Listen - Don't Speak

James 1:19-20I was reading and in vs. 19 it says "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; vs. 20. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Sometimes we don't know how to be quiet like me. If you are someone who has the gift to be quiet and not say a word that is awesome. But as people we talk instead of listening. Like if we were trying to make a new friend we should be interested in what they have to say about their life instead of going on and on about ours. Or if you are talking to a person about Christ we should be listening like you know, see where they are at or what is going on in their life instead of trying to give the answers to everything and say you need to do this and that. No you need to be quiet because if you keep on talking you lose the person interest and then there is a wall. I heard this quote one time it said "You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth."
--Vanessa Griego

Gifts

Ephesians 4:11-13 God has used this verse to remind me that I have a responsibility to Him and my brothers and sisters in Christ to use the gifts He has given me according to the measure of the grace given to me, to build up the body of Christ. He tells me in (vs 11) that He Himself gave some to be and then He goes on to say some of the gifts He has given. This serves to remind me that if He Himself gave me a gift to use shouldn't I be using it ? Then in verse (vs 12) He tells me why I should be using it.For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of Christ's body. Here He is telling me that I have a part or roll to carry out in the body. And in (vs 13) He let's me no when I no longer have to use my gift and I can sit back and relax and enjoy the ride. Till the entire body of Christ comes to a unity of faith and the knowledge of the son to a perfect man to the measure and the stature of the fullness of Christ ! "Are we there yet"? He uses these verses to let me know that He has work for me to do. I'm to strive in His power by the measure of the grace He has given me to carry out the work that He has called me to do.
--Tim Lindquist

Hope for Children

For many years, I have been very sad about my two grown children. Neither of them has chosen to live for the Lord despite growing up in a Christian home. One even attended Christian schools. God entrusted me to raise them to love Him. As a mother, I feel like I’ve let the Lord down. A fellow student brought up a well known verse that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. The passage has given me comfort and my hope is renewed. Sometimes it takes a reminder such as this to provide the much needed peace. I continue to pray for my children and their salvation.
--Theresa Baca

Lukewarm Person

This last week i read some things on what it is to truly be a Lukewarm person and how many people can settle into this life that they don't even realize that they have lost their fire. The book that I'm reading , Crazy Love, dissects this person and shows in so many ways how this person could very well be you. It was very humbling for me this week and cause me to focus on really what i put my time into and how passionate i was towards the things of God.
--Stepha Herrera

God's Perfect Timing

I have been reading through Genesis, and this week I was in the life of Joseph. I focused mainly on chapter 41. It is so amazing to me to see all the hardships Joseph went through; for example, he was not liked by his brothers, sold into slavery by them, thrown into jail even though he was innocent, and these are only a few. Through all of these hardships Joseph trusted in God! He was faithful in the small things and, in time, God rewarded Him with big things. The end of vs. 41:55 Pharaoh says, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do." He went from a slave and a prisoner to being second only to Pharaoh. We never read that Joseph became impatient with God, I wonder if he did? But we see Joseph trusting in what God has for him, and waiting on God's perfect timing! I know this is something I struggle with, taking things from God and doing them in my own timing. Is this something you do, or are you content waiting on the Lord?
--Shawna Willis

His Provision

This week I’m taking notice in HIS provision for me…. Even in the small things.... the weather, the flowers that I brush by every morning, the smile from a friend, the sunrise and sunset, the boisterous greeting of the dogs, the love of a family. Until I start to be aware of WHO he is and WHERE he is, I walk around masked and almost blinded. Until I open my Mind, Eyes & Spirit to what is right in front of me, I am some what dead . Today I am thankful that I have eyes to see.
--Nicki M.

Sons of God

Philemon vs 10-16 "I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. I am sending him back.You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account."

This letter from Paul to Philemon regarding his slave Onesimus is a great picture of Christ's relationship to us. Just as Paul says "Receive him, that is my own heart", Jesus stands before God the Father and declares us his sons, and has taken the debt we owe and bore it on the cross so we who cannot pay it wouldn't have to.
--Matt Storer

Reveals

Very recently i had this huge feeling of doubt, although i knew it was not right, i still could not help to wonder, "I'm i really supposed to be attending SOM, should i really have talked to this person, did i say the right things? Is it possible that maybe what i thought would help bring this person to know God, really in fact has set them farther away?" exc. thought like these kept on pop corning in my mind, at that point in time I realized that through all these "works" i was really just depending on myself, and sure, asking God to guide me, but wasn't really listen and taking guidance from Him. When God opened my mind and bluntly showed me my wrongs, i put it in His hands, and that evening two main things that were on my plate, that i had been trying to accomplish on my own, God bought to ease. How amazing is our God???! pretty AMAZING HUH?! all in all this weeks lesson has been on God showing me not to look to myself for strength, but to HIM! God bless you all! ~in His loving name-
--Manda Klebesadel

