Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice.
"The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.... Very truly, I tell you, I am the good shepherd" (John 10:2-11).
As I look to You in worship and listen for You in prayer this morning, Your Holy Spirit opens the gate of my spirit to welcome You into every moment of my day. You call me by name; You know my nature and my needs; and You speak into my spirit what You want me to hear and to know.
I'm both a sheep and I'm a son -- a sheep of Your fold and a son of my Father. Help me listen and hear, so I can rise and follow You into Your will for my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
As I look and listen to begin this day, it seems I hear You saying: "My son, you always have the freedom to open the gate of your heart to Me or close it, to watch and wait and worship or not, to take time to listen and trust and obey or choose to do your own will. Choose well Gary. Seek Me first and My righteousness and My kingdom. Then all you need will be added unto you; and all I desire for you will be fulfilled through you."
Yes, Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to seek You first (Matthew 6:33). As a sheep of my Good Shepherd, I seek to hear Your voice and open my heart (Hebrews 3:7). As a son of God, I seek to be led by Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.... For (we) have received the spirit of sonship (Romans 8:14 RSV).
O Lord, my God, put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Guide my steps by the leading of Your Spirit into the path of life You have for me today (Psalm 23:3). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you hear God speak to you now by name, “_______ choose well.” I pray you open the gate of your heart to Jesus, and seek God first, that you may hear His voice and be led by His Spirit in the path of life He has chosen for you this 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.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
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.
Thank You!
Good morning Lord Jesus, your servant is listening, speak to me..
“The LORD says,
“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he is loyal to me.
When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
I will satisfy him with long life,
and will let him see my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16
Monday at Lowes a co-worker shared with me how his brother had died suddenly the preveous day and his sin found him dead on the kitchen floor. Another Lowes employee I had not seen for over a week week ame up to me and shared how her husband she was married to for 36 years passed away and all the sadness unfortunate issues she is going through with the family. At the Waffle House low bar this morning a regular customer sitting next to me shared how his wife is on dialysis, her bones are deteriorating, she is wheel chair bound, and for years he has become her care taker. A waitress asked me to pray for her boyfriend’s mother who is dying of cancer. Another waitress because of domestic violence shared she is now homeless, without a car as her boyfriend took it, and she does not know what to do. A friend of mine shared how the abuse, and lack of respect has caused his marriage to deteriorate to the point he is going to have to seek a divorce and knows the hostility he will encounter.
I came home from the Waffle House and now I sit here this morning and look over my prayer list, and I can feel overwhelmed. My heart mourns over these prayer requests. However, I then understand it is not my burden to bare to heel, restore, and renew lives, it is simply my privilege to stand in the gap, love my neighbors, and bring these prayer request to the foot of the cross to the one who can heal, restore and renew lives. I offer these prayer requests: “to the only wise God.” I offer them up to “Now to him who is able to strengthen me”, (Romans 16:24,27); I place them in front of our gracious Lord who tells me, “I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
I read Psalm 91 over these requests to my God who promises “When he calls out to me, I will answer him.”
My family, you also may be beginning your day where your prayer list seems to overwhelm you. Take comfort knowing that they do not overwhelm God. And since God resides in you through His Holy Spirit, your prayers can rise above life’s worldly struggles. Remember, “He who is in YOU is greater than he who is in the world.” (I john 4:6), in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I would love for you to please share your reflections with myself or others using 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!
My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. 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. Thank You Thank You!
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I was sitting au the low bar at a Waffle House. A man told how he just got back last week from a trip to Jamaica with his wife. I told them how my family and I have visited and love Jamaica. One man sitting at the bar two persons down to my right told us to be careful, you see on the news all the time of the terrorist attacks. The discussion at the bar then turned to terrorists, the war in Iran, Gaza, Palestinians, Muslims and Islam. The conviction, passion and joy with which these Christians talked about God damning Muslims to burn in hell troubled me. I countered back biblically and theologically, even tried rationally, but I was out numbered, and the heated debate I found myself in was not one I was going to win, or change any hearts of those with whom I was engaging. Madison/Huntsville with Redstone arsenal and all the military contractors and suppliers can be a city over the top with American patriotism and mob mentality towards non-Christian cultures and people. I walked out thinking, there still is allot of work left to be done for the kingdom of God!
When I walked outside I noticed the back on an SUV in the parking lot. It had several bumpers stickers on the back of it. One said, “I’d rather be waterboarding terrorists.” The one that saddened me the most was this one, It had a smiley face then the words “If you are a Muslim, you will burn in hell! (John 14:6).”
This verse John 14:6, is the one most quoted by those who enjoy the thought of their enemies (typically the Muslims and the Democrats) burning in hell, is the verse in which Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I don’t pretend to know anything concrete about the referent to that word “hell” so carelessly tossed around by some Christians and so carelessly tossed out by others. But I do know that it has a referent. And there is enough description surrounding it to indicate that whatever hell is, it is a big problem. I also know that I am not God, so how I may handle this problem is irrelevant. God handled it by sending his Son to be killed by and for the world. He only requires the gratitude due, which, if genuine, will produce a commitment to the truth and a commitment to the way. Only to the grateful will the life be granted. As one old preacher once said, “This is God’s universe and God does things his way. You may have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.” So the next time you proclaim John 14:6, make sure your mouth and your body; the truth you profess and the way you live, are in sync with your bumper sticker. And if they are not, sit down and shut up until you become grateful. Do the world a favor and just be still until you know that you are not God.
