Daily Reading - "Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be." Matthew 6:21 NIV

Here is how it read today...

Fri. July 31

"WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE." (MATTHEW 6:21 NIV)

"Where's my heart?"

.

William Randolph Hearst lived in Hearst Castle. It was 90,000 square feet sitting on 265,000 acres. At one time he owned 50 miles of California coastline. And he collected stuff for 88 years. He had 3500-year-old Egyptian statues, medieval Flemish tapestries, centuries-old hand-carved ceilings, and some of the greatest works of art of all time. After eight decades of collecting stuff William Hearst died. Now people go through his house by the thousands and they all say the same thing: "Wow, he sure had a lot of stuff."

...........We all go through life, get stuff, then die, leaving all our stuff behind. And what happens to it? Our kids argue over it. Our kids, who haven't died yet, go through our stuff. Like vultures, they decide which stuff they want to take to their houses. They say to themselves, "Now this is my stuff," then they die and new vultures come to get it. Nations go to war over stuff, families are split apart over stuff. Husbands and wives argue more about stuff than any other single issue. Prisons are full of street thugs and CEO's who committed crimes to acquire it. Why? It's only stuff. This is what Jesus was addressing when He said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also" (Mt 6:19-21 NIV). Now, having read those words, ask yourself the question, "Where's my heart?"

Daily Reaing - "Forgive Them, For Thye Do Not Know What They Are Doing." Luke 23:24 NIV

Here is how it read today...

Thurs. July 30

FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING." (LUKE 23:24 NIV)

Tough love (2)

.

One author points out that Satan is the enemy, not the person you're dealing with! The real battle is against the forces of wickedness (See Eph 6:12). Satan wants you to think it's your battle alone, and act like you're separate from God. No, "The battle is the Lord's (1Sa 17:47). He's in it with you. So, what should you do? (1) Pray for the abuser. People who continually hurt others are in bondage to their own sin. And while that in no way excuses them, it gives you insight into how to pray for them. God intended these relationships for good, but they're undermined by alcohol, anger, and other counterfeits Satan uses to destroy fellowship and family. Pray for the abuser to become the person God intended. (2) Take a firm stand. You may need group support and a mediator present for an intervention. God's light can penetrate the deepest darkness with hope, restoration, and reconciliation, and when that happens it's a quicker path to healing. Nevertheless you need to take a firm stand, and if need be, get others to help you. (3) Ask God, "Should I stay or go? It would be naive to suggest that an intervention, sprinkled with prayer, will suddenly change everything. Some people respond to confrontation; some are melted by God's love. But many remain toxic and abusive, even when confronted in love, forgiven, and drenched in grace. You may need to end the relationship, as difficult as that may be. Remember, it's not your job to change the person, and it's not a failure on your part if they don't change, even when they're confronted with God's love and truth.

Daily Bread Video Reading - "Getting Involved"

A Tribute To An NFL Icon

It Is What It Is/Where I'm At 7/28

Daily Reading - "Let Us...Go On To Maturiry." Hebrews 6:1 NIV

Here's how it read today...

Tues. July 28

"LET US...GO ON TO MATURITY." (HEBREWS 6:1 NIV)

You're growing up spiritually when...

.

When Jamie's 13-year-old brother died in a skating accident, his mother locked herself in her bedroom for days on end. That's when 6-year-old Jamie decided he'd have to replace his brother, and the threads of an intricate fantasy were woven. He became obsessed with imitating his brother's personal characteristics; he wore the same clothes and learned to whistle like him. He became his mother's constant companion, deciding that to stay a child meant freedom from sorrow and responsibility. Jamie continued to resist adulthood, and it was as if his physical body joined the resistance. At age seventeen he was barely five feet tall, and in later years children were among his closest friends. And no wonder - since age six he'd idealized childhood, rejecting maturity. In fact, the boy who sought eternal youth as a defense against tragedy never did grow up entirely. Instead he became famous for creating Never-Never Land, that ageless island of dreams where little boys never grow up. That's because Jamie eventually became Sir James Barrie - author of the children's book Peter Pan.

