What's Your Catch Phrase?

Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good.  You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.  Genesis 18:17-18

My dog turned a year old a couple months ago.  He is a cute dog.  He loves to snuggle, he is really nice, he loves being around us but there is one thing that bugs us.  He’s just not that smart.  It pretty comical really.  We have a catch phrase for him, “I not smart”.  It has become so common for us to say this that my son made up catch phrases for all of us.

Evan’s is, “I forget”

Mine is, “I tired”

And my husband’s is, “I stressed”

We laugh at the phrases but mine and Steve’s sent alerts to us.  Sometimes we don’t notice when life is getting away from us until someone else points it out.

In today’s passage Moses Father-in-law sees trouble on the horizon if Moses keeps down the road he’s on.  It’s good to have others see and speak when they think we are over committing ourselves.  For years I’ve tried to remember the phrase, “If the Devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.”

How are you doing?

I have a quiz for you. 

Do you feel stressed and tired all the time?

• A. Yes, a lot.
• B. Seldom.

Do you become bored if you aren't busy?

• A. No, I can sit and just "be".
• B. Yes.

Are you a master at multi-tasking?

• A. Yes, I'm constantly doing more than one thing at a time.
• B. No, I tend to keep things simple.

Do you really don't know how to relax?

• A. Very true.
• B. I am able to relax totally ... easily.

Are you unable to say "no" even when you are already over-committed?

• A. Yes, often.
• B. No, I don't allow people to use me.

Do you try to keep yourself busy on holiday?

• A. No! I want to relax.
• B. Yes, it is the perfect time to catch up.

Do you often feel anxious because you are constantly "behind" with your tasks?

• A. Yes.
• B. No.

Do you need everything to be just perfect?

• A. Yes, most of the time.
• B. No, I'm only human with one pair of hands.

Do you feel bad when you do something just for yourself?

• A. Yes.
• B. No.

I hope this little quiz can help you see if your catch phrase is, “I too busy”.

Remember if the Devil can’t make you bad he’ll make you busy.  Even God took a day to rest.  Not because he needed it but because he knew we would.

Read the entire passage here.  Exodus 18:7-17

The Choice is Yours

Acts 13:44-52

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2013%3A44-52&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Last week, when all the buzz was about the upcoming Ohio State/Penn State football game, the host of a local sports radio talk show told how he and his wife had recently celebrated their daughter’s first birthday. Of course, even at the age of one, she is a HUGE Buckeye fan!

 

The brother-in-law, who IS a huge University of Michigan fan, gave his niece a stuffed U of M teddy bear and U of M pajamas. The mom was incensed, and told her brother that he wasted his money; that no daughter of hers would ever use anything with U of M on it.

 

The question was posed: Was it more important to be polite, or to ream out her brother? All the callers agreed… she did the right thing. But here’s the question that came to my mind: What is most important - family or football; relationships or rivalry?

 

In the Acts 13 passage, the phrase “the word of the Lord”, is repeated multiple times

implying the importance of it.

 

The word of the Lord gave Paul strength and focus in his life and ministry. It helped him to weather the hard times and move forward with purpose and power. It enabled him to be used by God impacting the lives of both Jews and Gentiles. Without the word of the Lord, Paul would have continued down his path of persecution, rather the road of redemption. Paul was a force to be reckoned with because of the word of the Lord.

 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.            John 1:14 NIV

 

Here’s how The Message interprets the first line of this verse: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” That picture brings it home and makes it very personal. The point is that the word of the Lord can’t be ignored.

 

So, regardless of whether you are a Buckeye fan or not, you must ask yourself the question - what is most important to me; the word of the Lord, or something else? The choice is yours, but keep in mind that your answer will be life-changing.

 

 

Building Relationships

In 1974 Harry Chapin wrote a song called, Cat’s in the Cradle. It is a story of a busy man who had a son and did not spend much time with his son. He loved his son, yet his son was low on his priority list of people and things to spend time.

 

When the son was older, he was just like his father. There was not much of a father-son relationship.

 

Today’s reading is Nehemiah 13:10-14.

 

The Jews had returned from exile and had previously repented of their sin. They were now restructuring their lives and rebuilding their culture based on the commandments God had given them.

Is God Atop Your To Do List?

 

However, the Jews were neglecting God by not giving the Levites, God’s priests, their fair share of land and grain offerings. An angry and distraught Nehemiah corrected the situation.

 

We all lead busy lives. Soccer practices, piano lessons, Girl Scouts and swim team takes up a lot of our time. Not to mention our jobs, where overtime is almost mandatory these days. And of course, there is yard work to do and football games that must be watched.

 

Are we neglecting the things God asks us to do?

 

He wants us to “Go forth and make disciples”, “Love our neighbors as ourselves” and “Love the Lord our God”. It takes money to do some of these things and we are to give to the Lord so these things can be done.

 

We are not under compulsion of the Law to do these things. Rather, we should do them because God loved us first. Our response should be a reflection of how we feel about Christ's love for us!

 

The Jews were neglecting their relationship with God. The father in Chapin’s song had neglected his relationship with his son. When relationships are not nurtured, they atrophy and are in danger of dying.

 

Let’s respond to God’s love. Let’s build our relationship with him.

 

Let’s make God our number one priority!

