"The PRAYER"

One of the things many do (I know I have done & may still do lol) is pray for that one person who they'll marry. We would ask God for specific things like looks, personality, a person with same hobbies, etc... Am I the only one who has done this? hahah

Anyways we pray and pray and pray for God to send us that right person for us. That's alright, except that recently as our youth group has been discussing about "love, purity, and 'true love waits'" He has reminded me that I should focus first on what God need to work in me, so that in the future when I am blessed with a wife I would be able to be that person that my future wife needs.

So now my prayers have been sounding a little different. Instead of asking God for that perfect wife, I've been praying that God would make me the man my future wife and kids can trust. God make me the man who is there for his wife and kids. A man who my wife and kids can rely on. A man who can take care of them and be there for them through the ups and the downs. A man who will always be there... Many times we focus on what we want, but what we really need to focus on is how God can make us that person our future spouses need. If we ask God to make us better people, to learn how to care, love, be trustworthy people, and be the person God  wants us to be I believe our relationship with whomever God has called us to be with will be a lasting one.

Don't focus on the who, rather first focus on the YOU!

Noah

May 6, 2012
Bible Reading: Genesis 5

I'm going to be honest, the many times I read chapters like chapter 5 that give the geneologies I always thought it was boring and sometimes I speed read through it. Are there others like me? lol Anyways, after reading it today I realized how important it actually is to know the geneologies. In this case we learn about the geneology of Adam. With all his descendants one stood out who actually became the one man we are descendants of. If you continue reading on into chapter 6, you'll find out why.

But one of the last verses of chapter 5, Noah is introduced as the son of Lamech and once Noah was born Lamech in verse 29 said this "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed." (I have overlooked this before because of my "speed-reading" through geneologies) This passage really stands out to me because it was a prophecy of what is to be of Noah. If you haven't read about Noah before, continue to read Genesis because it's pretty cool stuff that happens. Anyways, Noah's father had prophesied about his son, and little did Noah know that what his dad would say about him would come true, and he was used greatly by our Creator!

It's also interesting to know that in this chapter people lived for a very long time, and they all had many kids which made up the human population back then. From all those descendants one remained! NOAH

Continue to read on, pretty amazing stuff!
Ronald D.

Brotherly & Sisterly Love

June 4, 2012
Bible Reading: Genesis 4

How many of you have brothers and sisters? Some people have a sister like myself, others have more than one, there are others who have a good mixture of both brothers and sisters. There may be those also who have half-siblings, or even foster brothers and sisters. Whoever you're siblings are whether of blood or not, they are your brothers and sisters, they're your FAMILY! My sister and I don't get along all the time, and this may be true for many others with siblings. You have your good days and there are days you butt heads, but at the end of the day you're still FAMILY.

In Genesis chapter 4, Eve gave birth to 2 sons, the oldest Cain and the youngest Abel. Both had different responsibilities; Abel kept the flocks and Cain worked the soil and harvested crops. Both also gave an offering to the Lord, Cain brought some of his crops and Abel brought fat portions of the firstborn flock. Now the Lord looked upon Abel with favor, but Cain on the other hand God did not.

After this Cain was pretty upset and as scripture says he was "downcast" and God even had a talk with God asking him why he was so upset. And after the converstation Cain came out of it still pretty upset and let it out on Abel whom God favored, and ended up killing Abel in the field. In the initial  converstation with Cain, God knew he was harboring anger and said to him "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Apparently Cain could not master it and allowed sin to enter which ended up with the killing of his own brother. I can't even imagine myself or anyone killing their own blood let alone their siblings, or anyone in the family, but Cain did. Not sure what Cain was thinking but it looks like jealousy came to play. Cain was jealous that God looked at Abel with favor when they both gave an offering to the Lord.

Many of us probably get jealous of our siblings. Maybe one is treated differently than the other, or one is given more than the other, whatever it is jealousy and stuff like that happens between siblings. The only difference is that Cain let his anger get the best of him leading him to killing his own brother.

No matter what you think about your sibling, no matter what you've said to them, no matter what argument or unforgiveable thing you think they might have done, at the end of the day they are still you siblings and your blood. That fact never changes, and whatever faults we might tave against our siblings they are still our brothers and sisters and we have to master those thoughts saying not to love our siblings, or to stay away from them, to curse them, to hate them and get that attitude of forgiveness and love. I heard a sermon yesterday and the pastor said that if we love God and we say we love God that there are no enemies, because when Jesus said "Love your enemies as you love yourself," it means that your enemies have become your friends, that why you can love your enemies.

God's love reigns over all, and no matter what it is you have against your sibling let it go and allow God to restore your friendship for each other and most importantly that brotherly & sisterly love!

Have a great week!
Ronald D.

The CHOICE

May 31, 2012
Bible Reading: Genesis 3

So Adam and his wife Eve (named at end of ch 3) were pretty much given all they needed and really could ever need. They became basically the in-keepers of earth and were in charge of taking care of the Garden of Eden, they got to name the animals, they were given all the food they can eat from the livestock to the many trees in the garden. What's amazing though is that you can have everything one moment but with one wrong choice or decision, that can all change.

Eve made a choice that day in the garden. She knew in v2 that she shouldn't eat from the tree in the middle but she gave in and ate it then leading her husband Adam to eat it as well causing God to get really angry and sending them out of the Garden of Eden. Why would they do this you ask? She was tempted by the serpent in the garden (represents devil), deceiving her and making things more desirable than they really are. He had her see the fruit as desirable and pleasing to the eye making her believe that only good can come out of her eating this fruit, when in reality it was nothing but trouble.

