FOOLS FOR CHRIST’S SAKE

03-07-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (I Corinthians 3:18)
FOOLS FOR CHRIST’S SAKE
18- “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”
According to Webster Dictionary –“Fool” means “One destitute of knowledge; A simpleton; A silly person; A buffoon; To play the look; To triple; To make a fool of; To deceive.”
A phrase from Our Daily Bread which says: “Ti’s good to smile, to laugh and play, for joy-filled hearts drive clouds away, but foolish ways and thoughtless fun can lead to sin and hide the son.”
Sometimes foolishness can lead to sin and pain to others. We can be fools for nothing or be fools for the Lord Jesus Christ. Or we can be fools for Satan or be a fool for God. Be a fool for the Word of God or be a fool for the sin of the world and its pleasures. We can be a fool in the sight of God or be a fool in the sight of man.
If you please the world people will say something negative or will criticize you anyways, as well as when you please your Lord and Master.
WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE ON THE GOSPEL FOR OUR SALVATION. (I Corinthians 15:1-5; 1:21; Ephesians 2:8-9)
1- “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2- By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3- For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4- And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5- And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:”
8- “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9- Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

“YE SHALL FIND THE BABE… IN A MANGER”

12-24-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Luke 2: 11- 12)
“YE SHALL FIND THE BABE… IN A MANGER”
11- “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12- And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
The Baby in a manger more than 2,000 years ago changed my life, He changed my heart, He changed my perspective, He changed my way of thinking, He changed my direction and I can go on and on…
That little Baby did not remain in a manger; He grew up in a “not a very pleasant place” called Nazareth. He was born in a very small city of Bethlehem which means the house of bread. He grew up as a very wise boy, a little boy who is full of wisdom and knowledge that even the Doctors and Lawyers asked questions on Him. (Luke 2:39- 40) “And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40- And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.” If you will just look at this little boy from the manger to Nazareth and then think of how He would get up to become a good teacher, a healer, a writer and the greatest philanthropist in the world since the time of Adam and Eve up to the present... is beyond our imagination. The little Baby in that little manger with the sheep and other animals is the Savior of the world; He is the Messiah and the King of kings. He is the one who shaped up my life and He can do the same to you. He is the one who showed me the way from darkness to Glory. He is the one who gave us joy, peace and satisfaction that this old world could never do. He is the CHRIST of CHRISTmas and the only reason for the Celebration. He is the reason why we have the steadfast love of the Lord. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the Eternal God, the second person of the Holy Trinity and He is the only way, the Truth and the Life. (Isaiah 9:6) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (John 14:6) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (Revelation 1:8) “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

CHRISTMAS AND SALVATION FOR MANKIND

12- 23- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (John 1: 10- 12)
CHRISTMAS AND SALVATION FOR MANKIND
10- “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11- He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12- But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
There are sad events and sad verses in the Bible but one of the saddest verses or Words in the Bible is in John 1: 10- 11. A good illustration for this to picture out what the verses is talking about is like: You will build a house for your family and love ones. You buy everything that’s needed in the house. You invited them inn, and then one day you came home from work and you see them all standing by the door and tell you… “We don’t need you here!!!” and slam the door in your face.
It’s sad and tragic; but that’s what we did to God and that’s what the world is doing. God made the world and created men in His own image, He provided everything that we needed in this world before we were born… and one day; when God started speaking and knocking in our hearts… we rejected Him and slammed the door of our hearts to Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit. (Rev. 3: 20) “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus came down from heaven to die for our sins. (Matthew 1: 21) “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Remember that His (Christ) Birthday (Christmas) is empty, without Calvary (His death on the Cross). This Christmas please do the ABC. A- Accept Him (The Lord Jesus Christ) as your Lord and Savior. (John 1: 12) “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
B- Believe in Him (The Lord Jesus Christ) that He alone can save you. (Romans 10: 10) “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
C- Confess Him (The Lord Jesus Christ) and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” And then you will have the true meaning of Christmas.

“AFTER THE BIG CHRISTmas CELEBRATION… WHAT?”

12- 22- 10 MI- DAILY DEVOTION (John 14: 17)
“AFTER THE BIG CHRISTmas CELEBRATION… WHAT?”
“Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. “
Last year’s experienced that I would like to share to our readers; it was just about after I typed in the topic for that day and went back on line, guess what’s on the top of Yahoo search… “After Christmas…” While watching TV with my youngest son EJ last night… EJ said something like this, “It would be another 365 days before CHRISTmas, now that CHRISTmas is almost over…” EJ was already looking forward of Celebrating next year’s CHRISTmas.
We have After CHRISTmas sale, After CHRISTmas best deals; After CHRISTmas sales tips and may be the After CHRISTmas clean ups. After CHRISTmas Check and Balance of Credit cards debt and Bank accounts. Checking on how much you’ve gain or lose because of so much food or stress. But remember to keep the Spirit of CHRISTmas in our hearts. The CHRISTmas Celebration is on December 25, but the Spirit of CHRISTmas must be 24/7, 365 or 366 days a year. Don’t leave the Spirit of CHRISTmas on the table, in your unwrapped gifts or in your CHRISTmas tree. Keep it in your hearts as you keep the Lord’s Commandment. John 13: 34- 35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 14: 15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” We can keep the Spirit of CHRISTmas with God’s Love and our Devotion to Him and Him alone. Let His Spirit, God’s Spirit dwell in YOU.