The Story - Chapter 1 - Genesis 1,2

There is something exciting about starting a new book!  The anticipation of what lies ahead, the thrill of encountering new best friends brings me back to the book everyday.  Reading for me, is one of the best escapes from daily drudgery and it offers new opportunity to learn whether I am reading a popular piece of fiction, or as in our case, the greatest story ever told.  I am delighted you have decided to join us as we read through The Story.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

The creation story is man's first glimpse at God, or perhaps it is more accurate to say, it is man's beginning made possible by God.  This is where we witness a God of love, who started all of this because of His great love for us.  He is a God of order, and a God who set priorities right from the beginning. You will notice He didn't create man first so that He had some help, no, God doesn't need our help.  This is one truth we will learn as we venture into The Story.

God's plan is perfect, His timing is perfect and the manner in which our creation came about, is a result of this perfection.  And God said, "let there be light." (Genesis 1:3)  This continues in an orderly fashion as God provides for us before He brings us into His world.  Think about it, everything we needed for survival was provided for us, and still is today.

The take-away for me today is first things first.  If I will practice this on a daily basis life will be simpler and run smoother.  If I will not get ahead of God and begin each day remembering to put prayer as the first priority and let everything else happen in His perfect timing, it will be a day to remember.

Read Genesis 1,2 here

Listen to Genesis 1,2 here

This is Not A Competion John 3:25-36

At first glance of today’s scripture I want to chuckle. John the Baptists disciples are complaining because more people are going to Jesus to be baptized then they are John. It seems ridiculous to me that they would feel they are in competition with the King of kings. Of course when you think about it they did not really know who Jesus was, even though John had explained to them that, “‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.”

We have no excuse though today. We know Christ is the Messiah. We understand that He is the way, the truth, and the life yet so many still feel they are in competition with Him. As a youth director I would get families who were upset when we had a youth Bible Study during the week. They would say that their child was already too busy with school activities and now they had this to add to their calendar.

I may be hitting a nerve here, but think about what I am saying. Are Bible studies, or worship services something we have to add to our calendar? Do they get in the way of the other things we want or need to do? If so then we are too busy. Christ is not the one getting in the way of our life. Life gets in the way of our relationship with Christ.

I am not saying we need to be at church every night of the week, if that was true then we would never have an opportunity to tell others about Christ. I am saying though, that if we don’t have time to spend with Him because we are too busy, we don’t really know who the Messiah is.

Ready today's passage at Biblegateway John 3:25-36

Faith Checkup -- Matthew 1:18-25

Mary Had to know her surrender to God's plan would be a huge sacrifice. At the least, she could be shamed as an unwed mother. Joseph could divorce her, or worse have her stoned to death.

Joseph considered quietly divorcing Mary as a way out and also to protect her. But Joseph listened to God's plan. He married Mary.

Joseph and Mary probably didn't consider or even imagine the extent of their personal or their son's future suffering. The strength of their faith caused them both to submit to God's plan without question.

Today's text prompts me to take a pause to see if my faith is in step with where it should be. It's like spring cleaning. What needs to be sorted out, thrown away, or dusted off? What needs to be saved, protected, and cherished? What will bring me closer to God and His plan for my life?

Prayer: Lord God, I thank You and Praise You for the many blessings You have given me. Forgive me for the times I have ignored what You want me to do. Forgive me for the times I have gotten so overwhelmed with things and have forgotten Your presence. Give me wisdom and direction to reevaluate my priorities to honor You with my time. Amen

We would like to hear your thoughts. Click on Comments below.

Read today's text on Biblegateway, Matthew 1:18-25

Spiritual Flabbiness -- 1 Timothy 4:1-11

"Exercise daily in God--no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart." 1 Timothy 4:8 MSG

Where do you like to meet God each day? I love to go on walks and talk with God along the way. Spring is my favorite time of year. I can breathe in fresh air, enjoy the beautiful flowers, hear birds singing, and see squirrels scurrying up trees. I feel close to God on these walks. Sometimes I listen to Bible readings or a downloaded sermon while walking outside or on the treadmill. This is my daily exercise time with God.

A disciplined daily study in God's Word is more difficult for me to maintain. I am not successful planning my day to avoid little distractions that crowd out my quiet time. A specific purpose for study helps me with discipline. I concentrate and dig deeper in Scripture when I put myself into situations that require making time for God's Word in my day. Writing devotions is my latest adventure for meeting God in His Word every day. I've also enjoyed daily reading Bibles, group Bible studies, and other writing projects.

I hope you are finding a way that works for you to read and study God's Word daily.

I hear Paul saying, "Know the Truth about God, strengthen your relationship with Him, power up in His Word; do this daily so you will be prepared to tell others."

We would like to hear your thoughts. Click on Comments below.

Read today's text on Biblegateway, 1 Timothy 4:1-11

What are you Doing Today? Romans 15:23-33

As a teenager I knew I wanted to participate in foreign mission activities. I studied my Bible, went to talks given by missionaries, and became pen pals to several missionaries. Through the years, opportunities to actually go on a mission trip never materialized. I don't know when it happened, but I realized God was not calling me to serve in the mission field. He changed the desire of my heart by making me aware of other things He wanted me to do. Knowing this helped me get onto the path He had planned for my life.

Paul yearned to go to Rome. He would see His fellow Christians, fellowship with them, and encourage them in their faith. Being with them would be very pleasing and refreshing to Paul. God, however, had work for Paul elsewhere. He was needed to be a messenger of charity for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. Paul, without question, reset his priorities to do the will of God first. He would go to Rome, but the trip was planned for later.

Paul knew that his life, his joy, depended on the will of God, "so that by God's will I may come to you with joy." (v. 32a)

Prayer
Lord, help me make it my heart's desire to please you in what I do today and every day. Help me reset my priorities to get onto the path you have laid out for me today, and for the rest of my life. Amen

Read text on Biblegateway - Romans 15:23-33