Happy Easter & Resurrection Day!

Many Folks are all about Christ today. The have put on pretty new dresses or ties, their children are neat as a pin and dressed in all matching outfits. The air is warming and flowers are blooming as a testimony of the season's change. We all sit in pretty little churches in our pretty little outfits listening to pretty little sermons about how Christ died and rose from the grave so we could go to Heaven. That message makes me sick and sad.

Sick because it's a lie. Perhaps lie is a distasteful way to state it. How about a sliver of the pie. I believe there is a bigger picture and God wants us to have so, so much more. Why would Christ say that He came so that people may have life and have life abundantly? Christ's entire reason for existence was to do the work of His Father, building His Father's kingdom. Every thing Jesus did he did with you and I in mind. He did it so that we could have a relationship with the father.

Sad because so many people are trusting in a prayer and have been told that a prayer is enough.

What is the greatest commandment? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, with all your soul AND love you neighbor as yourself. That's a lot of lovin'. The law doesn't love, it dictates. Do you really want to trust in believing in a prayer and then living life without love? Gossip, criticism, judgement is what makes us a hypocrite.

For me, I would rather live a life of love, grace and mercy the way my Jesus did.

My devotion this morning started out with an antidote about personal perfectionism. I'm not like that, I'm too laid back I thought. The author was asking if we had a problem with the way that people do things and teach them the "right" way or just go behind them to redo it and then gave a list. At the end of the list was loading the dishwasher.....I was thinking "oooooops, guess I am like that".

The point was that we can't all praise and serve God the same way. God made us each uniquely qualified to love him our way. I love to sing, but can not lead worship. I love to teach, but will never be a Beth Moore. I am me and love God through Jesus by the Spirit only the way I can.

God asks one thing of me. God asks me to love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my strength, with all my soul. The common thread throughout the thought is ALL. There are no gray areas, no walking the line, you're either in or out. at least in God's eye's and it's that what we to do? Want to conform more to His image?

It's so easy to get caught up in wanting to be the best and most popular among people. Giving God glory, honor and praise goes against that thought. It's the little things that we do and putting God first in all things that will be remembered for all eternity. It's taking care of my family joyfully. It's smiling to that rude, mean customer. It's the concern shown to a stranger having a bad day. It's the tons of laundry that we fold. It's the joy I take from mundane tasks of my daily life and performing them as unto Lord. To successfully praise God, I don't need to stand in front of folks, I need to humbly honor Him before Him. It will show to everyone else. God be glorified.

God is the King of Glory and Jesus the Lord of Glory. I'm studying God's glory right now. How refreshing to renew the approach to looking at my Glorious Father. He will not share his Glory with another.

When I puff myself up, he is decreased. My prayer today is that God be #1 in every area of my life. My work, my marriage, my children, my hope, my pondering, my loving. Lord, be #1 in my life and let others see that it is all for you.

God is worth of glory and honor because he is. God is worthy of honor and glory because there is existence only because of him. God is. God is holy, real, creator, true and truth, savior, worthy, life, lover, friend, father, precious. God is.

When I wake in the morning let me praise you. When I work, let me praise you. When I pillow my head at night let me praise you. I love you Lord. Use me Lord if it's nothing more than to praise you.