Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. Let me be of one heart and one mind with You today.
"Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet 'in a very little while, the One who is coming will come and will not delay; but My righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.' But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved" (Hebrews 10:35-39).
My confidence is in You, Lord. I'm confident that You love me, that You're for me, that You're always with me, that You always go before me preparing the way for me to walk in Your will and Your ways by the power of Your grace.
So when challenges come, when battles are fierce, when the enemy of my soul tries to press his attack, I will press on until I press through, by grace through faith, not shrinking back. "Through faith and patience (I will) inherit the promises" (v. 6:12). May I never surrender and never retreat, but always advance with the endurance and confidence of the faith You're building in me. "So (I) can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?'" (v. 13:6) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Family, may you be confident in faith, never shrinking back, that you never surrender and never retreat, but always advance into the fullness of the God's promises for you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your comments, reflections, and prayers from today’s reading with us in the comments box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be in the midst of my heart and my thoughts and every moment of my day-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
“The place where they serve is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Moses was warned by God as he was about to complete the tabernacle. For he says, “See that you make everything according to the design shown to you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5)
The ark of the covenant of the Lord was made of wood, covered with gold, and carried the law of the Lord and evidence of the power of the Lord in its chest (Exodus 25:10-22; Hebrews 9:4). But today the ark of the covenant of the Lord seems to be lost or hidden from view, though many have searched for it. Yet even the ark of the covenant of the Lord--carrying the ten commandments of Moses, the budded staff of Aaron, and the manna of the wilderness journey, sealed with the mercy seat and covered by the holy cherubim-was but "a shadow of things to come" pointing toward "the substance of Christ" (Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 8:5).
"I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord.' It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; nor shall another be made. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the Presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall not longer stubbornly follow their own evil will" (Jeremiah 3:15-17).
Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Presence of God. You are Immanuel, God with us, always with us, always within us, abiding in us as we abide in You, that we may carry the Word and the Spirit of God in our hearts and along our journey (Matthew 1:23). Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God, You are One and Your are holy and You are within us (John 14:18). We don't seek after or worship a box covered in gold; we seek after the One we were created to worship in spirit and truth-for "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).
Thank You, Lord, that our bodies now contain the evidence of the power of the Lord and our bodies are your temple and our hearts are Your ark of the covenant of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16). You surround us with Your holy angels and lift us up into Your holy Presence, where we are safe and secure, forgiven and free, in the fullness of Your salvation (Psalm 91:1-16). Thank You that in Your Presence there is fullness of joy!" (Psalm 16:11) Thank You for Your shepherds after Your own heart who lead us into Your truth to feed us with knowledge and understanding of Your Word and Your Spirit (Ephesians 4:11). "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" which is "the surpassing grace of God that He has given (us)" in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 9-14-15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray the Holy Spirit reveals to you just how precious you are to God, that your body is His temple and your heart is the ark of His Presence, as He abides in you and you abide in Him, worshipping the Lord our God in spirit and truth, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your comments, reflections, and prayers from today’s reading with us in the comments box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
http://www.easytithe.com/dl/?uid=onepob279
Good morning Lord Jesus, mold me, make me, fill me, use me..
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)
The Message Bible paraphrases these two verses this way. “God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”
You are never hidden from God. Whether in public, inside a church building, inside your home, sitting in front your computer screen or away on vacation; All your thoughts, desires, intentions, actions, attitudes, true character, honesty, and conversations are known to God. You can’t close the door to Him or step into the shadows where He can’t see you.
“He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.” (1 Cor. 4:5)
“Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence?
If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.
If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn,
and settle down on the other side of the sea,
even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,
and the light will turn to night all around me,”
even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,
and the night is as bright as day;
darkness and light are the same to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12)
For God to be our “ever present help in time of need” (Psalm 46:1), he has to be present with us at all times.
“for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.” (Matthew 10:26-27)
A day is coming for all of us in the future, where in the presence of everybody we’ve ever met, and everybody we’ve never met, we will stand before them in the throne room of God, with Jesus sitting on the throne. And our whole life, with every second and detail of it will be shown and revealed. Every second and every secret revealed. Before our spouse, parents, our children, our co-workers, friends, and neighbors … all will be revealed. All of God’s promises are true, including: “He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts.” “And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must render an account.” Does this scare you? Does this makes you think? It makes me think. Some Bible passages are warm and fuzzy. Some like this mornings are “sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.”
