New Operation; Same Strategy

The other day, I was playing checkers with my son on his iPhone. I beat him miserably; however, before we started playing, I had no idea I was going to win, especially since there was a new technique involved. I had to get used to hitting the squares with the pads of my fingers to make them light up so I could then “move” my checkers to the spaces where I wanted them to go. This difference in operation almost distracted my attention from the strategy of the game which I knew how to play.

As with checkers, so with life. Most of us know the right strategies to use in order to win: put God first, honor our parents and our spouse, dedicate ourselves to family, live within our means, do an honest day’s work, strive to better ourselves, help the needy, tithe, save, and give. Don’t let the differences in operation distract from the strategies of this game of life that we already know how to play.

• We still have to tithe, save, and give; now we just may organize it all with a computer-based accounting program.
• We still have to help the needy; now we just may send our donations to the missions of our choice via automatic deduction.
• We still have to strive to better ourselves; now we just may complete our degree with classes once a week over the internet.
• We still have to do an honest day’s work; now we just may send our resumes by fax rather than showing up in person at first.
• We still have to live within our means and pay our bills; now we just may manage our finances and pay bills on-line.
• We still have to dedicate ourselves to family; now we just may attend some of the great seminars that help us understand more about each other.
• We still have to honor our loved ones; now we just may add texts, Facebook, and Twitter messages to those love notes and flowers we’re used to sending.
• We still have to put God first; now we just may read our Bibles using on-line study helps, keep our prayer journal on a blog, and follow Bible study lessons during the week with a WebTV mentor/teacher (while remaining active as members of our local church, or course).

As long as we do what we know we’re supposed to do, no matter how we have to get it done, like me with my checkers game, we will win in the end. That’s the good news of the final chapters of the book of Revelation. Read chapters 21 and 22. We win! We read that “…only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” will enjoy the victory of the end of this game (Revelation 21:27b, NKJ).

If we’re going to make any resolutions for the new year, let’s make at least one all- encompassing tenacious determination, and that’s to stick to the strategies we already know in the Lord. What we’re not doing that we should be doing; we’ll start. What we’re doing wrong; we’ll stop. Simple.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

Judgment Day is Coming

Most of us are clear on the fact that there is a judgment day coming. We live with this idea in small ways as we, wisely or unwisely, navigate through our daily lives. We know that if we charge something on a credit card, we’ll eventually have to pay the bill: judgment day. If we procrastinate about studying for a test or writing a paper, the report card will reveal our postponement: judgment day. If we eat whatever we like in large portions and refuse to exercise, our bodies will reflect our neglect in the form of high cholesterol, fat, and disease: judgment day.

By the same token, if we treat our spouses right – submitting to one another in the fear of God, loving and reverencing as we ought – our homes will be blessed and at peace: judgment day. If we honor our parents, the prosperous life we experience will be a joy to all: judgment day. If we honor the Lord with our substance (money, time, and talent), we’ll see the opening of Heaven’s windows in our lives: judgment day.

All these little decisions – concerning how we live and function as Christ-followers on this planet – matter now and will matter in the end. Revelation 20:12 and 15 say, “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books… And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (NKJ).

Yes, Christians can glory in the fact that our names are written in the Book of Life thus saving us from the ultimate fate of being cast into the lake of fire. I agree that that is shouting news. However, don’t miss the other fact that our works will be judged. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 bears this out clearly:

• For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (NKJ)

Let’s watch the decisions we make as they all produce consequences. Keep in mind: judgment day is coming.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

Read-the-Word Challenge

Any time is a good time to make resolutions toward improvement, but we tend to do so more often as we face the dawning of a new year. With that in mind, I’m calling all readers of these devotions to a 2010 Read-the-Word Challenge.

If we would get to know God, we must avail ourselves to His disclosure of Himself. That disclosure is found in the Bible. Oswald Chambers said, “The Bible is not a book containing communications from God, it is God’s revelation of Himself, in the interests of grace; God’s giving of Himself in the limitation of words.” (God’s Workmanship, 1953) Indeed, God has revealed Himself to us through His words and the Word, Jesus Christ. The Bible makes this clear:

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:1-4 and 14 (NKJ).
• “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” Revelation 19:13 and 16 (NKJ).

The devotions you have been reading every day are the result of my commitment to reading through the Bible in 2009. I not only wanted just to read; I wanted to hear from God, so these devotions have been the report of what God revealed to me through His word each morning. You, my readers, have unwittingly been my accountability group, making sure I wrote what I heard from God every day.

Now I challenge you to read the Bible through in 2010. I highly recommend any one year Bible that guides you through God’s Word with daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. I purchased copies of NKJV MacArthur Daily Bible, published by Thomas Nelson (2003 Paperback) for my friends and Sunday school class to get them started on this journey with me. You have three (3) days left before the start of the new year, so go to a Christian bookstore and get your copy of a one-year Bible so we can all start together on January 1^st. And an early Happy New Year!

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

Reacting to God’s Correction

In the sixteenth chapter of The Revelation, seven angels are allowed to pour the wrath of God upon the earth and all kinds of bad stuff starts happening:

• foul and loathsome sores break out on those who have taken the mark of the beast upon themselves,
• the sea becomes blood and all the sea creatures die,
• the rivers and springs become blood so there’s no water to drink,
• the sun is affected so that it scorches people with its heat,
• etc.

God is obviously perturbed and you would think the people on earth would get the message; yet, not so. Read their reaction, “They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds” Revelation 16:11 (NKJ).

Not much had changed in hundreds of years. Just a few generations after Adam and Eve plundered mankind into sin, humans had gotten so rotten that we hear God saying, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh…” And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” Genesis 6:3 and 6 (NKJ). God’s next thought was to just wipe everybody out. After all, He was well capable to start all over again. “So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them’” Genesis 6:7 (NKJ).

To what lengths do we push God before we decide to repent? Our maturity as children of God can be measured by the length of time it takes us from the recognition of our sin to our repentance. The shorter the time, the more mature we are becoming. Rather than going through levels of denial and arguments of justification, once we become aware we have sinned, our commitment to Christ ought to compel us to immediately confess it before God and turn from it. And if God is trying to get our attention through some form of discipline He’s sent, it’s a great idea to submit to His chastening quickly.

Let’s not be the ones who fall under God’s wrath or move Him to say He’s sorry He made us.

REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

Merry Christmas

Mary’s pregnancy ended in that stable because there was no room for the little family in the inn. After some moves, they ended up settling in the little town of Nazareth where it is said Jesus “…grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him” Luke 2:40 (NKJ). But Jesus had also grown in Mary’s womb. Like with all pregnancies, I’m sure that the larger He grew, the more she could feel Him move in her. Also toward the end of her pregnancy, others could probably see Him moving within her as well.

My wish for you today is that you allow Jesus to grow big in you. The larger you allow Him to grow in you, the more you will feel Him when He moves, and the more others will see Him moving in you.

 Merry Christmas.

 REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

 ©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

In Contact with Christ

It is impossible to come in contact with Christ and remain the same. Jesus started making a profound impact on people’s lives from the moment of the incarnation.

• Mary’s life was completely re-routed by Gabriel’s announcement, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus… The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” Luke 1:28-35 (NKJ).
• Joseph started to receive revelations in the form of divine dreams that gave him direction.
  • “…Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 1:20 (NKJ).
  • “…Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt…” Matthew 2:13 (NKJ).
  • “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel…” Matthew 2:19-20 (NKJ).
  • “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene” Matthew 2:22-23 (NKJ).
• In the sixth month of her pregnancy, Elizabeth and her unborn baby felt Jesus enter the room when He was barely still developing His human body inside of Mary’s womb. The story reads, “Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:39-43 (NKJ).
• Simeon, a just and devout man full of the Holy Spirit, was waiting to see the Lord’s Christ and had been told by God he wouldn’t die until he did. He recognized the 8-day-old infant Savior when His parents took Him to the temple to be circumcised. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and proclaimed, “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation” Luke 2:29-30 (NKJ).
• On heels of Simeon’s recognition of Jesus came Anna’s acknowledgement. Anna was an elderly prophetess “who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” Luke 2:36-38 (NKJ).

Mary saw the power of God to do miraculous things in her life. Joseph saw the direction of God to lead him in even the minutest of details. Elizabeth saw how the Holy Spirit can grant favor. Elizabeth’s yet unborn baby, John, saw the need to leap and praise God just because of His presence. Simeon saw God’s salvation. (Notice that salvation is not a thing but a Person.) And Anna saw that a lifetime of dedicated service is rewarded spectacularly because she was able to set her eyes upon the redemption of Jerusalem.

