Your Daily Crossroad
The Best Portion of All
“His piece is bigger than mine!”
When I was a boy my brothers and I would sometimes bicker about the size of the piece of homemade pie mom served us. One day Dad observed our antics with a lifted eyebrow, and smiled at Mom as he lifted his plate: “Please just give me a piece as big as your heart.” My brothers and I watched in stunned silence as Mom laughed and offered him the largest portion of all.
If we focus on others’ possessions, jealousy too often results. Yet God’s Word lifts our eyes to something of far greater worth than earthly possessions. The psalmist writes, “Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word” (Ps. 119:57–58). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the writer conveyed the truth that nothing matters more than closeness to God.
What better portion could we have than our loving and limitless Creator? Nothing on earth can compare with Him, and nothing can take Him away from us. Human longing is an expansive void; one may have “everything” in the world and still be miserable. But when God is our source of happiness, we are truly content. There’s a space within us only God can fill. He alone can give us the peace that matches our hearts.
Loving Lord, thank You that nothing and no one can meet my every need like You can. Amen.
When I read this it blessed me. What a perspective, He and He alone can give us the peace that matches our hearts. True contentment only comes when you willingly give it all over to Him and choose God as your source of happiness. Scripture says, Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Can you even imagine how big His heart is? So just imagine with me if we were to ask God to give us a piece as big as His heart, wow, that’s unimaginably and in my mind overwhelmingly big and He wants to share a piece with us that’s just as big as His heart. He loves us and would that we would prosper and be in health. The thing is, He won’t force any pieces on us, we have to be willing and submit all our ways to Him. He won’t force Himself upon us. What a God we serve. So today, let’s go to Him and ask Him for a piece as big as His heart and see what He gives you in return. If you don’t receive the piece instantly, that’s okay, trust Him for your portion, in His time and don’t look to your left or to your right but trust His timing for in His timing it is beautiful, it is delicious and it is well worth the wait.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 73:21-28, Isaiah 40:28-31
Things That Matter
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
It seems that time is passing so fast; birthdays come faster and even the holiday season comes sooner every year. But in reality, time is set at a fixed and constant rate and does not change. So I am not getting older faster than I used to, and holidays do not come sooner than they used to, but rather, time is passing at a constant speed. Why does time seem to be passing too fast?
The author of the book of Ecclesiastes had come to the point in his life in which he understood just how little time we really have. In the first chapter, the author identifies himself as David’s son, the king of Jerusalem. He also calls himself the Preacher and he spends twelve chapters preaching on the meaning of life–the meaningless of life. His main point centers on how much time we spend on things that are “vanity.” The word vanity means emptiness, unsatisfactory, and vapor. Too often, the things we chase after in life are done in vain, and end in emptiness. How many of us look back on things we chased in life and see the worthlessness of the time wasted and the end result? How many of us would love the chance to go back and do certain things over again? Let us go forward with a new mind, set on the things that matter.
Today, take time to stop, slow down and find the real meaning in your life. Our Savior was born to give the only gift that matters. A gift that is not bought, earned or labored for; it is totally free. Jesus has given the gift of everlasting life to all who believe in Him. In this gift, however, there is so much more than just what awaits us in eternity. Our gift starts today. Jesus promised that He would not leave us alone. He has given us His Holy Spirit who lives within us; and because of Him, we have love, joy and peace. Take the time to worship and praise Him for all that He has given you.
When I read this I couldn’t help but think of a small portion of a song I hear from time to time. “He is refining in his timing, He’s making diamonds out of us”. Don’t loose hope, joy or peace. Trust Him. He loves you beyond measure and if you just turn your focus on the things that truly matter, your true beauty will shine through. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before (Philippians 3:13).
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ecclesiastes 1 and 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Winning the Battle
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
Did you know that there is an ongoing battle for your mind? Many of us realize that there is a battle taking place inour minds, but the real battle is forcontrol of our minds. This may sound a little like science fiction and weird but that is just what our enemy wants us to think. We are in a spiritual battle every day for control of our thoughts. For some of us, the intensity of conflicting thoughts can torment us for hours. For others of us, we have learned such mind control that we do whatever it takes to press down those thoughts. Regardless of how we handle them, they are still there.
The only effective weapons that we can use are the ones given to us by God. The weapons of the flesh, such as mental imagery or positive thinking will not bring us the victory that God has for us. Many people use such tools and claim dramatic results, but the deceptions are dangerous. Why? Because the focus and the power are placed completely on us, not on the Lord. The more power we think we have in ourselves, the more power Satan has over us. Scary thought? Let’s go for the real power and learn to bring our thoughts before Christ.
Are you in a battle today over things in your mind? There are two things you must incorporate into your daily routine. First, open your Bible and read at least one verse in the morning. Use a devotional or a Psalm or Proverb, whatever works for you. Second, take what you have read and ask the Lord to put His words into your mind throughout the day. If you will do this every day, in time you will begin to remember God’s words and will think about them because His Spirit will bring them to your thoughts. For those things that you are struggling with in your mind, start talking to the Lord about them. Pray that His words will bring comfort and hope instead of torment and guilt. Let the Lord fight for you by letting Him have the control over your mind instead of trying to handle it yourself.
Wow!!! What a service we had yesterday! When I read this devotion I about had church all over again!! I couldn’t wait to get it posted for all to read. If we would only grasp the heart of this devotion, take it and run with it, what a life difference it will make! You have the choice, choose God today, choose the mind of Christ today. I don’t know who you are but I am going to believe in prayer with you and for you for deliverance. You are His child and He knows who you are and right where you are and He can change you, if you allow him to, meet Him half way and He will hold you and love you and change you in such a way you will stand in awe.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Isaiah 40:28-31
Choose to Love
As a child, one of my favorite words was “why.” I know it drove my parents crazy when I used it repeatedly. Why do I have to brush my teeth? Why do I need to eat those green things? The answer was always the same, “Because I told you so.” There are times when we must submit and do as we are told. Children have little choice in the matter, but as adults we can choose our own course. Jesus tells us to “love one another.” And even in this command, we have a choice. Have you ever found yourself wondering why you have to love that person who seems so undeserving? The answer is because Jesus says so.
Love is so important to Jesus that He summed up all Ten Commandments into two: love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. The Apostle Paul says in First Corinthians 13 that nothing we do really matters without love. But in today’s world, we are confused about love. Movies and television lure us into fantasies about “true” love using sex, guilt and manipulation as tools to obtain love. When we are hurt by someone who says they love us, we begin to wonder if love really exists at all. Is love a feeling or is it an attitude or a behavior? Jesus knew exactly why He had to command us to love each other. Because we would not do it based upon our own feelings. We are human and our nature is sinful.
The only way to keep this commandment is to pray. Pray for God’s love to fill your heart. Pray that you will love your enemies as well as your neighbor (the good and bad). Pray that you will love Jesus more everyday. It is only when we stop asking “why” and start asking “how” that we can truly know what love is.
I missed posting a devotion yesterday and I only have a few more minutes left in today but I felt I needed to share this with you before another day slipped by, weather you read it tonight or in the morning, it will get to whomever needs to read it in the moment they need it. I have been going so much in the past couple of days and after reading this devotion I can recall asking God why, many times, and so I needed this before I laid my head on my pillow and it has inspired me to stop asking why and start saying how. Forgive me Lord, help me to love more and to see past the failures and imperfections of those around me, it’s not nor is it ever my place to judge but to love, love beyond measure.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 19