Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

We are in need of prayers...

We writers at Encourage 365 are in need of prayers. Some of us are having health issues, some stressful family situations, some work situations, some are having problems with writers' block-- 

So...

I'm asking for your help. I hate that I haven't had a devotional up for you every day. That's not the contributor's fault... it's mine. I'm going to try my best to at least have a scripture up for you... some sort of encouragement daily. I've dropped the ball, and I'm sorry.

I believe in this ministry and want to see it grow! If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.

In the meantime, please pray for these sweet people who have volunteered to help me with this blog. They (and I) will appreciate it! :)

Thank you so much! We love you all and appreciate you reading :) We pray that you get encouragement from here and something to kick start your day (like I said... if I'd just get on the ball again...)

Sincerely,

Kelly (site owner)

Monday, August 27, 2012

Our Mission by Mike R.


"Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Matthew 10: 5-8

So after a LONG time looking through the bible, asking friends and family what they think and thinking and sleeping on it I have come to this post. I hope it's not just me; but I find writing a guest post is harder to write for than a post for your own blog. 

Nothing really stuck out to me these past few days. SO after emailing and asking and THINKING and PRAYING and continuously going through the new testament I hope this is okay.

I woke up this morning thinking about our plan... What's our plan? What's our mission? What's our instructions? What are we suppose to do? So  I spent a good hour looking through the bible. And I came across this perfect reading to fill my hunger for these questions. 

Why wouldn't Jesus want us to go to the Samaritans and Gentiles? Because Jews and Samaritans had different believes, and they just didn't get along. And there could certainly be a death penalty to those Jews who go into Samaria and vice-versa.  

We are told to Go into the lost parts of Israel. No, we are not suppose to go now, onto a plane and go to Israel. We are to go to the lost part of our own home towns and cities and preach the Good news there. And well of course unless we are the 12 apostles we can not drive out demons or raise the dead, but we can Pray.

4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirits power, 5 so that your Faith might not rest on mens wisdom, but on God's Power. 
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 


Now we can fully see, our mission. If we love God and love Jesus and ask them anything it will be given. ( taken from John) If we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he will have mercy on us and give us the Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit we can do anything... Maybe not raise the dead, but something among those lines that we can do.
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But What about those who Do not listen to us? Those who hate us, what do we do with them? What are we suppose to do?

12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.


Matthew 10: 12-14

Back in the time of Jesus, dusting the sand off your feet at the door was a big insult. It was to show anger and disappointment. When ever you would go into someones house, the host or the person who lives there would bring a some water for you to wash your feet because most people didn't have shoes. It would have only been the rich that would have sandals on there feet.

So shaking the dust off your feet at the entrance would bring a "curse" to the place of dwelling. It was an insult to the people of the house. And it would then create a separation between those who are nice to who.

18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

John 15:18-20


We are hated by this world because it didn't accept Jesus. Jesus bore the message of God, and the world went against it. They crucified him. ( Luckily for us crucifying isn't as common so we probably won't be)  The world did not want to accept us. But we still must continue the work of God.

Why should we continue the work of God? Because Jesus chose us from the world, to be HIS disciples. To be his followers. We did not choose him; He Chose US. And Jesus Loves you. And that loves is strong enough to put down the hate of the world. 


No servant is greater than his master. So what happens with the master happens with the servant. Ever since the last supper we have not been called servants but friends. We are friends of Jesus. And We bring Joy to others through the works of Jesus through us. So for those who hated Jesus they will hate us because we bring the same message has Jesus.


 

So now that I/ we can understand this we can now fully know God plan for us and to know what he wants from us. We have our instructions, we have our plan and know it's time to wake up and make it happen... Everyday... not Just today and tomorrow but everyday of the week. :)


Many Blessing be with You all,
Mike

Friday, August 24, 2012

Our Very Breath by Stacy


Life has been full lately. Really full. And I'm not the kind of person who thrives with busyness. The only thing that keeps me from hyperventilating is prayer. Prayer for the Holy Spirit to permeate my life, to calm my every thought as I breathe Him in deeply. Yes, deeply... expelling fully every last bit of stagnant air from the depths of my soul and replacing it with the clean vital oxygen of the Holy Spirit. 

