Give Him All You Got! – Deuteronomy 6:5

5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!

– Deuteronomy 6:5

Give Him All You Got!

Are you giving your "all" to God?  Really?  Are you?  I have to admit that when I took a really close, I mean microscopically macro-zoom Hubble telescopic look at my life, I could see that I have quite a few areas that don't include God at all.  In fact, there are some days when I only give Him just about half of me.  How sad for me.  How sad it must make Him, because all He wants is all we have.  Is that too much to ask?

Think about it . . . how many of your daily, waking-hour activities include God?  I mean REALLY include HIm?  We have our prayer time (hopefully), we say a quick blessing prayer before meals, maybe listen to and even sing along with praise music in the car, and then a quick "closing" prayer at bedtime.  What about all the other stuff?  Like throughout your day at work; picking up a few groceries on the way home; watching TV during your "unwind" time (do you know God knows the TV shows you watch?), and even while your'e working on the bills and balancing the checkbook.  How about during weekend activities?  Do you give Him your all while your doing yard work, or going to the movies, or during sporting activities?

The point is that we can give God and love God with ALL that we are, everywhere we are, doing everything we do.  How you ask?  Well, here's what the Bible says:

Deuteronomy – 6 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you 7 and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. 8 Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; 9 inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

So pretty much all the time, and in every situation right?  The key is to get God inside of you by knowing His Word, meditating on who He is and what He's trying to tell you.  It's easy really; try the Sticky-Note approach and put scripture verses in your car, at your workstation, on your fridge, over every door in your house, even on the TV set.  Here's a good one – put a Bible in the bathroom – it makes great "Me Time" reading.  Get God's word attached to all the things you do and meditate on them in all the places you go.  Pretty soon, your "ALL" will be focused on Him, and His "ALL" will be working to bless you and prosper you, and make you into the man or woman God designed you to be.  It's a win-win mandate, direct from the mouth of the Creator of ALL things . . . especially for us.

Prayer

Father Thank You for loving us with all Your heart.  It must be so hurtful to know that Your children seldom return the favor.  Forgive us for neglecting You and for not giving You our all.  Help us to be mindful to include You in all of our day, every day, for all our days.  We love You Lord!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Its A Now Vow! – Deuteronomy 5:3

3 God didn't just make this covenant with our parents; he made it also with us, with all of us who are alive right now.

– Deuteronomy 5:3

Its A Now Vow!

God is a "now" God.  He's up with all the latest trends and He's way ahead of all the latest tech gadgets.  He knows what we do, and how we live, and where we go, and He understands the latest "it" thing that the enemy will use to try to pull our attention away from Him.  He is spreading His Word through all the social media outlets and the message of Christ is being spread throughout the world in ways that our parents could never have imagined.  God is a "now" God, and we are His people, right here, and right now.

I think that we can tend to think of God as an "old testament" kind of God; speaking in King James and communicating to us through burning bushes, and while it's true that we can look to the old testament to get a glimpse into the nature of God, in my opinion, we should think on HIm as a current God who delights in how far we've come, and who loves the fact that we love Him in spite of the "enlightened" age in which we live.  The enemy has been working hard to make us believe that God is irrelevant, but despite his best efforts, God's people continue to grow stronger every day, and His family, throughout this big blue marble on which we live, continues to to expand as the tools the enemy has designed to get us away from Him, actually help to spread His Gospel.

How do you think of God?  Do you imagine Him as in the old testament, and do you think of His promises as only for that time?  If so, try imagining Him moving and working in today's world.  It might help your faith by thinking about His promises as for today – for all of us who are living right now – so they are current and relevant to the situations and circumstances we find ourselves in, right now.

God is timeless.  He doesn't age, and He doesn't expect us to live in the past.  He moves forward with us.  He lives with us.  He is all about right now.  So why not grab ahold of Him right now.  Hold on to the promises He has given you for today.  Run after the "now" God, the Big God, the God who sees you and who loves you so much.  He's here for you . . . right here . . . right now.

Prayer

Father, Thank You for knowing us today.  Help us to know You as the current God that You are – never late, never too far ahead, but right now.  Help us to grasp the fullness of Your promises which are new, just for us, every morning.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Only God – Deuteronomy 4:39

39 Know this well, then. Take it to heart right now: God is in Heaven above; God is on Earth below. He's the only God there is.

– Deuteronomy 4:39

Only God

Aren't you glad that we serve THE God? The one and only God?  The Real Deal?  I know I am!

I mean how disheartening must it be for those who don't know Him – they have nothing or no one to count on, to believe in, to trust in – they are all alone.  How utterly and desperately sad.

The Bible tells us to "Know this well."  It tells us to "Take heart right now!"  To me, that means we need to absorb God.  Put Him on every morning and wear Him all day long.  Being in His Word, talking to Him, singing praises to Him and about Him, and thinking on Him throughout our day . . . every day, for all our days.  We need to be so into God that when people look at us, they see HIm and recognize who we are in Him.

The time for believing and knowing who God really is has come.  It's now!  So I challenge you all this morning (I am challenging myself as well) . . . lets take an inventory of the gods we are serving on a daily basis – whatever they may be – sports, social media, technology, music, sports, television, shoes, etc., etc.  Those things that we put ahead of God, that consume the time we should be spending with Him, are the things we need to take a serious look at and make a determination of their importance in our lives.  All of those things, in and of themselves are not bad, or evil, or "gods" necessarily, but when they take precedence over God . . . well, that's when we need to re-prioritize, and rededicate our energies, and let God know that He is our God, and nothing else is more or as important than our relationship with Him.

No matter what we want or think we need to enjoy our lives, He is the ONLY God there is!  Lets let Him know that we are glad to serve Him completely, honestly, and wholeheartedly.

Prayer

Father, we believe – we KNOW, that YOU are God – the One and Only God.  Forgive us for the things that we put in front of You.  Help us Lord, to recognize those things so that we can keep our perspective and know the truth of who we really serve.  Help us to remain focussed on You!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Get In The Game! – Deuteronomy 2:31

31Then God said to me, "Look, I've got the ball rolling - Sihon and his land are soon yours. Go ahead. Take it. It's practically yours!" 

– Deuteronomy 2:31

Get In The Game!

Are you participating in the walk and the promise God gave you or are you letting Him carry you around, like some spoiled, whiney, trembling chihuahua in one of those goofy dog purse things?  If you're letting God carry you, it's time to get out of the purse and get into the game.  That's where the exciting stuff happens!  Oh, I fully understand that there are times when we need to be carried and comforted by God, but those times are temporary, and as we mature and become strong, they should happen with diminishing frequency.  We need to be in training and getting ourselves ready for our names to be called – ready to spring into action – knowing the playbook inside and out, and equipped to take on all comers.   

Every promise from God is going to require some action on our part, and most of the time, that action is going to take us beyond ourselves – requiring faith, not only in God, but also in the abilities He has given us to accomplish the task in the first place.  It's going to be a challenge.  It's going to be tough.  It's going to be an adventure that will prove just how big God is and how much more He can do through us than we ever thought we could accomplish.  It's going to be the most fulfilling experience that will bring Him Glory and Honor from all who witness the things we will accomplish.

So cut the purse strings and get into the game!  Step out in faith and watch God move through you.  Experience His life to the fullest!  Go ahead. Take it.  It's practically yours!

Prayer

Father, Thank You for getting the ball rolling for us.  Forgive our reluctance to step out in faith – to go beyond what we think we can do – to trust in You completely.  Help us to have faith and to have courage as we move towards the promise You have set before us!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard 

Time to Get Moving! – Deuteronomy 1:6

6 Back at Horeb, God, our God, spoke to us: "You've stayed long enough at this mountain.

– Deuteronomy 1:6

Time to Get Moving!

Boy does this scripture scream at me today.  In the midst of moving from our home (after 12 years), that we recently remodeled to be exactly what we wanted it to be – complete with art studio and workout room – God said to us: "You've stayed long enough at this mountain."  So, as is usual when God tells Pam and me to move . . . we moved!  In one 10-day span we packed up, moved out, and sold our home.  Now we are living out of boxes and staring at blank walls and eagerly anticipating God's next move – His next mountain-top for us to dwell and to see His Hand work miracles in and through our obedience.

You see, God doesn't just move us for fun.  As long as we are living in, and through, and with Him, He takes us on journeys through our lives and in amazement, we watch as deserts become lush green valleys, and then rolling hills, and then mountain tops.  He delights in our wide-eyed wonder and excitement as we grow beyond ourselves, and our capacity to serve Him in our new environment unfolds before us.  We have learned, over the years, that everything is temporary – our homes, our jobs, our health – and His will is all that matters.  We have learned that as long as we are obedient, and as long as we continually seek after Him, He is faithful to keep moving us into His promises.

Now please understand, change is hard, and moving is never easy, and uncertainty in circumstances will always be a little scary, but God fully understands the range of emotions we will be going through, and I believe He's OK with that.  As long as we have faith in who He is – God – our God – the Big God – then we can walk through the scary places with the confidence that He is the One moving us through the situations we will face.  He is our Escort through, and over, and under, and around every situation until we come to rest at the place where He has called us to.

