TODAY'S DEVO...the real deal!

Sometimes it is hard to get to know someone.

Alot of people pretend to be someone they are not. Most of us could probably say that we have been burned by someone who we thought we knew. But it turned out, we didn't....

How I get to know someone is just spending time with them. It is only a matter of time before I truly see what makes them tick.

Making choices is like making friends. We just have to weed out the bad ones from the good.

The only way we will know the difference between good choices and bad is by spending time with God. If we don't spend time with Him, we won't know Him. And if we don't know Him, we won't be able to decipher what is pretend and what is the real deal. And if we can't recognize the real deal, we will fall for anything and consequently make a wrong choice.

? for today...when is the last time you experienced the real deal?

If you want to recognize truth, you have to know Truth. Know Jesus. He IS Truth!

LACED WITH GRACE...Vending Machine Faith

TODAY, I HAVE SHARED THE FOLLOWING DEVOTION WITH THE READERS OF LACED WITH GRACE. THIS IS A SITE THAT HAS WONDERFUL DEVOTIONS DAILY...GO CHECK IT OUT www.lacedwithgrace.com

Have you ever told God to “prove Himself”?

“OKAY, GOD, I’m going to give you a chance to prove yourself.”

When I was a child, I use to lay in bed and pray to God to give me certain things. I would lay in bed, with my hands tightly folded, and say things like  “I really want to believe in you, God. So when I wake up in the morning, if there’s a thousand dollars (insert anything I was wanting) under my bed, I will know that You are real.”

Never failed, no matter how many times I prayed that or no matter what materialistic thing I was wanting, nothing ever appeared under my bed.

I never understand as a child, why there was not enough room under my bed for all of my requests. But as an adult, I soon realized that prayers were so much more than just my demands of God, and who was I to think that God was nothing more than a mere vending machine?

Like I could just deposit my prayer, push the desired button and WHAM! Get exactly what I wanted. No, that is not how it worked. Too many childhood myths had me fooled, afterall, God was not like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. Not everything on MY list was on God’s list.

I’m afraid that many people are still like me when I was younger, they are looking under the bed for their answered prayers. And when they don’t get what they seem to think they need, they question God and His Power. Despite what they may believe, God DOES love to answer prayer. He may not leave the answers under our bed, but He does hear our cry and He promises that He will hear us.

“While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24).

Prayer cannot be used as a coin in a vending machine though, and faith cannot be a button that we select according to our desires. God will not cave into our whims and wishes. God is bigger than that. In fact, He is God the Almighty, He longs for His children to come to Him and wait upon Him and His purpose.

When we stop going to God like a vending machine, we will be able to have the confidence in knowing that He has only the best for us. When we trust Him for our needs, we will never be empty. Vending machines run out of candy from time to time, but God’s love will never run out on us!

 REFLECTION: Do you look under the bed for your answer or do you simply trust Him for all that you are in need of? Perhaps it is time to put a “out of order” sign on your vending machine and deposit your faith and prayers in God. He will hear you.

TODAY'S DAILY...it isn't the Mona Lisa!

TODAY'S DAILY...

Most of you probably have never seen the famous painting of the Mona Lisa. I'm sure you have seen replicas in books or in television. But unless you have actually walked the hall at the Louvre Musuem in Paris, you have only seen copies. Not the original.

The Mona Lisa is unique. I know, because I've personally seen it.

It's one of a kind, much like our God.There is none like Hi...m!

Makes me wonder why we wait in long lines at football games, concerts and yes, even famous musuems to worship people and things but we have a hard time giving God Almighty praise that He is due.

Exodus 20:3 says "Do not worship other gods besides Me."

? for today...When is the last time you recognized the beauty and worth of the Masters Hand?
The Mona Lisa has nothing on God!! Don't neglect to see His worth!