You don't push a rope.....

I was talking to a friend today. We were talking about life, kids, church, God, politics; you know, typical water cooler talk. He made a very keen statement. We were on the subject of leadership. He said, "you don't push a rope, you pull it." I have not been able to get that out of my mind.

The point is, you have to "LEAD" from the front. You have to be willing to do exactly what you ask others to do. Consider Jesus, he was a servant leader. He "DID" exactly what He has asked us to do. Remember when He washed His disciples feet? That was a job for the lowest of servants. Consider the fact, that there were no shoes or asphalt in those days. Can you imagine how dirty feet must have gotten?

Whatever your position, you are always a leader. It may be children, subordinates, nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, co-workers, etc., that are watching to see if you walk the same way you talk. I encourage you today to consider the things you ask your children to do. Are you willing to do the things you ask them to do? Consider your actions at work. Are you walking the path that you "TALK" so much about?

God has promised to direct our paths, if we acknowledge Him in all our ways.

His Eyes Range the Earth......

In 2 Chronicles chapter 9, we are told "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." Have you ever thought of yourself as tired or weak? Have you ever felt like you just couldn't wait for the weekend for a little R&R? I think I have something that may help you.

In this passage, we are told that God is looking for people who are fully devoted to His Will so that He can strengthen them. I submit today that if we would give our entire heart to Him, we would be strengthened in the Lord.

I heard a minister speaking this weekend about four things that can keep us away from the fellowship that God desires for us and Him. These four things are our time, distractions in our lives, sin, and an divided heart. If we can't give the time to God to get into His word, and find out who He is, and who we are in Him, how can we expect His blessings to follow us? If we allow ourselves to be distracted, it is easy to lose focus of the main goal. If we have unconfessed sin in our lives, that also puts a curtain between us and God. This last one is the one that really convicted me. A divided heart, that means surrendering to God with half of your heart, but then trying to hold on to something from your old self with the other half. This could be pride, anger, security, etc. Security, that is funny. We like to think that if WE are able to make our decisions on our own, then we are more secure. However, if would would allow God to direct our paths, I would be willing to bet that we would end up more secure in the end.

Today, comit your entire heart to Him. Allow Him to find you when He is looking all around the earth for those whose heart is His. His strength will soon follow.

Feelings....

Why do we allow ourselves to be led by our feelings? We "feel" like eating, so we eat, not necessarily because we are hungry, but because we "feel" like it. We don't "feel" so good, so we don't go to worship service, or work, or to a planned meeting. I would submit that our adversary may have some influence on our feelings. My point is, maybe we can't and perhaps shouldn't trust our feelings/emotions.

I heard a story today, I will try to re-cap it. The devil decided he would "go-out-of-business". So, he decided to have a "liquidation sale". Everything must go. As people were mingling in and out, they couldn't help but notice one item that was priced extremely higher than all the others. One person stopped and asked the devil, "What is that, and why does it cost so much more than everything else?". The devil replied, "well is is priced so high, because it is so effective". "You see, that is discouragement; I use it on people who are headed in the right direction." "I slap a little discouragement on them, and boom, they give up." "I can use it over and over, and they never even know that it's me messing with them."

Wow, isn't that true? We start something new, whether its a new ministry, relationship, job, or whatever, with so much enthusiasm and energy. Then, out of nowhere, we start to "feel" discouraged. If only we could see the whole picture, then we would press on to the goal.

I encourage you today, whatever it is that has discouraged you, ask God to remove it from your life. He has said some wonderful things about us (the believer) in His Word. I encourage you to read His letter to you, and find out what He really thinks of you. Don't let your feelings affect your flight. Speak to things that aren't, as though they are.

Forgiveness

I often wonder about forgiveness. It is something that I don't exactly understand, but by faith I accept. To forgive means to grant pardon of, or to stop feeling resentment for. It means to forget whatever someone has done "wrong" to you. Jesus was crucified as a pardon for our sins. The bible says that without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin. Therefore, when Jesus was crucified, He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

There seems to be a catch. The bible also says that we will be forgiven by God, with the same measure that we forgive others. Think about the Lord's prayer. It says "forgive my sins just I as I forgive those who have sinned against me." Therefore, it is very important that we forgive those who have wronged us.

Another area that I often wonder about, is when we ask Jesus to "save" us, are we forgiven at that moment of sins past, present, and future? The bible speaks of us crucifying Jesus over and over when we ask forgiveness for sin that we have already been forgiven of. God's word says that he casts our sin into the sea of forgetfullness, that means He remembers it no more. If God can forget it, why can't we? I would say that's because the enemy wants us to continue to feel guilty for sins that we have already been pardoned for.

I encourage you today, to accept the forgiveness that Jesus offers to all.

The law or grace?

In Romans 6:15, Paul is teaching about sin and the law and the doctrine of grace. He poses the question "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?" What he is saying is just because we are forgiven of our sins, that doesn't mean we should just go out a start sinning. That would be like the local government saying "we won't punish you for murder". Would that prompt everyone to go murder? NO PROBABLY NOT.

The same applies here. Because we are forgiven, we should then fall deeper in love with Christ. This new depth of love should spur us to live more righteous lives thus leading to holiness.

This is somewhat hard to grasp, but the essence is that because we have "died" to our "old sinful self". Then, we should not "re-enter" that lifestyle we left behind. But rather, we should put on righteousness. That means we should strive to produce the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Be fruitful today, strive for holiness.

Exposure vs. Experience

Have you ever thought of the difference between being exposed to something, and actually experiencing something. We have all been exposed to something that we didn't really understand. We have even experienced things. Have you wondered why we know the old saying that "experience is the best teacher"? Well I believe that along with experience comes understanding.

As for realting this subject to our spiritual walk, we all know people who were exposed to Jesus and Christianity as children, but have abandonded the faith. I think of children of ministers and workers in churches. They are "made" to be at "church" every time the doors are opened. However, without ever personally experiencing Jesus, they lose their faith as soon as trials come.

I challenge you today to seek a real, personal experience with Jesus. He said that whoever seeks will find, and whoever asks will get, and those who knock will have the doors opened. Desire the "personal relationship" (experience) that we have all heard of.

The table is full, but plates are empty

I see churches all the time, whether baptist, pentecostal, evangelical, or whatever; who are offering feasts of spiritual meals to the saints (members of the churches). However, the people of the church often times leave with the same problems the came in with. They continue the quarrel with their spouse that started on the way to "church". What this means is that people are not taking the Word of God seriously. People call themselves Christian, but if you line them up next to a non-Christian, you can't tell the difference. Jesus said, "we will be known by our fruit".

How are you known? I wonder how people think of me? We shouldn't aim to "please" people, but we should try to be pleasing to God by influencing people. We have been commissioned to take the gospel to all the world. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We are supposed to do the things that Jesus did.

I hope that we can all start taking a plate to "church" on Sundays or Wednesdays. If we are going to take our plate, then we should actually eat while we are there. We really need to get serious about this life event that we call religion. We are called to become sanctified (live more holy lives). What are we doing to achieve this?

You WILL have what you say...

Psychologists have suggested for many years to tell yourself what you want, and keep reminding yourself until you get it. Maybe this just re energizes our spirits to be determined to persevere toward whatever the goal is. I notice that one of the important pieces in this puzzle is to have a goal. I heard someone say we can all be expert marksmen, when we shoot at nothing, we hit it every time. It is also wise to remember that you will never no when you get there, if you don't know where you are going.

So, back to telling yourself what you want. This subject is like an octagon, no matter what side you start with, no one side is more important than the other. The bible has a lot to say about the words we should use. We are told that faith comes from hearing (not thinking), and hearing from the word of God. We are told that we should use words that edify (build up) one another. We are told that if we believe without wavering, we can have whatever we ask (not think) for. Jesus himself taught that if we said to the mountain, to be cast into the sea, believing it would happen: then it would come to pass.

FAITH.... what a big word. Many people are scared of the word. They don't attempt to understand it, or even practice it. It is defined in the Bible as the substance of things hoped for. That could be the matter that comes together to form whatever it is we are hoping for.

