Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I begin a new week, for me and my house, I seek to serve You, Lord. I seek to honor You and worship You, entrusting my life to You and loving You with all my heart and mind and soul and strength--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus, as I read Your words this morning it made me reflect: Do I treasure You, Lord? Do I truly treasure Your Word in my heart? (Psalm 119:11) Do I put You first--first in my thoughts, first in my desires, first in my choices and with no other gods before You? (Exodus 20:3) Do I seek first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness before seeking to build my own kingdom, my own popularity, and seek after all the trappings of the false treasures the kingdoms of this world have to offer? (Matthew 6:33) ...
And in my silence You speak in my heart: "My son, I AM your Treasure. It is true that at times I am not what you treasure most in the moment, but you are willing to let Me remind you of your true treasure--that your name is written in My book of life, that My Spirit lives in your heart, that you are My child, My disciple, and even My friend, living every day throughout all eternity in personal, passionate relationship with Me. And you remember that there are no greater treasures then these."
Thank You Lord for Your patience with me. Thank you Lord for all Your mercy and grace for me, for Your unfailing, everlasting love for me. Help me treasure You more every day, beginning with today. By the power of Your grace, may I faithfully "guard the good treasure entrusted to (me), with the help of the Holy Spirit living in (me)" (2 Timothy 1:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray you treasure the One who lives in you and knows you intimately as His child and disciple and friend. I pray you spend time with Jesus in His Word and prayer so you can live today and every day throughout all eternity in a deeply personal, passionate relationship with Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good Shepherd, help me hear Your voice here in my heart to begin my day centered in You.
"But the path of the righteous is like a light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.... Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil" (Proverbs 4:18-27).
If I'm walking in Your ways, my path should be getting "brighter and brighter." My spirit and my steps should be straight and steady. And if my path is not getting brighter and my steps have swerved and are no longer steady, I should be quick to humble my heart to cry out to You and ask for Your help and correction and guidance. And You'll be quick to lead me back to the place where I got off Your path so I can continue on with my journey in Your will. You're the God who makes my path straight and my steps secure (Psalm 40:2).
Come guide my steps today. Give me the discernment and wisdom to recognize if my path is growing "brighter and brighter." I don't want to take any detours on the way to my destiny. I need you to be my inner “GPS” that keeps my feet from turning towards evil. "Keep my steps steady according to Your promise" (Psalm 119:133). And I thank You for Your promise that "our steps are made firm by the Lord, when He delights in our way; (even) though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand" (Psalm 23:23). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray this morning you will look at you path and cry out to God for any corrections needed to where you are swerving. Then your path will grow brighter and brighter before you each day, as the Lord orders your steps and guides you into the fullness of His will and your destiny in Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Arise in Your resurrection power in my life today.
"Then He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:22 NLT).
Breathe on me, O Breath of God. Let Your Spirit fill my lungs with praise. Let your Breath fill my mouth with Your words. Let Your Presence abide in my soul.
Breathe on me, Lord. Breathe new life, fresh passion, renewed determination to seek Your face, to follow Your ways, to be the child of God and disciple of Christ You created me and called me to be--not in my strength but in Your power, not in my goodness but in Your righteousness.
I desperately need You. I breathlessly await You. Prayer is the life breath for Christians. We breathe through prayer or we die. So increase my capacity to breathe You in as You breathe on me. Reveal and help me remove any restrictions in my heart and mind to the inflow of your breath. Fill me afresh that You can overflow anew through me this day and this next season of my life in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you take time this morning to simply breath. Breath in the breath of God and be filled afresh and overflow anew with His life and love flowing out of you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my life and every moment of my day.
"Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:12-14 NLT).
Jesus, today, like everyday, I will have encounters and decisions I'll need to face. Some I know of already and have a deadline to make a decision, others I do not know yet and I will face when the situation arises. In all of these encounters and decisions, I will have the opportunity to choose to be led by the sinful nature of my flesh or the righteous nature of Your Spirit. My flesh--grounded in my own selfishness and self-centeredness-- will urge me to make one choice, while Your Spirit--grounded in Your Word and Your will--will urge me to make different choice. As a child of God, I want to make right choices led by the right Spirit. As a child God, I want to be "led by the Spirit of God" (Romans 8:14).
