Ok, so where’s this verse been all of my young life?

In my 40 plus years of Bible reading, I’ve NEVER read this Scripture before. I am just saying.  Is God just funny like that, or have I been blind all these years (ever seeing, but never perceiving)?

12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12

Guilty as charged for longer than I care to admit. I have wasted time, talent, brain cells, resources and decades of my life comparing and measuring myself to others and ALWAYS coming up short. Coveting their talents, gifts, clothes, businesses. For crying out loud, even jealously envying the ministries of other brothers and sisters in Christ. Never smart enough, talented enough, wise enough, quick enough, fun enough, popular enough,

just never enough

Blessed is she who believes what God has said is true.

What has He said to us? Read these next words slowly—Out Loud:

I am called, I am chosen,  I am gifted,  I am forgiven,  (oh, say that one again) I AM FORGIVEN!  I am loved, I am redeemed, I am restored, I am anointed,  I am adopted, I am released, I am protected, I am equipped, I am powerful in Christ, I am a warrior, and my enemies will be defeated before me. I am His beloved child.

That’s who you are. That’s who I am. God says it in His Word, so it’s the truth. Let’s stop listening to the lies of the enemy and trying to measure up against the world.

Nothing but the truth.

, and ONLY THEN will we become all we were created to be.

Knowing God’s truth is the key that opens the door to abundant life.

We must  keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.

But measuring ourselves against Jesus… isn’t that a tall order? Yes, and it reminds me of my sons. When they were young they constantly measured themselves against the grownups of our family. Charting their progress at each family event by measuring themselves.  The first benchmark was my itty-bitty five-foot-nothing mother. The kids were thrilled when they passed-up Grandma, but they weren’t willing to stop there. They locked eyes on their 6’2′ grandpa. He was a worthy measure! Same thing with Jesus. Why stop short by comparing ourselves to our friends, our fav sports persona or rock star? Let’s aim higher and lock eyes on the Most High.

We compare ourselves to Him, and take hope in the fact that if we are in His word and His word is in us, we are being transformed into the image of Christ. Day by day, piece by piece, chunk by chunk, blow by blow, from glory to glory until we look like, talk like, sound like, act like, love like, live like Jesus.  Amen.

That’s how we measure up. By the Book.

Amen.

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Three wise men.

Searching, studying, waiting, watching. A calling in their hearts had their eyes on the skies. Looking for a sign. Longing for a Savior.

There must be more to life than living for self. Purpose. Passion. Filling for the emptiness carved by sin and suffering and anguish and life. Something to truly treasure.

Finally, darkness split by light not to be missed. The heavens again declare the glory of God.

Star light. Star bright. Lead to the Savior through the dark of night.

A Child of Hope;

of promise always spoken

of love never broken.

In the straw. In the manger. In the dark. In the cold.

Not what was in their hands, but in the hearts.*

And three wise-men find their King. An epiphany of the heart.

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Matthew 2:7-12

By Mary Kane

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Copyright 2016

 

 

*Ed Stetzer

 Spend time with Jesus Today!

Today is a new kinda quirky Bible journal for busy people who want to jump-start their day with Scripture. Begin the day with a look verse and short assignment. Then, revisit your work in the evening to add notes, make changes and apply what you’ve learned. Only By Prayer recommends you focus on one journal entry a day.

Today is a good time to be with Jesus!

Click to open the Today Bible Journal pdf !

 

 

  Today Bible Journal Part 3

 

 

 

Today Bible Journal Part 1

 

Today  Bible Journal Part 2

 

 

By Mary Kane

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They were at the Feast.

12 men and 1 Savior. Bound together by bread and wine. A covenant. A last supper. The Last Passover that ever needed to be kept because finally, the Lamb of God was to be slain. It would be finished. And Judas sits satisfied with a bit of bread. It was Judas’ last supper too.

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

27 Then after he had taken the piece, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. John 13:21-30

Crumbs and scraps.

Judas  settles for a morsel from The Bread of Life, the Manna which comes down from heaven. Mincing and tasting the crumbs instead of consuming the Feast, eaten by faith in the One who saves us.

And Judas sells his soul to the lowest bidder.

Bits  and crumbs in place of a feast.

30 pieces of silver in exchange for streets of gold. He seals the unholy deal and Judas settles for bits and pieces. Judas could have had a kingdom.

What have I settled for?

What morsels have I chosen instead of the feast? My hungry soul tries to dine upon the crumbs of the world. But the world never satisfies and my soul-hunger turns into famine of the heart. My 30 pieces of silver rob me of the streets of gold. God’s hands remain full while my heart remains empty. Gifts given but not received.

Unopened. Unused. Unsatisfying bits and pieces.

Jesus came so we can have life and have it abundantly. But abundance requires sacrifice, receiving, waiting, enduring, abiding and praying.

This Thanksgiving season Jesus calls us to come, buy, eat and feast. Without money, without price. Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Leave your bits and pieces and come to the Feast.

