Talents - by Stephanie McFadden

God has shown you his grace in many different ways. So be good servants and use whatever gift he has given you in a way that will best serve each other.  

1 Peter 4:10 (ERV)

God made each one of us unique. We all have different things we’re good at: our talents—those things that “just come naturally.” These are gifts from God, specialized for each one of us. God gave us these gifts not for our own display, but for the purpose of showing Jesus’ love to others.  He wants us to use these gifts for His purpose, pointing all the glory to Him.

Example: Last year, the dad of my daughter’s preschool teacher passed away. In memory of him, she wanted to frame a poem as a memorial gift to her mom and a few other close relatives. She found a beautiful poem and wanted it placed on top of an outline of a tree- but she asked me for help to put it all together.  I typed up the poem, center justified it to the tree photo, added his initials to the bottom, and printed on vellum. The whole thing took about 15 minutes of my time, but I cannot tell you how many times she thanked me.  What amazed me the most was that she thanked me for “my talent” because it was “such a blessing” to her and her family.

A talent? A blessing??? I just hit “print”!! I offered to help because I just wanted to save a wonderful woman some money and help make it look pretty. I have a good printer and I get bulk discounts on paper- - I already had the tools and materials on hand, and I had a few minutes of spare time. I didn’t think it was a talent or a blessing because it was an easy request for me to fulfill-- It was just something I wanted to do to be nice!

.....But, to her, that small project was so much more than “just a print out”. It was something tangible to remind them of her dad’s legacy and new life with Jesus. I didn’t know that it would make that much of a difference to her, her mom, and her family. God used me to give a small level of comfort to a grieving family- That is so amazing and humbling that Little-Ole-Me could be an extension of Jesus.

I’m not telling you this story to toot my own horn—I am telling you this story because what you find as “a given” is the talent God wants you to use.  I find it astonishing that the creator of the world can use each one of us. We can be a blessing to someone else without huge sacrifices, moving mountains, or doing the ‘impossible’...  All you need to do is what you already know – just point the glory to God, and let Him work the miracles through you.

I love The Message’s interpretation of this verse:

Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything. 1 Peter 4:10 (MSG)

So my questions for you today: what special talent/gift have you received from God? How can you use it to glorify Him? Or another way of asking: What do you love to do and how can you use that love to help someone else?

This world is full of negativity, doubt and selfishness.  Be different. Prove there is still good in the world. Actively search for those “Be Jesus” moments, no matter how small or large they may seem. We may never know the extent of our actions in the lives of others: but do it anyway- for God. Maybe that one ‘little’ thing you did brightened someone’s day. Maybe it changes an attitude, removes doubt, starts a relationship with Jesus and changes their eternity. Let God do what He does and let Him use you.  He’s given so much to us, it’s the least we can do for Him.  

#1 Meal Please!

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
Genesis 9:1-3

Did you know we weren't originally designed to eat food the way we do today?  I know when Steph and I are trying to decide what is for dinner, the first question we ask is:  Chicken or Beef?  Could you imagine a world where you don't eat beef?  There's no such thing as a Big Mac!  There's no Kentucky Fried Chicken!  In fact, before the flood, if you mentioned that you wanted to have chicken for dinner, you would probably be viewed as insane.  Today, the best example would be someone coming to your house, seeing your dog, and making a comment like:  "boy some dog sounds really good right now."  We would look at them like they're crazy.  Some may ask them to leave right then.

That's the way the world existed before the flood.  People did not eat meat.  People were not supposed to kill the animals at all save for a sacrifice to God.  People ate fruit and vegetables that were grown.  That's the way we were originally designed.

Before the flood, you could walk up to a lion and pet it.  You could climb on the back of a dinosaur and go for a ride.  It was a different world.

So what?  right?  That was a long time ago and we don't live in that environment today.

I believe that the world before the flood is the world that God intended for us to live in.  I believe it's close to the environment we will live in again one day after this life.  So, in a way, to study the science of the world that existed before the flood will give us a taste of the world we have to look forward to in the future, and that is motivation for me to continue living each day for God.

But One

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.'

Genesis 6:1-8

For the longest time, I thought that God had destroyed the world with a flood only because of the wickedness of man.  After all, isn't that reason enough?