My family, instead of delighting or regretting that those of another Religion do not know Christ, let’s join together and love and pray for them. Let’s join together in prayer that they hear from the one true God and encounter Jesus Christ and our set free.
Please share your thoughts on this reflection 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
Give A Gift!
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!
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Good morning, Lord Jesus. Looking to You, I begin my day centered in Christ with Christ centered in me (Colossians 3:4). ...
“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:14-15).
We’re called to “be thankful.”
I’m thankful that You empower me to “put on love” and thankful that You cause “the peace of God (to) rule in (my) heart.” I’m thankful that You treat me better than I deserve and love me more than I’ll ever know. I’m thankful that I’m saved and being sanctified into Your image by Your Spirit at work within me every day, that I’m never alone because You’re always with me, that You know everything about me and yet You love me and know me and call me by name.
As I begin another week, fill me with a spirit of thankfulness, an attitude of gratitude, a perspective of praise for who You are in me and who I am in You. Set me free from any spirit of negativity, criticism, judgment, self-righteousness, self-pity, and every form of self-centeredness and selfishness. Crucify those things from my flesh, putting those things to death so the fullness of Your life may be fully expressed in me and through me.
“For (I) died, and (my) life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is (my) life appears, then (I) will also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you may be thankful, being set free from all that's not yet like in you, centered in Christ and Christ centered in you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I want to encourage you to join me by alsosharing with us your thoughts, comments, reflections, and prayers you received from today’s reading 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!
To Give Click Here
“When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they began making fun of him” (Matthew 9:23-24)
Curtis Sergeant is an amazing man who has planed thousands of churches around the world, and consults with NGOs (Non Government Organizations and CPMs (Church Planting Movement) leaders around the world. He told me the story of when he was over in Asia in a secret location, where CPM leaders had gathered from around the world to pray, train and equip each other. Curtis said they had just gathered, when news came to one of the leaders that two of his church planting operatives in a city had just been put to death. The leader told Jesus he had to go back immediately. Curtis told him he was so sorry for what had happened, however he said all who had gathered had traveled great distances to get here, and great security and secrecy had been in place to allow this meeting to happen, could the leader just stay for a few hours of a day and fly back tomorrow. The leader looked at Curtis and said, I need to go back now to pray and see if Jesus will raise these dead men. Curtis thought to himself what he would do if a couple of his operatives were martyred and put to death. He would notify their family of the incident. Inform his board and discuss who they would send in to replace them. Contact the media to control and get a media story out. However, flying out immediately to go see if Jesus would raise his dead operatives back to life would not be on his list. The leaders faith and expectancy of the poser and ability of God both amazed and convicted him.
If I were to ask you, ask those in the church the question, How many believe that God can raise the dead?” I think most if not all hands would go up. If I asked the question, “How many expect to see God raise the dead today?” Many fewer, if not all hands would remain at people’s sides. Having a belief that God can raise the dead and expecting that God will and is raising the dead are two very different things.
Our simple, maybe even strong belief for many in the church that God can raise the dead comes out of our cognitive brain. It is a fact or data we hold to be true. It is like our belief in the fact that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the USA. What impact does your belief in the fact that Abaraham Lincoln was the 19th president have on your live today? None. What does your simple belief that God can raise the dead have on your life today? None. The churches simple belief in the fact or truth that God can raise the dead has not and cannot impact on our daily life today without an expectancy that God will and is raising the dead today.
In Matthew 9:18-26 is the story of Jesus raising a young girl back to life. When Jesus tells them he was going to raise her back to life the crowd around him did not believe or support him but they laughed at him. If someone told you after the death of someone that they were going to pray and see if God could raise them from the dead, and if they asked you to come pray as well, would your thoughts be similar to those of the crowds?
The church is the place that professes Jesus is Lord, but it does not do “Jesus is Lord” well. Can I say that? We say Jesus is Lord the same way we say Lincoln was the 19th president. We say it absent for the most part of any expectancy of power and presence in our lives.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism in which I am an ordained clergy said before he died looking into the future of the church, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”
Your church building doors have been shut for over two months, but Jesus still has been Lord. If you believe this, then during this time how many people have you laid hands on and prayed over in the power of Jesus for healing and restoration? As your church building begins opening its doors and allow its members to come together again in worship to collectively declare “Jesus is Lord” what power do you believe that declaration has to heal cancer, restore broken marriages, end addictions and raise the dead? Will it have the form and look of a religious gathering without the power?
My family, over the weekend read Matthew chapters 8 and 9 and see the expectancy and power of Jesus. I pray you will push into the Holy Spirit as Pentecost Sunday approaches and re-claim the presence and power of the Lordship of Jesus over your life, in Jesus’ name. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections on this devotion with us in the comment box below.