..........What's the lesson here? You're growing up spiritually when: (1) You have the ability and discipline to feed yourself spiritually. (2) You know you were not born to be served, and that only in serving others do you serve the Lord. (3) You understand that your feelings are fickle, so you walk by faith and stand on God's Word. (4) You realize you'll be tested, so you commit yourself to living by scriptural principles and not human impulses. (5) You know that true satisfaction comes only from discovering and doing God's will.

Daily Bread Video Reading - "The Value Of Friends"

Trials & Tribulations of a 3% Child

So as I got older I learned to appreciate things for what they were but still question them sometimes if I don't fully understand them. So although I never got an answer from my mother about why my father just doesn't just learn something new so he can make more money and not have to work so much I always thought about it in the back of my mind and would continue to try to figure it out on my own. Around this same time I was being exposed to a lot of different things simply because my parents were wise enough to send me to school outside of my normal element. Simple example would be my first grade class, where I was one of only two black people in my 1st grade class, the other being my teacher. However my ways would still excel and I was always at the top of my classes.

Going to school outside my neighborhood allowed me to meet people who were different than me and learn that in the end we are all the same whether it be good or bad, at the end of the day we are all just people. However I would eventually have to leave this school due to my mother and father becoming so busy and transportation issues with me and my younger brother being involved in so many after school activities. So by the time I reached the 5th grade I was back at a local neighborhood school and would get welcomed back in the traditional way as it seems in our hood.

I learned a lot in just that one year about people period, and how they treat outsiders, regardless of color, prosperity or talents. That year I went through many test to gain other kids respect as well as adults in the neighborhood I would eventually meet. Prior to that year, I never went out in my neighborhood because I played for a football team outside my neighborhood so my only friends were from school and football, so none of those people lived near me. I learned to earn respect you simply had to give it and if you were dealing with a respectable person there would always be a mutual good thing to fall back on.

Many parents in the neighborhood loved me and learned to love my mother as well. She would eventually grow to become the mom for the neighborhood. With her having a number of kids and being involved in knowing everything that was going on, she developed a network with all the other parents and made sure they knew when their kids were at my house and what was going on at their schools and when they needed to be there or when something important should have been coming home.

Report card time brought quiet time to my house simply because everyone avoided my house due to having to show Ms. Thomas your report card. Because anyhow you didn't have good grades you weren't banned from my house, you were require to be there, and I had to tutor you. So in a way I was put on punishment because that would normally be videogame time. On top of that your parents would obviously know and you would be garnished of your fun for whatever time they saw suitable.

This year I also joined the Police Athletic League, P.A.L. for short. I can honestly say that this may have been one of the most influential and most beneficial programs I may have ever been a part of. It gave me a safe place to enjoy activities and sports on a daily basis that was very close to home. I would eventually come to learn and play many sports and participate in many programs both educational and entertaining. It helped expand who I am to a significant degree to which I will forever feel in debt to the creators and officers who helped run that program.

My 5th grade year was the beginning of an open-minded approach or thought process that would become a significant part of me and keep me different from most people. I would eventually make a ton of new neighborhood friends, get in a lot of trouble as kids did, but make lasting impressions on many people that til this day is still positive and unforgettable. I would learn to look at things with an open-mind and to not put barriers on what I could do. I truly began to harness this 3% mindset and understand it to a significant level this year. However, it still didn't dawn on me yet, that I was only in the 3%. Time would eventually show me otherwise.

Daily Reading - "Good Works...God Prepared In Advance For Us." Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Here is how it read today...

"GOOD WORK...GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US." (EPHESIANS 2:10 NIV)

Doing God's work God's way

.