I find that it's not a coincidence to read the Hebrew word for breath... "ruwach", 

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (ruwach) of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7

and then find the very same Hebrew word, "ruwach", later translated Spirit

"I will pour my Spirit (ruwach) upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." Isaiah 44:3

God's Holy Spirit is our very breath. Like oxygen for our lungs, He is for our soul. Breathe in God, breathe out the stresses, worries, and unclean thoughts of this world that leave our Spiritual walks in a place of stagnancy, gasping for breath.

The difference between a stagnant Christianity and a healthy Spiritual life filled with vitality is the depth of our ruwach. And prayer is how we breathe more deeply. Pray these words with me friends...



Shared from my heart ~ Stacy

Will you help us bring “Dz” home?


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Thursday, August 23, 2012

How to Make Good Decisions by Jan


How to Make Good Decisions
“Fools will believe anything, but the wise think about what they do. Wise people are careful and stay out of trouble, but fools are careless and quick to act.” Proverbs 14:15-16 (NCV)
Over the past few weeks, our pastor has been talking about how we make decisions. He suggested that we ask ourselves four specific questions when we are faced with a making a decision and don’t know which option to choose.
1.       Am I being completely honest with myself?
We may be leaning one way or the other in our decision, but are we being truthful with ourselves about WHY we are leaning that way?  Most people make choices based on their desire for power, pleasure or promotion. When this is the basis for your decision, you might soon find that your choice is, at best, unfulfilling and at worst a disaster. Take the time to look within and ask yourself if you are being completely honest with why you want to make a particular choice. Are your reasons honorable? Will they bring glory to God? Will this be the best decision for your future and the future of your family?
2.       What story do you want to tell?
Long after your decision is made, you will be living and telling your story to your children, to those around you. Do you want to tell about how you made a hasty decision – a wrong choice that led you down a path of destruction? Or do you want to tell about how a particular decision was the best thing you ever did and how it led to a life that honored God?  What story will each decision tell? Think about that BEFORE you make your choice.
3.       Why do I feel this tension?
Sometimes when we have decided to go a certain way after weighing all the options, we get this unexplainable check in our spirit. Red flags go up, though we might not know exactly why. Our conscience is pricked, we feel a slight uneasiness about what we’re about to do.  LISTEN to that niggling little tension. It’s there for a reason. Take just a bit more time to pray about your decision before you rush ahead. You’ll be glad you did.
4.       What would honor God most?
Which option would be most pleasing to God? Which one lines up with His will for you? Which one lines up with His word? That’s the RIGHT option. That’s the one that will bring blessings into your life. That’s the way to go.
I’ve jotted these questions down on a 3 X 5 card and stuck it in my Bible to remind me to consider them when faced with a decision. I’m convinced that we would not fall when tempted if we would just stop and ask ourselves these four simple questions.
How about you? Can you think of a time when you made a really good decision that changed your life? How about a really poor decision that messed up everything? Do you think asking these questions would have kept you from making that wrong choice or helped you to make a better choice?


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Taking Risks by Suzanne Davis Harden





   The Bible exhorts us to walk by faith and to trust in God. 

To walk by faith is to take risks; to step out of our comfort zone 
and into what is not a guaranteed outcome. 

The book of Jeremiah records in chapters 38-39, that when Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, attacked Jerusalem, King Zedekiah asked the prophet Jeremiah to pray for him. 

God spoke to the king through Jeremiah and promised him that if he would surrender to the Babylonians, he and his family would survive and that the city would not be burned. 

But Zedekiah was afraid to surrender. He was afraid that the Jews who had already gone over to the Babylonians would mock him. 
Rather than face that risk, he chose to disobey God. 

When he tried to escape, the enemy captured King Zedekiah, killed his sons, and then put out his eyes. They burned Jerusalem and marched a host of captives away to Babylon. 

How different the outcome would have been had Zedekiah only believed God’s word to him! 

God promises that He has good plans for us, to give us a future and a hope. All He asks is that we trust Him and obey His word. 