Resolve to Help in 2024
I want to ask you to resolve this year in partnering with my wife, myself, and One Direction Community by supporting our ministries! We begin a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this. If you click on the link below you can easily set up a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly auto donations in the amount you desire. . We would be so grateful for your help. You can also give a one-time donation on the same link. Thank you!
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You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches or small groups understand and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you are interested I would love to talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
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Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and welcome You into my heart and into my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
"While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' " (Acts 1:4-8).
Lord Jesus, just before You ascended to Heaven from the Mount of Olives with all your disciples looking into the sky, You told them to wait for the promise of the Father, for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They knew You personally in their relationship of faith and they believed in Your resurrection as the Son of God. But there was more. You commanded them to wait for more.
They were never meant to go to work for the kingdom of God in their witness of faith without the power of the kingdom of God at work within them. Though they had great faith, though they had a personal relationship with You as Lord and Savior, You told them they needed more. You told them they needed to wait. They needed to wait to be empowered by Your Holy Spirit, to be baptized, saturated, immersed, and filled to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit. You said, "See, I am sending upon you what My Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).
Your first disciples were to wait with hungry hearts and expectant faith for their baptism with Your Holy Spirit. And so are we. We need You and we need Your power at work within us to be Your witnesses wherever You send us -- whether across the street or to the ends of the earth. We need to be baptized, saturated, immersed, and filled to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit, clothed with Your power from on high. We are to be the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, continuing the ministry of Christ in this hurting, broken, and fallen world.
This past Sunday we celebrated the Day of Pentecost. Let us open wide our hearts every day for the coming of Your Holy Spirit. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus. I embrace Your promise, my Heavenly Father. Come, Holy Spirit of the Living God. Baptize me afresh today and everyday with Your power from on high. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, ,I pray you will embrace the promise of the Father and be baptized with the Holy Spirit to be empowered to be a witness of Jesus everywhere He sends you 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.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
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.
Thank You!
Good morning Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to guide my life today
Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day when we remember the thousands of men and women who gave their lives to grant us and give us the freedom, hope, comfort and privileges we now live in as citizens of the USA. As a citizen of the USA, you have won the lottery with all the resources available to you.
We also remember we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. You have had thousands of saints of God and Christ himself who were martyred and died to grant you the position you are in now as citizens of heaven and to receive all the resources, power, grace, joy, mercy, forgiveness that has been bestowed upon you. You add those two together; being a citizen of The Kingdom of God and The USA, and we are blessed and equipped to share the gospel and disciple others greater than any other people on this earth!
You have won the two biggest lotteries available to you in the world! You and I had thousands of men and women give their lives to grant you and give you the freedom and privileges you now live in as citizens of the USA. You and I had thousands of men and women give their lives, and God himself gave His Son and Jesus willingly gave his life to grant you and give you the freedom and privileges you now live in as citizens, sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God..
What are you doing with it all? How is your life honoring those that died to give you the position of these two citizenships? You have won two lotteries, one from heaven and one from earth, how are you using those resources given to you at the cost of the lives of others? You and I have more resources than anybody else in the world to share the Gospel and bring people to Christ? How, where, to whom are you using your resources to bring people to Christ?
Read Acts Chapter 18. It is a chapter on discipleship. In this chapter we meet Aquila and Priscilla. A couple that took Paul in and were discipled by him for 1 1/2 -2 years in Corinth. And where did Paul’s discipleship training take place? In a church classroom? In a lecture hall? No, At work! “Because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade” (v.3). Paul discipled them at his workplace. The result was that that when Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, it was not Timothy or Silas that accompanied him on his trip, but Aquila and Priscilla.
While Paul was in Ephesus, God led him to witness in his neighborhood. “Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.” (v,7-8). Paul walked next door, walked around his neighborhood, and made disciples of his neighbors. Paul’s discipleship training also took place in his neighborhood. Aquila and Priscilla went with Paul as he talked to his neighbors, watching him, learning from him, being discipled themselves. The results of this was that after Paul spent time in Ephesus, he left but Aqulla and Pricilla stayed behind, continuing to make disciples there and helped plant and birth the church in Ephesus.
We see later in chapter 18, how Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos into their house, and discipled him for a time, then sent him out to Achia to plant grow the church. “But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” (v. 26). Discipleship changes individual(s) to go out and change the world and to go out and make disciples who make disciples.
The Lord spoke to Paul, ”Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people." (vs. 9-10). The Lord said there were many in his city that were “his people”, people who the soil of their hearts was good and ready to receive the seed of the gospel if Paul would just go and sow it in them. The Lord is speaking the same to you and I. Put your name and city in that verse, “Do not be afraid Gary, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in Madison and Huntsville who are my people."
So who are you discipling now? In your workplace? In your neighborhood? All the years you have attended church and and walked with God, all your personal knowledge of Jesus and love for Jesus has absolutely no impact or any benefit at all to those around you, brings absolutely no light to the darkness around you, is a “light hid under a basket,” unless you personally share it with others. You are not called to your church. You attend your church, just like Paul attended the synagogue. However if all Paul did was attend his synogague once a week, you and I may not be going to church on Sundays. You are called to your work place and your neighborhood. You attend your church, however it is the front door of your home that you are called to open and invite people into. Who are your Aquilas and Pricillas your co-workers; who are the Crispus your neighbors, that you are pouring into and giving them real access to your lives so they can watch you, learn from you, read the Bible with you, pray with you, and grow as disciples? Real access does not happen in a hour church service or by sending text messages or FB posts. Real access requires a personal involvement and an investment of real time. We are called to be a church with discipleship making at our core. Discipleship requires investing personal and intimate time with other individuals.
Prayers:
Discipleship flows out of us individually investing more personal and intimate time with God. Pray this morning that God will strengthen your resolve to invest time in Him by daily reading our chapter in the New Testament and reflecting on it. By, fasting day a week in prayer, spending at least one solid hour a week in prayer, and meeting weekly in a group for accountability.
Pray that our church, your church will finally awaken and move out of individual lives of isolation and move forward so we will invest more in each other, that true discipleship among us will occur. Pray for unity among us.
Pray as we move forward we will invest more in others by opening out homes to our neighbors and starting Bible studies and house churches, Band groups, and increased fruits into and of those you are discipling now.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you two or three people you know who need discipling in their life right now. Pray that God will give you the love to step into their life. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections on Chapter 18 with myself and others in the comments box. My purpose for writing the daily reflections is to encourage your own reflections and prayers. I would love to hear what God is revealing to you.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches or small groups understand and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus out in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you or your church are interested I would love to help you and talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up 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. Thank You! Thank You!
“My commandment is this - to love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13
Memorial Day was Originally Decoration Day, started to commemorate the deceased of the Civil War. Most southern states refused to recognize the day officially until after WWI. It was Declared Memorial Day by President Johnson in 1966. With the Red Stone Arsenal and the strong military presence here, and the many military families that live in the in this area, Memorial Day impacts allot of families in our area.
I love our country, I am so blessed to live here.
It is a country born out of a desire for freedom.
Born out of a desire for justice in the face of oppression, and tyranny, both religious and political.
Born out of a desire to be a people free to worship God
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The USA was born out of sacrifice of life.
Those who left country and home and travelled into the unknown.
It was formed out of blood and loss of life in the American Revolution.
And for us today who are blessed to wake up this morning in America, we have had tens of thousands of men and women pay the ultimate price and give their lives to grant you and I the freedom and privileges we now live in as citizens of the USA.
This memorial day, as we remember those who committed their lives in service, some paying the ultimate price for our freedom, justice, peace, Let’s remember who we are as a US citizens, and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of theirs lives, by giving of ourself to bring peace, justice, compassion, hope, joy to those around as today.
My family, as we gather today to enjoy the company of family and friends, also remember to say a prayer over those families who’s gatherings today will include going to the grave of a loved one, and be a solem remembrance of honoring a family member who payed the ultimate price for you and me, In Jesus’ name. God bless you my friends! God bless America!
“My commandment is this - to love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13
This Memorial Day weekend, please share your reflections from you time in the Word, and any revelations or calling The Holy Spirit has given you. I would love to hear from you.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up 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. Thank You! Thank You!
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning Lord Jesus, I seek out and I need your Holy Spirit to assist me in obeying you as my Lord today.
“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ʻSon, go and work in the vineyard today.ʼ The boy answered, ʻI will not.ʼ But later he had a change of heart and went. The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ʻI will, sir,ʼ but did not go. Which of the two did his fatherʼs will?” They said, “The first.” (Matthew 21:28-31)
A couple weeks ago in chapter 7 we read:
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” Matthew 7:24-27)
In these passages above you make it clear to us Jesus there is a difference between hearing your word and doing what your word says. Our Lives as Christians are not built solidly on the “Rock of Christ” because of our hearing and head knowledge of your words in the Bible, but our doing and acting upon them in our lives. You honor and desire us to read your Word and to pray and listen to Your Spirit’s teachings, calling ,and guidance. However, if we do not obey and actually do the things you are telling us to do, what good is it to You Jesus, or to us. You bless and honor my devotion time in the mornings, searching Your Scriptures, listening to the Holy Spirit, and writing down what I hear on how we should live our lives. However, when my posting is finished, my coffee cup is empty, and I close my laptop and get up off the couch, if I do not obey, do, and live out what I just posted, I am the boy who said “ʻI will, sir,ʼ but did not go.” “I am a hypocrite and a foolish man who hears Your words and does not do them, and my “house is built on sand.”
Going to church on Sunday mornings is not necessarily an act of “faith.” There is nothing “unknown” or that you need to rely on God for to go to church. Yes, going to church is a matter of your free will. However, your decision if you are going to go or not is more about following your calendar than following Jesus in faith. You choose to go or you choose something else you feel is more important that morning. Because if all you are going to church on a Sunday morning is to hear worship songs, to hear prayer requests, to hear a sermon, and not for encouragement in doing and obeying what you hear Monday through Saturday then what you heard on Sunday morning is nothing but sand to you. Do you go to church with the faith that whatever you hear that morning you will obey that week, no matter what the cost?