Any time you ask, "What on earth am I here for?" the Bible answers "to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God created you for a prearranged mission. You're a conscript, not a volunteer. You don't get to decide your calling. And it's a mistake to try and duplicate somebody else's calling. Remember Moses? God calls him to deliver Israel from Egypt but he tries doing it his own way. Killing an enemy to save an ally's life, he winds up a forty year fugitive. After living in the wilderness and learning his lesson he returns to do God's will - God's way. All of us, not just ordained ministers, are called to do God's work God's way. "But how do I know what my calling is?" ask.

............(1) Work with your spiritual gifts. We all receive gifts from God, who "gives them to each one, just as he determines." (1Co 12:11 NIV). Let God show you through your deepest desires and core competencies where you're best suited to serve. (2) Submit to godly leadership. Your pastor can help equip and guide you. God "gave...pastors...to prepare God's people for works of service" (Eph 4:11-12 NIV). We all need help; we can't get there by ourselves. (3) Commit your abilities and resources to building up your local church. God designed our gifts and callings "so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Eph 4:12 NIV). (4) Develop a servant spirit. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others" (1 Pe 4:10 NIV). Don't know your gifts? Start serving, and God will reveal them to you.

Special Selection - "Looking For You"

Daily Reading - "I Thank My God Upon Every Remembrance Of You." Philipians 1:3

Here is how it read today...

Thus. July 23

"I THANK MY GOD UPON EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF YOU." (PHILIPPIANS 1:3)

Fina a way to say "thank you"

.

Author Barbara Glanz tells about a successful business man who remembered his 8th grade literature teacher. He wrote to her and received this reply: "You'll never know how much your letter meant. I'm 83 and living alone. My friends and family are all gone. I taught school for fifty years and yours is the first thank-you I've ever gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read, and reread your letter until the day I die." Ironically, she was the teacher students talked most about at class reunions, but nobody ever told her.

...........Paul was uncompromising on the truth, but his sensitive side also shows up in his writings. Knowing our need for appreciation he opens his Epistles with words like: "I make mention of you always in my prayers" (Ro 1:9 NKJV). "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you" (Eph 1:15-16 NKJV). "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you...for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete in until the day of Jesus Christ" (Php 1:3-6 NKJV). "We...boast of you among the churches of God for your patience...in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure" (2Th 1:3-4 NKJV).

..........In our busy, self-centered world, we need to remember those who have made a difference in our lives, and when they come to mind, pray for them, and find a way to say "thank you."

Daily Bread Video Reading - "Ready To Speak"

Daily Reading - "Contend Earnestly For The Faith." Jude 3 NKJV

Here is how it read today...

Wed. July 22

"CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH." (JUDE 3 NKJV)

Let's keep the faith (2)

.

The Bible says: "We must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away" (Heb 2:1 NKJV). The word "drift" should set off alarm bells. Jesus pointed out that while the harvesters slept an enemy sowed weeds among the wheat. When they finally wakened they said, "An enemy has done this" (Mt 13:28 NKJV). Cancer begins with one unidentified, unchecked cell, and if left un-dealt with it can destroy your whole body. Hence Jude writes: "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4 NKJV). Note the words "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Our methods may change, but our message never changes. Paul writes: "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine" (2Ti 4:3 NKJV). Study the progression in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham's blessings came through a personal relationship with God. Isaac inherited his father's blessings. Not until the Philistines attacked him, did he go back and dig again the wells of his father Abraham and build an altar to the Lord. Finally Jacob, the third generation, came along and tried schemes and shortcuts to obtain God's blessing. Only when he had a life-changing encounter with God at Peniel, did he reestablish his life on foundations laid by Abraham and Isaac. Let's keep the faith; let's give our children "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Daily Bread Video Reading - "Who Is Deaf?"

J.M.T. "The Reason"

Special Selection - "Yesterday"

Daily Reading - "Don't Be Greedy, For...The Things Of This World." Colossians 3:5 NLT

Here is how it read today...

