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 Luke 11:39-41 "Then Jesus said to him, 'Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.'" |
Give What's Inside The Dish Give what's inside the dish? But, the dish is empty! There is nothing in it. No food, no water, no coins, nothing. I cleaned the outside. Looks great. "Here 'people without,' I give you my dish!" Sounds silly, doesn't it? "Here's a dish!" It's a container. Something that something else goes inside of. Hmm, just like us. A container. Something that something else goes inside of. Give me a moment to tell you what I mean.  Everyday,
I go through the motions of what I am supposed to do, what I am supposed
to be. I have a schedule, I carry things here and there, just like the
bowl. I do what appears to be good, just enough to get by. I wash the
outside of the bowl and let others see that part. "Oh my, isn't that
a nice bowl. Your Father loves you so much to give you that bowl." I
care for my bowl, even feed the poor with my bowl. "I made the poor
some soup!" I announce. "I make food for my family!" I
warmly grin. But there is something missing. According to Scripture, I
should "give what's inside the dish to the poor!" Oh my, I
thought I was doing that! I've been love-nudged again by God that I have
not been.What's
inside the dish? Not food, that is still outside the dish. It touches the
dish, but it is not the dish. Am I a plastic dish? Am I made of porcelain?
Am I made of the finest china, hand stamped and marked by the King of
kings? It's a different way of looking at this, isn't it? What is on the
inside of your dish? What are you made of? Give that away! Give your
innermost person to others, the way Christ did for us on the cross. The
down-trodden don't need another meal, they need a Savior! Don't just give
them food for the belly; give them food for the soul! It is then, says
Jesus, that "everything will be clean for you." It will feel and
be right for you.Give
yourself away today.Prayer Oh God, forgive us for keeping so much of ourselves back. You gave it all, inside and outside of your "bowl." Help us to give the insides of our souls to help others. It is only then that we are truly helping them. In Your name, Amen. Additional Scriptures Luke 12: 22-34; James 2:14-17 Cheryl
Wyatt
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NOTE: This page contains 5 devotions. Pick
one using the above buttons. |
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| Psalms 119:9 "Happy are people of integrity, who follow the law of the Lord." |
Walk the Walk Jesus unleashed a mighty contagious desire upon the earth and in order for it to spread, He instructed His followers to "spread the word" and "bear witness." Unfortunately, over the ages His words have been misinterpreted by false prophets, thus causing many lost sheep to turn away in disgust to the point that today, trying to "spread the word" falls on deaf ears all too often. But, Jesus knew this would happen and gave us His cure for it when He said, "Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act." (Matthew 7:15-16) I had
always been skeptical of "Jesus Freaks, Televangelists" and just
about anyone who approached me wanting to talk about God or the Bible.
They seemed so pushy. The television people were always dressed so fine
and lived expensive lives; some of them were even caught doing the exact
opposite of what they preached. It turned me off. Those who came knocking
door to door only seemed interested in talking and not listening.Then there
were those other people. You know, the ones who always seemed to be
smiling. The ones who could face a crisis, live through it and endure. The
ones who pull over to let you pass, who are ahead of you and open the door
for you, who seem humble, but strong. They were the ones I could talk to,
share with and be comforted by. They felt real and sincere. They did what
they said they would. They helped without being asked, never expecting
anything in return and rarely complained. They seemed like people of
integrity. They take their injustices to the Lord, not taking their
grievances out on innocent bystanders. They are always open to expanding
knowledge and truth about themselves and life.All the
latter is what I was drawn to; the face of Jesus. I wanted to be around
those people. I wanted to learn how to be like them. Jesus claimed my
heart through these people and, today, I want Him to claim others by using
me. The joy God has given me is so immense that I don't want to deny any
other of His flock the same gift.Prayer Father God, thank you for this gift of life you have given me. May I always treasure it and share it. May I always bear witness by action and integrity. May I always be grateful and aware of your love for me. May I reflect to others my hunger and thirst for your words. May I be mindful of others needs and willing to help them at every opportunity. May I always be open to further wisdom and teaching. May I always be truthful and honest to others and myself. Additional Scriptures Psalms 119:3,5,9,13,15; Matthew 7:21-27 Kate Geiger |
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| Galatians 5:22-23 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. |
Pass It On! Why is it that we have such a hard time sharing our faith? Is it out of fear? Fear that we will be deemed hypocritical, fear that we will be labeled as "A Jesus Freak", or that we don't know enough about what we are saying. For me, it has been a combination of fear and ignorance that has been holding me back. I'm afraid to jump in to small groups - what if everyone already knows each other? What if I open my mouth and end up looking like an idiot? Gee, I really can't commit to EVERY Wednesday night! Its seems that there is an endless number of excuses we use to keep us from going on to the next step in our spiritual lives. Until we
do make Christ a part of our daily lives, we will not be out there sharing
the message in the way that God has called us. For instance, I wouldn't
dream of initiating a conversation about professional football or
skateboarding. I'm just not knowledgeable enough to carry on a
conversation about one of those things. Maybe if I studied up on it . . So
it follows that our faith demands that we spend time studying, praying and
communing with others to discuss the path that the Lord wants us to be on.
It sure is easy to get off track. I could spend all of my time talking
about, thinking about and studying travel. I love that stuff and it has
certainly made me a more knowledgeable vacationer. I just don't think
that's the journey that Jesus has in mind for me, however!Prayer Lord help me to study your ways. Set my feet on the path to learn and teach others about your will. We cannot be masters without first being students. Help me to be humble and honor everyone around me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Additional Scriptures II Corinthians 6:6-10; Ephesians 4:2-6; 5:8-11; Colossians 13:12-14 Ruth Moorman
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| Ephesians 5:2 Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him. |
Is Your Faith Contagious? During my pre-teen years, I hung around with the youths who lived on my block. None of our own families were church-goers, except for my best friend's mother, Mrs. Rooney, who started a youth group for us at her church. It was a very small church that could only provide a space for us to meet, but couldn't assist with any monetary help. There were only a dozen of us and Mrs. Rooney would pick us up each Sunday morning for Sunday school and, again in the evening, for the youth meeting. I learned my Bible lessons and attended several summer youth camps because of what Mrs. Rooney started. I remember
Mrs. Rooney doing this for six years - on her own, without any assistance
or outside support money. All the kids helped with the traditional
"pancake & sausage" dinners, the income from which provided
the funds for our summer church camps, as none of our families could
afford to send us to camp. But it was the time and energy Mrs. Rooney
willingly and freely spent on us that counted the most in our lives.What an
example of true Christian-living Mrs. Rooney was for all of us. One
individual can make a difference! Without her being there, my youth would
not have been strengthened with the knowledge of the Lord's teachings.
Prayer Dear God, thank you for providing the people and examples I need in my life. Give me the sight to see them when I come in contact with them. If I, in return, can be a teacher or helper for someone else, please use me. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Additional Scriptures 1 John 3:18; Acts 20:35 Rod McKenzie
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| I Corinthians 4:20-21 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?" |
Infectious Love Infections start out small, extremely small. A single celled germ infiltrates a crack, a scratch or any type of opening, then seeks out other cells to attach to or connect with and continues to grow from there. As I thought about this, I realized cancer does the same thing. I thought about being contagious in my faith and realized I can be contagious in anything I do - faith or doubt, fear or comfort. My words and actions are fuel for any fire or water for a flame just beginning in someone. We are contagious in all we do. I can live both fire and ice for the kingdom. I recalled
a time when I was filled with anger, condemnation and criticism. There was
no love in my actions or my words - and it was contagious! It spread among
my family like a wildfire out of control. Before I realized the damage it
had done, God had spoken to my heart through Christian people contaminated
with love, with compassion and understanding. Their kindness revealed
God's kindness to me, their gentleness revealed His gentleness to me. I
saw God in their actions, in their words and in their attitude. He was
alive in them! I wanted what they had. I needed the peace they had. I
needed the joy they had. I wanted to know how they got it. Then I came to
know the God whom they got it from.I try to
be more cautious about my words, my thoughts and actions, but most of all
about my attitude. What am I spreading? Faith, joy, peace, love, kindness,
gentleness? Or am I spreading doubt, fear, anger, resentment, jealousy,
cruelty, perverseness or gossip? The seeds I sow will reap a crop for
sure, but what is it I am planting and what am I spreading on it to make
it grow? When I am mindful of the spirit I am living in, I am fruitful. I
plant love, kindness, gentleness, patience, peace and joy and I have a
self control only God can produce. When I live out of my own desires and
my own energy, I do not. It is more like a biological warfare.
Prayer Lord Jesus, you are the example of God's love to us. You came among us to infect us with His love and You reflected His heart for us, You spoke His words to us, You infected us with His Spirit. Thank you for your sacrifice to do that for us, thank you that you loved us first. Help me, Father, to remember I am your light, I am your fire, I am to be your reflection. Help me to remember if I profess to be your child, I must reflect the family name. Help me to be a reflection of you, of your love, your peace, your joy and your truth. Holy Spirit, pour into me and fill me, so when I pour words out of my mouth, they would be of God's heart and His mind. Praise you, Father. Only Your love is perfect, Your truth sets us free and may Your joy be the light that radiates a light the world could see in me. Amen. Additional Scriptures John 17:25-26; James 3:17-18; James 4: 1-3 Sherry Canfarelli
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