Archive | January 2014

The Best Friend Ever

Jan31

You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. — John 15:14-15

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. — Psalm 55:22

Jesus has called me friend. Wow!!! As my friend, He reveals all things that He has heard from the Father. What wisdom and insight is at my disposal simply because I am His friend. He is loving and caring and wants me to know all about Him and how to live an abundant life. He is a friend who wants the best for me and will do what is best for me. Can anyone find a friend who wants your best all the time? With a friend like that I desire to know Him more. I seek to know Him deeper. 

He listens and carries my burdens while giving me counsel to help in those burdens. He will not allow me to be shaken – His righteous one – another WoW! He considers me righteous because He is righteous and as my friend transposes His righteousness to me. Because of this I do what He commands, making me His friend.

Jesus is the best friend you could ever have. Seek Him through the Bible and by prayer (just talking to Him). Practice obeying His commands and you will never be shaken.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

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Seek and Find

Jan30

 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:13

Remember playing hide and seek as a kid? Someone would seek others after they went and hid. Well many people think that God is hidden. They don’t believe there is a God because He is not seen. Well this verse is the key to finding Him.

If you really seek to know the truth you will find it. If you are open-minded and not afraid to search for the truth you will find the truth. See that it also says, “with all your heart”. It shouldn’t be a half-hearted attempt. Many people have researched (sought) to find the truth and found the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Our Creator has instilled in us a desire to know Him. We can and have suppressed that thirst to seek Him and if not corrected we will end up missing out on the greatest relationship of our life – knowing “The Almighty God” personally.

So if you are not afraid of the truth try seeking and see if His promise to you, “seek Me and find Me” doesn’t come true.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Living Water

Jan29

 

. . . “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” — John 7:37-38

. . . They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, . . . — Jeremiah 2:13

Some of the sadest words in the Bible are “They have forsaken Me..”. When I think of our Creator who made us in His image looks upon us with love and we forsake Him, it hurts my heart. We ignore Him, put others and things before Him, disregard His word, and are not thankful for all He has given us. One of those things He has given is living water.

God gives every person an internal thirst for Him. We try to satisfy that thirst with other things – the list is endless – and the thirst is endless unless it is satisfied by the One who put the thirst there. Jesus is the fountain of living water and He freely gives to those who seek Him. The great thing is that the water is ever flowing. This water satisfies our thirst as we continuously seek the fountain. As we drink of it the flow of living water is so abundant that it overflows to everyone around us. The Living Water touches others through us as we seek Him.

Make a difference in your life and those around you by drinking the living water.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Love Your Neighbor

Jan28

The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” — Mark 12:31

The first Commandment is to love the Lord and the second is just as important. How radiant a love lives in us through Jesus Christ. This radiant love radiates through us to others, our neighbor. God’s love can’t be suppressed if we truly love Him and seek to obey Him. If you love Him you will love His creation – all those who are made in His image. (Genesis 1:17)

Now our challenge is to love His creation, all made in His image, since love does no wrong to a neighbor. (Romans 13:10) The challenge can be accomplished only through Jesus Christ and a solid relationship with Him. We need to seek Him every minute of everyday so that Jesus is the one at work in us. Remember, it is not in our nature to love or to be kind but it is very much the nature of Jesus.

Let Him have dominance in your life. Make Him LORD of your life.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Genesis 1:17 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Ambition

Jan27

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.                                                                                                                                                                                    — 2 Corinthians 5:9

Through previous devotions we’ve established that God living in us is the love we need to love Him, which is the first and foremost commandment. Those we love we usually desire to please.

Growing up I remember always wanting to please my parents because I love and respected them. I also wanted them to be proud of me. Being married I enjoy doing nice things for my husband because I love him. Because I love my children I often did nice things to please them. It is no different with God.

I desire to please God because I love Him and want Him to be pleased with me. It is not works that I am doing to get approval but to simply please Him. The love He has bestowed on me through my relationship with Jesus Christ and the precious gift of the Spirit, motivates me to please the Lord. That motivation has become my ambition.

