two-part process. Your faithful request and His response. When you put your faith in Him, you are posturing yourself for how He handles your situation and the response He provides. Yes, He might not hand it over on a silver platter, but through faith and trust in His wisdom, you will be grateful for how He responds. Trust me friend, He knows what’s best for you. Sometimes He doesn’t completely fulfil our request because he knows the full blessing will be a distraction for your relationship with Him. I am living proof of God’s goodness with His metered blessings.

Next time you ask God for something, have faith in His response and be willing to receive what He provides OR doesn’t provide. He loves you more than anyone and anything in this world and will give you the very best when your faith is strong! God bless!