"DON'T BE GREEDY, FOR...THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD." (COLOSSIANS 3:5 NLT)

"I want it now!"

.

A big credit card company has a TV commercial with the slogan, "You can have it all now!" Sound familiar? Not much has changed. Satan said to Adam and Eve, "If you want that apple, take it." Leave payday till "some day." Go ahead; put it on your credit car. Better yet, get this new, low-interest car and pay nothing for one year. That's right folks, no interest and no payments for one full year." If you're the typical overextended family carrying a per capita credit card debt of $10,000 to $20,000, don't take the bait. It's time for getting out of debt, not deeper into it. If you want help, try using these four Bible principles:

.

(1) "Don't be greedy for the things of this life, for that is idolatry" (See Col 3:5 NIV). Stop craving things you don't need. Instead, try enjoying what you've got. (2) If you're not tithing, start now! You'll be switching from the world's faltering economy to God's fail-safe economy. When you tithe He promises to protect your interests and send blessings "there shall not be room enough to receive" (See Mal 3:8-12). (3) "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Ps 24:1 NIV) and He guarantees to "supply all your need" (Php 4:19). So before you go shopping, try praying! Ask God for what you need, then wait for Him to respond. (4) Begin giving away some of what you've got. "It is possible to give away and become richer...[and] to hold on too tightly and lose everything...the liberal man shall be rich" (Pr 11:24-25 TLB). Go ahead, do it! Obey God, be patient, and watch what happens.

Daily Bread Video Reading - "Small Step - Giant Leap"

Just Wanna Say

Trials & Tribulations of a 3% Child

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was about 8 years old and every Friday night my dad would come home with some form of fast food, chinese food, cheese steaks, hoagies, or what have you. Whole family would chill in the living room and watch a movie, talk or just enjoy each other's company. Saturday would come, and in the fall that meant I had a football game and both my mom and pop were always there yelling louder than any other parent. Always embarrassing was my father yelling, "YESSSS SCRATCHY," my nickname he gave me from when I had the chicken pots. Then Sunday would come and it would be church with the siblings and watching the football games at least with my brothers and both parents. Weekends were great, but then came Monday and I knew I wouldn't really see my dad again until Friday night.

My work week (yes at 8 years old it's still a work week) consisted of waking up early to take the school bus out the hood to attend school in Manyunk. After school would be homework, football practice in the fall or some after school club in the spring. My mom would always pick me up from wherever I was and it would be home to finish up any homework that wasn't done, dinner, shower and bed. By the time my dad got home I was dead sleep and when I left in the morning so was he. This may sound familiar to a lot of kids, having the best weekend dad ever. It was almost like he didn't exist during the week. Sometimes I may have gotten lucky to catch a glimpse of him if he came home early which rarely happened, but most times it was Friday night when I didn't have a bed time until Sunday that I actually saw my dad.

While most kids just dealt with things and took them for what they were, I was a little different some might say. I always had a smile on my face no matter what, hence the nickname Smiley I would eventually attain. I always figured I was or could be the best at whatever the task may have been even when kids older than me were involved and if it seemed apparent I wouldn't be I would actually cry from the frustration. I was and will always be the why kid. No simple answer was ever good enough, if there was something I didn't understand I continued to ask why until I totally understood. This one trait would eventually lead me to become and form what many know as the 3% Mindset.

As a child I questioned everything, why is the sky blue, why is water wet, who made up words, why can't 1+1=3 and who ever made up numbers anyways. I questioned the littlest of things to the biggest of things, simply because I didn't know nor understand. I took great pride in learning new things and being ahead of the curve as they say, so I figured the more questions I asked the more knowledge I would gain, just made simple sense to me. Then one day I asked my mother a question that I never got an answer I liked and would never come to agree or just settle with.