Interesting note: when scientists look at atoms, molecules, and compounds; the actual sub-atomic particles (that just means really little)actually collapse (fall apart) under the microscope. That is the same matter that is piled up on a mountain. They are freely moving until that scientist decides to examine them, and then takes action toward his or her goal.

We can have the desires of our heart. If you consider that statement, God designed us, He chose us, He has promised us health, prosperity, safety, healing, etc. When we surrender to His will for our lives, our heart actually aligns with His. Therefore, the circle is complete, and our desires are actually His desires for us.

I encourage you today to decide to start talking different. Don't say "I'm sick", God has promised healing. Don't say "I need more money", God has said that He has already supplied all of our needs according to His glory in Christ Jesus. Don't say "I'm at the bottom of the ladder, everyone just climbs over me", the bible says we are the head and not the tail, the top and not the bottom.

The point is, you usually end up with exactly what you say. Claim the promises that God gave us. We have unclaimed royalties as children of the King of kings.

Tell the truth Snaggle tooth

It's a line that we've all heard, tell the truth. We tell our kids not to lie, we tell our friends that lying is not good. But, we tell ourselves that lying is okay sometimes. Some say it is okay to lie to protect another person. I can't be the judge of that. I know that at all times we should try to be honest.

In 1 John 1:5 we are taught that we can't have it both ways. We are told that if we claim to be Christians, but continue to walk in darkness (lead sinful, worldly lives) then we lie to others and ourselves. "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."

We also know that we are known by the "fruit" we bear. We are constantly being watched and even judged by those who don't claim to be Christian. They are just waiting for us to slip up and do something "sinful". We must strive to live "holy" lives. We are told that we should present our bodies as "living sacrifices". That means treating your body with respect and taking care of it.

Decide today that you will allow God to change you from the inside so that your life will look different. I hope that people will notice something different about me, and then want to ask about it.

Where does the wind come from?????

I spent the weekend at the lake with some special friends, and my super cool family. We pretty much experienced two thirds of the spectrum of Oklahoma weather. We left for the lake on Friday morning when the overnight low was about 28 degrees Fahrenheit. When we left on Monday afternoon to come home, it was a whopping 74 degrees. Wow, what a difference a few days makes.

After thinking and reflecting back over the past week or so, I was reminded of a story that Bodie Sanders told last Wednesday night. He talked about fishing and asking (griping to) God about why it had to be sooo windy every time he fished. As he was telling the story, I was reminded of the scripture that talks about us not knowing where the wind comes from or where it goes. At first, I thought for sure it was found in Job. However, upon closer examination, that passage talks about nearly everything but the wind. Check it out, it is very interesting.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2038%20;&version=72;

As for the wind passage, it is found in John 3 Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, who is a "religious scholar" who can't understand what Jesus is teaching. 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." It really hits home when we think we know it all, but when questioned about where the wind comes from or where it goes, we are truly CLUELESS. I guess that is where faith comes in. We hope for something, and faith is the substance that becomes what we have hoped for. It's not that hard, we are told that we should have "child-like faith". Think of how easy it is for children to accept things they don't understand.

Why Me?????

I was asked yesterday by a co-worker, "what have I done to deserve God's grace, favor, and blessings?" He continued on to ask "why do I have more than enough, and there are people all over suffering from starvation, poverty, and lack?" He continued to tell of all he had done wrong in his life, he told of some of the bad decisions he had made. He then went on to give thanks to God for all the blessings.

I believe that God gives generously to all who can be depended upon to give generously to others. 2 Corinthians chapter 9 speaks of reaping a harvest in porportion to what you sow. Or, in simplier terms, you get back in proportion to what you give. This applies in all areas of life, if you need more time, give of your own time. I am in awe to hear people say, "well, I just don't have time for anything." But, they seldom miss survivor, biggest loser, the bachelor, or their favorite soap opera. If you need finances, give finances. It amazes me also to hear people making 50, 60, 70, or even 80 thousand dollars a year talk about not having enough money.

I am a firm believer that if you put God first, He will bless ALL you do. I have seen people make $30,000 dollars a year, and always have more than enough, because they make sure their tithes to God come out first.

