Acts 3:6 

But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

This account is tremendous. The man Peter was addressing was lame from birth, but with this command, he jumped up and praised God that day. Peter could perform such an act because God had given him the gift of miracles. God hadn’t given Peter money, but He gave him the gift of healing.

Those gifts aren’t available today, but are replaced by a multitude of gifts that can be seen when God’s people use them. What are your gifts and how are you using them? You say you don’t have any.  Strange.

Romans 12:6

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: 

Give it some thought and go shine your light.

Gary

The doctor said, “The blockage is so bad that stents won’t be enough, and something needs to be done sooner rather than later.”

 I could no longer live in denial if I were to live. Of necessity, my heart had to be turned over to the physician.

God has this message for mankind, “You have a heart problem.”

Jeremiah 17:9 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Genesis 6:5 

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

We are diseased and God provided the cure by sacrificing His Son. He wanted us to see His plan for our redemption, so He painted pictures throughout the Old Testament of what was to come, such that when John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he called Him the Lamb of God.

Give it some careful consideration.

Gary

I’ve had some feedback about using secular songs to illustrate spiritual truths. It seems the song stays stuck in the recipient’s head and can’t be removed. I’ve studied this matter and found the solution. Listen to “Amazing Grace” two times and follow that by listening to “How Great Thou Art” three times which will result in deleting the hard drive which contains the problem lyrics.

Ephesians 5:19

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Give it some thought and sing out.

Gary

There is a so-called Christian religion that believes drinking coffee is a sin. I wouldn’t belong to that for many reasons, and morning coffee is one of them. As a matter of fact, caffeine is helping me produce this devotional this morning.

Speaking of mornings, here is what a psalmist had to say about his start of the day:

Psalm 5:3 

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.

Lamentations 3:22-23 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Start your day with God and have a coffee with me. Give it some thought.

Gary

They’re older than I am, but not by much. I remember them when they were young and energetic. Now the signs of age have taken over their faces and posture, along with an obvious change in their gate. Will I visit them again before death knocks on their door?  Sadness will overwhelm me when someone calls with the news of their end.

God, you allowed me to share this lifetime with them, and I thank you for it.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Proverbs 27:9 

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

Job 6:14 

He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

Let them know you appreciate them because you might not get another chance. My best friend left this life at forty-nine.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Walking down the hall in this big restaurant, I saw people sitting to my right. My mind told me it was a doorway into another part of the dining area. However, a full-length mirror on the wall deceived me.  The next step brought me to a sudden stop with my face planted on the reflection of myself. Because I wasn’t injured, and am not prone to sue, I quickly looked around to see if there were any witnesses.

Why am I sharing this? Life can deceive you. Case in point:

Jude 10-11

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. 

These three individuals misjudged God and suffered eternal consequences. Don’t make the same mistake. Give it some consideration.

Gary

Alan Jackson is one of the great singers of our time. However, when he sings “Living on Love,” the line is not true. It takes a lot more than human love to get thru this thing called life. It takes the kind of love that only comes from heaven.

Romans 5:8 

But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

1 John 4:16 

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

The love of others is wonderful but will never get you where you need to be.

Give it some thought.

Gary