Prayerful Thanksgiving

Over the past few days I have been pouring over the psalms. One reoccurring theme is that of thanksgiving and today God really spoke to my heart through Psalm 116: 1-2 which states “I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. “ I think that David, like all of us at a certain time, has called on God in a time of need. Many people simply believe that God is too busy for them, or that He doesn’t care. However, this is clearly contradictory to what we are taught in these verses, and all of scripture. When God’s ear is inclined to hear our prayers it is an imitation of His willingness and longing to have a relationship with us. This is the reason that Christ died, that the veil of sin separating us from the Father would be torn and that everyone would be able to enter into God’s presence and humbly submit our requests to Him. As a result of his answered prayer David then devotes his life to God vowing to always call upon Him. We should take note of God’s willingness to hear our prayer and “be swift to hear, and slow to speak” as James commands. David’s prayers were heard not because of his works, but because of God’s grace. In my times of need I always need to remember to not be worried about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let my requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) The key phrase and theme of these verses is thanksgiving. We can pray and complain, but it is so much better to thank God for all He has done in our lives simply because we have so much to thank Him for.
-- Luke Tanner

Wait on the Lord

So..i have been going through a little struggle lately. Praying for this, that and the other... feeling so far from the Lord. I have been praying for Him to reveal the sin that is hindering my communion with Him more than ever as well as the other 500 things on my prayer list. :-) Ok..not that many, but you all know what I mean. Well..long story short..the Lord had me read Isaiah 30..i have actually never readit before. As I read it..i was a little bummed out to be honest..I was thinking..where is the Lord going with this. Then..oh man..verse 18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. How long did the Lord have to wait for each and every one of us to come to Him. Do we truly understand that? I know i didn't..or maybe I thought I did. Now as I am feeling distant from the Lord..or like He is not answering my prayers..or whatever it is...I am commanded to wait on Him. I am so undeserving of the patience he had with me...i can at least do the same for Him. Which..we all know..His timing is perfect! Love you all!
--Laney

Prayer

Wow! Prayer is something I long for. I long for it because honestly my prayer life is just. Not that strong. I know that it should be the foundation of my walk, to have that sweet fellowship, but I just don't know how to do it. But ill tell you what, I really began to pray for a stronger prayer life and slowly but surely God has been providing! Intamacy with God is amazing but just a little taste of his glory is not enough, so pray for me and I will continue to pray for a deeper and stronger prayer life! Thank u and God bless you all!
--kelly lucero

Decrease

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to SimonPeter, “Simon, son of Jonah,[b] do you love Me more thanthese?”He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
I’ve been thinking about this verse for my devo.Peter had completely failed and Jesus is restoring him.I’m sure in Peters mind it was over But in Gods mind ithad just begun.This man is humble now ready to leadand God starts telling him what he is to do. This is thepart that catches my attention “Feed my Lambs.” In mymind the Lambs are the younger ones as compared tothe Sheep in the following verse.Lambs are babes.Theymake messes and need special constant care.They needspecial attention and this is where God starts withPeter.He entrusts to this man infants.Later in Acts we seeit fulfilled with all the new believers.Thats just what weregoing to be doing in church, after the salvation calldealing with the Lambs.To our class SOM do you loveme? “Feed my Lambs.”
--Kurt Kreider John 21-15 LambsJhn 3:30"He must increase, but I must decrease. We all need this attitude,weall need to decrease and let him increase.We can do this by our thoughts andactions toward each other esteeming others better than ourselves. I believeJohn had the right perspective and was humble we can too.

Witnessing

HE WHO HEARS YOU HEARS ME, HE WHO REJECTS YOU REJECTS ME, AND HE WHO REJECTS ME, REJECTS HIM WHO SENT ME.(LUKE 10:16)

Well this verse has such a impact on me at my job. The reason why I say this is because my friend's that I work with, see me constantly see me studying for School of Ministry, on my breaks. They say "hey bro all you do is read your bible and talk about God and Jesus all the time." It so hard sometimes to explain to them, I got to devote my life to God and constantly read Gods word, to get threw this year, and reflect Jesus threw my conversations and the lifestyle I live. But now they are starting to ask questions about Jesus which is a blessing and I wanna be able to answer there quesions in a loving way.
--Jason Urban

Being Still

Be still, and know that I am God. – Psalm 46:10This week I have really been focusing on this verse. I have been taking breaks from friends, family, and school work once a day just to sit, think, and pray. It has helped me a lot because I have been getting busy with a lot of different things and I just have to remind myself to chill out, be still and know that He is God and He will help me get through whatever I’m going through.
--Gabriel Nells

Be an Example

In Romans 2:17-24 Paul is speaking to the Jews and calls them out as hypocrites. He starts off listing the good qualities of what the Jews should be doing and they are confident in their ability to be leaders and teachers. However, this is where they go wrong. In the very thing that they are purposed for, they become prideful and think of themselves as above others. Paul goes on in a series of statements questioning whether they live up to their proclaimed teachings. Their hypocritical actions blasphemed the name of God among the Gentiles, who are watching the Jews. I found a strong parallel here for us. Even stating we are Christians draws attention to us, let alone when we share that we are attending the School of Ministry. We have eyes upon us who don't know Christ, who are curious of Christ, or who are looking for encouragement towards Christ. Lord, it is great for us to be eager to share what you are doing in our lives, but my prayer is that the focus will always remain on your grace and glory and not my pride and perseverance. Seek out my heart and hold me accountable in your convictions. May you shine through it all. Thank you for loving me enough to convict me and bless me.
--E. Freese

