September 1, 2010
“Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.” 1 John 2:10
Read this verse over and over. What is the Spirit whispering to you?
Who is your brother?
This word is used like neighbor is used. Some try to limit it only to fellow believers, but I believe that Jesus wants us to love everyone. If you do everything out of love how can you stumble? I try to follow this verse but my sin is always there waiting to come out. I can't always hold back my frustrations or hide my anger. As long as those thoughts lie under the surface I am not full of love. What a wretched sinner that I am. My biggest sin is trying to love on my own. I fall in the trap of trying to do things without Jesus. Only Jesus can love in this capacity and only His believers who have surrendered their will to His can in turn love.
Today I would like for you to meditate on what love looks like. Ask yourself how can I let Jesus' love shine through me? Jesus loves all of you and by Him I do too. I pray that you will be blessed today and learn to love like Jesus.
Who is your brother?
This word is used like neighbor is used. Some try to limit it only to fellow believers, but I believe that Jesus wants us to love everyone. If you do everything out of love how can you stumble? I try to follow this verse but my sin is always there waiting to come out. I can't always hold back my frustrations or hide my anger. As long as those thoughts lie under the surface I am not full of love. What a wretched sinner that I am. My biggest sin is trying to love on my own. I fall in the trap of trying to do things without Jesus. Only Jesus can love in this capacity and only His believers who have surrendered their will to His can in turn love.
Today I would like for you to meditate on what love looks like. Ask yourself how can I let Jesus' love shine through me? Jesus loves all of you and by Him I do too. I pray that you will be blessed today and learn to love like Jesus.
September 2, 2010
“…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Philippians 4:11 ESV
Read this verse over and over. What is the Spirit whispering to you?
I get frustrated with myself because there is always something else that I want. My kids are even worse. What is it that keeps us from being content like Paul?
There can be a lot of things but the main culprit is greed. Some discontent is good such as wanting to improve your abilities or knowledge; wanting to become a better person or strengthen your faith; wanting to get closer to God is a good thing if we do it prayerfully. I think we all understand how wanting more things is bad but what about wanting to be like someone else?
When we try to be someone else we are, in as sense, saying to God that You made a mistake. We are telling God that the way He made us was bad. God doesn't make mistakes. We are sinful and wanting to be better isn't a bad thing but wanting to be someone that we aren't is. God made you with a purpose. You are special no matter what others tell you. God loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for your sins so that you can live eternity with Him. Strive to be a better Christian and strive to be a better disciple but don't strive to be someone else. Be content with who God made you to be.
I get frustrated with myself because there is always something else that I want. My kids are even worse. What is it that keeps us from being content like Paul?
There can be a lot of things but the main culprit is greed. Some discontent is good such as wanting to improve your abilities or knowledge; wanting to become a better person or strengthen your faith; wanting to get closer to God is a good thing if we do it prayerfully. I think we all understand how wanting more things is bad but what about wanting to be like someone else?
When we try to be someone else we are, in as sense, saying to God that You made a mistake. We are telling God that the way He made us was bad. God doesn't make mistakes. We are sinful and wanting to be better isn't a bad thing but wanting to be someone that we aren't is. God made you with a purpose. You are special no matter what others tell you. God loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for your sins so that you can live eternity with Him. Strive to be a better Christian and strive to be a better disciple but don't strive to be someone else. Be content with who God made you to be.
September 3, 2010
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
Read this verse over and over. What is Jesus whispering to you?
Yesterday I was faced with my biggest sin, gluttony. I love food; I love to eat food, smell food, and taste food. I hoard food right here on my belly. Food makes me feel good. I find enjoyment in food. This is greed. I look for fulfillment in the food that I eat. I don't eat because I'm hungry I eat because I'm happy, sad, depressed, full of joy, bored, stressed out, tired, awake, you name it I find a reason to eat. That is why I'm fifty to sixty pounds overweight. I went to a doctor yesterday and God used him to tell me what I knew but didn't want to hear: 'You need to lose weight. If you do you will have a healthy life, if you don't you will have health problems.' I have a lipid disorder giving me extremely high triglycerides. This disorder is affected by my weight. If I lose weight I could stop taking some of the meds that I'm on. Also my risk of a heart attack at 50 to 60 years of age goes down. He used the die young wording. Dying young is not a deterrent for me. I'm not afraid of dying; dying is not a punishment to me. I can't wait for my reward of living in heaven with Jesus. With that said, I still need to take care of my body. Our body is a temple. Our health is a part of good stewardship. When I don't take care of myself I am not being a good steward of what God has blessed me with.