My family, today God is your ever present help in time of need, and he is also ever present throughout every second of your day including any fakeness, things you do for show, or things you don’t do as your ignore them or pretend you don’t see. God Knows. I pray you will meditate on this and walk in the light in all you do today and everyday, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below with us from todays reading.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning Lord Jesus, I begin my day seeking for you to guide me in the way and truth my life should go today.
“After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs.” (Hebrew’s 1:1-4)
I love Hebrews and soaking in the deep waters it contains on the deity, lordship, priesthood of Jesus. We dive into these deep waters in the very first sentence which contains the phrase, “He (God) has spoken to us in a son.” This phrase is at the core or The Book of Hebrews. The declarations that Jesus is the Son of God, our true High Priest through whom God reveals and speaks to us. This book begins with a contrast of the old revelations of God to this new revelation of how God now speaks to us, and it introduces a series of seven descriptions of the Son. These descriptions show why Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God:
1.God appointed Jesus the heir of all things. All authority has been given to Him.
2.Through Him all things were created. “apart from him not one thing was created” (John 1:3)
3.Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the representation of his essence, “The person who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:18)
4.He sustains all things by his powerful word, He is the Word made flesh.
5.He had accomplished cleansing of the sins of the world through his saving acts on the cross.
6.Jesus now sits in the throne room of God at His right hand and is our judge.
7. He is superior to all angels and any other created being and at the name of Jesus all knees will bow.
These verses by themselves contain theological descriptions, revelations and aspects of Christ one could reflect on and preach on for months and we only in the first four verses of this Book! Deep Waters. How much of this revelation and understanding of who Jesus is do we grasp when we in the church dare to pray in His name? Or when we at times flippantly say His name or put His name on the side of a coffee mug like “Jesus is the reason for the season.” When we out of fear, feeling uncomfortable, or other reasons fail to share the name of Jesus with others, do we really understand what we have done by not speaking His name?
My family, I pray today as we begin together reading through Hebrews, your will set aside time in the Spirit to reflect on who really is Jesus to you? Some of you cannot remember a day or week since you were born you have not heard the name Jesus. The name Jesus is so common to you that the sharing of it/not sharing of it is the same as any other name. For the next 2 weeks we will be reflecting in Hebrews I pray you will reflect and refocus on who is Jesus and why He is the ultimate revelation of God in your life, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below with us from todays reading.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart Lord for I want to see you.
“And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation:
He was revealed in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among Gentiles,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)
This morning, instead of adding to what God’s Word say’s about Jesus the Christ, I am letting the Scriptures form the reflection on our passage today and let them speak into the “amazing revelation” of Jesus the Christ.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it….Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory - the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father….For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.” (John 1:1-18)
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him - all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers - all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross - through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:15-20)
“You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped, but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men,
and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
- even death on a cross!
As a result God exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow- in heaven and on earth and under the earth -
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)
My family, I pray you read these passages several times throughout today and let the “Amazing revelation” they contain of who Jesus is wash over you and place you in the deep waters of worship all through your day, In Jesus, name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share with me and others your reflections and what God is speaking to you from todays reading in the comment box below
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart to make me more like You today. ...
"Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.... May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 NLT).
Lord, make me fit and faithful in "spirit and soul and body." Make me whole and holy, aligned with Your will to walk in Your ways. I have far to go -- in my spirit, in my soul, and in my body. But You are faithful and You will do it, as I humble myself to ask You to do it in me. "For it is God working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" and to become all You created me and called me to be in You (Philippians 2:13). You're making me into Your vessel, "fit for its purpose" (Isaiah 54:16).
Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). But I thank You that I'm never apart from You, that You're always with me and always at work within me, conforming me into Your image day by day (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:29). So in my weakness, I cry out to You and call on Your name to inspire me and empower me. "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.... For whenever I am weak, then I am strong;" and "(Your) grace is sufficient for (me)" when "(Your) power is made perfect in (me) weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). By the power of the grace of God, make me fit and faithful in You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you are inspired and empowered to be fit and faithful by the power of the grace of God at work within you every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Friends, thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of reading through the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day prayer every weekday. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. I pray your time daily in the Word feeds your soul as well. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning Jesus, you are all I need and all I desire to delight in today.
