Our Heavenly Daddy

Living as a friend of God is so peaceful and satisfying (John 15:15). No matter what our lot in life, we are fulfilled, because the God of the universe loves us (John 3:16, 15:14). We are God's adopted children and He loves us so much that He did not spare His only begotten Son, but freely gave Him as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Romans 8:32). We are co-heirs with Christ of the entire Kingdom of God.

If we strive each day to obtain the things of this world for our self and our family, we waste our time. A fire or an act of nature could destroy everything we worked so hard to attain. We were born with no earthly goods and we will die without them too. However, we can never lose Godliness and contentment, which are our two greatest assets for living a fulfilled life (1 Timothy 6:6-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

God accepts us just the way we are and He has a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:9-10). All condemnation and shame come from Satan's lies (Romans 8:1, 34). God will convict us of sin or discipline us when we stray from the straight and narrow path; but this is to protect us from the ravages of sin and the separation from His holiness, which sin causes (Matt 7:13-14; Romans chapters 5-8).

A daily quiet time with God allows us to immerse our spirit and soul in His Word. His promises comfort us, His prophecies inform us and His dealings in the lives of Biblical Saints encourage us. God's Words give us wisdom for living and fortitude to face life's trials. Godly contentment prevents life's stresses from killing us. Our Heavenly Daddy wants to pour His love, joy and peace over us like a waterfall.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that we do not have to earn Your love or keep a list of do's and don'ts in order to please You. Give us a fresh filling of Your Spirit each day, so we can walk in Your Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25). Draw us ever closer to Your loving heart and remind us to be still, so that we can experience You as our protective and generous Heavenly Daddy (Psalm 46:10). We give You praise, glory and honor for the multitude of blessings You pour out on us each and every day.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus willingly gave His life, so that we can be the friends and adopted children of our Heavenly Daddy. - Galatians 3:26

Slow Down and Spend Time with God

The soul is the most overlooked aspect of our Christian life. Prior to salvation, we allowed our heart to advise us, control us and comfort us. This does not refer to our blood pumping organ, but our inner self of thoughts, choices and emotions - our soul (Proverbs 4:23, 15:13, 23:7; Matthew 12:34-35). This way of life is weak, at best, but all we had.

When we come to Christ, our spirit is Born Again, and we begin the adventure of living in and by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16-25). This is when we start to mistrust our soul, and rightfully so. However, we also ignore the needs of our soul, thinking that they are carnal and unholy. Some of our soul's demands are unrighteous idols, which we lay at the altar for sacrifice (Romans 8:6-7; 1 Corinthians 3:3).

Yet, many of our soul's desires are given to us by God, and He wants to supply them through His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:16). We can nurture our soul by listening to praise songs, reading God's Word, learning a new hobby, taking college courses that interest us, making new Christian friends, planting a garden, exercising to trim down and raise endorphins, serving in the ministries of our church, planning a healthy snack to look forward to every day, joining Bible study classes, etc.

The most powerful way to nurture our soul, however, is to be a friend of God. It takes time to develop this relationship, but it is so nourishing to our body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Slow down and spend time alone with God. You will focus on the wholesome side of life, find peace and joy in the midst of negative circumstances and feel God's presence in each moment of the day.

Prayer:

Father God, Satan has his agenda for our life, and we merrily follow his lead until we come face to face with Your invitation to accept Jesus as our Savior. Satan's deception is no match for Your presence in our life. He fades into the background and loses the battles he wages for our soul. Your Spirit nurtures our body, soul and spirit as we follow Your direction for each new day. We love You and give You all the praise and glory for Your wondrous intervention in our life.

Thought for the Day:

God's Spirit transforms our soul into the image of Christ throughout every moment of our life. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Friend of God

So many people are so burdened by what they want, and don't have; rather than being thankful for what they have, that they never knew they wanted! The more we complain, the less joy we experience each day. However, the more we give thanks, even for the negative issues of life, the more we live in peace and fulfillment.

This goes against our normal, human behavior. We almost feel dishonest to say that we are fine when we know we have something negative going on in our life. However, this earthly realm is not reality. Paul said it best. We brought nothing into this world, and we will take nothing with us in the end, so we can live in Godly contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

In fact, giving God the first fruits of our time, love, esteem and attention decreases our trials as it honors God with the praise that is due His name (Psalm 69:30). God supplies all of our needs - physically, emotionally, mentally, financially and spiritually (1 Timothy 6:8). This allows us to give thanks for anything life throws at us (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

As we view our trials as joyous opportunities to enjoy intimacy with God, we watch His miraculous provision for us in and through them. This allows patience to have time to perfect our soul - our mind, will and emotions (James 1:2). Our faith grows during trials, as we see God's mighty hand working all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). God is awesome, generous, full of loving kindness and the best friend we will ever have.

Prayer:

Father God, our unity with Your Spirit will enable us to hear Your voice to deal with lost glasses, what to fix for dinner, what to take with us before we leave the house and how to witness to the crying lady sitting across from us in the doctor's office. Just a few moments of refocusing in Your presence will make all the difference in our positive attitude. Your faithfulness is our measuring rod, and Your friendship means more to us than we could ever express in words.

Thought for the Day:

What a privilege it is to live our days as a friend of God, because this relationship brings so many benefits to our life; some are even "out of this world"! -  John 15:14-15

What is a Born Again Believer?

Prior to our salvation, we had a body and soul, but our spirit was dead in sin. As a Born Again Believer our spirit is now alive and contains the Spirit of God. We can enjoy constant quiet time within our spirit, regardless of what is occurring in our body or soul. With this regular fellowship, our soul abides in a state of peace, which causes our body to remain in better health and vitality.

This does not happen before we are Born Again. In God’s presence, we refresh our soul. Even if He remains silent, we enjoy the companionable silence of His friendship and lordship in our life. Regardless of our circumstances, we live in serenity in our spirit. As we focus on our connection with Christ in our spirit, He heals the negative feelings of our body and soul.

We look at life from a spiritual rather than an earthly viewpoint. We love Christ immensely; our soul draws nourishment from His existence in our life. His Word comes alive in our mind, His presence comforts our fears and His love pours over us like a waterfall as we keep our mind focused on Him (Isaiah 26:3). We do not need to see Him with our eyes, because we hear him with our inner ear (Matthew 11:14).

We feel His Spirit within us (Colossians 1:27). We float through life as the Spirit of God stirs the waters. We flow with the ebb and current of God’s will. People see God’s life-changing power within us. So many turn a deaf ear or blind eye, preferring to believe Satan’s lies. Others want our same experience, so we travail in birth pains with them. We desire to win people to Christ, so they can live in the love of God with us.

Prayer:

Father God, You are the author and finisher of our salvation. Jesus made this possible by His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross, and Your Spirit drew us to Your precious heart. Thank You for loving us, caring for us and helping us in our doubts and fears. We look to You to provide our daily bread and to lead us away from every temptation, which might bring dishonor to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

Taste and see that the Lord is good. – Psalm 34:9