A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth,  for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. -John 4:23-24

Prayer: Father, worship is not limited to one hour on Sunday. Teach me to worship You through the reading of  Your Word, through solitude and meditation, through scripture memory, through singing songs of praise to Your holy name, and through all the many other ways that You reveal Yourself to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

-Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges

Charles Spurgeon

I find myself as an generally optimistic person to say many negative things during the day. I talk about customers, government, church policies ect.. And I don’t realize what harm I am doing to myself and to the people or organizations I am speaking against. We trap ourselves with our words sometimes. We give our tongue free reign to bless and curse, build up or break down, to give life or death. It says in Proverbs 18:21- Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eats its fruit. I encourage you to speak life, speak blessing, and build up the ones who are around you. It can make such a great impact on someones life by just saying something nice to them. And when you build up others and speak positive you will open up the door for favor. Just the other day I was in a fast food chain to grab some rolls and sweet tea and I noticed the guy behind the counter just looked wore out and a little down. So I complimented his store for always have great service and smiling faces just encouraged him and took the time to engage in a conversation for a minute or two. By the end of the conversation the guy looked like he had just got his batteries recharged and was sporting a big smile, it made his day. Just a couple of kind words and a minute of my time. As I was going to pay he said it was on the house and not to worry about it. When you bless others and speak into their lives except favor to follow. God honors us when we honor others so choose life and turn your tongue into and instrument of blessing.

Our immediate and natural instinct is to trust what we can see, touch, and feel and to rely on our ability to figure out solutions to any problem. When the chips are down, we “lean” on our ability to analyze situations and figure out what to do next.   In fact, many of us become obsessed with figuring out what to do when times are tough. We call it ” worry”. We can’t concentrate on the job in front of us because we’re still thinking about the problem, situation, or comment that absorbs our minds. We can’t sleep becasue we go over fears and our plans again and again. We create scenarios and weigh options. We try to imagine other’s responses, and our fears compound. Leaning on our own understanding may not sound like such a bad thing ( after all, God gave us our minds) but hours, days, and weeks of endless analysis, confusion, and self-doubt can dominate our lives.   Our instinct, though is flawed and limited. Another source of wisdom is far superior to our ability to figure things out. We are connected with God of the universe, the One who knows all, sees all, and is powerfully able to accomplish anything He desires. The more we grasp this fundamental fact of the Christian faith, the more we will learn to overcome our instincts and trust in an unseen but all-seeing God.                     

-Zig Ziglar

The journey of the Christian life is one that seeks to transform a self-serving heart into a serving heart. It is about realizing that life is about what you give rather than what you get.  -Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges

A servants heart is truly more about giving than getting.  Sometimes with our consumer like mentality we come to church or a fellowship with a couple things in mind. “What can I get out of it, and what will it cost me.” Though these may be valid questions that you should ask yourself, they go against everything Christ has taught us. Jesus said in Matthew 20:26-28- Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.  Our whole mindset about church, work, and our families change when we figure out that we are here to serve. So many people wander from church to church, job to job, and from spouse to spouse. All because they believe life is about getting the best, not about serving the best. I you want be a leader, learn to serve. If you want to be great in business and marketing, learn to serve. If you want to be a great father or husband, learn to serve. 

A selfish or self-serving person with a consumer mentality will ask “what can I get out of it, and what will it cost me.” A servant leader with a kingdom mentality will say “how can I serve, and I don’t care about the cost.”

To bless is to grant favor, and we trust God to give us His favor. We don’t just roll through our lives with no thought of God. Instead we look to Him to give us wisdom in all we do, to guide us, and to give us success in our relationships and our work. This prayer for blessing, though, doesn’t guarantee a worry free life. Problems show us again that God is faithful to provide for us.  He is present with us every second of every day, and we can experience His peace because He understands our situations-even when we don’t. When we trust God this way, we shine light on everyone around us. As we experience God’s blessing, we bless others. -Zig Ziglar

When I read this devotional I thought I should share it you, and give you a challenge.  Today, and all throughout the week pray this prayer (Numbers 6:24-26) over your spouse, children, family, friends, and yourself. Pray it out loud and make these words come alive in your spirit. I believe you will see a change in your week if you do so. Be blessed and let God’s light shine through you today.

                                                                                                               -C.S. Lewis

Love is the greatest gift we can give. It is greater than any other gift God has given us. Without it the Father would have never sent His Son, His Son [Jesus] would not have died for our sins and we would live in different world condemned by the law.  All the miracles that Jesus done, everything He said, even the way He Died was all an act of Love for us.  It is so easy for us to get caught up in our everyday lives and forget about showing Christ’s love for one another. Whether it is at work, church, school, or home try to show Christ’s love all around you.  People will know that we are Christ’s disciples when we show His example of love. People today are turned off by religion but turned to Christ with love. Not just fake smiles or gestures, but meaningful deep hearted love.  Love that goes out if its way to lend a helping hand, love that forgives those who have hurt them. A love that cannot be bought or shaken. Christ’s love.

I Corinthians 13:4-7   “Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.                   Love Never Fails.

“The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men” -C.S. Lewis

When Nehemiah’s enemy’s heard he was rebuilding the wall they had a plan to harm him and stop the great work that God had started. Just as Israel’s enemies feared Nehemiah’s great work (rebuilding the wall).  The Devil fears “true”church and personal growth. Wherever the enemy is faced with the threat of a growing church, ministry or person, he will release his most insidious strategies in order to stop it. One of Satan’s primary strategies is to torment the people who are accomplishing the most for God’s kingdom. He will do whatever it takes to keep the people of God from bearing fruit. Just like in Nehemiah the enemy will try to distract you and send a plan of harm your way to keep you from finishing the great work. And when you face an attack of the enemy that is the time that you should work even harder at God’s purpose for you. An attack means that your doing exactly what God wants you to do and it is a threat to the enemy. Just as Nehemiah spoke “I am carrying on a great work and cannot go down.” We cannot back down from the great work that God has called us to do.

Nehemiah 6:15-16 So the wall was finished in 52 days.  And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for the perceived that this work was done by our God.