A Devotional for the Day.....

I received another powerful devotional passed on to me today, so of course I wanted to share it with you.....

Saturday, January 30, 2010
Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25
TODAY IN THE WORD
Fyodor Dostoevsky was imprisoned for the kind of thinking that made his writing so famous and so wonderful. His crime was adopting a mindset that differed from the reigning regime, and the initial sentence was death. As he stood with his compatriots before a firing squad, his sentence was commuted to four years in Siberian exile. He didn’t view his trials as inherently negative but a necessary part of the human experience. He wrote, “On our earth we can truly love only with suffering and through suffering! We know not how to love otherwise.”

All the crimes through the ages, every infraction we’ve studied so far, converged on a moment of ultimate suffering in the body of the only truly innocent man who ever lived—and His suffering is our definition of love. Today’s passage is filled with both theological substance and emotional truth. Verse 24 is a compact dissertation on the power of the crucifixion and the purpose of the Christian life. We sinned; His body absorbed the punishment. He was wounded; we were healed. He died for our sins; we die to sin and live for righteousness.
But this passage also represents a shift in logic from what we’ve come to understand. An overarching theme of this study has been that disobedience results in punishment, suffering, fear, etc., and that obedience results in blessing. But Peter draws our attention to a different focus. In Christ, obedience involves sharing in the sufferings of Christ. We aren’t called to go out of our way to bring punishment on ourselves (v. 20). But we shouldn’t be surprised if doing good results in pain.

The final point in today’s reading reminds us that the question of sin and obedience, crime and punishment is not simply a matter of following the rules—it’s a relationship between us and our Father, like sheep returning to the Shepherd. As Peter wrote, He is the Overseer of our souls, and His suffering brought us back into a right relationship with Him. There is no greater love than that.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
You may not feel like you live in a society where doing the right thing results in suffering, and that is true to a certain extent. We may not face legal penalties for exercising our faith, but being true to Christ could cost you in the court of popularity. We don’t often have to fear what others will do to us because of our faith, but what they think of us can feel equally damaging. Keep in mind that your relationship with God involves obeying His Word and sharing in His suffering. Don’t be afraid to do either.
2010 Copyright Moody Bible Institute • http://www.todayintheword.org/

(*Thanks again Pastor Roman)

Thirty-One, Thrifty, and Thriving...

Thirty-One, Thrifty, and Thriving
I want to give a great big thank you to Thirty-One, Thrifty, and Thriving for reading and passing a link to my page on to her readers. I am deeply humbled and greatful. Please follow the link above and check out her blog.   I  enjoy the Prayer and Priorities posts, I must say they have me starting to try and figure out my own time management issues.  Thanks again and many, many blessings.

Your Invited.....

Before I began my walk with Christ, people would try to get me to go to church and pray for me to "get saved". Though I appreciate and love them for their efforts, their approach just wasn't very inviting.  One of my pastors, Pastor Robert Roman posted this on FB.  It touched me and I wanted to share it with you.  This is one of the best invitations I've ever received.  Thank you Pastor Roman for allowing me to share this....

Philip was from the town of Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael & told him, "Remember what Moses wrote in the law. Moses wrote about a man that was coming. The prophets wrote about him too. We have found him.His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph. He is from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to Philip, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip answered, "Come and see."

Come and see for yourself!" What Christianity has to offer the world
that no other religion really has is two-fold: 1) a genuine
relationship with Jesus, God who walked among us; and, 2) grace that
makes us acceptable to God rather than having to earn divine approval.
If you really want to decide about Christianity, or you have a friend
that is wrestling with a similar decision, don't let them get lost in
all the religious debate. Instead, invite them to come and meet Jesus
in the Gospel of John. The invitation to "come and see" is repeated
several times in John 1. Meeting Jesus in John won't answer all the
questions, but it will point us to the only true answer -- Jesus! So if
you're doubting, if you're frustrated with the mess that organized
religion sometimes makes, if you want to get past the religious hype
into the life of God, then heed the invitation Jesus and his disciples
give you to "come and see" who Jesus really is. Begin your own search.
Find out for yourself. Seek and you will find! (What Jesus did)

.....continue to pray for Haiti

keep the people of Haiti and all those that have gone out to help in the relief efforts in yours prayers.  I pray to our Father that he bring relief, comfort, and peace to them all.  Father I pray that through this You bring a nation into Your wonderful, merciful grace. In Jesus Name....... click on the link below

Are You Listening....Kirk Franklin and Friends

Help Haiti

30 and Saved has added a link to donate funds to the Red Cross to support the effort in helping our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Let us continue to lift them up in prayer and help them in any way we can................May God bless them and keep them.

