Surviving the Unemployment Storm

Many of us are looking for work now. The layoff numbers are staggering. These are tough times. Who knows how long the storm of unemployment will last?

Lately, a thought keeps popping up in my head, and that is to place a priority on seeking God's kingdom first and all else will fall into place. The thought is similar to what Matthew 6:33 reads: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

It's easy to put a priority on making that cup of coffee first, and sitting at the computer first, perusing job openings...first. However, I can't escape the fact that putting God first, praying first, reading the Bible first, just might help pave the way. Doing so has helped me before and will do so again.

It may take forcing myself to remember. It may be like forcing myself to exercise. I've been told that we should exercise our "spiritual muscle." That loving and following God isn't always easy. But, today I want to put God first. Today, I read the devotional by Blackaby below first. Let us commit to putting God first!

This from Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God Day by Day:

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -- John 8:32

God’s truth never restricts you; it always sets you free! Are you discouraged? Is there a sense of in a particular area of your life? A lack of victory over a certain sin? A harmful addiction? It is possible that you do not yet understand a truth about God that can release you.

If you feel powerless to meet the challenges before you, take encouragement from the promise of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If you are defeated by circumstance, hold on to the truth of Romans 8:28 that God can work your most difficult situation into His good. If you are enslaved to a particular sin, work the truth of 1 John 1:9 into your life, which promises that if you confess your sin, God is faithful to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. All of these truths await the Holy Spirit’s implementation into your life.

It is one thing to know about the truth. It is yet another thing to experience the truth of God being worked out in your life. God’s truth will have no effect upon you unless you accept it and believe it. Perhaps you have already read and heard accounts of God working mightily in the lives of others. But have you allowed God to implement those truths into your life? What truth about God would you like to be experiencing in your life? Ask Him to implement that truth into your life today.

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"Experiencing God Day-By-Day" is based on Henry Blackaby’s multi-million selling "Experiencing God" book and Bible study. Find insight and grace in this 365-day devotional focused on the divine presence in each life and around us.

Your Connection

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. — Matthew 11:29–30



As I got out of the shower this morning I had running in my head the song lyrics "I will wait upon the Lord, I will wait upon the Lord. He reigns! He reigns forever!" Not sure of the name of the song or who wrote it, but I took a deep breath and said to myself, "there, that's better. I have connected with my Lord!"

I love it when He does that! When He reminds me that life is so much easier with Him. That's not to say that we are given a free pass on hardship or upheaval. It just means we can lean on Jesus to get us through not only the day, but the rest of our lives!

This from Greg Laurie's Harvest Daily Devotion:

The Two-Part Invitation

In Matthew 11, Jesus follows His invitation to rest with the invitation to take His yoke and learn from Him. He is telling us there is more; His invitation to rest is a package deal. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, then we will take His yoke upon us. But what does that mean?

The concept of a yoke would have been readily understood by the people of Jesus' day. It was a steering device that was placed on animals to guide the plows or carts they were pulling.

So Jesus, in essence, is saying, "Take my steering device upon you." He is saying, "Let me be in control of your life. Let me guide your life. Let me direct your life."

You might be thinking, "Here Jesus says that He will give me rest. Now He is saying to put on His yoke and learn. That sounds like work."

I want you to know that it will be as much of a weight to you as wings are to a bird. It will be a joy, because now, instead of wasting your life serving yourself or living for pleasure or success or whatever else one lives for, you will be channeling your energies into following and serving Jesus Christ.

You may give up some things to follow the Lord. But what you give up can't begin to compare to what He has given you. It is not just a great thing to do with your life. It is the most satisfying to do with your life.

Living For Personal Gain

"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." - Matthew 6:19-21

You can be stopped at an intersection anywhere in the OC (Orange County, Calif.), waiting for a green light, and see three Mercedes Benz, two BMWs, and a Hummer stopped at that same red light. In the OC, where I live, it's hard not to covet!

Yet, there are often times I think, I would not trade in a million years what I have in the way of my relationship with Christ for that Hummer or any other expensive car. I'll go on driving my 1999 Chrysler Concord, asking for God's will in everything I do.

"Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:22-24

Lately, I'm finding it more and more important to check my motives. Am I making a decision based on what God wants for me, or am I deciding while keeping only my own desires in mind?

This isn't a one-time struggle. Daily, we must surrender and do God's will not our own. Dangling ourselves out into this world on our own power may seem to work, but it's short-lived at best.

"So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.

"And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!

"So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." - Matthew 6:25-34

Here's the Reflections part of the Life Recovery Bible in regards to these verses:

In Matthew 6:19-34 Jesus made it clear that living for personal gain will only lead to great anxiety. Materialism and anxiety are two enemies of recovery. They often work together to lead us away from a balanced life. We need to realize that the essence of life is not found in the possession of things and that worry about the future availability of material things is never helpful. We are powerless to change the future and must trust God to take care of us and empower us in recovery. As we entrust our life to him, we will no longer need to worry about what is around the corner.