So here at the beginning of my day, I want to be centered in You--grounded in Your Word, filled with Your Spirit, embraced in the communion of Your Presence. I'm asking You to put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, so when the opportunities to make my choices come, I'm already connected with You, abiding in You as You abide in me (John 15:4).
Then listening for Your leading and seeking to discern Your direction, I'll be able to more clearly sense Your will and Your ways in every decision I'll make. Then "when (I) turn to the right or when (I) turn to the left, (my) ears shall hear a voice behind (me), saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:21). This is one of the greatest gifts and most precious, powerful blessings of God; to be led by the Spirit of God as a child of God. So Holy Spirit of God, come lead me today throughout every choice and decision I will make. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray you begin this day and every day centered in Christ--grounded in the Word of God, filled with the Spirit of God, and embraced in the communion of God--so you can clearly discern His will and His ways in every decision you will face today, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As deep calls to calls, my spirit calls to Your Spirit in the deep communion of prayer. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
"But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.' A week later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it in My side. Do not doubt but believe.' Thomas answered Him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those have not seen and yet have come to believe'" (John 20:24-28).
I like Thomas, I see a lot of me in him. What some would call doubt, I would call determined discernment, insistence upon truth, a high value for un-flaky faith, keeping it real. Before I was a minister, I was a General Contractor. Things had to be true to the blue prints, architecturally sound, and built right. And as I began to grow in my faith, it was important to me to believe what was true before I could preach it or teach it as true. And I suppose after these many years of my personal journey of faith, I'm still that way.
But like Thomas, what's helped me so much in my journey of faith are my personal encounters with You Jesus. Thomas' personal encounter with the risen Lord made him a believer. And it's the same with me.
I've encountered You in the midst of my guilt and shame where I've deeply regretted what I've done. In Your resurrection power, You forgave me and empowered me to forgive myself and cleanse me from my shame. I've encountered You in the midst of so many moments of failure and heartache, of feeling rejected and unloved, of being misunderstood and judged, of confusion and frustration, of finding myself weary, discouraged, and worn out, and in so many more of those moments when I wish I could just put my finger in Your hands and my hand in Your side. But every time, You've put Your hands around my heart and breathed Your Spirit into my life to lift me up and dust me off and send me along with even more faith, more trust, and more love for You than ever before. Every one of my personal encounters with You have made me a believer, believing even more strongly in every encounter.
In that powerful moment of Your undeniable Presence, You turned all of Thomas' wavering doubts into a bold declaration of faith--"My Lord and my God!" It's actually the highest and most direct declaration from any person in all the Bible that Jesus is Lord and God. And it's a boldness of faith that never left him after that encounter. Thomas was martyred in India for his faith with a spear through his heart that never stopped loving You or beating passionately for You to preach Your Word and minister in the power of Your name until the day he died.
I love how You take our greatest weaknesses and turn them into our greatest strengths. In the very places where we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the power of Your grace, You give us authority and passion in Your Spirit to testify to Your love and help others encounter the One who's done so much for us. I love how You turn sinners into saints, brokenness into breakthrough, and even General Contrators into preachers! Thank You for turning my doubts into declarations and my failures into faith. Lord Jesus--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--You are "my Lord and my God!" And I love You with all my heart and offer all my life to You again this day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray today you will seek personal encounters with the risen Lord that will turn your doubts into declarations and your failures into faith, with a passion to love and serve your Lord and your God with all your heart, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Arise in my heart and shine through my life today.
"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you" (Romans 8:11).
Resurrection Sunday was the first day of your resurrection life. You were raised from the dead and in you, so am I. On the day I welcomed You into my heart, Your Spirit came rushing in like a mighty wind to save me and raise me up into newness of life and my resurrection life began. "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives" (Romans 8:4).
Father God, fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Come, Holy Spirit, move in resurrection power in my spirit and through my life. Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day. As You are, so am I to be in my world (1 John 4:17). So raise me up full of Your Holy Spirit and send me out in the fullness of the resurrection life You died for me to live. "Therefore it says, 'Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!'" (Ephesians 5:14) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you awaken and arise to shine with the light of the glory of God in the resurrection power of the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please begin 2018 by a commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Last night I took some food to a family (granny, mom, and three children) who live in a HUD housing project. Their fridge went in their apartment and they called the manager. It took him three days to fix their fridge and so they lost all their food. The granny does not get money until the first of the month so they needed basic food items: eggs, milk, butter..ect to get them through this week until the grandmother get's her check next week.
