THANKSGIVING 2

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God.



Some people seem to always look at the dark side of things. They never seem to be thankful. I am reminded of an old story of a woman who had a fantastic potato harvest with all her potatoes being almost perfect. One of her neighbors commented on the fact that she should be very thankful for such a beautiful crop of potatoes. She responded, "That's good all right enough but what am I supposed to do for the bad ones to feed the pigs?"


If we concentrate on what we don't have and fail to see all the things we do have it causes us to complain and have a negative attitude. It happens to all of us at times. Not long ago I was having a little pity party and my son took me to task over it. He began to point out how blessed I was and I felt a little ashamed over it.


Many people in the world go to bed hungry each night not knowing where their next meal will come from. One of the biggest problems in our country is people being overweight. Our homes would be considered mansions in many countries. Let's stop and give thanks to God for the way he has blessed us. He is so Good to us all.


Please feel free to contact me by email at


shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

THANKSGIVING 1

2 Corinthians 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us THANKSGIVING to God


When we think of Thanksgiving we often think of the Holiday. We gather with our families, eat way too much and watch football. This year with all the TV hype it seemed that they are going to change Thanksgiving to Black Thursday and try to make a major shopping day out of it.

Thanksgiving is not just a one day Holiday. Thanksgiving is a state of mind. Without a thankful heart it is hard to find joy, or peace and especially happiness.

God has blessed us so tremendously but we often take his blessings for granted and fail to show how thankful we are. When we really stop and think of how much we have it should make us stop and praise God with Thanksgiving.

The next few devotionals will be devoted to being thankful. I hope you get a blessing from them.


Please feel free to contact me by email at
shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

FOR HIS SAKE 5

Psalms 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask IN MY NAME, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Sometimes we think if we had more resources, more time, more talent, or more of something else that we would be able to do more for the Lord.

 

The fact is that anything that we do to Glorify God, without any thought of self, of reward, or any other motivation than a love for Jesus Christ gives us access to all the resources of Heaven.

 

I think one of our biggest problems is that we think too much of our own selves when it comes to doing things in Jesus name. Doing something in Jesus name does not just mean using His name... it means doing so that God will be Glorified.

 

Remember, God wants to bless you. He wants to do it for His name's sake.

 

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

FOR HIS SAKE 4

Psalms 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

GOD IS GLORIFIED BY WHAT WE DO IN HIS NAME

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together IN MY NAME, there am I in the midst of them.

God is glorified in the things that He endorses. We know that when we sign a check that we are putting our approval on it. That is what it means to do something in God's name. If it is truly in His name it will have His approval. Many claim to do things in His name when they are truly against His will and teachings.

God's authority is not something to take lightly. He authorizes those things which will bring Glory to Him and to His name. He is Holy. He is God. Reverence Him and Honor Him for His name's sake.

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

FOR HIS SAKE 3

Psalms 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast CREATED all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were CREATED

MAN IS TRANSFORMED FOR HIS SAKE

Romans 12:2 And be not CONFORMED to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Something is considered transformed when it is one thing and then becomes something else completely. That is the way it should be when a person becomes a Christian. He should become a new creature.

Man in His original condition is guided by the flesh and his own desires. When He is saved he should become an entirely new creature who is guided by God's Holy Spirit dwelling within Him.

We should be transformed for His Sake. God is glorified when people can see the wonderful difference that being saved can make in your life.

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

FOR HIS SAKE 2

Psalms 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast CREATED all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were CREATED

SALVATION GLORIFIES GOD

When we are saved it is not just so that we don't have to go to hell. God is glorified in the salvation of souls and in the pardoning of sin.

Only God can pardon our sins. We can not receive pardon from a human priest, from an organization, a church, or a religious sect. Pardon can only come from God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

No one else has the power or the authority to forgive our sins. When Jesus died for our sins the veil that separated the holiest place in the temple from the common man was torn in half. We are now able to "go boldly before the throne of grace." He is glorified in forgiving our sins and in that I am sure He takes pleasure in that forgiveness.

There is no other plan for our salvation that is viable except the one that God has shown us in His Word. You are saved for His sake.