As I am writing this meditation I'm being tempted right now. The devil has given the food in my house the ability to call out to me. They call like a prostitute on the corner: 'come to me, I will give you comfort, pleasure awaits you in my arms.' The problem is unlike other things I can't avoid food all together. We must eat, so my temptation shall follow me all my life. I can't resist it, but if I surrender to God, God will give me strength to resist. And so I must surrender yet another part of me to God.
Greed is a sin that tears many of us away from God. In greed there is power, there is comfort, there is control, but, the thing is with greed we don't get power or receive comfort, or gain control, instead it is the devil that gains power and control over us and what comfort we receive is momentary followed by emptiness and a yearning for more. Jesus has broken the chains that bind us to sin. Greed no longer has to control us. When we surrender to God those chains no longer bind. Let us pray: Father God, I can't do this on my own. Take control, I no longer want it. I surrender my desires, my cravings, my will to You. Give me strength to resist the temptations. In Christ's Name I pray, Amen.
Yesterday I was faced with my biggest sin, gluttony. I love food; I love to eat food, smell food, and taste food. I hoard food right here on my belly. Food makes me feel good. I find enjoyment in food. This is greed. I look for fulfillment in the food that I eat. I don't eat because I'm hungry I eat because I'm happy, sad, depressed, full of joy, bored, stressed out, tired, awake, you name it I find a reason to eat. That is why I'm fifty to sixty pounds overweight. I went to a doctor yesterday and God used him to tell me what I knew but didn't want to hear: 'You need to lose weight. If you do you will have a healthy life, if you don't you will have health problems.' I have a lipid disorder giving me extremely high triglycerides. This disorder is affected by my weight. If I lose weight I could stop taking some of the meds that I'm on. Also my risk of a heart attack at 50 to 60 years of age goes down. He used the die young wording. Dying young is not a deterrent for me. I'm not afraid of dying; dying is not a punishment to me. I can't wait for my reward of living in heaven with Jesus. With that said, I still need to take care of my body. Our body is a temple. Our health is a part of good stewardship. When I don't take care of myself I am not being a good steward of what God has blessed me with.
As I am writing this meditation I'm being tempted right now. The devil has given the food in my house the ability to call out to me. They call like a prostitute on the corner: 'come to me, I will give you comfort, pleasure awaits you in my arms.' The problem is unlike other things I can't avoid food all together. We must eat, so my temptation shall follow me all my life. I can't resist it, but if I surrender to God, God will give me strength to resist. And so I must surrender yet another part of me to God.
Greed is a sin that tears many of us away from God. In greed there is power, there is comfort, there is control, but, the thing is with greed we don't get power or receive comfort, or gain control, instead it is the devil that gains power and control over us and what comfort we receive is momentary followed by emptiness and a yearning for more. Jesus has broken the chains that bind us to sin. Greed no longer has to control us. When we surrender to God those chains no longer bind. Let us pray: Father God, I can't do this on my own. Take control, I no longer want it. I surrender my desires, my cravings, my will to You. Give me strength to resist the temptations. In Christ's Name I pray, Amen.
September 4, 2010
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24
Read this verse over and over. What is the Spirit whispering to you?
This is the day the Lord has made!!! Every day is the day the Lord has made. What shall we do?
Rejoice of course, but let's admit that not every day is a day that we feel like rejoicing. So why is this verse important today? Today is the one year anniversary of goddirection.com. We've made it a year. I haven't completely screwed it up yet. I rejoice because of what God has done. This is not the only reason for this verse today. Let's use this weekend as a time to meditate on your past year. Find time this weekend and think back to your year. Let's ask ourselves: What have been the high points? What were the low points? Where was God in both of these? Can you now rejoice in both the highs and the lows? What were the blessings of the year?
Let us rejoice and be glad in our year and let us start each day with rejoicing in the day that the Lord has made! As we grow in our faith we will be able to rejoice at the end of the day too even on the bad days. Let us pray: Father God, please continue to use this site for many years and bless all who use and view it, in Christ's Name we pray, Amen.
This is the day the Lord has made!!! Every day is the day the Lord has made. What shall we do?
