Keep Away

 “Keep Away”

1 John 5:21 NLT

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

When we were all kids, we probably remember seeing signs different places and being told certain things were off-limits.  It probably drove most of us nuts and just made us want to go to those places and behind the closed doors even more!  I know it did for me.  Any sign reading “Keep Out” or “Keep Away” or having someone tell us that we can’t go somewhere or get into something just made us want to get into even more.  We are curious, right???

Children are often told to “keep away” or “keep out” because it is for their own good.  As adults, we are responsible for teaching them because they need to learn and we can’t just let them go wherever and do whatever.  They want to, but adult supervision is to help teach them right and wrong.  If kids went anywhere and did whatever, they would get hurt and terrible things could happen.

Even as adults, we often have many areas of life that God tells us to “keep out” or “keep away”.  There are many directions we could go in life and some of those will no doubt do nothing but hurt our relationship with Him and with others.  God is serious about wanting us to stay away from the things that will do no good at all for our lives.  However, no matter how much He tries to steer us away from bad things, we just continue to be curious and we follow temptation right back into those directions. 

God’s heart breaks when we allow anything from the world to take precedence in our hearts over Him.  We often end up forcing Him out when we think something better comes along.  It’s not that we purposely want to hurt our relationship with Him, but we get just get so consumed with what we want that we throw Him off the throne of our heart. 

So, there is a very good reason why God tell us, as His children, to stay away from things that will corrupt our lives.  God should always be the center of our lives and bad things should be kept out.  It’s a daily struggle.  Just as we teach our kids and other young people to stay away from bad things, God teaches us as His children and so often we don’t listen.  We want to go where we shouldn’t go and touch what we shouldn’t touch.  Often we have to learn the hard way. 

When God says to Keep Away or Keep Out, He means it and it’s definitely for our own good.  When we obey, we discover an even more fruitful and satisfying life!

Thankful For His Service

“Thankful For His Service”

Matthew 27:50 NIV

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

We have all had encounters with people we meet who have served in the armed forces.  Whatever branch of service, I often find others and myself immediately saying, “Thank you for your service” when approaching these people.  Why?  Because there’s a certain respect we want to pay these people for all that they have committed to doing in their lives for their country.  It often brings tears to my eyes when I watch and listen to people react this way.  It’s a great reminder to them and to myself of the amazing service they have given for freedom in this country.

If you are reading this today and you are in the service or have served in the past, I want to say thank you for your dedication to this country.  I appreciate you making that commitment to being of service and contributing to the freedom we so often take for granted.  Thank you!

As I think about being thankful for the service these people have given, my thoughts also turn toward the greatest act of service anyone has ever known.  Jesus Christ gave the ultimate price of anyone in the world.  And, what’s sad is that we often take that for granted.  He went to the Cross and gave up His life for you and I so that we could have eternal life.  It’s definitely something we all take for granted way too much.  It becomes commonplace and so often, just like those who have served in the forces, we take for granted and don’t think twice about it. 

Just as our freedom in this country came at a great price, so our life in Christ came with the ultimate price. So many have given their lives to serve this country.  Jesus Christ served and gave up His life to give us life. 

Are we truly thankful for the service Jesus gave?  He gave it all.  We should be thankful every day for the great sacrifice Jesus gave so that we could have eternal life through Him.  We need reminded each day of that great gift He gave. 

Be thankful for His ultimate service.

Never Meant To Be Alone

“Never Meant To Be Alone”

Genesis 2:18 NLT

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

This past month at church, the sermons have been about building community together.  What I found to be fascinating and had never really considered is how our pastor connected this passage to community.  Adam was alone, but God made a helper suitable and just right for him.  God didn’t want Adam to be alone, so He made Eve.  It wasn’t good for Adam to just be solo.  He was meant for community.  When our pastor shared this, it really made sense. 

I get that some people are not people-oriented and they would rather fly solo in anything they do.  For whatever reason, some people just don’t vibe very well with others and prefer to be alone all they can be.  However, this is not healthy and God has created us to be in community with each other.  It is so important for us all to be around others and build relationships so that we can encourage and build one another up.