Jesus’s teachings are simple and consistent throughout the Gospels:
“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.: (John 14:15)
“Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. The person who does not love me does not obey my words” (John 14:23-24)
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”(Luke 11:27)
““If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
My family, I thank you for taking this time to read this reflection. However, now as you finish reading it, what are you going to do with what you read? I pray you will obey the Father and go work in the vineyard today sharing the Gospel. And I pray you will build your house and that of your family on the “Rock of Christ” by not simply hearing, but doing what you hear God speak to you in His Word and Prayer, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I would love for you to please share your reflections with myself or others using 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!
My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. 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. Thank You Thank You!
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“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Mathew 6:24)
“The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:25-26)
“Jesus answered him, “It is written, ʻYou are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.ʼ” (Luke 4:8)
Yesterday morning I reflected on our free will given to us when we were sanctified and justified in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. One of the aspects of this free will is that we are now free to love and serve Jesus as our Lord. And we are also free not to serve him. However, we will serve someone or something. Either Jesus, Satan, ourselves, another person, our career, materialism, possessions…ect. And the thing that we serve will control the one thing that controls all our actions and desires in our lives, our heart. Bob Dylan in his song “Gotta Serve Somebody” gives a pretty good list of the false gods in our lives we can choose to serve.
“Gotta Serve Somebody” Lyrics by Bob Dylan
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be living in another country under another name
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray
You may call me anything but no matter what you say
You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
My family, I pray this morning as you read the lists of false gods in in the lyrics above, you will honestly reflect on the someones or somethings that you are serving and that are controlling your heart, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart on my journey with You today.
This morning I am considering my reflecting on my conversation with a woman on the choices we make.
"After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, 'Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.' ... Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.' So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, 'Do quickly what you are going to do.' ... So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night" (John 13:21-30).
Judas made a choice. And in his choice to betray You, he opened the door of his soul for Satan to come in. No doubt there were many choices along the path that led him to this ultimate, fateful choice that "prepared the way of the lord" of darkness to have a place of authority and power in his soul (John 12:6). Did you ever think that all your choices “prepare the way of the Lord” to have power in your soul? Either the lord of Darkness or the Lord of Light, the prince of the air or the prince of peace, Satan or Jesus. Bob Dillon’s lyrcs come into my mind, “Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you're gonna have to serve somebody.”
In the spiritual principle of freedom that a true relationship of love requires, God’s Word sets before each of us the choice of "life or death, blessings or curses," boldly declaring, "Now, choose life! Then you and your children may live. To choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey Him, and stay close to Him. He is your life... (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). "For freedom Christ has set us free.... Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.... those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.... If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:1-25).
So in the choice of Judas, we see the great tension of two great truths that are equally true at the same time: the freedom of our will and the sovereignty of God's wisdom and authority. Both are true. Judas had the freedom to make his choice; and it's his choice that allowed Satan to accomplish the desires of his evil plan, even if it was a foolish plan that played out into the eternal plans of God. "We speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).
Jesus, you made Your choice; Satan made his choice; and Judas made his. As You said on Your journey to the cross, "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have the power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father" (John 10:17-18). You expressed the freedom of Your choice in the Garden, determining, "Not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
Father God, You see every choice we will ever make. You're the God who sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10). "In Your book were written all the days that were formed for (us), when none of them as yet existed" (Psalm 139:16). And at the same time, You've given us the freedom to make our choices, knowing so many of those choices will have such drastic, dramatic effect for us and even for all humanity -- just like when You allowed Adam and Even to make their choices in the freedom of their will in response to the leading of Satan, even knowing how much Your heart would break and Your creation would suffer (Genesis 3:1-7). But even their choices have always been part of Your plan, just like the choices of Satan and Judas and Jesus have always been a part of Your plan -- a plan for our salvation and redemption that allows both our freedom and Your sovereignty, "destined before the foundation of the world, but revealed at the end of the ages for (our) sake" (1 Peter 1:20).
Come, Holy Spirit. I reflect on the choice that Jesus made to lay down His life for me, despite the choice Judas made to betray the Lord of glory, let me choose each day to entrust my life to God my Father through Jesus Christ my Lord. In the sovereignty of God, You've given me the freedom to choose. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). By the grace of God and in the sovereignty of God, I choose to live my life this day for the praise of Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, Jesus made his choice, Satan made his choice, Adam and Eve made their choice, and Judas his as well. This morning I pray you will choose well how you live your life today and all the days of every week, in honor of the choice Jesus made for 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.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
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.
Thank You!
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gatatians 5:19–21)
“In his letter to the Galatians, Paul affirms that because of grace through Jesus, believers have been given a life of freedom. That’s the good news of Jesus. Those who have confessed faith in Christ are not bound to the penalty of sin because Jesus has paid the price. However, Paul warns them that their freedom does not mean they are free to behave any way they choose. They must deny acts of the flesh because the way believers live is a reflection of Christ. Just as what comes out of the mouth reflects our hearts, our actions reflect our lives as followers of Jesus. “
As we skim Paul’s list above, we may be tempted to brush it aside and claim that those are sins we would obviously not commit. Surely, we can all agree not to participate in depravity, idolatry, and witchcraft. However, if we look at Paul’s list in vs 19-21 in The Message Bible to pull out more nuances, it tells us:
“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.”