It wasn't until recently that I learned that angels decided to leave heaven and mate with the human women on the earth, creating what the Bible calls Nephilim children.  Can you imagine what the kids of an angel and a human would look like?  It sounds crazy, doesn't it?  Do a search on Google for Nephilim and see what you find.  Images from all over the world of strange looking giant people being pulled from the ground.  It's almost scary to see at first if you've never heard of it.  Ofcourse, the world has created all kinds of their own evolutionary theories as to where these beings came from, but the truth is that these are the results of fallen angels mating with human women.  The were looked at as heroes on the earth at the time.

When the world became flooded with Nephilim, and the people became wicked and sinful, God said that He regretted making humans altogether.  His greatest creation had turned on Him.  His own angels had turned on Him.  

Aren't you glad that last sentence exists, though?  The whole world had turned on God, living their life doing whatever made them feel good.  One man took a stand for what was right, and as a result, humans still exist on this planet.

Today, let's think about that as we deal with all different kinds of people throughout the day.  Even if everyone else around us is doing the wrong thing.  Even if they mock you for being different.  Know that God will honor you for serving Him, and at the end of the day, that is really all that matters.

Happy Didasko!

"...and He began to teach them. . "
(Mathew 5:2)

The word for "teach" here is διδάσκω
(didasko), which means "to teach."

Didasko, however, was a form of teaching that focused on content, with the purpose of discovering the truth. 

This form of teaching was contrary to the ways of teaching so popular among Greeks at that time, where discussion and the bantering about of various ideas and opinions was their main objective (see Acts 17:21).

Jesus teaches "the didasko way," where His objective is to teach each of us "systematically" the Truth of God. 

Why?

Jesus teaches us HIS Truth in a systematic progression so that those he teaches:
1) receive HIS Truth
2) implement HIS Truth
and, thus,
3) change their behavior as a result of believing HIS Truth. 

As we feed on The TRUTH from Jesus daily, precept upon precept, HIS Truth will energize HIS Spirit within us and cause a transformation inside of us that will result in a Christ-likeness about us that will be evident to those around us.

Jesus' didasko teaching is systematic, one piece of getting TO KNOW Christ's attitudes will build us up into another piece.

Thus, in the beATTITUDES:

*Becoming poor in spirit

*will bring us to the place that we properly mourn our sins (where what breaks God's heart also breaks our heart)

*which will lead us into an attitude of meakness

*which will make us more and more hungry and thirsty for the "rightwiseness" of God

*which will create in us a new heart that desires to forgive rather than harbor bitterness, a heart that desires to be rid of the record of the offenses of others

*and that will help us to truly see the purity of God's heart

*which will naturally cause us to desire to bring others to this same knowledge about God

*and ALL OF THAT will, eventually, enable us to realize that being persecuted for the sake of Christ is a privilege and a given.


The purpose of Jesus' didasko teaching was to conform us (to transform every single attitude that we have) into HIS image.

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29) it affects his innermost being. 

Our goal as Jesus' disciples must always be to KNOW God, and out of that knowledge to LOVE and IMITATE Him.

So my desire for you today (and for me) is to feed upon HIS Truth, the teachings of God's Word and to

Have a Fruitful Disdasko Day!


#happydidaskoTOyou

Truth in Lies

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:1-5

Did you know most lies have a very high percentage of truth in them?  It's true.  Satan knows that, and that's one the biggest tools that he uses to deceive people.  In order to make a lie believable, all you have to do is add some truth to it.  if you convince someone about the small piece that is true, they will believe the entire lie based on only that one little truth.

That's how Satan deceived Even in the garden of Eden.  There are 2 main things he did in his sales pitch to Eve that were truly genius:

-  he made her doubt.  When Eve said they would die from eating from the tree, Satan's immediate response was:  "really?  die?  isn't that a bit extreme?"

Don't we use that a lot today?  Honestly, I use it all the time at work when I'm trying to convince someone to do something.  Even if I'm not sure about something, my immediate reaction to someone who seems really confident about something is to say:  "really?".  The main purpose is simply to get them to doubt.  Why?  Because I know that if I can get someone to doubt, it will make them less confident, and less secure about their position.  As soon they doubt their position, it opens up a small window for me to present my view, and the chances are higher they may believe my argument.  I assure you that the tactic works very well.  That's what Satan did to Eve to deceive her.  All he had to do was cause just a little bit of doubt.  As soon as he said that, she must have thought to herself:  wow!  That really is pretty extreme.  would I really die just by eating this?

As soon as he got Eve into that vulnerable state, he immediately threw in his argument, which was believable because it actually contained a little bit of truth.  He said:

-  You will not die!  You will be like God, knowing good and evil.

