What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity

"What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity" by Grant Ballester is the ninth in a series of devotionals by the 2012 Grace Harbor Colombia Mission Team. I hope you are blessed by his passionate message.

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

Just Believe

"Then they asked Him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." John 6:28-29

We usually want to know one thing......what do I absolutely have to do in order to fulfill what is required? That is, tell me exactly what I must do in order to do what is expected. Honestly, I think we are looking for the minimum requirement and the least we must do. When Jesus gives them the answer they don't like it, it isn't enough and they press Him further to do a miracle to help them believe. It is suggested that maybe manna from heaven again would help, but Jesus tells them He is the Bread of Life. They grumble even more about this because they don't really believe. You see, if we really believe in the One that God sent us, Jesus, then, we will know what is required of us. Why is that so hard?

Guess what? GOD ISN'T FINISHED WITH YOU!

"Guess what? GOD ISN'T FINISHED WITH YOU!" by Melissa Ballester is the eighth in a series of devotionals by the 2012 Grace Harbor Colombia Mission Team. Please take an extra moment to reflect on an important message that God has delivered through Melissa.

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

Good Morning my brothers and sisters in Christ. When asked to write a devotion I was really praying as to what I should write. This verse I share with you today is a very special verse to me and was shared at the women's bible study when I needed it.

Respect Freedoms and Limitations

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak." 1 Corinthians 8:9

Carefulness and freedom are both appropriate as long as they are exercised with respect and appreciation of each other. Specifically, Paul is addressing the touchy issue of food sacrificed to idols. Not touchy today as much, but back then, it was a bone of contention. (pun intended)

Total Forgiveness - Part Two

Our Friday Devotion is part two of Total Forgiveness from Council Member, Kim:

I wanted to continue our devotion from my last one on Total Forgiveness…..I hope these pointers will help you as they sure have shown me a lot of clarity that I needed in my own life……….

The Blessing and or the Grind

"I lie down and sleep, I wake again, because the Lord sustains me" Psalm 3:5

Prior to this verse in Psalm 3, David states four things: 1) God is his shield. 2) God bestows glory on him. 3) God lifts his head. 4) God answers him. I agree, wholeheartedly with David’s listing of his blessings and his reflection in verse 3.

Life Is But A Breath

"Life Is But A Breath" by Brandon Amey is the seventh in a series of devotionals by the 2012 Grace Harbor Colombia Mission Team. I hope his words of wisdom bless you as they have blessed me.

"O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah. Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." Psalms 39:4-7

A new friend of mine (a fellow brother in Christ) shared this verse with me pretty recently, and WOW! What words of wisdom from David in the book of Psalms. Too many times, or rather too much time, we spend chasing things that don't really matter. Well, at least things that shouldn't matter. And why are we in such a rush to chase these things; in such a rush in every aspect of life? We try to stack that paper, get as much money as we can and focus so much on what we can buy, when in the end we don't even know who will end up with these things. We sure as heck won't lol, because worldly possessions stay here, in this world, while only our souls, what really matters, go on to live forever with the King.

"Give 'em a Break!"

Our Tuesday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Hank:

"Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" Acts 15:10

Why is it that we, as Christians, can sometimes be so judgmental and legalistic? We hear about someone who has been committing a particular sin, and the first thing we want to do is condemn that person. And, sad to say, it is all too often for a sin that we ourselves have committed in our past. We want to hold them to an even higher standard than we are willing to abide by. Is it that we believe we have somehow overcome that particular sin in our lives, and that gives us the right to be self-righteous, and to look down upon others who struggle with that sin? Do we so quickly forget that it is only by God’s grace, and through the power of His Holy Spirit that we have any measure of victory over sin in our own lives? Or is it just easier not to look at the plank in our own eye if we can focus on the speck in someone else’s eye?

Death and Dying

"Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died." Genesis 5:5

I have attended the homecoming of many human beings and have visited even more in the last days and hours of their lives. At first, I found this part of my ministry and Pastoring a little discomforting and overwhelming. Through the years, my description of the experience has changed to comforting and awe-inspiring. I think because the great majority of those I have had the privilege and honor of knowing at the end have been believers. I have seen and been blessed by the faith assuring heavenly graduation of wonderful saints and faithful followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There have been angels, miracles, God’s perfect timing, and peace that surpassed understanding. The unfathomable power of being close to someone who goes to our Father is almost indescribable. Of course, when it is my family; there is an additional level of involvement, and attachment, and personal loss that is intense. Because of what I do, who I am, and my experience, it takes some extra effort to deal with a personal loss.

Total Forgiveness - Part One

I just finished an amazing book on forgiveness…..and I wanted to share some things that just really spoke to my heart. I hope someone else can take something from this and learn from it or helps you to grow closer to our Lord.

Comforted Mourning

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

I am in an awkward place today; with lots of little things to consider and to deal with, drama on many fronts, plus my own heart is grieving some. When I feel vulnerable I sometimes have what might be considered a strange reaction, except that I think many tend to do this, we just don't talk about it very often. I get tough, or I get ultra serious, and even sometimes mad when my own feelings are sensitive. Not for any particular reason either, and as a matter of fact, usually over nothing.

Abba

"Abba" by Chloe Pedersen is the sixth in a series of devotionals by the 2012 Grace Harbor Colombia Mission Team. I encourage you to remember Chloe in prayer as she serves on the mission field today.

"…and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:18

When I was little, I was daddy’s little girl. He use to dance with me standing on his feet, sing songs with me, twirl me, read bed time stories, kiss me goodnight and tell me that he loves me. Life was good, there were about two periods of time where he was not around everyday but I just figured he was at work. At the age of 8, I learned that he was not at work, he would leave and live with his parents because he drank. Now I knew he did drink and would ask why he acted funny sometimes but never knew the severity of the situation until I was about 8 years old and my parents separated for about 2 years. I hated those two years and was elated when he returned. We got back into our routine after a while and I got those goodnight kisses and "I love you" sayings back and was so happy. But when I was 11, he left for good and I have not seen him since. For seven years I have not been tucked into bed by him, have not been told I love you by him, have not been picked up or dropped off at school by him, and have not seen him. Most of all for the first 3-4 years I had no one to call "daddy" or so I thought.

Rest in Him

"Rest in Him" by Rebecca Sanchez is the fifth in a series of devotionals by the 2012 Grace Harbor Colombia Mission Team. I encourage you to remember Rebecca in prayer as she prepares to serve in Colombia.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and weighed down with heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in spirit. Indeed, you will surely find rest in Me! My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

This verse speaks to me because lately I have been going through many struggles that have been stressing me out, like school, getting ready for college and many other things. Sometimes I just want to give up because I feel like all these things that I am going through are too much for me.

Lord, when did we SEE You?

Our Monday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ "Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? "When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" Matthew 25:34-39

Recently, I woke up to the sound of rain falling gently on the roof of my carpeted bedroom, and I snuggled deeper under my warm thick blankets and considered ignoring my alarm clock just one more time. As I closed my eyes, I could not keep from thinking about how blessed I was to be inside a house in a bed with a pot of coffee brewing in my kitchen using electricity, and the hot shower that awaited me before I started my day. My heart became extremely heavy at the same time as I considered that there were countless numbers of people around the world and in my own city who had slept on the streets and in cardboard boxes last night in the cold rain with little or no shelter or warmth for themselves or their families.

Sincerity

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12;9

The whole chapter of Romans 12 has got to be one of the richest passages in His Word. Seemingly; every line and phrase, are full of meaning and illustration. I believe verse 9 is a wonderful definition of sincerity. Obviously, love cannot be insincere. Otherwise, it could not be love. One of the definitions of sincere is: “without guile.” You can’t and shouldn’t fake love. Love should not be beguiling, either. This is why Jesus tells us to love like He loves, because He is sincere. He really cares, has no ulterior motives and purely, unconditionally loves us.

I will lie Down and Sleep in Peace

"I will lie Down and Sleep in Peace" by Chloe Pedersen is the fourth in a series of devotionals by the 2012 Grace Harbor Colombia Mission Team. I encourage you to remember Chloe in prayer as she serves on the mission field today.

"I will lie down and sleep in peace. For you alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

"For You alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety." I wonder how many of us truly believe that statement? I absolutely love this verse and often read it before bed. It calms me down and settles my heart and mind before bed. Tonight though it did the opposite. It gave me this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach and that question popped into my mind. Do you really believe that? Have you stopped and thought about what that verse actually says? I felt God’s still small whisper ask, "Do you believe these words beloved?" My initial reaction was, of course Abba! But as I began to ponder these thoughts and replay the verse in my head over and over again, I began to panic.

Time to Build

"Put your outdoor work in order, and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house." Proverbs 24:27

The more I read this proverb, the more it speaks to me. As a matter of fact, it is screaming at me! The profound truths of it are really resonating with me.

Kingdom Giving

Our Monday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Ray:

"Then He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings to God, but she out of her poverty has put in all the livelihood that she had." Luke 21:1-4

I’m currently hooked on the O.C.Register gossip column written by Timothy Mangan. Mr. Mangan is not only the resident classical music critic, but also sheds hilarious truths about the rich and famous. His daily column has become a staple for me, as it reflects my attitudes of this group perfectly (yawn…). We read about someone donating 80 million to this/that cause or hot-button, and thankfully, much will go to worthwhile Godly ministries, but it is all more a tax-dodge than a heartfelt sacrifice, as Dr. Luke is pointing out in this passage, from the Master Himself.

A Little About David

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love." Psalms 33:4-5

The more and more I read the Psalms, the more and more I am impressed with David. He is an amazing man. When I learned two things about David that seemed so contradictory is when my respect and appreciation of Him began to grow.

Consequences

"Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds." Psalm 99:8

Though this is written about the Israelites it pertains to us also. Let's talk about consequences. God is to us, also, a forgiving God. As a matter of Biblical fact, He removes our sins from Himself as far as the east is from the west and buries our sins in the deepest sea, to be remembered no more. These are His promises to us. Just think about how far the east is from the west. It is totally and completely far. As far as it can get. And the deepest sea we have not even seen, explored measured or figured out. Pretty deep I think. These wonderful pictures allow us to realize how forgiving God is and just how much he loves us and how far His grace extends.

Flawless

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." Proverbs 30:5

Run the Race

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you." Galatians 5:7-8

I recently was asked by a telephone survey pollster, "What race was I most likely to describe myself as?" Before he gave me the latest list of choices, I quickly said, "human." The answer caught him off guard and he asked if I really wanted to put that under "other", I said, "Yes, thank you." I really do identify most with humans, because we all have so much in common. All born of women, all with a sin nature, all with a need for a Savior, all needing love, air, water, food, and sleep. We all run this life race. It is not a dash or sprint, it is a marathon, no matter how long or short.