I went to Walmart and eggs are 27 cents a dozen. Milk is 98 cents a gallon. I spent a $1.25 and brought it to them. When Carrie, the mom opened the fridge to put them in it, besides an almost empty quart of milk and a pitcher of water, they were the only things in the fridge. I only spent $1.25 and it took me less than an hour, however they were blessed and so was I.
I have encouraged you all to make this week, Holy Week, "different." Slow down, change your schedule to allow you to spend more time in prayer, in the Bible, and serving others. The above is a simple example. Did I really want to drive to bring them food, probably not. I could have sat and watched a hour show on TV. However, in less time than that show lasted, and only spending $1.25 I made this week "different," a family's life different, and my life different.
The dollar amount the food represented did not matter to the family, the amount of love it represented did. Just like those that deliver Meals on Wheels to the elderly, its not the $2.00 lunch the elderly crave, its the care and companionship.
When I got to the house, Jaylee, the 12 year old daughter, and her grandmother Christine were not there. They had walked to the store. It is spring break for Jaylee, and her Carrie, her mom, said Jaylee and two friends wanted to have a picnic but they did not have any money or food. Neither of their families had money of food. So they each went to their apartments and into their rooms and got personal items of theirs they could sell. Carrie said they say outside today by the street from 10:00am-6:00pm for 8 hours and had a "yard sale" and sold their items. Carrie said they made $8.00. Just then Jaylee and her granny walked in from the store. Jaylee excitedly told me all about her yard sale. Then she showed me what she brought from the corner store: a store brand bag of Sour Cream and Onion Chips, a 2 liter bottle of generic Dr. Pepper, a small bag of gummy candy, and a 4 pack of generic chocolate pudding cups. She was so excited about the picnic she and her friends were now going to have tomorrow, and that she had $2 and change left over which she showed me. As I was smiling and saying, "That's great Jaylee!" I was thinking inside, "She sold her personal things to buy food."
My family, It does not take allot of time or money to make a day "different," it just takes being intentional. It is a few small people, doing a few small things, in a few small places that usher in a movement of God. I pray you will begin your day in prayer over, "So how are you going to make today different? Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Much love, Gary
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit and set my heart ablaze with Your Fire. Let me be a torchbearer and Fire-carrier everywhere You send me today.
"I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but I ask You to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You have sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (John 17:15-18).
You never called us to huddle up and hide out. You never intended to tuck us away in some tower of tranquility. Your picture of “church” was never a “sanctuary” hidden inside a stationary building with a cross on top. Your image of church was never a location but a movement. You sent us, sent your church into the world. You sent us even knowing the challenges we'd face, the temptations we'd encounter and the persecutions we'd endure (v. 14). You sent us like You sent your Son, the One we are supposed to imitate.
You send us into the world because You love the world (v. 3:16). You're not willing that any should perish, but that all would have life in You. So You send us to be Your expression of Your love for them. Just as the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends us in the power and love of the Spirit of God living in us (v. 20:21-23).
"Here I am, Lord. Send me" (Isaiah 6:8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I prayyou may be filled with the Spirit of God today, as Jesus sends you into the world to express the Father's heart of love for everyone you encounter. I pray during Holy Week, today, in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening instead of sitting, you will step out into the world and do a simple act of service or sharing of Jesus’ love. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I journey with You this Holy Week when we remember Your journey to the cross, help me listen and see all You're showing me, as I take up my cross and follow You.
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord'" (Matthew 23:37-39).
Jesus, when You came into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey in deep humility, the crowds waived their palm branches and declared You were the Messiah, the Son of David, coming as King, declaring "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!" (v. 21:6-10). But You already knew in your heart that in a short week's time, those same crowds would be crying out for Your crucifixion on a cross, rejecting Your words and rejecting You as their Messiah (v. 27:20-23). And You knew in Your heart Jerusalem would be destroyed, as a city divided in her heart and denying her Savior (v. 24:1-2).