JESUS IS UNIQUE…

12-21-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Luke 2:6- 7)

JESUS IS UNIQUE…

“And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7- And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Jesus is unique because He was a King but was born in a manger. He created the world but he did not own a home when he was here on earth. (Luke 9: 58) “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

He was rich but He became poor. He owns the cattle of the thousand hills, but he was buried in a borrowed tomb.

(Psalms 50: 10) “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.” He is the King of kings and Lord of lords but He was the Servant of men. (Philippians 2: 5- 7) “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

He came down and humbled Himself to Love, but he was hated even of His own. But one thing for sure… and this will never change… “His name is JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1: 21) “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (II Corinthians 5:21) “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

He can be yours today, just ask Him (Jesus) to come into your heart. And make this CHRISTmas a meaningful and memorable one. (John 1:10- 12) 10- “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11- He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12- But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

WHY JESUS CHRIST WAS UNIQUE…

12- 20- 09   MI- DAILY DEVOTION- (Luke 2: 7)

WHY JESUS CHRIST WAS UNIQUE…

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Jesus was born with a unique Birth. His Birth was first mentioned by the Lord Himself in (Genesis 3: 15.) “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” It was the first prophecy in the Bible from the mouth of God. It was the first promise of a Redeemer, a Savior. The place of His birth was also prophesied in Micah 5: 2. His birth was prophesied by both Major and Minor Prophets hundreds of years before he was born. His birth was unique.

Jesus was a man with a unique life. (John 8: 46). He was completely man but, He was sinless. His works and Ministry was unique. He heals and raised Lazarus from the dead. “He taketh away the sins of the world…” And He loves us in spite of our sinfulness. He cares for us and did miracles and still performing miracles.

Jesus was a man with the unique words. He spoke in parables, He rebuke people with love and compassion. He spoke with power. He caused the blind to see… He raised the dead… and took control of the nature with His words. (Luke 21: 33). The devil trembles at His word. We sing His words and we write songs, hymns, poems and quote His words. We get encouragement and convicted of our sins by His words.

Jesus was a man with a unique death. He died not for Himself but for us, for our sins. He died for the salvation of mankind. He died to give us hope. He died so we can live. He died, was buried and rose again the

third day and He’s coming back. (I Corinthians 15:1- 4)

CHANGE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

12- 08- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (John 3:3)
CHANGE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
“Christ and sin are rivals for the soul of man, and here we are told how they both make their court to it, to have the innermost and uppermost place in it. The design of this representation is to set before us life and death, good and evil; and there needs no more than a fair stating of the case to determine us which of those to choose, and surrender our hearts to.
They are both brought in making entertainment for the soul, and inviting it to accept of the entertainment; concerning both we are told what the issue will be; and, the matter being thus laid before us, let us consider, take advice, and speak our minds. And we are therefore concerned to put a value upon our own souls, because we see there is such striving for them.”
(From the software- The Bible Collection, Proverbs chapter 9)
If you choose Christ, it means you are really choosing CHANGE. You change your position/spiritual standing from death to life, from being the son of the Devil, to be the Son of God. (John 8:44) “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
We need to remember that people resists CHANGE. People are comfortable of their worldly pleasures and worldly life. They resist CHANGE, because they don’t want to be in a new Spiritual standing or condition. 
Mr. Lee Iacocca once said, “Now I don’t know about you, but every time in my life I got secure and complacent, God threw me a curve. Looking back, I now see that it wasn’t a curve, it was a challenge. A challenge I needed. I had to shake off my complacency and change. Whenever you hear anyone saying, “Let’s keep doing things exactly the way we’ve been doing them for twenty years,” watch out, A shake-up is coming.”
The seasons change. Summer follows spring, and night follows day. Life is full of ups and downs. Business cycles go round and round. Events happen that rock your world: People in the family die. You get a divorce. You get fired. Your business goes under. I’ve been through all of these changes, and each time I’ve had to wake up and try something different.
Before you can deal with change, however, you have to see it. Then you have to accept it. Sometimes that’s the hardest part-acknowledging and then accepting that the way you’ve always done business or lived your life just won’t work anymore.” (Where Have All The Leaders Gone?) Lee Iacocca (page 112-113)
It make sense to me, I hope you would be open to CHANGE. Watch out for CURVE, your Path, Your way to CHANGE. (II Corinthians 5:17) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”