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

FOR HIS SAKE 1

Psalms 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast CREATED all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were CREATED

Sometimes we act as if God withholds blessings from us and only grudgingly blesses us. That could not be farther from the truth. God is glorified in our lives. He created us for His pleasure and He takes pleasure in a strong relationship with us.

Many of us are not living up to our purpose of creation because we are so busy living life our own way that we fail to allow God to bless us in a way that brings glory to Him.

For His sake, keep a close enough fellowship with Him that the world might watch as He blesses you.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WE MUST HAVE A VISION 5

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

SHARING THE VISION

Churches are perishing today because they have no vision. In the previous devotionals I discussed several things we should have a vision for. This was by no means a complete list but we must have a vision for the awfulness of sin, for the destructiveness of sin, and for the remedy of sin. I am afraid we have become complacent and are not worried about the souls of me.

Once in a church service they were singing, "Rescue The Perishing". One of the members was convicted by the Holy Spirit that we were failing to do that. He jumped up and shouted, "That is exactly what we are supposed to be doing, we are supposed to be rescuing the perishing." Someone told him to calm down, after all, "It is just a song!"

 

It might be just a song but the message is one that should pierce the hearts of all believers. We need to be about the business of warning others of the penalty of sin and telling them about the pardon of sinners by Jesus.

I ask you to pray for me that I will have a greater burden to share the gospel with the lost. Pray that I will have a vision for "souls".

 

Please feel free to contact me by email at

 

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

 

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WE MUST HAVE A VISION 4

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

WE MUST HAVE A VISION FOR THE REMEDY OF SIN

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus is the only remedy for sin. He paid our sin debt by suffering our punishment of us. He offers us salvation as a gift. We must swallow our pride and realize that there is nothing we can do but accept the gift of salvation from Him.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Don't try to complicate it and don't ever deceive yourself into to thinking that there is anything you can do to deserve to be saved. A gift is not something you can deserve. It is something you humbly accept.

Have a vision of your Savior and share that vision with others.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies. @gmail.com

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WE MUST HAVE A VISION 3

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

PEOPLE ARE PERISHING FROM SIN

We need to have a vision of the destructiveness of sin. I am a firm believer in the security of a believer. I believe that we are saved by God's grace and kept by God's grace and no one can pry us out of the Savior's hand. Some people mistakenly believe that people who believe in the security of believers take that as a license to sin. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Sin will not cause me to lose my salvation but it will have a destructive effect on me.

I will give you an example. Suppose I were to get drunk and wind up in an automobile accident and cut off one of my arms. God would forgive me but he would not grow me a new arm. That is an extreme situation maybe but we need a vision of the extreme destructiveness of sin. Many individuals, families and even churches are perishing because they disregard the destructiveness of sin.

Remember, sin will take you farther than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

God forbids us to do certain things because in His infinite wisdom He knows they are destructive. We need to have a vision of the destructiveness of sin.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WE MUST HAVE A VISION 2

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

PEOPLE ARE PERISHING FROM SIN

As Christians we need to have a vision for the awfulness of sin. I am afraid that we have lost our understanding of the awfulness of sin. We are quick to look at sinners and after seeing the effects of sin upon them we label them as awful but we still tolerate the same sin in moderation.

I can not understand how anyone can see the destructiveness of alcohol upon society and still think that it is alright to drink socially. I have known a lot of people whose lives were effected or destroyed by liquor and not one of them set that as a goal for their life. Sin sneaks in and then it just takes a little more each time.

We need to have a vision of destructiveness of sin on our families. Remember all our actions effect those we are close too. Parents need to protect their children from sinful situations. It is much more important for us to keep our young people pure than to make them popular. We would never dream of sending them to school with filthy hands and faces yet many are sent out each day with unclean souls.

We feed them, clothe them, pack their lunches and rush them to the bus or to school without taking time to pray for them. It is important that they see and hear you praying for God to protect them from sin. It has a strengthening effect when they are tempted.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WE MUST HAVE A VISION 1

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS

In an earlier devotional I mentioned the fact that many people are just going through the motions of living. They work, they eat, they sleep and then when they are off work they spend their time trying to forget that they have to start it all over again. Instead of making the most of their lives they are just flowing with the currents of life hoping some day to drift into the port of some dream paradise.

