Category: Devotional

Your name
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Your name

carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Your name

Walking down the street in the late afternoon sun. A bell jingles as you open the door to your favorite coffee shop. Your back is sore and your clothes are scuffed from a long morning as you walk up to the counter. Then the waitress behind the counter smiles. “Hi……..! The usual?”
You nod and smile back with a please and thank you. Feeling a little more refreshed you accept your coffee and leave with a wave.
Isn’t it great to have people call you by name?
Names signify belonging. We give names to our vehicles, our guitars, sometimes even our favorite pair of runners. Why? Because it signifies that they are important to you. You call them by name because you have a connection.
When people have a connection to you they call you by name. Sharing a name with a person makes you instant BFFS because you have a unique connection.
Jesus calls us by name; not because He has to, but because He wants to show is that we are important to Him. He wants us to know that He knows our name and that we have a connection to Him.
Jesus. God. Savior. Knows your name.

Use your tears
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Use your tears

carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Use your tears

I once heard an urban legend about a donkey who had fallen down a hole. With no way to get him out the farmer, (whom I think was very unkind) decided to bury the animal there. But everytime the man threw a shovel full of dirt down the hole the donkey appeared to rise. Eventually the animal was out and free again. (Hopefully on his way to a better home.)
Everytime the man threw dirt on the animal he shook it off and trampled it underfoot until he had climbed out of the hole.
If we were in a hole and up to our throats in water our fear would most likely cause many of us to panic and cry; every tear drop causing the water around us to rise. The harder you cry the deeper the water gets until eventually you can swim. After treading water for a bit you find you can swim to the edge and climb out.
Sometimes letting it all go and just screaming out to God is the only way to help you rise to the surface of the hole you are in and climb out.
Use your tears to help you heal. God made it so we could cry for a reason.

Devotional
carriedinthecross1 Comment

Put your head on my shoulder

As things go from crazy to insane it is easy for your mind to begin to whirl and keep whirling until you feel sick. In those dizzying experiences where should we turn? If you said ‘to Jesus’ you are correct.
We all need that one friend that reaches out their arms and says, “come here, put your head on my shoulder.”
Once the weight of the world shifts off of your sore neck and onto that faithful shoulder you feel instant relief and start to breathe better. Once you can breathe better then you can think better and soon you feel better all over as your whirling stops.
Go. Put your head on your savior’s shoulder and feel better.

Let the storm pass by
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Let the storm pass by

carriedinthecross1 Comment

Pain and grief build like the thick muggy atmosphere before a storm. You tell yourself you are okay but after awhile your heart and mind fill until the storm clouds break and you are left in a downpour of tears and a thunderstorm of racking shakes until through the midst of the rain you see Jesus. Scarred hand reaching out and taking you into His arms. As you cry into His heart you slowly feel better, His reassuring voice trickles in through the sobs and you hear Him tell you He loves you and that you will be okay. Suddenly your pain stops and feel like air after a big storm…refreshed…renewed…clear…. better. Thank you Jesus.

Devotional
carriedinthecross1 Comment

In a world where the news is almost fully negative it is easy to forget the things that are the most important.

A. God still has the whole world in His hands

B. God is still in control

C. Jesus still died so we could be close to God, the curtain tore, we have a relationship with God.

D. God loves us. He always has.

E. Our family belongs to God.

F. Our hope is in God.

G. We are never abandoned by God.

H. God is still God!

I. The Bible is still true.

If we can remember these essentials we have enough hope and strength to get is through each day.

Thank you Lord! That we have You!

Amen.

Help God! I don’t know where to go!
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Help God! I don’t know where to go!

carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Proverbs 16:3

Isn’t it amazing how when you look at the scriptures, even if you simply skim through, you can find verses of scripture, God breathed scripture, that directly applies to your situation right now. If you’re sick, if you’re depressed, if you’re scared, if you’re alone, if you suffered, if you’re happy, if you’re searching, no matter what there is always a scripture verse that applies. I don’t know about you, but for me that just makes me think, no remember, that even before my situation happened God knew it was going to happen He provided me an answer. If you’re going through a tough time right now where you need an answer and you just can’t find one, sit down, pray, and ask God to guide you to a scripture that will help you through this situation.
Thank you my Lord God that no matter what I go through, no matter who is causing it, no matter what it is, you have given me the answer. You have seen it already, you have been there once before and you were pulling me through, I thank you in your name my Jesus, amen.