How will  you feast on the goodness of God this Thanksgiving? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with you!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

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Copyright 2016

 

 

 

“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Daniel 2:21

In case you’ve been shipwrecked on a desert island for the past 8 months and didn’t know it, there’s an election coming up. What an election. In all my fifty some years, I cannot recall an election with more drama, animosity and twists and turns than this one. (Please, no more ranting on Facebook. Our country will not survive.) The media reports there has never been two less-popular candidates. Ever. It’s kind of like that game kids play, Would you rather get attacked by a lion or a grizzly bear? 

Neither.

Would you rather vote for Donald or Hilary?

Neither. IKR?

But we must.

Sorry. The #I’mjustnotgoingtovote attitude doesn’t help. It is our duty, right and privilege to vote. Remember, it’s not just the president who’s on the ballot. There other important issues and proposals at stake. Also, the next president will appoint the next two, possibly three, Supreme Court Justices to the bench and people mean policy.  NOTE: the decisions of the Supreme Court greatly affect the course of this nation.

All the drama aside, regardless of who wins, there are four reasons we can have hope about this election.

1. We see the real issues. People have had to stop and thoroughly examine their beliefs and worldview. What is truly important? What is a deal breaker for me? What does the Bible say about the issues at hand?
2. We see the real Savior. This election, more than any other, we clearly see the Democrats can’t save us. We clearly see the Republicans can’t save us. All we are left with is Jesus. Just Jesus. And this is a very good place to be.
3. We see opportunity. There is no clear-cut Christian candidate in 2016. Both candidates present serious moral and ethical challenges. Therefore, Christian influence is dispersed of being anchored to one party.
4. We see real promises. Political promises have been  made and broken. Government policies are initiated and forgotten. Laws are ratified and the overturned. Where can we place our trust? In the God who says He will never leave us or forsake us. In the God who promises to use all things for our good and His glory. In the God who states the government rests upon His shoulders and He is the one who establishes and deposes kings according to His will.

 

So what should we do?

Research. Checkout the following links to learn about the issues and the candidates:

Christian Voters Guide

Wall Builders

Pray. Cick on the link to signup for 5 Days to Fast and Pray for the Election

5 Days to Fast and Pray

Get involved. Vote.

Simply type in “Where do I vote?” as a Google search and you will see a search box to enter your address.

How do you feel about this election?

Please leave a comment below. I’d love to chat with you.God Bless America.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2016

Short & Sweet: Me, Myselfie, and I!

What is wrong with these vacation pictures? I asked myself as I was scrolling through the news feed on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.  These vacation pictures don’t seem like vacation pictures. They seem more like … more like selfies.

When I was growing up, we took vacation pictures like every other family—beautiful vistas of Lake Michigan beaches, rolling sand dunes and ancient forests. Sometimes, a few small, barely recognizable people were also captured in the photograph. Lovingly tucked in photo albums, the pictures have faded and yellowed with age and love. Vacation photos were all about where we went, what we did and who we were with. Not anymore.

We live in a selfie world.

Now a days it’s all about how I feel and how I look. Modern vacation pictures are often just another version of a selfie. No longer can we vicariously enjoy the beautiful scenery others capture on their vacations because landscape is just a backdrop for another selfie or a  groupie (is this a word?). Whether you vacay in The Alps, Disney, or CoCoa Beach doesn’t matter. The destination is unrecognizable.  Imagine the money families  could save. Forget the pricey getaway—just take selfies at your local beach or campground. Me, myselfie, and I.

Love your neighbor as yourself-ie.

How does all this selfie-ishness line up with God’s word? It doesn’t. God says the first shall be last. Galatians 5:13 reminds us to “serve one another humbly in love. “Romans 12:1 says,  “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Luke 6:38 states, “Give and it will be given to you.” 1 Peter 4:10 offers this selfie-less advice, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

You see it’s not all about selfie, its about serving. Selfie-ness leads to emptiness. It drains, compresses, and stagnates our heart, soul and mind. As we constantly tend to our every want, need and desire, we become so myopic that eventually we only see our selfies and miss the needs of others.

What can we do to combat selfie-ishness?

1. Plan Think of a current situation in your life. Purposely plan a way you will be unselfie-ish in this situation and serve others.
2. Sacrifice. Today, or whatever day you choose, let everybody else go first, choose the restaurant, set the temperature on the AC, pick the movie, dessert, or activity etc.in everything you do. Ouch.
3. Deny. Give up a favorite food, drink, activity, or dessert etc. for a specified amount of time. Double ouch.
4. Ask. Ask God to change your heart; to give you a heart like His. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart to your own selfie-ishness and the need of others.
5. Hide. Hide God’s word in your heart. Memorize verses such as the ones posted above and pray them into your life.

Leave me a comment and let me know how you do with your resolutions to lose your selfie-ishness. I will be struggling right along with you.

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Copy right 2016