Yet, even so, You would continue to love her and seek to gather her together again in hope, fulfilling the ancient prophecies of the restoration of Israel and the salvation of Jerusalem at the end of the age (Zechariah 12:1-11). And on that day that will seem like all the nations of the earth are about to finally destroy Jerusalem and all she represents, the crowds of Jerusalem will look up to heaven, to the return of her Messiah, "the One whom they have pierced," in mourning and repentance to declare, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord" (Zechariah 12:10).
We are no better than the crowds who cried out for Your crucifixion because it was our sins as well as theirs that nailed You to the cross, You continue to cry out for us. And because of Your sacrifice of love, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for never giving up on us, for never giving up on me. You are the blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118:26). You are the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Despite the sins of our souls and the unfaithfulness of our hearts, You never give up on us. Your steadfast love never comes to an end (Lamentations 3:22).
So let me be part of that crowd, from every generation, saved by Your grace, from the cross to the second coming of Christ, who cries out to You, "Blessed in the One who comes in the name of the Lord." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you begin this Monday of Holy Week by crying out in your heart to Jesus, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord." May you hear and see all the Lord desires to show you on this Holy Week journey to the cross. In Jesus’s name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
I post a weekday reflection blog and I normally do not post a blog on Saturday or Sunday, but with Holy Week beginning tomorrow my thoughts and prays this morning were on preparing our hearts for this time. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday andwill began the time called Holy Week in the church. It is my favorite week in the year. We remember the last week of Christ’s life before his resurrection. It contains so many powerful events, examples, and expressions of God’s love for us as demonstrated in the life of Christ. It starts tomorrow with Palm Sunday and Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Jesus’s cleansing of the temple. The institution of the first Lord’s Supper. Jesus washing the disciples feet. Jesus’s final teaching to his disciples in the upper room. The betrayal by Judas. Jesus prayer and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. His trials before the Sanhedrin, Pilot and Herod. Jesus’ scourging, and crucifixion, and finally, resurrection.
I know I am preaching to myself with all I have to do with getting ready for all the upcoming events this week, but I want to encourage you to try to make this next week different. Try to slow down. Read through a passion narrative in one of the four Gospels each day. Commit yourself to Fast and pray as often as you can this week. Try to “Fast” as much as you can from social media, TV, video games and other Apps and spend that time in prayer. Serve and do acts of mercy at the Manna house, Downtown Rescue Mission, or other outreaches into your community. This is a reason why ODC holds and I invite you to participate in our Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services before Easter Sunday to help reinforce this week is different and set aside extra time for something we need to do more of, time in collective prayer together. I know many of you do not attend ODC, so please attend your churches or another in your communities Holy Week observation gatherings.
Pray over One Direction Community, (and your church and their vision) that we can press forward with our vision of Loving God, Loving Neighbors, and Making disciples through our House Churches. Share your testimony and the Gospel at least once a day with others. Prayer walk more this week seeking new people of peace to invite into existing, and start up new house churches. Invite people to our (your) Holy Week gatherings. If for some reason you are still not in a Band Group, (an accountability group) make it a priority to start one this week. Pray we can more deeply develop a heartbeat for those who are not yet here, rather than those who are here. That is why God sent His Son, that all may be saved by his suffering and resurrection of grace.
My family, I pray today you will intentionally commit to refocusing your heart, your free time, and dates on your calendar for next week and remove distractions and include Holy Week gatherings, times of service and sharing the Gospel, and time in Word and prayer. In Jesus’ name. PLEASE pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I love you all,
Gary Liederbach
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please begin 2018 by a commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life in You today.
"James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.' And He said to them, 'What is it you want Me to do for you?' And they said to Him, 'Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.' But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?'" (Mark 10:35-38)
James and John wanted the place of honor. They wanted to sit at Your right and Your left in Your glory. You had just told them about the gory--how You would soon be mocked and spit upon and tortured to death--but they did not want to hear about the suffering, they wanted to hear about the glory (v. 33-34). Specifically, they wanted to hear about their glory--their glory sharing in Your glory.
They wanted to know about the honor before knowing about the humility. But in the ways of Your kingdom, humility goes before honor: "Let this same mind by in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. Therefore god also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11).
We look at these disciples and judge them for their arrogance, self-centerness and pride. But should we take the log out of our own eyes before trying to take the speck out of theirs? In these days of greater revelation of our son-ship and adoption as beloved children of God, do we also find ourselves insisting upon the place of honor without first taking the place of humility? Do we also presume upon our rights and privileges to bask in Your glory without also being willing to embrace our part to share in the fellowship of Your sufferings? Or do we forget the invitation of Your Word, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:10-11)?