What do you see in Jesus when you come in contact with Him? How is He impacting your life? May His presence in your life make a marked difference today and always.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

The Christmas Visitors

For many of our households, along with Christmas comes the entertaining of visitors. As empty-nesters now, my husband and I are excitedly looking forward to a houseful this year as our one left in college is home, our working sons will be together, and our daughter and her family are flying in today. Other relatives will join us as well for what undoubtedly will be an exuberant celebration.

But what of the visitors to Christ that first Christmas? Contrary to one popular Christmas carol, the Scriptures do not tell us of the visit of a little drummer boy at the manger. They do speak of shepherds as the first actual witnesses of the birth of the Christ child.

• “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them… (and) said to them, ‘…I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day…a Savior, who is Christ the Lord… You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger…’ So it was… that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child” Luke 2:8-17 (NKJ).

Some time later, the young family (Joseph, Mary, and Jesus) received more visitors. No longer in the barn (Joseph was a better provider than to keep his family living in a barn for very long), the Scriptures teach that kings from the east visited Jesus – the young child –bearing gifts for Him at a house. Matthew Henry’s commentary tells us that these wise men “are here called Magoi—Magicians… philosophers and their priests… men of the east… (also called) kings…” The Bible bears out the details or their visit:

• “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him…’ Then Herod… sent them to Bethlehem… When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was… And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And… they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” Matthew 2:1-11 (NKJ).

 I know why we are being visited by our Christmas guests this year; they are related to us in some way, but why did shepherds and kings visit Jesus? The relationship is clear. The shepherds would know a lamb when they saw one, and there in the manger lay the Lamb of God (see John 1:29 and 36). Kings would recognize a king when they saw one, and there in that house, although a young Child, was the One they had searched for, the One who was not only “born King of the Jews,” but who was King of kings (see I Timothy 6:15).

Revelation 17:12-14 sums up the logical reason for a visit to Jesus from shepherds and kings. These verses say that ten kings will receive authority for one hour and “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings…” (NKJ).

As we celebrate Christmas with our visitors, let’s keep in mind His visitors during that first Christmas season and remember that Jesus is the Lamb who is King.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

Your Holiday Testimony

A fight has been going on at Christmastime for many years now between Christians and the advertising industry. In an effort to be politically correct, advertisers have tried to wipe the word “Christmas” out of their advertisements and wash it out of the mouths of their employees. Signs proclaim “Holiday Discounts,” “Seasonal Sale,” and the ever-popular “X-mas Trees.” Instead of being wished a “Merry Christmas” as we shop, sales clerks are urged to proclaim “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings.” 

Those of us who know the true meaning of this season have fought back, no only making sure the salesperson notices that we respond with a pointed “Merry Christmas,” but by going as far as to refuse to shop at establishments that insist on holding such policies. We make sure we place a nativity scene on the lawn (accurately placing the Wise Men some distance away because they didn’t arrive at the manger, see Luke 2:11), add a cross to our decorations, and set a place for Jesus at our Christmas dinner table (after all, it is His birthday).

These may seem like insignificant gestures, but I believe the expression of our beliefs should be boldly articulated at this time of the year. Every eye and ear around the world are tuned in to Christmas, the day that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Even folks who don’t believe in who the Bible says Jesus is, get the day off of work, enjoy the television specials, and participate in the celebration in many ways. While we have their attention, we have a prime opportunity to interject the truth into the mix.

In Revelation chapter 12, we read of the culmination of the war in heaven in which Michael and the heavenly angels fought and defeated the devil and his angels. The battle was a victory for our side because Christians who the devil had harassed and accused throughout the ages had participated in the battle in a very special way. Revelation 12:11 announces, “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death” (NAS).

Our testimony (marturia in the Greek which literally means ‘the evidence given, the record or report of a witness’) beats Satan at his own game. Our proclaiming of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is mighty through God to pull down strongholds. The good news we have at this time of the year is the historical fact that Jesus Christ was born and is Emmanuel, God with us. This is our holiday testimony. Be proud to proclaim “Merry Christmas” and then be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.

Preparation for an Upcoming Event

As we approach another Christmas, many of us are in the throes of preparation. We’re preparing for Christmas morning by decorating the house and trimming the tree. We’re preparing for Christmas dinner by standing in long grocery store lines for just the right Butterball® turkey, Honey Baked® ham, and all the trimmings. We’re preparing for the arrival of out-of-town guests by vacuuming, dusting, and shining up the special dinnerware. And or course, we’re preparing to put smiles on the faces of our friends and loved ones by purchasing or creating and then lovingly wrapping just the right, special gift.

God did quite a bit of preparation too as He put everything in place for the first Christmas, getting that special Gift ready for us. He actually started working on that day way back in the Garden of Eden. Speaking to the serpent who had seduced Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, God said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” Genesis 3:15 (NKJ). This sentence is called the Proto-evangelim. On the Truth for Today website, this verse is clearly explained:

• In one cryptic sentence, addressed to the Serpent, God divulges the plan of salvation… An individual from among the woman’s seed, namely Christ, shall deal a death blow and utter defeat to Satan at the cross, while Satan would bruise Christ’s heel, that is, cause Him to suffer.[1]

From that time on, God was working history to prepare for the first Christmas. Jesus Christ would be a descendent of Abraham, but Abraham had to be born and called, and then had to have a child. (That’s a long and interesting story in and of itself!) Jesus would be of the tribe of Judah, but Jacob (Judah’s daddy) had to be born and grow to have a “tribe.” Jesus would be a descendent of King David, but David had to first be born, have kids, and ascend to the throne when as yet – back in the beginning – the children of Israel (who also wasn’t born yet) were not even ruled by a king.

God also dropped hints throughout Scripture of other first-Christmas preparatory details:

• Jesus would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14
• He would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2
• He would be from Nazareth. Isaiah 9:1-2

God went to a lot of trouble to give us our first Christmas gift – to come to us in the person of His Son. He put Himself in the womb of a young girl, Mary; and in the care of a young carpenter, Joseph. He restricted Himself to a small time and place with no cars, airplanes, telephones, or computers. So as we run around getting our last-minute details together for this Christmas, think of all the preparation that went into that first Christmas. Let’s not get so flustered in the “trouble” we have to go through to prepare for the day. It’s worth it to prepare in big ways for big events. God did it for us.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. 

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[1] Copyright Paul Mizzi www.tecmalta.org Used by Permission.

Saying No to God

Jonah is the classic example of what can happen to a child of God who decides to say no to God. There Jonah was – a prophet of the Lord – with a clear directive. He didn’t even have to study the Hebrew to write his own sermon nor advertise for an audience. God told Jonah where to go – to Nineveh, a city of over 120,000 – and what to say – cry out against their wickedness. Seems like a simple enough task for a prophet.

But oh no, Jonah’s response to his call was far from agreeable. Jonah 1:3 says, “But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” (NKJ). Jonah said no to God. Nineveh was 500 miles east of Israel (it’s actually present-day Iraq) and Tarshish is 2,000 miles west of Israel, so Jonah was trying to put a 2,500 mile distance between himself and where God wanted him to go. Among the many lessons we can learn from Jonah about saying no to God, let’s look at just three of them here.

#1: Your running is of no consequence to God. Psalm 139:7 asks, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (NKJ) God is omnipresent (everywhere present) so there’s no place we can go where we can hide from Him. God knows where our “Tarshish” is, and as embarrassing as it will be, when we run there, He’ll be there waiting for us when we arrive.

#2: Your ruin affects those around you. Jonah’s disobedience caused God to have to discipline him, but that discipline spilled over onto the other passengers of the ship Jonah was using for his escape. Thanks to Jonah, the men aboard the ship lost their cargo which meant a significant financial loss for them. When we disobey God, others around us could be hurt.

#3: Your responsibility will be fulfilled. After all that trouble, Jonah ended up on the shores of Nineveh anyway, right where God had originally told him to go. When God calls us, He intends for us to do exactly that. Running and complaining won’t get us off the hook and God will use any means necessary – even if it takes a three-day ride in fish acid – to get us where He intends for us to be, doing what He intends for us to do.

One of the biggest blockbuster books of the past few years was Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. What more accurate purpose could there be then to do what God has called us to do, so why do we “pull a Jonah” and run from God’s clear direction? Start anywhere in God’s word and you’ll find your purpose. For example, Romans 13:9 is a clear verse with which we can begin to live out God’s purpose for our lives. “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (NKJ).

Let’s not run toward ruin, but fulfill the responsibility of God’s call. Say yes to God.

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REMINDER: Remember to study your Bible regularly. At any time of the day or night, log on to www.webtv4women.tv. Click the Bible Study channel, and then Sharon’s show, A Heart for the Word. Increase your knowledge of the Word in just 6 minutes a day.

©2009 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including the copyright line. For all devotions, comments, and questions, log onto Sharon’s blog at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com.