.....::::: RINSED OR FULL? :::::.....

Have you ever been to a restaurant and before your food arrives, they served you water? Have you ever looked at the glass before you drank? I do. Sometimes, not to criticize them, but the glasses aren't always spotless. I do believe that sometimes they wash these glasses in dishwashers and not by hand. If cleaned by hand, they would be thouroughly washed. That is why not all stains are removed. No one likes to drink from a dirty glass.

If I may, lets visit the Scriptures. In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks about the religious leaders. But He says something very interesting in verse 26. He says: "Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

Jesus condemned the Pharisees and religious leaders for outwardly APPEARING SAINTLY and holy but inwardly remaining full of corruption and greed. Living our Christianity merely as a show for others is like washing a cup on the outside only. When we are clean on the inside, our cleanliness on the outside won't be a facade. The question that I would like to ask is have you been truly FILLED with God or RINSED by God? Have you allowed yourself to be throughly cleaned or just rinsed? There is a difference. Someone who is FILLED is changed completely. They live for Christ and not matter how hard times get, they do not dare to go back to the life or the things that once defined them because they know their identity lies in Christ and they are a new creation. But the one who is RINSED seems clean and holy on the outside but their insides haven't been cleaned. Which are you? Forgive me for asking....

(This post is actually inspired by a sermon I heard from Pastor George Morisset Jr.)

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: ARE YOU HIDING YOUR TRUE MOTIVES FROM JESUS? :::::.....

I was reading the book of Matthew (when Jesus taught about serving others) and it hit me...we tend to come to Jesus with requests only when we need something. What do I mean? We come to Him a certain way but we hide our true motives. For example, if I say I will serve Him but in the back of my mind it is only to receive a certain position or something from Him. Same went for James and John's mother in the Bible. She came and kneeled down and, asked Jesus a favor. She asked Him to ensure that her sons would sit by His side when His kingdom came. WHAT A REQUEST!! She did give Jesus worship, but her real motive was to get something from Him. Get it? Too often this happens in our churches and in our lives. We play religious games, and we actually expect God to give us something in return. True worship means adoring and praising Christ for who He is and for what He has done. My prayer for you today is to be transparent with Jesus. He knows your motives beforehand. He is not a fool. Serve Him in truth and in spirit. Then will you see that everything else you need, and not want, will fall into place. Have a blessed day!!!

Matthew 20:20 - "Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: Anti-lie :::::.....

We have all done it at least once in our lives. We have lied to save ourselves or save someone we care about. But in reality, lying produces nothing positive. It was just a little white lie. Really? Is there such a thing? Some lies hold bigger consequences than others, but a lie is a lie. What about a half-truth? Well, isn't a half-truth really a lie? After all, you really don't know which half you are getting. Some people think that lying is OK as long as it doesn't hurt anyone or it is OK as long as it helps someone. This is the very trap of lying. People deceive themselves into only thinking about the moment and don't give much thought as to how that lie can snowball into a bigger problem. God does not like lying. So why should you? Strive to tell the truth. Please let that sink in...

Psalm 34:13 - "keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)