Come, Holy Spirit. Let this mind be in me that was in Christ Jesus. Lead me to the place of humility, that I many receive the place of honor chosen for me. By the power of the grace of God my Father, may I drink of the cup and embrace the baptism You've chosen for me on my spiritual journey to be conformed to the nature of Christ (Romans 8:29). You have blessed me-- along with all Your disciples, along with all the children of God--with glory and honor, with inheritance and favor; but You've also blessed me with the invitation to die to myself and surrender my life into the fullness of Your will by any means You choose to make me more like You every day (Luke 22:42; 1 John 4:17).
As You said to Your first disciples, You continue to say to me and to every disciple: "If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:34-38).
Before the place of honor comes the place of humility. Lord Jesus, slay my pride and crucify my flesh. Give me the grace to follow You in the place of humility that I may embrace You in the place of honor. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray you experience the fullness of every honor your Father has for you as a child of God, as you walk first in humility of heart to surrender your will to His on the path He’s chosen for you to walk to make you more like Jesus each day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, here in my heart and every moment of my day.
"As Jesus and the people with Him were on the road to Jerusalem, He was leading the way. His followers were amazed, but others in the crowd who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and began to tell them what was about to happen in Jerusalem. He said, 'Look, we are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be turned over to the leading priests and teachers of the law. They will say that He must die, and they will turn Him over to the non-Jewish people, who will laugh at Him and spit on Him. They will beat Him with whips and crucify Him. But on the third day, he will rise to life again" (Mark 10:32-34).
The road to Jerusalem is a hard road. "For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14). The road may be hard, but You're the One who's "leading the way."
The road to Jerusalem was a road that promised suffering, rejection, and death. But it also promised resurrection life. It was a picture of a journey of obedience and faith for the sake of something so much better that would make every challenge and sacrifice worth it all for all that was to come. "For the sake of the joy that was set before (You), (You) endured the cross, disregarding its shame" (Hebrews 12:2). So the road to Jerusalem was not just the road to suffering and shame, it also became the road to joy. In Scriptures You never mentioned your death and crucifixion without also mentioning your resurrection.
Jesus, lead the way on my road to Jerusalem. Give me grace to endure and overcome all I'll encounter on the way, even as You give me the confidence of hope and assurance of faith that in the end will be my resurrection, You will raise me up to the fullness of life in you (John 11:25-26).
"For this slight momentary affliction is preparing (me) for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, (so I) look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). In the same way, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory about to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18).
Just as Your joy was set before You on Your journey to the cross along the road to Jerusalem, so is mine. And in the power of Your grace, my road to Jerusalem is my road to joy. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you allow Jesus to lead the way on your road to Jerusalem, enduring and overcoming all your encounter along the way, looking to Jesus and the fullness of His joy He has set before you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Father, Son, Spirit; Be though my vision of Lord of my heart.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” (Romans 1:16)
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,” (2Timothy 1:8-10)
A group of us from ODC went last night and saw the movie “Tortured For Christ.” It was shown only last night, at one time across the country. It was the true story of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. He was a Lutheran pastor in Romania in 1947 when the Soviet Union under Stalin took over the country and outlawed Christianity and atheism became the national religion. He helped lead an underground church until he was caught and spent 14 years being tortured in prison for his faith. It was a powerful and convicting movie that cut to the core of faith. As Richard said, “Did I believe in God? Now the test had come. I was alone. There was no salary to earn, no golden opinions to consider. God offered me only suffering—would I continue to love Him?” (RW)
There were so many powerful quotes by Richard Wurmbrand (RW) in this movie. My blog today is a collection of his quotes tied together with my reflections.