Someone once said that Christopher Columbus was just lucky. He started out not knowing where he was going, when he got there he didn't know where he was and when he got back he didn't know where he had been. To add to all that he did it all on borrowed money. Maybe Columbus had something that did make it all happen, he had a vision. He had a vision of new routes to an old world but wound up discovering a new one.

Many today are doing the same as Christopher Columbus only they lack the vision. Do you have a vision? Are you working toward specific goals in your life or are you just floating on the currents of circumstances hoping to make a happy landing at some port some day. It is your life. You should decide where you want to steer it.

I hope you receive a blessing from the next few devotionals concerning having a vision.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

HELP FOR THE HEART 5

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;(26) Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

PEOPLE'S HEARTS ARE FAILING FOR FEAR

We certainly live in perilous times. We need only turn on the news or read a paper and it seems that there is something new that should scare us.

Terrorism seems to continue in spite of the War being raged against it. Our government is enough to make us all be a little fearful when we look at the massive failures of the last several years.

Experts keep telling us of the terrible economy. (Personally I can't tell that I am much worse off than I have been all along.)

The News is constantly showing us how dangerous our food supply, medicine, and water is.

Crime is on the rise. We are constantly at war. I could go on and on with the list of things that cause us to be fearful but the one thing we must remember is that all this is temporary.

This world and this life will pass away but there is peace and victory in Jesus Christ who is eternal. I have nothing in the world to fear because this world is not my home, I am just passing through on my way to my eternal home.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

HELP FOR THE HEART 4

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;(26) Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

PEOPLE'S HEARTS ARE BROKEN BECAUSE THEY FEEL TRAPPED

Many people are snared by their circumstances and locked in by their own actions or as one preacher said "they are hemmed in by their habits."

It is sad to see so many people who are just going through the motions of life. They are depressed or anxious and they feel trapped with no way out.

There are many people who are truly in some bad situations that we can not imagine but there are many who could change everything around them if they would just change the way they react to what goes on around them. We must understand that Jesus is the only one who can give us true liberty.

The apostle Paul spoke much about his liberty in Christ even though he spent much of his later years imprisoned. If Jesus reigns supreme in your heart you will not be trapped, you will be free.

Sometimes I hesitate to write devotionals like these because it seems like they are trivializing serious situations and making the solution sound simple. Allowing Jesus to be the Lord of all of your life is anything but simple. It takes a lot of work and you must be willing to swallow some pride and show some humility. Believe me, that can take a lot of effort but it will be well worth it if you become free from your circumstances.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

HELP FOR THE HEART 3

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;(26) Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

PEOPLE'S HEARTS ARE BROKEN FROM LONELINESS

Loneliness is a lot different from being alone. We all need time to be alone with God but that does not mean being lonely. We can be in a crowd of people and still feel lonely.

From the small child who feels he has no friends and the teenager who doesn't fit in, to the adult who feels isolated from those around him, there are many who are lonely.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is there for us when the whole world deserts us. When we are close to Him we will be serving Him which means ministering to others. When we minister to others the loneliness seems to disappear.

Our hearts are lonely when we are consumed with ourselves. When our hearts are filled with a love for Jesus we will seldom feel lonely.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies. @gmail.com

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

HELP FOR THE HEART 2

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;(26) Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

PEOPLE FEAR FAILURE

It seems that people sometimes try so hard and still fail. The work of their hands turns to clay instead of Gold. The American dream seems to have turned into a nightmare for many. Streets are filled with people who are protesting because things haven't turned out the way they thought they would.

We are not doing our youth any favors by promising them a good education will insure that they have a good job and a promising future. What we need to is teach our children to live their lives for Jesus. This world is temporary and it promises us nothing.

Jesus is eternal and He promises us eternal life and if we abide in Him we are promised abundant life.

No life lived for the cause of Christ is a failure. If we live for Jesus there are eternal rewards that we can not even imagine. That is far from failure.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.