Sometimes obedience to God’s word may invite mocking and ridicule from nonbelievers. It might mean going where we’ve never been before or learning something new. Sometimes it 
might mean giving up something we think we cannot live without. It might even mean taking medications or undergoing treatments we are afraid of but that could improve or even 
save our lives.

When we allow fear to motivate our decisions we will not walk by faith, for fear is faith's polar opposite. Fear will never obey God because it can't--it is an evil torment based on a lie generated by the enemy sent to hinder God's children from realizing their full potential in Christ. 

Fear constantly haunts us with thoughts and scenarios of what might happen if we take the course of action that we sense God 
is guiding us to take. If we would sit down and take the time to analyze those negative thoughts we would see them for what 
they are--bullies intending to steal a great blessing and maybe even our very lives from us! 

Fear is cousin to a lie and a lie is the offspring of Satan the Thief.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
Faith overcomes fear. "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

Proverbs 3:5-6 exhorts us to: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." 

If we love God, He will give us the faith to trust Him. If we trust Him, He will give us the grace to obey Him. 

Obedience pushes us out of our comfort zone and into an area of risk, but it always results in blessing. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You know the beginning and the ending of all things. You know our future and the road we should take.  Though we cannot see you, help us to trust you to lead us down the right path. In Christ’s name, we pray. 

"Taking Risks" © 2012 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least Of These

*Adapted From the Meditation I wrote called "Taking Risks"  that was first published in the May/June 2005 issue of the Upper Room Devotional Magazine. 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

My Prayer for You by Jan


My Prayer for You
“I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. And I pray that you and all God's holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ's love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19
As I sat contemplating what to write today to encourage you all, these verses came to mind. I read them over and over, knowing that these words spell out so clearly what I want for each of you.
Then I thought about what I wanted to say about these verses and you know what? There is nothing I could add that would express my heart for you any clearer than these scriptures speak. So, I’m simply going to say that this is my prayer for each one of you who are reading this post. I’ve asked God to make His presence known as you read and think about this passage, so go back and read them again – slowly. Open your spirit and sense His deep love, His glory, His power. Let Him fill your heart with faith and make you strong in love. Open your mind and let him give you understanding.
He has already blessed me just reading and writing this. I pray you are blessed, too.
Jan

 Jan posts wonderful devotionals here every Thursday. You can find her at Fellowship of Christian Bloggers. If you have a Christian blog, consider adding it to their directory :)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Faith Triumphs in Trouble by Stacey


~Faith Triumphs in Trouble~

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 There have been times when one of my darling little girls were going through “troubled” times.
I would tell them God was using that time to build their character. Of course that is not what either one of them wanted to hear. They just wanted Momma to fix or resolve the issue… And quickly I might add.  
And still do at the ages of 23 and 17 J
Of course I too felt the sting of “building my character” on many occasions.
I have yet to meet anyone that loves tribulations in life. It is however through our tribulations, perseverance is produced within us.
(We learn to press in and move forward.)
 Now our characters are building…….
(We are stronger and our steps become easier to take)

And our HOPE that all will be well is coming forth~
(It is then our hope in what God has promised is growing stronger.)

James 1:3-4
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

How do we have patience in trials?
I admit there are times when I have no patience……
It is when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us~
There are days when I can’t find the words to pray, much less rejoice in my trials. But to do so, (rejoice that is), is viewing my trials as a means of moral and spiritual growth, to rejoice not in the situation itself, but in their possible results.
What the enemy means for evil….God always turn to good~
There comes a peace when we praise God in the midst of our trials. A peace that surpasses all understanding~
And a “FAITH” (trust in God) that will endure through all life’s trials!!

Blessings~
Stacey

You can find Stacey at Shakin' the Foundation

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

God is... by Kathy


Ok. I knew I had to write this. I knew I write the second Tuesday of every month for this blog. Yet, I wait until the last minute. Sound familiar?

Sunday night I’m saying, ok God give me something to write about. Give me an idea please. I pick up Bible, thumb through it …..Nothing.



