Dead In Your Sins

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Ephesians 2 uses the phrase “dead in your sins.” But what does that really mean? Dead means lifeless, powerless, inanimate. It means we were incapable of doing anything to change our situation. But God is loving and merciful, and He chose to give us new life. That’s the beauty of His grace—we’ve done nothing to deserve it. He simply gives it to us. And once we’re alive in Him, He gives us the privilege of walking in this new life and serving Him.

Who's Pushing Your Swing?

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Children love to swing. There’s nothing like it. Spinning trees, a stomach that jumps into your throat. Ahh, swinging…  As a child, I trusted certain people to push my swing. They could twist me, turn me, stop me. . .I loved it! But let a stranger push my swing, and it was hang on, baby!

Remember when Jesus stilled the storm? It was frightening enough to scare the pants (or robes) off a dozen disciples. So they ran to wake up Jesus. They ran to do what? Jesus was asleep? How in the world could he sleep through a storm? Simple. He knew who was pushing the swing.

We live in a world of private storms; strained marriages, broken hearts, lonely evenings. Who pushes your swing? In the right hands you can find peace, even in the storm.

From God is With You Every Day

At Risk Of Falling

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

       "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" —1 Corinthians 10:12

When my friend Elaine was recovering after a bad fall, a hospital worker placed a bright yellow bracelet on her wrist. It read: Fall Risk. That phrase meant: Watch this person carefully. She may be unsteady on her feet. Help her get from place to place.

First Corinthians 10 contains something like a “Fall Risk” warning for believers. With a glance back at his ancestors, Paul noted the human potential to fall into sin. The Israelites complained, worshiped idols, and had immoral relationships. God grew unhappy with them and allowed them to experience consequences for their wrongdoing. However, Paul said, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us . . . . So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (vv. 11–12).

It’s easy to trick ourselves into believing that we’re done with a particular sort of sin. Even when we’ve struggled through the worst of it—admitting our problem, repenting, and recommitting ourselves to following God’s ways—temptation may come calling. God makes it possible for us to avoid falling back into the same patterns. He does this by providing a way out of the sinful act we’re considering. Our part is to respond to His offer of escape.
—JENNIFER BENSON SCHULDT

Lord, let me see the way of escape You offer when I am tempted. Give me the strength to accept Your help so I can stay faithful to You. I know this is Your desire for me, and I thank You that You are at work in me.
Great blessings are often followed by great temptations.

"Our Daily Bread"

It's My Time

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.   Acts 16:14,15


Every morning while it’s still dark outside, I sneak into my kitchen and make a dense cup of coffee before settling into my favorite chair.

As the clock quickly ticks away, I grab a lightweight blanket and toss it over my lap, simultaneously reaching for my well-worn Bible. A deep breath in and a slow exhale. I know one thing for sure …
It’s my time. It’s His time. It’s our time to be together.

Before everyone wakes up and the day’s chatter begins, I get to be with Jesus. And for a few quiet moments, I don’t have to share Him with anyone.

The routine may seem ordinary to some, but the words are always fresh to me. A new chapter from a different part of the Bible. What will He show me today?

Sometimes I understand the text right away. Other times … not so much. I read it once, twice, maybe even three times. Then I pause and whisper, “Lord, open my eyes to see the wonderful things in Your Word. Help me understand what You’re trying to show me.”

I don’t want to miss a single thing in God’s Word that could make a significant difference in my day.
I don’t want the distractions of the clock or the weight of daily assignments to pull my thoughts away from His.

I’ve come to meet with Jesus. To gather only with Him for a momentary Sabbath rest. To pray, ponder, understand and respond.

In today’s key verse, we meet a woman named Lydia. She and her friends had gathered for prayer on the Sabbath when they encountered the Apostle Paul and his traveling companions just outside Macedonia, near the riverbanks.

Scripture tells us Lydia was already a worshiper of God. But as Paul shared the Good News of Jesus and His redeeming work on the cross, we learn, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention and to respond to the things said by Paul” (Acts 16:14).

I absolutely love this statement! Oh, let’s not breeze past or miss any of its significance.
The word opened in the original Greek is dianoigõ, which means, “to open thoroughly what had been closed. To open one’s soul (mind, will, emotions), to rouse in one the faculty of understanding or the desire of learning.”

In those priceless moments down by the riverside, God opened Lydia’s mind to pay attention and understand a fresh revelation of Jesus. He deposited a desire in her heart to learn more about the gospel of grace which Paul was generously sharing.

Friend, let this be our heart’s greatest desire — today and every day!

In our special moments with God, let’s ask Him to gently open our hearts wide so we can receive a fresher revelation of Jesus. No matter how much we think we know about Him, let us long to know Him more!
Let’s yearn for a deeper understanding of His character and attributes. Let’s wake up every day saying, “Good Morning Jesus,” and embrace the desire to spend time with Him before anyone else, discovering His truths, memorizing His precepts and rejoicing in His promises.

And in those quiet moments as we read through the pages of our Bible, if we come to a part we don’t understand, let’s pause and whisper ever so sincerely, “Jesus pull back the veil so I can see You more clearly and hear You more distinctly. Open my eyes to see the wonderful things in Your Word.”

And when He does, let’s respond with a wellspring of joy and gratitude that will quench our souls and make our spirits soar!

Lord, soften my heart and open it wide to receive all the love You have for me. Give me a greater desire to spend time with You. Teach me Your ways and help me understand Your attributes as I read my Bible. I want to know You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Sorrows And Holy Living

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:  but the sorrow of the world worketh death."                                   2  Corinthians  7:10

     "Doesn't it seem hard when you think of the many there are in the world, that you should be singled out for such bereavement and loneliness?"
     She replied with a smile:
     "I am not singled out, dear.  There are thousands of God's own dear children scattered over the world suffering far more than I do.  And I do not think there are many persons in it who are happier than I am.  I was bound to my God and Savior before I knew a sorrow, it is true.  But it was by a chain of many links; and every link that dropped away brought me closer to Him, till at last, having nothing left, I was shut up to Him and learned fully what I had only learned partially, how soul-satisfying He is."
     "You think then,"  I said while my heart died within me, "that husband and children are obstacles in our way and hinder our getting nearer to Christ?"
     "Oh no!"  she cried.  "God never gives us hindrances.  On the contrary, He means, in making us wives and mothers, to put us into the very conditions of holy living."

Lowly Work

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

"These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work."                                            1 Chronicles  4:23

                                                     A lowlier task on them is laid
                                                          With love to make the labor light;
                                                    And there their beauty they must shed
                                                          On quiet homes, and lost to sight.
                                                    Changed are their visions high and fair,
                                                    Yet, calm and still, they labor there
                                                                                               Hymns of the Ages

     Anywhere and everywhere we may dwell "with the King for His work."  We may be in a very unlikely or unfavorable place for this; it may be in a literal country life, with little enough to be seen of the "goings" of the King around us; it may be among the hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all directions; it may be furthemore, with our hands full of all manner of pottery for our daily task.  No matter!  The King who placed us "there" will come and dwell there with us; the hedges are all right, or He would soon do away with them; and it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way may not be for its very protection; and as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly what he has seen fit to put into our hands, and therefore it is, for the present,  "His work."

Trust And Worry

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                                              "I will put my trust in him."
                                                                       Hebrews  2:13

     Remember always that there are two things which are more utterly incompatible even than oil and water, and these two are trust and worry.  Can you call it trust, when you have given the saving and keeping of your soul into the hands of the Lord, if day after day you are spending hours of anxious thought and questionings about the matter?  When a believer really trusts anything, he ceases to worry about the thing he has trusted.  And when he worries, it is a plain proof that he does not trust.  Tested by this rule, how little real trust there is in the Church of Christ!  No wonder our Lord asked the pathetic question,  "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"  He will find plenty of work, a great deal of earnestness, and doubtless many consecrated hearts, but shall He find faith, the one thing He values more than all the rest?  Every child of God, in his own case, will know how to answer this question.  Should the answer, for any of you, be a sorrowful No, let me entreat you to let this be the last time for such an answer; and if you have ever known anything of the trustworthiness of our Lord, may you henceforth set to your seal that He is true, by the generous recklessness of your trust in Him!

Practice Makes Perfect Peace

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters."                                  Psalm  23:1-2

     Solitude is a gift.