“just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts. For we never appeared with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed - God is our witness - nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others,” (1Thessalonians 2:4-7)
I remember back to when I was about to give one of my first sermons. I gave my sermon to Bishop Stough, a great man and servant of God. After I finished, I asked him if the sermon meets his approval. Sitting behind his desk, he took off his glasses and lovingly said to me, “Gary, there are no popes in the body of Christ, you preach to the approval of God, not of any man.” It both freed and grounded my ministry under the “God who knows and examines my heart.” I do not work and serve for a church or denomination, I work and serve under God. If you serve or work seeking the approval of anyone or anything but God, you will either sell out or burn out. The main thing I do before I start or enter into anything in ministry is to examine my heart and ask myself the question, “What is my motive?” As one theologian said who I can’t recall now off the top of my head, "If you have the art of proclamation you will please men, if you have the unction of proclamation you will save men.”
As Paul states “we,” all of us have been approved and entrusted by God to share the Gospel of His saving grace through our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Not for our glory or that of any organization, but for the glory of His Church and His glory. The only way we obscure and hinder his glory is when we are silent in sharing His Gospel. When we worry about our “glory,” what other people may think or say about us if we bring up Jesus in a conversation. When we selfishly focus on our image and our qualifications, instead of The One who qualifies the unqualified and are afraid to say something “stupid.” So we say nothing.
My family, I pray this morning you spend time with God, then walk out your door free from seeking the approval of any person or anything other than God’s, and in freedom and joy share the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you have been cre ated, approved, and entrusted by God to share, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
I woke this morning in prayer over our prayer and worship gathering we will have this evening. We will soak in God’s presence, search God’s Scriptures, openly repent of sins, lay hands and anoint with oil, share in the Lord’s Supper, and pray for a revival in our lives an our community. We will “seek the things above where Christ is seated.”
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
Revival is God's strategic way of working in the earth between the resurrection of Jesus and his coming again to keep us moving towards Him. In Acts 2 and passages following is wave after wave of outpouring of the Spirit. In Joel 2 are massive outbursts of revival before the end of the age. In Romans 11 it speaks to the revival and the fullness of the Spirit to come in the nations that will be so powerful it will turn all to Jesus to accept Him as their Messiah
So if revival is the strategy of God leading to all nations accepting Jesus as their Messiah, why does he wait around for us to pray? Only as you give yourself to prayer are you transformed in your heart to be a determined seeker of more of God. And God will only trust a revival to determined seekers of more of Him. All those in the past who God has entrusted to revival are those who have dedicated themselves to long periods of prayer. Early Methodist revivals came because of a gathering of people who expected to see God move among them. Revival occurs out of Determined Seekers of more of God. Here is the thing though, you can't make yourself a Determined Seeker of more of God, you can only pray yourself into one. You have to give yourselves to something you do not see and can’t control. God doesn't want you to be confident in yourself, he wants you to be desperate for him and find your confidence in him. This thing is, revival is not something that is a peripheral of our faith, but needs to be at the heart of what we are after. Ask the Lord in prayer to give yourself over to this.
What is the essence of true revival? It is an intense experience of the presence of God in and among the people. The peculiar and mighty sense of the presence of God which is manifested.
4 thing happen when a revival happens.
• Restoration of love and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Re-falling in love. Song of Psalms
• There is a restoration of Jesus' Lordship. What does Jesus want me to do in my life and the life on His church.
• Restoration of Holiness and zeal for God's glory. How do you want to use me? Revivals always lead to a releasing of people into ministries.
• Restoration of Boldness.
We are not designed to be carriers of Covid, we are designed to be carriers of God and to be carriers of God to others. And just like we can’t give someone the Covid virus if we ourselves an not contagious with it, we cannot give someone and spread God if we are not contagious with Him, if we ourselves are not carrying Him to others.. We do not have a problem with prayer, we have a complacency with prayer. We can't get people to pray if they are not hungry for it. When people and churches quit praying, then God withdraws from them, then they find themselves in trouble, then they cry out.
