Living With Purpose

TODAY’S VERSE
“I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.
Genesis 45:4-8

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Joseph had a dream that God had a purpose for him to fulfill. In it his family was bowing down to him. It was a purpose apparently with significance. His brothers were jealous of Joseph and in a rage, sold him to slavery. He worked as a slave, went to prison, but everywhere he went, God favored him.  He believed that God had a purpose for him and this deep belief carried him through each day. Finally, at the end of the story, there was a famine. God led Joseph to store up grain for the famine and so when others were starving, Egypt was able to survive. Hearing that there was grain in Egypt, his brothers went to buy some. It was here that they were reunited with Joseph. When Joseph revealed himself, they were horrified. Joseph shared with them the key to his success, to his survival, to his extraordinary life. He believed that God was in charge and had a purpose for him. He said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”  Victor Frankl in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” shared about the ability of some people to survive the Concentration Camps of Nazi Germany when others did not. He concluded that those that seemed to have a purpose, a calling, a dream about their life had the will to live that helped them survive such severe atrocities. What about you? Come to God. He knows you. He loves you. He has a purpose for your life.  Make Him ruler of your existence and live for Him today. 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I thank you that you have a divine purpose for my life. I have been called to serve you and ask you to guide me in the way I should go. Help me trust you today. Help me to have the faith that Joseph did in trusting you when the times were good and when they were bad.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

Amazing Grace

TODAY’S VERSE
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. II Corinthians 12:9

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Troubles happen. There are so many variables in life. It is good to have dreams, to make plans and to choose paths, however, you and I know that things don’t always go the way we plan. What do we do when things seem to get all messed up? We’ve asked for wisdom, for guidance but now it calls for something more. Something very special. It calls for grace. 
According to Merriam-Webster grace means, “unmerited divine assistance”. This was given to us when He we asked Him to forgive us from all that we did to separate ourself from Him. And more that that, He made us His child. Our forgiveness was totally unmerited. There was nothing we could do to deserve it. In today’s verse, Paul is saying that God wants us to live life in the same way we received His forgiveness and became His child by relying on God’s unmerited divine assistance. Paul gave us his own testimony. When nothing was going right and Paul kept asking God to move in certain directions, God had to say, “No!” It was not the direction God had for Paul. Instead God was saying, “Paul you are going to have to trust me, but don’t worry, my grace, my intervention in your life that you could never earn, is going to get you through.” This is what hope is about. This is what faith is based on. This is the reality of our walk with Christ. No matter what we go through, God promises that His grace is all we need! Today, admit to God your need for His grace in your life. Humble yourself before Him, and acknowledge His ability (and desire) to see you through this day.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I need You in my life today. I need Your divine assistance. I need Your amazing grace. I know that I do not deserve it. You have lavishly poured Your love into my life and I praise You. Thank You for all that You have done for me. Thank You that today, Your grace is all I need to get me through. In Jesus Name.
AMEN. 

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

Never Forsaken

TODAY’S VERSE
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
Hebrews 13:5

TODAY’S THOUGHT
One of the first things they teach you in marriage communications is to stay away from using emotionally fatalistic words like “never” or “always”, as in, “You never help around here!” or “You always waste money.” It is very rare that human behavior is “always” or “never”. But what about God? The Bible makes it clear that His ways are not our ways. In Romans 3:4 it says, “Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true!” Now consider today’s verse in light of the fact that God does not lie. Moses tells us to be strong and courageous and not afraid. The author of Hebrews wrote to be content with what you have. Why all the optimism? Why the courage? Because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” God Himself has said to you and I, “Never.” Never. NEVER! Let it sink in – He will never leave you or forsake you! Today, right now, let this fact change your day. Let it reshape your emotions. Let it precede all your decisions. He will never leave you or forsake you.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I wander through most days with so much doubt. Perhaps apathy is a better word. I live as if you half exist. I haven’t taken most of your promises seriously. I have not been content. Most the time I am not strong or courageous. Forgive me for this. Instead, help me today really grasp what it means that you will never leave me or forsake me. Help me understand what that promise really means to me today. Thank you, Lord, for all your love for me. Help me to love you. In Jesus Name.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

He Is Right Beside You

TODAY’S VERSE
“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”
Psalms 16:8

TODAY’S THOUGHT
As a child I was afraid of going down to the basement by myself. It was dark and creepy. Yet that is where my mom stored the canned vegetables. And everyday after school my mother would ask me to go and get a can and bring it upstairs. Once, after my brother turned off all the lights on me, I was really frightened. My father, who arrived home as I was expressing my panic and fear, asked what the trouble was. I explained to him my concern about the basement. He took me downstairs and had mom turn out the lights. I grabbed his hand and relaxed as I realized he was actually holding mine. He walked with me through the basement explaining to me that there was nothing to worry about. What a difference his presence made. What a relief to know that this giant of a man was beside me and that I had nothing to fear. David knew about darkness. He was a lonely shepherd, out many nights taking care of the sheep. But he knew the secret to overcoming the fear of the dark. He wrote, “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”
Today you can have that same assurance. Acknowledge His presence. Spend time with Him and allow Him to guide you throughout this day. He truly is right beside you. 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I thank you that you are with me. Help me today to be keenly aware of your presence. Guide me, direct me and make me conscious that you are always at my side.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

