DAILY DEVO...we are ministers!

When God called us to pastor and minister in this small town USA town, He didn't just call us to minister to those within the church walls.

In fact, when I think about the hospital visits that we make, most of them do not attend a Sunday morning service at our church. The grieving families that my husband speaks to at a memorial service, it's likely they never gave in the offering at our church. The towns people we talk to face to face at the dollar store or Young's grocery probably haven't thought about going to church or thought about God in some time.

You see, God called us to minister right where He planted us, He didn't put boundaries up within the church walls. In fact, most ministry will (and should) take place outside the walls of the church. One thing I know about God, He will call us to places and things that are far beyond anything we could ever imagine.

He wants to use each of us, right where we are. He has created all of us for a purpose. No one was created to just eat, breath and take up space. We were not created to take FROM life but to GIVE to life. Each of us can make a difference in a life. Each of us were created to minister and to be a minister.

You don't have to have the title "Pastor" or have clergy credentials to speak a soft word, or come along the hurting with an embrace or buy someone who is hungry a sandwich. These good deeds surface from the depth of your heart and as you serve others, you serve the Lord.

"It is God Himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." (Ephesians 2:10)

In the Bible, the words "servant" and "minister" are synonyms. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you’re serving, you’re ministering.

God has a ministry for you in His Church and a mission for you in His world. Go out and minister in your mission field!

DAILY DEVO...almost isn't enough!

While looking over the menu at the restaurant, the waiter came and asked if we were ready to order. "Almost", was our response.

For some reason, that has stuck with me. Isn't the word "almost" an odd word to use. I mean why didn't we just say , "no not yet" or "give us a few minutes". "Almost" indicates that we aren't ready to commit, we need more time to decide.

I see people stepping into churches today that want to be "almost" Christians. They are curious enough to come in, sit awhile but not committed enough to walk out changed. If you would ask them if they are ready to serve God, they would say "almost".

If I could be alittle blunt today and tell you that "almost" is not in God's vocabulary. He didn't say "I ALMOST sent My Son to die for you" or "I ALMOST love you!" Quite opposite, He gave His all for all! The truth is, you are either a Christian or you are not. There is no half way to heaven, you are either in or out, you are either hot or cold.

You may be taking steps to become closer to God, and I pray you are. You may even be interested in knowing more about Him but wherever you are today you have a choice to make: do you believe or not? There's no almost about it.

In the book of Acts, Herod Agrippa is said to be so moved by Paul's powerful presentation of the gospel that he said...

"You almost persuade me to become a Christian." (Acts 26:28)

When it came to the end of the day though, Herod Agrippa turned away from the gospel. He heard the Truth but did not accept It. He almost did, but almost wasn't enough. He left the same way he came.

It is no longer good enough to hear the Word of God and just be moved, hearing the gospel should change us! When it comes to Christianity, "almost" just won't cut it.

DAILY DEVO...Don't just look, see!

When my husband and I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris a few years ago, it was breathtaking to take everything in.  My husband would point out key sites and ask me, "do you see that?" Most of the time I just didn't see what he was seeing. Until I looked thru the binoculars, seeing things up close changed my entire perspective.

What seemed so distant and small now became so vivid and clear. My eye could only see a fraction of the picture until I examined alittle more carefully.

That's the mistake that so many of us make, we look around and miss seeing the full picture because we don't look closely enough.

If we're not careful, we might miss someone's good qualities, we might miss the potential for encouraging someone, we might miss that God is bigger than our problem. If we aren't careful, we will miss seeing what God wants us to see; all because we are too busy looking but not seeing.

While in Paris, I did not want to miss a thing. I wanted to take in every building, every color and every sunset. I wish that the same 'want to' existed when we looked at each other.

While you may see a muffin top in me, God sees a beautiful Princess. While you may see all the things I can't do, God sees all the things that I can. While you see my failures, God sees my testimony. While you just look at me from a distant view, God looks closely at every angle.

“For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)

Have you ever considered that how you see someone isn't an accurate view? Perhaps you aren't looking closely enough. You might need to change the angle that you look from in order to see what you have been missing.

Don't just look, SEE people for who they really are. See them as Christ sees them. Take in the full view.

TODAY'S DAILY...what are you gonna do with your baggage?

Last night after youth class, I went back into the room to clean up. When I did, I stepped right into a God thing.

It seems I interrupted a conversation, one that involved a teen expressing their unbelief to some other youth in the room.. After listening to the burdens that this one carries, I asked them a very important question; "how does each of your burdens keep you from God?"