“We should never stop at having won a soul for Christ. By this, we have done only half the work. Every soul won for Christ must be made to be a soul winner.” (RW) To this I say amen! Jesus’ strategy was to “train and release” people, as was the apostle Paul’s. To win them over to Christ and then to send them out to be soul winners. The church today’s strategy is to “convert and retain.” To win them to Christ then to make a church comfortable and create programs to retain them. This leads to persons to believe they are not “soul winners” or not bold enough or outgoing enough to be soul winners. That is a lie. Our boldness is not based in us but in God and his boldness is limitless. “We are all little Davids. But we are stronger than the goliaths of atheism, because God is on our side.” (RW)
“If a Christian believed that his neighbor will be tortured in all eternity in hell, he should try day and night to persuade him to repent and believe. How sad this does not happen.” (RW) Again, Why don’t Christians who attend church regularly today have this conviction towards their neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends? “We were told by Jesus to go make disciples but we often just sit and make excuses” (RW)
Almost all the people in a church service if asked if they believed in Christ to stand and be recognized would be standing. However, “To believe in Him is not such a great thing. To become like Him is truly great.” (RW) That is discipleship.
“The supernatural things have become the natural things in the underground church. Whoever has known the spiritual beauty of the Underground Church cannot be satisfied anymore with the emptiness of some Western churches. I suffer in the West more than I suffered in a Communist jail because now I see with my own eyes Western civilization dying.” (RW) Christ have merry, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.
“God will judge us not according to how much we endured, but how much we could love.”(RW) Richard in his small town and while in prison only had a small number of people he could love. Even Paul, in his journeys and his travels had a limited number of people to love. We today, with our resources, mobility, social media connections, and others communications have many times over the connection to people we could love. If we will be judged by how much we love, and we have almost unlimited connections to love people through them, why are we loving so little?
My family, as you prepare to walk out your door this morning, think about this question. “Where do your steps lead? We think about the traces Abraham’s walk left. After thousands of years Judaism, Christianity, and Islam still walk these steps. Winds and floods could not wipe them away. Paul walked in the bloodstained steps of Christ in self-sacrifice. For two thousand years Christians would follow his example. Be careful of your steps. You will not be the only ones to walk in them.” (RW) When you walk out your door, are you walking in love?
And think about this question, “Are you seeking Jesus? Where have you been looking for Him? As you begin your day, think through the various places you will be and the people you will be with; and envision Jesus standing next to you in each of those places.” (RW) Your soul was won for Christ, will you now be a Soul Winner? Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak to my spirit, Lord; I'm listening.
"The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many" (Daniel 11:32-33).
Even in the darkest, most challenging of times, You will have a people who know You and are growing in knowledge of You, a people who understand Your ways and are growing in understanding of Your ways. These are the ones with great expectations for "great exploits" and for great adventures of faith in what may seem like a faithless generation. These are the ones that search for great encounters with the living God in the midst of a lifeless, godless generation. These are the ones who will experience Your "great power" because of Your "great grace" in measures we've yet to see in the authority of Your name and power of Your love (Acts 4:33).
Lord, as I begin a new week, I want to be a part of all You're doing this week. I want to take my place in the unfolding of Your eternal plans. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, here on earth and here in me. Pass me not, O gentle Savior. Fill me up, mighty Holy Spirit. I am a child of God by the grace of God. So my Father God, I embrace with faith and great expectations the great exploits You will do through me in the name of Your Son and the power of Your Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you're anointed and empowered with great expectations of the great exploits God is going to do this week, because He is! May you be one of the “these are the ones” that searches for encounters with the living God, secure in the knowledge of our God and growing in the understanding of His ways for His glory in His His time, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Jesus, receive me, refresh me, and restore me in you, draw me close to you, then release me into the world today full of your glory.
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world... so that the world may believe that you have sent me….so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:19-24
Jesus’ has a “train and release” strategy, while overall the church today has a “convert and retain strategy.” Our metrics we use to determine if a church is successful reflect this. As a pastor of a United Methodist Church, the weekly church reports I turn in include number of people at worship services and number of members. There is no incentive to “train and release.” If a church did this well the metrics we use would actually reveal this church as unsuccessful.
The challenge is to make the Gospel the center of our lives not just on Sunday mornings, but every morning of every week. This means ending the distinctions between “full time,” “part time,” and people with secular employment in our team and leadership structures, language, and teachings. We need to encourage all to model whole life, gospel-centered missional living who understand their workplace, homes and neighborhoods are the location of their mission.