It's easy to look at a trial and ask God why.  Why is this happening to me?  But instead of looking at the temporary with disappointment and regret, see where God is trying to move you, and then with energy and faith, move in the same direction.  Serve Him while you work through the problem.  Seek Him every day and ask Him for clarity and confidence.  Pray with faith to the God who has a promise waiting for you – it's just on the other side of the problem you are facing – it's in a place where He can grow you, and use you, and reveal more of Himself to you.

It's time to get moving because God doesn't stand still.  He wants us to reach the world, and we will . . . if we reach for HIm when He says reach, and we move for HIm when He says move.  He is God, our God, and He speaks to us and says "MOVE!"

Prayer

Father, thank You for moving us through life.  Thank You for helping us to grow each time we move.  Forgive our whining and for feeling sorry for ourselves when we have to experience change.  Help us to  eagerly anticipate Your next assignment, our next mountain-top and to seek You during the journey.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Don't Settle for 2nd Best – Numbers 32:4-5

4 - the country that God laid low before the community of Israel - is a country just right for livestock, and we have livestock." 
5 They continued, "If you think we've done a good job so far, give us this country for our inheritance. Don't make us go across the Jordan."
– Numbers 32:4-5

Don't Settle for 2nd Best

God has a promise for each of us. He takes us at our weakest, removes all the sha

ckles, chains, ropes, and dog-collars, heals the wounds and smooths out all the scars, gets all the air-head bubbles out, and nurtures us with Truth, and Hope, and Grace – all the while guiding us across the desert to a place designed specifically for us. Then at some point, with all good intentions and sincerity, we get down on our knees and reverently pray . . . Dear Lord, my talents and abilities are perfectly suited for where I am right now, allow me to stay in this place of comfort and this level of prosperity. I know I can live well and still serve You because I feel good about my situation. Thank You Lord!

Oy-Vey!
¡Ay, Caramba!
Doh!

In order for us to realize our God-promised potential, we must continually be moving, in-Him, towards the promise. The minute we decide that where we are is good enough, that’s the time when we will become stagnant, and instead of our lives being a sweet-smelling aroma to God, we take on the stench of a dying possibility. And if we aren’t careful, God will give us what we asked for and in the twilight of our lives, as we sit rocking away in our favorite chair, “if-only” and “what-if” will be how we begin our tales of regret.

God has a promise for each of us. Let’s refuse to settle for anything less. Lets begin each day, every day, for all our days moving towards fulfilling our God-given potential. Let’s run this crazy race called life, the way God intended . . . giving our best, Him.

Prayer
Father, Thank You for Your promises. Forgive us for wanting to settle for less and for becoming comfortable in the journey instead of working towards the goal. Help us to keep moving forward every day towards Your Promise.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Truth or Consequences – Leviticus 26:13

13 I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely. "But If You Refuse to Obey Me . . . "

– Leviticus 26:13

Truth or Consequences

"But If You Refuse to Obey Me . . . "    Such ominous words have never, nor will ever be spoken.  To steal a line from a once-famous person . . . "I pity the fool!"  I pity the fool who doesn't consider the consequences of refusing to obey our "personal" God.  The depths, and heights, and lengths, and expanses that our God has gone to in order to save us, is equal to the distance and degree that He will turn us over to our own selfish desires, and cast us into an abyss of no return . . . for eternity (which is a VERY long time).

God, our "Personal" God, who rescued us from our own personal egypt, so that we would no longer be slaves to the bondages and the evil  that once held us down, Who ripped off the chains of addiction, and anger, and bitterness, and betrayal, and callousness, and debauchery, and everything else from A-Z, desires that we move and live and breathe as living examples of His Grace, and Forgiveness – His Freedom personified as beacons of hope for the rest of the world to see.

He loves us so very much, but there are consequences for refusing His love.  It's all up to us – to you and to me – the choices we make every day, and the paths that we choose to travel (especially when we think no one is watching), can, if we aren't careful, put us in the refuse pile.  That's right, the refuse pile – the discarded souls who sealed their own fate by wanting to do and have things their own way . . . and now they have it . . . for eternity (which is a VERY, VERY, VERY long time).

So don't refuse God – He's on your side – He's your very own personal God and He wants you to be free . . . and THAT's the truth!

Prayer

Father, You are God, our personal God, and we choose to serve You as a free people – free from the bondages of sin that once kept us from knowing You.  Forgive us Lord, for the times when we forget about Your Grace and Forgiveness; for refusing to recognize who You are.  Help us to live this life to its fullest – as Free men and women, seeking after You.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard