Make a Difference—Day 2

By on Aug 21, 2018 in Make a Difference | 0 comments

Make a Difference—Day 2 Matthew 5: 13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world.” This passage was written using images of salt and light to place emphasis on why it is important for us as believers to be different and be seen as different. Oh, how often much energy and effort is put into attempting to blend with secular communities. What do we really have in common? For Jesus to stress both salt and light, it is apparent that he expects nothing less than our producing and standing out among others. It is not a standing out which draws attention to ourselves, but, a standing out that allows others to see our good works and glorify our Father. The world we live in is made better when we simply walk out what is expected of us. Question: How much trouble could we drive out if we live as salt and light? Salt designates us as an element in the earth,...

Make a Difference

By on Aug 20, 2018 in Make a Difference | 0 comments

Make a Difference Matthew 5: 13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world.” My wife is a great cook and I would often ask her to cook grits for breakfast whenever we had a big breakfast. One particular day she could not cook grits and she attempted to encourage me to cook them myself. I told her, “I tried once and it didn’t taste anything like yours.” She decided to come and teach me how to cook grits. As we stood there over the stove, I watched as she boiled the water then added salt. It was then I began to say, “Oh, I never add salt to the grits I cook.”  She replied, “The salt is what makes the difference.” That day I learned the difference between a delicious bowl of grits and a bland bowl of grits was a pinch of salt. Today, as we begin this week’s devotional meditating on this popular passage,...

Beyond Superficial Change—Day 5

By on Aug 17, 2018 in Beyond Superficial Change | 0 comments

Beyond Superficial Change—Day 5 Isaiah 55: 7-9 “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  As we conclude this week’s devotional series, let us begin with a familiar quote, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” This popular quote is often used to inspire those who are looking for a different outcome from what they have been getting. It is believed that we cannot stay the same and expect something different. It is strange that our world, as lost as it...

Beyond Superficial Change—Day 4

By on Aug 16, 2018 in Beyond Superficial Change | 0 comments

Beyond Superficial Change—Day 4 Isaiah 55: 7-9 “He abundantly pardons…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Repentance is to turn from sin; it is to forsake it and turn to the Lord. When we repented of our sin, we made a choice to leave behind the ways that were familiar and destructive never to return to them again. Meditating on our devotional passage today, we see how willing God is to have mercy on us despite our past transgressions, when we repent. How awesome it is to know that God does not deal with us as our sins deserve, he has compassion on us and the devotional passage says, “He abundantly pardons.” To say that the Lord abundantly pardons suggests that God has a great supply of mercy for our multiple offenses. One of the refreshing things about a merciful God is that we can...

Beyond Superficial Change—Day 3

By on Aug 15, 2018 in Beyond Superficial Change | 0 comments

Beyond Superficial Change—Day 3 Isaiah 55: 7-9 “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” This week, during our family time together we went to Crackle Barrel for brunch. Everyone was placing their orders, and when the waitress came to my six-year-old, he said, “I just want some pancakes, please.” My wife spoke up and said, “No, Nigel, I am selecting something else for you.” Nigel was disappointed and said again, “No, mommy, I want pancakes.” My wife was determined to pick something she knew Nigel...