The vast majority of Christians have not been helped or equipped by the church to see that who they are and what they do every day in schools, workplaces, clubs, and their neighborhoods is significant to God. Nor that the people they spend time with in those everyday contexts are the people God has called them to pray for, bless, witness to, and share the Gospel with. So we pray for our Sunday school teachers, and not our schoolteachers. We pray for our missionaries going overseas into their foreign mission field, but not the electricians, shop owners, accountants, and managers going daily into their local mission field. We simply have not envisioned, resourced and supported people to share the Good News of Jesus in our everyday context. We need to encourage and embrace the fact that during the week our church members are dispersed throughout their city and even the world. We are already infiltrating the kingdom of Satan. Day by day people in our churches are rubbing shoulders with unbelievers in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and clubs.
My family, I pray you see that as you head out this morning to school, work, the gym or wherever you are going, you are heading out into your mission field. You are heading out to meet the people God has called you to pray for, bless, witness to, and share the Gospel with. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!!!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning that begins a new week, I want to take some time to start my day giving my full attention to You alone in the communion of prayer.
"The hand of the Lord came upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.... Then He said to me, 'Prophecy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live ... and you shall know that I am the Lord.... I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,' says the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
You told Ezekiel the dry bones were Your people who had lost their hope and felt cut off from the promises of God (v. 11). Showing him the dry bones, scattered in a valley, You opened his eyes to see the truth of their present reality. But in asking him, "Can these bones live?' You were inviting him to also see how You created them to be (v. 3). Those dry bones needed to be filled with a fresh breath from God (v. 5).
So You sent Your servant by the Spirit of the Lord to speak life to them. And as he did what a sight he saw! "Suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.... and the breathe came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude" (v. 7-10).
Daddy Abba, my Father God, fill me with Your Holy Spirit today (Ephesians 5:18). Send me to speak life. Open my eyes to see Your people; my neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends in the truth of how they are in their present reality; but at the same time, also open my eyes to see them as You created them to be. Give me words of hope for the hopeless, words of welcome for the lonely, words of encouragement for the discouraged and depressed, and words of life for all who need a fresh touch from heaven through the breath of Your Spirit.
You invite and call all of us to prophecy and speak life to one another (1 Corinthians 14:1). You invite all of us to encourage and comfort and build up one another with Your words of life, spoken in love, at the leading of Your Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:3). I embrace Your invitation, I embrace my call to speak life wherever You send me today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray you will speak life, in the power of the Holy Spirit, everywhere our Father sends you today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
"But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5 NKJV).
At age 99, Rev. Billy Graham has fought the good fight of the faith and finished his race, fulfilling his ministry, giving his heart and life to do the work of an evangelist. He was an inspiration me and deeply inspired so many others to lay down their lives and follow Christ, sharing the love of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, from our neighborhoods to the nations and everywhere in between. All along the way, enduring many afflictions and overcoming many challenges, he lived out his faith with honor and humility, leaving behind an eternal legacy of integrity.
He lived a no fairy-tale life in some kind of supernatural immunity from the struggles and battles we all face on our journey through this broken and fallen world, but he did live a faith-filled life as a worthy ambassador of Christ and beloved son of God. I smiled when I heard the quote and famous story of his wife, Ruth, who was asked if she ever considered divorcing Billy Graham and replied with such humor and wit, "Divorce? No.... Murder? Yes!" Thank God for the grace that all of us need--even Billy and Ruth Graham.
In my own spiritual journey into full time ministry, as I have read over the stories and accounts of spiritual leaders and fathers in the faith, I was deeply moved by a story of Billy Graham's frustration with the fruitfulness of his ministry before the famous Los Angeles crusade that seemed to launch a fresh season of ministry. A couple of elderly saints, passionate women of prayer, spoke to him and prayed for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit and fervently prayed for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in his meetings, as the story goes. The legacy of souls saved and lives changed through the power of prayer and the move of the Spirit is life-long testimony to his desperate dependence upon God alone for the fruitfulness of his life of ministry. He humbly reflected that prayer made the way for any success he had.
Seeing the photos and reading all the stories this week moved me in a way that something stirred deeply in my spirit. I felt the same when I was so blessed to visit Wittenburg Castle where Martin Luther lived. There's something that can move us and inspire us when we honor those who have gone before us, when we welcome and embrace that same Spirit that moved in their hearts to move in our hearts, and when we lay down our lives for that same Spirit with that same message of the Good News of Jesus Christ to flow through us as it did through them. We honor our mothers and fathers of the faith, that their legacy may live on and the work of Your Spirit may continue.
