"Religious Games"

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:20

So many people are playing games with their soul.  They think if they accumulate enough "religious points" they will make it to heaven.  For example, I was talking with a guy the other day about his salvation.  He told me he had been baptized in water and has the baptismal certificate.  He thought that certificate was his passport to heaven.  He was surprised to find out that it wasn't.  Several years ago I asked a man about his salvation.  His reply was for me to turn on the television on Sunday morning to a particular channel and I would see him singing in the choir.  What?!  Sadly, he really thought that because he attended church and sung in the choir he was on his way to heaven.

Never once in either of these answers did I hear anything about Jesus.  I said earlier that people are playing games with their souls.  They are playing "religious games".  If you think you can earn your way to heaven, if you think you will win in the end just because you have accumulated some "religious brownie points" you are sadly mistaken and deceived.

The Pharisees and scribes were the religious leaders of their day.  They practiced religious rituals.  They taught others the commands of God.  They could quote scripture after scripture.  They were in the temple every time the doors were open.  But Jesus said they would not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Our righteousness doesn't save us-- it is like filthy rags.  Our good deeds don't save us-- they are all wood, hay and stubble that will be burned up.  Our religious knowledge doesn't save-- we know only in part.  The ONLY thing that saves us is faith in what Jesus Christ did for us at the cross.  You may think that is a bold statement.  Well, let me ask you something since you may be the one playing games with your soul.  If you have ever played any sort of game whether it is a board game or a field game, are there numerous ways to win?  Or is there only one?  To win you always have to get to the finish line, get around the board, run the bases in order, etc.  So why do we think there are many ways to get to heaven?

In any game there are rules.  In life there are rules.  If you are going to live life you are going to have to follow the rules.  If you are going to heaven, you have to follow the rules that God has established or you will not win/go.

Have a great day.  Are you playing games with your soul?     

For further reading:
Matthew 7:21; 18:3
Isaiah 64:6
Titus 3:5
Ephesians 2:8,9
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

 

"Messengers Of Blessings"

"Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord."  Palm 118:26

This verse was a prophecy concerning the Messiah who was to come.  It was fulfilled in Jesus when He made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding on the colt of a donkey.

This verse was fulfilled in Christ Jesus but it is a continuation to what He fulfilled.  It is continued through the Body of Christ.  "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!' (Isaiah 52:7) 

He fulfilled it, but we continue to make it known.  When we share the good news of salvation with others, we do not share it in our own name or authority.  We do it in "the name of the Lord".  We are His messengers, announcing peace and proclaiming good tidings.  We are "blessed" messengers bringing "blessings" to others.  The Greek word here for blessed means:  to invoke a blessings upon a person.  Each time you share the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, each time they hear the Good News that Jesus saves, each time you testify to someone about Jesus, you are bringing a blessing into their lives.  (Of course it is up to them whether they receive it or not.)

Do you want to be a "blessing" to others?  The best way, the greatest way to do that is by sharing Jesus-- sharing the message of His love, His saving grace, His salvation, His mercy and His power.

Have a great day.  We are messengers of the Lord who bring blessings to others as we share the good news that Jesus saves.

For further reading:
John 12:13
Matthew 21:9

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Praying From The Heart"

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."  Matthew 6:10

When Jesus taught us to pray after the manner of the Lord's Prayer, it was a guideline and model for praying perfect prayers to the Father.  He did not intend for us to pray it out of form, ritual, only from memory or off the top of our head.  It isn't some meaningless, mindless recitation you pray when you don't know what else to pray.

It was meant to be prayed, and any other prayer we pray, from the heart.  It was meant to be prayed in sincerity.  It was meant to be prayed in faith.  It was meant to be prayed with reverence. 

How do you pray it?  How do you pray any prayer to the Father?  Do you pray it from memory only and don't give much thought to what you are saying?  Do you consider it a "stand by" that you pull out when you know you need to pray but don't feel like it?  Do you think you can "throw it up to heaven" and feel justified that you "have prayed"?  When you pray those words, "Thy will be done", do you really mean them? 

I believe we should pray the Lord's Prayer-- I do myself often.  But when we pray it, we should do so from the heart and in faith.

Have a great day.  When you pray the Lord's Prayer, are you just reciting words or is it coming from your heart?

For further reading:
Matthew 6:9-13; 15:8 
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Protect The Fruit"

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. "  Galatians 5:2,23

When we come to Christ as Savior, one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to produce the Fruit of the Spirit in us.  This is the nature and character of God.  It is revealed in our attitudes, actions, reactions and dealings with others.  Where we once walked in hate, we walk in love.  Where the old man reacted in unbelief, we now walk in faith.  Where we were once living in pride and arrogance, we now live a life of meekness and humility.  We should be people who manifest the Fruit of the Spirit because we are people who represent the Lord to this world and because we are being changed into His image.

Not only is the Fruit of the Spirit produced in our lives, it is to be protected.  I have only raised a few fruit trees, but the one thing about them all is that they need a little TLC in order for them to produce.  They need for us to take some measures to protect them from the elements, parasites, and diseases.  They can't be ignored or neglected.

I have a fig tree we have just planted.  It is small and tender.  Therefore, we are putting a small frame around it to help shelter and protect it from the harsh elements of winter.  Sadly, we had to cut down our pear trees this week because they got a fungus that was affecting the fruit and making it inedible. 

We have to protect the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives so that we will bear good fruit and glorify God.  We have to protect it too from "disease", "parasites" and the "elements" of this world.  We have to protect it from being contaminated by the mindsets of this world.  We do that by transforming our minds with the Word of God.  We have to protect it from the spiritual diseases of bitterness, criticism, fear, anger, etc.  These will all stunt the growth of the fruit and make it "inedible". 

Since the Fruit of the Spirit is God's character revealed through His children, its purpose is so that others can "taste and see that the Lord is good".  If we don't protect the Fruit and allow it to be diseased and contaminated by flesh, they will not get a true revelation of who God is.  Instead, it will leave a "bitter" taste in their "spiritual mouths" causing them to not want to have anything to do with Him. 

Have a great day.  Since the Fruit of the Spirit is being produced in our lives, we must make sure we protect it.

For further reading:
Psalm 34:8

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"They Are Like Bees"

"They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them."  Psalm 118:12

Do you ever feel like the pressures, cares, problems and temptations you encounter are like "bees" swarming around you?  They are like "bees" in the fact that they are not the things that are big and monumental-- earth shaken -- but lots of little things.  They are like bees in the fact that they threaten to "sting" you and cause pain.   They are also like bees because they are "flying" all around, keeping you constantly going in circles swatting at them. 

These problems and cares are small, numerous and annoying.  So what are you doing about them?  The Psalmist said that it was in "the name of the Lord" that he would destroy them.  You deal with them "in the name of the Lord".  This means you:  1) acknowledge the Lord and bring Him into the situation.  2) You look to His strength and ability to help you deal with and destroy them.  3)  You use His Word as the sword, and stand on His promises to attack them.  4)  You speak His powerful name over the situation and command them to "stop".

It is the "little" things that tend to do us harm or destroy us.  They can't be ignored.  We must deal with them.  But we deal with them in the name of the Lord.

Have a great day.  The little things are always out to destroy us.  We deal with them the same way we deal with the big issues... in the name of the Lord.

For further reading:
1 Samuel 17:45
Psalm 118:10-12; 124:8 

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Through Christ"

" I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  Philippians 4:13

Perhaps you have wondered why you keeping failing and falling in your attempts to accomplish even the smallest of task?  It is because you are trying to do it in your own ability, strength and effort. 

Israel tried to go against Ai in their own strength and wound up fleeing in defeat from the enemy.  Abraham and Sarah tried to produce the promise in their own ability and wound up with Ishmael, which brought conflict into their home.  David tried to handle the lust of his heart by himself when he looked at Bathsheba.  But he not only wound up giving into it, but also started on a path that led from one sin to another.

There is a reason why the verse this morning doesn't read-- "I can do all things (period)"  It is because we can't.  We can't do it through our own strength, through education, through our skills, through our talents, etc.  The key is "through Christ".  He is our ability.  It is only through Him that we can do anything.  The outcome in each of the examples that we used this morning would have been a lot different had they done it "through Christ".  The outcome of what we are trying to do will be a lot better, and perfect, if we will do whatever it is we are trying to do through Christ.

Have a great day.  Trying to do anything in our own ability will only cause us to fail.  Success comes "through Christ".

For further reading:
Proverbs 16:25; 3:5,6
Jeremiah 10:23
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"What To Do With The Cross"

"And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"  Ephesians 2:16

I purchased a small ornamental cross with the names of Jesus engraved on it the other day to hang on a wall in my house.  I came home with it and went from room to room looking for a place to hang it.  I tried to find a place in each room but I just don't know where to hang it.  I can't find a spot.  I don't know what I will do with it. 

As I was looking for a place, not knowing what to do with it, the Lord spoke to me.  He said, "There are a lot of people who don't know what to do with the cross". 

The cross is an offense to many.  They see it as an insult.  They stumble over the simplicity and power of it.  Therefore, they stay away from the cross and have nothing to do with it least it bring conviction to their hearts and draw them to itself.  "And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased." Galatians 5:11

The cross and its power to save is foolishness to some.  It makes no sense.  They see no logic in it so they refuse it.  "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)

The cross is a place of conflict.  It is a place where you either embrace it or you fight against it and become an enemy of it.  "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:" (Philippians 3:18) 

The cross is a place of glory and victory.  It is the place where sin and death were defeated.  It is where the victory over the enemy of our soul was won.  To those who accept the cross and take it up and follow Jesus, it is a place of personal freedom.  "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14)

So what about you?  What is the cross to you?  A stumbling block?  An offense?  Foolishness?  Or victory and glory?  What you decide to do with the cross determines your eternal destiny.  For those who accept it, love it and embrace it, it is the power of God that brings salvation.

Have a great day.  What will you do with the cross?
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"It Was Not In Vain"

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."  Galatians 2:21

If our good deeds, good works, and religious service could save us; if joining a church, if being baptized in water, if getting a Christian education could save us, then what Jesus went through at the cross was needless and pointless.  That means He went through the suffering, the agony, the pain and the shame for nothing.  It means He subjected Himself to life on earth and crucifixion at the hands of evil men needlessly.  It means it was all in vain.

But it wasn't in vain.  It wasn't pointless.  It was necessary.  Although we like to think that our goodness is good enough to get us to heaven; although we believe that going to church and doing religious disciplines makes us saved we are not only sadly mistaken, but we are wrong and deceived.  We have believed a lie.  We have made the goodness of God of none affect.  We are frustrating the grace of God.  For if indeed we could save ourselves by our own merits Jesus would not have come to earth and died on the cross.  The fact that He did speaks loudly and clearly.... we can't save ourselves! 

Just because you live in a so called "Christian nation", just because you grew up in the "Bible Belt", just because your grandfather was a preacher, just because you joined a particular church, just because you go to church on Sunday doesn't mean you are truly saved or have eternal life.  There is only One Way to be saved.  There is only One Name given under heaven that can save us.  Consider what Jesus said to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day.  He called them blind leaders of the blind.  White-washed tombs, full of death.  "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.' (Matthew 23:13)  He let them know they weren't saved and weren't going to heaven even though they were religious.

Being religious makes you nothing.  It just deceives you and leads you further away from God if you are putting your trust in it to save you.  The only hope we have of eternal life is in Jesus Christ and His grace that saves us through faith in Him.  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)    

Have a great day.  Jesus' death was not in vain... it is the only way that we can be saved.

For further reading:
Matthew 15:14; 23:27
Acts 4:12
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Talking About Him"

"Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works."  Psalm 119:27

What do you talk about?  What do most of your conversations consist of?  Do you spend them talking about self?  About the weather?  Politics?  Your job, family, some hobby that interest you?  There is nothing wrong with talking about these, but is that all you talk about? 

