Tag Archive | seek

What?! Others first?

Mar24

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his  edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” — Romans 15:1-3

What?! Life is not about just pleasing myself? I’m supposed to live my life to edify my neighbor for his/her good? I’m supposed to do as Christ did? There’s my answer if I am a true disciple/follower of Christ.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Stumbling Block

Mar23

It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. — Romans 14:21

Are you willing to do without for the good of another? Is their godly walk important to you? Does another’s spiritual wellbeing take priority over your physical wellbeing?

Your life affects others if you are an ambassador for Christ Jesus.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Amazing God

Mar22

You are amazing God and the closer I draw to You the more amazing You become. You are everything I am not, everything I need and everything I long to be. My hope is that You will continue to be my amazement as I strive each day to walk with You.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. — James 4:8

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Face The Music

Mar21

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. — Romans 14:10-12

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that   each one may be recompensed for  his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. — 2 Corinthians 5:10

But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. — Matthew 12:36

For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.           — Matthew 16:27

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.                 — Revelation 20:12

Convicting words. When every person who ever lived stands before God at judgement we will all be humbled. There will be no “I am better than, richer than, more successful than, etc.”

And the righteous will be right there with the unrighteous. Are you ready to account for the life you are living? Are you living for Christ or content in believing that “believing in Christ” is enough and you can live life your way?

Everyone will be held accountable. Are you ready to face the music?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

We Are The Lord’s

Mar20

One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. — Romans 14:5-9

We, children of God, are all different. We are all unique creations of God who belong to Him. That is what unites us, sets us apart from any other gathering of people. Let us be thankful for Christ Himself because it really is ALL about Him. Whether we live or die it is all about Jesus and His saving grace, His unifying love, His purpose. Embrace your fellow Christian’s and your uniqueness, giving thanks to our Lord God for His amazing grace.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Accept as Accepted

Mar19

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables  only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. — Romans 14:1-4

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? — James 4:12

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. — James 5:9 

Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. — Romans 15:7

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Are You Blessed?

Mar18

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. — Psalm 1:1-3

Ancient Paths

Mar17

Thus says the Lord,
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ — Jeremiah 6:16

There must be an explorer side of me because I have always enjoyed, when I had a few extra minutes to waste, taking new roads I’ve never gone down. I am talking about literal roads here. In doing so I’ve found different routes to get home or to a certain part of town, and found places I would not have found, like a park or golf course, etc., if I had not taken that road.

Well, that is all good when you’re in a vehicle but another story when on foot. I love to walk, enjoying God’s creation and I have had some wonderful talks with my Savior, Jesus Christ, on these walks. Yesterday my walking self met with my exploring self.

For the past eight months, minus the dead of winter months, I have walked the same path several times a week. It is a good four mile walk with hills and flat land and some beautiful scenery. Yesterday, being absolutely beautiful and with an expectant 85 degree high, I thought it to be a good day to walk. Now know that I hadn’t done four miles in about 3-4 months.

So, as I am walking the — let’s call them the ancient paths — of familiarity I get to a crossroad. I’ve been there before. We all have experienced crossroads in our lives. Those times when a decision has to be made that will affect your whole life. My decision was to take the road that I had often wondered where it went. That choice affected the next hour and forty-five minutes of my life. When I finally realized where I was, I was still two miles from home (give or take a few inches. At this point every inch was a challenge).

Did I say that the decision to take that path, the one that veered from the ancient path, affected the next hour and forty-five minutes of my life? Well that’s not actually the whole truth. I was exhausted. Today I’m a little sore. Decisions in our life affect more than just the moment we make them.

Want to make the right decisions? Stand by, watch, examine that way. See, search, ask of the Lord and godly people for wisdom to know what path to take. The ancient paths are good. Find them in Jesus, the Word, our Bibles. If you walk in the knowledge of the Lord, seeking His wisdom and walk in Him you will find rest for your soul.

The choice is yours. Will you choose to walk the ancient path with Jesus or say, “We will not walk in it“?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Thank you, Jesus, for the experience and your Word that brings You to life. And thank you Jana for encouraging me to write a devotion on the subject of my exploration.

Got The Time?

Mar16

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to  awaken from sleep; for now  salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. — Romans 13:11

“Do this” refers back to Romans 13:8-10 (yesterday’s devotion) to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus loved us so much He gave His life up on a cross so we could have salvation from sin and He rose so we could have eternal life. Hallelujah!!!! And to think that each passing moment we are closer to that reality then we have ever been when we shall see Jesus in all His glory!!!

Knowing that the time is coming how can we love one another more than to share the gospel message? It is time for the Christian to wake up:
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42)
Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:34)

If you say you are a “Christian” you represent Jesus in all you say and do. Are you willing to share Him so that others may know the hope found in Him? People need Jesus!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Love One Another . . . . . .

Mar15

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. — Romans 13:8-10

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want  them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. — Matthew 7:12

The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” — Matthew 22:39

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. — John 13:34

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Galatians 5:14

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. — James 2:8

Hidden message? Seems pretty clear to me and I know the message has been repeated over and over again. Could it be we need to be reminded?

How “well are you doing”?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon