Turn Your Eyes

Turn Your Eyes 

by David Brenneman 

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Thro' death into life everlasting,

He passed, and we follow Him there;

O’er us sin no more hath dominion--

For more than conqu’rors we are!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

His Word shall not fail you--He promised;

Believe Him, and all will be well:

Then go to a world that is dying,

His perfect salvation to tell!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

-Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus 

Helen Howarth Lemmel 1922.

When I am done reading here in these mornings, I stop n wait upon the Lord to learn what it is that He's bringing to me to write about. This writing today begins with a hymn.  

There's just something better, something special, about the hymns that I grew up on when adversity comes around.  

Something tells me that there's someone out there going through some rough patches and needs the comfort of assurance in the Lord. 

In these types of situations, these types of days, this song offers the best way to get through...turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. 

For those in the situation, we can be enveloped in it. We can miss the truth that Jesus is right there in it with us. What it takes is turning to Him and to focus on nothing else. 

Peter, having the only opportunity outside of Jesus Christ Himself, to walk on water took his focus off of Jesus and began to sink.  

We too can begin to sink when we forget who's right there with us. 

What's also hard on us is learning to be at ease with God's timing. 

It's a lifelong lesson. We have this or that happening and time, for us, seems to either stretch out or run so fast we can't keep up. 

The answer remains the same. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 

We can't run this race set before us without watching He who runs with us. Keeping pace with Jesus and neither getting ahead or lagging behind Him.  

Our woes are not ours alone to bear. In Christ, my Dear Reader, everything you experience is meant to be for you AND your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ to bear. 

Don't be distracted by emotions or feelings or in many ways, facts. Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is what's true. What He says is true is always true, yesterday, today and forever. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus to find what's true. 

People are going to let you down. 

Relying on Google, AI anything, is going to let you down. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 

Rest in the Lord as He dictates for you to be doing. Move when He says it's time to take a step.  

Our lives are not our own. We were bought with a price, the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We are His. We are to lay aside every encumbrance, every distraction. Keep our eyes on Jesus Christ the Author and perfecter of our faith. 

Breathe and breathe...turn your eyes upon Jesus.  

Then turn to another great hymn. 

"Praise Him! Praise Him!" to help keep your heart from wandering from Jesus.  

King David wrote many Psalms of praise in his dark hours. They weren't just words on a page, they were truths from David's life. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus and then Praise Him, Praise Him.  

Give Him whatever is burdening your heart and mind.  

Peace like a river will attend your ways...and it will be well with your soul...

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

"It is well, it is well with my soul."

It is well with my soul;

it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

let this blest assurance control:

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and has shed his own blood for my soul.

It is well with my soul;

it is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

my sin, not in part, but the whole,

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well with my soul;

it is well, it is well with my soul.

O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;

even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul;

it is well, it is well with my soul.

-When Peace Like a River 

Horatio Gates Spafford 1873

Continuing in Praise

Continuing in Praise 

by David Brenneman 

"O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!" Psalms 8:1-9.

"and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” Matthew 21:16.

How often in your week, outside of Church, do you really stop to dwell on praising God? 

Now, dig deeper. How often are you praising and lifting up people in your life in that same week? Famous or not, family or not, friends or not.

How much more deserving is our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to receive our praise? 

How often are you dwelling more on your situations than you're praising God?

A very huge portion of "set your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world " has to do with praising God. The model of prayer that Jesus taught His Disciples begins with praising God. 

The final words in the book of Matthew Jesus said "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.

We are to live out lives of those who have been taught and are to be teaching others to do the same. 

So I ask you again, my Dear Reader, how often are you intentional about praising your risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? 

Oh how mixed up we can be. We can be wholly devoted on a Sunday morning but something happens after we leave the end of the service. Never realizing that Satan's right there to get our minds on the things that are of this world as soon as he can. 

While there are and have been some rather important people in my life, none takes the place of my Savior Jesus Christ. Easy enough to write and say, it's harder to keep in practice. Intentionality is at the core of living for Jesus in all that we do.  

It's rather easy to switch on the praise and worship when you walk in the door of your local Church but it's harder still to keep that on the rest of the week for many. They turn to television, streaming, podcasts, books, e-books, secular music, anything but continuing in praising God as they had been moments ago. 

Take time to examine yourself in this area. Realize that in Heaven, and we are to pray "on Earth as it is in Heaven", the only famous, most important person is Jesus Christ. What the dead in Christ are doing in Heaven is offering praise to Him who is on the Throne. They aren't stopping. 

Consider how you listen is what Jesus said. Consider where it takes you. Either towards Jesus or away from Him. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

What Are, Were, You Thinking?

What Are, Were, You Thinking?

by David Brenneman 

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4.

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality." Colossians 3:23-25.

You probably don't stop to consider how much you psych yourself up when you think about what's to come in your life. If it's a long awaited vacation or time off you're building up what that will look like in your mind. 

When something special is presented or being considered your mind will build up anticipation. 

Do you really stop to think about your thoughts? Are they among those written here in Colossians 3 that should be avoided?

"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry." Colossians 3:5.

"But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:8-11.

Does it not also say "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil." Proverbs 4:23-27.

We have, at our fingertips, the guide for living a life approved of by Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  

This guide is to steer our hearts and minds towards love and good deeds. Towards lighting the way for others to find the same salvation we share in Christ. 

Distractions, misconceptions, sly deceitful thinking is what our adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour is plying as his trade. Our sin nature helps his cause in our underlying thinking if we're not careful. Between the two they disguise things to do just enough to take our minds out of the race.

Commercials are intended to sway your thinking. 

The words of the unwise are intended to sway your thinking. 

A mind not SET is going to have its thoughts swayed to some other way of thinking. 

A runner in a race doesn’t just walk out on the track without preparation. Physically and mentally before doing so is where it begins. To set themselves, they get in position on starting blocks. They push out all other thoughts and focus on the race set before them. The person governing the race pulls the trigger and off they go. Their only ambition is to run their race well, perhaps well enough to win. Nothing else is a consideration while the race isn't ended yet. 

Are we as astute about our thinking concerning the race set before us? To run in such a way that God is honored in all that we say and do?

To be that light He intended for us to be to those around us? 

To not put worldly ideas, possessions, or any such thing before running a race approved of by our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ?

Where is your mind right now?  

What are you thinking about?

Are you going to the Lord in prayer?

Are you seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness above your wants and desires?

Do people see you as different in that they see Christ in you?  

It's good, in a limited sense, to pursue self-examination. Not to dwell there long, but long enough to gain your bearings. Where are you in living out your life in Christ?  

We need to take it with all seriousness this race set before us. It's our performance, our determination, our steadfastness, in this race that will be the basis of the account we will give before Jesus. Not what sights we saw, what cars we had. Not what accolades others gave us. Not what we pursued in life that wasn't in line with His workmanship He created us to be. 

It starts with your mindset. 

It begins with what Paul said of laying aside every encumbrance. Get rid of the baggage. Get rid of whatever you're holding on to that's slowing you down. 

Consider your thoughts. 

Consider what you feed your mind. 

Are you really running the race set before you or are you walking? Are you standing still? Have you sat down? 

It matters! It matters because you will give an account of your life before Jesus! 

Consider your thoughts. Consider carefully your ways. Get full on back in the race. 

Give Christ your everything and see what He will do with it. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

Bring On The Pruning

Bring On The Pruning 

by David Brenneman 

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."John 15:2.

     When we serve God faithfully, we may be shocked and confused when He allows adversity in our lives. After all, we are obedient to Him-shouldn't He reward us rather than allow us to experience pain? But realize that He doesn't allow challenges in your life for harm. Rather, He permits them because He sees the immense potential for fruitfulness in you, and He wants you to rely increasingly on Him. If He didn't prune you, you would eventually fail under the weight of your own success.

     What can become especially disorienting, however, is how the

Lord prunes you. God may work through hurtful remarks, false accusations, people manipulating situations for their own benefit, and great challenges that seem potentially devastating. But remember that you don't choose the tools God uses; He does. And the tool will most likely be sharp, painful, and unavoidable. This is because loss is always a part of the pruning process. However, don't get

distracted by the method. Remember He is working for your good. Through it all, pray, "God, I'm Yours. No matter what happens,

I will trust You." Because He will make you fruitful if you`ll just endure.

Jesus, I'm Yours, No matter what happens, I will trust You. Remove whatever needs to go. Amen.

- Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley. 

What IS your point of view when the unexpected happens to you? Of when out of an apparent nowhere your life abruptly changes?

Looking back over my life I can see the Lord's pruning. Can see where He removed things or even people from my life. Can see where my finite mind thinks it understood His reasoning. But then June of 2025 happened. That time the pruning sheers certainly hurt in the moment. To this day I can remember most of how that day started n the details of how the day went. Part of me hates it that there's those whom I know as friends believe a lie about me because there's no place for a defense to be offered. I was fired, falsely accused, from a job for the first time in my life.  

     This particular devotional of Dr. Stanley's I keep reading over and over year round. I did read this last year during my unemployment period. The most that I have come to understand is that my Savior was keeping me from something that He didn't want me involved with and at the same time needed to prepare me for what was to come: more growing in Christ. Learning more about relying on Him to provide "our daily bread" and everything in-between. 

     Our lives were enriched greatly by this apparent adversity. Just as Job's was. Just as Joseph's was. Just as it was and has been throughout the Scriptures. Hebrews 11 is a good place of recorded prunings.

     My Dear Reader...are you bold enough to pray that suggested prayer that Dr. Stanley included?

     Are you more interested in growing in Christ than you are of anything or anyone else in your world? This, my Dear Reader, is the difference between taking up your own cross and not taking up your own cross. Being all-in with the growing in Christ process, prunings and all.  

     Can you wrap your arms around "Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God." Proverbs 30:8-9?

     Are you spending or have you spent your time, energy, effort and money on worthless things that aren't beneficial to your growth in Christ? King Solomon is a great example of wisdom as we see written but we also see how riches and wealth can produce the opposite of Proverbs 30:8-9.

     

     I would that you indeed pray that prayer. That you persevere and stand firm in the Lord when the pruning comes. He's never done any harmful thing in my life but only what's been necessary for my growing in Christ. Trust His process. Trust His promises. 

     Be prepared because it's certainly going to be for your good and His glory. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

Starting Right Now

Starting Right Now 

by David Brenneman 

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" Matthew 7:21-23.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”" Matthew 25:31-46.

"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:12.

"So take care how you listen;" Luke 8:18a.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." Matthew 16:24-27.

A lot to read, but as with all Scripture, all truth to take in.

What we read throughout is that a life in Christ isn't lived for self. A life in Christ will show Christ to all who see and interact with such a life. A life in Christ will be evident as will a life that is not when all stand before Jesus to give an account of their lives.

All who have ever lived will be standing before Jesus and all will either be among the saved by Him or among those who rejected Him. 

What has your life looked like? Are there only sporadic moments of Christ revealed in you or is it non-existent, or is your life a shining example of one all-in living for Jesus?

We need to be careful how we listen because of what Jesus said in another passage. What enters the ears affects the heart and mind. In recent decades we can apply a saying "garbage in garbage out".  

None of us in Christ are going to get it right every time but it is on us to strive for living for Jesus in all that we do. Doesn't matter if it's doing the dishes or being the CEO. Jesus said in everything we do. Read Colossians 3:23-25. 

Would that we could see a visual representation of two piles. One of what we've done thus far in obedience to God and the other of what we did not. Then to see the fire of His Truth applied to both. Would such a sight change your way of thinking going forward?  

It doesn't matter what we think or our opinions thereof. What matters about the life we lived is what it will look like when we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives. Did we love God with our everything and love our neighbors as ourselves? Did we do everything as unto the Lord? We we hoarders vs people blessed and in turn blessed others? Were we rich in our lives towards our relationship with Jesus?  

The reality is, Scripture says to treat each day as if today were the day when Jesus would return. Live with that expectancy. Live with that thought in how we live, living generously, living with forgiveness in mind towards others. Building upon our relationship with Jesus, remembering our first love with Him. 

What indeed would your life reveal if today were that day you give an account of your life before Jesus?

In 1917 Thomas O. Chisholm wrote "Living for Jesus". Here's the first verse and the chorus.

"Living for Jesus a life that is true,

striving to please Him in all that I do,

yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

this is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior,

I give myself to Thee;

for Thou, in Thine attonement,

didst give Thyself for me.

I own no other master;

my heart shall be Thy throne.

My life I give, henceforth to live,

O Christ, for Thee alone"

Think about what you feed your mind and heart with. Think about those two piles. The day we stand before Jesus there will be one pile and after the fire of His Truth touches it each person's work will be made known. Will you be giving any kind of crown back to Jesus for how you lived your life or will you be left with nothing?

Live for Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit starting right now. Love your neighbor as yourself right now.  

Live for Jesus in all that you do starting right now. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

What You Take In

What You Take in 

by David Brenneman 

"If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?" Proverbs 24:12.

"Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”" Proverbs 24:29.

Where do your thoughts go during the day? Do you stop yourself before they go places where a child of God ought not to go? Do you try at all to follow the Scriptures when it commands "stand firm!"?

Raging against others isn't a sign of a life that is lived in the character of Jesus Christ. A loose life that chooses to listen to content that is in direct opposition to the Word of God isn't displaying the character of Christ. 

We must choose, as Joshua said in Joshua 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We must choose to obey Christ Jesus our Lord when He commanded "be careful how you listen!". What you take in will shape your mind and heart.  

To go to Church at the beginning of the week and then turn back to worldly thoughts and ideas until the next Sunday isn't good.  

To know more of this world, willingly, than you do the Holy Scriptures isn't good.  