Rejoice of course, but let's admit that not every day is a day that we feel like rejoicing. So why is this verse important today? Today is the one year anniversary of goddirection.com. We've made it a year. I haven't completely screwed it up yet. I rejoice because of what God has done. This is not the only reason for this verse today. Let's use this weekend as a time to meditate on your past year. Find time this weekend and think back to your year. Let's ask ourselves: What have been the high points? What were the low points? Where was God in both of these? Can you now rejoice in both the highs and the lows? What were the blessings of the year?
Let us rejoice and be glad in our year and let us start each day with rejoicing in the day that the Lord has made! As we grow in our faith we will be able to rejoice at the end of the day too even on the bad days. Let us pray: Father God, please continue to use this site for many years and bless all who use and view it, in Christ's Name we pray, Amen.
September 6, 2010
“And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!” Psalms 90:17 MSG
Read this verse over and over. What is God whispering to you?
This Labor Day is a good time to thank God for our job. It is also a good time to ask for His blessing on our work. If you are without a job you can use this time to pray for work. This is also a time to meditate on our work. Are you serving God in your work?
This doesn't mean that we all have to be preachers or teachers or full time missionaries. I'm talking about are you working for the glory of God? Are you praising, thanking, witnessing in your work? Are you working as if you are working for God?
It doesn't matter what our job is we should be doing it as if it is for the Lord. If you're a truck driver, you are delivering for Jesus. If you're a manger, you are managing for Jesus. Do your work with joy and always treat the people you work with like you would Jesus. As a Christian we are witnessing all the time. People see us and judge other Christians according to how we act. Help others at every opportunity. Be a person that when people look at you they see Jesus. This doesn't mean you have to be perfect, it means that when you mess up you humbly ask others and God for forgiveness. May God bless you and bless the work that you do.
This Labor Day is a good time to thank God for our job. It is also a good time to ask for His blessing on our work. If you are without a job you can use this time to pray for work. This is also a time to meditate on our work. Are you serving God in your work?
This doesn't mean that we all have to be preachers or teachers or full time missionaries. I'm talking about are you working for the glory of God? Are you praising, thanking, witnessing in your work? Are you working as if you are working for God?
It doesn't matter what our job is we should be doing it as if it is for the Lord. If you're a truck driver, you are delivering for Jesus. If you're a manger, you are managing for Jesus. Do your work with joy and always treat the people you work with like you would Jesus. As a Christian we are witnessing all the time. People see us and judge other Christians according to how we act. Help others at every opportunity. Be a person that when people look at you they see Jesus. This doesn't mean you have to be perfect, it means that when you mess up you humbly ask others and God for forgiveness. May God bless you and bless the work that you do.
September 7, 2010
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27
Read this verse over and over. What is Jesus whispering to you?
Why is it whenever God reveals Himself everyone trembles in fear and He or His angels must say "do not fear" or "do not be afraid?"
When God reveals Himself we are met with two things, His holiness and/or something unexpected. Usually we experience both but sometimes we only experience the unexpected and don't realize it is God. Let me explain:
When we are faced with the unexpected we are fearful, for example in this case Jesus comes in the middle of the night walking on water. The disciples are afraid because they had never seen anything like it so they jump to conclusions that it must be a ghost. When we are faced with the unexpected we too jump to conclusions and become fearful. When we lose a loved one we fear life without them, when we or a family member is diagnosed with a fatal disease we are fearful of death and suffering, when we lose our job we are fearful of the future, and the list goes on. But in all of those situations if we quiet ourselves and listen you will hear “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
God reveals himself in the unexpected. We picture Him in ways that we understand but God is beyond our understanding. We don't expect to see Him in situations that we feel are bad things. But when we open our spiritual eyes and see Him then we are faced with a different fear. When we see His holiness we are faced with our sin. We know at that moment what we deserve. This kind of fear is the healthy kind. When we realize what we deserve we humble ourselves and we are ready to ask for help, ask for mercy and grace. At that moment we are ready to truly repent (change ourselves).
Today I ask that you meditate on your past struggles and ask Was God in that struggle? How? Is God in my present struggle? Will God be in my future struggle? Listen to that ever so quiet and gentle whisper “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Why is it whenever God reveals Himself everyone trembles in fear and He or His angels must say "do not fear" or "do not be afraid?"
