I have been reading from the daily devotional “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young this year. I highly recommend it. So far, I have seen an underlying theme in the book. It is this; Jesus calls us to himself and his presence, which is an excellent place to go to and stay.
Learn to enjoy life more. Relax, remembering that I am God with you. I crafted you with enormous capacity to know Me and enjoy My Presence. When My people wear sour faces and walk through their lives with resigned rigidity, I am displeased. When you walk through a day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in Me, your ever-present Shepherd. The more you focus on My Presence with you, the more fully you can enjoy life. Glorify Me through your pleasure in Me. Thus you proclaim My Presence to the watching world.
What got my attention in this selection was the line, “with childlike delight.” Have we forgotten the joy and excitement when a child discovers something new, wonderful, and unexpected?
I saw a glimpse of that kind of delight the other day. April had ordered some new earbuds, and the service said they would be delivered on Sunday. They arrived on the preceding Wednesday, two days after she had purchased them. Four days early! I hid them under her pillow and later that evening asked if she was going to adjust her pillow before sleeping. You should have seen the joy in her eyes and on her face when she saw the result of her conquest.
That’s the kind of expression we should have when we discover that no matter what is going on in the world, in our families, or at work, when we concentrate on staying in the presence of Jesus, we can have incredible joy and excitement.
Stop striving and know that I am God; Psa. 46:10a (NASB)
It happened in the very first inning of the Southwest Region championship. Two boys who when they woke up this morning only cared about one thing… get to Williamsport. Suddenly everything changed, because in real life things happen just like that … things change in a heartbeat.
Kaiden Shelton is the big man on the powerful Pearland team, their big pitcher, their big hitter. Isiah Jarvis is the shortstop on the scrappy Oklahoma team that had through incredible perseverance made it to the championship game . One team has already been to Williamsport, the other has never been.
The Pearland team scored 3 runs in the top of the first, but Oklahoma came right back at them in the bottom of the inning , they scored 2 runs and had a big rally going on, there was noise everywhere, coaches were yelling for the pitcher Shelton and the batter Jarvis to ”Battle” “win the battle.”
Then it happened, a twist of fate, Shelton lost control of a fastball and hit Jarvis right in the helmet, and Jarvis fell in a heap at home plate
Suddenly nobody was thinking about Williamsport anymore. With Isiah laying there and coaches and medical staff rushing to his prone body, Shelton kind of circled around the area between home and the pitchers mound. The staduim was silent. Jarvis’s mom stood in the stands , one hand clasped to her face, the other to her heart. And every mom who has ever sent their boys into these games was right there with her.
The Pearland players took a knee, eventually so did Shelton. Seconds seemed like hours. On one knee, Shelton was totally alone with his thoughts. But going through his mind were the words of the umpire immediately after Jarvis had gone down .”Oh my God” the umpire had said.
Finally they helped Jarvis to his feet , on replay you could see how the ball had hit his helmet in a good spot , it got more helmet then anything, Jarvis had been more frightened then anything . He trotted down to first , but now the trouble was with Shelton.
Before that pitch he had only one thought – Battle… win the battle … the words of coaches…now the only words he could hear in his mind… were the words of the umpire: “Oh my god.”
And just like that he started to cry. He was standing on the mound crying, and nobody went to him, not his teammates, not his coaches . Then one person did go to him… Isiah Jarvis left first base threw his helmet off, walked right to him and hugged him. That hug said… it’s okay. It was just what Shelton needed at that particular moment , I am sure his mom had wanted to Rush out there and hug her boy, Isiah took care of that for her , because Shelton was a big kid with a big heart and he didn’t want to hurt anybody , he didn’t want to hear an umpire say “Oh my god” over something he did . He was there to play baseball and make new friends, he hadn’t bargained for this
The game resumed , somebody won , somebody lost, one team went to Williamsport, the other packed their bags for home, it will all be forgotten , but that moment of perfect sportsmanship will live for as long as there is human competition
Before the tournament Isiah Jarvis said his biggest dream was to make sports center . I think it’s going to happen.
His name is Isiah and in the book of Isiah there is a famous passage about coming quickly to the rescue “I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” It’s almost perfectly symbolic that a boy named Isiah would come quickly to the rescue and do it when it was most needed.
(I searched but could not find the author of the above post.)
Hundreds reacted to this post with comments they were fighting tears. This true story touches our hearts because for a moment love was displayed. We don’t always see it sadly, these days, but when we do we sit up and pay attention. Whether a person is a child of God or not their spirit man sees the love of God in action and is drawn to it.
You see, in real life, we are the pitcher who throws a foul ball but in our case sins and hurts a real person. The batter is Jesus Christ. And like in this story He comes over to the mound and offers us forgiveness. If you were touched by this story then perhaps the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart. Saying, “It’s okay. Don’t get hung up on what you did that was wrong, that hurt people, or yourself. There is One who has already paid the price for your foul ball. His name is Jesus and He died on a cross for you, because he wanted to demonstrate just how much He loves you and cares.” I pray you will react to the Holy Spirit by accepting that forgiveness and accepting Jesus into your life.
for all have sinned (thrown a foul ball) and fall short of the glory of God, Rom. 3:23 (NKJV Italics are mine)
My wife, April, starts her work day early in the mornings. Sometimes, due to the number of pending orders to get out, she has to be there by 4 AM. The other day was one of those mornings. Because I drive her to and from work, I also have to get up early.
“I would like mornings better if they started later.” Garfield
I certainly agree with Garfield. So, as a result, I do not have the best demeanor that early. As is usually the case, now I can’t even recall what April did that I chose to get upset about. I dropped her off without a proper “Goodbye” and proceeded home.
On the drive home, I remember the Holy Spirit whispering, “Watch Steven Furtick.” He comes on a local TV channel at 4:30 AM. I responded with a, “No! I don’t want to.” When I got home, I knew I needed to do as God instructed me, so I did. Sure enough, Rev. Furtick was delivering a message that had to do with attitudes. The word of God ministered to me as well as convicted me. I prayed and asked God for forgiveness and to help catch those situations before they escalated.
Later that morning, April texted me about something going on in our life. I responded with the requested information and included some humor with a “Love you!” After reading my reply, she texted back, “What happened? Your attitude is much better.” I wrote back, “God called a meeting.”
I don’t like it when my attitude gets out of alignment, but when it does, I am so thankful that God is right there and quick to make the necessary adjustments. That’s the work of a loving Father.
19-21 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. James 1:19-21 (MSG)
“Mark, if you could find a way to invest as little as $25 a month, you would see your investment grow and grow over time. Yes, stocks do go up and down, but over a, say thirty-year time frame, they increase.” I did. I started my Roth IRA account by only depositing $25 a month, and twenty-nine years later, he was right. By the time I needed to use the money, it had grown beyond my wildest dream.
I eventually increased my deposit to $50 and later doubled it to $100 monthly. And I think I recall making a one-time deposit of a few thousand dollars, but the point is, it grew.
The other day I was thinking about my growth in God, and I was a little frustrated that by now, I had not matured to me to a higher level. Quickly the Holy Spirit comforted me and showed me an image similar to the one in this post. I thought about the picture and realized that over time I have grown, and given more time, I will grow and mature in God even more.
Therefore, I must not quit and should not beat myself up when I stumble or fail. I should continue to fight the good fight of faith with God’s grace and help. The growth will come if you are consistent with your investment. When it comes to God, that means spending time in His word and talking to him on a regular basis. It’s listening to good sound Biblical teachings and being around others who can share what they have learned and experienced.
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. Phi. 1:6 (MSG)
A woman entered the area of life called “Grief!” This time hurt worse, for it was her mother. She had cared for her mother for the last several years, doing her best to meet her needs even while struggling to take care of her own.
About a week after celebrating her mother’s life and laying her to rest, a friend felt prompted to send her a message. A love letter from God. They prayed, typed out the message, and sent it via “Messenger.” If you are unaware, Messenger lets you see if your message has been read. The friend felt another prompting and went into the app only to see the note from God had not been opened yet.
They cut and pasted the words of love and, this time, sent it as a text message to the friend’s phone. It worked, and the message was read and received. Here is the grieving daughter’s response to God’s message:
“I want you to know your message is very timely and divine. It feels like God himself is speaking to me.”
The friend replied, “God was speaking to you. He likes to partner with those who take time to listen to his still small voice and then take action—obeying his promptings. God wanted you to know you have been on his mind, and he loves you, cares for you, and knows what you are going through. He wanted to wrap you up in his favorite comforter, the Holy Spirit”
It’s essential to be an agent of God, a messenger for those who struggle to hear his voice for themselves due to a number of potential reasons. It does take time to receive the message and then transmit it to the individual. But then go the extra mile to ensure the message was received and opened. Just like sending “registered mail.”
Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! 1 Peter 4:10-11 (MSG)
With the blessing of April getting a new job that God is using to meet our financial needs comes a new path home. A much busier, longer, and more opportunities to encounter distracted drivers path. Although driving her to the employer at 4 AM is a bit safer with fewer drivers on the road, some reckless drivers are still out there.
A few days into our new thrill ride, we encountered a busy interchange. As I maneuvered into the cloverleaf while dogging cars entering the highway, I was almost rear-ended by someone going way too fast, considering the number of vehicles, short ramp, and rapidly slowing traffic. I was fearful as I watched the speeding car approach. I just knew they would hit us, but they didn’t. My heart raced as I thought that was close!
The next day, in the same spot in our travel, it happened again, but this time the car speeding toward the back of ours seemed to be guided by a laser determined to cause mass destruction. I cried out in horror as I watched in the rear-view mirror, “Oh God!” There was a look of sheer fear on the face of the driver as he dropped his phone and stood up on the brake pedal. I knew today we wouldn’t survive with a “close call.”
But then, at the point of impact, I watched as the driver moved forward in his car as if he had hit a wall, but there was no direct strike to the back of our car. I continued to look in the mirror as we made our way around the leaf and onto the intersecting highway. I was bewildered, trying to figure out how in the world we were not struck.
The only “satisfying” answer I could come up with is this; it wasn’t anything in our world but out of this world. Yeah, I believe an angel positioned himself between the back of my car and the other car. But the impact on that angel had to be so devastating that I could only imagine he was killed in the line of duty protecting April and me from harm. Or better yet, keeping us from the interruption of having to get our car fixed or replaced.
I was humbled and appreciative of God’s hand of protection upon our lives and the things, like the car that He provides to help us in our daily lives. The next day, I prayed over our commute, pleading the blood of Jesus over us and taking dominion over that spot on the highway. Declaring out loud that any demons of destruction had to go in the name of Jesus and that no harm to our lives or property could come upon us.
I am convinced that God’s hand protects us more than we know. Yes, I saw this angel do his job, but more than not, we don’t. Only when we get to heaven will we see God’s love in action for those who call him “Father.”
No, I don’t honestly believe the angel died, and there is currently a job opening in heaven, but I do know that Jesus died on a cross for us so that this relationship with the awesome loving God could be possible.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. Psalms 91:9-12 (NKJV)
I am writing a book titled “Ask, Flip and Invite, The Power to Learn, Change and Influence Your World.” I have read, written, and preached about the scripture verse Ephesians 6:12 several times. But the other day, I saw this same verse in a new light. (In its original version:)
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” Eph. 6:12 (NET)
After reading it, for the first time I saw what this verse will look like in the future:
For there will be no more struggles against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens because God will have defeated them once and for all and have sentenced them to their eternal judgment and will have established His world rulers of Light. They will all be spiritual forces of love in the new heavens and on the new earth.”
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (From the book of Revelation, Chapter 21 [NIV])
I love the true story, as told in the Bible, of the time Jesus fed the 5000. Of course, that was just the men. There are so many thoughts to consider when reading this miracle.
One, I seriously doubt that no one else had any food with them. They hid it, or worse, lied about having it. They looked at the situation with natural eyes and thought, “There is no way what we have is going to feed this huge crowd!” And honestly, they were right. But those same individuals didn’t fully know who Jesus was. They didn’t understand what could happen if you place what you have in Jesus’ hands and then trust him. Yes, even to do the impossible!
Two, The boy who gave the small lunch he had brought did know and therefore trusted Jesus. He also believed Jesus was the son of God. The lad had a giver’s heart, and I think he gave it cheerfully. In fact, he probably had to convince Jesus’ disciple to take it. They, too, were looking with natural eyes.
You could count the boy’s lunch. Two fish and five loaves of bread equaling seven pieces. Seven, the number of completion! Jesus took what was given, and He blessed it, and it was multiplied.
“How many vs. how much. How many you can count, how much comes by faith!” Steven Furtick
God will meet your needs when you place what you have in His hands and then trust him. He may not give you all of it at once. Like manna that fed the children of Isreal, He will provide for the needs you have for one day. I wake up, and I realize my bills due today are paid. We have food to eat and gas in the car; for today. Of course, my greatest need was salvation, and forgiveness of my sins, and He provided for that as well.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Mat. 6:34 (MSG)
I am currently in a situation I never saw coming or planned for, and if I had known it was coming, I would have resisted it, or worse, said, “No, God.” For I would have looked at it in the natural and had seen the “how many” and have thought, “There is no way! I can’t afford that!” Yet, I have to admit God is making a way. He is funding this project because it is His project!It is genuinely day by day, but His faithfulness provides. “Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Yes, you could count the boy’s lunch. Two fish and five loaves, yet in the end, it was more than enough!
Figuring out life can be difficult at times, but as I have learned, it is even more challenging when your “money meter” displays, “LOW!” At least the “Fuel” light is not on, not yet anyway. When funds are abundant, it seems like you just do what needs to be done almost without considering the cost. The line between “want” and “need” gets dimmer. It’s easy, at times, to convince yourself that you “need” something that honestly is a “want.”
Whether you have a lot of money or not, it is always best to take your thoughts to the Lord. If He truly is the “Lord” over all things in your life, then decisions about how or where to spend should be guided by him. After all, those financial resources came from Him and are His.
The part of Him leading me I appreciate the most is in deciding what to buy, what brand, and what product. And at times, from where. I have found that if I feel uneasy about pulling the trigger on something, the best thing to do is wait.
“I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go. Isa. 48:17 (MSG)
Submit your plans unto the Lord. Trust Him to accept and hear your proposal and thoughts; what you have determined in your mind is good. It also is a good idea to talk about matters of life with your spouse. After all, they are to be your “helpmate.” And when they share their thoughts, be sure not to make fun of what they say. Their words and insights might just be what you need to hear; and who knows, it may very well be the words of the Lord speaking through them. Another source is with a trusted friend who you know walks with God. Finding a friend like that is like finding gold. Value them, express how much they mean to you, and appreciate them.
Secrets can be fun, and they can be powerful as well. Most like knowing them, and yet others would instead tell them. It’s not always a good thing to know one. Somebody told me one the other day that freaked me out, and I wish it had never been spoken. I can never share that secret, for if I did, it might ruin the person’s life.
A gadabout gossip can’t be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence. Prov. 11:13 (MSG)
The revelation of a secret has been known to bring down presidents, governments, CEOs, families, and individuals. Some have used the power of knowing someone else’s secret to gain wealth, threatening blackmail.
“Never secrete a secret if it is not your secret to secrete!”
Josh Brady
Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, Prov. 25:9 (ESV)
The other day, a friend and I discussed watching “YouTube videos.” I revealed to him I knew how to watch them while avoiding the commercials. Then I said, “I should reveal how to do that on social media.” As soon as the words left my lips, I felt a “check” in my spirit, but I didn’t know why. He quickly said, “Mark, don’t do it! I feel like God has shared a secret with you to bless you and save you time.” I knew at that moment that he was right.
I am in no way perfect. Just ask, April, But I strive to walk with God, and I desire to have an intimate relationship with him and for that relationship to continue to grow deeper. I’m thrilled knowing the God of the universe would share a secret with me.
“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 (ESV)
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deut. 29:29 (ESV)
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jer. 33:3 (ESV)
brady, mark a. 