God WILL bless you but, to whom much is given, much is also required. If you are asking for blessings today, be ready to give some away. You don't want to interrupt the flow. If you hang on to all your blessings, they will stop coming due to a "pipe" that has become clogged, and is not flowing out anymore.

Does He know you???

Yesterday, I posed the question "Do you know the author?". Today I want to pose another question, "Does He know you?". We often talk about knowing Christ. I think an equally important subject is making sure He knows us.

In John chapter 7, Jesus is teaching about false prophets. He says plainly that not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom.

15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Jesus goes on to say in Luke chapter 9 that if we are ashamed of Him on earth, then He will be ashamed of us in heaven. I hope that we can understand this. This is paramount in the Christian faith. Christianity is not an individual sport, we were made to fellowship and tells others the good news.
23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Make sure He knows you today. If there is a doubt in your heart, just stop and talk to Him. He is only as far as your next breath. The Word says that "he that believes in his heart, and confesses(speaks) with his mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, will be saved."

Do you know the author?

We all know people who are very well versed in the Bible. Some people can memorize and quote entire books of the Bible. I have sometimes wondered why there are people who know the book so well, but don't seem to be practicing its teachings. It was said best when someone said, "you can know the book without knowing the author".

Our goal as professing Christians is to know Jesus Christ personally. We should have a daily relationship with Him. He stands at the door and knocks, all we have to do is let Him in.

In John Chapter 5, Jesus is questioned about His testimony. Here is His response,

39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts

He goes on to say that we will recognize His disciples by their fruit. That means we are watching people, and people are watching us to see what kind of fruit we produce. The fruit here are the works that we produce. What are your motives today? Why do you do what you do? Don't aim to be a people pleaser, Aim to be a God pleaser.

Crash proof your marriage...

I have often times wondered, "how can I be certain that my marriage will stand the trials of this world?". I have tried gifts, words of appreciation, xoxoxox(hugs and kisses), short vacations, and even back rubs. All these seem to have a momentary impact. The attitudes of myself and even my spouse change for a little while. But, soon, the old people rear their ugly heads, and start another big fight. Why??? Why do we often times fight the most the ones we claim to LOVE the most? Why???

I find myself thinking a lot of times that I deserve more respect, or love, or affection, or even time to myself than I get. HOW SELFISH I am at times. Here lately, I have been reminding myself every time I begin to take the "victim role", and decide that I am not being respected the way I should that Jesus Christ deserved love, respect, and affection also. However, He was the ultimate example of a "Servant Leader". He could of "threw a fit" and demanded that people respect Him more. But, He instead left His home town once because "a prophet has no honor in his home town." He even was beaten and spat upon and hung on a tree to bleed to death without "demanding more respect" (Side note: It is interesting to think that maybe the beating or the piercing of the side or the trauma or the crown of thorns or the heart break were not actually the wounds that killed Him, but rather the fact that He bled out, He had no more blood in His body. The bible tells us that our life force is in our blood. Maybe He just didn't have anymore blood to bleed.)

Anyway, Jesus is our example to follow the next time we are about to pick a fight because our spouse has mistreated us. We need to remember that if anyone had a right to be upset because of how he/she was treated, it was Jesus Christ.

As for crash-proofing your marriage, look to Ecclesiastes 4:10-12
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

We are told here that two is better than one (husband+wife=2), and that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. What could be that third strand? I suspect it should be Jesus Christ. Think about it, if both of a couples live are intertwined with loving and being loved by Jesus Christ, and the loving and being loved by his/her partner, that makes a pretty strong "three-stranded"cord.

Seek Jesus today. Look to Him to fill your "Love Tank". If you are expecting your spouse to "fulfill" you, you will be let down for the length of the relationship. However, if you are "fulfilled" by Jesus, then you can focus your attention on loving your spouse and the rest of your family because you no longer "need" that person to "fill you up".

This is kind of confusing, but think about it. What if we could concentrate on loving our spouse, instead of living every day expecting them to treat us perfectly? How much better would life be?

Dependency....

We are all aware of dependencies. There are drug dependencies (legal and illegal). There are chemical dependencies (these are the people whose hair color changes periodocially). There are social dependencies(these are people who are dependent upon fitting in with the "in crow" or the latest fad). There are even those who are dependent upon their spouse.

All these different groups are dependent upon something for their happiness. People say well if I get the right spouse, I'll be happy, or if I get the right home or car, then I'll be happy. We all seem to be dependent upon something for our happiness. We may "feel" happy for just a short period, but it soon goes away, and we search for something "new" to make us happy. We need to understand that there is only ONE source for long lasting true happiness, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The bible tells us in Proverbs chapter 3 to "lean not upon our own understanding, but rather lean on every word of God". We are told next to "acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will direct our paths". Wow, lean on God, acknowledge Him, and he will direct our paths. Have you ever wondered which way to go?

I encourage you today to acknowledge Him, no matter what the decision is, take it to the Lord, and then expect an answer (just as psalm 91 tells us).

SATISFIED

I have had Psalm 91 on my heart for about the past week. It begins by talking about taking refuge in the Lord. It says He who dewlls in the shelter of the Most High, will also REST in the shadow of the Almighty. That is a pretty awesome thought. Think about it. Live your life "seeking" God, dwelling in His shelter. We also get to REST in His shadow. How cool is that? How great is it to rest in a shadow of a great shade tree in the heat of the summer?

At the end of the chapter, it goes on to tell us that the Lord will protect us, He will hear us, and answer our prayers,He will be with us in our troubles, He will deliver us and honor us, He will satisfy us with long life, and show us His salvation. Wow, what a promise we can stand on.

In the middle of the chapter, it talks about thousands falling around us, but we are not harmed. Wow.......

I encourage everyone to run to the shelter of the Most High.

Psalm 91 link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2091&version=31

Are we like silver?????

Refining Silver

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver".

This verse has puzzled people throughtout time causing them to wonder what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One woman offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The silversmith answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed!
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

"Life is a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once."

Try to remember today that we are all a continuous work of a master crastsman. Strive to show a reflection of the silversmith, Jesus Christ.

Where are we????

You may be asking, like millions of other, where are we? What I mean is why is our nation and economy in the state that it is in? Well, I think I may be able to provide a little insight. We are told way back in the beginning of the Bible thatif we obey God's decrees, we will be blessed.

We are told that he gives us the ability to gain wealth. We are told that if we stick to His laws, we will be blessed. Our nation has increasingly grown distant from the decrees of God. We have become greedy, prideful, and even selfish. We think that we can do it on our own. We think that we must have the biggest home, and the newest car, and even the most fashionable hair cut. Where have we gone wrong?
Deuteronomy8:17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. 19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

It also tells us that if we will humble ourselves and turn (repent) from our wickedness, that He will heal our land. I am not sure how much worse it can get before "we the people" of the one and only God will do this.

Blessings for Obedience (Obedience is better than sacrifice)


Deuteronomy 28

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Fill er up

We all hear so much about fulfillment. We say things like "My job is so un-fulfilling", or "My wife just doesn't fulfill me anymore", or "My life just isn't as fulfilling as I hoped it would be". I see people all the time with beautiful homes, cars, children, families, faces, the list goes on and on. However, the common demoniminator is lack of fulfillment (or joy). You might ask, "well Mr., how can I feel fulfilled?" I am glad you asked.

In the bible, Jesus says He is the vine and we are the branches. Have you ever noticed a branch that is cut off from the trunk, or the main vine? The branch has a very slim chance of actually living. More often than not, the cut off branch dries up and either rots away, or is tossed into a burn pile.

If we are looking for "fulfillment" in anything other than Jesus, we are wasting our time. How can we expect someone to love us or treat us any better than we treat other people. We are a lost cause without Jesus. The bible tells us that our attempts at righteousness are like filthy rags. This word for filthy rags is actually a woman's menstrual cloth. That is the comparison given for our attempts at righteousness.

I challenge you today to accept the fact that you can't do it on your own. What is "it", you may ask. I would have to define "it" in this context as our lives. We NEED Jesus to cleanse our hearts of sin, and to make a way for us to walk in fellowship with the Father.

Make sure you are attached to the Vine today.

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.