Anger

An issue I have been dealing with for a long time is anger. I find that when I get angry about something, it tends to fester for some time. For instance, the other day I decided I needed a printer for school. I can't rely on the access to the printer at work so I needed to get my own. It was relatively imperative that I have the printer because I had a few things I needed to print for school for the next day. At any rate, this printer just refused to work and I spent 3.5 hours of my night trying to do something that I feel was relatively simple. I don't have a strange computer and its a simple USB connection to the printer so I was sitting back wondering why this was happening. I managed to control myself and just accept that I need to get another brand of printer but there was something lingering there behind the scenes. I didn't start to let my anger get to me until the next morning when I woke up. For me, this is the problem; letting it go. I really needed to print something for school that night and there was this wall of problems that was keeping me from doing it. I woke up with the same printer problem and instead of just accepting what I accepted the night before, I started to worry. In my head, I hear "My grace is enough." I don't really know specifically what this means but it could mean that I need a different printer, or that the Lord is trying to teach me something about being patient and not letting something like this get me down or to linger on it. The printer problem is solved for the most part but I gave into the emotion of anger and let it ruin an evening and part of the next morning. I believe that is why the Lord told us not to be angry. Anger is a natural expression of our emotions but it can be very destructive. When I find myself in this state, I always remember Mt 5:21-26: allowing yourself to be angry is equivalent to the sin of murder. It wasn't that bad, it was just a printer after all, however, I did let it get to me and let it affect my emotional state for longer than I should have (probably at all!).
--Darren

Thought Life

Philippians 4:4"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things."
I think one area that all Christians struggle with (at least from time to time) is their thought life. We all want to be pleasing to God in thoughts and in deed, but it seems like those evil thoughts just creep in from time to time. The more we saturate ourselves with the Word of God, the more our thoughts will be on Him. In this passage, Paul is telling them to do this. That shows me that it is very possible to control your thoughts and you can choose the thoughts you entertain. God has been telling me to be mindful of my thoughts and to be constantly mediating on Jesus- He is always true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and is of the BEST report.
--Crystal Valdez

The Moments I Toss Away

"There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1
God showed me something profound today: I was talking with one of the girls at student ministry, and where in the conversation I mentioned (rather shamefully) that I didn't have a job. Instead of chastising me for my laziness, she told me that God could use this. She told me I had the opportunity to worship God in ways I won't be able to later...(Leastways, it was something like that-- sorry if I misquoted you, Tricia!)Anyway, I was stunned. I had never thought of it that way. God was, (and could) use a circumstance that I saw as a source of vexation might be a tool to his revelation? Yeah right.Sometimes, we get caught up in life--sort of like in a road trip. We get so focused on the milemark-- so centered on the destination, we forget to have fun while we're going. We get so fixated on that one promotion, one graduation, one guy/girl, we forget what God wants us to do right now.Lately, I've been trying to trust God more. Or I've been praying for that at least. I get stuck to thinking--"He wants this desire, and that relationship, and that thought"--(which he does)--so much so that I forget that He wants the little moments that i too rashly fling away.So what moments do i have, and how can i use them for God's glory?
--Cashie

Trusting

John 4:50-51Life seems to be getting more and more stressful as the weeks go by. Especially this past week. I recently started reading John and came across this passage of Jesus healing the nobleman's son. The thing that really got to me about these verses was that the nobleman "believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went on his way." I really haven't been simply taking Jesus at His word. I haven't been trusting Him as I know I should. When He told us He would take care of us, He meant it. And the thing is, there is so much peace when life doesn't depend on me. I can simply rest in Him. It's fabulous.
--Bethany

Back to Basics - Redemption

Today, I had to confront myself about something. I don't live up to Christ's standard in any way. To admit things to God was hard. After though, the fact that I am dead wrong humbled me. I am asking God to reteach me how to love, how to live for Him and by Him and not by any other standard. This is where i should be and am not. Jeremiah 17:9 the heart is wicked and decietful who can understand it? It's my fault and their is nothing I can ever do to save myself or any one, therefore, i reach to Christ as my soul's provider. He alone will save me..... So i guess this devo is all about the basics. But it was something i needed to do....
--Ben Olivas

Waiting on the Lord

Habakkuk3:17-19
Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
he LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

For about a month or so now I have been having a hard time having a quiet time with God. I don't feel like He's speaking to me at all. I felt a lot better after class on thursday and talking to you, so that night when i had my prayer time i just prayed He would speak. I didn't know where to start so i just opened up to any random page (not in a mystical kind of "this is God's message" way but I really didn't know where to read, and all scripture is God inspired so i went for it) and read Habakkuk 3:17-19. It really spoke to me (not in the way i wanted it to but in a way that answered my prayers anyways). He is basically saying even if everything fails him, even things that are expected to work just don't go his way, He will rejoice in the Lord. That was really humbling to me because I may not hear His voice, may not see His face, but I should always rejoice in the Lord. I know He wont let me down, He is the God of my salvation and I know He is doing something in my life, i just don't know what it is yet, but i trust Him and will wait for His time.
--Bekah