To revel in worldly music rather than what glorifies God isn't good for anyone. Not that all the music of the world is bad for the heart and mind, but if it has words, be careful of what you listen to! It's impacting your way of thinking because Jesus said it would do that. 

What we take in impacts our desires. If our initial desire is to grow in Christ yet we continue to take in content that has nothing to do with this, we prove ourselves disobedient. If we aren't serious about our relationship with Jesus what will that be seen as when we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives?

What we take into our hearts and minds will impact how we react to those around us. Will alter how we as Believers are seen by those still in this present darkness. 

It's a struggle, a grand struggle, to fight against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places as well as within our own hearts and minds.  

Satan nor his minions the demons, can inhabit a Believer, however he can sway our thinking in order to sway our behavior if we are not careful and are not practicing awareness of the same. 

We really are practicing being being naive when we just go with the world rather than practicing standing firm in the Lord. When we aren't even trying to be careful of what we take into our hearts and minds. 

Our words reveal our character. 

 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37.

Are you feeding your heart and mind what will produce the character of Christ in your life or are you feeding it the stuff of the world which only, inevitably, leads to disobedience?

Really consider what Jesus commanded. "Be careful how you listen!" As written, He was being extremely emphatic.

Consider this as well in closing. 

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49.

"Be careful how you listen!"

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org

To Not Profane the Name of Jesus Christ

To Not Profane the Name of Jesus Christ 

by David Brenneman 

"Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens." Proverbs 23:4-5.

"Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God." Proverbs 30:5-9.

Being satisfied...Being sanctified. 

Our world's economy is largely based upon you not being satisfied with what you have. In truth they build it into every commercial from band aids to trucks. From television to movies. They want you to not be satisfied, but to spend, spend, spend in your vain effort to maybe achieve it.

Christians can and do fall into this trap and it's a big one of Satan's schemes.  

We all, the Believing and unbelieving alike, blurr that line between a need and a want. 

For the Believer it's a blurriness that can lead to giving in to temptation that can lead to sin.

We can desire stuff but when we allow that to impact our lives to the end of all else then we sin.

I have desires and it's been a long arduous process of learning to pray about them and to leave those requests with God. I don't always remember to pray before leaping but it is something that I am trying to learn to be doing. 

The character of Christ Jesus is what we're to compare ourselves to. It's way more than that slogan from a few decades ago of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do).

In our heart of hearts, in Christ through the Spirit of God within us, we know. We know and are left with choosing His way or ours.  

Certainly some things are no brainers. Others are so easy to see that prayer is an absolute requirement and still others are somewhere in between. 

Like my desire for a newer vehicle. While the desire is there, it's a foolish notion in the Lord to run out n sign on a line when affordability isn't considered first. 

You may put off operational costs but before you ever pay it off you'll incur heavy maintenance costs, just like you experience now with what you have. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. 

We would also do well to be satisfied with what we've been given in the Lord.  

We can open many a painful time by not being satisfied with what the Spirit is doing in our lives. 

Because, my Dear Reader, He IS doing in our lives. He IS working in YOUR life. He never sleeps nor does He slumber. He works concerning others who will impact you in His work in you while you sleep. He works while you are awake. You will be tested. Will you take the apparently easy route or the one that requires you to do a bit more of trusting and obeying?

The testing is for our benefit in the Lord. Did we learn to become more like Jesus Christ than we were before it? This is why we're still here, at least in part, our transformation in our character to the character of Christ. Our lives being a testimony to the Lord's work in us, it's not to impress others, but rather to lift up the Name of Jesus. 

"When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you, And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food." Proverbs 23:1-3.

This passage preceded the first we read today. It's on my mind when I visit with someone and someone is offered to eat. I also try to keep it in mind when someone offers to buy food. 

I don't want, as Paul wrote too, my eating or any such thing, to be a stumbling block to another. 

We are to keep it at the forefront of our minds that which should be...we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. 

We aren't here at all for our own good pleasure. We aren't here to create a personal paradise of our own minds. 

We are to take up our own cross and follow Him. From the moment that we wake up until our heads hit the pillow again. Our lives belong to the Lord.

Our lives are supposed to reflect Jesus to this lost world to show them there is hope to be found in Christ.  

We're called to be different, not to blend in. Not to pursue worthless things. Not to sound like the world in our way of thinking or living.  

Stop n consider what you do, say, think, allow yourself to listen to...in these things you value...is Christ being glorified? Are these things really glorifying God or are you only fooling yourself into thinking they benefit Him? Are you satisfied with what He's promised and provided or are you pursuing a right that isn't yours to begin with?

When your life is over...who will be seen as the master of it...you or Jesus?

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

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