Believers who are practicing the way of Christ must surrender any habits, behaviors and lifestyles that do not reflect their lives of freedom. If we claim to have any lasting impact on our life by Christ, then that life is not just going to be some ”religious thing” we participate in, but we need to be intentional in surrendering our habits, behaviors and lifestyles to the cross of Christ. We need to be willing to place in front of God, those acts of the flesh which do not reflect the nature of Christ. Jesus did not give Himself up for us so we can abuse the freedom of grace and continue to act as though we have not been released from sin.
My family, I pray you allow the Holy Spirit to search you and reflect with you on what are obvious examples in your own life of a habit, behavior or lifestyle which does not reflect Christ. I pray you are willing to fall to your knees, confess and repent of them, and surrender them at the foot of the cross today, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and experiences on fasting 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
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. Thank You!
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.... The star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:1-11).
The wise men were going to see the King. They followed His star and when they found Him they took Him into their hearts. They "rejoiced with exceedingly great joy!" They "fell down and worshiped Him" and "opened their treasures" before Him to offer their gifts to Him.
Lord Jesus, You are the King - "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15). Give me the wisdom to pursue You every day. Give me the humility to open the treasures of my heart and offer the gift of my life completely to You. Holy Spirit help me worship Worship Jesus and welcome Him into my heart and every moment of my day, Your Spirit will fill me with the peace of Christ and "with exceedingly great joy!" Let me be among those wise men and women who are ever seeking to see the King! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray the Holy Spirit may stir in your heart this morning as we begin a new week to go and see the King today and every day. Give Him the gift of your heart, as He fills you with His peace and exceedingly great joy, 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.
Partner with us!
I want to ask you to resolve this year in partnering with my wife, myself, and One Direction Community by supporting our ministries! We begin a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this. If you click on the link below you can easily set up a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly auto donations in the amount you desire. . We would be so grateful for your help. You can also give a one-time donation on the same link. Thank you!
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
Would you like to receive my morning devotion blog in 2024?
Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning Lord Jesus, this morning I begin my morning intentionally listening to you so I can hear your intentions for me to walk in throughout my day today.
“Why does no one respond when I call?” v.2
“Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys his servant?
Whoever walks in deep darkness, without light,
should trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” V. 10
God asks His followers why does no one respond to his invitation to believe in his grace and power? Instead of them trying to put the blame on God for their actions and resigning themselves to their hopeless situation, his people should be committing themselves to the power, deliverance, and grace of their creator. He is more than ready to help them and restore them if they just admit their guilt and receive his deliverance.
God also asks, “Who fears the lord?” How does a person demonstrate that he or she “fears the Lord?” How do they show that they live in that place of reverence and awe for God that shapes their behavior? By listening to, and by obeying that which the Servant (Jesus) has been appointed by God to reveal in the world. I may be over simplifying it, but if you do not even bother to listen to Jesus by daily setting aside time reading the Bible and in prayer, then you have no fear, no real respect for Him. If you won't even take the time to listen to God, then you really don’t have a desire to follow Him, obey him and let him shape your life. How can He lead you daily when you aren’t even valuing any time daily to hear what He says to you? If you have no real desire to hear God, you have no real desire to respect and to obey God, no fear of God. How can you claim to be a follower of someone who you do not listen to? Isaiah declared the people were following the the words and listening to the stories of false prophets and ignoring God. Are you spending more time following the words and stories spoken on Facebook and social media than reading the words and stories in God’s Word?
Isaiah goes on to reveal that to fear God and to obey the voice of His Servant would imply an abundance of light. But this is not necessarily the case. Those who follow the Servant may indeed walk with Him into the darkness of frustration, injustice, humiliation, and abuse in the world as He did. But this does not mean they should abandon following God! All throughout time the followers of God think that God’s blessing equals comfort, monetary gain, and their well being. But that was not the way the Servant of God led His life.. And he was the most blessed person to ever walk the face of this earth.
My family, God call’s you today. I pray you will take time today to listen to Him. Do you respect what He has to say to you enough to intentionally set aside time today to hear it? Will you care enough today to listen to God by spending time listening to Him in His Scriptures and in prayer to let him shape your day? I pray you will in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts, reflections, questions, or prayers with us 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
Please support and partner with my self and my family as we serve those God crosses our path with in our community with your one-time or monthly financial gift by clicking link below.Become our partner and support us in our ministries by becoming supporting us monthly or with a one-time gift. Thank you!
Good morning Father, Son, and Spirit, I claim your presence in my life as I begin my week so I can impact those I meet this with your love and grace.
“They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of them, and they were amazed, but those who followed were afraid…” (Mark 10:32)
“But those who followed were afraid…” When was the last time you were afraid to follow Jesus? When was the last time you made a decision to follow Jesus knowing it would cost you something? When was the last time you obeyed His call to follow knowing it would be hard, difficult, uncomfortable and you would not get anything out of it but the satisfaction of being obedient?