How do we provoke hunger if there is a lack of hunger to pray? I wrestle with this, as much of it is out of my control. First, you must teach on prayer. In prayer we are invited into the throne room of God, we are privileged to enter into kingdom making decisions. However, everyone at some time feels disappointed with prayer. Each one of us has had a prayer that has not been answered. Take this cup from me. Lord let them be one. We must minister to the disappointments in prayer as much as we celebrate the answer of prayer. Second, we must de-clutter our programs and calendar if we want to prioritize prayer. We need to be seekers of more: more power of God, more revelation of the Spirit. Third, you need to set times for simple gatherings for prayer. Some people miss the sparks because they are always looking for the big flames. Driving to this big event or conference: IHOP, Passion, Catalyst, New Room..ect. or chasing after "gifted teachers and prophets." These events and people are all good and holy, however they are not meant to be our focus or highlight, and they cannot be the source of revival for your church. The source is Determined Seekers of more of God. We are called to start a spark, to look for where the sparks of God are working among us, and then a pour gasoline on it.
Many people are leaving the church because they have not seen the power of God moving in the church. Yet God's desire at creation, in the Jesus death and resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit's in dwelling, in us, was for the creation and existence of a church full of the presence and fire of the Holy Spirit. A "supernatural church" that is unstoppable. Churches today are so easily "stoppable." A talented leader leaves, a donor dies, a strategic plan fails, and now Covid, and church doors close or its ministries become ineffective. In order for a church to be an unstoppable, supernatural church, it has to rely and be surrendered to our unstoppable and supernatural God. There is only one way you become a supernatural church, and that is by spending hours doing what does not come natural to us, hours spent together on our knees in prayer.
My family, I pray today for something that I, your pastor, your spouse, your parents, nor anyone else really has any control over, that you become a Determined Seeker of more of God. Here is the thing though, you can't make yourself a determined seeker of more of God, you can only pray yourself into one. I pray today you give yourselves to something you do not see and can’t control and become desperate for God through prayer, In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Here is the link to our prayer and worship gathering tonight.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Please support and partner with my self and my family as we serve as local missionaries to those in our community with and end of year one-time or monthly financial gift by clicking link below. Donations can be sent by check to ODC PO Box 1293, Madison, Al 35758
Good morning, Lord Jesus. O Lord, my God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--I worship You in spirit and truth; and I welcome You into my heart and every moment of my day. ...
"I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3).
Lord Jesus, in You are hidden "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." As it turns out, it's all about You! Just as You revealed to Your two disciples walking to Emmaus right after Your resurrection, the law and the prophets all point to You; what's concealed in the Old Covenant is revealed in the Christ of the New Covenant: "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, (Jesus) interpreted to them the things about Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:20). And just as You said to all Your disciples gathered near to You at the shore just before Your ascension back to heaven: "These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about Me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44). "Then (You) opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45).
Lord Jesus, open my mind to understand the Scriptures. Open my spirit to embrace Your truth and experience Your Presence on my daily journey to grow in "the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is Christ Himself." There's joy in this journey to seek out "all the treasures" You've hidden away for us to find. "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings to search things out" (Proverbs 25:2).
As I search Your Word and seek Your Presence, I know the more I seek You, the more I find You. That's the Promise of Your Word as well: "When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 29:13-14). The more I seek and the more I find, I find Your Word to be faithful and true that "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" are hidden in You (Colossians 2:2-3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you will experience great joy on your daily journey to seek out all treasures of God hidden in Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's all about You. So I seek to begin my day centered in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He Himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:15-20).
I read that passage and I think WOW at who Jesus is!! As I reflect on this passage, about Jesus, about myself and who Jesus is to me I ask Jesus,, Do You "have first place in everything" in me? Do I seek You first? Do I put Your first? Do I live my life throughout the moments of my day there are no other gods before me, there are no idols in Your place, and no compromised in my "sincere and pure devotion to Christ"? (2 Corinthians 11:3) ...