See how he did that?  he mixed lies right in with truth, all in the same sentence....it was genius.  He knew the only piece Eve would focus on is the true part, that she will "know good and evil".  After all, isn't that the definition of the fruit of that tree?  Satan convinced Eve to disobey the only direct order from God by telling her a lie that was mixed with a little bit of truth.

We hear these lies mixed with truth all the time, don't we?  how could a God allow people to go through the pain that they do....isn't He a God of love?  See that?  It's convincing, isn't it?  the true part of the statement is that "God is love"....which is the only part that people focus on, and since that specific statement is true, it makes them believe the lie that went with it.  It's genius.

Today, let's be aware of the things we hear.  Let's make sure to compare the whole argument that we hear with the truth from the Bible.  That way, we will not be deceived by a lie that contains a piece of truth the way Eve was deceived long ago.

Wait - by Stephanie McFadden

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 
Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

I hate to admit it, but even with my best intentions I get “weary”. In this current season of my life, I wear many hats: stay at home mom, wife, small business owner, cook, maid, chauffer, boo-boo kisser, homework tutor, time management enforcer, daughter, sister, friend, etc etc etc... and all of these take my time, energy and attention. You know Rick’s “we need a day of rest” post yesterday? Yeaaaah.... I don’t get those often. I’m lucky to get a bathroom break alone :)
This is one of my favorite verses because it helps me see the “big picture” for my life- Keep your eyes on Jesus, don’t give up, and, eventually, God’s reward will be more than you can imagine. It’s a continuous reminder to keep my priority on God’s will and focus on Him in ALL I do- and if I keep doing what He asks of me, I WILL see amazing results in His appointed time.  All good things come to those who wait, right?  
We, as a society, do not like to wait.  We want instant gratification:  We need the fastest internet connection, we subscribe to Netflix and TiVo so we can skip the commercials and binge-watch our shows with no delays between episodes.  We pace back and forth in front of the microwave. We want it NOW and we get frustrated if it takes longer than we expect. 
But God doesn’t work that way. It’s His perfect timing, not ours. 
“More important than the awaited goal is the work God does in us while we wait. Waiting deepens and matures us, levels our perspective, and broadens our understanding.” -John C. Maxwell
Think of those things that give true, worthwhile results ... they do not happen instantly. It takes time, dedication, energy, hard work, effort- and lots of faith.
Friendships take time to grow into deep and meaningful relationships. Diet and exercise routines take weeks of hard work and discipline to start showing results. Sports and hobbies take many long hours of practicing to show improvement and continuous accuracy. Financial planning takes time for pennies to collect into dollars. Caterpillars turn into butterflies, acorns grow into tall oak trees, oysters make pearls....
None of this can happen without the faith to see the ‘finish line’ and the endurance to keep going forward for amazing results. 
On those days that just seem impossible, even if the devil just won’t stop—keep your focus on Jesus. Turn to Him for grace, compassion, and love. Keep pushing though- Don’t quit. With Him, all things ARE possible. Keep doing His work. Your reward is in Him.  It takes our entire lifetime to get to Heaven- our ultimate harvest and reward. 

Day Off

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:2-3

Ever wonder why many businesses are closed on Saturday and Sunday?  For a very long time, Saturday has always been perceived as a day off.  Where did that start?

I believe that started way back in the beginning of time, when God created the world.  In the beginning, God designed us to work for 6 days, and to take the 7th day off.  Many other businesses are still open on the weekend, so employees are given a different day off.  Many take every Thursday off as their day of rest, but the same logic applies.  They work for 6 days, and take the 7th day off.

We as humans were not designed to work at our jobs 7 days a week.  We would quickly burn out.  We need to take that one day to rest and recharge, so we can start a new week.

In the United States, many businesses have taken this a step further by also taking the first day of the week, Sunday, as a day to worship.  The idea is to dedicate the first day of the week to God.  This is why many also have Sunday off work.

In the Bible, we can read that, in the Jewish nation, there were very severe penalties for anyone who was caught working on Saturday.  It was their Sabbath day.  They were commanded by God to take that day off as a day of rest.  In our culture, the rule is not quite a strict.  If you are caught working on a Saturday, you will not be put to death like the Jews were; however, the concept still applies to us.  God did not design humans to work 7 days a week.

So, this week, whether your "day off" falls on Saturday or any other day of the week, let's take a few minutes that day to thank God for giving us that day off to relax, recharge, and prepare to start a new week.

