Minute for Monday: Gifts - James 1:17

 A short devotion with a good promise to start the week :)

Broken Bottles - Matthew 24:35

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

            “My head is full of broken bottles” is an old Glaswegian saying from Scotland that I sometimes experience and express.  To me, it means that I can’t really concentrate on what I need to do and that my focus is all out of whack. It usually occurs after a bad night’s sleep or a stressful time. My mind can’t fix on anything and I’m relatively unproductive until it passes.

            When I go through those moments, Bible verses like the one for today reassure me that Christ is in control and no matter what happens, His words will endure. The older I get, the wiser Jesus becomes. When I am weak, He is strong. When my mind is scattered, He is mindful of me.

            Perhaps you’re feeling something similar today and don’t know what to do about it. Maybe the solution is that sometimes we don’t have to do anything – we just have to allow ourselves to be embraced by Christ and depend on His promises.

Point to ponder

How am I feeling today? Am I letting Christ hold on to me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are there for us in so many different and reliable ways. You know our needs before we ask; You understand our feelings before we express them. Thank You for always being near to us. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest worship bulletin drawings called “Love Your Enemies.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Love.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can find the church’s website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org. John and the congregation would be delighted to see you there at any time J

Church Growth Thought for Today: Philippians 1:9-11

Church Growth Thought for Today

Philippians 1:9-11       And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul prayed for the Philippian church to grow in love, knowledge, and understanding, so that the whole congregation could determine what was best for its people to remain faithful to Jesus and become fruitful for Christ, in order to glorify and praise God.

May we pray the same each day for our own congregations. J

Daily Bible Verse

Verse for the Day

John 15:9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (NIV)

Whoever we are, wherever we are, and whatever we are, know this: Christ invites us to be embraced with His love.

Have a great day - feel free to share this. :)