As I sense Your leading to honestly lay the question before You this morning, it seems I hear You speaking in my heart, "Honestly, no. You do not. Nor by yourself can you completely, sincerely, purely, and fully. No one can. Even in this, you need My grace. Especially in this, you need My power of My grace to be at work in your heart and your mind to seek Me and surrender to Me, to passionately pursue Me and allow Me to make your heart more pure and more wholly devoted to Me. But is it My great desire and delight to answer your prayer and move in your heart every time you turn to Me and invite Me to move in you. This is a life-long journey, with breakthroughs along the way. And I breakthrough more deeply as you surrender more deeply to Me." ...
Yes, Lord. I want to love You and surrender to You and Your love for me with "an undivided heart," with "my whole heart" so "turn to me and be gracious to me" (Psalm 86:11-16). I want to "love the Lord (my) God with all (my) heart, and with all (my) soul, and with all (my) mind, and with all (my) strength" (Mark 12:30). I want to hold nothing back from You, wholly devoted to You, completely surrendered to You. I want You to be first, to "come to have first place in everything" in me -- all by the power of Your grace at work within me.
You are "the Alpha and the Omega, the Frist and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:12). You are my "All in All," as All in One -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 15:28). So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to keep turning my heart to You and inviting You to keep moving in me on this life-long journey of faith in You and Your love for me, with breakthroughs of deeper surrender all along the way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you keep turning your heart to Jesus and inviting Him to keep moving in you. I pray you trust Him more fully and surrender more deeply to Him as the One with first place in everything in you -- all by the power of His grace, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes upon You, as I still my soul and listen for Your voice.
I believe I hear You saying in my heart: "Think on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
Yes, Lord. I don’t know with any certainty of all my future circumstances or nor can I predetermine the severity of all my challenges, but I can choose, and I can control -- by the power of Your grace -- the focus of my thoughts. And Your Word encourages me to think on the good things, to focus a little more on the best things, on the things that help me look up instead of down, to look forward instead of backward, and to start off my day on the right path, with my best foot forward, with a good attitude the right priorities and a healthy perspective: "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.... Then the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8).
There will be plenty of time to deal with the daily stuff, but right now I'm going to make my priority and take a little time to be with the Holy Spirit. I will gird up with the armor of God,, walk I out my door and go out into battle for You Jesus in a minute, but right now I'm going to settle in for some quiet time in the communion of prayer, centered in You, and surrounded in Your Presence. I'm going to open up my spirit and lift up my heart and welcome You into every thought in my mind, every desire in my heart, and every moment in my day.
I'm going to think on You and all You've done for me. I'm going to think on Your love for me, Your power within me, Your plans before me, and Your grace to sustain me through whatever comes. And then, when I have to start thinking about all the other things that will become a part of my life today, I'll not forget these good and precious things that You've sealed in my heart, here at the start of my day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray you will take a little time with the Holy Spirit and let the Lord focus your mind and your heart on the good things of God in your life, as you begin your day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up -- here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
"For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, by the power that also enables Him to make all things subject to Himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved" (Philippians 3:18-4:1).
We can become an enemy of the cross without being part of some army of another religion or some satanic cult. We can become an enemy of the cross when we refuse to take up our cross and follow You. We can become an enemy of the cross when we let our flesh be our god, when we set our minds on the priorities of the kingdoms of this world instead of the priorities of the kingdom of heaven. And we can become an enemy of the cross when we no longer "stand firm in the Lord," compromising with truth, watering down our faith, and conform to the ways of the world instead of standing in contrast through the ways of Christ.
Forgive us, Lord. Forgive me, Lord. The cross is the place of death -- death to my will that's apart from Your will, my ways that are apart from Your ways. The cross is the place where I can say by Your grace, "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, buy Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
You said to Your first followers what continue to say to all who would claim to Your followers in every age, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in His glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels" (Luke 9:23-26).