Do you talk about the "wondrous works of the Lord"?  When was the last time He was the subject of your conversation?  When was the last time you testified of what He has done in your life?  When was the last time you talked of His praises?  When was the last time you told someone else about Him? 

Why is it as Christians that we are at no loss for words when it comes to certain subjects, but when it comes to the Grand Subject of our lives-- Jesus-- we can't find anything to say or we "clam up"?  If we don't tell others about Him and His goodness, His saving grace, His salvation, His wondrous works, who will or how will they know?

Have you been quiet about your faith in Jesus?  Have you been quiet too long?  The gospel of Jesus is Good News.  Don't keep the good news from them any longer.  If we don't tell, they won't hear.  We need to open our mouths and speak up more than we do and tell of His wondrous works.  They talk about anything and everything.  Can't we talk about the One who is glorious and worthy to be talked about?  Or are we ashamed to say anything?  Let's pray not.

Have a great day.  When was the last time your conversation was about the Lord and what He has done in your life?

For further reading:
Psalm 89:1; 109:30
1 Corinthians 1:21
Revelation 12:11
Mark 8:38
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Work Or Relationship?"

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."  John 1:12

We think living for the Lord is all about service-- working for Him.  True we have received the commission to reach the world and preach the gospel.  We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those in prison.  And, yes, we are to let our lights shine before men that they may see our good works.  But if serving God is all that you believe it is to it, then you have missed it.

Jesus died on the cross to reconcile our relationship with God the Father.  He died so that we could become the sons and daughters of God.  He desires a relationship with you more than He desires your service for Him. 

God could do the work that needs to be done by Himself without us.  All He has to do is speak it and it would be done.  But the far greater thing that He wants took more than commanding words, it took a demonstration.... it took the death of His Son Jesus.  "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8- NIV)

God the Father loves you.  Jesus loves you.  This is not just a song the children sing, it is the truth.  Do you have that relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ the Son?  Or are you just a worker, a church attender, a religious person?

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." (1 John 3:1a) 

Have a great day.  God the Father wants a relationship with you more than He wants your work for Him.

For further reading:
1 John 3:2
Romans 8:14
Matthew 5:9
Galatians 3:26 
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Glorifying God"

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."  John 17:1

If glorifying God is not your greatest desire, then you need to recheck your profession of Christianity.  We were made to glorify God.  The greatest way we do this is by receiving Jesus as our Savior and following Him as Lord. 

Once we come to God through Christ, glorifying God isn't something that we just sing about, it isn't something that we just do during worship service, it is our daily lifestyle.  Our lives should daily be to the praise and honor of God.  His glory should be revealed in us through our attitude, our actions, our reactions, our conduct, our morals and in the things we say. 

How does God get glory from our lives?  How do we glorify Him?  The more Christ Jesus is seen in us, the greater glory God receives.  This happens, as we have already said, first by receiving Jesus into your life as Savior.  Then it happens as we decrease and allow Him to increase-- give Him full control.  "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)  It happens as we die to self (self-will, self-desire, self-ambition, self-centeredness) and become living sacrifices to Him.  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)  It happens as we give ourselves totally to Him and surrender to His will.  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."  (Galatians 2:20)  It happens as we allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Christ.  "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Jesus glorified the Father in all that He did while He was on earth.  He continues to glorify the Father on earth today through those of us who put our faith and trust in Him and let Him live through us.

Have a great day.  The more Jesus is seen in us, the more glory the Heavenly Father receives from our lives.   

For further reading:
Ephesians 1:6,12
Galatians 1:27
John 17:10
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"He Is With You"

"And the Lord was with Joseph..."  Genesis 39:2a

It seems like we talk about how the Lord is with us and never leaves us regularly in the devotional.  But this is so important that we get this truth deeply ingrained in our spirits.  There are times we walk through difficult places.  There are times we find ourselves in situations that look as though they will destroy us.  There are some places that we encounter that cause us to wonder if God knows where we are, or if He is still there.  We all face some "dark times" that scream at us, "Where is your God?" and try to make us doubt that He is with us. 