Steal the Credit

And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Genesis 1:6-8

It's amazing to me how much we continue to learn about God as we study the Bible.  This was written a few thousand years ago, and only just recently have we really begun to grasp the true meaning behind this.

Did you know that the world we live in today is not the same environment that God initially designed the earth to be?  When He designed it, nothing and nobody was meant to die.  We were designed to live forever!  Even after sin and before the flood, people were still living over 800 years, and large dinosaurs roamed the earth.  How was that possible?  man only lives to about 100 or so these days....it just doesn't seem possible in the environment we know!  How did that happen?

The answer is more simple than we would think.  The world was not designed the way we see it now.  When God designed it, there was a layer of water or ice that surrounded the earth.  So what?  All kinds of research has shown that, if we were protected by a layer of ice / water, the pressure would be higher, we would be more protected from the harmful rays of sun, and the oxygen content would be significantly higher.....just to name a few things.  All of these things would allow humans to live for a much longer span of time.  It would allow dinosaurs to live at their large size with their small lungs.  It's completely amazing to study the original design of this earth.  It was awesome!

Today, people have removed God from history.  They say believing that a God created this world is old fashioned and stupid.  So people sat down a long time ago and started to create a theory about how this world could come about without a God creating it.  This is where the theory of evolution began.  If you truly study it, the theory is completely insane.  To spontaneously improve without outside work by definition defies the very basic scientific laws, yet we accept it without question.  why?  In order to make the insane theory believable, they simply add millions of years and say the process must have happened very slowly.  Then they pull out radiation dating methods as a means to support the theory (some actually think it proves the theory).   It's become so widely recognized that many Christians have decided that it must be true as well, compromising what the Bible says with so-called "science."

Why is this important?  It's important for many reasons:

1)  God predicted people would do this.  

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
2 Peter 3:3-6

God Predicted that people in the last days would willingly ignore the fact that God created the world, and that he destroyed the world with a flood!  Crazy!!!  all of the radiation dating that scientists do today make 1 major assumption:  that the environment we are in today is the same environment we've lived in for millions of years.  The reality is that this is not true.  our environment today is much different than the environment before the flood.  So, when we carbon-date things that existed before the flood, the data is wrong, since it's based on today's environment.

2) This is degrading to our God.  God created the heavens and the earth.  God created an awesome planet where there was no death and no pain.  to suggest anything different is insulting to Him, and takes credit away from His accomplishments.

3) This is devastating to our kids.  If we start out teaching our kids that the Bible is not completely true, and compromise it with lies about crazy alternative theories of the origins of the earth, it will cause them to doubt as they grow up, and may ultimately cost them their relationship with God for eternity.  As a parent, do you want that on you?  I know I don't!

So, today, let's not steal the credit for this world from the God who created it!  Let's recognize how awesome He designed this planet, and stop giving credit to some stupid theory that tries to leave Him out.  Let's teach our kids how awesome this planet was when He originally created it.  That way, as our kids grow old, they will have a glimpse of how awesome eternity will be, and give them a reason to continue living their life seeking after God.

Jesus is Sitting Down - by Carol McFadden

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.”  (Matthew 5:1)

When Jesus "saw" the crowds that day, and as a result of what he saw, decided to go up into a moutain and sit down, 

He didn't just "see" them from a distance.

He didn't just "see" a mass of folks following Him. 

He didn't just "see" a whole group of people that He needed to get away from so He could breathe some fresh air. 

The Greek word for "to see" in this verse is eidó.

The word “eido” means that Jesus was aware of the thoughts and feelings of each person in that crowd.  That word “eido” means that Jesus considered seriously those thoughts and feelings.  It means He perceived what was going on in the hearts, in the lives, in the heads and in the families of EACH person in that crowd, and that He had compassion on them.    

At times, we may think that WE have a great perception of people. 

Folks, we ain’t got nothin compared to Jesus!  Our perception of others compared to HIS perception isn’t even in the same ballpark. It’s not even in the same city. It’s not even in the same universe.  Psychology 401 might as well be the study of the mind of a baby ant compared to the thought structures of Jesus! 

One commentary expounded on the word “eido” by pointing out that it is akin to the expressions: 
"I see what You mean."
"I see what you are saying."

Now just imagine if YOU were one of the people in that crowd.  

