My Everything

Check out my post this month for EmpowerMoments!

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4, 5 NLT)

It took me a minute to figure it out. I was used to being at the top of my game; I wasn’t a stranger to losing, my life was blessed… I had no reason to think otherwise.

Then the trials came, the testing began, and God began to allow His purifying fires to burn. I started to lean to my own understanding. I trusted in my own strength, my own intelligence and my own knowledge to get me through. Yet, all that I had by myself was not enough.

And when I inevitably came up short, I grew frustrated. When I failed, I was depressed. When I missed the mark, I got angry. When I took wrong turns, I lost precious time.

Like I said, it took me a while, but I figured it out. Once I figured out that I had to make God my source, it all fell into place. God had to be my main source. Read the rest here!

Afternoon Ti: Giving Back

In honor of #GivingTuesday, I would like to encourage everyone, again, to take a moment today and give to someone else in need. It can be large, it can be small, but do something! It's a privilege to be a blessing.

Jesus took a moment to observe some givers one day as He visited the temple. One rich man made a great show of the offering that he was able to drop into the bucket. But, it was a woman who caught our Savior's eye. She only dropped in two small coins, but Jesus knew she had given everything she had to the Lord.

Would you be able to give your all to God? If He asked right now, would you be willing to empty your bank account, savings, cash in your stocks and bonds, throw in your hidden stash and give it to God?

Our commitment to Jesus is a trust that He will take care of us no matter what. And we should have that trust because we know He is the sovereign God. He holds the entire world in His hand. He has brought us to this point, and He is keeping us whole by His mighty hand.

We should gladly be able to give whatever the Lord asks for to Him. Nothing should be too dear, too precious, or too great. All of our riches could never compare to the matchless majesty of our Lord.

That woman gave all she had because she esteemed who God was. She gave her last to the One who could supply her every need.

Today, search your heart and find a way that you can esteem the God you serve. No, you may not empty your bank accounts, but there is something that you can give to the Lord to signify your trusting Him with your life.

Verse of the Day: And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:41-44

Fully Committed

This morning I've been thinking about the word commitment. When we committed our lives to God we entrusted them to Him. We gave our lives over to the Lord trusting that He would keep them safe. We commended them to His care.

Yet, many of us committed our lives to the Lord on a contingent basis. We confessed Christ and believed in our hearts. We knew that giving our lives to Jesus would ensure us eternal life and guarantee us entrance into heaven's gates.

But our commitment to Christ extends far beyond our confession of faith. It involves living a daily life in line with the Word of God. It entails living our lives in service to others. It means giving up our will for God's.

When we committed ourselves to the Lord, we were telling Him that we thought His way was the best way. We were signaling that we were giving up our desire and submitting to His.

Too many of us are not fully committed to God. We've said that He is our Lord, but our actions don't reflect that. We came to Him confessing that He was our Savior, but we haven't allowed Him to free us from all that we were bound to.

Today, think about what it means to be committed to the Lord. Look at your life and assess whether you've committed everything to Him. See if there's any places where you're still living what you think is best and not what God says is the best.

Ask God to help you to fully commit to His will. Allow His sovereignty to lead and guide you. Remember the day that you came to Christ recognizing His true saving power. Then let Him free you from all the things that you are bound to.

Verse of the Day: ...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 22:42b