We in America live and worship in a form of “ comfortable church” and easy discipleship that is absence of fear. We follow Jesus to comfortable worship buildings and Sunday school classrooms with comfortable chairs and AC. We follow Jesus to Wednesday night suppers. And we follow Jesus not with the His understanding that "church" is walking in public confronting and encountering others with the Gospel, but by isolating ourselves from our community and driving in comfortable cars, listening to Casting Crowns, drinking Starbucks and insulating ourselves from those who are around us in the cars and homes we are passing, to go to a safe and comfortable "sanctuaries."
Fear does not enter into our decision not to follow Jesus, comfort does. Asking the question, "When was the last time you did not follow Jesus out of fear?" may not be applicable to us. However the question, "When was that last time you did not follow Jesus for lack of comfort?, does apply to most of us. If it is raining outside, we stay home. If we had a hard day at work, we stay home. If we just don’t feel like it today, we stay home.
We don’t talk to people we encounter in our work day about Jesus because it makes us “uncomfortable.” We don’t know our neighbors and invite them into our homes to build relationships with us to share Jesus because it make us uncomfortable. Yet those people actually attend your "church", those you meet along along the way as you follow Jesus. Read Mark 10:32 again. "Church" was those those they met along the way as they followed Jesus.
My family, I pray as you follow Jesus on your way today, you follow Him in a way that makes you afraid, or at least makes you uncomfortable. 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.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
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.
Thank You!
Good morning Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.... Then the devil took Him to the holy city.... Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain.... Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'' Then the devil left Him, and suddenly angels came and waited on Him" (Matthew 4:1-11).
Lord, help me learn to discern when I'm in a place where the Spirit has led me or where the devil has taken me. Even You, holy and without sin, were both led by the Spirit to places at times and taken by the devil to places at times, according to the Word of God. You were "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15 ). You always knew how to respond. You always embraced all the Spirit had for You and always rejected all the devil had for You. By the power of Your grace, may I learn to do the same.
Thank You for the promise of Your Word, "All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). And for Your promise, "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide (me) into all the truth" (John 16:13). I am Your child and You are my Father. Come lead me by Your Spirit into Your truth. Empower me to discern and resist every temptation of the devil. "No temptation has overtaken (me) except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow (me) to be tempted beyond what (I) am able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that (I) may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Let me be faithful this coming year to read Your Word, that Your Word will be hidden in my heart so that I can declare what is written; and let Your Spirit guide my spirit so that I'm certain where I am and who led me there or took me there. Then -- no matter whether it was You or the devil -- You'll cause it all to work together for good in the fulfillment of Your plans and purposes because no matter where I go, I will be called according to Your purpose. (Romans 8:28). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you are resolving to daily intentionally setting aside a devotion time reading the Bible and in prayer so you may be led by the Spirit through every temptation with God's Word hidden in your heart and God's Spirit guiding your spirit, 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.
Resolve to Help
I want to ask you to resolve this year in partnering with my wife, myself, and One Direction Community by supporting our ministries! We begin a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this. If you click on the link below you can easily set up a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly auto donations in the amount you desire. . We would be so grateful for your help. You can also give a one-time donation on the same link. Thank you!
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
Would you like to receive my morning devotion blog?
Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Last night for Mother’s Day I took my wife Nancy to see the movie she wanted to see “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” A major part of the movie was filmed in Milan, Italy. And in the movie was a scene filmed in front of Leonardo a Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper. I brought back memories of the trip my family and I took to the cities of Paris, Milan, and London. I was in many of the places the film was shot and while watching the movie my wife and I kept saying to each other, “We were there” and “Do you remember that.”
While in Milan we visited Santa Maria Delle Grazie. Painted on the wall in the Dominican Monk monastery next to the church is the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci,”The Last Supper.” Here is a photo I took of it.
Besides the fact that it was painted by Da Vinci, what makes this painting so famous? Why was it so unique when it was painted? Da Vinci was a renaissance artist, and the renaissance was focused on the mind, beauty, and accomplishments of mankind. Here is a picture I took of Jesus in the painting.
In almost all the paintings and Icons of Jesus before this painting it was Jesus’ deity that was stressed. He was painted with a halo around his head, on a cross, "glowing" in some way, or painted larger than other people around him. In The Last Supper, Jesus is painted simply as a man. He has no halo around his head, no other sign of deity and is the same size as the other disciples in the photo. Jesus is painted emphasizing his incarnation, completely human, in context, in community, present at the supper table.
Another thing that made this painting unique is the food on the table. Remember, the last supper took place in Jerusalem. When you study the food you will see some of the traditional foods used in the Passover meal, however most of the food on the table is that which would be served at a typical Dominican Monk’s dinner. Da Vinci painted this painting in a Dominican monastery, and he wanted to reflect the meal in its context painted. Like we do today in our context when we celebrate the Lords Supper in remberance of the Jesus’ acts in salvation.
