Good Morning Servants of the Lord. Faithful Followers of Jesus! Is that you? I pray all the time that that would define my walk with Jesus. Surrendered, faithful, servant, walking in His ways. Amen! But what do you do when you grow weary? How do you overcome the drama a leader faces and find peace? Honestly, say what you want about any president, I'd like to have the backbone they have that allows all the junk being tossed at them to run off like water from a ducks back feathers! I allow Satan to take me too deep into my own thinking sometimes and allow Him to derail me from God's best. When that happens, I know in my heart of hearts that I need to strap on the armor and abide in Him and His protecting love, yet too often I let myself be sucked into that dark hole of depression or let the drama and noise lead me away from God's best. Can you relate? I know many of you can. I am praying His peace, like a river flowing over us. I'm praying we can turn off the noise and focus on Truth and the Way--Jesus. He brings life if we die to self and turn off the noise and allow it. Some days it takes all the strength you can muster just to get out of bed, right? BUT GOD! He is there and upholding you in His strong right hand and will strengthen and carry you if you allow. He is our Deliverer and our Strength! Get up, worship and don that armor. Sharpen that sword as you open and dwell in His Living Word. prepare for the day ahead. Watch for what God is doing and remind Satan that he's defeated and has no power over you! "Satan be gone!" Rise and shine! God's got great plans for you today! Rejoice!
Check out the flow through our devos for today. Turn off the noise. Fix your attention on Jesus and load up and follow well. I'm praying for you! Let His Light shine! Think about the importance of Proverbs 3:5-6! Stop leaning on your own understanding. Focus on God and allow Him to direct your steps and lift your attitude.
ODB:
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June’s eyes were fixed on the gray car beside her. She had to change lanes to exit the highway, but each time she tried to overtake the vehicle, the other driver seemed to speed up too. Finally, she managed to cut in front. Smug in her moment of triumph, June looked in the rearview mirror and smirked. At the same time, she noticed her destination exit passing her by.
With a rueful smile, she recounted: “I was so fixated on overtaking that I missed my exit.”
Such a slip can also happen in our desire to walk in God’s ways. When the religious leaders persecuted Jesus for not keeping the Jewish law (John 5:16), He warned that they’d become so fixated on studying and enforcing the law that they were missing the person the law pointed to: “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (vv. 39-40).
In trying to be right before God, the religious leaders focused on following the Jewish law and making sure everyone else did too. Likewise, in our zeal for God, we may keep up with good things—church attendance, Bible study, charity work—and even get others to join us. But we can become so focused on them that we miss the person we’re doing them for—Jesus.
In all we do, let’s ask God to help us fix our eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2). He alone is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
By Jasmine Goh
REFLECT & PRAY
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What are you focused on today? What does it mean for you to fix your eyes on Jesus?
Dear God, thank You for giving me life through Christ. Please help me to keep Him at the center of all I do.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In John 5:39-40, Jesus acknowledges the importance of studying the Scriptures yet asserts that they ultimately point to Him. Both the Old and New Testaments declare Scripture’s impact. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul encourages Timothy to continue in the Scriptures, and he notes that “all Scripture is God-breathed” and trains and equips us for personal growth in holiness and to serve others (vv. 16-17). Before installing Joshua as the new Israelite leader, God urged him to “meditate on [the Law] day and night” so that he’d be “prosperous and successful” in leading the Israelites into Canaan (Joshua 1:8). In Psalm 19, David declares that the words of God refresh the soul, make wise the simple, and give joy to the heart and light to the eyes. By them we’re warned and find great reward (vv. 7-11). Through keeping and treasuring Scripture, God makes our way clear (Psalm 119:1-3, 105; Proverbs 2:1-5).
Alyson Kieda |
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UR: An Example to Follow
Love your neighbor as yourself. - Matthew 22:39 (NIV)
As I drove toward the entrance to the industrial park where I work, there was heavy traffic on both sides of the street. I saw a woman in another car who wanted to make a U-turn, but no one on my side of the road was allowing her to turn. At the risk of frustrating the drivers behind me, I decided to let her make the turn and signaled for her to go ahead.
I watched her make the turn, feeling good about my kind action and expecting she would wave to express her thanks, but she didn’t. My first thought was, What an ungrateful person! Then I paused to think more about what happened: Why did I let the woman make the turn? What was my motive for that nice gesture toward a stranger? Sadly, I had to admit that I had not acted out of generosity but rather to feel, if only briefly, the satisfaction of believing that I am a good person who did something good for someone. And I was waiting for acknowledgment in return.
How easy it is to love when others reciprocate. But it is quite another matter when love or kindness is not reciprocated. Jesus is our ultimate example of selfless love — he gave his life for us. Today’s scripture from Luke is a reminder and invitation to follow Jesus’ example without waiting for anything in return.
Today's Prayer
Continue to inspire and prompt us, O Lord, to follow your example and live out your commandment to love one another, not because of anything we might receive in return but simply because you loved us first. Amen.Sarah Young:
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