Life is tough, but it gets easier to understand when we allow God to lead. Let His Word be a light that guides your path.
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I was immature, unwise, impatient, naive, rash, careless, carefree, irresponsible, blind, unaware. When I became a man, I became sensible, responsible, reliable, wise, experienced, careful, perceptive, discerning, temperate.
Mark 4:35-41
What could possibly be better than hearing about miracles and other unbelievable moments that took place in the lives of others? Any story you could ever hear, or read about, pales in comparison to actually witnessing a miraculous event with your own eyes. A miracle can be defined as, a wonderous event, that cannot be explained by scientific or natural laws. For this reason, many conclude, miracles are the workings of divine agencies, or higher powers.
In our text, large crowds had begin to follow Jesus, because they had heard of the miracles brought forth by His hands, and were intrigued by His teachings, through the parables. Jesus was wise enough to understand those who gathered around Him, so much that He didn’t speak in ways to confuse them. Instead, His parables were a way to challenge His listeners to seek diligently, the meaning of His words. Not only were the words Jesus spoke undoubtedly profound, but the works He performed were undeniably miraculous.
As the sun began to set, and evening approached, Jesus desired to pass over on the other side of the water, from the ship He taught from. So, the men who were with Jesus, sent the multitudes away, and they set sail toward the other side. While on their way across the sea, the Bible mentions a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the ship, until it was full of water. Picture yourself on a ship, in the middle of a devastating storm, with some of your coworkers, friends, and family members. How would you react in this situation? Now, picture yourself in this same storm, but substitute your family, friends, and coworkers with Jesus, the Son of God. How would you react then? The men on the ship began to lose themselves for, fear that they would die. Fortunately, they were wise enough to acknowledge Jesus on the ship, but only to share their faithless cries. I’m certain these men were eyewitnesses of the miracles Jesus performed earlier in the Gospel of Mark, and had grown in wisdom and understanding from His teachings, so how could they allow fear to so easily beset them, knowing the man they saw perform miracles was on the same ship as they were? In any case, Jesus recognized their lack of faith, rebuked the wind, and spoke peace to the sea. Wow, what a guy!
As if they weren’t already fascinated by the works of Jesus before, this miraculous event caused exceeding fear to come over the men. They then begin to say to one another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” I’ll answer that question for those faithless men. Jesus is a man, come to the earth from the third Heaven, sent by the Father, to save mankind from sin, and themselves.
God knew we would have storms in our lives, even to this day, and we can either cower in fear, as the men in our lesson did, or trust that Jesus cares for you, just as he did for the disciples on the ship, thousands of years ago. The men in our text spent countless moments with Jesus, yet they still underestimated Him. Don’t make the mistake of doubting what the power of God can do in your life. Instead, believe what you witnessed Him perform in your life, when He saved you from a miserable path of sin, cleaned you up, then set you on a path of righteousness, for His name’s sake.
“God still works miracles, but until He does again, keep the faith, and don’t fret when the storms of life beat upon your sailing ship.” – Ell
Matthew 5:1-12
If men desired God the way they hunger and thirst after natural food, they would eventually become overwhelmed (in a positive way) with all the great knowledge and godly wisdom that comes from above. I notice how people strive to eat healthy, paying close attention to the details in what they consume, and many different “health” diets are available for all who desire a change in their eating habits. While food for the body is essential for growth and development, food for the soul is of vital importance also.
We learn from the Scriptures, Old and New, “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Spiritual food helps our inner man grow in godliness, and allows us to gain greater understanding of the way of holiness. In the same way food must be consumed then digested, the Word of God must not only be read, but meditated on, day and night.
Some people read a few positive and uplifting Bible verses here and there, then expect to understand what God expects from them. This is equivalent to having a McDonald’s diet, and hoping to eventually develop into an Olympic body type. Yeah… that ain’t happening. Discipline is required not only in food consumption, but also with Bible learning. We must take God’s Word serious, and seek to grow daily from it. Meditation is not a five minute thing, but it can often become hours of careful and intense study, in order to fully understand even one verse of Scripture.
In all, the Bible is literally our spiritual buffet, and all we need to survive in the spirit realm, is enclosed in that holy book. Read God’s Word, meditate on it, and allow your spirit to be fed daily.
“We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.” – Ell
Acts 13:1-5
When God speaks, can you tell whether it’s Him, or not? How do you discern the voices in your head, whether they are from the devil, the Father, or the spirit of your mind (conscience)? The best way to recognize when God is speaking to you (through His Spirit) is, to be in a position of proper posture, then you’ll be better prepared to discern what’s true, and what’s not.
As humans, we were created with intuitive minds, that have the capability of harboring endless thoughts in our brains. From those thoughts, we can discern what actions to take, based on the current situation we may be facing. Unfortunately, there’s also the devil, who oftentimes makes attempts to fill our minds with evil and wicked thoughts and vain imaginations. He does this in various ways, including infiltrating television shows, movies, music, and all other mediums to distract our attention from the things of God.
