Weekly Devo

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). You will never know what you are made of until you swing for the fences. When we begin to understand our heavenly goals we become more spiritual. We can’t just set back and shoot for success here on this earth. We must strive for heaven. That pursuit puts us through trials and tribulations that are found nowhere else. The refining that our character receives is out of this world. The mental and emotional maturity that is developed is beyond what can be achieved in any other way. You see, the key is, you must pursue it. Ogilvy said, “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the park. Aim for the company of immortals.”  You may strike out a lot. It may be challenging. The achievement that comes from both the pursuit and reaching the goal is incomparable to anything found elsewhere. There is a group of immortals that lay waiting to enjoy eternity with you. They did it. You can too. Pursue immorta

Mature souls have an understanding that transcends the world. Often, it even goes beyond those around them.  The hope we have in Christ is beyond anything in this world. All man’s pursuits will never reach what God gives us in eternity. This hope anchors us in Christ, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). As much as this anchor is tried and confirmed, there is still more to understand. Mature souls understand that worthy efforts may go unrewarded. In Christ, even our most significant accomplishments are simply out of obedience to Him. Jesus made it clear with this statement, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). The reality is those mature souls retain high hopes but know that worthy efforts may go unrewarded. Yet, they hold tight to those hopes and stay true to the

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). We can justify anything. If you want to justify sin, go right ahead. The only person buying that bag of lies is you. We are not to be justifying our actions to fit our agenda. We act and adjust based on our surroundings. We never justify lousy behavior or sinfulness for any reason. Have you ever wondered how sin can give birth to death? It’s justification. You justify this sin or action in your life for this one moment or situation. Then the next time, you expand that lie, justification, to fit this new situation. Then before you know it, you are just dead bones walking around. Please do yourself a favor and don’t justify it; get out of it!                                        ~Steve Johnson~    

       Two men were walking down a street on opposite sides. It began to rain. It only rained on one side of the road. At the next crosswalk, the man who had walked in the rain looked at the other and said, "How are you dry?" he replied with this one word, "Location." We need to understand that location plays a huge role in a lot of things in our lives. Everything from our character to our mental stability is effect by our location. It would make complete sense that where our heart was located would determine how we live. Our treasure is where our heart is. Meaning that what you will live for, work for, die for, and yearn for whatever our heart is set on. As Christians, our hearts should be in God. If it is, the perfect law of liberty becomes the greatest blessing in the world. It turns from a daunting list of dos and don'ts to a beautiful guide to greatness. It's all about where your heart is. Then that leaves us with this question, "Where is your he

“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” (2 Peter 3:17). You would be surprised how few people think about you. That does not mean you are forgotten or are not important to anyone. It means we don’t have to worry about what others think - you’re just not that important for others to stay that focused on you all the time. Let’s be honest for a second. Even some of the most influential people in this world do not get our thoughts all the time. We have to work at making God, our spouses, children, friends and church family a priority. That’s okay. That’s how it is. It does mean that people are not walking around with their heads in the sky pondering what you are doing. Since we are not under constant surveillance, we get a special blessing. That blessing is we get to be free and authentic to who we are. We must get this concept. Many of us tailor our actions, thoughts and wo

“For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).      We often think that to do big things; then earth-shattering events need to be taking place around us. The Good Samaritan did a big thing, and there was not even a mention of an earthquake. Sometimes the road to success and greatness is filled with little things done right. It’s a road where every brick was placed with care, love, and service. We pursue excellence in everything that we do. We want to be great in the kingdom of God. Everyone does. Jesus says to achieve this we need to be a servant. A servant is a quiet, hardworking, and devoted person. They don’t make waves in the ocean. However, they make constant ripples in the pond. The reason for this being as servants of God, we serve everyone, everywhere, every time. That means we quietly serve everyone, even the unserviceable, undeserving, uncaring, and undesirable. No, it doesn’t bring down buildings and ch