Get Comfort, Give Comfort

TODAY’S VERSE
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
II Corinthians 1:3-4

TODAY’S MESSAGE
Why is it so important that we do not fall into the trap of thinking that we have to be perfect? Because there are no perfect people! But trouble comes when we expect ourselves and others to be perfect. Perfect people don’t have problems so we feel “pressured” to be perfect and cannot admit our problems. When problems are not presented to God and each other, we cannot be comforted, or if in private desperation we cry out to God and see relief, we cannot share our testimony because we would have to admit to the problem in the first place. That means that we cannot comfort others! What a loss to the person needing help and the blessing for us in helping others. We would miss the whole point of what Paul is talking about. In his book “Abba’s Child”, Brennan Manning shares the insight that Mike Yacinelli, author and co-founder of Youth Specialties, had after he went on a spiritual retreat. Mike writes, “Finally, I accepted my brokenness. I never came to terms with that. I knew I was a sinner. I knew that I continually disappointed God, but I could never accept that part of me. It was a part of me that embarrassed me. I continually felt the need to apologize, to run from my weaknesses, to deny who I was and concentrate on what I should be. I was broken, yes, but I was continually trying never to be broken again – or at least to get to the place where I was very seldom broken. It became clear to me that I had totally misunderstood the Christian faith. I came to see that it was in my brokenness, in my powerlessness, in my weakness that Jesus was made strong. It was in the embracing of my brokenness that I could identify with other’s brokenness.” Might we learn the same lesson that Mike did. Might we cry out to God and be comforted and then invite others to experience the same kind of comfort we received. This is the true Christian experience.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, I admit that I have troubles. I bring them to you for comfort. Help me in return, not to have false shame, but rather embrace my humanness and Your grace and comfort others in the way you comfort me.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

Unimaginable Reality

TODAY’S VERSE
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”
Ephesians 3:20-21

TODAY’S THOUGHT
I love my imagination. At night I would sit and make up stories for my boys. We would go away to far away places, do things we could never do in this life, be with characters from another world. Every night was an adventure. But at the end of the day it was just imagination. There was no reality. But what if? I have always been a dreamer. I see what others would consider impossibilities and start to wonder what it would be like if it came to pass? But all my dreams, visions, imaginations pale in comparison to what God has in store for you and I. In today’s passage Paul is giving glory to God. But not the God we normally think of. No, he is giving glory to a God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” What? More than I can imagine? No. Immeasurably more than I can imagine! I don’t know where to begin. What could Paul be thinking of? I can’t put my arms around it, but I know this. If you and I would start to believe that God could, and more importantly wants to do a fraction of what we could imagine let alone what we can’t imagine, it would change our life. Why not start today? Ask God for something “unimaginable” to pray for. Ask Him to give you a dream, a vision, and unimaginable prayer for your life. He will fulfill it according to His power that is at work within you!

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I don’t know where to begin. You said you can do more than I can imagine according to Your power that is within me. So Father, I ask you to show me what to pray. What unimaginable prayer do you want me to believe you for? Speak to my heart I pray. In the precious name of Jesus.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

The Father Prayer

TODAY’S VERSE
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”’
Luke 11:1-2

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is much to learn about praying. It seems so easy, “just talk to God”, but then why don’t we do it? Instead we act as if we are calling in a take-out order at a restaurant. Nothing really personal just putting in our request. Or we leave messages on the heavenly answering machine because we don’t expect God to “pick-up”. Where is the relationship? The disciples saw Jesus pray and they knew the impact it had on His ministry. They saw the relationship. Can you imagine how that must have been? It was enough that one of His disciples asked Jesus to show him how to pray. And what was the first thing Jesus modeled? He said, “Father”. Prayer for Jesus was about His relationship with His father. Larry Crabb in his book “The Papa Prayer” writes, “The chief purpose of prayer is to get to know God, to deepen our relationship with Him, to nourish the life of God He’s already placed within us, and to do it all to satisfy His desire for relationship with us.” God wants a relationship with you! He created you for fellowship. Prayer is more than just a shopping list, more than simple confession, more than a one way conversation. It is a dialog, a relationship. It is you getting to know God and fellowshipping “with” Him not “at” Him. Today, picture God with you while you pray. Talk to Him, share your thoughts, ask Him to share His thoughts with you. Be still, listen, share, fellowship with Him. As you do, He will do with you what He did with the disciples. He will teach you to pray!

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come to you now and ask you to teach me to pray! I want a real relationship with you. I want to know you and fellowship with you. I want to know your thoughts, your desires, your direction for my life. Help me today relate to you throughout the day so prayer becomes second nature to me. Thank you for your love for me. I love you, Father. In Jesus Name.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

Remain In Him

TODAY’S VERSE
“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
John 15:7, 8

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Galatians 5:22, 23

TODAY’S THOUGHT
How do we bring glory to God in our life? Jesus was pretty clear. He said that we need to remain in Him and produce the kind of fruit that His disciple would. Paul later explains that the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So how do we remain in Jesus? Larry Crabb in his book “Papa Prayer” explains, “To remain in Him means to live for the single purpose that ruled His life, with the same passion that kept Him on track. He loved His Father, He loved spending time with His Father in prayer, and He wanted nothing more than to let everyone see how wonderful His Father was, even if it cost Him His life. And that life, His life, is now in us. His passion and purpose are in our hearts.” So the secret to bringing glory to God is to create a strong relationship with God the Father. Everything else flows from that. Jesus only did what His Father told Him to do. Do we spend time enough with the Father to know what He wants? As we relate to Him in meditation and prayer, as we sit in His presence and let Him guide our life, we will see the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control more and more present in our life. This brings glory to God.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me relate to You in a more personal way. I need Your help to do this. Help me draw near to You and listen. Help me desire You above all things. Teach me, guide me, reveal Yourself to me so that I may bear Your fruit in my life that I may bring glory to You.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

Be Like Elijah

TODAY’S VERSE
“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
James 5:17-18

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
I Kings 19:3-4

TODAY’S COMMENT
I love the way James starts his example of Elijah and his miraculous prayer life. He says, “Elijah was a man just like us.” No wonder we feel pressure to be a super saint. You know, go to church with the halo just right and “S” on our chest. But that was not the point James was trying to make. James was really saying, “There are no perfect people needed to get God’s work done!” I am sure that the image of Elijah that James had in his mind wasn’t just the praying for rain to stop and start again; not just the fire coming from heaven to consume the altar; not just the flour and oil continuing to be supplied to the widow and her son; nor was it just the image of Elijah asking God to raise the widow’s son from the dead. I am sure that James also remembered the fact that Elijah was afraid of Jezebel’s threat to kill him and ran, fleeing for his life. He knew that Elijah became exhausted and sat down under a tree and prayed that he would die. James knew that Elijah was a person just like you and I. Elijah had emotions that could lead to despair. He had depression, doubt, and fear. Like us Elijah exercised doubt and faith; fear and courage, advance and defeat.  But he also saw God work through Elijah’s life and prayers. God used Elijah even with his imperfections. God can do the same for you and I. We do not have to be perfect. We do not have to pretend to be something we are not. We can be like Elijah, real with God about our deepest feelings and fears. God will meet us where we are and give us strength to live for Him. Be real with God today.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank you for the example of Elijah. What a wonderful testimony of your grace. How you took this person who could be so courageous one moment and so afraid the next, and used him for your glory. Father, use my life. I give it to you, in all its complexity and contradictions. Thank you that I do not have to be perfect, just available. Use me for your glory I pray.
AMEN

________________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how. 

The Real Deal

TODAY’S VERSE
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
Job 42:5
 
TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is so easy to walk in our Christian experience and really believe that we know God. We are like a baseball fanatic. You know the kind. He can tell you everything about a certain player. He can quote their batting average, number of homers, lifetime RBI’s. He knows where they played college ball, the names of his wife and children. He even has an autographed baseball. Yet he has never met the player. Never went to his house, sat with him at dinner or even had a discussion. Everything he knows is from reading or listening to commentators. Now don’t get me wrong, there is passion! Chances are he will fight you if you say something derogatory about the player. There is passion but it is based on admiration not friendship. Job came to a place where everything he thought he knew about God seemed empty and vain. And then He met God. Job knew all about God, He “worshipped” God, He even lived the way he thought God wanted him to; but when he saw God, it all changed. Knowing God in a personal and intimate way changes everything. And the beauty is that God created each of us with the ability to know Him. He has equipped us with the Holy Spirit who is to teach us all things and bring us into intimate fellowship with God. But the choice is yours. You can choose to spend time with God and ask Him to reveal Himself to you or you can continue to “know” about Him. Cry out to God today and ask Him to open your eyes like He did Job’s and you will be able to say, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” 
 
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, sometimes I feel so phony inside. I talk about you, I read about you, I pray to you, but I don’t seem to see you. Today, Lord, help me be conscious of your presence. Father, speak to me. Help the eyes of my heart to see you. I want to know you in a deep and personal way. I pause now Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit, reveal yourself to me. I will wait here till I sense your love for me. (Wait)
Thank you Lord for your reality. I love you Lord with all my heart. In Jesus Name.
AMEN

________________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

You can get Devog sent to your e-mail as “Moment In the Word”. CLICK HERE to have this Daily E-votional sent to your e-mail 

CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how.