Jesus would have looked at YOU. He would have understood YOUR feelings and thoughts. He would have understood your reactions and responses to the people in YOUR life.  He would have perceived all of that about YOU, and He would have loved you and had compassion for your failings and your mistaken thinking and your wrong reactions because He would have known where you were coming from and He would have wanted to throw you His own magnificent, workable lifeline. 

He would have been whispering in His mind: “I see what you mean Heather” or “I see what you are saying Michael.”  

Now fast forward to today.  Jesus is ALIVE, and He’s still perceiving each one of us. 

The Bible tells us that God “perceives our thoughts from afar,” that He “discerns our going out and our lying down,” and that He is “familiar with ALL of our ways” (the way we respond, the way we think, the way we see others, the way we see ourselves).  He knows EVERYTHING about us. 

And so look at what He did NEXT, after he perceived each man, woman and child in that crowd.

He went up on a mountainside and sat down. 

Back then, when a rabbi went up somewhere, on a high place, on a hill, in a mountain, and sat down, it meant He was ready to teach others His thoughts.  It meant he was ready to spill out His knowledge.  

So when Jesus saw the crowds, His first thought was, “Let me teach you what you need to know to respond correctly, to feel assured about your life, to be able to trust ME with everything in your heart.” 

And that’s what Jesus is saying to each of us today, right now, in this moment. 

“Let me teach you what you need to know to respond correctly, to feel assured about your life, to be able to trust ME with everything in your heart.”  

Jesus is waiting on the hillside for you. 
He’s sitting down. 
He’s ready to teach YOU!

All you have to do is open up His Word (the Bible) and listen to Him.
He’ll do the rest!

And if you ask Jesus for wisdom, He'll give it to you, generously, without finding any fault in you. (James 1:5)
Whoops, I spelled mountain wrong.
Jesus is Sitting Down!

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.”  (Matthew 5:1)

When Jesus "saw" the crowds that day, and as a result of what he saw, decided to go up into a mountain and sit down, 

He didn't just "see" them from a distance.

He didn't just "see" a mass of folks following Him. 

He didn't just "see" a whole group of people that He needed to get away from so He could breathe some fresh air. 

The Greek word for "to see" in this verse is eidó.

The word “eido” means that Jesus was aware of the thoughts and feelings of each person in that crowd.  That word “eido” means that Jesus considered seriously those thoughts and feelings.  It means He perceived what was going on in the hearts, in the lives, in the heads and in the families of EACH person in that crowd, and that He had compassion on them.    

At times, we may think that WE have a great perception of people. 

Folks, we ain’t got nothin compared to Jesus!  Our perception of others compared to HIS perception isn’t even in the same ballpark. It’s not even in the same city. It’s not even in the same universe.  Psychology 401 might as well be the study of the mind of a baby ant compared to the thought structures of Jesus! 

One commentary expounded on the word “eido” by pointing out that it is akin to the expressions: 
"I see what You mean."
"I see what you are saying."

Now just imagine if YOU were one of the people in that crowd.  

Jesus would have looked at YOU. He would have understood YOUR feelings and thoughts. He would have understood your reactions and responses to the people in YOUR life.  He would have perceived all of that about YOU, and He would have loved you and had compassion for your failings and your mistaken thinking and your wrong reactions because He would have known where you were coming from and He would have wanted to throw you His own magnificent, workable lifeline. 

He would have been whispering in His mind: “I see what you mean Heather” or “I see what you are saying Michael.”  

Now fast forward to today.  Jesus is ALIVE, and He’s still perceiving each one of us. 

The Bible tells us that God “perceives our thoughts from afar,” that He “discerns our going out and our lying down,” and that He is “familiar with ALL of our ways” (the way we respond, the way we think, the way we see others, the way we see ourselves).  He knows EVERYTHING about us. 

And so look at what He did NEXT, after he perceived each man, woman and child in that crowd.

He went up on a mountainside and sat down. 

Back then, when a rabbi went up somewhere, on a high place, on a hill, in a mountain, and sat down, it meant He was ready to teach others His thoughts.  It meant he was ready to spill out His knowledge.  

So when Jesus saw the crowds, His first thought was, “Let me teach you what you need to know to respond correctly, to feel assured about your life, to be able to trust ME with everything in your heart.” 

And that’s what Jesus is saying to each of us today, right now, in this moment. 

“Let me teach you what you need to know to respond correctly, to feel assured about your life, to be able to trust ME with everything in your heart.”  

Jesus is waiting on the hillside for you. 
He’s sitting down. 
He’s ready to teach YOU!

All you have to do is open up His Word (the Bible) and listen to Him.
He’ll do the rest!

And if you ask Jesus for wisdom, He'll give it to you, generously, without finding any fault in you. (James 1:5)

The Perfect Love - by Stephanie McFadden

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 NIV

Valentine’s Day has some interesting history-- The origins of valentine day began as a pagan fertility festival and was not associated with love until way after the end of the 5^th century. Written valentine greetings did not show up until after the 1400s and ready-made cards were introduced around the 1840s because they “were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged.” (not exactly a romantic reason!). This year, it’s estimated 1 billion cards will be exchanged and Americans will spend about $19.7 billion on the one-day ‘holiday’. Since Valentine’s Day is typically geared towards couples, we now have “single’s awareness day” to celebrate your un-attachment, and “Gal-entines day” for ladies to hang out with their other single gal pals.  All-inclusive commercialism at its finest ;)

No matter our relationship status, we want to feel special. We all crave that “someone” in our lives.  We want someone who understands us, cherishes our strengths, accepts our faults, celebrates our victories, and embraces us at our lows.  We want to Love. We want to be Loved.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.  (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

In this verse, Paul is describing the ideal and perfect love. But we’re human. We are not perfect. We fail. We disappoint. No matter how hard we try, we will miss the mark eventually.

But if we’re not perfect..... how can we achieve the perfect love?
The answer: WE can’t—but God can because God IS Love.

Using some math terminology, the word “is” means “equal, one and the same”.  Because God is Love, that means God = Love.  Since this ‘equation’ is true, then every time we see the word “love” we can substitute “God” in its place.  Let’s do a little word substitution....

God is patient, God is kind. God does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He does not dishonor others, He’s not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

That’s right..... God never fails.

I love my husband, my kids, my family and friends, my church, chocolate, crafting.... but they will always fall short of perfection.

Rick is patient... most of the time.  But he DOES fail... not often, but he does.

My kids are kind... most of the time.  But they DO fail... not often, but they do.
Even chocolate does not past this test... it DOES keep a record of wrongs....they’re called “empty calories!”

...but God Never Fails.

We will never have the perfect spouse/family/friendship/etc.....but we do have a perfect God. If we have a relationship with Him, then we already have the perfect love- His love. Even with all of our faults and flaws, He still loves us unconditionally: His love never fails.  He is the Perfect Valentine.

Complete

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genesis 2:18-24

In the beginning, God made the world and everything in it, and it was perfect.  He made all of the animals and he brought all of them to the man that He made, Adam, so he could name them.  He gave Adam an incredible garden to live in.  He had it all.  

Even with all of that, He said:  It is not good for the man to be alone.

God could see right away that we as men were in big trouble on our own.  As a result, He made women.  

I don't know about you, but I can pretty much say at this point that I would be completely hopeless without my wife.  There are so many things that I take for granted that my wife does.  You should see her go.

Somehow she manages to cook, clean, and manage 3 kids.  On top of all that, she takes care of me...and i'm pretty sure I'm high maintenance.  

Today, I want to set some time aside to tell my wife that I love her.  She is the greatest person in the world to me, and I don't know what I would do without her.  Just over 11 years ago, she decided to commit to stay with me for the rest of her life.....with no warranty included, even though she frequently says that she should have purchased an extended warranty.

I'm not even sure I knew it at the time, but I can assure you that God knew what he was doing when he brought Steph into my life.  He knew even before I did that she would be the perfect person for me.  I love her for committing herself to me...

...and I could not ask for more.

Our Tongues - by Jim McFadden

"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.  

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 

Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (James 3: 1-12)

I was a small boy in the 1950s, and like many children, I was told that "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me." Looking back, no one ever questioned the logic of that statement, and I think it was generally accepted as not only being a fact, but it was thought of as:
‘Well, everybody KNOWs that!’

However, as with most things, what seems right to man is not God’s way of looking at things. The truth is, our words can damage people more than most ever realize. 

Too often we easily justify our anger. I have experienced adult situations where physical pushing and fighting enrages those involved and escalates into further, lingering bitterness. In contrast, when you observe small children playing, you may sometimes see fighting, pushing and shoving over "what is mine!" and "what is yours!"’ one minute, and then 5 minutes later, you'll hear laughing and see children playing together. Children often forgive more quickly than adults. 

God warns us that the tongue has devastating and long lasting effects on one another. Have you ever witnessed a parent who verbally ‘beats down' a child. The child is just humiliated and would like to make himself/herself invisible. I was told in a seminar that it takes over 10 words of encouragement to overcome one word of berating with a child – but are we not ALL children at heart?

Our words can totally humiliate, discourage and destroy those closest to us. For example, we know our family members, and we can quickly point out each of their weaknesses, but God would have us build each other up with encouraging words that would spur those around us to live a life pleasing to our God. 

Encouraging words are just as contagious to others as discouraging words. Others want to be around people who are uplifting and quick to have words of praise coming off their tongues.
God asks: "My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

I want to purpose to have only praise worthy words coming from me (whatever is contained in our hearts is what comes out of our mouth). So let's focus on allowing God to take over our hearts and fill us with HIS love for others TODAY.

Wait - by Carol McFadden

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. - (Psalm 37:1-11)
--------------------
I know that's a whole "eleven verses" there for my post today, but all eleven verses make up the cycle that I need to follow and that YOU need to follow and that WE need to follow if we are going to see God bring us all out of the darkness and into the light.

However, I will make this devotion short. 

Have you ever been worried that someone else is "getting away with it"?

I mean, doesn't that just make you want to eat nails or at least throw up your hands in total despair or maybe even dread?

DON'T!!

DON'T despair!

DON'T dread!

WAIT on GOD!

Stay in His Word, and keep believing Him.

God ALWAYS has the upper hand.

He ALWAYS hits a slug of homeruns at the end and wins each game BY A LANDSLIDE. 

So let's all give up our rights and our expectations to God, for 'the meek" WILL WIN IN THE END!

WAIT on GOD!

Be a Headliner

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

As some people know, I am a headliner engineer.  You know, when I say that to many people, their first reaction is:  what's a headliner?  I usually have to then explain that, when they sit inside their vehicle and look up, everything they see is what I work on.

Did you know that, most of the time, the headliner is a different color than the rest of the vehicle?  Most auditors don't even realize that until someone tells them.  The reality is:  nobody really notices the headliner too much, unless something is wrong.

As the headliner engineer, it is my goal to simply NOT be noticed.  I do not want management to notice me.  I do not want the auditors to notice me.  I don't want anyone to even know I'm there!!  Why?  Because if anyone notices something about the headliner, it's almost always because something is wrong.  The goal of a headliner is to focus the occupant forward in vehicle.

If we were to ask a person to sit inside a vehicle for 10 minutes, and then ask the same person to sit inside the same exact vehicle with a higher quality headliner, the occupant would react by saying that the 2nd vehicle is nicer.  If we were to ask what makes it nicer, the person wouldn't know the answer.  He/She would just say the vehicle seems higher quality.  In this example, the headliner accomplished it's purpose by giving the person a higher quality feel without the person even realizing it was the headliner.

I think God wants us to live our Christian life similar to a headliner.  He wants us to serve Him with a high standard of quality, while making sure we focus all of the attention back to Him.  You see, while we are serving God, if people are focusing on us and our accomplishments instead of God, we are actually distracting them from our main goal, which should be to focus people on God.

When we serve or volunteer in the church, do we sometimes get upset because people don't seem to show their gratefulness to us for what we do?  When we serve God on a daily basis, do we get upset because people aren't telling us how great we are?  If so, we should probably take a step back and realize why we serve God.  

If we are serving God with the main goal of focusing people on Him, why are we so focused on ourselves?  Why are we constantly looking to be compensated?  Why do we take the attitude of "they owe me now because of what I've done"?  If our goal is to focus people on God, then the thing that should give us satisfaction is when we see others focusing on God as a result of what we do!!  That's the goal, isn't it?

So, today, let's be a headliner!  Let's make sure to serve in a way that helps people focus on God, instead of looking for people to focus on us for our accomplishments.  Then, when we see people starting to focus on God, let's use that as our motivation to keep moving forward!

Batteries - By Stephanie McFadden

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV

I use a laptop on a daily basis. It’s my tool for working on my on-line business. I use it to play and craft by searching on Pinterest and plugging it in to my scrapbooking cutting machines. It helps me stay connected to friends, family, and the kids’ schools through emails and social media. Now, it’s allowing me to minister through these devotionals.

My laptop, like all battery powered electronics, lose their power over time and need to be plugged in to recharge. Yes, I can leave it plugged in on the corner of the kitchen table, but the kids will trip over the cord, my office/printer is downstairs and I like working on my computer from the couch. I love the mobility of this amazing device.

If you think about it, we are that laptop.