When God reveals Himself we are met with two things, His holiness and/or something unexpected. Usually we experience both but sometimes we only experience the unexpected and don't realize it is God. Let me explain:
When we are faced with the unexpected we are fearful, for example in this case Jesus comes in the middle of the night walking on water. The disciples are afraid because they had never seen anything like it so they jump to conclusions that it must be a ghost. When we are faced with the unexpected we too jump to conclusions and become fearful. When we lose a loved one we fear life without them, when we or a family member is diagnosed with a fatal disease we are fearful of death and suffering, when we lose our job we are fearful of the future, and the list goes on. But in all of those situations if we quiet ourselves and listen you will hear “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
God reveals himself in the unexpected. We picture Him in ways that we understand but God is beyond our understanding. We don't expect to see Him in situations that we feel are bad things. But when we open our spiritual eyes and see Him then we are faced with a different fear. When we see His holiness we are faced with our sin. We know at that moment what we deserve. This kind of fear is the healthy kind. When we realize what we deserve we humble ourselves and we are ready to ask for help, ask for mercy and grace. At that moment we are ready to truly repent (change ourselves).
Today I ask that you meditate on your past struggles and ask Was God in that struggle? How? Is God in my present struggle? Will God be in my future struggle? Listen to that ever so quiet and gentle whisper “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
September 8, 2010
“God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.” 2 Timothy 1:7 MSG
Read this verse over and over. What is the Spirit whispering to you?
God has given you gifts. Those gifts are abilities that you have but they are also the people you know and love as well as possessions that you have. God gave you these gifts for a purpose so we should use them boldly. Some gifts are easy to see how to use them for God's purpose such as preaching, teaching, and prophesying. When we know of our gifts and we know how to use it for God we must also be sensible with it. We shouldn't shove it down people's throats. What I mean is we should be bold but we should always use our gifts with love. We must also be sensible. We need to pray, study, and meditate on God's word and His presence in our life to determine what our ministry is. Yes I said ministry. We all have a God given ministry. Your ministry doesn't need to be to a congregation; it may be changing diapers at home, at a day care, or nursing home. It may be cleaning toilets at work, or waiting on tables, it may be listening to the struggles of a coworker. Your ministry can be anywhere the key is discovering your God given ministry. Once you know your ministry we must surrender our will to God's will so we may be bold, sensible and most of all loving with our gifts serving God in all we do.
(If you are having trouble discovering your gifts and/or ministry you should try reading Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado. This link takes you to the Book Reviews page where you can order the book.)
God has given you gifts. Those gifts are abilities that you have but they are also the people you know and love as well as possessions that you have. God gave you these gifts for a purpose so we should use them boldly. Some gifts are easy to see how to use them for God's purpose such as preaching, teaching, and prophesying. When we know of our gifts and we know how to use it for God we must also be sensible with it. We shouldn't shove it down people's throats. What I mean is we should be bold but we should always use our gifts with love. We must also be sensible. We need to pray, study, and meditate on God's word and His presence in our life to determine what our ministry is. Yes I said ministry. We all have a God given ministry. Your ministry doesn't need to be to a congregation; it may be changing diapers at home, at a day care, or nursing home. It may be cleaning toilets at work, or waiting on tables, it may be listening to the struggles of a coworker. Your ministry can be anywhere the key is discovering your God given ministry. Once you know your ministry we must surrender our will to God's will so we may be bold, sensible and most of all loving with our gifts serving God in all we do.
(If you are having trouble discovering your gifts and/or ministry you should try reading Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado. This link takes you to the Book Reviews page where you can order the book.)
September 9, 2010
“The LORD has taken away the judgments against you” Zephaniah 3:15 ESV
Read this verse over and over. What is God whispering to you?
You are forgiven. Are there any sweeter words for the soul than that?
There isn't anything that you can do that you can't receive forgiveness for. All you have to do is ask. Whatever you have done, Jesus has already paid the price to set you free from that sin. There is no charge it's all free.
What sins can you ask forgiveness for?
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
You are forgiven. Are there any sweeter words for the soul than that?
There isn't anything that you can do that you can't receive forgiveness for. All you have to do is ask. Whatever you have done, Jesus has already paid the price to set you free from that sin. There is no charge it's all free.
What sins can you ask forgiveness for?
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
email me at:
ablaue@goddireciton.com
ablaue@goddireciton.com