I asked my mother, "Why is it that daddy is always working during the week and is only here on the weekends." She simply replied, "he has to work to provide for all of you, for you playing football, and for Andrew's DJ equipment, and for all of our food and clothing and the house." For most kids, that would have been enough, but as I said I was unique, so I continued on. "Well mom, why doesn't he just make a lot of money so he doesn't have to work so much." My mother once again replies with, "well he can only make so much depending on how long he works, if he worked any more you wouldn't see him at all for your games or your brother's and sisters activities." Another good answer for most kids, but once again I continued. "Well mom, why doesn't he just do something else so he didn't have to work so much." My mother says, "well there is only so much he knows how to do, so that's what he does." Good answer for most I guess. I ask, "Why doesn't he just learn something new?" Mom doesn't really answer this, I guess in an effort to not belittle my father or maybe because it made her think twice as well. Whatever the reason for the pause, it eventually led to her diverting the conversation and her also realizing her son may be special in a good way after all.

Daily Reading - "We Have This Treasure In Earthen Vessels" 2 Corinthians 4:7

Here is how it read today.

Wed. July 14

"WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS." (2 CORINTHIANS 4:7)

Honored, but not exalted!

.

When God calls you to do something, it means you're called to a higher level of accountability. Jesus said, "Unto whom much is given, of him shall much be required." (See Lk 12:48). But this is where we get it wrong. We think those who are called, are not cut from the same bolt of cloth as others. Wrong! Just because someone prays powerfully and delivers God's Word skillfully, doesn't mean they don't struggle in certain areas. Their struggles may be unseen, but they're still real. We must be careful to make distinction between the treasure and the vessel. If you're a leader, never allow anyone to expect you to be the treasure. Keep your ego in check. Paul says: "We have this treasure," he didn't say we are the treasure!

Let's face it, God uses people we wouldn't use, like Rahab, working the red light district of Jericho. But when she placed her faith in God He used her to win the battle of Jericho, then included her in the family of Christ. Or how about Jephthah who was born to an unwed mother, rejected by his family, and lived in a cave with his own gang of private mercenaries? God used him to deliver Israel and become the nation's youngest judge. Isn't grace amazing?

God specializes in restoring broken vessels. He takes things that aren't productive - marriages that don't work, people with "issues" - and teaches them how to be victorious and fruitful in His service. Knowing this gives us the strength and tenacity to face whatever comes, because we know that when God places His treasure within us, He prizes, protects and prospers it.

Daily Bread Video Reading - "One Passion"

It Is What It Is/Where I'm At 7/13

Daily Reading "You Have Left Your First Love." Revelation 2:4 NKVJ

Here is how it read today.

Mon. July 13

"YOU HAVE LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE." (REVELATION 2:4 NKJV)
.

.What to do when the sizzle fizzles (3)

. .
The second "R" for renewing your first love is repent; change your mind, direction, and actions. You can't solve a problem with the same thinking and behaviors that created it; new thinking and actions are required. If your relationship once sizzled, you still have what's needed to make it sizzle again. You've been remembering what you were doing at "the height" of the relationship. You've acknowledged that those actions made the relationship exciting and fulfilling, that you stopped doing them, and that you "[left behind] your first love." Now you're ready to repent (which means to turn around) and go back to where you were when the flame of love burned brightly.
The third "R" of renewal is reenact; "Do the things you did first" (Rev 2:5 NIV). List the things you used to do when the relationship was great. Each of you should prayerfully and privately commit to doing a couple of the listed items, without telling your partner which ones you chose. Try to "catch" your partner reenacting "the things you did first" and let them know how much it means to you that they cared enough to do it. You'll get more of what you reinforce by gratitude. But a word to the wise: at first it may feel strange, even unreal, when you begin to reenact those early behaviors. Be patient, that will change. Just keep doing it. And don't wait till you feel like it. You can act your way into new ways of feeling, even when you can't feel your way into new ways of acting. Do it till you feel it, till the joy of your first love reignites!