     Discipline is required in solitude.  It is learned discipline.  Our environment offers any number of noisy options to keep us constantly entertained.  We have forgotten how to be quiet.  When I first began to give myself to the discipline of solitude, I despaired of ever being able to quiet my mind.  I would turn the radio or TV off and sit for a while.  My mind would wander all over the place.  I was repeatedly discouraged, wanting to quit, reasoning that this was simply not the way for me to fellowship with God.  But I didn't give up.  I kept trying.  After a while I began to relax into being alone with God.  I left all my lists and requests behind.  This was time for quiet, not for petition.

     My times of silence  before God are very important to me now.  I put everything else down, every word away and I am with the Lord.  When I'm quiet, life falls into perspective for me.  I have a very active mind and I'm a worrier, but in those moments when I choose to put that away, I rest beside the Shepherd in still places.

     Why don't you give yourself a gift today?  Turn off the television or the car stereo, put down the newspaper or the business plan, and in the quietness, rest for a while beside the Shepherd of your soul.

Drawn To Obey

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from us, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                                                    Drawn  To  Obey

                "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
                                                                     Philippians  2:13

     God's promise is that he will work in us to will as well as to do of His good pleasure.  This means, of course that He will take possession of our will, and work it for us; and that His suggestions will come to us, not so much commands from the outside as desires springing up within.  They will originate in our will; we shall feel as though we desired to do so and so, not as though we must.  And this makes it a service of perfect liberty; for it is always easy to do what we desire to do, let the accompanying circumstances be as difficult as they may.  Every mother knows that she could secure perfect and easy obedience in her child if she could only get into that child's will and work it for him, making him want himself to do the things she willed he should.  And this is what our Father, in the new dispensation, does for His children; He "writes his laws on our hearts on our minds," so that our affection and our understanding embrace them, and we are drawn to obey instead of being driven to it.

Changing The Way We Think

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

We won’t develop new responses until we develop new thoughts. That’s why renewing our minds with new thoughts is crucial. New thoughts come from new perspectives. The Bible encourages this process, which only makes sense because God created the human mind and understands better than anyone how it functions.

A foundational teaching of Scripture is that by the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible to be completely changed through transformed thought patterns.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
We don’t have to live lives conformed to the patterns of this world. And we don’t have to stay stuck in patterns of negative actions and reactions. We can let God’s Word renew and rewire our minds, because we aren’t people destined to stay the same. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus. (Romans 8:29)

I don’t know about you, but understanding how my brain is designed makes our key verse come alive in a whole new way. Being transformed by thinking in new ways isn’t some New Age form of mind control. It’s biblical, and it’s fitting with how God wired our brains.

Yes, when we gain new perspectives from God’s Word, we can see new ways of thinking. And if we change the way we think, we’ll change the ways we act and react.

"Proverbs 31 Ministries"

Antidote For Bitterness

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Just because I’ve been hurt doesn’t mean I now have to live hurt. I can get mad and bitter and spread more hurt around. Or, I can choose grace and gentle responses and spread more hope around.

Hurt people, hurt people.
Healed people, heal people.
And I want to be in that latter group
.
There’s nothing we can do to eliminate the pain of rejection. Oh, how I wish there were. With every fiber of my being, I wish I could remove it from my world and yours. But I can’t. The only thing to help my heart heal from these deep wounds is the constant pursuit of the sweetest grace.

To love God is to cooperate with His grace. And since I’m so very aware of my own need for grace, I must be willing to freely give it away. Each hole left from rejection is an opportunity to create more and more space for grace in my heart.

From: "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

Worry: The Fruit Of A Divided Heart

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                                Worry:  The Fruit Of A Divided Heart

    "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:19

The word anxiety comes from a root that means "to divide." That's because anxiety produces a divided mind, one which is pulled this way and that way, constantly distracted and disturbed. Here's the point: Either the Lord carries the worry or we do. If we do, we'll be divided, distracted, disturbed. And we will end up confused, frustrated, and burdened. If He carries the load, we may still have troubles and difficulties, but no anxiety, no dominating fear, no undue concern, no hopeless despair.

There's a reason we can do that with confidence - "your consolation brought joy to my soul." This touches a secret fear of many believers - that if we submit out lives to Jesus Christ, He'll mess things up. He'll ask us to do things we don't want to do, He'll send us places we don't want to go, He'll bring unpleasant people into our lives and force us to be someone we don't want to be. And we secretly fear He can't be trusted to take care of us. So we decide to live at a 60 or 70 percent level of trust and wonder why we are so bored, frustrated, and unfulfilled spiritually.