A Living Sacrifice To God

Romans 12: 1-8 In these verses it talks about sacrificing yourself to God's will and using your spiritual gifts that God has given you.These verses have really touched me this week since God is the one that gave his son for us so the least we can do is give him back our lives. We should want to serve no matter what and we should do it for His glory and not our own. Most people say what is in it for me, but the cool thing is we do get something it is called blessings and making our Father proud.I have been helping my Aunt and Uncle with their youth group and I have observed that they don't want to serve other people they just come for the fun stuff. I have been struggling to find a way to present serving to them and I think I may have gotten the answer I had been looking for and I praise God for that!
--Ashley Maggard

Insanity

Warning: I am a fan and advocate of stark honesty....So something God has shown me today is that I need to stop fearing that I am insane (or that the world views me as such.) Now that might confuse some of you but some of you might know exactly what I mean. Seriously, what if this is all just crazy and we are devoting our lives to a lie? We are then insane....we talk to ourselves, make irrational decisions based on nothing but this weird term called "faith" and we believe this guy rose from the dead and was the son of this creator guy. Now "normally" I don't fear that, but then the worldly side of my brain seeps in and makes me question it.I guess he has been showing me that it doesn't matter if the world thinks I'm insane or if even sometimes think I'm insane, I cling to what he has done and look forward to what he will do while participating in what he is doing. Cling to the truth and reality of Jesus. Along the lines of the book:meditation has been difficult for me to practice but new and interesting at the same time. The idea of palms down when handing stuff to the Lord and palms up when meditating on his truths and character has brought a new level of focus to my time with the Lord
--Anna B

Redeeming Time

Ephesians 5 : 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
This verse is taped to the mirror in my bathroom. I've been feeling that I'm doing a poor job balancing how I spend time each day. Why else would I be so far behind ... and not able to address the "things" I think need to be done? BUT...this gives me the balance I need to hear. It is comfort and direction to pause and recall that I'm not wasting time,( being unwise) when I seek to understand what the will of the Lord is. It is what He calls me to do that is important. Right now....it's "thanks" time -- to the One who is the great redeemer.
--Ann

Trusting the Lord

Jeremiah 17:5-85
Thus says the LORD:
“ Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
7 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear[a] when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
This verse has really come alive to me this Som year. I have hard time trusting the Lord with every circumstance in my life, and this verse really puts it all into perspective for me on why i should Trust the Lord in every way. I never would have thought i was cursed put according to the word of the Lord i'am cursed because i make flesh my strength or in other words i trust man moreover myself. God is showing me this year that i need to trust Him. The verse also says that my heart has departed from the Lord. This part of the verse really challenged me because my heart is not with the Lord it has departed from Him. And when that happens i become like a shrub in a dry salty land no water really no life.But the contrast is Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and his hope is in the Lord. Blessed a beauitful word something that i long to be but i want to take into my own hands. And all i have to do is Trust him. Then i will be like a tree planed by the water spreading out it's root full of life a tree by the river is beauitful. And when the hard times come i will not cease to bear fruit. This verse has been my hope for the past few weeks, may God continue to grant me the Grace and the Faith to Trust him with my whole heart.
--Adam Apodaca

A Living Sacrifice to God

Romans 12: 1-8 In these verses it talks about sacrificing yourself to God's will and using your spiritual gifts that God has given you.These verses have really touched me this week since God is the one that gave his son for us so the least we can do is give him back our lives. We should want to serve no matter what and we should do it for His glory and not our own. Most people say what is in it for me, but the cool thing is we do get something it is called blessings and making our Father proud.I have been helping my Aunt and Uncle with their youth group and I have observed that they don't want to serve other people they just come for the fun stuff. I have been struggling to find a way to present serving to them and I think I may have gotten the answer I had been looking for and I praise God for that!
--Ashley Maggard

His Provision

This week I’m taking notice in HIS provision for me…. Even in the small things.... the weather, the flowers that I brush by every morning, the smile from a friend, the sunrise and sunset, the boisterous greeting of the dogs, the love of a family. Until I start to be aware of WHO he is and WHERE he is, I walk around masked and almost blinded. Until I open my Mind, Eyes & Spirit to what is right in front of me, I am some what dead . Today I am thankful that I have eyes to see.
--Nicki M.

The Moments I toss Away

"There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1
God showed me something profound today: I was talking with one of the girls at student ministry, and where in the conversation I mentioned (rather shamefully) that I didn't have a job. Instead of chastising me for my laziness, she told me that God could use this. She told me I had the opportunity to worship God in ways I won't be able to later...(Leastways, it was something like that-- sorry if I misquoted you, Tricia!)Anyway, I was stunned. I had never thought of it that way. God was, (and could) use a circumstance that I saw as a source of vexation might be a tool to his revelation? Yeah right.Sometimes, we get caught up in life--sort of like in a road trip. We get so focused on the milemark-- so centered on the destination, we forget to have fun while we're going. We get so fixated on that one promotion, one graduation, one guy/girl, we forget what God wants us to do right now.Lately, I've been trying to trust God more. Or I've been praying for that at least. I get stuck to thinking--"He wants this desire, and that relationship, and that thought"--(which he does)--so much so that I forget that He wants the little moments that i too rashly fling away.So what moments do i have, and how can i use them for God's glory?
--Cashie

Decrease

Jhn 3:30
"He must increase, but I must decrease. We all need this attitude,we
all need to decrease and let him increase.We can do this by our thoughts and
actions toward each other esteeming others better than ourselves. I believe
John had the right perspective and was humble we can too.
--Kurt

Trust

Trusting God. If I am at a place where I believed God has brought me and after a time do not see the whole picture I may easily begin to believe that I had not heard God in the first place and move on to something else or leave what I was doing. I may give up thinking it was me that brought me to where I am. God has been dealing with me on patience and trust. In Scripture I am looking at John the Baptist who announced Jesus Christ, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” and yet even after hearing of the works of Jesus sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One to come, or if they should expect someone else? I realize that sometimes we need to look at the road that brought us to the point where we are at and realize God was directing us. I need to trust that I am in God’s will today, know that He sees beginning, end, and everything in the middle and that I can see only today, and I must trust one day at a time. And until I learn to do this well I will cheat myself out of the joy and peace that the Lord offers.
--Mark Bersch

Fasting His Way

6 “ Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Earlier this week I used this verse to "observe" what the scripture was saying. When the discipline of "fasting" is mentioned, I would probably go about this with a pre-conceived idea of what a "fast" was. This opened my mind to what God has to say about His chosen "fast" and about loving one another, in this situation. It is a another unique way of God reminding me to "love others" . To think that I could "fast" by standing up and loosening the bonds of wickedness I see around me; or helping others with the heavy burdens they carry and undoing what burdens I have put on others; by releasing (forgiving?) those hurt by these things, and not going back to old practices of holding "things" so tightly. My view of a "fast" is changed.
--Ann Talbot

Judgement

Praise God for salvation is offered to All; and not a selected few. Matthew 7:1 &5 yes, this is the vrs. Kerry asked us to memorize. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged... You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brethren's eye." -Matt.7:1&5. I've found myself looking at others and just highlighting their "sins", and what they are doing wrong, what they should be doing, and how they should be acting. when in fact I found myself acting in some of the same ways! Praise God for opening my eyes, and prayer that i do not pass judgment on others. thanks for reading. *~GodBless~*
--Manda!

Daily Devo

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9, 16-18
1) Through many things (tasks) in life, I maybe tempted and have to go through tribulations. But God said” The end is better than the beginning.”
To get to the end I must go through persecutions and accomplish things in my life.
2) V8. To be patient with God is not to put him on a time-line, where you give him so much or so little time to answer prayers. In this, I am learning how to be very patient. I know it is by his will, not by mine, so I need to learn how to listen to God when he speaks. Because he is in control.
3) V9. I need to learn how to control my feelings to others around me. Also, meaning learning how to be patient with my neighbors.
4) V16. Always humble yourself, because a servant is not greater than his master. If I get too prideful in my accomplishments or in my life, I am only destroying my spirit and soul. Also this passage refers to 1 Corin. 10:13, where it says “We should not boast beyond our measures, but stay within the limits that God has appointed us.”
5) Always keep in contact with God, Do not go astray or be foolish. If I live and abide by the laws that God has given to me, I will live to the end of my days. My focus is to keep God in my heart, read and live by the word of God, and stay in relationship with him.
6) V18. To fear God is a good thing. Noah moved with fear, when he built the ark. To fear God is to obey God as well. It is a fearful thing to live in this world without knowing God and it is also a fearful thing to end up in the hands of God. So, this I say to myself fear God and I will live to the end of my days.
--Landoll Benally

God's Sovereignty

"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heartand these make a man 'unclean'." Matthew 15: 17-18 God actually showed me something really cool in the book Celebration of Discipline. About five or so pages in, it talks about what the Bible calls "will worship", (Col. 2:20-23), or trying to take the position of 'God' when it comes to change in our life. Furthermore, it contrasted the difference between a person who has been transformed as a result of God's hand, and the person who puts on a front. The difference being, a person who has 'fixed' themselves will crack under pressure—eventually, their true nature will show through. However, a person who is fixed by God will crack and show the love of Christ through those cracks. This convicted me deeply because I saw (and felt) the 'cracks' and 'breaks' in my life. During some recent difficult times, I saw myself becoming angry to the point of bitterness, and thinking careless thoughts that I'm sure weren't pleasing God. That made me realize God had to fix what I was struggling with—that I in no way could save myself, and I had to fully and totally rely on God as my sovereign provider.
--Cashie

Our Insignificance

I have been reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It is about a relentless God that loves us and gives us all the opportunity to love Him radically. The most recent chapter talked about how we as humans and alot of the time Christians can get in the mind set that God was created for us. But reality is that our life is but a vapor and we were created for God. And to make use of the vapor that our lives are to further the Kingdom of an all powerful God.
--Stepha Herrera

God's Will

This week God has really been talking to me about his will and how I can know that it is him.
1) My focus needs to be on Him, and not my life.
2) I must adjust my life to His work.
3) He is not going to adjust His work and will to fit me.
4) Once I have sought Him and He tells me what He is doing then I know what to do.
This was Jesus' pattern in His life on earth and we follow that example.In John 10:2-5 Jesus uses the ex. of the shepherd and His sheep to warn that we hear many voices, but His people will learn and know His voice.From my own experience as a sheep herder it really makes me think about how true that is because my sheep didn't go to just anyone they waited to hear my voice and that is how we should be with God.
--Ashley Maggard

Blameless

Titus 1:6-9 (New King James Version)6 "if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict."
The qualities of this passage is in reference to an elder in the church, but they are still applicable to all Christians. God has been showing me that our actions and lifestyles are a greater witness many times than the words we speak. Many unbelievers watch us to find out our wrongdoings so that they can discredit our claims of Christianity, but if we are committed to being "blameless", we can prove that our walk with the Lord is real, and He is working in us.
--Matt Storer

Grace

Wow the grace of GOD! you know everyday i live, some more than others, my eyes are opened more and more to the amazing grace of GOD. i set ,as all christians i believe should, to wake up everyday aiming to be like christ. haha well everyday i fail miserably short. sin creeps in unoticed and then before you know it, you feel pretty dumb for the choices you make, i begin to feel like GOD just cant love someone like me. well he always has a way to take me back to the cross, an eternal god that died for an eternal atonement for my sin. i realise more and more each day that his grace is unexplainable. i deserve nothing but yet he gives me everything. I Kelly Lucero pray that all who read would take a second to remember the cross and GODS grace! GOD bless you!!!!
--Kelly Lucero

Completion

"And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:10This verse constantly reminded me throughout the week that I am COMPLETE in Christ! It is not my relationship with people that makes me complete! Having a healthy body does not make me complete! But it is in Christ alone that I find my true completion! Those other things are fine, but when they fail, I will still have everything I need because I find completion in Him!
--Shawna Willis

Humility

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. This message has always been important to me, and always relevant. But the more i look into it the more i understand. It shows me how much God has really done for me. In the previous verses it says how even when we were dead in our sins, He made us alive. Its amazing what God does for us, as undeserving as we are. The other part that really speaks to me is that its all God. His grace, His gift to me. It wasn't anything i did, nothing i can do, but it was all God!He single handedly saved me from hell. Its humbling to look at this passage when things are going your way and "you're" doing these amazing things for God, and life's just peachy.....you step back and realize you did absolutely nothing....God simply used the foolish thing to confound the wise. I'm a prideful person to my utter disguist, humility and meekness are my constant prayers , i get frustrated whenever i act the way i know i shouldn't, i get so mad that i can't fix it.....but i know God will....on His time....by His grace....nothing that i can do lest i boast!
--Bekah Apodaca

Be Still and Wait on Him

This past week God has been telling me to be still and wait on Him. My devo has been a kaleidoscope of verses and trying to put it all together. The verses that keep playing in my head are 1 Kings 19:12 the LORD is in the still small voice, Psalms “be still and know that I am God” (albeit, out of context) and “My grace is sufficient” (again, out of context). But even out of context the verses are telling me to trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding. Within all this is to trust God, to sit back and see what He wants to teach me. Pro 1:2-3 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity;
-- Stephen Sanders

Judgemental

Matthew 7:1&5 (of course we all should know this since we had to memorize it!)
It may have been nice if I would have memorized that and God really
spoke to me by simply the verses, but that's not how He's been
working. Of course I memorized it, and all this week without even
being aware of it have been really judgmental. I hear this person
(whom I have been judging, none of you!) really ministering to someone
and sharing Jesus with them. Immediately God spoke to my heart and
brought up these verses. And I am reminded of how much of a sinner I
am and I am no better than that person or anyone else. Hallelujah for
Jesus.
-- Bethany Storer

Many Members, One Body

1 Corinthians 12:20-26

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Even though I have read this verse many times before, as I read it this week...I immediately thought of something I have been struggling with. We all want to know (or I do anyway) where we fit in, in the body of Christ. Those around me always seem so at peace with they are at and the calling the Lord has put on their lives. I begin questioning how can I, truly, be of any importance. These verses as well as those around them, remind us of how vital each and every one of us are to the body of Christ. We all have our own backgrounds...families we were brought up in...cultures...and personalities that differ in so many ways. The Lord has made us all individually...and blessed with different gifts. Yet...we all make up different parts of the body. Our little family..our class...is a body amongst the larger body of Christ. May prayer is that we all realize the importance we have in growth of our body as the SOM class and in the larger body of Christ. That none of may feel less adequate..not as important..not as gifted as the person next to us...but that we embrace the part of the body our Lord has blessed us with. Also, that we may truly feel the hurt and pain that any member may feel and that we all tend to that person so that our body as a whole, may be strong again. Love you all!

-Laney St Martin

Trust in the Lord

God has been showing me this week PROVERBS 3:5-6. It says to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, lean not on our own understandings but in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will make our paths straight. Even these first couple weeks has been hard, with homework and just the full schedule that I have. But God says to trust in Him and to lean on Him because He is there with us through all of this. These verses were so encouraging to me, because it reminds me that God is there through all the hard times, trials, temptations... just everything that we go through! :) PRAISE GOD!!!

