My Morning Thought

Today in America, we celebrate America’s independence day from Britain’s rule. But.. I want to encourage you to think about and share your independence day. The day you invited Christ into your life, and He freed you from the bondage of sin. Share our story with someone, and if they don’t know Jesus, give them the opportunity to invite Christ into their lives.

I read a question the other day that stopped me in my tracks. It said, “Do I like the direction my thoughts are taking me?” Then a couple of days later, I was having a conversation with a friend, and we were talking about how we limit ourselves by thinking we don’t deserve it.  I believe if you feel you don’t deserve something, from a positive perspective, you never strive to achieve it. You know,...

How often do you say what you do not mean? Now, I’m talking about those times when you say or respond to something in a way that just seems like the right thing to say, even if you know you don’t mean it. But you know, when you haven’t given it enough thought to even know if you meant it or not. Sometimes those things are little and insignificant, but other times, we say or promise big things that...

Have you ever broken a habit? Perhaps you were a smoker, and you no longer smoke. Maybe it was drinking. Perhaps it was being late for every event. And now you have been set free from that habit. Perhaps now, instead of smoking, you twirl a pencil between your fingers. Maybe you always have a bottle of water now instead of an alcoholic beverage. Perhaps you always arrive at the event 20 minutes be...

Is the valley a low place that keeps you from reaching the heights of the mountains that surround you? Or is the valley the lush area that has a river running through it and allows the mountains to protect from the winds and storms? Because I allow the past to be my guidepost does mean I am allowing it to be my dictator. Are we not called to remember? What do you think?

Stop for a minute and think about where you are right now in life. Do you first think about what you have or what you lack? Are you content when you have plenty, or do you still want more? Are you content when you are lacking? Or have you learned that there is contentment in either case? How can you find contentment in either plenty or lack? Paul tells us the secret is to rely on Christ.

It is attainable. There are so many hard things happening all around us. Sometimes, there are very hard things happening within us. Those hard things can cause stress and depression and give a sense of hopelessness. But… you can have joy and peace and a hope that overflows. Tap into it through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What do you feel? Where’s the passion? To live apathetically is cheating yourself and others out of life. To be apathetic means showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern. Can you see that’s not really living? Jesus died so you might live.  Live to the fullest, totally for Him.

To fear the Lord is not a dread but rather a reverence. To deeply love and respect Him. It is to want to do His will, not because you are afraid of what He will do, instead you never want to disappoint Him. When we fear the Lord, our perspective about everything changes, whether we have plenty or we are in want. We see things differently, whether in sickness or in health. But only His people, thos...

How often do we complain about what we have or don’t have? About what we must or must not do? About why someone else has and we don’t? I think you get the picture. The feeling of discontent rises in our hearts.  What if I examined my every action to ensure I was doing it for God’s glory? Would doing it for God’s glory allow me to have a grumbling spirit? What if I stopped disguising my grumbling b...

Have you heard the expression, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future?” What about, “Birds of a feather flock together?” Do you think it is possible to take on the characteristics of those you spend much time with? I mean your friends, and spending extended time together. Proverbs warn us about being friends with those who can’t control their temper, not because they are afraid you m...

#MyMorningThought #INeedYou #Thirsty #Longing Have you ever been thirsty? I mean really thirsty. The thirst where only water will do.  You know dehydration does crazy things to your body. Lack of water makes you tired and sluggish. It will make you talk out of your head. You know, you can actually die from dehydration. The lack of water causes organ failure. Our soul without Jesus is spiritual deh...

Do we really live like we believe God has all that we need? Well, perhaps the first question should be do we believe it? There is evil happening in the world all around us. People are living only with “self” in mind. They are scratching, clawing and stepping on others to get what they want. They rob, steal and lie. If only we believed that God has us. I guess we would be in heaven, right? But we w...

What do you want more of? Is it time? Money? A bigger home? A more expensive car? More sleep? Or more of Jesus? What does wanting more of Jesus mean to you? What does it look like in your life? What are the things you are doing if you are seeking to have more of Jesus? Do you think it is beneficial in your life to have more of Jesus? What if we started with prayer, reading His word, and spending i...

To be overwhelmed by God’s love. One definition of “overwhelmed” is bury or drown beneath a huge mass. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by God’s love? Have you ever felt the weight of God’s love? It feels so great; it leaves you breathless? Stop and think about it for a minute. He is God. He created the heavens and the earth. He placed the stars in the sky. He created the sun and the moon. Everythin...

I have felt a sense of conviction to do more and yet I ponder what “more” should look like. So in my uncertainty, I find myself being disobedient to God. Lord, please forgive me. Help me to know where to go. You want all to be saved and I have an assignment to go and make disciples. And yet, there are people right around me that I don’t share You with. It is time to... Lord, give me Your eyes to s...

This video does not have a political or social agenda in mind. It is just intended For Your Information only. It is intended to briefly share what Juneteen is and why it is celebrated. Here is a link to the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation . Also, here is a link to The Human Hope Podcast Bonus Episode about Juneteenth . Finally, here is a link to an article by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Until...

Love is an action word. It is all about what I do. If I never said I love you, you should still know I do by my actions. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-8a I see what love is. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but...

God revealed, saved and proclaimed. Check out Genesis 12:1-2 and see the promise. Then in Genesis 15, what God had promised hadn’t come to pass, so Abram wanted a point of clarification and God did clarify. Genesis 15:4 God cleared it up and went on to tell him what to expect, so he would not doubt. So, we see in Isaiah 43:12 God tells His people to recognize His mighty works and tell somebody. I...

What happens when you give praise to the Lord? Just being thankful causes you to focus more on what’s right and not get consumed with what’s not. And that gives God space to work because you are getting out of the way.  Then when you give thanks to the Lord, you are filled with joy and love. That causes you to want to tell someone else about God’s goodness. You want people to know, not just what H...

We make exchanges all day long. We purchase items in stores where we exchange money for an item. We exchange knowledge in classrooms and through conversations. We exchange resources within relationships. There is an exchange of power in business and government. Sometimes we feel like we’ve made an equal exchange when what we receive is worth what we’ve given. But there was a great exchange when Je...

When you know someone and love them, you do things that will make them happy. You know what makes them happy because you know them. When we know Jesus, we do things to bring Him glory. We obey His commands. That’s how we show our love.

Why do you do what you do? Is it because of what you will get in return? Is it because of how others will see you after it’s done? If either of those are your reasons, you’ve gotten it all wrong.

I struggle with saying, “I’m human,” from the perspective of saying I can’t do any better. I don’t know if you’ve said it before or not, but when I am doing something that I just shouldn’t be doing, and yet I continue to do it. And then I say, “I’m human,” as if that’s my excuse to keep on doing wrong. Most of the time, that comes into play in my life when I am making poor food choices, but that s...

The world has hijacked the word, love. We say it all the time, about just about anything and to everyone. I love ice cream. I love that movie. I love you. I love the Lord.  Often the words “I love you” are said, and there is nothing to back it up. No action at all. The commandment of love Jesus gave was all-inclusive. We are commanded to love with all our heart, soul, and mind. That includes the v...