I'm convinced that our problems are at heart theological. We've never settled the question, What kind of God do we believe in? In biblical terms, we've never settled the question of whether we believe God really cares for us. We think He does, we hope He does, but many days we're not sure.

When you get right down to it, we're not sure about God. We can't quite bring ourselves to trust Him. Until we, by a conscious choice, settle the big question, What kind of God do I believe in? all lesser questions will go unanswered.

Here is the genius of biblical Christianity: God cares for me. and He proved it by sending His own Son to die for me. At the Cross the issue was settled for eternity. Any God who would sacrifice His own Son for a person like me must care for me. There's no other reason He would do such a thing.

When we come to God, we don't have to convince Him to hear us. We don't have to chant or shout or burn incense or ring bells or use a priest or offer a sacrifice. No, we come as His children, and He gladly hears us. We don't do anything to make God care. We begin and act from the assurance, rooted in history, that God cares for us. And it's on that basis that we can unload all our worries on Him.

Lord Jesus, help me to discern the difference between honest concern and sinful worry. Show me how to cast my cares upon You lest I collapse under the weight of my own problems. Amen.

From the book, Green Pastures, Quiet Waters, by Ray Pritchard

Understanding Will Never Bring You Peace

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


UNDERSTANDING will never bring you Peace. That's why I have instructed you to trust in Me, not in your understanding. Human beings have a voracious appetite for trying to figure things out, in order to gain a sense of mastery over their lives. But the world presents you with an endless series of problems. As soon as you master one set, another pops up to challenge you. The relief you had anticipated is short-lived. Soon your mind is gearing up again: searching for understanding (mastery), in stead of seeking Me (your Master).
The wisest of all men, Solomon, could never think his way through to Peace. His vast understanding resulted in feelings of futility, rather than in fulfillment. Finally, he lost his way and succumbed to the will of his wives by worshiping idols.

My Peace is not an elusive goal, hidden at the center of some complicated maze. Actually, you are always enveloped in Peace, which is inherent in My Presence. As you look to Me, you gain awareness of this precious Peace.

From the book, "Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace In His Presence.

Sit Quietly In My Presence

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


SIT QUIETLY IN MY PRESENCE while I bless you. Make your mind like a still pool of water, ready to receive whatever thoughts I drop into it. Rest in My sufficiency, as you consider the challenges this day presents. Do not wear yourself out by worrying about whether you can cope with the pressures. Keep looking to Me and communicating with Me, as we walk through this day together.

Take time to rest by the wayside, for I am not in a hurry. A leisurely pace accomplishes more than hurried striving. When you rush, you forget who are you and Whose you are. Remember that you are royalty in My kingdom.

From the book, "Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace In His Presence.

Wait On The Spirit

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


Wait on the Spirit. If Peter and the apostles needed the help of the Spirit, don’t we? They walked with Jesus for three years; heard his preaching and saw his miracles. They saw the body of Christ buried in the grace and raised from the dead. They witnessed his Upper Room appearance and heard his instruction. Had they not received the best possible training? Weren’t they ready? Yet Jesus told them to wait on the Spirit. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised…the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).

Learn to wait, to be silent, to listen for his voice. Cherish stillness and sensitize yourself to his touch.  All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene.

From God is With You Every Day

Watch Your Words Diligently

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


WATCH YOUR WORDS DILIGENTLY. Words have such great power to bless or to wound. When you speak carelessly or negatively, you damage others as well as yourself. This ability to verbalize is an awesome privilege, granted only to those I created in My image. You need help in wielding this mighty power responsibly.

Though the world applauds quick-witted retorts, My instructions about communication are quite different: Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Ask My Spirit to help you whenever you speak. I have trained you to pray - "Help me, Holy Spirit" - before answering the phone, and you have seen the benefits of this discipline. Simply apply this discipline to communicating with people around you. If they are silent, pray before speaking to them. If they are talking, pray before responding. These are split-second prayers, but they put you in touch with My Presence. In this way, your speaking comes under the control of My Spirit. As positive speech patterns replace your negative ones, the increase in your Joy will amaze you.

From the book, "Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace In His Presence.