Daily Bread Video Reading "First Church Of The Lampstand"

It Is What It Is/Where I'm At 7/3

"The Fruit Of The Spirit Is...Self-Control." Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Here is how it read today...

Fri. July 3

"THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS...SELF-CONTROL." (GALATIANS 5:22-23 NIV)

Exercise control, without being controlling

.

There are two kinds of people: the controller and the self-controlled. Which one are you? Let's find out: The controller believes that "the Devil does it to them" or people, or circumstances, so they respond by blaming, resenting, or projecting frustration. They keep on trying to manipulate people and circumstances to their advantage. But people and circumstances usually don't submit to our control, so their attempts only intensify their pain and turn their relationship into power struggles. The more they try to control the worse they feel; the worse they feel the more they try to control. Refuse to live that way. The self-controlled understand that the Devil can do nothing to them without their cooperation, and that they don't have to give it. They understand that people and circumstances aren't their problem either - how they deal with them is. So they respond by reminding themselves of three things: (1) The person I need to control is me. (2) Sometimes I must turn the people and circumstances in my life over to God and allow Him to deal with them. (3) I must draw on the Holy Spirit's power in order to control my reactions and follow the "sound mind" principles of Scripture for staying in charge of my life (See 2Ti 1:7). As a result they avoid engaging in blame-games, self-inflicted pain, and turning relationships into war zones. Knowing that "the fruit of the Spirit is...self-control" they understand that the Spirit won't control them, or help them control others and manipulate circumstances, but He will empower them to control themselves. Spirit-empowered people are freed from being part of the problem, and become part of the solution God is bringing about!

Daily Bread Video Reading - "Job's Principle"

The Start Of Something Big (con't)

So here I am post birthday weekend for Rita and as I explained in the last segment, feeling like I'm simply walking the plank but doing it with my head up and with honor. So my phillies win and I attend the parade and have a ball. That same weekend was Rita's bday weekend and shortly after that was election day, so needless to say it was a pretty experienced filled moment in my life. So America voted for the 1st black president to take over the most powerful country on earth and I was delighted to share a part in this historic event. So once again, I was experiencing all these once in a lifetime events and it was very hard to fully appreciate them because my heart was not at ease.

As time would eventually tell, she eventually gets her car and in less than a week, she got her single title back as well. I just wanted to understand why it couldn't work at the end of the day. Rather than harp on the different issues and who may have been right or wrong, when it first hit me I of course rebelled against the idea, but had to realize that you can't force love. So here I stood hurt, so I immediately went to the most reliable source I could, which was God. In a simple sort of way and as much as I wanted to not go with it, I knew this is what I asked and prayed for. This wasn't my direct doing but His doing. As I conversed with others and listened to what they had to say I soon realized a ton of things about myself that at one point in time never existed in me. This is where my moment of clarity first came and this is where the start of something big was born.

Through my conversations I realized that I'm even more unselfish than I openly express. That I was in a relationship that was damn near 30:70 rather than 50:50, and I didn't mind getting 30%. I realized that I could love anyone regardless of their past sins. That I could put it out of my mind and focus on the true good in a person and base my love on just that alone. I proved that I could seriously open up, let go and be at the mercy of the person that I was with. Although I moved to West Chester, I literally still ended up staying at her place because I desperately wanted to make it work. So in retrospect I basically sacrificed more than I had to hopefully retain what I valued most at the time.

Unfortunately none of what I did and what I sacrificed was enough and I soon came to realize that there was nothing more that I could have done. I tried my best to stick to a set of morals that I wasn't going to depart from although at times I may have went against them to keep her happy. I realized that my relationship with God and doing right by Him was more important to me than doing what made any human being happy. I realized that staying in that relationship would have been a constant tug of war between the two and that's why I ended up where I was and this help me understand why I was single again. It was now time for me to focus on that which mattered most in life which is first God and then of course myself.

