Be Prepared

In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2


On a tombstone in England are inscribed the words, "Pause now, stranger, when you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. So prepare for death and follow me."

Someone was seen reading that tombstone and was overheard to say, "To follow you is not my intent, until I know which way you went."

Death is no respecter of persons. It doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, elderly or young. Everyone has to face death.

British novelist William Boyd wrote, "We all want to be happy, and we are all going to die. . . . You might say that these are the only two unchallengeably true facts that apply to every human being on this planet."

The Bible says in Amos 4:12, "Prepare to meet your God." Are you ready? None of us know when death will come knocking on our door. Are your affairs in order? I'm not referring to a will.

Rather, I'm asking whether you are prepared for eternity. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).

Are you ready to go there? The only way to have the hope of forgiveness and the hope of heaven is to receive the gift of eternal life that Jesus Christ bought for you. He purchased it with His own blood.

You can't buy it with your own money, with good works, with religion, or morality. You have to take the gift that Jesus has made available to you and be ready to go.

Death is unavoidable. But only those who are prepared to die are really prepared to live.

Greg Laurie-Harvest Church Daily devotion.

Letter From God

My Child ~You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring ~ Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation ~ Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb ~ Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born ~ Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me ~ John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand ~ James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32

LOVE, YOUR DAD, ALMIGHTY GOD.

Love the Fall

I love this time of year. The trees are all changing colors and all the various colors are just amazing to me. I walk up town at least once a week, and from week to week the changes are obvious.

Now we have the possibility of snow over the next couple of days and I can't wait. It is going to look amazing with the golds, reds, oranges, greens, and browns of the trees with a back drop of snow. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to live anywhere that does not have lots and lots of trees. Fall is so beautiful.

The good Lord has so blessed us with such beauty if we only would choose to look around and appreciate it. I can see why that old saying, "stop and smell the roses" is so applicable for this day and age. Not enough people stop to really appreciate and acknowledge that God's love is shown all around us by the beauty He has given us to enjoy.

Next time you are feeling down or going through a trial...take a minute to look around you and really see the love of God in His creation and know He not only loves you enough to send His Son to pay the cost of our sinfulness...but enough to create such wonder and beauty for us to enjoy.

No Compromise

"How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules. I have tried my best to find you—don't let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:9-11 NLT"

Piling on "In the game of football it's called "piling on": You're already down when suddenly you get pummeled again by your opponent.

In real life it's called spiritual warfare, and it's often disguised. You're suffering through a hard time when suddenly the enemy comes at you with what actually looks like relief.

Ah, how vulnerable we are in such moments! After all I've had to endure lately, I think I deserve a little break! How easy it is to rationalize!

Would it really be so wrong for me to ________? Why not?Of course, this is the nature of temptation. On the front end, sin looks "heavenly." On the back side, it is always hellish and makes bad situations worse.

Our only hope is in living out the promise that God's Word can keep us from sin. By filling our hearts and minds with the truth of God's Word, we are able to recognize the enemy's lies. That is how we stay pure in hard, tempting times (see Matthew 4:1-11).

It is how we avoid Satan's deceptive attempts to hit us again when we're down. Praying God's Promise:

God, when I hide your Word in my heart, I can keep from sinning! Grant me the wisdom to seek you and to hide your Word in my heart. I need discernment to apply your truth to everyday situations, especially when I am going through difficult times.

from Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Wood (Tyndale) pp 170-71"
(From my email devotions. )