Devotional

When you’re gone

carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Rapture will not stay lest mortals become divine and laws change too much- CS Lewis.
It’s something we don’t really think about rapture will not stay. When the rapture comes it will be seconds in time, possibly even less. If we are not ready, then it will pass us by, there is no second chance, no third times the charm, it will be gone. If you are smart that thought will terrify you. Many people I have talked to say, ‘ya, I’m a good person I know I’m going to heaven,’ but that is not enough. You have to follow God’s laws to the best of your ability and fall on God’s grace for those you seem to keep failing at. Don’t think that God is going to look at you and see that you gave money to a homeless man and say ok fine your in. God wants all of you, all to him, good deeds alone wont squeak you by. Remember Rapture will not stay.

As the trumpet calls
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

As the trumpet calls

carriedinthecross1 Comment

Do we sometimes forget that Jesus is coming back?
As we go through our days it can feel like this world is forever spinning and never ending. It’s easy to forget that there is a greater purpose than this. It’s easy to get so caught up in the day to day that our minds completely lose focus on the fact that tomorrow, the next day, tonight, right now Jesus could be coming back. Jesus himself said that He did not know the hour that He would return. As the world and it’s forever spinning seems to be forever spinning off its axle I see people starting to fill with fear, that or they were full of fear already, because the world is a mess. I’m sorry but it is. Yes, it’s partly our fault, but we don’t need to look at this world with the fear that we will be here forever till it ends. When the world is finally burned up there will not be a single Christian on it. No matter if you are pre tribulation, mid tribulation, or post tribulation in the end when the world dies we will not be here. Let me repeat that we will not be here. Jesus is coming back. If you knew nothing else in your entire life except that one fact you would know the most important thing you need to know to survive. If there is no Jesus, there is no point. But we know there is a Jesus, our Jesus, and He is coming for His people.

Tone deaf
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Tone deaf

carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Tone

When you are a musician you can usually hear tone pretty well. Tone, not to be confused with tune, can change a song drastically. If the tone is wrong then everything sounds wrong. It’s like that when we are talking with people. If our tone is unpleasant then it may seem like we are saying something other than what we mean. If your tone sounds irritated then people will automatically think you are annoyed. If your tone sounds happy then people think you are happy.
It’s like speaking with an animal. If I say in a high tone, “let’s go to the groomer’s today buddy!” My dog gets very excited, even though he hates being groomed, he loves the car ride though.
It’s easy to forget your tone when speaking. I do a lot of physical activity so pain is not an uncommon thing, unfortunately. When in pain I have been criticized for having an angry or irritated tone. It’s just the way I sound when I am pushing through a day of pain. Making myself sound happy takes too much effort and wears me out when I am injured. I realize that my tone bothers people though. Tone can change a whole conversation. So when speaking, try to tune your ear to your tone.

Devotional

+++-=?

carriedinthecross1 Comment

Have you ever noticed that a person can shower you with compliments all day long and then say one nasty thing to you, maybe not even intending to be unkind, and the nasty thing is the only thing you remember?
Isn’t that awful.
The devil really likes to mess with us doesn’t he?
I know maybe 2 people who only ever remember the good things. I wish I was one of those people. To only ever remember the good things you do. Forgetting all of the bad things and moving on without a second thought would be so amazing. Unfortunately, that isn’t the way the real world seems to work. It seems like no matter how hard you try there will always be negative memories. That’s not our fault. The devil brings up negative memories, negative thoughts, and the negative emotions that cause these things. I wish I had some big answer that could help people move on and have fully Sunshine lives, but I don’t. The only answer I can think of is not something you can do, it’s simply somebody you can love. Loving Jesus has been proven to cause people to actively try harder to be better people. Being more like Jesus means there will be less things for you to regret, for us to regret. Jesus lived a guilt-free, Flawless life. In the end Jesus would have had no cause for negative memories or thoughts because He was perfect, that doesn’t mean that every day was perfect, but anything negative that happened wouldn’t have been his fault so the devil couldn’t use those things against Him like, he uses our faults against us. When negatives come your way, remember, you are not alone in your suffering, we have all been there. You are also not powerless to stop it. Pray Jesus’ name over these things and watch your victory come in.