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Read notes on bible verses as they pertain to recovery from our hurts, hangups, and addictions in the Life Recovery Bible, New Living Translation. Also, read 12-Step and Serenity Prayer devotionals with scripture references. Get a copy now!

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

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Nobody's Exempt

I call him the everyman's preacher. Evangelical leader Greg Laurie, founder of what's come to be known as Harvest Ministries, talks simple, talks direct, and knows today's world pulse as good as anyone.

Listening to a message or sermon from Laurie often helps answer a lot of questions about life and death. He has put forth major effort in comforting those who ask, "Why does God allow tragedy?" and "Why does God allow evil?"

Yesterday, Laurie faced tragedy of the most horrific kind.

This from Harvest Online:

Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie and Cathe Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, died this morning in a car accident in Riverside. A resident of Huntington Beach, Laurie, 33, served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the past three years.

In addition to his parents, Christopher is survived by his wife, Brittany, and daughter, Stella, as well as his brother Jonathan. Christopher and his wife are expecting another daughter in November.

Memorial plans for Christopher are pending. More information will be posted to the Harvest website as details become available.

A man who has comforted millions with the words of hope in Jesus, now faces asking the same questions again for himself. As I read from Matthew last night, knowing the tragedy that happened earlier in the day I realized again that nobody's exempt, nobody's immune from these things called life and death.

However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. - Matthew 24:36-39

Once again, I was reading from my Life Recovery Bible. The note from these verses was this:

Jesus did not tell us when the final redemption of this evil world will come. In the same way, we may not know when our personal recovery is to be complete. All of us are still recovering, one day at a time. None of us have arrived. Not until Christ's second coming will we be relieved of daily working, watching, and recovering.

None of us have arrived. We will never have "arrived" so much as to be immune to tragedy. Not even the greatest of men, like Greg Laurie.

Let's pray for all those in Christopher Laurie's family. As for Christopher, his work here is done...and he must be relieved!

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Harvest.org

What Did Jesus Say About Religion?

A discussion thread titled Religion vs. Spirituality over at social networking site BlogCatalog prompted me to search the Bible...and that's always a good thing!

The author of the thread added this under his subject head: Some folks cleave to Religion. Some to Spirituality. Some say it's either/or. Some embrace both. How 'bout you?

Here's how I responded:

I'd like to answer this question with some scripture. But, first let me say "religion" has caused a lot of damage. However, "faith" or one's spirituality based on seeking truth can do more good than we can even understand sometimes. It's also important to recognize that the pursuit of truth, doesn't mean pursuing relative truth, or the truth as you know it now, but real truth.

What does the Bible say about "religion"?

Here is Jesus talking to his disciples and a crowd that gathered around Him:

"Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven." (Matthew 23:9)

And a moment later He says:

"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned." (Matthew 23:13-15)

These verses are from "The Message" Bible version. I think it pretty much sums up the "importance" of religion. I'm sure that if I did some more searching, or if any of you who already know some of Jesus' own words would point out to me, there are other references to how Jesus felt about religion.

So, what do I embrace? More accurately who do I embrace? In my case, and I know many others, I "cleave" as best as I can to Jesus, not religion.

How 'bout you?

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report and TheBigRuski Goes Healthy.
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True Happiness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. - Matthew 5:6

Parts of this last week made me unhappy. My health was not the best and my work suffered as well. However, once again, God has shown his wisdom and strength. In the midst of my pity party, my conviction to give up my hurts and hangups to God is stronger than ever. And that, my friends, is a good thing.

They say pain is the touchstone to spiritual growth. I can vouch for that!

This from Billy Graham's Hope for Each Day:

A Thirst for Righteousness

God is the only source of true happiness, because He offers those intangibles that we mistakenly believe can be found on earth: contentment, security, peace, and hope for the future. None of these can be found in a job, a human relationship, money, power, or position. They are God's alone to give.

How hard it is for us to believe this, however! This is understandable if we haven't given our lives to Christ; then, the Bible says, our spiritual "eyes" are still blinded, unable to see God's truth until the Holy Spirit opens them. But it can happen to us as believers also - falling into the pattern of the world, vainly pursuing happiness in the same ways the world does.

That is why the Lord Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, told where ultimate happiness lies: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." This is God's promise--and it is true.

Riches...or righteousness? Which will be your goal?

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In 'Hope for Each Day,' Billy Graham offers spiritual comfort to guide us through our daily lives. Graham is considered a national treasure and has counseled numerous political leaders and provided comfort in times of public crisis.

The Greatest Freedom

The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." - Matthew 19:25,26

I love America. I love the freedom we are offered here. However, where does my greatest freedom come from?

It comes from my relationship with the Lord.

Because of His grace, I'm not in bondage to so many problems...big and small. And if I find myself caught in sin, I can give it up to Him. I surrender not to the sin, but to the One who died for our sins.

Is it always easy? No. We live in a fallen world with plenty of temptations. Our fleshly desires can be, at times, a seemingly constant battle. But there is one who can save you now!

