Daily Devotional – 4/25/13 “Somebody’s watching!”

I know sometimes you get in a mood and you could care less about who’s watching you but you should. Yea, I know that you don’t care about who’s talking about you or even what they’re saying but I simply stop for a minute this morning to tell you that somebody’s watching. No, I don’t mean God because He is always watching but I mean folk around you and at some point in time, you should care. If you’re a mother or a father you have someone watching you. If you’re an older sister or brother, someone is watching you. If you’re an aunt, uncle, cousin, friend or even enemy; someone is watching you. If you’re a boss or even a leader on your job, someone is watching you. If you’re a Christian, someone is watching you! Does this mean you become someone you’re not, no; but it means be the best you that you can be. See, someone is always watching you and if they look up to you then they imitate you and if they envy you they still imitate you. So why don’t you care? Does it not matter that your children see you smoke or drink which means they may want to try it too? Does it not matter that your son or daughter sees abuse in the home so they think it’s the way things are supposed to be? Does it not matter that your children see you working everyday but your significant other lays around all day so they think that’s the way it is supposed to be? Does it not matter that the kids you’re raising see you playing church so they think this is the right way? When will you realize somebody’s watching you? Yea, I know you think it’s cool to be 40 and dress like your teenager but it’s not. You even think it’s cool to post Facebook post, Instagram pictures and Tweets with cursing, misspelled words and half naked pictures but it’s not because somebody’s watching and then you have the nerve to get mad when your son, daughter, nieces or nephews post the same mess. But baby, you started it and they are simply following your lead. Why don’t you straighten up so they can? I know, I know; you can teach a child and they still go astray but grandma taught me that if you build a strong foundation they will always have something to build on. Why do you think the foundation is still standing when a tornado destroys a home? It’s because it was built strong enough to endure the storm which means it’ll be there when you’re ready to rebuild.

All I’m saying is build your foundation strong so that when the storms, the tests, the temptations, the sickness, the hurt, the pain, the job losses, the depression, the without days, the have not moments, the giving up periods, the giving in minutes, the suicidal seconds and the throwing in the towel days come they won’t last. Why won’t they last? Because you’ll realize that someone is watching you and you are better than these momentary moments instead you’ll rebuild your hope which will reignite your faith and cause your light to shine greater than it ever has so that all those who are watching you can see you rise from the ashes or the dusty grave that was meant to cover you with the tools ready to rebuild on the foundation that can never be broken. Somebody is watching you so make it count.

Jesus says in Luke 6:46-48, “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”

Daily Devotional – 4/24/13 “What is going on?”

With husbands murdering wives, police taking lives, children being taken or running away, news not worth watching on any day, politicians lying, more kids dying, reality TV ratings being raised, cemetery expanding because they need more graves, terrorist attacks on the rise and they don’t even try to hide behind a disguise, weather acting crazy and more folks getting lazy, drugs being pushed into more veins and everyday our men are being slain. Parents are burying children when that’s not the way it should be but what are they to do when they’re in the streets because violence is all they see? Domestic abuse is more common in the house because men and women have stopped respecting their spouse. Folk would rather steal than get a job to make a living because they’d rather take than to be given. What is going on? What is really going on? Some say it’s the end of the world or we are living in the final days but does that give us the right to not heed to what God says? He said we should love one another, help those who have fallen and prop up those who lean and not act like hypocrites being messy with gossip or just being mean. What is going on? What is really going on? Where are the Christian, bible toting, prayer warriors who sometime sin yet they repent? Where are those who aren’t afraid of going where they are being sent? Where are the ones who don’t judge others because they sometimes make a mistake because they are on the same course as you, trying to get to Heaven’s gate? Where are those folk who don’t mind showing that they are on God’s side because they understand the sacrifice He made when His only Son died? What is going on in this world today? I’m just trying to understand. And please stop blaming the President because he is only one man. Try blaming the mess that you tune in to watch every day or blame those dang rappers, some you can’t even make out what they say. Blame the violent words that are being blasted in our children’s ears or the fact that sometimes things are just the way it is. Yea, you can raise children to do right or to say the right words but that doesn’t mean it’ll always happen like it did when they were small boys or girls. Things happen, most of the stuff we can’t control but don’t stop living, loving, making plans and setting and beating goals. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m trying to figure it out but in the meantime I’ll continue to do what I know to do and that’s simply not to doubt. Not to doubt God but to take Him at His word and be the best person I can be while living in this world! Yea, time is getting harder and harder to understand but I’ll continue to trust in the Man.

Daily Devotional – 4/22/13 “Can we worship together?

On the way to church yesterday morning, I told my husband that I hope church wouldn’t be “dead” because I needed to have a real worship experience. You know one of those ones that allow you to leave better than you were when you came in. The kind where you come in with a little ache and pain yet you leave renewed. The kind that makes you feel like you’ve just been released from all the hell you’ve experienced during the week. The kind that allows your hope to be refreshed just when you’ve felt like it is slipping away. I enjoy those worship services and I miss those worship services. Oh, don’t get me wrong because I don’t need the music and the preacher to get my praise on but sometimes you want to go to a party where everybody is having a good time, don’t you? Yea, going to church can be like going to a party but the only thing different is your dance partner and your choice of music. Why do you get up early on Sunday morning, get dressed, comb your hair, (for the ladies) put on makeup, shoes that hurt your feet, a tie that you don’t normally wear just to go into God’s house with the intention of not giving Him praise? For Psalm 150:1-2 says, “Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship, praise him under the open skies; praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness;” so why don’t you? You say you’re thankful yet you have the audacity to not say it in front of certain folks. Where are the deacons that could shift the atmosphere by simply singing, “If it wasn’t for Jesus?” Where are the ushers that didn’t mind getting their praise on while standing at the door? Where are the mothers who would dance out of their hats? Where are the choir members who would set the church on fire by calling on the name of Jesus? Where are the preachers who don’t have to always have a whoop in their voice to get their point across? Where are the good old saints that could turn altar call into a worship service? Why don’t we worship together like we party together? Why can’t we worship together like we gossip together? Why can’t we enjoy service the way we enjoy a backyard barbeque? Why can’t we have a real worship experience sometimes? Oh, I just wish for once folk will stop worrying about who is looking and get their praise on for the good AND bad things that happen in their life. Just praise God because He is worthy to be praised and not because you were short on your rent this month. Praise God because He is worthy and not because your boo left. Praise God every day and not just because today is a bad day. Praise God just because!

Anyway, I digress …

Daily Devotional – 4/19/13 “It’s Friday!”

And you know what that means? Yep! You lived to see another day. Awl, don’t start complaining just go with it. If you got bills and no money, go with it because you’d still have them even if you don’t complain. You can have pain in your body like I do in these stiff knees of mine but let’s go with it. There’s no need in turning back now because we’ve come too far. There really isn’t a need to look back over your life because that’s the past and it can’t be changed anyway so go with what you have right now. Yea, appreciate the little you do have and stop crying over what you could have. Appreciate the car you do have and stop daydreaming over a car you saw in the magazine. Appreciate the life you have and stop wishing for the ones you see on TV. Haven’t you realized by now that everything that shines isn’t gold because it could be silver painted with brass or that every patch of grass on the other side of the fence isn’t green because it’s been fertilized better but because it’s been painted? Yea, you do know that the Jones Family is no longer trying to keep up because they’ve run out and tired of pretending? Yep, it’s Friday and whether that means your weekend starts now or it doesn’t, just go with what you have right now because it could be gone and it sure could be worse.

Daily Devotional – 4/18/13 “It’s Thursday Saints!”

That doesn’t really mean anything but I wanted to let you know that you lived to see it. See, somebody who man deemed healthy laid down last night but didn’t get up this morning but you did so be grateful. Somebody sleeping on the streets didn’t live to see this morning but you woke up in your bed so be thankful. Somebody in ICU or the hospital don’t even know they are in the world but you woke up with your mind knowing exactly where you were and the many things you had to do so be appreciative. Yea, I know that you may be going through some things, you may be depressed, angry for no reason, mad at the world just because, wanting more than what you have, wishing for things to be better, planning for tomorrow with no regards for today, looking for more but not really searching and praying for answers but asking the wrong questions but you’re alive aren’t you? Yea, you want God to answer but you want accept His advice. You want God’s blessing but you won’t fight in the battle. You want to hear God’s call but you won’t follow His commandments. You want him to deliver and defend you when you’re still destroying dreams and being disobedient. Yea, you want to be elevated and your earnings enlarged when you won’t even endure enough. You want favor but you fold at the first fight. You want glory and grace when you groan instead of staying grounded. You want help from the Holy Ghost but give hell and hostility every chance you get. You want immediate instruction from God and then ignore His intentions. You ask for joy and jubilation and then get jealous of others and get tired on your journey. You want knowledge but you won’t kneel. You want love but won’t labor. You want mercy but won’t minister. You want what you need but won’t call God’s name. You ask for an opportunity but won’t obey. You ask for peace but won’t offer praise. You won’t God to come quickly yet you won’t be quiet. You want to be renewed but won’t repent. You say you’re saved yet you won’t sacrifice and serve. You want the testimony but not the trials and test. You want to be brought up in the midst of being unrighteous. You don’t want to be the victim but you don’t value your victories. You don’t want to be weak but you keep wandering in the wilderness. You yearn for God but won’t be you. When all you have to do is increase your zeal for God and He’ll cover your zone.

Yea, it’s Thursday but then tomorrow comes Friday. Will you still be in your same weepy mess or will you make a change? You decide!