Ok no big deal. I have a book about speaking God’s word. I will get my idea from it. I pick it up and thumb through it. Ah, the perfect verse to write on. Turn on computer to type. Type the verse. Nothing. Nada. Zip. No idea.

By now I have a splitting headache. I’m starting to stress. I send Kelly (who is my sister) a text saying I have no idea at all what to write for blog. Her response……I know the feeling……..No help there.

So I decide to just go to bed and deal with it later. I turn everything off and start to crawl in bed. And God says to me, “Why don’t you write about what I am to you?”

I turn  around and get a notebook and pen and start writing.



God is…….

My  Rock. Psalm 31:3  Anytime I need him, he is there. Just like when I started stressing out, He came through for me. He keeps me balanced. Thank you God.

My Creator. Isaiah 40:28  He made me and you and everything in this world. And he never grows weary, or never gets too tired to watch over us. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed  into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Gen.2:7….. When we get to thinking that we are more than what we are, or that we are better than someone, think about this, we are just dirt until God breathes life into us.

Always there. When you feel that no one cares, and people are mean or rude to you, God is there. He will never leave or forsake us. When you belong to God, He doesn’t leave you to fend for yourself.

My salvation, my strength, and my song. Isaiah 12:2 Behold , God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. KJV

I love to sing and write songs. I love it when he puts a song on my heart Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!

My hope. Without him, we are nothing. But with Him, we are everything.  Romans 8:24-25 For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?....But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

My love. 1John 4:8…He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. KJV

The list can and does go on and on. But you get the idea. Without him, we are nothing. Without his love , mercy and grace, we would have no hope. ……

Blessings,

Kathy

You can find Kathy on facebook at Prayer and Praise

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Through the godly stumble...

God has a way of getting your attention. I know He did my husband and mine this week. I haven't been reading my Bible like I should and today I just needed it.

So,  I prayed for God to show me what I needed (and maybe you need it too).

God knows how to give us our messages (He's cool like that). He knows I'm a writer so I learn from stories. He gave me 4 verses that when I read as a story I went.... OHHHHHHH! I'm going to post them the way I got them.  Here are the verses form the NLT: Job 38:36, Ps 16:8, Ps 37:24, Ps. 37:23.

When read together, you get...

Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken for He is right beside me. Though the godly stumble, they will not fall for the Lord holds them by the hand. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Thank you, Lord, for the great message today! I needed it (the Lord holding our hands always makes me tear up as a Mama.)

Have a great Sunday!!

~Kelly

New Blog Added :)

I'm very excited to announce a new blog added to the directory. I love these announcements :)

Rebecca at Living on the Mountaintop has added her blog AND she will be a monthly contributor. She will post every 1st Monday of the month. She is also a staff writer for Christian Online Magazine.

Here is her snippet:
Living on the Mountaintop: Transparent living that seeks truth specifically and purposefully for complete transformation of heart (mind, will, and emotions). "Give me an undivided heart." Psalm 86:11 


Please visit Rebecca's blog and all of the wonderful blogs in the directory! They all have something special and unique to share with you from God.

If you'd like your blog added, please email me at ohthatmomagain at yahoo dot com. Thanks :)

~Kelly

Saturday, August 11, 2012

E365 Contributors Update :)


Encourage 365 has the greatest readers EVER! I'm not lying. The emails I've gotten and encouragement has been amazing. I love this site and pray it continues to grow and bless others. 

Along those lines, I'm SO happy to let you know that we have  6  SEVEN   EIGHT! fabulous people lined up as regular contributors to the site!

Weekly Contributors:

Jan from She Fancied Herself a Writer and Fellowship of Christian Bloggers will be featured every Thursday.

Stacy (who I can't thank enough for getting Encourage 365 back up and running) from Daily Surrender to Jesus will be blogging here every Friday (you met her last week).

Monthly Contributors:

Rebecca from Living on the Mountaintop and Christian Online Magazine will post here every first Monday.

Mike from Life of Us and Saints will be blogging every Last Monday of the month at Encourage 365. 

Wendy from I Love Devotionals will be featured first Wednesday.


Stacey from Shakin' the Foundation will write the post every third Wednesday.


Suzanne from Unto The Least of These will write the post every third Tuesday.


And Kathy from Prayer and Praise will be featured every second Tuesday of the month. (She's also my sister :) )



WOW! We have been truly blessed with these people who are taking their time to write for this blog. I can't thank them enough and look forward to reading what God has laid on their heart!

If you have a devotional you'd love to have posted here or would like to discuss a monthly column, please email me at ohthatmomagain (at) yahoo (dot) com. I'd love to hear from you.

God Bless You,
~Kelly

Linked with: On Your Heart Tuesday

Friday, August 10, 2012

Empowered by the One~ by Stacy P.


Last night at 11pm, I was about to call it a night, and I remembered that today is Friday, and Friday is the day I share my heart with you, my Encourage365 friends. I had a brief moment of panic. It's been a crazy life lately. My step-son moved in with us and he'll be starting college here in a few weeks. We've also had company, and have more coming this weekend. Hosting a Bible study at my house every Wednesday, A party for my Grandma's 80th birthday, the start of an adoption, homeschool convention and lesson planning, dental and doctor appointments, and on and on. We could be here all day.  So, laying on the couch, in the late hours of night, with antibiotic drops in my infected ear. (Yes, just one more thing on my list of crazy.) And it dawns on me... I'm exhausted by my attempt to keep my head above water as the waves toss about all around me. And I'm not alone. (Anyone with me? In this crazy race called life?) There's a lot of good things in this life, but sometimes they are distractions that cause me to take my eyes off of the One thing that is needed. 

And I'm reminded of baptism. This action of being taken under the water and cleansed. Buried with Christ, and washed by the blood of the lamb. 


But that's not where we remain. Baptism is incomplete unless we are lifted back up, out of the water, a life renewed and empowered to fully live. 

Empowered by the One.

This is where my thoughts are, at nearly midnight. My heart is recalling the busyness of my days. The weight of life's daily distractions and the effort of treading water. I'm Wondering why I'm trying so hard to raise my head above the waves. Why are so many of us, baptized by the Spirit, still holding our breath under the water, instead of rising up to live in the power of the Spirit? Why are we grasping tightly to all the weights of this crazy life that pull us deeper under, when Jesus wants to lift us out of this sea, and set our feet to walk beside him. 


Him, the One who walks on water.

 "After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

"...let us also lay aside every weight ...  and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."

Shared from my heart ~ Stacy

And for the weekend, a little reading...
Tuesdays with Jesus Tuesdays With Jesus, What is Truth?

 Dose of Encouragement, Coming Out Gold
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Thursday, August 9, 2012

A Clean Slate by Jan


A Clean Slate

"Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin."Psalm 32:1-5 (NIV)


There is nothing quite so exhilarating as knowing that you have been forgiven, that your sins no longer hang over your head and that you have gone from guilty to innocent in the eyes of God.

Of course, true forgiveness requires true repentance. It's not like when your child has written on the wall with a crayon for the upteenth time and upon being caught red-handed, looks at you and says, "sorry", but you know that it's just a response, not a confession and repentance moment. Tomorrow they’ll probably do it all over again.

God's a pretty smart parent, too. He knows when our hearts is truly sorry and when we are determined to turn from our sin and walk in line with His commands. When that happens, we are made pure, entirely forgiven...we have a clean slate and can proceed from that moment with a new life.

What a joy it is to feel the guilt of our sins lifted from our shoulders!.

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for the shedding of your blood that bought our forgiveness, our new life in you and our clean slate! Help us to drop the pretenses and to be entirely honest before you, confessing our sins, that we might receive your forgiveness. Amen
 Jan posts wonderful devotionals here every Thursday. You can find her at Fellowship of Christian Bloggers. If you have a Christian blog, consider adding it to their directory :)

Monday, August 6, 2012

Being Constant in the Small Things~ By Wendy

This was supposed to have been posted last Wednesday, but *I* made a mistake. I'm so sorry about that Wendy. Maybe I'll get my brain working again this week~ Kelly