Sometimes, it’s just easier to get into our own world and forget that other people need us.  Others need our encouragement and our presence.  Sometimes, you don’t even need to say anything to be in community with others.  Sometimes, your very presence speaks volumes just because you took the time out of your day and showed up.  That means a lot to so many people! 

I remember when I was a pastor and I went on some visits to various places.  Some situations were easier than others.  I remember some times when I didn’t have the words to share or know what to say.  However, God often reminded me that I just needed to be present.  Sometimes, I would actually hear someone say, “Thank you for coming.  Just you being here meant the world to us!”  I was like, “I didn’t do or say anything”.  But it wasn’t anything I did or said.  It was just the fact that I made a presence. 

Friends, we were all made for community.  We need to be there for one another and lift each other up as God leads us to do.  It is so important that we strive to build community with other people, even those we don’t necessarily jive with.  Just be there for others and show them you care.  God wants us to be in community with each other and share His love in whatever ways we possibly can. 

We were never meant to be alone.  Since the very beginning, God made it a point to create community.  I just pray that this devotional reminds you and encourages you that being in community with other people is vital to us living a healthy life.  We need others and God created us to be with others.  People need us and we need people.  Be thankful for the people God has brought into your life as you experience community. 

He Is Always There

“He Is Always There”

Psalm 16:8 NLT

I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

There are a lot of things and situations in this life that don’t make sense to us.  There are times when we find ourselves shaking our heads and say, “I just don’t get this!”  We all have found ourselves experiencing moments where we just don’t know what to think or what to say.  We have found ourselves, especially in the past couple of years often times, just doing what we can to keep ourselves going and maintaining the best attitude we can. 

We have all experienced way more in the past couple of years than we ever thought we would.  We try so hard to do what we can to protect our families, stay healthy and encourage each other to keep pressing on.  There are some days when we just don’t know what to do about things going on in life and there are some days when we feel like we are on cloud 9. 

We all have good moments, not so great moments and really bad moments.  This is just part of life that we cannot escape.  We do our best to make the most of any moments as we learn how to handle the different scenarios life has thrown us.  I have found myself so many days thinking “Lord, why can’t all this sickness just end?  I just want covid to be gone for good.” 

With all the ups and downs we have in life, we need to be reminded that God is always with us, through the ups and downs.  Some days, we may not feel like He is close or even doing anything in our lives.  However, we must keep the faith and not be shaken, trusting and remembering all He has done in our past and all He continues to do today.  We must hold on to the faith knowing He promises to never leave our side. 

I think of all the families who are going through really rough times and I just pray God will give them strength to hang on. 

I think of all the people I see day in and day out and I just want to be an encouragement to each of them in some way. 

Lord, thank You for always being there for us no matter what obstacles life throws at us.  Thank You for the promises You give to us each day and I pray that we won’t take those for granted.  You continue to do so many things each day right in front of us and I pray that we won’t become blinded to those.  Help us to remember to stay faithful even when we want to give up so often.  Help us to continue to carry on and keep the faith knowing You are always faithful.  Help us stay strong through the days that are so challenging so often.  Thank You for Jesus Who gives us real life. 

Nothing Compares To His Glorious Riches

 “Nothing Compares To His Glorious Riches”

Philippians 4:19 NLT

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Several days ago I posted this passage on social media and I got a very intriguing comment from a family member which read, “Have you ever stopped and pondered what those riches really are?  It is mind boggling.”  I was so appreciative not only for this comment, but for the reminder it gave me of how very blessed we are from what God gives to us. 

If we are brutally honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that we really do long for the riches of this world in one way or another.  We all fall victim to jealousy and coveting something someone else has.  I have fallen victim to this all through my years of living and continue to struggle.  I think we would all have to admit that we have struggled throughout our lives with this fact.  It is so easy to get stuck in the mindset of achieving earthly riches.

I do want to make it very clear that it is not wrong to have earthly things, but when we focus on them way more than God Himself Who is the giver of all good things, then we have problems.  It is so easy to focus on the riches of this world instead of the glorious riches God has for us. 

