Laced with Grace...what matters most to you?

This is a question that I have been asking myself lately. I have come to a crossroads in my life where answering this question has been life changing for me. So many times, I think that we get caught up in the busyness of our life, the comings and the goings and the wants and want not’s of our every day surroundings. I no longer want the great things to mean little and the little things to become great in my life. I want what God wants and nothing less.

To answer this question of “what matters to you? ‘, my list could consist of many things. Things like my family, my health, my testimony, but the one thing at the top of the list would certainly be my relationship with God. To me, every single other thing in life hinges on this very thing. If my relationship with Christ isn’t what it needs to be, all other things will simply just be mediocre. I don’t want to be a mediocre Christian.

I want (I need) to put God first and foremost in my life. When I surrendered my life and heart to Christ, it meant more to me than just joining a church. My relationship with Him is so much deeper than a job title or the name on the sign out front. When we experience salvation, the change is noticeable, well it should be. The things that we use to do, we shouldn’t do any longer…

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15)

The Apostle Paul struggled with this “Have and Have Not’s”, knowing what he should do but yet not doing it. I suppose we all have that one or two things on our “to-do” list that no matter how hard we try, just does not get done. If it is important to God, it should be important to us.

So what do you think matters the most to God?

Outside of accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, following Him and making Him number one in your life would closely follow.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

When we put God first in our lives, all other things fall into their proper place. (Or they will drop out of our lives.) If you are missing church more than usual, where have you placed God in your life? If your schedule is too full to spend time in prayer or His Word, check where God has been placed. So many times we put “other” things before God and then we wonder, “where is He?” God never moves, we move Him out of the way to make room for other things.

As a pastor’s wife, I hear all of the “reasons” for not being faithful. Not just faithful on Sunday morning, but faithful in giving, faithful in serving, faithful in prayer, faithful in living for God. When I think about all that God has done for me – NEVER should He be put on the back burner. If I, (if we), are to rise up above the mediocracy of this world, we must answer this question: WHAT MATTERS MOST TO YOU? And then put our money where our mouth is…live it!

Make 2017 a year of intentional living, put God back where He belongs!

BLESSINGS. Laurie

@copyright Laurie Adams

DAILY DEVO...live to be unshakable

In today's reading of Psalm 15, we find a list of attributes (a code of conduct) that if followed will cause great stability. The Bible says if you do these things you will not be moved...you will be unshakable!

In today's culture, (and sometimes in today's church), we find compromise. We trade a truth for a lie. Things like "no one will know", "one time won't hurt" to accepting "little white lies" as being acceptable are all compromises that can crumble your spirit.

(PSALM 15) "Lord, who may dwell in Your sacred tent? Who may live on Your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others;

who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken."

Rising to live by this code of conduct  will NOT keep you from struggles or heartbreak, however, when you dwell with God, the struggles of this world will seem insignificant when compared to the awe and splendor of Him.

Anyone who is anchored to a immovable rock will be hard to shake. Attach yourself to the Rock (Jesus Christ) and you will NOT be moved.

BLESSINGS. Laurie

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 35-36, Matthew 11:7-24, Psalm 15.

SATURDAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 37-38, Matthew 11:25-30, Psalm 16.

SUNDAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 39-40, Matthew 12:1-29, Psalm 17.

DAILY DEVO...what do you wrestle with?

Have you ever wrestled with God? Jacob did, literally. 

Today's scripture reading takes us to the journey that Jacob was on to go meet Esau. Jacob was dreading the meeting and actually was full of fear and despair. 

Has that ever happened to you? Instead of faith, you wrestled with fear and anxiety?

God didn't just appear to Jacob on this particular night in a vision or a dream; He addressed Jacobs fears by making him wrestle all night. As he tossed and turned and fought back, Jacob ended up with a blessing from God and so much more...Jacob received renewed strength.

Sometimes when we want God’s comfort, He will send it in unexpected ways. It is very important that we remember those times in our life when God reveals Himself to us in special (and sometimes unexpected) ways.

We may not have a permanent limp in our walk like Jacob to remind us of our wrestlings with God, but we must not forget God's faithfulness and blessing to us, so when difficulties come, we can stand strong and face our fears.

"So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." (Genesis 32:30)

Jacob faced his fear and he never forgot his face to face encounter with the Lord. May we never forget ours.

BLESSINGS. Laurie

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 32:22-34:31, Matthew 10:37-11:6, Psalm 14.

DAILY DEVO...fear vs faith

Although Jacob's prayer in Genesis 32  was probably inspired more by fear than faith, we can recognize that despite his fear, Jacob remembered God's promises.

Jacob was likely motivated more by fear than wisdom. But yet, his prayer  reveals that his faith is real (Genesis 32:9–12). True faith does not mean that fear is completely absent, in fact, our trust in the Lord may be strongest when we are fearful but we obey God anyway.

Whenever you are faced with fear, remember the promises that God has made and pray them back to Him. God certainly does not need to be reminded of His promises, but from time to time, we do.

(Psalm 13:5-6) "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me."

Don't let your fear rob you of your faith.

BLESSINGS. Laurie

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 31:22- 32:21, Matthew 10:16-36, Psalm 13.

DAILY DEVO...God has the last Word

TODAY'S DAILY...

Reading the Psalms is a good place to learn more about God and more about mankind. The writers use poetry to describe God and to show how we can praise Him, complain to Him, ask Him for relief and how to make promises to Him.

Often times, I have found myself to be more of a complainer (more than I realized) to God. The book of Psalms is a good place to go when you feel like this. When you feel like people (or circumstances) have done you wrong, check out the writing of David; he puts it all into perspective.

No matter what the struggle or complaint is about, God sees it. Don't think that the word spoken about you God doesn't hear; He sees all, hears all and knows all.

Do you think that people didn't come against David? A king, or any person in leadership for that fact, has been (and will continue to be) under attack.

But for the one who seeks God and His righteousness, vindication will come from Him and Him alone.

(Psalm 12:5) "Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them."



God has given us the promise today that He gives relief to those who are victimized. It is His intent to arise and deliver victims to safety.

That right there is a promise worth praising Him for today! No matter what others say or do, God WILL have the last Word!

(Hope you are reading the Psalms with me in this journey to read the Bible thru in 2017 and allowing His Word to change you. I've been changed today.)

BLESSINGS. Laurie

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 30:1-31:21, Matthew 10:1-15, Psalm 12.


DAILY DEVO...the compassion of God

From the leper to the ones caught in the storm to poor, unloved Leah; the scriptures we have read this past weekend and today are full of stories that outline the compassion of God.

In today's reading, Jesus reveals His heart to His disciples...

(Matthew 9:12) Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

Jesus not only loves the unlovable (like Leah), He also includes the outcasts (like sinners and the taxpayers), but Jesus also sets out to heal the sick and care for the needy (like the synagogue officials daughter and the blind man); Jesus clearly has a great deal of compassion and love for those who are in need.

The compassion that He has is the same compassion that He desires for us to have. He desires us to remove anything standing in our way that keeps us from loving the unlovable, or forgiving the sinner or embracing the outcasts.

Today, as we go through our day, may we all be moved with the compassion of God and reach out to someone in need, for this is the heart of God. By His grace, may it also become our heart.

BLESSINGS. Laurie

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 28:10-29:35, Matthew 9 and Psalm 11.

DAILY DEVO...how far up the mountain would you go?

It was a test of faith that NO parent would want to face. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The only son given to Abraham and Sarah, so why would God wait until late in their lives to bless them with a son if He was only going to snatch him away?

It must have been a long, solemn walk up that mountain for Abraham. Isaac wondered where the lamb for sacrifice was, all the while, Abraham believed that God would provide...

(Genesis 22:7,8) Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” "Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

I cannot even imagine that moment; even as Abraham tied his only son and laid him on the altar with the knife raised, even in THAT moment, Abraham still trusted God.

God spared Isaac that day, as we read in our daily scripture reading today, but isn't that exactly what God did for you and me? He spared us while He gave His only Son to die for all who would believe in Him.

I wonder, if it had been up to us to bring the sacrifice - how far up the mountain would we have gotten?

BLESSINGS. Laurie

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 21-23, Matthew 7:1-11, Psalm 9:1-8.