May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. 2 Thessalonian 3:5 (NIV)
I couldn’t breathe.
I was beginning to see spots in front of my eyes.
I wanted with my whole thudding heart to sit down, stuff air back in my lungs and then take slow steps towards the door and hope the gym instructor missed my departure. I hadn’t been to gym for two months and my body didn’t feel thrilled to be back.
I’m not very consistent at gym and I pay for it.
I’ll not go for a month and then go 3 or 4 times a week. My inconsistency at gym means I never reach a consistent level of fitness. I’ll go for six months and be reaching a good place fitness wise and then I’ll miss two months and pretty much have to start over.
It’s not just an inconsistency at gym that is my problem.
Inconsistency colours other areas of my life too.
I don’t really like sticking with things; I choose to give up when stuff gets hard or boring or begins to feel like a chore.
This last week gasping for breath I realized that I don’t think God wants me to be this way.
I often forget that God wants us to be like him and he is consistent. If he starts task he sees it through to completion. He doesn’t start, then stop because he’s too busy with other things, resume something, stop because it’s cold outside, try it out again...you get the idea.
God just keeps on going.
He perseveres.
And I think God wants us to persevere too.
God wants us to be people who commit to things and are consistent in doing them.
Every day, we need to remind ourselves that God is desires us to be like him and one of his characteristics is consistency. We need to decide to follow through on our goals, commitments and dreams every day.
Every time we do this, we’ll be beginning to look more like God and that is worth persevering for.
What areas of your life do you need to be more consistent in? How would perseverance look in your life?
Wendy van Eyck posts regular devotionals at ilovedevotionals.com. You can also connect with her on twitter: @wendyvaneyck
--
www.ilovedevotionals.com

Sunday, August 5, 2012

It's Sunday!!! Now what?

AWESOME!

You went to church!!!  GREAT!

Now....

What are you going to do for God the next 6 days?

How are you going to try to get more people in your church on next Sunday?

You don't want God to be a part-time God (imagine if He only answered prayers for 1 hour on Sunday...), so don't be a part-time Christian.

In comments, I'd love if you could write some suggestions for keeping God first and foremost in our thoughts this week.... AND ways to tell others about God.


~Kelly

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Give Thanks.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Ps. 136:1

Friday, August 3, 2012

How Much Time... by Stacy P.


How much time do we waste away on frivolous thoughts, Thoughts that will eventually wither and pass away, Earthly thoughts without lasting value, thoughts that take us no farther than where we began? How much time is lost? Lost in thought.

"Take your thoughts captive." He whispers.

How much time do we spend with that which will last forever? How often do our minds meditate upon the Word of God?  How often do we walk side by side with our maker, sharing and enjoying conversation, listening to Him speak to our hearts, even as we go about our day? How often are our minds captivated by the eternal, living Word spoken and revealed by our heavenly Father?

By Stacy P.

You can visit Stacy at Daily Surrender to Jesus

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Need a Little Encouragement? by Jan Christiansen




"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11a (NIV)

Encourage - to give courage to someone to stand, to move on, to take a chance

That's what we are called to do...

To encourage others to take a stand for Christ among their peers
To encourage others to move on from past mistakes, hurts and bad habits
To encourage others to take a chance - to dare to step out and do what they feel God calling them to do

These things take courage - incredible courage in some cases, and it's easy to let fear hold us back. Perhaps it's the fear of rejection by someone we care for, perhaps it's the fear of embarrassment or failure, but we need not be afraid, because we are not alone. God is with us, but it's also good to know that there is another human being standing with you.

It's easier when you know that someone "has your back" - when someone is on your side, cheering you on, when someone believes in you. We all want someone in our lives like that. We all want an encourager, so why not start by being an encourager in the lives of those around you?

"...A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:7a, 9, 10 
(NIV)

Prayer:
Father, open our eyes to those around us who are in need of encouragement. Help us to give to them the kind of encouragement we would like from others. Strengthen our relationships with others through the gift of Encouragement. Amen

Jan posts wonderful devotionals here every Thursday. You can find her at Fellowship of Christian Bloggers. If you have a Christian blog, consider adding it to their directory :)