Think about what Paul is saying here.  Do we really understand and grasp what we have in Jesus?  I know we talk about this a lot in church and share the various passages of what He has given to us, but do we take time to ponder what those riches really are?  Just as my family member said, it is truly mind boggling.  His glorious riches are NOTHING compared to what the world gives us.  However, it is so easy for us to get caught up in the moments when something new comes out that we want.  It’s easy to think that the next big thing is what we need to be happy and satisfied in life.

I know that I need to take more time to really ponder what His glorious riches are and how blessed I have been throughout my years of walking with Christ.  His riches are nothing compared to what the world offers.  They are never as satisfying or rewarding.  As much as I find myself longing for the riches of this world so often, I am also reminded so often that the fulfillment is temporary and will never satisfy as what He gives me.  He never fails to remind me of this in some way.

The world’s riches cannot and will not ever compare to the glorious riches in Jesus!

Giving It All

“Giving It All”

Romans 12:1 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.

We often have the tendency to give the very minimum effort in different areas of our lives.  There are areas we find ourselves giving the just the bare minimum so that we can just get it over with and get on with what we really want to do.  Some of us have done this in school with assignments, projects and tests.  Perhaps we struggled through these and we just did what we had to do in order to get a passing grade. 

Maybe we have done this in past jobs we’ve had.  We go to work and just do what it takes to get a paycheck.  Sometimes we don’t feel like going above and beyond to really make a difference in the work we have done. 

In the situations in which we have just done enough to get by and move on, we should stop and think about what life could have been like and what the results could have been if we had put in more effort and gone above and beyond.

We could all find different times and situations in which we’ve just done enough to get by for various reasons.  Sometimes we just don’t feel like giving more or giving our all because we’re focused on something else we really want to do.  We have all been there and done that in some way or ways.  We’re all guilty of it!

I cringe at the fact that so many of us have done this and are often still doing it in our relationship with God.  We don’t want to give our all because it can become inconvenient.  I definitely struggle with this often!  We don’t want to put the work in anymore than we have to.  We want to be held back from other things we’d rather do in life.  However, giving it all is exactly what God calls us to do. 

Paul is very blunt in saying that we should be giving it all every day with everything we have.  This is really the way to worship, when we’re truly giving life our all!  When we surrender it all and allow God control over everything and not holding anything back.  It’s real and it can get very messy.  However, it is all worth it because of how God can and will use us in the Kingdom to do amazing things.

Are we really giving it all?

Way More Than We Ever Deserve

“Way More Than We Ever Deserve”

Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.  It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!

As we closed out 2021 and begin 2022, I need this passage and reminder that I have way much more in my life that I will ever deserve.  For so many of us, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that since we’ve worked so hard, we deserve “this” or “that”.  We often feel like people owe us something more if we work harder and harder.  We feel like we should have more because working harder means we should get more, right??

I find myself getting caught up in this mindset a lot when I try to accomplish things in my life and get better with something or several things.  Somehow, I convince myself that I deserve more than I have and should have more.  It’s a bad mindset, especially if I’m try to become more Godly and set a good example for my family, co-workers and friends. 

I know that I daily need to be reminded that I really do not deserve anything I have.  God has blessed me way beyond anything I should have and has lavished so much grace, mercy and forgiveness upon me.  When I get in the mindset that I’m entitled to certain things, I need His humble reminder of what He has done for me and how so little I deserve any of it.  This should bring me to my knees daily in complete surrender being so thankful that I have what He has given to me.

We will NEVER fully comprehend what all He has done by going to the Cross to die for our sins.  It is just beyond what we can ever understand.  As we embark on this New Year, let us daily be reminded Who we serve and what all He has done and all He continues to do for us. 

We should daily be brought to our knees in humility and surrender with a grateful heart for all that we have.  Perhaps we need to make a list of all the blessings we have in our lives so that we can focus more on what He has done and continues to give.  We all often need these visual reminders of what we do have and not focus on what we don’t have. 

I want to encourage all of us to remember God’s amazing grace, mercy and forgiveness every single day and to give Him sincere thanks to keep us humble as we live in this self-centered world. 

Happy New Year to everyone and be thankful daily for His abundant blessings!