Joseph was in some of those places.  He was in a pit, left for dead.  He was in slavery in a foreign country.  He was thrown into prison.  Yet, more than once the scriptures tell us that the Lord was with Joseph-- He was with him in Potiphar's house and in the prison.

There is a fact that we often overlook at the cross.  Jesus was forsaken by the Heavenly Father while He was on the cross bearing our sins.  "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)  The Father should forsake us because of our sins.  He should turn His back on us.  He should have nothing to do with us.  He has every right to leave us.  But He doesn't and it is because Jesus took it all for us--- even being forsaken by the Father.  He was forsaken, the Father left Him, Father God departed from Him.  Jesus took that as well so that we don't have to worry about the Father forsaking us.  He took our punishment.  He took our sins.  He took our abandonment by God. 

The absolutely worse (that word is an understatement) place that Jesus went through-- the agony of the cross-- was where He was forsaken by the Father.  Now you and I can have the confidence, assurance and peace of knowing that He will not leave us or forsake us in our worst times and hardest places... or any place for that matter.

Have a great day.  Even in the darkest place, the hardest place, the most difficult place you find yourself going through, you can rest assured that the Lord will not leave you.  Jesus took care of that at the cross.   

For further reading:
Genesis 39:21
Psalm 22:1
Mark 15:34
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Rate It"

'My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times."  Psalm 119:20

When you go to the doctor, you are asked to rate your pain on a scale from one to ten.  When you take a survey on the performance of help you were given by some business, you are asked to rate it.  We use a rating system to determine how good or bad something is, or how well we either approve or disapprove of something.  The Palmist was "rating" his desire, his hunger, his longing for righteousness and the things of God in this verse. 

When he said his soul breaketh, he was expressing a deep passion and intense longing for righteousness, God's commandments, and the things of God.  This morning, how would you rate your desire for the Lord?  How would you rate your desire for His word?  How would you rate your hunger for righteousness?  On a scale from one to ten, would it be a one?  A ten?  Or somewhere in between?  The Psalmist's desire was "off the charts".  Would yours be too?

If you rate it any thing less than a ten, or above, you could almost equate that to a zero.  Anything less is too low.  "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deuteronomy 6:5)  That's a ten.  "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." (Matthew 6:33)  That's priority- so, that's a ten.

Have a great day.  On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your desire for the Lord?

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Shifting Into Gear"

"And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers."  Deuteronomy 6:23

As I was praying this morning, I felt the Lord was giving me a "prophetic" word for the time.  The word is "shifting".  There is a shifting that is taking place and will take place.  This shifting may involve nations, powers, structures, and  organizations, but I believe it deals with the church and body of Christ.

Yesterday, I was in my vehicle and stopped at an intersection.  I needed to back up but when I shifted into reverse, out of drive, it didn't go anywhere.  It just sit there and made a loud whining sound.  I had missed the reverse gear and had it in neutral.  There are many who are in the wrong "gear".  The Lord will be shifting you from one to another.  You are in one place when you should be in another place.  When we are in the wrong "gear", it doesn't always mean that nothing is happening-- you may be prospering, you may be bearing fruit-- but it is not the direction or place God has purposed for you ultimately.  (Joseph was doing well and being blessed in Potiphar's house, but he was then shifted elsewhere- the prison.)  On the other hand, there are times when we aren't seeing any fruit and it is because we are in the wrong place.

I believe He is shifting us, in the body of Christ, out of neutral.  Although our vehicles have a "neutral gear", neutral is not a gear.  It is the place where the transmission and engine are disconnected. Far too many, for far too long have been in a place of "disconnect" with the "engine" (our Lord, the power source.)  This shifting will take us out of neutral-- the place of lethargy, compromise, complacency, laziness, slothfulness.  It is time the church rise up- get in gear- and go forward fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus left us to do.  It is time we stop hiding our lights under a basket.  It is time we start being salt again.  It is time we show forth the praises of our God.  It is time to work while it is still day, the night is coming quickly.  It is time we stop being fearful and intimidated by men and be bold for Jesus.  It is time we lay aside our agendas and become living sacrifices, doing His will.  It is time to surrender to the Lord's plan and stop trying to fulfill our own. 

