God's Big Sandbox

Quick good morning now that I've posted the devotionals ('cept for Joel & Victoria...haven't gotten that one yet today) and my daily vote. Hope all of you have a great day ahead. I have to leave shortly to go to work at the church...Mondays are my "soundroom day" and I run the CD's of...

CROWNS IN HEAVEN Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. --James 1:12 As Christians, one day we will receive rewards for our service to the Lord. I don't know about you, but I have...

WHEN YOUR FIRE GROWS DIM 2 TIMOTHY 1:1-11 Do you feel yourself growing cold toward the Lord? Though we, who are children of God, can never lose our salvation, it is possible for our spiritual passion to cool. Today's passage reveals that even Timothy experienced a decrease in his excitement for God...

Good morning everyone! Sure would like to know what has happened to everybody over here, LOL! I guess I'll be absent a bit as well for awhile, while working on this school reunion thing with my good high school pal. So don't worry...I'm still alive and haven't been kidnapped by aliens or anything e...

LIVING BY FAITH ROMANS 1:16-17 In Scripture, we read that strong faith is essential for facing life's uncertainties. It prompts us to look beyond our trials to the One who's promised to guide and sustain us. As trust in the Lord increases, obedience becomes a higher priority than pleasure or profit...

WHEN YOU SPEAK, GOD HEARS Those who pray keep alive the watch fires of faith. For the most part we don't even know their names. Such is the case of someone who prayed on a day long ago. His name is not important. He is important not because of who he was, but because of what he did. He went to Jesu...

FACING LIFE'S UNKNOWNS HEBREWS 11:23-29 Uncertain circumstances characterized Moses' whole life. He was born in Egypt, at a time when the growing Hebrew population was seen as a threat. The king enslaved the community and had their male infants killed (Ex. 1:22; 2:1-4). To protect Moses, his family...

BEING A WATCHMAN We have been looking at the apostle Paul's different descriptions of the Christian life in Acts 20. We have seen the Christian compared to a runner in a race, a steward, a witness, and a herald. Let's look at one final picture: the watchman. To the leaders in the church of Ephesus,...

SPEAK TO YOUR MOUNTAINS TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done&q...

ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR As we walk with the Lord in this new year, the words of the apostle Paul help us focus on what really matters. It is so easy, if one does not apply effort to do what God desires, to find themselves in the empty pursuit of nothingness. In Acts 20, Paul gives a final message...

CHOOSE THE VOICE OF FAITH TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "If only you carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God…" (Deuteronomy 15:5, AMP). TODAY'S WORD FROM JOEL & VICTORIA All through the day there are two voices that compete for our attention–the voice of faith and the voice of defeat. ...

SHARING OUR FAITH I JOHN 4:14-15 We live in a world that seeks to function apart from the Lord. Its attention is centered on man and his desires. The tragedy is that people without Christ are under God's judgment for all eternity. This includes those who attend church but do not have a personal rel...

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/nascarfan_99/Good%20Morning/GoodMorningSnowyWindow.gif Good morning everybody! It's a "heat wave" here in Jonathan Valley this morning. My weather channel icon is showing a blistering 4 degrees outside. School of course has been close...

CONFUSION IN THE CHURCH I JOHN 5:12-13 Numerous people believe in God, attend church, and are convinced that they will someday go to heaven. But of these, far too many are misinformed about salvation. Some believe that a person's eternal destiny depends solely on how much good he accomplishes in hi...

WHAT DID YOU SEE? We have been looking at Paul's final words to the leaders of the church in Ephesus. Here, the great apostle is summing up the essence of the Christian life. He is laying out what we as believers ought to be doing, so we might have a "well-lived life." Paul says, "Bu...

ASK FOR RAIN TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain" (Zechariah 10:1, NKJ). TODAY'S WORD FROM JOEL & VICTORIA In the Scripture, rain represents God's favor. This verse is telling us to "ask for rain even though it's raining." What does that m...

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/nascarfan_99/Christmas/LisaAnyoneForSnow.gif Good morning everyone! We're so covered in snow here in Western NC that it looks like a picture postcard outside! It's beautiful but oh-so-cold! Word came down the phone tree last night that the scho...

GET OUT OF THE COCKPIT! In his final words to the leaders of the church of Ephesus, Paul likened the follower of Jesus to five different pursuits: a runner in a race, a steward, a witness, a herald, and a watchman. We already looked at what it is to be a runner in the race of life. The second categ...

BROKENNESS: THE PLAN I THESSALONIANS 5:21-23 Humans are born "bent away" from the Lord. Our natural inclination is to please and serve self, which is the opposite of a Godhonoring lifestyle. When we become believers, our Father begins to bend our will and ways back towards Him. But we mus...

BE A BOUNCE-BACK PERSON TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold…" (I Peter 1:6-7, NLT). TODAY'S W...