The ambition to speak the word of God, to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and to glorify Him is my daily focus. When the focus on Jesus is practiced daily it soon infiltrates our whole being and pleasing Him becomes our ambition. I encourage you to seek the Lord daily and practice making your ambition to please our God.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Abundant Overflowing Love

Jan26

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. — Romans 5:5

This week the devotionals have been focused on loving God with ALL. . . I don’t know if anyone noticed the common denominator in the ability to love with all, but it is God Himself who enables us to love. I happened upon this verse and was blessed that God dropped this in my lap. It says it as I could not possibly have said it. “The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us”.

Poured out. This gave me the impression of an abundant, overflowing love. Two different translations I looked up said, “the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love. (The Voice) and “we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (The Message)

Oh the things God can accomplish through His people because of the great love He instills in us. We need to simply accept this love then give it right back to our Lord. Love is a wonderful motivator. Through God’s love and His marvelous word we can take His love and instruction and change the world. Without Him we are nothing, but with Him we are conquerors.

Seek Him by searching His word and communicating with Him in prayer continuously. Your life will never be the same. He has marvelous plans for you.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Love the Lord – Part 4

Jan24

 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,                                                                                                                                                                                     — Mark 12:30

The best way to love the Lord with all our mind is to have the mind of Christ, received via the Holy Spirit that lives within us. With the Holy Spirit’s help we can truly love Him with all we are. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

We can begin by asking the Lord to test our mind so we can be made new in the attitude of our minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Psalm 26:2; Ephesians 4:22-23) What better way to love our Lord.

We then need to set our mind on the things above like whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Our focus on these things places us in the proper attitude of worship to truly love the Lord as He deserves. (Colossians 3:2; Philippians 4:8)

So let me encourage you to set your mind on loving the Lord and be greatly blessed.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

Ephesians 4:23-24 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self,created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Love the Lord – Part 3

Jan23

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,  — Mark 12:30

How do we love our Lord with all our soul? We need help because we are not able to love God on our own. Ezekiel 18:4 says, “Behold, all souls are Mine;”. Our souls belong to God. Because He is our God and our souls are His, our natural desire is to thirst and pant for Him.

He gives us the desire to cling to Him, to earnestly seek Him. As we seek Him our soul grows to love Him more and more. Seeking Him through His word it helps us to know Him and the more we know Him the more we love Him. In this we can rejoice and praise Him!!!

So seek Him earnestly through the word of God, prayer, and praise.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

Psalm 63:1  O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalm 63:8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 119:75 Let my soul live that it may praise You, And let Your ordinances help me.

Love the Lord – Part 2

Jan22

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart — Mark 12:30

“with all your heart”

How? By a new heart given by God. (Ezekiel 36:26) My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart (Psalm 73:26). The Lord will circumcise your heart to love the Lord (Deuteronomy 30:6:). It is all about Him, isn’t it? God is love and He is the One who enables my heart to love Him. Mind boggling.

What can we do? Pray asking the Lord to create in me a clean heart, O God (Psalm 51:10) and search me, O God, and know my heart (Psalm 139:23). We need to set our heart to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 12:14). We need His word — please receive instruction from His mouth and establish His words in your heart (Job 22:22).

I do my best to follow Your commands. You are the One who gives me the desire (willing heart, understanding) (Psalm 119:32).

We need a relationship with Jesus Christ so we can love the Lord our God with all our heart.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ezekiel 36:26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Deuteronomy 30:6 Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

2 Chronicles 12:14  He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek theLord.

Job 22:22 Please receive instruction from His mouth And establish His words in your heart.

Psalm 119:32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart.

Love the Lord

Jan21

and you shall love the Lord your God — Mark 12:30

The commandment is to love the Lord, our God. How can we possibly love God who is love? (1 John 4:8) We could not even come close to measuring up to His love. We are incapable of loving God on our own. We need the help of the Master. With salvation comes the Spirit of God living in us. The love of God living in us enables us to love Him. We can love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) And if we love Him we will keep His commandments — to love the Lord, our God.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us.