Are you Connected to The Roots?

Scripture

John 5:15 (ESV)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Devotional:

Reading this verse made me think about our house.  When we first moved in the back yard was overgrown with Silverthorne bushes.  Like Kudzu it can overtake the area.  I spent many Saturdays trimming back and hauling off Silverthorne branches.  After being cut down the fresh vibrant branches would begin to die.  After sitting in the trailer for a few days the leaves were brown and withered.  The branches would dry out and become weak.  They no longer received the necessary nutrients from the trunk or stems and roots of the plant.

We are just like the Silverthorne.  As long as we are abiding in Christ we have abundant life.  We need to be rooted in His word.  We must build a personal and intimate relationship with Christ.  Without Jesus we will not have life.  John 14:6 states, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

The simple truth is that we do not have life without Christ.  Branches and flowers cannot live without being connected to the roots.  Christ is our connection to the Father…

My Plan Will Work, Wont It?

Scripture:

Isaiah 25:1 (ESV)

O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

Devotional:

Best laid plans made by me are never as good as God’s plan.  There have been many plans I have come up with.  I carefully think through each step.  What will it take and what would the outcome likely be.  I picture how great the end results are going to be.  I form my plans.  I plan and plot.  In the end though it is not my plans but God’s plans that work out for the best.

When God doesn’t move fast enough I tend to try and form my own plans.  I think out solutions and figure what’s best.  I can forget that God already has a plan.  His plan is always better than my plans.  His timing is always better than my timing.  I just don’t always see it that way. 

As I look back on my life I review when I tried it my way and compare it to when I did it God’s way.  Can you guess which way turned out better?  Every time God’s way was better.  So here comes the hard part for me.  When I don’t see God’s plan and I lose patience I have to remember scriptures like todays.  Isaiah 25:1 “…plans formed of old…”  Also, Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

I ask you to join me in waiting for God’s plan.  He will reveal them to us when the time is right.  That is when He knows it is right not when we think it is.  God never fails and He will never let us down or forsake us.  The next time you think you need to figure it out on your own just remember God has a plan.  His plan for you is better than your own plan, I promise…

Knowing Who He Is...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV)

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Devotional:

I remember as a kid drilling math cards to remember my multiplication tables.  I was never really good in school and like most kids did not want to go.  At the time I couldn’t stand it.  I had to go over the cards over and over until I could remember three times three is eight, oh wait that is nine.  I had to drill until I knew six times six was thirty-six.  Well you get the idea.  It seemed to me like hours and hours a day going over those stupid little cards.  The funny thing is that to this day I still have a majority of those little facts stuck in my head.

God knew the best way for His people to know Him and remember His laws was to have it continuously in front of them.  To this day I still have trouble with memorizing things.  But there are several Bible verses I do have memorized.  Why, it is because I read them, and then reread them.  It isn’t something I sit down and go over continuously until I have it memorized.  I read the Bible on a regular basis.  I go over different scriptures, some more than others.  Eventually they were committed to memory. 

Why is it important to know the Scripture?  Why did God tell us in the Bible to put His words on our hearts, to teach them to our children, to eat and sleep with His word?  Because without it we would stray.  OK, we stray anyways but it is a lot easier without it.  There is also another reason.  God’s word is part of the armor of God.  God’s word is the sword of truth.  It is how we defend ourselves against the enemy.  It is how we attack the enemy.  Jesus Himself used the word of God against Satan.  Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV):

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, 

“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

So again, why is it important to study the Word of God?  So, we are prepared for what Satan and this world throws at us.  So, we can stand firm in faith.  So, that we do not wander.  So, that we know who God is.  Reading His words helps us to know who God and Jesus are.  It will help us grow stronger in our relationship with Him.  Know God’s word, the Bible, and you will know Him.  The better you know Him the better your relationship with Him will be…

Grace and Kindess Is For All

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-7 (ESV)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Devotional:

Reading verse two I thought of my kids.  It seems I am always saying to them to show kindness or grace to each other.  Something is said, and another will snap back at them.  Most of the time it seems that what I am saying falls on deaf ears.  As I think about it I wonder if that is how God feels?  He tells us in His word to be kind and gentle.  We are to show love and compassion.  However, we still snap, fight, hold grudges, and hate.  The reasons vary but the results are the same.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine this.  What if ALL Christians everywhere started doing this?  What if we all showed kindness, gentleness, love, and most of all GRACE to everyone? It doesn’t matter what they do or who they are.  Reread verse seven again.  “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”  That is right, the grace Christ gives is for everyone not just those we think it should go to, thank God for that…  Back to my thought though, can you imagine the effects and changes we would have on the world if we as Christians showed unconditional love to everyone no matter who they are, no matter what they do, no matter their chosen life style, or path?  Families would change, neighborhoods would be different, and communities would be effected.  Most of all Countries would be become better places to live, regardless of the country or where it is located.

Jesus did not die on the cross just for you.  He did not die on the cross just for me.  He died for that person we cannot stand.  He died for that person we choose to hate.  He also died for that other person…

If Christ loves them, just as much as He loves you and me.  Therefore we should we try to do the same?  No, it is not easy.  In fact it can be very hard.  The good news is we do not have to do it alone.  We have each other but most importantly, we have the Holy Spirit…  You want others to love you, me too.  You, me too, want to be shown kindness and grace.  Therefore, WE NEED to do the same to others no matter how we feel…