"The Heritage of the Lord - Children"

Psalm 127:3 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward."

Our church just finished an awesome week of Vacation Bible School. We had 63 kids enrolled, raised $116.00 during the penny wars, dressed up goofy, used 144 balloons for balloon animals and hats, and saw 7 children added to the Lambs Book of Life. Our church did such a phenomenal job. From the decorations, registration table, the crew leaders, the classroom teachers, the photographers, the snack preparers, nursery workers, to the the teen workers. Everyone made our VBS a huge success!

Psalm 127:3 says that, "children are an heritage of the LORD" What an opportunity we had this week to minister to God's heritage. I think the the people of Crossroads Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama have pleased the Lord greatly this week.

Great job Crossroads! Thanks for all your hard work.

"I Will Sing!"

Psalm 66:2,4 "Sing forth the honour of His name: make His praise glorious. All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee: they shall sing to thy name."

Do you ever find yourself upset? Angry? Mad? Depressed? Disappointed? All of your inner feelings in torment? I know I've been all of those places before. All of those things have something in common - they are all emotional responses to something taking place in our lives.

There are plenty of genres of music out there. And the fact of the matter is music often changes the way we feel emotionally. So the next time you feel one of these ways - I want you to try something. SING, SING, SING! Sing praises to GOD! You know something it's hard to stay mad, angry, or even disappointed when the song "O Say but I'm Glad" comes to your lips. "There is a song in my heart today, something I never had. Jesus has come and my cups over run, O! Say but I'm Glad" I always find it difficult to stay depressed when I sing, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine"

When you feel those feelings of emotion getting to be to much for you - SING!

"Which Way Do I Go?"

Job 23:10 "He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

When I was in high school I worked at a gas station. From time to time we would have people come in the station and ask for directions. Most of the time we would kindly tell them how to get there as long as we knew the way. But then there were other times, for no good reason at all, we would give them the wrong directions. It was pretty funny at the time, but this is also the reason I hesitate asking for directions at gas stations, cause I know what goes around comes around. It amazes the amount of people that head out to go somewhere, and they have know idea how to get there. Now, I know that some start out thinking they know where they are going but in the end they have to ask for directions.

Christians are the same way sometimes. We start off in our Christian lives on a journey, and we are pretty sure where we are going. But somewhere along the way we get lost and have to ask for directions. The fact of the matter is we often ask the wrong ones. Sometimes the people we ask know the way, but sometimes the people we ask have no clue at all and they send us on a wild goose chase. Why not just consult a map? Or better yet, the map's creator. By map I mean the Bible, and by map's creator I mean GOD. He always knows the way, the best short cuts, the roads to avoid due to closing or heavy traffic. God will never steer you wrong, He knows the way you need to take. Trust HIM and follow the path He lays out for you. He'll get you there safely. Have a good trip!

Devotion for Wednesday, July 15th - "A Restful Place"

Exodus 33:14 ". . . My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

Vance Havner said, "We can take a vacation within if not one without. You need not seek rest in the mountains or by the sea if you do not have it in your heart. You cannot get away from it all if you carry it all with you." What a true statement!

The summer months of June, July, and August are also know as the great vacation months. If your family is anything like my family when you arrive home from a vacation you are more tired then you were before you left! People are always looking for rest. We try the vacation thing and that doesn't work. The most restful times for our family is when we just stay home for a couple of days and do nothing, but in the end we are still tired.

I am convinced that the key to finding rest is not in the ceasing from activity, but rather having our lives hid in Christ, and to learn as Paul did, whatsoever state we are in to be content with what ever is happening at the time.

Wouldn't it be amazing if you and I could find rest right now in the business of our day? We can, In the presence of God! Go there now and find the rest you have been longing for.

Devotion for Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 "Do it on purpose"

Daniel 1:8a "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings meat..."

I like that phrase, "Daniel purposed in his heart." What a statement that is. In the Christian life, we must realize that if we are going to be exactly what God would have us to be, then we are going to have to do somethings on purpose.

If we are going to have a spirit-filled marriage, it's going to have to be done on purpose. If we are going to raise Godly children, it's going to have to be done on purpose. If we are going to grow in our Christian lives, it's going to have to be done on purpose. I could go on and on with the things that we need to purpose in our hearts, but I think you get the picture. These kind of things don't happen on accident, they happen on purpose.

What is your purpose today? Have a happy, spirit-filled marriage, raise some Godly children, grow in your Christian life, and do it on purpose.

Devotion for Monday, July 13th, 2009 - "Hear and Do"

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 "(11) For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. (12) It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?' (13) Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? (14) But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, thou mayest do it."

Vs. 12 ends with "that we may hear it, and do it." Vs. 13 ends with "that we may hear it, and do it" and Vs. 14 ends with, "thou mayest do it". Notice that in verse 14 the hearing is not there. Maybe the Lord is telling us that we have heard enough and now it is time to go into action and "do it"

Our churches are filled with hearers. So, somebody tell me why 75% of the work gets completed by 15% of the workers? We have all heard and heard what we are to do. It is now time that we take what we have heard and get something done! When was the last time you won someone to Christ? When was the last time you served in church? Our churches are filled with people who used to do, and now they don't. Where do you think our churches would be if they were filled with people that STILL DO, not just used to do people?

Let's hear it and do it this week. Most of you reading this were challenged to do something in a sermon yesterday. You heard it, but will you do it? It's up to you now, get it done, before it's too late!

Devotion for Sunday, July 12th, 2009 "It's Sunday! Are you glad?"

Psalm 122:1 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord"

Is today just another Sunday to you? Here in Psalm 122:1, David said that he was "glad" when he got to go into the Lord's house. Does that describe how you feel this morning. Some of you, I know went to bed last night dreading the fact that you had to get up and get ready to go to church today. I've known people that have said, "Church really isn't all that important." Well, if it's not, what was David so glad about? If you can be an outstanding Christian without it, why did God establish it?

I hope this morning, this afternoon, or even this evening, whenever you may be reading this, I hope that you will be glad for the next opportunity to attend the house of the Lord. Get glad, church is worth getting excited about. It's Sunday! Are you glad? Get glad and get to church.