Who's Your Trainer?

      When my nephew, Joseph, was about four years old, he ran up to me excitedly one day as I walked in the door of my sister's home and asked, "Aunt Treva, do you want to say the books of the Bible with me?" I smiled and said something like, "Okay, man....we'll do it later."

      Although I had recently rededicated my life to the Lord,  I did not know even half of the books, let alone their order from beginning to end. I remember the embarrassment I felt that I could not join this child in his recitation and the fear that he would detect my lack of knowledge.

     This encounter immediately sent me on a quest to learn what I did not know. Joseph knew his books and a ton of other Bible content because he is the product of an excellent children's Bible study program. Through this program, he was taught the Word, so much so that he actually preached his first sermon at age five!

      Years later, I heard the director of this same program still encouraging parents to bring their children to Sunday night Bible class so they can be trained in the Word of God.

      Our children are being trained by somebody. It could be television sitcoms, movies, music, or even social networks.  Rest assured, whomever or whatever has their attention is teaching and training them to be who they will become, because pupils become like their teachers. Let's point them to the Word of God so they can become skillful in the Word of righteousness, grow up knowing who they are in Christ and give God a generation of Christian leaders.

   

Scripture Links:  Luke 6:40; Proverbs 22:6; Psalm 34:11

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan has no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

All the Way In

      When a little boy kept falling out of bed at night, his mom asked him what was happening. He replied, "I guess I've been sleeping too close to the edge."

       Are we living close to the edge in life? What constitutes edge-like living? Some of the telltale signs are:

• Doing things or going places we don't want others to know about;
• Living lifestyles that closely resemble the lifestyles of those who do not serve God; 
• Being constantly preoccupied or losing sleep over choices we have made;
• Being irritable or argumentative when someone who cares tries to help us in a situation; or
• Overall discontentment or lack of peace about our choices.

      This kind of living can move us away from God's best, because the condemnation that often comes with it causes our faith to fail. And long term, it will cause us to grow accustomed to our habits, making them more acceptable to us. Our hearts, or our consciences are the keys to right and wrong; a truthful self examination can reveal where we are.
      If we find ourselves "further out" than we know we should be, the good news is we serve a merciful God who is always willing to forgive us and help us.  If we will become teachable and listen to our conscience and to others who care about us, we can get back to where we should be.
      The more we obey God, the freer we will become. Life is much better when we get all the way in. There's peace and blessing there.

Scripture Links:  I John 3:21; I John 1:9; Acts 24:16; Philippians 2:13; Psalm 138:8

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan has no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

System Overload!!

         A few months ago, actor, filmmaker, motion graphic designer and video editor Chris Crutchfield (my nephew), produced a video called Digitals.  The idea came after he received an email, a sms, a phone call, a Facebook message and two tweets all within about five seconds of each other. 

        What's on your mind this morning? Nestled somewhere between the overwhelming hodgepodge of thoughts like "Gotta get my oil changed, or gotta finish that project today, or I really need to exercise today.....and oh, I can't forget to pay that bill," I think God is holding up a finger, saying, "Excuse me, I can help." He desires to help us get it all done and to help us do what needs to be done this day, in an excellent way! His ways are so much better than what we can conjure up. They are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. 

         Technology. It's one of the biggies the enemy uses to keep us away from the things of God-----the relationship we so desperately need to enjoy the abundant life He has provided for us. Guess how I got this message today? By making a conscious decision to be still before the Lord. God says says if we seek Him early we will find Him.

        What's got your attention today?                             http://chriscrutchfield.tv/Digitals                      

Scripture Links:  Matthew 6:30-33;  Isaiah 55:9; Proverbs 8:17; Luke 11:10; I Chronicles 16:11

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan has no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Freedom from the "Gimme Spirit"

         Cooking is one of my passions. It does my heart good to see others enjoy my food. Friday, I prepared a meal for my co-workers. Although it was big project, I gained great personal satisfaction from the entire process. As I was shopping for a few last-minute items, a grocery store clerk handed me a bouquet of flowers. One of my co-workers gave me a brand new bamboo cutting board that day.....just like the one I had mentioned to God a few days ago I would like to have!

       These random acts of kindness may seem small, but they were pretty significant in my eyes, because they were blessings from the Lord. I smiled and thanked Him graciously.  

My sister, Paula, was such a wonderful caregiver to our parents.

       Had I expected expressions of appreciation from my co-workers and they fell short, (even though they were lavish in their praise) I would probably have been disappointed. That is what happens when we take our eyes off the True Giver.   

       Who is your source? Is it your husband, your children, or perhaps a friend? Have you [knowingly or unknowingly] placed unnecessary pressure on people to be your source? There probably have been times when we all have looked in the wrong direction and been disappointed that someone did not come through for us or return a favor for something we gave. 

      When we look to others rather than to God, we limit what He can do for us and who He will use. God is a big God, and He has resources we cannot begin to imagine to meet our needs. 

       But, we have to know Him as our Source. True, spirit-led giving should be from the heart, and when it's from the heart, we don't look over our shoulders for a particular person or persons to return the favor. Our eyes will always be on the One who will always repay. Let's give from the heart, expecting nothing from people, but being grateful for everything we do receive. 

Scripture Links:  Philippians 4:19; Psalm 78:40-42; Matthew 6:3-4 

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan has no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.