Power of The Spoken Word

Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

Today's scripture
James 5:20
Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Door Keepers Keys
God has gifted each of us with talents that were intended to be used for His glory. Has he given you an assignment to carry out? Has he handed you something from heaven such as the ability to write poetry or songs? Maybe God has given you a personality that makes it easy for others to talk to you because they know they can trust you. Perhaps you are good at teaching others, or you play a musical instrument well. God has given each of us some type of gift to be used for His glory. If we do not share our talents with others, then we have “bound” the gift on earth and heaven cannot flow through it. Now, if we use the gift God has given to us or we “loose it” on earth, then all of heaven can be loosed to touch people through the gift. It works like a faucet. The water has no effect until the faucet is turned on, then the water is loosed. As long as it is shut off it is bound. It's the same in the spiritual realm. We are like faucets linked to heaven and heaven is full of living water, ready to supply the earth, but we must make the effort to turn on the faucet so heaven can flow.

Scriptures
Romans 8:38-39
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9-10”If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.

Psalm 8:6
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.

Handle with Care

My sister Lori and I had to share a bedroom when we were girls. Sometimes that was awesome, like when we spent hours on the floor between our twin size beds playing Monopoly. Other days were torture. On the days when the conflict got really bad, we used masking tape or yarn to divide our room in half, with threats of bodily harm to the one who stepped over the other’s boundary. It was quite a challenge to the one who didn’t have access to the door at such times.

You stay on your side of the room, I’ll stay on mine!” Mine. It’s an ugly four-letter word that expresses our sinful, selfish nature. Like two-year-olds playing tug of war with a favorite toy, we scream, “It’s mine!” “No, it’s mine!” “It’s mine!”

Those harsh words are not limited to the tongues of toddlers alone. Haven’t you heard yourself saying, “It’s my life, my body, my rights, my money. . .” and “I want it done my way. It’s all about me!”

Psalm 24:1 tells us, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. God our Maker says, “It’s all mine!” He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Owner of the whole world. Everything you see – including you and me – belongs to God. It’s all His!

In Psalm 8:6, God in His unbelievable love and generosity invites us to be stewards of all of his belongings. “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.” Stewardship is a sweet partnership between God, the Creator and Owner of all, and us, his stewards. We get to carefully care for and use all of His belongings. It’s not a right; it’s an incredible privilege. It’s not a miserable duty; it’s a high calling that we must joyfully embrace!

What an incredible gift from God! What has God put into your care? What time, spiritual gifts and abilities has He given to you? What money and possessions has He trusted you with? How are you taking care of His creation? How are you caring for His temple, your mind and body?

Consider what God has placed under your personal stewardship, and then ask this important question: Am I handling all of God’s stuff with care?

Today’s Prayer:

Father God, thank you for all that you have made. You are the Maker of all things! It all belongs to you! Thank you for the incredible gifts you have given to me. Please help me to be a good steward of your time, your money and possessions, your world, your temple as it exists in my mind and body. Help me use the spiritual gifts and abilities You have given me in service to others. Please help me to carefully handle all of your stuff. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Being a Burden Lifter

You would think I would get the hang of packing for the airlines after a few trips, but it only seems to be moving from bad to worse. After each trip I make mental notes: 1) Do not pack that item again, you didn’t use it anyway. 2) Don’t forget these items, it would have been nice to have them along. The last two trips my suitcase came back to me marked with an orange tag: HEAVY Get Help To Lift.

Now, I knew my suitcase was heavy, but was it really necessary to inform all my fellow travelers standing around the carousel?

Wouldn’t it be helpful if hurting people were as easily identifiable as tagged suitcases? They know their burdens are heavy. Sometimes so heavy they can hardly lift themselves out of bed in the morning. But how can others know they are hurting? Maybe these people, maybe you and I, should begin clearly marking our oppressive days with an orange tag: HEAVY BURDENS Need Help to Lift!

There’s no guesswork in the Bible on if we should help carry each other’s burdens. Galatians 6:2 commands us to do so, Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The question is how do we obey that command without the use of orange tags identifying those who need help with their heartaches and burdens? Let’s again go to the Bible for God’s Word on burden lifting.

Ask the Holy Spirit to clothe you with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12). Have the attitude of Christ, looking not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2). Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Would orange tags make it easier to identify the hurting people in your corner of the world? It certainly would. But is it the best option? No, God always provides the best way. Follow God’s commands for burden lifting, imitate Christ’s example in how He reached out to others, and let the Spirit lead and guide as you go about the task you’ve been called to: being a burden lifter for others.

Today’s Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your word on burden lifting. Please help me to see the burdens that people are carrying. Give me eyes to see where the needs are. Give me ears to hear the cries of hurting people. Give me love that reaches out in compassion and understanding. I want to imitate Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Today's scripture

Acts19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

Devotional
Take a moment to think about the people you interact with daily. What if: when you said good bye to them on the phone, through your email, or in person today, that would be the last good bye you would ever say to them, where would they spend eternity? No matter what someone believes, whether Hindu, Atheist, Islamic or any other religion, our message never changes. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life”. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Just speaking that verse alone into someones life is allowing the Holy Spirit accessibility to their spirit. God then will draw them by the power of his Holy Spirit. What if we followed Paul's’ example in our scripture text?

Today's scripture