-- JiL Walker

Time

These past several months have been some of the busiest ever for me. I have been remodeling my home and there was a long delay and loss of money due to an unscrupulous contractor. I also have the responsibility and privilege of taking care of my mother who has Alzheimer’s. Also, there is a great deal of stress working as a nurse. I feel greatly blessed that God has given me the strength to do what is necessary and have joy (most of the time) doing it. I have to remember to find the time for God in all of this. Going to the SOM is taking more of my time of course, so I really need to focus on Him and spend time with Him. Reading Psalms 46:10 where is says to be still and know He is God is something I can hold on to and make it a priority in my daily living. It sure puts things in perspective for me and I’m very thankful that He Is there-all I need to do is take the time to be still.

-- Theresa Baca

No Fear

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

This verse stuck out to me during my devotional time this week and I believe this verse will be important throughout the year when we are witnessing to others. It reminds me not to fear or be ashamed about sharing the gospel or even testifying about God. And if we start to feel this fear then we need to remember it’s not from God because he gives us a spirit of power, love and self discipline which is the spirit to get the job done.

-- Gabriel Nells

In God's Strength

Deuteronomy 31:8

"And the Lord, He is the one that goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed".

This is the verse that God uses to encourage me it's the verse He used to give me the courage to leave everything I know and come to New Mexico. It's the verse I come back to when ever I am feeling over whelmed and discouraged.

The Lord goes before you.

He reminds me it,s His plan by His power not mine.

He will not leave you or forsake you.

I'm reminded here to trust in the Lord not in myself.

Do not fear or be dismayed.

The Lord reminds me that when I get discouraged I need to lean into Him and when I do His strength will rise up in me as I wait and trust upon Him.

So when I get over whelmed and discouraged this is the verse I run to, to remind myself He will never leave me nor forsake me, He is always there waiting for me to come to Him, Praise God!!!
-- Tim Lindquist

The Power of the Cross

1 Cor 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

The power of the cross. It never occured to me that where i see life others only see death. i have been strugling with unbelievers in my life. my heart breaks to know they do not have Christ in thier heart. This verse is helping me to understand thier mind set, where i see the power of God they see foolishness. Something i just saw in this verse this morning "to us who are being saved" reminds me to not count myself as having achieved. i am also reminded that people are not looking for me, we are all looking for the power of God. God is the one who saves, we have been blessed to be a vessle.

-- Michael Cordova

Enduring Mercy

Last night I was left feeling anxious and detached from God. As I have been praying for Him to search my heart and reveal the sin within, He gently showed me many things. The past few days I have been consumed with activity, both physical and mentally. The timing of SOM and the launch of the W@C Bible study were, well, let's just say its easy to be a Martha. While this is going on, the return of Jesus seems to be rapidly approaching. To be honest, this frightens me. There are few other things that grieve my heart more than knowing that if Christ were to return today, my family would not be taken up with me. God revealed one thing in particular. I was angry with Him. Why not my family? Why can't they be apart of the kingdom now? Why do I have to go all of these life experiences without their support and understanding? You can see how part of my frustrations were selfish. As I confessed and asked for forgiveness, He reminded me that His mercies are new each day. I have made many mistakes lately and sometimes it is most difficult to extend grace to myself. I was still beating myself up over things and then I read Psalm 136 today. Every other line is for His mercy endures forever. Our great God has called us to holiness and we fall short every time and will continue to do so. But His mercy endures forever. Even when our anger is toward our awesome and wise Creator, his mercy endures forever. Thank you Father for your sweet and gentle embrace, for the reminder of who you are, and for your mercy.

-- Erica Freese

Worry

One of the issues I have been talking to God about lately is worry. Worry caused me to drop out of the School of Ministry prematurely when I was faced with a great deal of problems all at the same time right before it started. I know from experience that worry can be paralyzing and I think that is why the Lord said, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Mt6:25 I feel that worry is probably the most antithetical to faith and that is why I think the Lord told us that we should live by faith and faith alone. I have found that when I just stay in the moment and I do not look to the future, God places things in my path that I am to benefit from. In this case, Calvary and the School of Ministry was a way for me to learn things I have wanted to learn for a long time, all for the glory of the Lord. That is why I returned. I sat back and asked myself an important question: If I have a job, and all these new people in my life, and the ability to learn everything I need to know to begin ministry, who am I to worry about what is going on to the point of casting it aside? It was faith that brought me back and I feel blessed that the Lord allowed me to.
-- Darren Pettis

Pride

God has not so much been teaching me as much as he has been exposing to me the errors in my heart. I have serious issues with hiding my emotions due to pride, and through this book he has shown me that I know nothing of true intimacy with the Creator. Also, as some of you may know, my grandma died about two months ago and he is continually working through my heart and frustrations about that. It is awful being at this place with God, for i have never had a close death in my family until now, yet he is comforting me and revealing to me that what I am feeling is ligitimate and needs to be processed in order for me to move forward in Him.