Have a great day.  A shifting is coming, especially to the body of Christ, so that we might get in the place God has purposed for us to be so that we can go forward for His glory.

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"At Risk"

"And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.  So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai." Joshua 7:3,4

In any organization, be it a military, a business or a social organization, there is a plan, a chain of command, and a protocol to follow.  If these are not followed, then the whole operation is put at risk.  The plan may not be accomplished.  This happened at Ai.  God had a plan to bring His people into the Promised Land.  At Ai they did not follow the proper procedure.  They left out the "chain of command" - which was God.  They didn't acknowledge Him, they went in on their own.  They were defeated by the people of Ai and had to flee for their lives.  It put the whole plan at risk.

This is not only a pattern to follow in the military or some organization.  It is the pattern of the Kingdom and for our individual lives.  God has a plan for His Kingdom and its representation on earth-- the church.  He has a plan for each born-again believer individually. 

 That plan is accomplished as we follow the chain of command.  The Lord is the chain of command.  The Lord is the One we seek for guidance and instruction.  The Israelites acknowledged Joshua, their human leader, but they left out their True Leader, their King, their Master-- the Lord. 

It is accomplished as we follow the Lord's protocol.  Which is not only to acknowledge Him, but to follow His leading, to obey what He tells us to do, when He tells us to do it and how He tells us to do it.  The protocol is if He tells us to march around the city seven times, then that is what we do.  If He tells us to wait for the sound of the trumpet, we wait until we hear it.  Etc.

If we go off on our own, if we try to do it ourselves, if we don't wait for Him, if we attempt to do it our own way, then we put His plan, our destiny, His purpose in our lives at risk.  Not to mention that we have a lot of "excess" to have to then deal with-- like an Ishmael.

If we are to accomplish God's plan for our lives, and the church.  Then we are going to have to follow the chain of command-- get direction from Him.  And we are going to have to follow protocol-- obey what He says to do.

Have a great day.  We put God's plan for our lives at risk if we don't follow the procedure He has prescribed.

For further reading:
Joshua 7, 8
 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Never, Never Alone"

"... I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  Hebrews 13:5b

Of all the Bible truths, this is one that you need to be fully persuaded of.  You need to have it written on the table of your heart, have it engraved in your spirit and daily renew your mind with it.  It is one of the greatest, most comforting promises in the Bible.  "I will never leave you."

The Lord will never leave you... no matter where you are or what you may go through.  The Lord gives us His own promise to be there with you... even if you don't feel like He is, even if you don't see any evidence of His presence. He is there.

He was there when Paul was in the boat during a storm.  He was with Joshua as he faced the walled city of Jericho.  He was with Daniel in the lion's den.  He was with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace.  He was with Joseph when he was in the pit, in Potiphar's house, in the prison and in the palace.  He was with the baby Moses in the basket on the Nile River.  He was with Peter when he started to sink in the sea.  He was still with Adam and Eve when they sinned and made clothes to cover their nakedness.  He was with David when he faced the giant.  He was with Noah in the ark.

When you look at the condition of the world, when you see and hear of distressing things that are coming upon the land and the world, this one truth you must learn and hold on to more than anything else.  "The Lord will never leave you."  You may face difficulties.  You may face enemies.  You may face hardships.  You may face persecution.  You may face threats.  You may face financial ruin.  You may face temptation.  You may face abandonment.  You may be forsaken by all.  But the Lord will never leave you.  He will be right there with you through it all.  Don't forget it!

Have a great day.  Hold tightly to God's promise to never leave you, and believe it!       

For further reading:
Acts 27:23
Joshua 5:13,14
Psalm 23:4

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry