Once again, it's out of Joyce Myers mouth into our hearts making us a little better to live with. 

This devotional by Joyce should make us all want to put our best foot forward to become the body of believers that change the world by a Godly common sense notion.

God Bless.

Don’t Waste Time

by Joyce Meyer

Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity]. 
—Ephesians 5:15–16

We need to be so self-controlled that we don’t waste time. That doesn’t mean that we can never do anything fun. It doesn’t mean we can’t do things that we enjoy.

We don’t need to be rigid, stiff, or boring. But we do need to use our time wisely, choosing to give the best part of our day to spend time with God.

The Word encourages us to be prepared, saying, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come” (Proverbs 19:20). Starting your day with God’s instruction will keep you walking in wisdom, making the most of your time.

10 Things “Yahweh” Means

Love gaining knowledge and I wanted to share it...

God Bless.

Solid Joys
DEVOTIONAL

10 Things “Yahweh” Means
John Piper

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus 3:15)

God’s name is almost always translated LORD (all caps) in the English Bible. But the Hebrew would be pronounced something like "Yahweh," and is built on the word for "I am."

So every time we hear the word Yahweh, or every time you see LORD in the English Bible, you should think: this is a proper name (like Peter or John) built out of the word for “I am” and reminding us each time that God absolutely is.

There are at least 10 things the name Yahweh, “I AM,” says about God:

1. He never had a beginning. Every child asks, “Who made God?” And every wise parent says, “Nobody made God. God simply is. And always was. No beginning.”

2. God will never end. If he did not come into being he cannot go out of being, because he is being.

3. God is absolute reality. There is no reality before him. There is no reality outside of him unless he wills it and makes it. He is all that was eternally. No space, no universe, no emptiness. Only God.

4. God is utterly independent. He depends on nothing to bring him into being or support him or counsel him or make him what he is.

5. Everything that is not God depends totally on God. The entire universe is utterly secondary. It came into being by God and stays in being moment by moment on God's decision to keep it in being.

6. All the universe is by comparison to God as nothing. Contingent, dependent reality is to absolute, independent reality as a shadow to substance. As an echo to a thunderclap. All that we are amazed by in the world and in the galaxies, is, compared to God, as nothing.

7. God is constant. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He cannot be improved. He is not becoming anything. He is who he is.

8. God is the absolute standard of truth and goodness and beauty. There is no law-book to which he looks to know what is right. No almanac to establish facts. No guild to determine what is excellent or beautiful. He himself is the standard of what is right, what is true, what is beautiful.

9. God does whatever he pleases and it is always right and always beautiful and always in accord with truth. All reality that is outside of him he created and designed and governs as the absolute reality. So he is utterly free from any constraints that don't originate from the counsel of his own will.

10. God is the most important and most valuable reality and person in the universe. He is more worthy of interest and attention and admiration and enjoyment than all other realities, including the entire universe.

From “I AM WHO I AM”

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Solid Joys is a daily devotional app from the ministry of John Piper. These short but substantive readings aim to feed your joy in Jesus every day of the year.

For more free resources visit desiringGod.org.
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John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For over 30 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.LEARN MORE
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Proverbs

Love this....

God Bless

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding
- Proverbs 3:5

The more you know God, the more you will trust God. What is there not to trust? He is completely loving, wise, powerful, and good.

But it is one thing to express a belief in God, and another to actually trust in him with all your heart. Trusting the Lord with all your heart means walking out, by faith, on his Word, no matter what consequences or opposition you may face.

Trusting God wholeheartedly also means resolutely refusing to lean on your own understanding. This, of course, does not mean that we are to give up the sound mind and reasoning spirit that God has given us. But it does mean that we are not to rely on our limited knowledge, experience, and emotions to guide us safely through life.

The question to ask yourself is this: do you trust God in precisely those places where your natural inclination is strongest against his leadership or direction or commandments? When the Bible clearly spells out his counsel, will you take it regardless of your personal preferences or preconceptions?

It is precisely at those places where we are least inclined to listen to or follow God that we are most able to show our devotion to him and our trust of him. Is there an area of your life today in which you have opportunity to trust in the Lord, rather than in your own understanding?

http://baptistbiblehour.org

What It's Really All About

This devotional is from Morning with God App. It's a few day's pass but I still can't seem to get past it.

If you ever wonder what life is for, I can think of nothing better or say it any plainer than this devotional.

We have to get it. It's not about us but the lost people of the world which is quickly going to hell in a hand basket.

God Bless.


August 18

Who... fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. – Col 1:24

This is a strange saying of Paul’s in our reading to–day – that he must fill up on his part the afflictions of Christ.

Was Christ’s sacrifice insufficient for the redemption of the world? Was His work incomplete? Do others have to suffer also to fill up a lack in His atonement? No; on His cross He said, “It is finished.” He paid the whole price.

What Paul meant was that while Christ had made a full and glorious redemption, His followers must enter into His experiences in order to present the benefits of His redemption.

We can make men believe in the love of Christ only by loving as He loved. We can show them the cross truly only in our own lives.

Christ gave Himself once to redeem the world; now we, His followers, must give ourselves to make His redemption real to the world. When we ask Christ to have compassion on men, His answer is: “I have had compassion – My part is finished. Now do you have compassion and reach and save men?”

We Do Not Cease To Pray For You

This dwvotional is a good insight on how one should pray for others and I wanted to pass it along.

God Bless.

We... do not cease to pray for you. – Col 1:910 

Some people pray for their friends, but ask only for things of lower or less important – that they may have good health, that they may get on well in worldly affairs, that they may prosper socially.

These are proper enough blessings to ask for our friends, but they are not the first things.

Paul, in praying for his friends, asks for them the highest and greatest things. He requests that they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding; that they may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing; that they may bear fruit in every good work; that they may increase in the knowledge of God; and that they may be strengthened with all power unto all patience and long–suffering with joy.

Could we do better than to pray Paul’s prayer for our friends? These are blessings, which we know they need, and which God is willing to give them.

We need never fear that in asking for such things we are seeking for blessings that will perish in the using.

Jesus: Our Example

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work
- John 4:34

What drives you? What motivates you? What sustains you? Jesus revealed to his disciples, when they could not understand his passing up a lunch break, that his driving motivation was the will of his heavenly Father.

My meat, my food, my sustenance comes from doing the will of God and finishing the work of God, Jesus says. Notice that it does not suffice Jesus' appetite to simply know the will of God or to study his works. Jesus finds his fulfillment in actively engaging in the work of God and persevering until it is completed.

Too often we think of Christianity as a set of beliefs only. But following Christ invariably means hungering to know the will of God and being satisfied only when we are engaged in it. Nothing else can substitute for active obedience.

And Jesus takes it a step further than obedience; his mission statement includes completion of the work that God has for him to do. Jesus is not just trying to salve his conscience or make a show of obedience; his satisfaction only comes in the achievement of God's purpose for him here.

What about you? Is your meat to do your Master's will? Are you actively seeking to practice the Christian faith, in public and in private? Are you striving to finish the great purpose for which God has placed you here?

This devotional from Joyce Myer is essential. I have always wondered how will I know if I srayed off course and where I have, I've always wondered at the point of origin. Now I know and I wanted to pass the wealth on.

God Bless. 

A Powerful Compass

by Joyce Meyer

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live].
—Colossians 3:15

People who do things they don’t have peace about have miserable lives and don’t succeed at anything. If you are doing something, like watching television, and you suddenly lose your peace about what you are watching, you have heard from God. He is saying to you, “Turn it off. Go the other way.” If you lose your peace when you say something unkind, God is speaking to you. It will save you a lot of trouble if you will stop talking or apologize right away.

God leads His people through peace. Any time you lose your peace you are hearing from God. There is nothing more powerful than the compass of peace in your heart. Follow after it. Follow peace!

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From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

God's Word: Is It Lost or Found

This little devotional is from an app called Today.  I found the following devotional making me take a gut check and asking the question is God's Word lost or is it found in my world.

I wasn't sure I would like the answer. Now I am posing the question to you. 

God Bless.

GOD’S WORD: LOST AND FOUND

By David Zandstraon 

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 22:1-13

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.”
—2 Kings 22:8

Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight. His grandfather Manasseh had been evil, filling the land with idols and desecrating the temple of God in Jerusalem. His father Amon had been so evil that his own servants had rebelled and killed him. It may surprise us Josiah wanted anything to do with God. But at the age of sixteen his heart was turned to the Lord, and he began a spiritual reformation among his people. When he was twenty-six, he had repairs begin on the temple, which had been neglected for about eighty years.

The workmen found a book while they were repairing and cleaning the temple. It included the five books of Moses and other inspired writings. The high priest realized its importance as “the Book of the Law” and brought it to the attention of the king. How could it have been forgotten? A copy of God’s Word was to be in the king’s possession and read by the king “all the days of his life” (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). But it had been set aside by those who wanted nothing to do with the holy God.

Where is your Bible? Is it forgotten and tucked away somewhere in your home? Neglecting God’s Word opens an invitation for serious evil to enter your life and for sinful idols to replace the almighty God in your desires.

Prayer:

“I remember, LORD, your ancient laws, and I find comfort in them. Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law” (Psalm 119:52-53). Amen.

How Do You Know You Are Blessed?

Love this. Not sure where I found it but it was in my archives andi wanted to share it.

God Bless.

How do you know you are blessed?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” Ephesians 1:3

How do you gauge whether or not you are blessed? Do you look at all of the possessions you’ve acquired and say to yourself, “I am blessed.” Or do you look at everything you lack and say,  “Why am I not blessed?”

Don’t use material possessions or the lack thereof as a gauge for whether or not God has blessed you. You are blessed because you know the Lord. The Bible says you have received all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. What are these spiritual blessings? According to Ephesians 1:3-12, you are chosen in Christ, adopted by Jesus unto God Himself, accepted in the beloved, redeemed through the blood of Jesus, forgiven of sin, you have been given access to an abundance of wisdom and understanding, you have been made to know the mystery of God’s will, and have received a rich inheritance in Christ.

You are blessed! Receive and treasure what you have been given spiritually and you will give God access to manifest Himself in your natural life. Solomon understood this principle and requested wisdom, which is a spiritual blessing. God was so pleased with his request that he made him both the wisest and the richest man on earth.

Prayer: Father, I receive every spiritual blessing You have given to me in Christ. Help me stay mindful to maintain this right perspective. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Psalms 89:2

Be blessed by this one!

Psalm 89:2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

However you look at our lifespan on this earth, it is infinitesimal when compared to “forever”.

My life cannot outlast God’s love, or somehow break away from His authority. His love for me will never fail, and my experience of His love will not end when I die.

In Christ we are promised eternal life. This is eternal life experiencing God’s love for us and adoring our God who is worthy and who is life itself. His grace and mercy confronts us and invites us into a loving, lasting relationship that will never end.

Verse courtesy of 'Psalm-A-Day' android app. http://www.idelata.com/apps/psalm-a-day/

Honey

I don't know about you, but all my life words have effected me and not always in my best interest.  I've lost year's because someone has spoken negative words to me.

In light of Robin Williams tragic death, it's time for the church of Christ to get it together and spread the honey around before it is too late. For we truly don't know what is going on with a person. Your honey just may be the very thing that saves a life.

God Bless

Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. (NLT) -Proverbs 16:24

Do you know someone in your life that could use honest and truly kind words? Words have the power to build someone up. You have the power to make a real difference. People carry the words they've heard spoken to them throughout their lives. These words can build them up positively or tear them down. One thing is true, your words carry power. Be generous with your honey.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://bit.ly/16uZrQ5

Honey

I don't know about you, but all my life words have effected me and not always in a positive way. I've lost year's because someone has spoken negative words to me.

In light of Robin Williams tragic death, you never know what truly is going on with a person.  May we, the church of Christ, get it together and spread as much honey as we can before its too late.

God Bless.

Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. (NLT) -Proverbs 16:24

Do you know someone in your life that could use honest and truly kind words? Words have the power to build someone up. You have the power to make a real difference. People carry the words they've heard spoken to them throughout their lives. These words can build them up positively or tear them down. One thing is true, your words carry power. Be generous with your honey.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://bit.ly/16uZrQ5

Run To Him

Because of the hurts I've received, I have been running away instead of running to the Master. This devotional helps set me on the right path.

We all need to run to Him and find our place in Him.

God Bless.

Run to Him

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:25

When it comes time to obey God, you can’t be concerned about what people think. You have to imagine Jesus’ arms are open wide in front of you and the only thing on your mind is getting to Him. Your obedience may cause you to appear like you’ve lost it, when actually you have lost it.

You have lost your life and gained His. You have lost your mind, and gained Christ’s mind. You have lost yourself and gained a new identity in Christ. This is a day and hour in which God is asking His people to “run to Me. I will give you the new strength you need. Let your eyes fix on Me and your feet will move. Don’t stop until you reach Me and live with Me for all eternity.”

Prayer: Yes Father God, I fix my eyes on You. Let nothing hinder me from reaching You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Kings Daughter Devotional

Love only

For me, I needed this little devotional. Having your heart ripped out by family members is one of the hardest to deal with. But whatever the heart break is....love is the only key.

God Bless.

"If you love only those who loves you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax payers do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?" (NLT) -Matthew 5:46-47

As God's people, we are representatives of the difference He has made in our lives. If we behave the way nonbelievers do, how does this glorify God? It’s often difficult and ironic to love those who have hurt you in some way, whether it’s a coworker or even your father or mother. However, it's amazing how much peace comes to you when you learn to replace resentment with love.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://bit.ly/16uZrQ5

Protection

Oh, how I need to rely on God as my protector in every area of my life and I can't believe that I am the only one.

It's totally different to believe in God but it's a whole new ballgame letting go and believing He has control in every area of my life.

This world is nuts and at any given time, life can slip away from you and things unexpected things arise and in short, at times life just plain sucks and you don't know where your going.

But if you put your hand into the Man who created it all, He will see you through all things.

God Bless.


O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don't let me be disgraced. (NLT) -Psalm 71:1

Do you need safety and stability in your life right now?

When you feel vulnerable to harm know there is a place to go and you will be rescued. Seek out assistance from your local church and they will reach out a helping hand. Ask God for His hands of protection to surround you. Read God's word for wisdom and guidance, such as the book of Proverbs.

Our Lord will provide strength and security. Look to God for protection.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://bit.ly/16uZrQ5