The Unique View

I can work myself into a bag. Come out and go back in never realizing that I was out of the bag. Crazy right? I am not alone. Many of us live our lives on auto pilot. We are consumed by our to do lists or the apparent urgency of someone or something.  Sound familiar? John the Baptist worked in a sense of urgency. He lived his life all in an effort to prepare the way. To warn the people to repent of their sins. John the Baptist was a modern day fog horn alerting everyone that Jesus was coming, get ready. Repent and turn away from sin, get ready. Be baptisted, get ready. He warned Pilot who married his brothers wife, get ready. I don't know about you but I would have loved to see and hear John shout from the waters edge. I would have loved to see the urgency in his face and his courage to stand up for what he knew was the great commission, the arrival of Jesus. John 1:23 - NLT: I am the voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Prepare a straight pathway for the Lord's coming...

Many of us struggle with forgiveness.  Forgiveness of others and ourselves. We struggle mainly because we do not understand fully what it means to forgive. We don’t understand the consequences of not forgiving. Even when it seems that our emotions are attacked, our character is questioned and our human right has been violated.  Let’s not talk about feeling disrespected or what we perceive as disrespect. We become numb to the offenders. We stop talking to them and often times we want to curse them out or worse, do bodily harm.  Sound familiar? Be honest.  I can tell you the truth. I have stepped out of the will of God on many occasions and in some cases willingly. I felt entitled to my feelings and my actions as a result of those feelings. My health issues and life in general pinched, stabbed and kicked me so hard caused me to forget who I am and Whose’s I am in Christ.  I kept picking and pulling the scabs off of every emotional wound.  I kept d...

From http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/qt/sevenlastwords.htm . 1) Jesus Speaks to the Father Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (NIV) In the midst of his excruciating suffering, the heart of Jesus was focused on others rather than himself. Here we see the nature of his love—unconditional and divine. 2) Jesus Speaks to the Criminal on the Cross Luke 23:43 "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (NIV) One of the criminals who was crucified with Christ, had recognized who Jesus was and expressed faith in him as Savior. Here we see grace poured out through faith, as Jesus assured the dying man of his forgiveness and eternal salvation. 3) Jesus Speaks to Mary and John John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, ...

John 3:16 New Living Translation (NLT) 16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Lent Devotional April 13, 2014 Palm Sunday Luke 19:41-48 41 As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.’ 45 Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; 46 and he said, ‘It is written, “My house shall be a house of prayer”;    but you have made it a den of robbers.’ 47 Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for ...

Psalm 91:1-16 NLT 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High     will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord:    He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;     he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap     and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers.     He will shelter you with his wings.     His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,     nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,     nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side,     though ten thousand are dying around you,     these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes,     and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the Lord your refuge,    ...

Lent Devotional April 12, 2014 Mark 10:46-52 46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." 52 Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. DEVOTIONAL Bartimaeus has an incredibly energ...

Lent Devotional April 11, 2014 Mark 10:32-45 32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34 they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again." 35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" 37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are ask...

Lent Devotional April 10, 2014 Mark 10:17-31 17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" 20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" ...

Everyday I seek something new. I am hungry for it. I thirst after it. God's will. In every area of my being I try to see something new be it in the trees or the many faces I see. In a whisper or the thunder. All around us is something to be appreciative of. Our hardships are nothing compared to the many lives that sleep under bridges, in cars and eat out of trash cans. Children starving. Elderly ignored. Mental and physical illness. The list goes on. I can never give God enough praise for all that He has done for me and all that He has not. I am more appreciative of what He has not done.  Most only seek God when disaster stricks but soon as the storm clears they go right back to what ever it was they were doing and often times God is no where in it.  It is written that you can not serve two masters. It is written that God is a jealous God. It is written that every knee will bow and every tougne will confess. This is where the new comes in. I don't want to be the same. I ...

Lent Devotional April 9, 2014 Mark 10:1-16 1 He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. 2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" 4 They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." 5 But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 7 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." 10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, "W...

Lent Devotional April 8, 2014 Exodus 5:1-6:1 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.'" 2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go." 3 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us; let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or he will fall upon us with pestilence or sword." 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!" 5 Pharaoh continued, "Now they are more numerous than the people of the land and yet you want them to stop working!" 6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors, 7 "You shall no longer ...

Lent Devotional April 7, 2014 Mark 9:30-41 30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. 33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."...

Lent Devotional April 6, 2014 Psalm 42 1   As a deer longs for flowing streams,           so my soul longs for you, O God. 2   My soul thirsts for God,           for the living God.      When shall I come and behold           the face of God? 3   My tears have been my food           day and night,      while people say to me continually,           “Where is your God?” 4   These things I remember,           as I pour out my soul:      how I went with the throng,           and led them in procession to the house of God,      with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,           a multitude keeping festival. 5   Why are you cast down, O my soul,           and why ...

Lent Devotional April 5, 2014 Mark 9:14-29 14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16 He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so." 19 He answered them, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me." 20 And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the father, "How long has this...

Lent Devotional April 4, 2014 Mark 9:2-13 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning...

Lent Devotional April 3, 2014 Mark 8:27-38 & 9:1 27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" 28 And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 34 He called the crowd with his dis...

Lent Devotional April 2, 2014 Mark 8:11-26 11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation." 13 And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out - beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." 16 They said to one another, "It is because we have no bread." 17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the fi...

Lent Devotional April 1, 2014 Genesis 49:29-33 and 50:1-14  29 Then he charged them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors - in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah - 32 the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites." 33 When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. 1 Then Joseph threw himself on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; 3 they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egypt...

Lent Devotional March 31, 2014 Mark 7:24-37 24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go - the demon has left your daughter." 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32...