-- Anna Brown

Your Walk with God

John 13:31-35
In our walks we say oh I'm a good Christian I do good things but are we really showing it, are we acting upon our actions as a believer are we loving one another are we encouraging each other. In vs. 35 it says "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." And that made me question myself am I being a good example. And I read a quote I don't know who it's from but it said, It's good to be a Christian and know it, but it's better to be a Christian and show it! And that spoke to me in my personal life.
-- Vanessa Griego

Holy Spirit

1 John 4:4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. I chose this verse for my personal devotional, because I know without a shadow of a doubt that i need the GREAT one that lives in me. Since I have started SOM God has been showing me how much I really need Him. Jesus said in John 15:5 "for without me you can do nothing" and that is one of the truest statements in the bible. In order for me to overcome he that is in this world I need God's HOLY SPIRIT. For without him i can do nothing at all in this world. I am learning by the Grace of God to relay on Him in every aspect of my life. O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.
--Adam Apodaca

The Omnipatant Hand that leadth to my victory

Isaiah 14:26 " This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. " - In my amplified bible it says " "Omnipatant hand". So even though it has nothing really to do with the text, the thought occured to me: God is not just in control, He is in full, unwavering, no-questions-asked, what He says goes, Omnipatant control. So during my devo. I just thanked God for being that for me. I don't gotta worry about the things that bother me. Sometimes I forget that, God is good. I cry alot because i always seem to forget how good He really is. And on top of that i forget to thank Him for it. And He loves me anyway. Wow......
O this is a cool quote " God forbid that my prayer to You should be a mere leaping out of bed and knelling down, saying anything that comes first to hand. On the contratry, may I wait upon you, Lord, with holy fear and sacred awe. I have no right to what I am seeking, and cannot expect to obtain it except as a gift of grace. Let me feel that now it is no longer i that speak but Christ that speaketh with me, and that while I plead, I plead His wounds, His life, His death, His blood, Himself. " - Charles Spurgeon
--Ben Olivas

Love

"A new commandent I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciple, if you have love for one another." -John 13:34-35 This week, I have been reading through 1 Corinthians and I got to the passage on Love. 1 Corinthians 13, we all know that passage so well, most of us can recite it from memory. However, how many of us truly live it? So often, we want to go on to the bigger things; preaching, teaching, debating doctrine, theology, etc. we forget that above all, we are to love one another. Jesus didn't say "By this all will know that you are My disciple, if you can argue the 5 points of Calvinism," or "if you can heal the sick," or "speak in tongues." Instead, Jesus said "...if you have love for one another" (emphasis added).So how are we suppose to love one another? We look to verse 34 of John 13 to see that Jesus said "...as I have loved you, that you also love one another." So we must love them as Jesus loves us. And how does He love us? Sacrifically. He literally laid His life down for us. He gave up everything He had for us. Do we do that? Do we give up our all for our Brothers and Sisters? Esteem them higher than ourselves? Encourage them? God has really shown me that this is the area that I need the most work on. He loves us despite the fact that we do not deserve it, so we must love others, whether or not they deserve it. My greatest hope is that we all learn to love each other this school year so others that see us know that we are His disciple and they give God all the glory.
--Crystal Valdez

Ambassadors

Throughout this week God has really been showing me the importance of realizing how much we as leaders are being watched and even critiqued by our words and actions. 1 Corintnhians 5:20 states that we are "ambassadors for Christ". As such our deeds should be blameless, but this can become really hard when life and stress set in. I know for myself, I have to continually submit everything i have to Christ day in and day out.


Luke Tanner

Praise the Lord

The Psalms are all about praise and worship to the Lord Almighty. Psalms 150 says,

"1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD."

I did this as a team devo in Macedonia. Nick asked us to find a Psalm and share what God spoke to us about it. So I did and in Macedonia it was God was telling me/us (the team) that in all things prasie God because it was all for His glory not ours and for us to keep our team focus on Him but, when i got back I was doing my personal devo and I randomly flipped to Psalm 150 again, so, I read it and this time God spoke to me in a totally ddifferent way. The first time it was all about praising Him and keeping the focus on Him but, the second time I stopped at verse 2, "Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness." This time God was telling me the reason why we need/should always praise Him and that it is because of His awesome acts of power and His surpassing greatness. I love how He used the same exact scripture but it spoke to me in to ways. We need and should praise the Lord Almighty for He is glorious and everything we ddo is for His glory not ours. We should also realize how awesome His acts and how great He truly is and we shold also praise him for that. Word.

David

Be Still

Psalm 46:10

10"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

So Often I find myself in this position...for the need to be in control of a situation.. and yet we are told here to "Cease" or stop, and to know... know to me means trust, believe and have faith that HE is God, that HE is in control. No matter what I think I cannot change the fact that HE is in Control, but it is my choice to hand that control to him. That is a daily choice in EVERY situation.... to BE still, and have confidence that HE has my back, and that HIS name will be exalted and made known throughout the earth.

Nicki Maguire

PROVERBS

1.)MY SON IF YOU RECEIVE MY WORDS, AND TREASURE MY COMMANDS WITHIN YOU, 2.)SO THAT YOU INCLINE YOUR EAR TO WISDOM, AND APPLY YOUR HEART TO UNDERSTANDING....(PROVERBS 2:1-2)

This verse has really impacted me today in my devotional time with God because, it just applies to my life this year. The reason I say that is because, this whole school year God is going to speak and reveal his words threw different people, teacher's, and threw scripture. I examine this verse and just look forward to follow God's commands, and words threw out this year, and to develop more understanding true, discipline, knowledge, and hearing of the word, like verse 2 says: "INCLINE YOUR EAR TO WISDOM", that part of that verse is what the spirit really spoke to me about, just to pay attention and become a more knowledgeable christian, from wiser and mature Christians.
--Jason Urban