This morning, I honor and esteem the life and ministry of Rev. Billy Graham. And I recommit my life to fulfill the ministry You've entrusted to me and are unfolding before me. Lord, give me grace to seek to live it out in humility and honor, in a legacy of integrity, desperately dependent upon You alone. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen
My family, I pray you're inspired by the spiritual leaders and fathers in the faith who have gone before us. I pray you seek to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill your calling and ministry in the ways the Lord sends you just as He sent them, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please begin 2018 by a commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, here with me now and in every moment of my day.
"For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" (Isaiah 52:12).
You're the God who goes before me. You're the God who comes behind me. You're the God who's always with me, even within me--never leaving me, never forsaking me, but forever seeing me, knowing me, and understanding me, even with all my quirks and needs, even with all my sins and failures. You're the God who created me and loves me and has plans for me that will come to pass, all in Your way and all in Your time. You are God and You are good and You are a good God to me.
So I don't have to worry about what lies ahead, and I don't have to worry about what's left behind. You've already been there, just like You'll always be there. My part is to simply trust in You and embrace Your mercy and love for me. As I do, there's joy in the journey and anticipation in the adventure; there's peace in every step and there's hope in every challenge. You've already gone before me and You remind me every day it's a good place You've prepared and set before me (John 14:1-3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. (St. Patrick Breastplate Prayer)
My family, I pray this morning for great joy in your journey, anticipation in the adventure, peace in every step, and hope in every challenge, knowing the love and Presence of our good God who goes before you and behind you and always with you, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and Savior, my God and King, come have Your way in my heart and life today.
"Moses said to the Lord, 'See, You have said to me, 'Bring up this people'; but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' Now if I have found favor in Your sight, show me Your ways, so that I may know You and find favor in Your sight....' He (the Lord) said, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' And he (Moses) said to Him (The lord), 'If Your Presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people, unless You go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and Your people, from every people on the face of the earth.' The Lord said to Moses, 'I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name'" (Exodus 33:12-17).
As I sit here in the quiet of my morning, I thank You Lord that You know me by name, that Your Presence is always with me wherever I go, that I have found favor in Your sight, that I am one among Your people who are distinct from all other people on the face of the earth--not because of anything I've done, but all because of what You've done for me, not because of who I am apart from You, but because of who You are within me.
Those who know me, know I usually begin my prayers with. “I thank you Lord for Your love, grace, and mercy that constantly surrounds us.” So show me Your ways and empower me to walk in them. Show me Your Presence and remind me I'm never apart from You. You've blessed me and favored me, You know me by name and go with me to live out my destiny in the security of my identity as a child of God. I've found favor with You because You found me, because You've lavished Your love, mercy and grace upon me, and because You've called me Your own. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray that like Moses, you will earnestly ask of God, “show me Your ways, so that I may know You and find favor in Your sight.” Then you walk in the ways of the Lord, embraced by His Presence every day, surrounded by his love, grace and mercy everyday, having found favor in Him as the child of God you are, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are worthy of it all--all my heart and mind and soul and strength, O Lord, my God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
"Then Peter began to speak to them: 'I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. You know the message He sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses to all that He did both in Judea and in Jerusalem" (Acts 10:34-39).
Anointed "with the Holy Spirit and with power," You "went about doing good" everywhere the Father sent You, as You walked this earth as Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man living in compete communion with the living God. "Being born in human likeness" and "being found in human form," You are our Model and Mentor, for the Spirit-filled life lived out by a child of God (Philippians 2:7). You were fully yielded to the will and ways of God, doing what You saw the Father doing, speaking what You heard the Father speaking, always available and completely empowered to go about doing good with the heart of God.
Anoint me today with Your Holy Spirit and with power! Empower me and send me to go about doing good, with the authority of Your name and nature of Your heart. As You said to Your first disciples, You continue to speak to me and every one of Your disciples in every generation: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses (wherever I send you)" (Acts 1:8). Lord, let it be so in me today and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you begin your day spending time one-on-one with Jesus and receive his anointing and empowering by the Holy Spirit of the Living God, to go about doing good as a witness and disciple of Jesus Christ in the authority of His name and nature of His heart, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