You see when temptation hits and you know right from wrong, the devil makes you question your knowledge of what is right ary thkes everything that is wrong seem so right. he deceives us making things looks greater than they actually are. We have to be alert! The Bible says that our enemy the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. God has given us the spirit of discernement as well as the Holy Spirit to help us distinguish what we SHOULD do and what we SHOULD NOT do, but ARE WE LISTENING or is the temptation too great and so pleasurable that we just have to give in?

I say BE STRONG IN THE LORD and STAND FIRM! GOD WILL GET US THROUGH! He knows our struggles and HE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE HERE FOR US NO MATTER WHAT, we have to TRUST HIM!

Be blessed and have a great Thursday!
Ronald D.

The Union

May 30, 2012
Bible Reading: Genesis 2:4-25

Today's reading is from Genesis 2. In this chapter there is a more specific explanation to the creation of man, and the Garden of Eden which was where Adam was placed. In that garden God had trees that were not only cool, but good for food, but in the center of that garden was placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree plays a significant role in the next chapter, but let's stick to chapter 2.

Now what I wanted to focus on in this chapter is one word: UNION! God had placed Adam in this garden to work and take care of it, and commanded him only one thing; not to eat from the tree of life. (1st job by man: GARDENER lol) God also saw that it wasn't good for this man to work alone, and so God created a helper to help him created from one of the ribs of Adam, and a woman was created.

v24 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."

The first marriage in the Bible was Adam and Eve. God created marriage so that 2 can become one, and that these 2 people can help each other. This was the Sacred Union, the marriage between husband and wife, which is carried on til today. Marriage is a UNION, it's the uniting of 2 individual people becoming one. I was just at a wedding a couple weeks ago, and to witness 2 friends of mine becoming one was awesome to see. When we think about marriage know how special it is, and know that it isnt something to be taken lightly but really a gift from God for a husband and a wife to be united and become one.

Be blessed everyone!
Ronald D.

*tomorrow is chapter 3 "The Fall"

The Beginning

May 29, 2012

Devotion: The Beginning!
Bible Reading: Genesis 1-2:3

I'm going to start something new with these devotions, we're going to start from the BEGINNING! Each day we'll read a chapter of the Bible until we finish it, and we'll study it together. Feel free to post comments about the chapter if you would like to.

Today's word is BEGINNING. Everything had a beginning. We had a beginning, everything you see in nature had a beginning, everything created had a beginning. Now there are different interpretations to how the BEGINNING started. Some say Big Bang, and other scientific explanations such as Darwin's theory. My BEGINNING started with a creator, a creator who took 6 days to create everything around us. A creator who thought about us, even before we were even created by giving us light during the day through the sun, and light during the evening through the moon and stars. (He was the first inventor of nightlights lol) A creator who gave us water and distinguished the oceans  between dry ground (land) where we are able to dwell and live today. He even gave us the fruits, the plants and all vegetation we see today. Not finished yet, but before we were created He gave us animals from the sea life in the oceans to all the creatures roaming the lands today. Then finally after creating all of that He created us to watch over His creation, to be fruitful and increase.

We all have BEGINNINGS, and ours started with a creator! A creator who thought of us first. A creator who provided for us before we ever existed. A creator who loves us and made us in His own image. A creator who saw all that He had done and said that "IT IS VERY GOOD." What a BEGINNING huh?! You looking for the history of the world and how it all started, go straight to the creator Himself and His Word.

Have a blessed week everyone!
Ronald D.

P.S. tomorrow we'll look at Genesis 2, so if you want to read ahead please feel free!

Servant Leadership

May 25, 2012

2 Words: SERVANT LEADERSHIP.

It seems as if I haven't been blogging in a while, but I'm back and thats all that matters right?! LOL. I was out of town last week to Florida for my friends' wedding. It was awesome, had so much fun!

Anyways, tonight I was taking home one of my youth members and we started talking about leadership within their junior/senior high worship team, and I started mentioning SERVANT LEADERSHIP. If you may not know what this is, here is a passage from the Bible that explains it:

John 13:3-5,12-15 "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returing to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him... 12 When he had finsihed washing their feeet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them. 'You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.'"

This passage shows us that leadership is not about ordering people around and telling them what to do, but it's about humbling ourselves and serving first and leading by example. Jesus who is Lord and Savior should be getting His feet washed by us, but He showed us that even as a leader and someone so many people look up to that it's about Him serving us so that we may do the same for others. Leading is all about serving!!! If you're not serving you're not leading. I know people take kindly to a servant leader rather than someone who barks out orders all the time thinking they are mightier and more powerful. Jesus humbled Himself and washed His disciples feet, and I think it's time that we do the same.

Leadership is not about having the power or the position, but it should be about serving others, helping others, showing people how it's done, caring for others, etc... Leadership is about leading by example. The question for you today is are you using servant leadership? If not, I think it's time for us to humble ourselves and serve.

Other servant leadership verses you should check out: Matthew 20:25-28, 1 Peter 5:2-4, Philippians 2:3-8, 1 Peter 5:5-7, John 3:30, Nehemiah 4:21-23, Luke 24:25-26, 1 John 4:8.

Have a great Long weekend everyone!!!

God Bless,
Ronald D.