about choosing God's way

Imagine Joseph's torment! At this point in Joseph's life, in this true life story of these two ordinary people, imagine Joseph's torment! Imagine his disappointment! Imagine his hurt! Imagine his anguish! The circumstances or arrangements under which Mary and Joseph came to be engaged are not important. What is most important of all is that we fully understand Joseph deeply loved Mary. If Joseph had not loved Mary deeply he could have cared less about exposing Mary to public disgrace and ridicule. Joseph was an ordinary human being who could not believe the unbelievable until Joseph heard the unbelievable from God.

Although Joseph does not know it at this point in the story, God will intervene in Joseph's life. In the deepest hurt of Joseph's life, God will come into Joseph's life and show Joseph the truth. In your life, in your deepest hurt, God will come into your life, show you the truth, and God will touch you and help make the hurt go away. Joseph was considering divorcing Mary. Joseph had the worldly option of divorce to take care of this terrible moment in Joseph's life. Perhaps in your times of hurt, disappointment, and pain, you also have worldly options to deal with your circumstance.

However, in your life, always be open to the godly option, the Christian option, and/or the option God wants for you. In the end, because Joseph was so righteous, God worked through Joseph. In your life, it may seem like all the worldly odds are against you. It may seem to you the worldly option is the best choice at the time for you. However, when you let God work through you, and you choose God's way rather than the world's way, you will prosper under God's love, care, and protection. Choosing God's way may not be easy. Choosing His way may even be painful. But in the end, there is victory and prosperity in Him.

Freedom!

Everyone is talking about freedom, but freedom is something that constantly has to be guarded, for even while we are free we can choose to be submissive to old tyrants or rulers...

Forgiving as God has Forgiven Us

One thing every Christian struggles with is forgiveness... while it is easy to forgive little things, when someone really hurts us we want to demand that they do something to make it up to us... something to earn our forgiveness, instead of just giving it to them as God has us...

Love is Patient 4 Comments
It is so very easy to become frustrated and angry with those we "love," but what does having a true Biblical love mean during frustrating times?

Christmas Love
Christmas is the story of true love... a story about a God who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, knowing the price He was paying...

Icy Roads 2 Comments
With so many challenges in life, it is very easy for us to want to take charge and try to handle everything ourselves, but in the end we find ourselves worse off, and crying for the Help of the Lord, who is always faithful...

A Winter Snow
When we look at things, we often see what they currently are, and not what they can be. The same holds true for people, but God is able to take even below freezing temperatures and make them into something beautiful...

Forgiving Your "Dr. Mengele" 1 Comments
I think in almost everyone's life, there is at least one person you absolutely do not want to forgive. One person who has said something, or done something to you or someone very close...

Crucifying Racism 2 Comments
Today's devotion is not one of political correctness, or even one of encouragement... instead today we need to take a serious look at our own views, and how we perceive others. While racism is not something we like to talk about, or even think about, it is something that we can ALL fall victim to...

Payback 2 Comments
Revenge is best served cold, or is it best not served at all... the world's message of payback is quite different than the message Christ preached...

Hating God by Hating Others? 2 Comments
You cannot hate your brother, and claim to know God. Yet many Christians hold grudges, and if they are not handled properly, these grudges tear people apart, and allow hatred to grow.

Forgive and Forget 4 Comments
As Christians we claim to forgive others for the things they have done against us, but are we really? What does it mean to forgive someone?

I'm Glad I'm Not like Him!
As Christians we often feel we are better than "those sinners," but are we really?

Judge, Executioner, or Rehab. Officer? 1 Comments
Why did Jesus come to this world? Did he come to show us all our flaws and failures? Did he come to Judge Us? Or did he come to bring Mercy and Rehabilitation?

bout praising God

Praising God is such a wonderful part of spiritual life. However, praising God sometimes takes special effort on our part for the satanic darkness of the world tries to drag us down. When Satan brings us down, we have little heart left to praise God. When we are attacked by the darkness of the world, we must carry these burdens to Christ by kneeling at the foot of the Cross.

When we carry our burdens to the Cross, we begin to see that our burdens are not so heavy. At the Cross, the love of Christ flows down to us and then we begin to see everything in His Light and Love. When we experience His Light and Love, then the temptations and attacks by the darkness dwindle down. At the Cross, we find strength to resist Satan and his dark ways.

About being Christ's witness in action…

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (NIV)

Never undervalue your importance. The only contact others have with the peace and love of God may be through you. The simplest smile, the smallest gesture, and the smallest touch of the hand can often mean so much. These gestures often turn a life of darkness into a life full of God's light and love. So many lives are caught up in the darkness! Persons in darkness need you. They desperately need you to show them the love and peace only Christ can bring. Many people are mired down in the darkness of pain, suffering, or sin. People caught up in the darkness or caught up by the darkness display acts of silent desperation seen as a frown, a deep sigh, or a verbal disdain of God's love. Wherever you go, whatever you do, at any time or place, inspire people and others to look up to Christ Jesus. Lift others up, comfort them, and give your all to them.