To seek to "gain the whole world" -- even if we say "We're doing it for Jesus" or "We're just trying to connect with our culture" or "We're just trying to be relevant" or "We're just seeking to be less threatening or less exclusive or less judgmental or less intolerant" -- is to lose our soul as a follower of Christ and ambassador of His Church. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" (Mark 8:36)
Give me grace to "stand firm" in this age, in my generation, in my culture, in the challenges to Your Way and Your Truth and Your Life in my day. I want to be a friend of Christ not an enemy of the cross. I want to be Your beloved not Your befuddled. I want to be clear in proclaiming and living Your message -- "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) with my "faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6) -- not afraid to love and not afraid to speak the truth, just as You show us through Your Life in Your Spirit and in Your Word.
"Truth is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21). You said, "You are My friends if you do what I command you" -- not "what you think will work best in your world," not "what you feel the Bible ought to say," and not "what you would do if you were God," but "what I command you." So give me grace to be a friend of Christ, not an enemy of the cross. Give me grace to live my life in Christ, in Your Truth, is to take up my cross and follow You this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you are empowered by God's grace to take up your cross and follow Jesus every day, proclaiming His message through your life as a friend of Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me! God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
"But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved)! For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in the all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).
My Father God, teach me what it really means that I have already been raised from the dead along with Christ and You have already "seated (me) with Him in the heavenly realms because (I am) united with Christ Jesus." Give me deeper "spiritual wisdom and insight so that (I) may grow in (my) knowledge of God" to understand more clearly the truth of this mystery (Ephesians 1:17). Help me "understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else -- not only in this world but also in the world to come" (Ephesians 1:19-21).
I'm here on earth in this earthly realm. But already, at the same time, I'm also raised up and seated with Christ in the place of honor at Your right hand in the heavenly realm. That's my high place in Christ You've prepared for me. I have such a strong sense that it's so important to grow in my understanding of the truth of this mystery and to live it out. Help me learn to live it out in the way I pray, in the way I speak, in the way I see myself and see all who believe and have been seated with me and united with me and with Christ Jesus in the heavenly realm.
In the heavenly realm, where I am in Christ and Christ is in me, I am "far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else" (Ephesians 1:21). In that realm, sin is under me, sickness is under me, selfishness is under me, Satan is under me along with every satanic scheme to steal my identity or silence my voice or suppress my spirit. Discouragement, depression, disappointment, defilement, deception, darkness, and every devil sent to delay or destroy my destiny is under me and defeated by the victory of the cross and the glory of the resurrection. "All praise to God, the Father of (my) Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed (me) with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because (I am) united with Christ!" (Ephesians 1:3)
Let this truth get into my spirit. Let my spirit come alive in Your truth.
It's from there -- from the heavenly realm of my identity in Christ, united with Christ in the place of honor as a child of God at the right hand of God -- that I want to learn to live. I want to learn to live from my high place in Christ. I'm alive in Christ and I want to fully live into all that means. Living from there, together with all who believe You and fully entrust ourselves to You, "we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10). And living from there, may our "hearts be flooded with light so that (we) can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called -- His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance!" (Ephesians 1:18) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray your heart is flooded with the light of God's truth and love, with wisdom and revelation, to learn to live from your high place in Christ, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that You are Lord, raised from the dead and raising me up to live my life in You this day. ...
"He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:5-8).
It's Your "good pleasure" to pour out Your grace into my life. You don't do this begrudgingly, but freely; and not in scarcity, but in abundance. Out of the riches of Your grace, You lavish me with Your goodness -- all in Your joy and "good pleasure." "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 136:1)
Thank You, Lord, that You are a good God, in a good mood! 'He who sits in the heavens laughs!" (Psalm 2:4). It was "for the sake of the joy that was set before (You that You) endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2). And despite what's going on around us -- even in the things that break Your heart and ours -- You're always inviting us to know the truth of Your Word: "In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" (Psalm 16:11).
O Lord, my God, "restore unto me the joy of Your salvation" every day (Psalm 51:12). Speak Your words of spirit and life into my heart that "(Your) joy may be in (me), and that (my) joy may be complete" (John 15:11). Though every moment and challenge of every day, help me see You and see myself in the light of Your truth and Your lavish grace and the "good pleasure" of Your will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you have eyes to see God as He is and see yourself as He sees you, that His laughter and joy may be in you and your joy may be complete in Him, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/ToneyUMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's all about You. So I seek to begin my day and week centered in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...
