Keep it Simple

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Do you ever think about all the lessons you can learn in just one day?  How about all the lessons you learn in one week?  That’s what I’m sitting here thinking about right now.  Today I felt like there were at least 5 devotionals I could write off of things that happened throughout the day and that’s about average for me.  I’m constantly looking for ways to learn something new from God.  I desire to grow each and every day.  In fact, I hope at the end of the day I’m just a little bit stronger, a little bit wiser, and a little bit more dependent on my Heavenly Father.  I know I need more of God and less of me.  I pray at the end of each year, there is a whole lot more of God and a whole lot less of me.

This week I learned some interesting things about myself, I was convicted in some areas that needed to change, I saw God’s desire for healing in His people, I watched God work through my interactions with people, and so much more.  Let me take some time to share some of these lessons with you.  Let’s slow down and catch the lessons God has for us in each day!  Let’s keep it simple, God’s not about complicating things!  He can teach us the most amazing lessons in the most simple ways.  He will astound us, if we only let Him! Read more

Lessons from the Court

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by Steve Goodier
Life lessons can come from unexpected places.

I have learned much about myself from the game of racquetball. In fact, I have learned a great deal over the years about all aspects of life and living on the racquetball court. Here are some of the more important lessons that have come from the court: Read more

His Ways are Higher

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For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:8-11)

This is a very packed passage and I pray you find all the meaning in it for your own life, as I unfold the meaning of it in my own life.  I truly enjoy how the beginning starts.  God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.  Sometimes this is difficult to understand.  Like Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”  We would all rather follow the trail that more footsteps have been on, the one that looks a little easier.

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Why is Good Friday “Good”?

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Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Today is not an ordinary day.  No, today almost 2000 years ago, one man was executed for a crime he did not commit.  On the calendar it is recognized as “Good Friday,” but I started to think about this why do we call it good friday?  There wasn’t anything good that happened on that day.  On that day, Jesus Christ was brought before the crowds that He healed, He taught, He loved, and shared His life with.  He never once pleaded His case, He simply took on the sins of the world.  He stood there as a sinless man and took on every sin of men and women before Him and the ones who would come after Him.  Then He was whipped, crowned with thorns, led up a hill, and hung on a cross.  I haven’t seen anything good yet!  In fact, the people of Jesus day were probably losing hope, not knowing that He was about to follow through on every prophecy in the Old Testament.

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Plainly Seen

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Remember Lot’s wife!  Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (Luke 17:32-33)

WOW!  These are some powerful words!  I would have loved to be there when Jesus spoke these words.  Every word He said was so direct and had so much meaning.  To understand these words we need to go back to the story in Genesis.  So let’s step back and see what was going on with Lot and his wife.

The story begins in Genesis 19:1, but for the sake of time we will pick it up in verse 15.  Two angels have arrived in Sodom to take Lot and his family out of the city.  After surviving a scandalous and wicked night in which the angels protected the family…  The angels share the plan to leave and ask Lot to gather his family.  It is now time to leave the city and this is where we will pick up our story.

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