Man Two Man

8. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Thought of the day….

James tells us that if we want to be near to God in a more personal relationship we must draw near to Him. We must seek Him and desire Him to be in a close personal relationship. We must repent of our sins, cleanse and purify our hearts, putting away our old habits. The last part of the verse reminds us that we can’t serve two masters or live two lives. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

Today I ask, will you commit to draw near?

25. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”

Thought of the day….

In today’s verse Thomas would not believe that the others had seen the Lord unless he put his finger in the nail prints. If we believe that we are in Him and He is in us, we too should have the nail prints in our hands. Not literally, but in our actions. When we give a tithe, the church should see the nail prints, when we help those in need, they should see the nail prints, when we work each day, our co-workers should see the nail prints, when we are driving or shopping or at a sporting event or any activity, others should see the nail prints. Hopefully you get the point; others should see Jesus in all we do at all times. As a reminder this week make a conscious effort to look at the palms of your hands and think of the nail prints.

Today I ask, can other see the nail print in your hands in all you do?

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

Thought of the day….

I, along with others, have been working long stressful days in order to complete a major work project. In doing so, I have to admit, It have let the stress get to me and have let the most important thing in my life be less of my focus. As we work each day let us not forget who our employer is. Not our earthly one, but our heavenly one. Whatever we do let work at it with all our hearts so that God gets the glory.

Today I ask, in you busyness are you working as for the Lord?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.

Thought of the day….

In the last few days I have heard several pastors speak about being a “Romans 12” Christian. Romans 12:1 starts with what it takes to become a Christian. “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God” That’s the start of everything! We must give ourselves fully, totally to God and then the journey begins.

Today I ask, have you given yourself to God as a living sacrifice to Him.

36. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Thought of the day….

Compassion; today’s verse is talking about Jesus’ compassion because of their affliction. This makes me think of people all around the world and the hardship and persecution they are dealing with today. Many people go and help these people because of their compassion for them. Also in our own country, daily there are situations all around us that require helping the helpless. I’m sure in your communities there are homeless, hungry, fatherless, and in general, people in need. Compassion toward them and helping them is a reflection of Jesus.

Today I ask, are you helping the helpless in your communities?

[The Supremacy of Christ] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Thought of the day….

Who are you? If we peel back the layers of what we think identifies us, Husband, Father, Doctor, Lawyer, Mechanic, Athlete, what would you see? We are to be the image of Christ. All the things listed above will be washed away someday and without them who will you be? It is very important to be a great husband and father. It is equally as important to provide with the talents you possess in your career. However when it comes to things of eternity all those things disappear and the only thing that is left is your relationship with Christ and the image of Him in your life.

Today I ask, if everything else was gone would you be the image of Christ?