Do It For GOD!

Col 3:23 - 24

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.


Do all things for the glory of God. NO matter how small or how big it is, don't forget to work on it not just for your own sake but for God. What does this really mean?

Serving God is not limited on being part of the ministry, being a preacher, being an evangelist etc. Serving God is about dedicating everything that you do for Him. On our everyday lives, we individually have our own schedules and things to work on. Sometimes we view our work as something done for our own selves.

Christians should be good stewards. Whether we are an employee, a businessman, a professional, we are ought to do it with excellence as for God commanded us to work on things with all our hearts, right? There is no excuse. If we will simply learn to do things for the glory of God, I'm quite sure that we would be able to do things far more than the expected.

Let me give you an example, I have a new dog in our house. At first, we are just tying him anywhere. Somehow it stinks that's why my parents decided to build a cage for that new dog. My father did not buy a cage and so he grabbed some scrap metals and combined them to create a somehow decent doghouse. Since its for scrap, my father asked me to paint it. At first I thought it was a fun task to do but later on I realized that it's a little bit tiring because I'm not used to it.

Then a certain conviction tells me to pray. As I was praying, I was reminded of Colossians 3:23. Though I was tired, I sincerely prayed and thanked God about the dog, about those painting experience. I realized that even if its not human, still we need to be good stewards of everything God gave us.

Sometimes, we only become good stewards about big and valuable things. Again, being good stewards should not show selectiveness on things being take care of. The bible says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,".


By Edwin Joseph

Salvation the Simple Way

Romans 10:9-10
”If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”


Salvation by grace, not works

One of the first things a lifeguard has to do is help the victim calm down so he isn’t struggling against the efforts of the one who is trying to save him. Sometimes it take a blow to the head that either knocks the victim out or shocks him out of his panic so he can listen to the lifeguard’s instructions. If the victim struggles, or tries to help, it may endanger both his own life and the lifeguard’s. The best thing he can do is relax and let the expert in life-saving take over.

Jesus did everything needed to purchase our salvation. He paid the death penalty we deserve by dying in our place. It’s all done except our acceptance of the gift God has so graciously offered us.

You can receive Jesus into your heart right now. It’s so simple, you can hardly believe it. Just talk to God as if he were sitting right next to you. Tell him that you are sorry for breaking his standards of right actions and attitudes. Tell him that you believe Jesus is his Son and that he died for you. Ask him to forgive you and clean up your heart. If you’re sincere as you pray, you become a child of God forever the second you finish praying.

If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, try sharing Romans 10:8-10 with a friend who doesn’t yet know God. Before sharing, ask God to open your friend’s heart and mind to receive the wonderful gift of salvation. Show him/her right in the Scripture that all he/she has to do to have eternal life is believe and confess.


Today’s Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I thank you that you have made the plan of salvation so simple. I recognize that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I do believe that you are the Lord and that God did raise you from the dead. I choose you as my Savior. I love you, Jesus. Amen.



From: New Wine Skin - Written by Martha E Menne

No False Advertising

O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true.
-2 Samuel 7:28 (NRSV)

ON-LINE auctions are an excellent way for me to add to my collection of out-of-print books. I read the descriptions carefully and examine the pictures in detail, trying to make sure the item is exactly what it is represented to be. Then, if my bid wins, I wait for the mail to bring my long-awaited purchase. When it arrives, I eagerly tear into the package - sometimes to find that the item has been misrepresented.

Many of us are victims of false advertising, but our greater disappointments are with people who turn out to be different than we first thought. A friend may betray us; the one we marry may have flaws we never suspected; a business partner may take advantage of us. Can people be trusted? Unfortunately, not always.

But there is good news. There is One who never changes, who never disappoints us, and whom we can always trust. Jesus Christ is and always will be exactly what God's word declares him to be. Jesus always loves, always cares, and is always with us wherever we go - regardless of the circumstances we face and the pain life brings.


Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to trust you more. Amen.



From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Lewis J. Aiken

What Is Love?

God Is For Me

“You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle.”
Psalm 56:8 NKJV

God knows you. He engraved your name on his hands and keeps your tears in a bottle (Isa. 49:16; Ps. 56:8)…

God knows you. And he is near you! How far is the shepherd from the sheep (John 10:14)? The branch from the vine (John 15:5)? That’s how far God is from you. He is near. See how these four words look taped to your bathroom mirror: “God is for me” (Ps. 56:9 NKJV).

And his kingdom needs you. The poor need you; the lonely need you; the church needs you…the cause of God needs you. You are part of “the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone” (Eph. 1:11 MSG). The kingdom needs you to discover and deploy your unique skill. Use it to make much out of God. Get the word out. God is with us; we are not alone.



From: Max Lucado

Meekness and Courage

We often believe that perception is reality, but many times it is not.