Da Vinci is stating in his painting that Jesus desire was not to imitate or replicate the meal when we remember it as happening somewhere in the past, but to incarnate it into our current meal. At ODC we are centered around simple churches, house church type models. I remember back when one of our new house churches just launched that was made up of recovering addicts. I received a call one night from a member as they were meeting and they asked, “Gary, we do not have any grape juice in the house, is it ok to use apple juice, or is that against the rules or will it ruin it f?” I told them apple juice is fine, Jesus is just delighted you are inviting him to your table. I got another call one night from a house church meeting in a restaurant asking me, “Gary, we forgot to bring bread from home, is it ok to use the restaurant’s dinner rolls?” I said, Yes, that will be fine.” When I was in Darfur, Sudan, I celebrated The Lord’s Supper every night. However, there were no grapes and no wine or grape juice within 100 miles of where we were. So I celebrated The Lord’s Supper using some type of Sudanese moonshine made of local flowers. Jesus’ promise of “Whenever you do this in remembrance of me I will be present,” was not to the elements, but to you and I. Da Vinci emphasized this in his painting. It does not matter whether you use Matza or Wonder Bread. Nor does it matter if you serve it in a gold chalice or a red solo cup. When I was pastoring at traditional churches, each Sunday I always asked a family to assist me in serving The Lord’s Supper. Instead of using a special chalice and plate from the church, I told the family to bring a cup and plate from their home for us to use that morning. One Sunday, a young girl of the family came up to me and handed me a “My Little Pony” cup and plate she had picked out to use for the Lord’s Supper and asked if this was ok?, I said “Perfect!” And I consecrated the bread and wine on them and she proudly stood and served the congregation the Blood of Christ from her My Little Pony cup. Everyday at home when she uses that plate and cup she will be reminded of the incarnation of Christ in her everyday life.
Another thing that made this painting famous and unique are the windows in the back of the painting showing outdoor scenes. Again, the Lord’s Supper took place in an upper room in Jerusalem and the wall would have been solid behind Jesus. However, Da Vinci added and three windows in his painting and painted scenes of landscape through these three windows. When you examine the landscapes painted, they are not of Jerusalem, but landscapes of the Italian countryside. Again, by doing this Da Vinci is moving the setting for the Lord’s Supper from the past to the present context. Again, he was missionaly stating in his painting, the Lord’s Supper and the incarnation of Jesus is not about Jerusalem anymore or any church building or location, but Jesus is present and glorified where ever and whenever it is celebrated to his remembrance.
My family, I pray today you will remove any lingering religious teachings, traditions, or customs that have enforced in you the belief that Jesus is only present in a certain location, building, sanctuary or restricted to certain altars, vessels, or elements. I pray, like Leonardo Da Vinci, you will see and experience the incarnation of Jesus in your context and in your community and in doing so, bring the remembrance Jesus in your life and the life of those you meet today. 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
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
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My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. 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. Thank You Thank You!
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“My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained this - that is, I have not already been perfected - but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phillipians 3:10-14)
Last night I attended the monthly Kairos Reunion gathering inside Limestone Correctional Facility. The Kairos gathering is held the ifrst Thursday of the month. It is attended by prisoners who have gone on a past a 4 day Kairos weekend and and men from the outside who have served on a weekend. It is also open to any prisoners that are interested in learning more and attending a future Kairos. It was held in the small chapel inside the prion and approximately 80 inmates and 15 outside men attended.
The gathering is run by the inmates. They lead the service, all the prayers and the worship. The worship band is amazing! It rivals the best praise bands of large churches. There are inmates who are talented musicians who before they were locked up were studio musicians who recorded in Muscle Shoals, and played in various secular and church bands. The band played their hearts out led us into Holy Spirit soaked worship of men with hands raised, clapping and cheering for Jesus.
After the opening time of worship, we read together the pasage abore from Phillipians. An inmate named Brandon then gave a talk based on that passage. The title of his talk was “Keep Going.” Brandon’s message to both inmates and outside men was to be strong and continue in our calling of Jesus Christ. He used and stressed the word “urgency” throughout his message. He said how inmates could walk out into the yard or free men out to their cars and wether by sickness or and action/accident their life could end. Nothing is guaranteed, So we need to share the Gospel to those who do not know Christ with an urgency that that this may be thast last chance we have to do it. The inmates gathered shook their heads in agreement and shouted “Amen!” Their hearts were broken for those who do not know Jesus and I felt how they were compelled to share the Gospel like I wish I felt in he hearts of those who attend most church gatherings I attend on Sunday mornings. After Brandon’s message, the inmates prayed aloud over us from the outside for boldness and the courage to share Christ with others. They then prayed over all our families, themselves, and the guards and staff of the prison.
There is something special, some thing Holy, something after the heart of Jesus when you spend time worshipping with a group of people who are completely humble, admit they are broken, and completely offer themselves to Jesus in prayer and worship. And after the service as we wre walking out of the chapel and across the yard another man who attended said “Why can’t I feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in my church service on the outside like I do in here.? There is more compassion and a sense or urgency for those who do not know Christ in prison, than in my church outside its walls.” I have been reflecting on this.
My family, I pray you plead to the Holy Spirit to give you a sense of urgency to share the Gospel today with someone who does not know Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless yoiu my friends!