“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 13:2-3)
Jesus, I hear you ask me this morning, Do I "have first place in everything"? Do I seek You first? Do I put Your first? Do I live my life throughout the moments of my day with no other gods before me, with no idols in Your place, with no compromises in my "sincere and pure devotion to Christ"?
Jesus, As I sense Your leading to honestly lay the question before You this morning, it seems I hear You speaking in my heart, "Honestly, no. You do not. Nor can you completely, sincerely, purely, and fully. No one can by themselves. Even in this, you need My grace. Especially in this, you need My power of My grace to be at work in your heart and your mind to seek Me and surrender to Me, to passionately pursue Me and allow Me to make your heart more pure and more wholly devoted to Me. But is it My great desire and delight to answer your prayer and move in your heart every time you turn to Me and invite Me to move in you. This is a life-long journey, with breakthroughs along the way. And I breakthrough more deeply as you surrender more deeply to Me." ...
Yes, Lord. I want to love You and surrender to You and Your love for me with "an undivided heart," with "my whole heart" so "turn to me and be gracious to me" (Psalm 86:11-16). I want to "love the Lord (my) God with all (my) heart, and with all (my) soul, and with all (my) mind, and with all (my) strength" (Mark 12:30). I want to hold nothing back from You, wholly devoted to You, completely surrendered to You. I want You to be first, to "come to have first place in everything" in me -- all by the power of Your grace at work within me.
You are "the Alpha and the Omega, the Frist and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:12). You are my "All in All," as All in One -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 15:28). So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to keep turning my heart to You and inviting You to keep moving in me on this life-long journey of faith in You and Your love for me, with breakthroughs of deeper surrender all along the way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you keep turning your heart to Jesus and inviting Him to keep moving in you. I pray you trust Hm more fully and surrender more deeply to Him as the One with first place in everything in you -- all by the power of His grace, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share with me and others your reflections and what God is speaking to you from todays reading in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and every moment of my day. ...
"Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.... For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And He died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for them" (2 Corinthians 5:11-15).
We are "well known to God." And You know well the plans You have for me and each one of Your children (Jeremiah 29:11). ...
My Father, You know all about me. You've created me and saved me. You've loved me and corrected me. You've called me and anointed me, encouraged me and inspired me, equipped me and empowered me. You always go before me and You're always with me. You know every hair on my head and every hurt in my heart. You know every step that I'll take and every misstep I've taken. And yet You love me with "an everlasting love" (Isaiah 54:8).
The Bible says there came a time when "the Lord was sorry that He had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart" (Genesis 6:6). I know I've grieved You to Your heart at times. I wonder if You were ever sorry You made me. ...
But even as I write those words here in my journal, I immediately hear You speaking to my heart. It seems I hear You saying: "No, My son. I chose to create you and never forsake you, even as I have chosen each one of My children. You are created in My image, but destined to struggle through your issues on your spiritual journey to maturity in Me. When you stumble and fall, when you falter or fail, I still love you and help you and even cause you to become more desperately dependent upon Me so that I can display My glory more completely through you. This is My way. This is My will -- that My children learn to trust Me and love Me and know My love for them on their journey to learn to love in the time they have on this earth."
Yes, Lord. "For this is the will of God, (my) sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). You desire that I would "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (my) mind, so that (I) may discern what is the will of God -- what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).
Though humankind grieved You, at the same time "Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). And by the power of Your grace through sacrifice of Christ, we are Your children who find favor in Your sight, despite all our sins and failures and all that grieves Your heart with us. "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us this ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). In Christ, we are the message -- through our changes hearts and changed lives by the power of the grace of God at work within us! "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making Hi appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20).
You want to bring me to the place here in my heart and soul where I am free to no longer live for myself, but live for You (2 Corinthians 5:15). And in living for You and allowing You to live in me, I am becoming more like You. "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one Spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). This is the way of life and the will of God You've chosen for me and every one of us. "God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Lord, in desperate dependence upon You alone -- upon the One who knows me well -- make me more like You today, as I learn to love more like You today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I earnestly pray without a doubt you realize, you completely understand, and that you truly know how much God loves you and longs to live through you, making you more like Jesus as you learn to love more like Him each day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share with me and others your reflections and what God is speaking to you from todays reading in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit and lead me in Your ways, here at the start and throughout the moments of my day. ...
"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).
Your Word calls our spiritual enemy "the god of this world" who "has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" -- those who do not believe "the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." And "the god of this world" is at the source of the evil of this world. You called him "the ruler of this world" (John 14:30). Bur Your Word encourages us to not lose heart when we see Satan’s evil work of deception and destruction, but to rise up in faith: "Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith..." (1 Peter 5:8-9).
One way we resist him, steadfast in our faith, is by letting Your light shine in our hearts. Give us a love for those who are deceived. Move us to intercede for them instead of condemn them, that their eyes will be opened to the truth -- "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Stir in our hearts to pray for those who persecute us, to bless those who curse us, to love those who hate us (Matthew 5:44). Break the blindness from their minds to know the truth who will set them free (John 8:32).
Even with all we see in the world now with Covid and injustice, this is not a time to fear, but to arise in faith. This is not a time to lose heart, but to be stirred in our hearts to pray as warriors into the great contrast between the light and the dark, between good and evil, between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God.
As You explained long ago, both light and darkness, both good and evil, are all growing to full maturity at the end of this age -- "to grow together until the harvest" (Matthew 13:24). Let us be encouraged when we see these things coming of age in our day -- the time of a great harvest is near! (Mathew 13:39)
You are "not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). And You will use this ever-increasing contrast that we see around us of the light and the dark, the good and the evil, to expose the deception of the ruler of this age so that all can see the truth and know the One who is the truth -- "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).
So give us Your harvest perspective! Give us Your kingdom perspective! In the midst of this darkness, as we hold fast to our faith and let the light of Your glory shine through our faces and move powerfully through our prayers, "the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of (our) Father" (Matthew 13:43). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray that in this harvest time, the light of the glory of God will increasingly shine through your face and your prayers to expose the darkness of deception and bring many to faith in the One who is the Truth. The whole earth was Jesus’ harvest field into which He poured His saving blood.. Pray for Jesus to reveal to you the fields you are to pour yourself into and aide in the harvest, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
“On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income and save it to the extent that God has blessed you, …. Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house. “ (1Corinthians 16:2,19)
Bishop Desmond Tutu stood up as the key speaker to give the college commencement speech to the graduating class. He walked up to the mic and proclaimed, “It is all a gift! It is all a gift!” And then returned to his seat and sat down.
Everything we have is a blessing. There is nothing that we have that can’t be taken away from us tomorrow. All we have is a gift from God. All our gifts from God are resources to be given back to God and used for the kingdom of God. God’s grace did not bless you with simply 10% of your gifts, He blessed you with ALL of your gifts. Though sadly the average giving by parishioners in the US is 2.4%. For Christian families making less than $20k per year, 8% of them gave at least 10% in tithing. For families making a minimum of $75k or more, the figure drops to just 1%. His grace provided for all of your gifts. The notion that 90% of our gifts and resources are ours, so that 10 percent of our gifts are all we need to give back to God is false, as Paul states, “You are to set aside income to the extent that God has blessed you.” As the hymn states, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe …”
A major portion of the blessings and where we store up the blessings that God has bestowed upon you and I is our homes and apartments we live in. This major source of our blessing is not meant to be gated and fenced off as “ours” from God’s use but opened up to be used as an outpost of God’s blessings to your neighbors and community as “His.” What percentage of your home, your gift from God to the extent that He has blessed you have you set aside for God? Out of the 168 hours in a week God has blessed you to reside in your home, how many of those hours weekly is your house or apartment open to others and used for God? Used for hosting youth to mentor, after school children’s bible study, accountability groups, a Bible house church, or other ministries for God? What percentage of this time God has blessed you to reside in a comfortable home do you share back to God? 20%, 10%, 5% or 0%. “Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house.” How are you warmly greeting in the Lord others into your home?
My family, I pray you will intentionally discern and plan how you will “tithe” and open up and share your home or apartment, one of your greatest blessing from God, as a place that warmly greets others in the Lord. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I shared my insights and prayers from todays passage with you. Please share your insights and prayers with me and others in the comments box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
http://www.easytithe.com/dl/?uid=onepob279