The enemy is swift to tempt us to believe something about another person that may not be true. Remember, God created us for fellowship—first with Himself and then with others.

Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, the enemy knows that he can no longer capture our souls. We are saved by the grace of God.

However, he never backs away from a challenge and sets new goals to disrupt and, if possible, to destroy our fellowship with God and with those we love.

When conflict arises, it is extremely important for us to listen only to the voice of God. While there is benefit that can be gained from the counsel of godly friends, there is also a great danger of missing what God wants us to see and learn on our own.

Therefore, before you react to a situation, ask the Lord to make His truth apparent to your heart. Set a goal to be meek and forgiving. He has given us the Holy Spirit, who is committed to leading and guiding us at every turn in life.

Wrong perceptions have been the cause of many misunderstandings. This is one of the reasons we view meekness as a weakness. In actuality, a meek person is not weak or timid. In fact, biblical meekness or gentleness is synonymous with courage, confidence, and strength under control.

God wants us to enjoy meekness as a fruit of the Spirit. When we learn how to rest in Him and allow Him to work through us, His meekness will rise to the surface of our lives. The inner need to be noticed professionally or socially will fade, and we will find that the glory of the Lord is ours to enjoy.



From: CrossWalk Devotionals - Leading The Way

The Missionary’s Master and Teacher

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am . . . . I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master . . . — John 13:13, 16


To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and taught. Having a master and teacher means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them fully. It means having someone who has made me secure in the knowledge that he has met and solved all the doubts, uncertainties, and problems in my mind. To have a master and teacher is this and nothing less— ". . . for One is your Teacher, the Christ . . ." ( Matthew 23:8 ).

Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.

"You call Me Teacher and Lord . . ."— but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in His Word. The way we use the word obey is proof of this. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship between equals; for example, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not simply God’s servant— He was His Son. ". . . though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience. . ." (Hebrews 5:8 ). If we are consciously aware that we are being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master. If that is our attitude toward Jesus, we are far away from having the relationship He wants with us. He wants us in a relationship where He is so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness.


From: RBC - Utmost For His Highest

FORGIVEN…SET FREE…TRIUMPHANT…HOW GLORIOUS!

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

I was 10 years old when I realized I was a sinner, and my only hope of heaven was through the atonement of Christ. The Holy Spirit revealed to me my need, but also, the ONE who could meet that need … Jesus Christ. I was born into the family of God when I put my faith in Him as my personal Savior, dying on the Cross for my sin. “I sought the Lord … and He heard me … and delivered me from all my fears.”

At Wheaton College the Holy Spirit moved upon the students and faculty during our chapel service in mighty power. God convicted me of my self-centered carnal life. I stood up and asked His forgiveness for my sin, unfaithfulness, and selfish life. There was repentance, then deliverance, then glorious triumph! Such a “presence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit” I had never experienced before. My Life Was Changed Forever! “I sought the Lord … and He heard me … and delivered me from all my fears.”

I faced the “Hell of Battle” during W.W. II, when I was critically wounded by German artillery. Shrapnel almost blew off both of my forearms and my right leg, and a piece of shrapnel hit in the back of my neck, missing my spine by a quarter of an inch. But, HE WAS THERE! It was 11:30 at night when they pulled me from my muddy foxhole. I was laid across the hood of a Jeep, as shells continued to explode all around us. On the way to the first aid tent, God gave me “a song in the night”… and I started singing “Only Trust Him, He will save you, He will save you now.” I didn’t believe I would live to get there. I was going to sing my way right into the presence of the Lord. “I sought the Lord … and He heard me … and delivered me from all my fears.”
Evacuated to England, the ward Surgeon examined my right arm. Later he informed me they would have to amputate my right arm. BUT GOD had other plans. I prayed, if it was His will, that He would save my right arm. When I returned from surgery the next day … my right arm was back in traction. Through a series of numerous operations … plastic surgery, skin grafts, bone grafts, and other procedures, they rebuilt my arm from what was left. “I sought the Lord … and He heard me … and delivered me from all my fears.”

After two and a half years of hospitalization, I was discharged. But, I realized I had a psychological problem. In civilian life, I was embarrassed by my disfigured arms, and decided never to wear short sleeve shirts again. My birthday arrived, and guess what my wife gave me … two short sleeve shirts! I prayed, and told the Lord how distraught I was. He said, “Are you ashamed of what I did for you? Had it not been for Me, you wouldn’t even be alive, much less, still have your arms and leg.” Immediately, I asked forgiveness for being so self-conscious and self-centered.

My attitude changed, my perspective changed, my whole life changed! No longer embarrassed by disfigured and strange shaped arms … I raise them up today rejoicing … as “Trophies of His Grace!”

“I sought the Lord ... and He heard me … and delivered from all my fears.”

Forgiven … Set Free … Triumphant … How Glorious !



From: Literature International Ministry - Ed Powell