As a person matures in godliness, it becomes fairly easy for them to distinguish the different voices they hear. If at anytime, you are led to do something contrary to God, morality, or your sanity, then this voice is NOT from God. On the other hand, if you are striving to live holy, while keeping yourself pure and humble before the Lord, you’ll often hear clear and direct instruction, and revelation during times of prayer, fasting, or moments throughout your day.
God loves to have our attention tuned to Himself, because He alone knows what’s best for us, and how we can properly serve Him daily. It’s wise to follow and obey the voice of the Lord, but it’s foolish to place our own thoughts, or entertain thoughts from the evil one, over the Father. Pray to God for discernment and wisdom, so that you can always receive clear and precise instruction, on how to live your life with purpose.
If you die today, where will you spend eternity?
Ell
Proverbs 8:22-31
According to traditional educational systems, the fundamental foundations of learning are centered around reading, writing, and arithmetic. Although “The Three R’s” expand in depth, different skills in the minds of children, they are all dependent upon each other, yet are better appreciated the more a child develops more understanding of each. Once a child has a good understanding of the concepts of reading, he can then progress more in the areas of writing, and mathematical principles, but without a firm grasp on reading, all other areas of learning will be difficult for the child to grab hold of.
Growing in godliness, is attributed to three important concepts as well. These areas include wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. The Bible teaches that when we get wisdom and understanding, we are then able to represent God the way He intended us to. Wisdom is not to be forsaken, but promoted, because it will preserve, keep, promote, bring honor to, and deliver a crown of glory to all who are led by it.
The wisdom of God was purposed to keep the children of God functioning properly in the earth. We are taught in the scriptures to walk in the ways of Christ, but in order to do it effectively, wisdom must be present for that to even be possible. The more we operate in wisdom, the more we’ll develop a better understanding of the knowledge of the Word of God.
Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding work hand-in-hand to keep the Saints rooted, and grounded in holiness, therefore, “Get wisdom, get understanding: forsake it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:5-7 KJV).
Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,
Ell
2 Timothy 1:3-9
The most valuable treasure adults can leave behind for the youth is not money, property, or any type of investment. Instead, passing on the knowledge of God’s Word will benefit the next generation far more than anything else. By default, children are born into a world tainted with all manner of evil and wickedness, so establishing a solid foundation in the Word of God, will help children develop a better sense of what’s right and wrong, according to the Scriptures. Not only is establishing a foundation of holiness in the hearts and minds of our youth vital, but continuous encouragement is also a great way for seasoned Saints to nurture young people, as they develop.
One of the biggest problems plaguing the modern-day church is, lack of Bible knowledge being transferred from the elderly to the young. One reason for this stems from the fact that the world has put a firm grip on the minds of the youth today, by distracting them with all types of technology, and social media. I’d be surprised to find a handful of children in any area of the county, who’s eyes aren’t glued to their cell phone, tablet, laptop, or smart TV. Children spend more time on social media, than doing things that could potentially help them become better adults. Although it’s become more of a challenge to reach the young in these last days, the message of the Gospel is still as potent as it was in the past, and is very much capable of reaching as far as possible, to grab the attention of our wavering generation.
Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,
Ell
Luke 18:15-17
Children are awesome little creatures, and some often say the most off- the-wall things that make adults go hmm. Those innocent little rascals have hearts of pure gold and toothless smiles that can fill sad hearts with joy in an instant, but sometimes their behavior merits necessary discipline to keep them reminded of their position. Children are immature and always developing, therefore they require strong adults to steer them in the right direction. Jesus loves children, because it’s their humble and innocent behavior that adults must mimic when coming before the Lord.
A moment after teaching His audience a lesson in humility, parents begin to bring their babies before Christ, so that He could bless them, but the disciples saw this act, and quickly made an attempt to stop it. These men had serious issues, because who would want to restrict a child from receiving the blessing of Christ? It’s obvious that although the disciples walked with Jesus, they still didn’t fully understand His purpose. Rejecting children from coming to God, only pushes them toward enemy lines. You can see in movies and television shows from the early 60s until now, how children are usually the target of sacrifices, kidnapping, abuse, and other harmful activities. Satan tries hard to influence the minds of children, so that he can corrupt their thinking at an early age. His sole purpose is to turn children’s hearts away from God, and allow them to harden so that love will be unable to penetrate it. These are reasons why we must protect our babies, and keep them in the hands of the almighty God.
Our youth are being brainwashed and manipulated daily from school, tv, and the most influence comes from music. I see so many kids with those white bluetooth headphones in their ears, I wonder if their hearing will be affected before they reach their 20s. Mature saints must try hard to be a positive influence to our youth. Children are the future, and how we choose to live among them, will determine how they’ll live after us. Pray for children around the world daily, even those living in impoverished and unsafe countries, because life seems to be getting hard for adults, and I can only imagine how much our children will soon suffer.
“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea”(Matthew 18:2-6). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Matthew 21:15-16). “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way” – Whitney Houston
Walk in love,
Ell
Ell's Daily Inspirations 