We are amazing. We’re designed and used for a variety of tasks: serving, playing, working, connecting, ministering. We are designed to be mobile- we have hands to reach out and feet to help us move. ...and we can grow tired and need to recharge.

When we’re physically tired, we sleep.

But I am talking spiritually: our Lord will renew our strength if we just believe in Him. With Him, it’s like we’ll never run out of energy---Jesus is our electrical outlet. A continuous source of power. All we need to do is plug in to Him and we will always be at full strength.

Laptops are only useful if they have power. Ever since sin was introduced into to the word, we are physically separated from God. If we are the computer, then we need something to connect the laptop (us) to the outlet (Jesus). We have God’s word: The Bible is the power cord. It’s a direct line to God’s will. By reading, studying and praying, we can use God’s words to put Jesus into our hearts.

It’s all fine and hunky-dorey to keep a desktop computer plugged in all the time.... But we’re a laptop: Mobile computers. We are not designed to be physically tied to one location 24/7. We need to be able to grab some of that power from the outlet, transfer it, and then store it internally, so when we unplug, we are still able to do what we are designed for.

So, God gave us the Holy Spirit to act like a battery.
The Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives inside of us- our portable power source that goes wherever we go. The manufacture “name brand” batteries work best in our electronics: they charge better, they hold a charge longer, and they can be recharged many times. We’re made by God, so let’s make sure we use His batteries for our greatest potential.

A laptop without power is just an expensive paper weight. We are the same- We need our Power Source of Jesus. We need to soak up Jesus by getting into the Bible, transferring it to our hearts, and applying it to our daily lives. We need the Holy Spirit to sustain us as we go on with our day. We need to believe and hope in His Plan, His timing, His will. We need the power of God. All the time.


Us. God. That’s a powerful combination.

Rules

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

I wonder if people 50 years ago looked at this verse and just kept reading.  I mean, ofcourse God created the world.  What else is new?  They probably wondered why that verse was even in the Bible.  They took it for granted.

Fast forward to today, and people look at us like we're crazy by saying this, don't they?  You've heard it.  

"that's old school thinking!"

"That's religion.  We have science now.  Keep your religion to yourself."

 What was once just taken for granted is now passed off as crazy, old school thinking that has now been replaced with "real truth"

Let me assure you that this verse is just as true 50 years ago as it is still today.  The world did NOT create itself.  The world did NOT come from a giant explosion in space from anti-matter.  God created the world!!

Why is this important?  Why do people insist on a crazy theory where God did not create the world?

The answer is quite simple:  If we have to admit that God created the world, that means God makes the rules, and not us.  That means we don't choose what is right or wrong.  God does.  We are not in charge!  We are not the boss!  People do not want to hear that.  We want to be in charge.  We want to make the rules.  We want to decide what is right and wrong.  As a result, it feels much better to choose the theory that means WE get to make the rules.

We don't make the rules though.  God makes the rules, because God created the world.

So what does that mean for us?  Since God created the world, and God makes the rules, we need to study God and understand His rules so that, one day, we can stand before Him and give an account for how we lived our life

Someone Cares - by George Loudermilk

Likewise the spirit also help with our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we should but the spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered
Romans 8:26

it is so great to realize someone cares about us enough to correct what we are doing even though we may not understand what we are asking for.

A man may ask for a day job only to get a change of occupation.

Nothing we can do

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10

Earlier this week, Kristen asked why Jesus had to die on the cross.  So we asked Katie to explain it to Kristen.  At first, Katie said she didn't remember, but then we asked her a few questions:

We said: Katie, Do you know who goes to Heaven when they die?  

Katie said:  Yes, the people who believe in Jesus and have no sin in their heart.

We said: Katie, have you ever done anything wrong in your life?  Have you ever disobeyed mom?  

Katie said:  yes, i have. 

So we said:  Katie, do you have sin in your heart?  

Katie said, yes, i do.

So we said:  Katie, is there anything you can do to get the sin out of your heart?  

Katie said:  no, there isn't.  

We said:  But what if you do 10 good things to make up for the 1 bad thing?  Will that get the sin out of your heart?  Do good things erase bad things?  

Katie said:  no, there isn't

So we said:  then how do you get the sin out of your heart?

Katie said:  we can't.  we have to pray and ask Jesus to take the sin out of our heart

So we said:  How is Jesus able to take the sin out of your heart?

Katie said:  the punishment for sin is death.  That's why Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  That's why He is able to take the sin out of our heart.