Daily Dying

Question to think about: Will you die?

He received a bonus.
He gave it away.
It wasn't a case of not wanting the bonus
but
he saw a need beyond his own life.
The thing is
he said the experience
gave him
something more
that
he did not
expect: fulfillment.

While giving changes the lives of others, ultimately giving changes the giver.
A true giver dies to self . . . a daily decision . . . to give of ourselves . . . time, talent, and monies. In return, we experience fulfillment of life.

I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (I Corinthians 15:31, NASB)

Choose to die on a daily basis.
Surrender all to Christ.
Give yourself away.
Live.

Learning with you to die on a daily basis,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)

Tyranny of the urgent

Question to think about: Do you have enough time?

We live in a time of urgency . . . with a now or never mind-set . . .
creating a sense of things being unfinished . . .
and an overwhelming need to
accomplish more.
Fulfillment . . .
purpose . . .
joy . . .
is missed
in the tyranny of the urgent . . . the urgent has become the dictator of society . . . and influences all of us.
One thing I am learning . . .
we have the personal responsibility to refuse to be dictated by the urgent.
How?
God invites us to abandon the urgent . . . to totally give it all to Christ . . . to really live.
"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, NASB)
Refuse to give your life to the urgent.
Refuse to be consumed with the urgent.
Refuse to give up the joy of living for the urgent.
Live.
Learning with you to refuse to be dictated by the urgent,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)

Tailgated

Question to think about: Do you see God?

I drove on old country roads last night.
An individual driving a pick-up chose to follow me,
without leaving any space between our vehicles,
shining its bright lights into my car.
Yep . . . I was tailgated.
The pick-up would not back off.
I pulled over.
The pick-up pulled over.
I turned.
The pick-up turned.

While it was annoying to be tailgated, I knew God was with me.
When we invite God into the journey of life, we are given eyes to see that God is always with us.
The presence,
power,
and peace of God is with us . . . not separate . . . not somewhere far off . . . but with us. It really is mind-boggling to think of the Creator of the universe to be personally present.
Even so . . .
When a problem tailgates us we often fail to see the presence of God.
Look again:
Be still and know God (Psalm 46:10).
Refuse to let the circumstance rule you:
Do not worry or be anxious for anything (Philippians 4:6.
Believe Christ:
I am with you always(Matthew 28:20b).
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you(Hebrews 13:5b).
Make the decision today:
"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you." (Deuternonmy 31:6, The Message)

Learning with you to see the presence of God when a problem is tailgating,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)

The Miracle of A Crisis

Question to think about: Can you see it as a tool?

They never thought it could happen to them. In a matter of seconds their life was turned upside down from one wrong decision.
The one wrong decision led to a boatload of problems.
The problems
seemed larger than life . . .
overwhelming them . . .
changing the way they saw the rest of life
and each other.
They were stuck in crisis.
The crisis ruled everything, including them.
Nothing changed for a few years.
Until they just could not take the pressure anymore.
Something changed.
They began to see their life differently.
Looking in from the outside, I can tell you their circumstance has not changed.
But, they have changed.
How?
They came to the end of themselves; there was nothing left in them.
Desperate, they asked God to take it away.
God did.
They felt relief from the pressure and peace that God was present and at work.
And . . . they continue to ask God help them see above the crisis rather than to be weighted down underneath it.
Here's the miracle in the whole thing: They now see the crisis as a tool of God to reveal Christ.

The Apostle Paul explained:
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best! (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, The Message)

Stop.
Ask for the miracle of changing your view of a crisis and/or circumstance.
Choose to surrender everything you are facing.
Look at life happenings as a tool to reveal Christ.

Learning with you to miraculously see a crisis as a tool,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)

What Matters

Question to think about: What will you do that matters for more than a moment?

We can become so consumed with the stuff of life that we fail to recognize what really matters.
Looking back on our life often brings clarity.
Things that seemed so important often hold little or no significance in the long-term.

What counts in the long term?
The thing is . . . we have been shown.
The truth . . . the reality of life . . . has been revealed.
Christ, God with us, came revealing what really matters.


So, what really matters?

Quite simply . . . living a life directed by the Spirit of Christ.

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15, NLT).

Stop.
Refuse to do something without the leading of the Spirit of God.
Ask the Spirit of God to guide and direct you in every detail of life.
Do what matters in and through the power of Christ.

Learning with you to do what matters,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)

Remembering

Question to think about: What is in your memory?

"Remember me."
"I would never forget you."
"I will remember."

The memory of one circumstance,
one moment,
one individual
will
change our identity.
Ideas, thoughts, words, actions, behavior, habits, hope, and fears are impacted by memory. It makes sense that we are changed each time a memory is made.
Remembering the past directly influences our future.
Remembering what matters causes us to be more focused.
Remembering is part of how we are created.

Christ asked to be purposefully remembered:
And when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and said, Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.

Similarly when supper was ended, He took the cup also, saying, This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it], to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.(I Corinthians 11:24-25, Amp)

Purposefully remembering Christ . . . changes who we are . . . impacting what we think, say and do.
Remembering what Christ has done is a reminder that nothing is impossible with God!

Remember what Christ
has done.
Remember Christ
is at work today.
Remember that in Christ
real life is experienced.

Learning with you to remember,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)

IT

Question to think about: What is it in your life?

It seems impossible.
It appears to be a mountain that can't be climbed.
It is an obstacle, a struggle, an unattainable need and desire.
It is thought-provoking, mind-boggling, life-changing.
It will not change without God.
It is what only God can do.
It is surrender.
It is when you realize that in weakness you are strong.
It is living beyond self.

The Apostle Paul said it this way:
It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. (Ephesians 1:1-14, The Message)

It is what Christ came and did . . . to give life . . . with a divine purpose that is being worked out in the smallest to greatest circumstance.

It is to be experienced today.
It is the purpose God planned before the beginning of time.
It is life . . . signed, sealed, and delivered by the Spirit of Christ.
Live it today.
Life . . . in Christ.

Learning with you to live it in Christ,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2009 All Rights Reserved)