Courting or Dating?

"You must give to the Bible attention with intention, and it is intention that will necessitate attention...We must know what we are about."

-Henrietta Meaks

The Lord led me to write this after reading a friends post on Facebook.  She had a conversation with a young man who said the difference between sexy and slutty was the difference between attitude and when there is no guess work needed.  It was suggested men who are serious about a woman appreciate modesty while those who were looking for a fling went to those who put themselves out there.  This made me think.  Is there a difference between courting and dating?


Scripture does not specifically define dating; however, we are given direction on how to relate to one another.  According to Dictionary.com, courting is "to try to win the favor, preference, or goodwill of; to seek the affections & love..." Dating on the other hand is defined as "a social appointment, engagement, or occasion".  The word date in itself implies that this is only for a time, perhaps for the night.  Courting sounds more involved as if one were intentionally making an investment of time and care to win the "favor and goodwill" of someone important.

God tells us that an examination of self is necessary when relating to others.  Ask yourself some questions: is my relationship with Him one that is secure, faithful, and loving? Am I spending time with Him daily making it priority #1? 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling...their own houses well."  Am I leading as an example of Christ, is my house in order?

After that, show and prove. Are you and your mate equally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14)? Does he/she have a relationship with Christ? I don't mean "do you know Jesus?" ask if there is a relationship with Jesus.  If the answer is yes, watch and see.  If the answer is anything other than yes, then this may be your opportunity to share the Gospel, plant the seed, and win two new relationships-one with God and one with you. This was the case with me and my husband.  My seed was planted and the Lord used him to be my watering can.  My husband courted me.  The only date we made was our wedding date.


Easton's Bible Dictionary defines dating as "the point in time at which a transaction or an event takes place...; and assigned end, a conclusion".  On the other had the definition of courting is "top endeavor to gain the affections of, to seek in marriage, to woo".

I urge you to think about this before you step on your next "date".  Are you putting yourself out there to be courted or dated?

Best Line of Defense

Have you ever felt as if you need to withdraw from something or someone? Has something ever happened or something been said to you that made you want to totally go off? I've felt like this quite a bit, right now as a matter of fact. As I grow spiritually I am able to see what triggers certain emotions. I try really hard not to allow  these things to bother me. I pray the Lord helps me with my attitude all the time. I was told once when these situations arise not to pray for the person/thing that bothers you but to pray for yourself  and what you may or may not have done and for God to show you how to handle it. Now maybe I understood that wrong but I find it difficult to always point the finger back at me. I'm defensive admittedly but there are times when I know I truly didn't do anything or that my intentions were good. So how do I deal with it? I shut my mouth and keep my distance. " A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control"  (Proverbs 29:11)  For me keeping quiet is the best way. Remember "if you don't have anything good to say don't say it at all"? I must say that this is the best line  of defense for someone like me. But is this the right thing to do? When are you supposed to speak up? How much are you supposed to just take on the chin? And how do you hold back with out eventually exploding? I will continue to pray for guidance to overcome this issue. When I'm faced with this obstacle I  try to give my heavenly Father the respect He deserves as if  He was standing right in front of me. That way I don't disrespect  anyone else. But my question remains how do we as Christians handle our emotions? Are we expected to never lose it?

Some Scriptures to take you into the New Year...........

I chose some verses to start off this New Year. I think they are great for those new in their walk with Christ and for those that may be well "versed" in the Bible. Personally I just find them refreshing and give me something to meditate on to keep me focused.

"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly." (John 10:10)




"Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)


"You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my Spirit." (Job 10:12)




"...And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us" (Matthew 6:12)


"...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance character; and character hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)




"...Rejoice highly favored one, for the Lord is with you..." (Luke 1:28)