“I know the greatness of the Lord—that our Lord is greater than any other god.� Psalm 135:5 (NLT)

Dictionary.com defines “devotion� as “profound dedication; consecration� and “earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.� We know that devotion is our 24/7 way of being with God. At the same time, setting aside consecrated time daily to spend with God is my act of devotion; of showing God my profound dedication to Him. It is not a matter of habit or religious duty, but rather it flows out of love.

During this time before our Lord, our Heavenly Father becomes the central focus of our devotion. We worship Him, and only Him. We can come, not only because we love God, but also because we know that God loves us unconditionally. We can come without our armor. We can come expectant and with our hearts opened up to Him. From this central place of devotion, we can move out into the rest of the day, pointing our life towards our King.

Reflection:
What brings you today to spend time with our Lord?

Prayer:
Dear Father, I am devoted to You. May I center my day around You today, so that I can walk in the great Love You have for me.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/11/30/im_devotion/

“To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36

“To him be the glory forever!” This should be the single desire of all Christians. All other wishes must be come second to this one. The Christian may wish for prosperity in their business, but only insofar as it may help us to promote this–”To him be the glory forever!” We may desire to attain more gifts and more graces, but it should only be that “To him be the glory forever!”

You are not acting as you ought to do when you are moved by any other motive than to give glory to your Lord. As a Christian, if you are “of God, and through God,” then live “to God.” Let nothing ever set your heart beating so mightily as love to Him. Let this ambition fire your soul; let it become the foundation of everything you do, and become your sustaining motive whenever your passion grows cold. Make God your only goal. When I depend on myself, sorrow begins; but my joy will be complete when God becomes my supreme delight. Let your desire for God’s glory be a growing desire. If you blessed Him in your youth, do not be content with the kind of praises you gave Him then.

Has God prospered your business? Give Him more as He has given you more.

Has God given you experience? Praise Him by stronger faith than you exercised at first.

Does your knowledge grow? Then sing more sweetly.

Do you enjoy happier times than you once had? Have you been healed from sickness, and has your sorrow been turned into peace and joy? Then give Him more music; increase the thankful fervor of your praise. Practically in your life give Him honor. The “Amen” to your praise to your great and gracious Lord will then increasingly become your own individual service and increasing holiness.

Question: Why is it sometimes tempting to take the praise and glory for ourselves instead of giving it to God?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/04/cs_glory/

Many years ago, a few women met to read scriptures.
They came upon Malachi 3:3:
It says, “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross.”

So one woman decided to view for herself the process of purifying precious metals.
She wanted to see how it was like God’s love for us.

Well, the silversmith sat, just as the scriptures indicated.
He kept his eye fixed on the furnace, watching the impurities burn away.

Dear one, can you picture that?
God must purify you to burn away the garbage in your life, but won’t go beyond what you can bear.

Then, the man said the process wasn’t complete until he could see his own image reflected in the silver.
And that’s the way it is with God in your life too!

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/03/vb_refiners/

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“You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like?  For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.�  James 4:14

Recently, as I walked along the streets of Seattle, I became intrigued with the golden inserts in the sidewalks. As I stopped at one intersection, one in particular caught my attention. It said:

“I always knew that someday I would travel this road but yesterday I did not know it would be today.�

It reminded me of how casually I live my life, not considering that tomorrow could be totally different than anything I could have ever expected or for that matter, for me, tomorrow might not even exist. James tells us that my life is like a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. John Wesley said that life is like an arrow shot from a bow and passing swiftly over the sea of time.

Life is short and fragile and everyday is a gift. No one has ever gotten out of this world alive. We indeed all know that someday we will travel that road, but as the plaque in the sidewalk inferred, we know not when.

As an attorney, I have written hundreds of wills for clients and their focus is usually on what will happen with their estate when they die. I remind them that estate planning does focus on death, but it also ought to focus on life planning as will….. what you will do and how you will use your resources for your remaining days, however many that may be.

So, it is a reminder to live our lives more focused on the limitation of time we have on earth and how we can best use it for good and for God. Here are some thoughts and suggestions:

• Live each day as if it were going to be our last. Never go to bed without resolving internal turmoil of external relationships that need to be resolved with others.

• Be prepared to meet God face to face at any time by making sure you have made the right decisions about your relationship with Jesus and your salvation is secure. After all, the next life will be a lot longer and more important than this one.

• Make sure that each day you live and love life the way God would want you to.

• Live, laugh and experience each day to the fullest, so that when you die, you will have no regrets, no reservations and that you will be prepared to receive the greatest revelation of your life.

• Take your eyes off your circumstances and focus on your relationship with God.

And, above all else make sure that you live each day with praise on your lips, love in your heart and worship in your soul……. and make sure that when the roll is called up yonder you will be there.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/09/12/jg_gods-way/

“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. Isaiah 38:5 (NIV)

Judy’s brother died unexpectedly of cancer.

Feeling sad and lonely Judy spent a lot of time crying, worried about her own mortality.

One night during a time of many tears, she awoke from a sound sleep.

She sat up in bed and said, “Isaiah 38:5.�

She laughed and spoke aloud to herself, “Did I just say Isaiah 38:5?�

She lay back down, intending to fall back to sleep.

Then the thought came, “Was this from God?�

Judy didn’t even know how many chapters were in the book of Isaiah!

So she found a Bible and read, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.�

Oh, what comfort!

Judy said, “I don’t have to cry. God has already seen my tears.�

Yes, friend, God knows all about your trials.
He will comfort you if you’ll go to Him in prayer.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/09/11/vb_many-tears/