5/18/13 Daily Devotion

Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”

There is nothing greater than the moment people come to understand the need to be baptized. When they come to see that Jesus loved them literally to the point of death, death on a cross. When they come to realize that they need forgiveness for their sins and a new start, in a new direction. When they come to see that they need to follow the example of Jesus and be cleansed through the waters of baptism, oh what a great moment it is for them, those who love them, and all of those who love the Lord. Of all the decisions we can make in life, this is one of the most important. To decide to change, to decide to give your life over to God, to decide to receive forgiveness of the infractions that have occurred to this very moment of your life, what a decision. God wants all people, everywhere, to make this same decision. After hearing the Word, the eunuch knew exactly what he needed to do and did not want to wait for another moment to arrive. Have you made this decision within your life? Are your thoughts still wrapped around the idea? Maybe you have already, some time ago, but something has changed. Maybe now is the time to step back on track. Maybe now is the time to hesitate no more. Follow the example of the eunuch, and decide now to follow Jesus.

Prayer Starter:

Lord, change my life, change my heart, change my direction, change my purpose, change all of me into Your follower.

5/17/13 Daily Devotion

1 Timothy 1:18-19 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, [19] holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.

Paul was an amazing encourager. While he spoke the absolute truth in love, he did so in a manner that made those to whom he was speaking feel his faith and consider their own. Paul encouraged Timothy to keep strong in the faith, to keep focused on God, and in doing so he would be fulfilling the will of God for his life. Paul asked Timothy to make a choice, follow his instructions or walk against the perceived will of God. Timothy chose the road less traveled, the powerful path of God. There are seemingly three paths set before us, three paths that we have to choose from. There is the path of righteousness. This path is the powerful path of God, the path that He desires us to walk, the path that will glorify Him and bring blessings into this world. There is the path of self-righteousness. This is the path we take when the will of God is of no importance to our lives. Finally there is the fence path. This is the path we walk upon when we pretend to serve God, but actually serve ourselves. Timothy chose to follow the powerful path of God. Which path will you choose?

Prayer Starter:

Lord, I want to follow the path You have for my life. Please help me know exactly what this entails.

5/16/13 Daily Devotion

John 7:17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

About halfway through the Festival of Tabernacles, Jesus got up to teach. Those within the audience were amazed at His knowledge and understanding of the scriptures, given the fact that He was not formally trained. Jesus was adamant that as He chose to follow the will of God, God gave Him understanding. Some might say He had an advantage, being the Son of God, but this is not the case. Jesus, despite the fact that He was the Son of God, still had a choice. He could serve God, or serve Himself. He chose God. We are faced with the same decision in life. We can serve God, or we can serve ourselves. We can live for Him who gave His life up for us, or we can give over our lives to our own selfish desires and walk without the blessings of God. Which will you choose today?

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me make decisions based upon my desire to follow You and nothing else.

5/15/13 Daily Devotion

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!

We desire so much out of life. We want health, prosperity and security, a beautiful home, and a blessed family. We want these things not because of a conceited heart or ill intentions, for these desires are not sinful. But what about wisdom? Do we desire wisdom? We search the world for ways to bring about our dreams, ways to make our hopes become a reality, but do we just ask plainly for wisdom? The seeking of God’s wisdom will guide us into prosperity, maybe not in the manner that we had hoped, but in the manner that God would have for our lives. Isn’t that what really matters anyway? We must seek the wisdom of God, and, in return, we will receive His guidance and blessings. As we do, this world will also be blessed.

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me seek Your wisdom, so I may walk in Your ways.

Book Review, “Willing To Walk On Water,” Caroline Barnett, Author

Willing To Walk On Water: Step Out In Faith And Let God Work Miracles Through Your Life, written by Caroline Barnett, is a book that strives to help its readers understand the difference they can make within this world through the power of God.

Within our fast-paced world, it can, at times, feel as if our personal, religious efforts are irrelevant. The world seems so focused and concentrated, but much of this is not towards the religious aspects of life. For those striving to serve God, this can become draining on their souls.