The Life Recovery Bible's note on the above verses is this:

These verses are true not only for salvation but also recovery. Left on our own, we would fall deeper into the pit of our addiction, never gaining control over it. But with God's help, the inconceivable is possible. He can turn our life around, bringing hope and health where once despair and pain had reigned. Giving God control of our life is the only way to regain independence from our addiction and other compulsive behaviors.

Have a happy Independence Day!
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Parts of this devotion were taken from the Life Recovery Bible, New Living Translation. When I was first reading this version of the Bible with notes it was a total awakening. I view this Bible as the power of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous mulitplied by 1,000! Get a copy now!

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

Delayed Gratification

Some of us may be addicted to pleasure. We want the easy way out...the less painful...the less work...the most fun. Let's face it, some of us are pleasure junkies. We may have even kicked our serious addictions, such as alcohol or drugs, but we still seek pleasure at an unhealthy rate. It could be food, sex, TV, gambling...even laying on the couch too much...but we are still seeking escape.

So, what do we do to lead a life of fulfillment, even when we seem to never be satisfied? How do we accept a life that can't always be about pleasure?

The apostle Paul said, "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time" - Galatians 6:9. Weeds (of pleasure) spring up quickly. Good crops (from hard work) grow more slowly and must be tended steadily, even before we can see anything sprout. It's only in time that we will enjoy the fruit.

Jesus suggested that we expand our perspective even further, with a view toward eternity. "Jesus said to the disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?'" - Matthew 16:24-26.

It is God's will for us to have a rewarding and fulfilled life. It may be easier to live a productive life if we remember that denying ourself immediate pleasures will bring a harvest of rich rewards in this life and in the life to come!

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Parts of this devotion were taken from the Life Recovery Bible, New Living Translation. When I was first reading this version of the Bible with notes it was a total awakening. I view this Bible as the power of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous mulitplied by 1,000! Get a copy now!

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

When Life is Overloaded

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

Do you feel overwhelmed at times? How about overloaded? I do. I'm in the middle of making some tough, life-changing decisions. Career choices, relationship commitments, geographical moves...all these kinds of things that we face in life. Then there's the other stuff...getting behind in bills, health issues, time conflicts, and it goes on and on...and on.

Maybe it's time to get back to our first love. I remember when I truly accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour. I physically felt lighter...like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

Could it have been His yoke upon me for the first time? I believe so. A yoke is generally thought of as a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together.

Today, let's walk under His yoke...knowing that it fits perfectly and the burden becomes light.

Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

Love the Overlooked

Put on the apron of humility, to serve one another. - I Peter 5:5 TEV

This from Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment, Volume 2:

Servanthood requires no unique skill or seminary degree. Regardless of your strengths, training, or church tenure, you can...love the overlooked.

Jesus sits in your classroom, wearing the thick glasses, outdated clothing, and a sad face. You’ve seen him. He’s Jesus.

Jesus works in your office. Pregnant again, she shows up to work late and tired. No one knows the father. According to water-cooler rumors, even she doesn’t know the father. You’ve seen her. She’s Jesus.

When you talk to the lonely student, befriend the weary mom, you love Jesus. He dressed in the garb of the overlooked and ignored. “Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40 MSG)

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Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times—1999 for "Just Like Jesus," 1997 for "In the Grip of Grace" and 1995 for "When God Whispers Your Name."

Max Lucado is a fixture on the national bestseller lists – a Max Lucado title has appeared on the CBA hardcover bestseller list every month for the past dozen years. He has appeared on the Publishers Weekly, USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. He has won eight ECPA Gold Medallion awards. - MaxLucado.com

Go to Max Lucado's Book Selection at Amazon to order now!

Commandment of Love

Last night, I felt that I did not love God enough. I haven't been talking (praying) to Him enough, praising Him enough, or simply acknowledging Him enough. So, I prayed, asking Him to help me love Him.

You know when you have those moments that are kind of twilight zone-ish...the ones like when you were just thinking about someone and the phone rings and it's that someone you were just thinking about. Or, when you were singing a worship song in the shower Sunday morning, you arrive at church only to here the same song being sung by the choir.

Well, something like that happened this morning.

I opened up one of my devotionals, and the one for today is about loving God...and how we are commanded to do so!

This from Charles F. Stanley's God's Way Day by Day:

COMMANDMENT OF LOVE

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, will all your soul, and with all your mind. - Matthew 22:37

Loving God is a commandment in God's Word because, like following all the commandments, loving God brings good into our lives. It is not a commandment because God fears that we will not love Him unless He commands us to do so. Rather, it is a commandment because God alone is worthy to be loved. It is the only appropriate response to make toward One who loves as He loves. There is no other acceptable or honorable response we can make. It's as if we are being told, "There's only one right thing to do, so do it."
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Internationally-acclaimed author and preacher Charles Stanley adds to his impressive legacy with a year's worth of devotionals drawn from his previous writings including best-sellers Success God's Way, Seeking His Face, and Enter His Gates. This best-selling devotional is loaded with life-changing thoughts and beautiful four-color illustrations. Divided into twelve months but not dated for a specific year, this book promises to become a perennial favorite. - Amazon.com

Get a copy of God's Way Day by Day now!