It took me about 3 to 4 months to somewhat get over my other ex before Rita, but it literally took me somewhere in the realm of 2 to 3 weeks for me to fully understand and accept how my situation played out with Syreeta. God put us together at that season for specific reasons that til this day I will always appreciate. I've learned so much more about myself from that experience and it has helped me grow exponentially in my walk with God and doing my best to live right by Him. While I still to this day love every woman I was with in my past, I can say that my time with Rita has shown me more about myself than any other and for that I will love our situation the most.

Now when you can take your hurt and truly turn it into something you learn from, truly value and eventually love, is that not something to be excited about. I know now that I can go through pretty much anything and accept it, grow from it, learn from it, and hopefully share it with others so that they may learn from it. Is that not amazing. In knowing this, I can't wait for the direction my life takes and journey the path I am on because I know in the end, I will only grow more, excel more, learn more and hopefully share more. As I grow closer to becoming what He wants me to be I know I will be put in a place to truly show off His mercy, grace, love, and blessings and I can't wait. This is the start of something big, and I am more than excited and appreciative to be on this path.

"There Met Him Ten Men Who Were Lepers." Luke 17:12 NKJV

Here is how it read today...

"THERE MET HIM TEN MEN WHO WERE LEPERS." (LUKE 17:12 NKJV)

Are you losing yourself?

.

Luke records: "There met Him ten...lepers...they lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'...He said to them, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And...as they went, they were cleansed" (Lk 17:12-14 NKJV). Leprosy was a slow, painful death. First you lost your fingers and couldn't work, then you lost your toes and couldn't walk, then it attacked your internal organs. Every day you lost a little more of yourself. Here are five helpful insights from this story:

(1) If you feel like you're "losing yourself," turn to Jesus. He can restore what you've lost and give you back your peace and joy. (2) "Lift up your voice." Away with dignity and decorum! Desperate people do desperate things. God promises: "You will...find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13 NIV). (3) Whatever He tells you - do it. Don't lay down conditions to God. And don't seek an identical experience to somebody else. Jesus told the ten lepers, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." Why didn't He just speak to them or touch them like He did others? Don't question, obey! Faith doesn't demand explanations. (4) Take a step of faith. Luke records, "As they went, they were cleansed." You've go to walk it out; each step brings you one step closer. But nothing happens till you take that first step of faith. (5) Start praising God! Only one of the ten lepers returned to give thanks, and Jesus noticed it. You can go to God with confidence for you next answer, when you know you remembered to give Him thanks for your last one.

"Whatever You Do, Whether In Word Or Deed, Do It All In The Name Of The Lord Jesus." (Colossians 3:17 NIV

Here is how it read today...

Wed. July 1

"WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS." (COLOSSIANS 3:17 NIV)

Work in Jesus' name

.

John Orthberg writes: "We all work. We all create value - that's what work is. But what would it look like for you to work in Jesus' name? Well, first, work would become something you do together with Him. You were not meant to work on your own. So, tomorrow, take a moment at the beginning of your workday when you sit down at your desk or your computer or in your home, and invite Jesus to partner with you. Tell Him, 'Today, I'm not going to work by myself.' Any time throughout your workday when you have a tough problem, ask Him for help. When you have a difficult decision to make, ask Him for wisdom - then listen and be really open. When you find your energy flagging, ask Him for renewed strength. When you find your attitude turning negative, ask Him to re-orient your heart. Put a symbol on your desk or wall where you can see it to remind you that today you and Jesus are partnering together in your work. Every few hours as you're working, pause for two or three minutes. Thank Him for his help. Hand Him your worries. Ask for His energy. Every moment is an opportunity to be with Jesus. When you forget - and you will, when you mess up - and you will, remember this really important rule: there's to be no beating yourself up! Every moment is another chance. God just keeps sending them. That's grace. Every moment of your workday is a new chance for you to be with Him.