Taking Us By The Hand

"Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him and the boy stood up." - Mark 9:27

I've been going through a dry spell with God lately. I just keep feeling like I don't do enough for Him, I'm not good enough and don't deserve Him. I'm too much of a sinner. I told a friend of mine yesterday that when I feel like this, I usually try harder to pray more and more and end up getting angry with myself because I become distracted and lose interest in praying altogether. But this morning, I read this verse from the gospel according to Mark and it really spoke to me. I realized that I am trying to do too much - doing too much for God is good, but I was missing something very important… God. I was depending on myself rather than on God to do the work, as if I was so powerful and didn't need Him. Jesus lifted this boy up with His hands and that's the only way I can get out of this dry spell, by praying with patience and waiting for Jesus to pick me up. I can fuss about this all day, but until He picks me up, I'm not going anywhere.

The big idea here is that we really need to learn to become solely dependent on God and learn to get rid of our self-reliance. Every time God wills it, He gives us the grace to accomplish something new, and no matter how hard we try, unless Jesus gives us His hand, we just aren't capable of doing it on our own. As of today, I am at peace about myself because I'll just rely on Him instead of beating myself up about things, and I'll rely on Him to bring me forward when I'm ready.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, please give me Your hand. I am a small little thing before You, a horrible sinner that would fade away if You ever left me. I recognize that You are the Lord of my life and I count on Your Divine Providence for everything. In Your Name we pray, amen.

What ARE You Doing?

"Brothers, what good is it to profess faith without showing works? Such faith has no power to save you." - James 2:14

Being a good person is often viewed in terms of what we don't do. Someone could say, "I'm a good person; I don't cheat, I don't kill, I don't steal." Great! Good for you! But now tell me… what ARE you doing?

A sin of omission, holding back on a good we could have done for someone, is just as bad as actively committing a sin. When an opportunity comes for you to help someone, you better believe that's God putting that in your way for you to lend a hand. It could be the time someone asked to borrow 20 bucks, although you knew they wouldn't pay you back. It could be the time that annoying person called you because they needed to talk to someone. It could be that woman you saw carrying all the bags to her car by herself. The bible says that even the demons believe in God and tremble, so if you say you believe in God and pass up these opportunities to actually do good for people God has put in your way, how is your faith any different than that of the demons? In the end, God will decide we're good people based on the work we did for Him, not from just believing. How do we show God we believe if not by the actions we take?

And don't stop at just helping out when a situation arises… look for these situations! Talk to someone who is depressed about the love of God! Be inspired to be a blessing for others. It's not all about you and what you need from God! There are people going through serious hardships, and if you want God to bless you, you better be willing to be a blessing to other people. Saying you believe in God can't save you, but living a life dedicated to the service of others will.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in the same way You spent Your life serving others, I want to spend mine doing Your work. Help me see those that need my assistance. I am here to do Your will, My Lord. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Faith Is Shown In Action

"Brothers, what good is it to profess faith without showing works? Such faith has no power to save you." - James 2:14

It's very easy to get into a rut when it comes to living in the Spirit. We go to church and we pray, and sometimes we think that's enough. However, we were created to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world so unless you are doing something active with your faith and helping others in some way, your faith is dead. It means nothing. If you're not encouraging someone, lending a hand or being an example of faith to others, there is no way your faith can manifest itself. In the same way Jesus gave of Himself through the connection He had with God, so it is our responsibility to go out and be Jesus for those in need. If God were to ask you today what works your faith has produced for Him, what would you have to show for yourself? How are others seeing that God lives in you?

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me the courage to step up in Your Name and help those You have put in my path. Open my eyes to see those that need my assistance and guide me in doing Your will. In Your Name we pray, amen.

God's Work

"What we are is God's work." Ephesians 2:10

Do you ever find yourself worrying about what you're going to do? As if things were really up to you or if you actually had the power to change anything? Sure, you can put in the effort and work hard, but at the end of the day, for anything we do or want, God is the one with the power to open the door. What you've achieved in life you can be proud of, but be sure that only a little credit goes to you, for nothing happens in Heaven or Earth without the Father's consent. Therefore, trust in Him. Be sure to acknowledge and respect Him in all things so that His guidance is with you all your life. It doesn't matter how weak you are, shy you are, or scared… you are the work of His hands and what He wants for your life will be… and if you learn to honor and respect Him, what you want for your life will also be.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for making me. Thank You for all You have helped me achieve in my life. Guide me every step of the way so that I may never stray from You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

And You, Who Do You Say I Am?

"Jesus asked them, 'But you, who do you say I am?' - Matthew 16:15

Every Friday at 2:30 pm I have a conference call with a big client. I report to him on a weekly basis so I have to spend that entire week implementing marketing strategies and preparing myself with the right answers and the right results for him. He's the VP of Marketing for the company so this is a big deal and therefore my work has to be on point. Now, the work that I do is a direct response to this man's title and weight, how much more so should my attention be in serving Jesus Christ? When Jesus asks "who do you say that I am?" we all need to be prepared with an answer. With my client, I know I have to be prepared by Friday, but with God, you never know when the time will come for you to answer that question. And when the time comes to answer it, what will you say? Peter answered Him saying He was the Lord, the Messiah, son of the living God and in order to proclaim that, he needed to back up that answer. If you stand before Jesus right now and you answer, "You are my God, my Lord," do your actions and way of life live up to that answer? By working hard during the week to show my client results, I show my acknowledgement of his position and do my part to deliver for his product. In the same way, if I tell Jesus "You are my Lord," I pray several times a day, I fast, I give alms, I give of myself to others, I work on increasing my love and patience for others, and most importantly, I do His will and try to stay away from sin. If you proclaim Jesus as your Lord and these actions are not part of your day to day life, you are a liar. Instead of proclaiming Him Lord, by their actions, most people see Jesus as someone they don't know too well and don't make time to know. Someone whose will they can ignore as long as everything is comfortable and fun in their own lives. This should never be so! Forget whatever priorities you have today, because the time will come when Jesus asks you directly "who do you say that I am?" and you better be prepared to answer, and back up your response.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to be able to proclaim You as my Lord and savior and rearrange my life to reflect Your love and holiness. Show me what stands in the way of me having You front and center in my life so that I can follow You perfectly. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

What Can You Do For Your Country?

"Know that the Son of Man will come in the Glory of His Father with the holy angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds." - Matthew 17:27

John F. Kennedy once said, "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," and it is this attitude that needs to be embraced when it comes to God. Yesterday you heard how Paul said that our citizenship is not on earth but in Heaven, so we all need to do our part in taking care of the Kingdom on God if we want to gain a life there.

And how can you do your part? By recognizing the needs of those around you and helping others when it's of no benefit to you. For these actions the Lord is most grateful. Just offering someone a glass of water when they're thirsty is amazing in God's eyes and for that He will reward you in Heaven. Just think about how incredible it will be on that day when Jesus comes triumphantly to reward you for your good deeds in all His majesty and with all His angels. You do not serve a weak God, but the Almighty and although now life may seem tiring and you don't see the power of His hand, know that when He does come, He will reveal Himself to you and reward you for all you have done in His Name.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for giving me the honor of working for Your kingdom. Help me to see those who are in need around me so that Your will be done. In Your Name we pray, Amen.