We Can Be The Greatest If .................

HE SAID,
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  (Mark 10:43-44)

He said in substance,
"Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do." (MLK the Drum Major)

SO as you prepare to face the world today, how will you do it?  Will it really be all about you?  Will you seek to push, wiggle, steal, lie, cheat, defame others so that you can get the top spot.   Or will you actually totally forget about your wants, needs, and desire to be the 1) First to love (your children, spouse, co-workers, neighbors & strangers) 2) First in moral excellence (as not to tell the dirty jokes, partaking in gossiping or political bashing).  3) First in generosity (what will you give away today........).    Will  you spend your day today.....being a slave to all, or seek to be served....that's what will ultimately determine YOUR GREATNESS in CHRIST's eyes.  LGLP

We Are Overcomers!

he said, " Deep in my heart I do believe, we shall overcome.  Now I join hands often with students and others behind jail bars singing it, We shall overcome.  Sometimes we've had tears in our eyes when we joined together to sing it, but we still decided to sing it.  We shall overcome!"

HE SAID, "  Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:32-34)

Who in this picture do you believe needs the most encouragement?  I wanted to repost this picture because I don't think WE SHOULD EVER FORGET that while we have made some great advancements, the struggle, the fight is not over!  There are people taking some blows to see this happen, and all of the time we don't, YES WE AFRICAN AMERICANS or BLACKS aren't always getting the short end of the stick.  I'd like to move from this opener to Act 16 where we find Paul and Silas in prison, and instead of crying....they are found praying and praising GOD, so much so that they praised their way out of the jail.  Now many of you have already allowed your minds to see them physically walking out of the prison, but I am thinking about them never having been mentally incarcerated.

Where are you mentally today?  Seriously.....I know you have to go to that job, deal with those people....but are you in a enslaved mindset or are you praying & praising GOD so much so that you're joy filled no matter the circumstances?   It takes knowing that CHRIST has already OVERCOME this world, for you to be an overcomer.  MLK said that we sometimes it was with tears in our eyes......but we still sang.   Jesus said " we are not alone....and we will have trouble in this world, ......but our peace is in knowing HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD." 

I know you are dealing with _______________________  but greater is He that is within me....(1Jhn 4:4) and when I am weak, I am strong (2Cor.12:10)!  So lift your head up, sing praises to GOD so that your heart may be lifted up, and no matter where you maybe physically allow the WORD of GOD to liberate you to continue to march in victory in JESUS CHRIST.  Please.....LGLP!

We Are ONE Created to WORSHIP the ONE, as ONE!

he said, " When all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants & Catholics will be able to join hands, and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual free at last, free at last, GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY WE ARE FREE AT LAST!"  MLK ( I Have A Dream)

HE said, " ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[a] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:25-28

Where do you live?   Where do you work?  Ok, I'll just cut to the chase....where ever it is you live, work, and or worship does it look like GOD?  If we are all created equal, if we are heaven will be this place for all people does the places your live, work, worship & play look that diverse?  If not, why not?  I particularly work at a diverse company (not just in race either...), I live in a diverse neighborhood, I shop in diverse places, and I worship at a diverse church.   Now I say this to contrast that there was a time that I didn't live in a diverse neighborhood, or worshipped at a diverse church, and really at the end of the day....it does matter to GOD.  If you have accepted CHRIST, I mean truly accepted CHRIST as your personal indwelling Savior then it should bother you to see discord in living, working, worshipping & playing.  Your fight should be to see harmony in CHRIST, and that He may be glorified by your living.     Martin Luther King, Jr. desired that we'd experience true freedom, and he was only echoing what Christ offers in a life fully surrendered to His love, grace, and purpose for EVERY LAST ONE OF US. 

The question is.........ARE YOU EXPERIENCING THAT FREEDOM, or are you still a slave to the SIN (of racism, prejudice and/or bigotry)  that slithers into our places of work, worship, & play?  Again I can't stress it enough....it's all about Loving God, and Loving (ALL) People!  I pray you pick the good fight today!

We Are Created Equal

he said"...........We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal."
HE SAID
 "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself",............ God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female.

As long as their have been people on the planet their has been racism of some sort.  No their wasn't any when it was just Adam/Eve but once they sinned I can only infer from that entrance of sin then racism was soon to come.   Jews LORDED over the Gentiles they were better than they were, and so it continued...the Incas over the Mayans, the Englishmen over the Indians, Germans over ....well everyone...etc.   But how can we get back to basics, that we were all created equally in the IMAGE of GOD?  Where we see the inherit value in every living breathing soul.  The only way will be through going back into the WORD of GOD and abiding in it.   Allowing Christ to nuture our broken hearts and lives to one of repentance and LOVE for those that are still broken.  The fact is, if HE did it for us, HE can do it for them, maybe even through us.

GOD desires that we'd reflect His nature in this world.  My question for you.....@ work, @ school, @ church, or in life what does that look like for you, DAILY?  HINT:  It's not about what they did, or do......its about what are you doing?   Simply put as we open up this week's devotion..........start with LOVING GOD, and LOVING (ALL) PEOPLE!