It didn't seem like a difficult question but yet they could not answer.

You see, burdens do not keep us from God, hanging onto them does. I had a bag on the table and as I picked it up, I explained to this young person that life was like this bag, with each burden we have, we stuff it in the bag, holding on to it as long as we can. Burden after burden begins to overflow from the bag, and making it difficult to carry. The weight of it is so strong, the bag now causes our back to bend over from the weight.

I asked them what would happen if they could take one burden out of the bag and lay at the feet of Jesus? And then another. And another?

They replied, "the bag would become empty".

I don't know about you but when I travel, I don't pick up all my baggage off of the belt and try to carry it thru the airport on my own. Instead, I look for a cart or a porter to load it up for me.

If you wouldn't drag your baggage thru an airport, why saddle yourself down with it in life?

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for us." (1 Peter 5:7)

I don't know if that young person left the room much more a Believer than when they came but I do know that after praying with them, they left with less baggage than what they carried in.

Don't let your baggage keep you from God.

TODAY'S DAY...dance with the Father

I  just returned from a long trip to Ohio where my beautiful niece got married. Oh she looked radiant. The dress was beautiful. The groom was handsome. The food was delicious. Everything was just lovely. I have to admit though, one of the highlights of the festivities to me was watching my brother step out on the dance floor for the daddy/daughter dance.

For one final time, a daughter looked up into her daddy’s eyes and followed his lead. Where his step went, she followed. Feeling safe in his arms as he turned her around and around on the dance floor. Eyes locked upon one another, talking and laughing like all the times before.

(Copyright: Laurie Adams)

I wish I could be like the bride when it comes to dancing with my Father, my Heavenly Father, that is. Too many times, it is easy for me to take my gaze off of Him and lose my step. When I surrender my will to His lead, all of my ideas and my agendas flow from the lead Dancer; because now He is leading my steps, turning me at all the right turns and holding me ever so gently in His arms.

Have you ever watched professional ballroom dancers dance?

There is such a dynamic intimacy between the dance partners. Cameras can flash, the audience can scream and clap but they are oblivious to it all because they are 100% focused on each other and on each step they take.

That is the kind of intimacy I want with God. I want to be so focused on Him that each step I take flows with His. I want to be so intuned to His voice, that no one else in the room can turn my head. I don’t want my attention to be on the dance, but rather on the Dancer.

“My steps are ordered by the Lord.” -Psalm 37:23

When is the last time you took His Hand, gazed into His eyes, followed His steps and danced with the Father?

TODAY'S DAILY...find your rainbow

We were driving down the highway, headed to my neices wedding weekend, when we saw a storm ahead of us.

Before we came up on the rain, we saw the most beautiful rainbow. As my husband and I followed the bends and curves of the highway, I couldn't help think about the promise of God ...


“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.” (Genesis 13-15)

After the flood, God gave Noah a promise that never again would He cause such destruction. He also said that He would send a rainbow as a reminder of His promises. Just as God was with Noah during the devastating flood, today He reminded me that no matter the storm that lies ahead, He is with me.

Today, I want to challenge you to look past the storms brewing around you and look for the promise; look for your rainbow.

DAILY DEVO...Who do you say I am?

Who do you say I am?

Ahh, before you even have the chance to answer that, let me help you out. I am a sinner.

There I said it. Yes, I am a sinner, I make mistakes, I'm not perfect and I am a work in progress under the blood of Christ.

And SO are you!

"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God". 

With that said, can I tell you that even though I'm not perfect and never will be, I am saved by His grace and forgiven!

And so are you, if you ask.

"If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things passed away; all things are new." 

So if our past sins are forgiven by God, why do others keep reminding us of them?

I can only think of 3 reasons:

1. They have unforgiveness in their heart.
2. They have not experienced the grace and forgiveness of Christ.
3. They do not understand God's Word and can't see past the past.

I spoke with a young lady this week and I could really relate to her. She has asked forgiveness from God and from those she has wronged but yet there are still those who will not let her forget who she once was. They still call her the name that she once was.

I'm so tired of this lie of the enemy. When God forgives us, it is gone. There is no need to justify ourselves or prove ourselves. The test of whether you have been forgiven is this: is your past wrong brought up over and over. If the answer is yes, than forgiveness has not been extended.

When God forgives, He throws it into the sea of forgetfulness. I am so grateful for the love and forgiveness of Christ. It is in Him that I find my value and it is what He calls me that matters over anyone else.

Who does God say you are? Cling to that and don't accept anything less!