Taken from My Utmost For His Highest

March 4
Is This True of Me?


None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself . . .
Acts 20:24


It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world's perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as "dear to myself"? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as "dear to myself." But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, "Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work." That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use, but always consider that "you are not your own" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ). You are His.

Malachi Christmas of 2002 

This is a good picture of my 3 kids taken about a year ago. Malachi holding Ayanna, and Isaac sitting next to them. 

Do you believe?

Do you really believe?
What does it mean to you to believe?
In the book of John it talks a lot about believing.
In the Amplified bible it says next to many
scriptures what they are saying by believe.
John 3:12 says it means trust in, adhere to, rely on
John 3:18 says it also means cleave to
John 4:42 says believe means trust, or to have faith

There are so many verses we could look at read
the whole book of John again. You will find it also
states all these same things in the scripture along
with the word believe in many places.

Can you believe and not trust?
I don't believe you can. Part of believing is trusting.
If you don't trust, how then can you say you believe.

These are my thoughts of current...
tell me in the comments what you think and feel...
what do you believe?

Be Strong! Put On Your Armor!

Ephesians 6:10-18
10.Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. 11Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
13Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.[b] 16In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.[c] 17Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.