Thanks, God!

At RBC Ministries, our human resources team has developed an effective and encouraging program that centers around gratefulness.

When an employee notices something good another employee does here at the office, he or she can take a special “Thank You” card provided by human resources and write a note of appreciation. It’s a good feeling to walk into your office and find one of those cards on your desk.

Isn’t it great to be thanked for a job well done? Doesn’t a good, hearty “thank you” brighten your day? And doesn’t it make your relationships a little more special—just to know that your work is not being taken for granted?

Everybody loves to be thanked. Even God. Our heavenly Father finds pleasure in our expression of thanks to Him. It’s His will that we tell Him “Thank You.” “Give thanks in all circumstances,” Paul said, “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18 niv). The writer of Hebrews took it a step further by saying, “Let us be thankful, and so worship God” (12:28 niv).

Keep looking for ways to improve your relationship with God. Don’t forget what may be the most basic way to worship and honor Him: Tell Him “Thanks.” — Dave Branon

Then let us adore and give Him His right,
All glory and power, all wisdom and might,
All honor and blessing, with angels above,
And thanks never ceasing for infinite love. —Wesley

The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful heart.

March 29, 2010
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2010/03/29/devotion.aspx

Don't Stop Praying ♫

Don't stop praying! The Lord is nigh;
Don't stop praying! He'll hear your cry;
God has promised, and He is true;
Don't stop praying; He'll answer you.

Don't stop praying! For every need;
Don't stop praying! The Lord will heed;
No petition to Him is small;
Don't stop praying! He'll hold your hand.

Don't stop praying! When bowed with grief;
Don't stop praying! You'll get relief;
Troubles never escape God's sight;
Don't stop praying! He'll make it right.

Don't stop praying! But have more trust;
Don't stop praying! For pray we must;
Faith will banish a mount of care;
Don't stop praying! God answers prayer.

Do your relationships control you, or does Christ control your relationships?

God wants to be the most important thing in your life. Sadly, many Christians let the opinions of other people control their own decisions, altering what they consider to be important.

Proverbs 29:25 says, Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Your relationships with the people you're around could be a snare to you if let them control you. However, if Christ is more important to you than any relationship, then he will control your relationships, guiding you into right, godly ones. Make Christ first place in your heart, and he will control and direct your relationships.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of December 28, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-12-28

Life’s Surprises

No one watching Britain’s Got Talent (a popular televised talent show) expected much when mobile phone salesman Paul Potts took the stage. The judges looked skeptically at one another when the nervous, unassuming, ordinary-looking chap announced he would sing opera—until Potts opened his mouth.

He began to sing Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”—and it was magical! The crowd roared and stood in amazement while the judges sat stunned in tearful silence. It was one of the greatest surprises any such television program has ever had, in large part because it came wrapped in such an ordinary package.

In the Old Testament, the rescuer of Israel arrived at the battlefield in a most unlikely form—a young shepherd boy (1 Sam. 17). King Saul and his entire army were surprised when David defeated Goliath and won the day. They needed to learn the way that God looks at people. He said to the prophet Samuel, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (16:7).

If we judge others only by their outer appearance, we might miss the wonderful surprise of what’s in their heart. — Bill Crowder

O Lord, we are so quick to judge,

Though much is veiled from sight;

Lord, may we see how just You are

To guide us in what’s right. —D. De Haan

It’s what’s in the heart that counts.

November 20, 2008

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/11/20/devotion.aspx

In Your Head

I love the prayer that begins, “God be in my head.” When I first heard it, admittedly I thought it sounded a little weird. But then I got to thinking how unfortunate it is if in our efforts to get closer to Jesus we focus on our emotional experience of Him and check our brains at the door. Without His truth ringing in our heads, we’re bound to get off track.

Just look at the early Christians. False teachers filled their heads with misinformation, saying that salvation and spiritual growth could be attained only through keeping the requirements of the law. When Paul heard of it, he was astonished at how quickly they had gotten off track: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ” (Gal. 1:6).

It’s not just false teachers who lead us astray. Our world is full of twisted thinking like, “If it feels good, do it,” or “The one with the most toys wins.” Let’s face it, you and I can’t afford to check our brains at the door. In fact, intimacy with Jesus begins with getting to know Him, and it’s the facts about Him that make us want to get close to Him.

So, strange as it may sound, if you want to stay on track with Jesus, start each day by asking Him to be in your head! — Joe Stowell

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking. —Sarum Primer

To stay on track, let God guide your thinking.

October 28, 2008

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/10/28/devotion.aspx