This is not how life for the Christian has to feel, and that is the message of this publication. Even thought life is hard, even though it may be difficult, at times, to bring forth the message of Christ, we must not forsake our purpose. Even when it seems as if there are no opportunities, we must seek a way to bring them into existence.

Caroline teaches her readers to find something that touches them so powerfully and so deeply that causes them to be filled with the desire to jump right out and get to work making a difference within this world.

This book is a wonderful read and is recommend for those desiring more out of their journey with God.

Dr. Jeff Krupinski

5/14/13 Daily Devotion

Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

These words of Joshua came at a time when God’s people were not presenting themselves as children of God. He brought forth these words as a powerful declaration of his own faith, but also as a way to challenge others in regards to their own. He knew that one of the greatest decisions we can make is to be servants of God. After Joshua spoke, the people made their decision. They chose God. What’s your decision? Will you choose God over everything else, or will you allow Him only to posses a minute part in your life?

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me declare through my life that I have chosen to follow You.

5/13/13 Daily Devotion

Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

God laid before the people the choice of life and prosperity, or death and destruction. He asked them to walk in obedience, following His laws and decrees. As they were obedient, God would be generous. For their obedience, God was going to bring to them good and prosperous lives. If they chose to follow their own desires, if they chose to worship other gods, if they chose to walk their own paths, they would then experience death and destruction. It seems that placed before them was a decision that should have been simply made, and that is the same place where we often find ourselves. We know what we should be doing, yet we find ways to avoid taking the correct path. We do not always do this out of selfish ambition. Sometimes it’s just because we think our way is the best. What would life be like of we considered God before we made any decision? Our lives would definitely be blessed.

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me see how blessed my life will become as I allow You to influence my decisions.

5/11/13 Daily Devotion

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

How we are called to present ourselves within this world usually gets lost within our translation of life. We have heard the sermons, received the messages, read the scriptures, and heard the lessons, and they all make perfect Biblical sense. But then we enter into the picture. Even though we agree with the mandates of the Bible, we hold them accountable to our translation of life. We hold them captive to our ideas and desires, and, if needed, we change them to fit into our translation of life. This action makes us prideful, and yet we do it anyway. Humility is a trait that has become rare within today’s society, but it is a trait that all Christians should be expressing through their lives. To adjust the Word of God to suit our plans, to alter its meaning to fit into our little corner of life, is prideful. For as we do this, we are claiming to have greater understanding than God. Let us live not as a prideful people, but a people who are humbly seeking to please God.

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me see where pride is prevalent within me, and show me how it can be removed.

5/10/13 Daily Devotion

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

When we hear these words, do they really sink into the depths of our souls? Do nothing, nothing, out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Do nothing that revolves around our personal motives. Do nothing that is focused on bringing about an end result that we desire above any other option. Do nothing with a self-righteous attitude. Well, it looks as if we are then confined to actually doing nothing. For as we examine our motives and attitudes, we are caught between a rock and a righteous place. Now, we know that refraining from making decisions is not an option in life, so we must learn, then, how to approach everything with the right attitude and the right motives. In all things, we should seek the wisdom and direction of God. While this is simply stated, it is not always easy to accomplish. The problem comes as we seek God with our direction/purpose in mind. When we seek God, we need to come to Him free of any motive, free of any desire, free of opinion and wait for Him to guide our path.

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me seek Your direction without allowing my personal desires to get in the way.

5/9/13 Daily Devotion

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

Two men gathered at the temple to pray. One opened his heart to God and exposed a need for more and the other, a Pharisee, opened his heart and exposed God to his greatness. While one, a tax collector, knew he needed to improve, the other knew, from his personal observations, that he was already great. The main difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector was pride. The Pharisee was filled with pride, and it directed his personal impression as well as his impression of others. While there is nothing wrong with being proud of ourselves or our accomplishments, there are numerous issues that arise when we are walking filled with pride. When we are prideful, we are not expressing the love of God, for we are filled with the love of self. When we are prideful, we are not showing people a life that is focused on Jesus. We are showing them an example that should not to be followed. We can bring forth more examples to expand the understanding of pride, or we can grasp what has already been stated and make a commitment to remove any ounce of it from our lives from this moment forward. What are you going to do?

Prayer Starter:

Lord, help me.