Devot. The Qualifications of Leadership

Dear Friends,

I hope you had an enjoyable week!  

Well, Election Day is next week.....today's devot. is on the qualities/qualifications we look for in a leader.  What does Scripture have to say on this topic?

A family friend and I were talking last week about the elections and how our consciousness come to the front in this.  I was thinking as we talked and I stated, "If I imagined the Lord standing in the voting booth with me, could I in conscious vote the way I'm thinking?" 
What I said hit both of us like a ton of bricks!  Could I vote in conscious for the person  I'm thinking of supporting? 

Yes, who gets elected that will support our beliefs or uphold the Supreme Court is important, but we will answer to the Lord for how our conscious', God's workings in our heart, prompted.

This same family friend sent me a link for "another choice."  As she stated in her email, "If you cannot in conscious vote for either
side, here is another choice" and she gave this link: http://castle2016.com/home/

Now, as I've said all along it's not my business to tell you WHO to vote for, but WHAT to vote for.  I am simply including this for those of you who may not know what to do about this election (You may ask yourself, "Is it even worth it to vote this time?")  or ("Can I vote  for either one?")    This is simply an added resources, a 3rd choice, that's it.

Also another family friend sent this to me this is definitely something I am jumping on board with.  I believe it can apply to men or ladies and  it can only help us this coming week:   http://onemillionmoms.com/   (First banner displayed on site-day of prayer)

Lastly, my pastor sent a link he had received from the Christian Coalition.   They look at each state, candidates running and give a breakdown on what each person supports/opposes when it comes to the issues at hand.   I found it eye opening and useful.   Hope it assists you as well:  http://www.cc.org/download_2016_voter_guides


May the Lord guide and direct your lives this weekend.  

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/qualifications-leaders (Used by permission.  Taken from http://www.icr.org/)

 

Devot. Choosing to Pursue Wisdom

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a productive week!  I felt the Lord wanted me to send this one. 

 Why is it so important to choose spiritual wisdom over the wisdom of the world?

 

Colossians 2:3, 8 says, "In whom [speaking of Jesus from the previous verse] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

It's easy and subtle to start to have your mind transformed to think as the world thinks, and not as God's Word states.    These verses above are warning against that and urging believers to seek the wisdom that Christ has to offer through His Word (the Bible).

I pray this devot. will give you spiritual insight.   Maybe some of you are in the process of making a decision and you don't know which way to go.  

 

I hope this devot. helps and you will learn something new and useful! 

 

Lord bless you and yours this weekend!

 

Devot. https://www.intouch.org/read/choosing-to-pursue-wisdom (Used by permission. Taken from https://www.intouch.org/)

Join Me In: A Call for Mercy!

From the Voice of the Martyrs, a petition calling on the release of Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother who has been held in a Pakistani jail cell for 6 years for her faith in Jesus Christ.

 

She has been confined to death row and condemned to death by hanging, but by you signing a petition calling for her release, it could make the difference between LIFE AND DEATH.

 

Please consider signing, passing along, posting on Face Book ect!

http://www.callformercy.com/  (Taken from http://www.persecution.com/)

God bless you!
Grace

Devot. Pre-Born Life

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a tremendous weekend! 

Today's political topic is on the sanctify of life, what does God's Word have to say about the unborn?

Psalm 139 in a nutshell states that God knew all about us-every single bone, limb we were supposed to have, every physical feature.  Verse 16 say that God saw our beings and every single part of us was written in a book and noted, even before we existed.

I have been studying this verse with some young ladies I mentor and I shared a book of 'in the womb' pictures to show them this verse  in action and what they looked like when only God knew about them.

 

The booklet gave some interesting facts about an unborn life and I wanted to share a few FYI's that caught my attention as a eye opener that this unborn little one is indeed a living being, same as you and I.

(Info. taken from The First 9 Months"-Focus on the Family, Copyright 1999, 2005, 2008- Focusonthefamily.org)

~Did you know that as soon as life is conceived, this little one- at this time he is "smaller than a grain of sand contains all the genetic information for every detail of the newly created life- the color of hair and eyes, the intricate fine lines of the fingerprint, the physical appearance, the gender, the height and the skin tone."

~Did you know that at 21 days after conception a baby's heart is the first organ to function?  It is the size of a poopy seed and yet it begins to beat! "The first signs of brain development are evident and the foundation for every organ system is already established and beginning to develop."

 

~At 4 weeks after conception, "the basic structure for the entire nervous system (brain and spinal cord) has formed.  The eyes are developing and arm and legs buds are visible.  The heart is beating about 80 times a minute."

 

~At 14 weeks a baby can find his thumb and suck.

 

~They can feel pain 18 weeks and more keenly at 22 weeks (partial birth abortion can take place up to 24 weeks).

These details and others caught the attention of young ladies I was speaking to.   It gave more meaning to the Scripture have added below and helped them see themselves as God saw them before anyone, except God, had seen them.  As you read the devot. and Scripture below, keep please these true facts in mind.

 

Lord bless you and yours this week!!

 

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/working-no-ill-preborn    (Used by permission.   Taken from http://www.icr.org/

Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps.+139%3A13-16&version=KJV

Devot. The Cost of Uncontrolled Anger (or any other emotion)

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a good week!

 

The devot. today is on anger, but could be applied to our emotions in general.

You may not be the type of person to get angered easily or it could be hard to control your feelings.  Either way, we all have emotions and feelings-some are good and some are not so good.

Emotions are given to us by God, but if we let them get out control they can start to control us. Proverbs 25:28 states, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

I was reminded in my church's youth group last week (I'm one of the mentors for the girls), that feelings are feelings, they change from day to day and are not stable enough to 'hang your hat on.'  Scriptures says that "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).

I needed a reminder this of how my feelings and emotions can control and rule my heart and life if I'm not bringing a situation before the Lord in prayer, handing it over to Him and asking Him to help me be Christlike.  

 

I hope you learn a valuable lesson  either for yourself or that you can store up to encourage someone else later.

Pray this blesses and helps you this weekend!

 

Devot. https://www.intouch.org/read/the-cost-of-uncontrolled-anger  (Used by permission.  Taken from https://www.intouch.org/)

Devot. Honest Work Honors God

Hi Folks,
I hope you had a refreshing weekend! 

The devot. today is on work.  When I was thinking of the title, on something that jumped out to me was the fact that the work we do must be 'honest' work. 
I had always thought it to mean 'hard work', working very diligently to provide for a family or yourself.   But then I realized that 'honest work' means work that is indeed honest- working a job that is honorable, upright, and that what we do is not offensive to the Lord in any way. 
Think of how things done in the working world can be done for selfish gain, done dishonestly or are not God honoring in actions or environment.

I also want to apply this devot. to another political issue we look at-the welfare system.   1 Thessalonians 3:10 says,   "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you,  that if any would not work, neither should he eat."  
This is a strong admonition.   The Apostle Paul was saying that when he was at the Thessalonica church, he instructed the members  who were idle and not working at all that they should get an honest job. 

Think of our welfare system today.   We pay the taxes and benefits for folks who do not work.    Now, I'm sure there are exceptions and there are folks who cannot work due to health/disability or folks who have retired after working hard for years.  I'm not referring to that.   But if a person who is fit and able and can do some kind of honest job, then he should.   Ecclesiastes 2:23 says, "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God." 
It is a gift from God to be able to enjoy a good meal and take satisfaction in a job well done.


The devot. for today encourages 'honest work'.   Think of how it can be applied to your life and what it means to our welfare system in light of the Word of God.

 Lord bless you and yours this week!  

Devot. https://www.intouch.org/read/blog/honest-work-honors-god  (Used by permission.  Taken from https://www.intouch.org/

Devot. Live Honestly/Petition to Free Pakistani Christian

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a relaxing weekend!  I hope you enjoyed the devots. on growing spiritually and learned something by them that can  be applied to your life. 

 

As the US election season draws very near I want to share devots. that describe what to look for in a leader. Now, I'm not going to get political and say Who to vote for, (that's not my business), but What to vote for.  What character traits should a wise leader have and do we know what the Bible says about jobs, finances, the right to life etc. so we can make wise and Bible based decisions in general?   

I'm going to share what God's Word says, not what my personal opinion is.      My opinion doesn't matter.  But God's Word does:)

 

No matter what political persuasion you are, if you are one of God's kids through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26), then God's Word should  be applied even to what we choose to bring into any office.   

Also I hope the devots. can be applied to our personal lives.  I pray that I/we learn more from God's Word and see areas where I/we need to grow in everyday life.

Lastly, I have an urgent petition for Sister in Christ Asia Bibli who could be hanged in 3 days for her faith in Jesus,  if folks do not stand up for her.  Hebrews 13:13 says to remember those who are imporisioned as being bound with them.  Please consider signing and passing along. https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-mom-asia-bibi-from-execution utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=d-10102016_top-PC_seg-RE_typ-PT

 

Lord bless your week!   

 

Remember the expression, "Honesty is the best policy?"  Where do we see it in Scripture?

 

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/21283/316  (Used by permission.  Taken from http://www.icr.org/)