Weekly Devo

“To will and not to do when there is opportunity is in reality no to will; and to love what is good and not to do it, when it is possible, is in reality not to love it.”  -Emanuel Swedenborg-      Nothing equals nothing. You could take every dream or thought in the world and stack them up, one on top of another, and still have nothing. You make the difference. You have the power to bring something to life and make it a reality. You can do something. Do not misunderstand me; thoughts matter! Scripture makes that abundantly clear. It is the thought that you want something to drink that gets you up out of your chair. If you do get up, you will not go thirsty. I’m talking about the getting up part. As Christians, we are to do good as often as we have an opportunity (Galatians 6:9-10). We are to change the world with His word (Matthew 28: 18-20). We are to be the field medics of this universe (Matthew 25:34-40). Those thoughts should make us move. How else are they going ...

                                        Love is choosing the act of serving and sacrificing for something. This is emphasized by how we love God. That is by keeping His commands (1 John 5:1-3). We have the freedom given to us by God to love. We choose what we love. We can love the world and the things of the world (1 John 2:15-16). We can choose to love God and the things of God (Matthew 22:34-40). It’s just a choice. It is a decision we make every day about what we will bow down to, serve and sacrifice for. Sometimes it comes with those ooey-gooey warm fuzzies, and sometimes it comes with pain and hurt. To truly love is to choose to love no matter how you may feel or think at the time. Some may argue about this, saying you should feel the strong twitterpated heart palpitations towards God at all times. The thing is that’s not true, you don’t feel that way about the things of the wor...

Matthew 22:34-40   We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). That statement tells us two simple, straightforward facts. One, love does not exist without God. Two, when we become Christians, we are expected to love. There are three things we are to love. Yes, three. One is God; We love Him by keeping His commands (1 John 5:2-3). Another is others. We love them by being like Christ towards them in every way (1 John 2:6; 3:16-18). The third person we are to love is ourselves. Remember Jesus says, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). How can you love your neighbor if you do not love yourself? This is not the selfish worldly carnal love that quickly rushes into our minds when we talk about self-love. This is the love that God shows us and loves us with. That sacrificial providing nurturing firm full of grace love that God shows us is the love we should have for ourselves and others. Love is a choice. Without choosing love, you will not serve God, others or yourself....

Matthew 22:37-40 We all understand that Christ died on the cross for our sins. That sacrifice was about you. It was about your sins. It was about clearing your name with God. It was to free you from the selfish mindset and lifestyle you were in. Have you ever noticed that sin is about you? Galatians 5:19-21 gives a pretty good list of the nasty things that are all sins. John makes it clear that anything that is about the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes is sin and worldly (1 John 2:15-17). All of those things are about you. It is all about what makes you happy and feel good. Sin is all about what satisfies your carnal desires. That is why temptation comes from our evil desires (James 1:13-15). When we are saved, that man has been put to death (Romans 6:1-4). If all that has been forgiven is washed away and put to death, then what is left? God and others! This time of year, we spend a lot of time thinking of others and what would put a sweet smile on their ...