"...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6b
This morning I woke up with the words of a song repeating over and over again in my thoughts. I felt impressed to share the song with you- you will find it below. The song is, "Wonderful, Merciful Savior".
There is nothing about the Lord that is not wonderful. And how wonderful it is that He desires to have a relationship with us. Though the shed blood of Jesus- the "Lamb of God"; the eternal sacrifice- we have been adopted into His family and are now His children.
How wonderful it is that He calls us His friends- we who were once His enemies. It is wonderful to know that when we need guidance, comfort and strength He gives it to us and in such generous measures. The depth of His love for us is too wonderful for us to comprehend. It is wonderful to know that He allows us to come before Him and one day we will be with Him forever.
I could go on all morning declaring how wonderful He is in so many ways. But I will leave that for you to do. Take time today to meditate on just how truly wonderful He is and all the wonderful things He has done for you. Thank Him for the wonderful gift of salvation that He so freely has given you through Jesus. Then rejoice as well that He still has wonderful things in store for you in the future.
Have a great day. He is Wonderful!!!
For further reading:
Psalm 40:5; 107:8; 111:4
Isaiah 25:1
"Wonderful, Merciful Savior"
Wonderful merciful Savior
Precious redeemer and friend
Who would have thought that a lamb could
Rescue the souls of men, Oh You rescue the souls of men.
Counselor, comforter, keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way, Oh we hopelessly lost the way.
You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for, Oh our hearts always hunger for.
Almighty infinite father
Faithfully loving Your own
Herein our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne, Oh we're falling before Your throne.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
"Praise Without Seeing The Answer"
"I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation." Psalm 118:21
When is the Psalmist offering praise to the Lord? After the Lord answered him? After he saw the manifestation of what he was praying for? After the answer was in his hands? That isn't what it says. He praised the Lord for hearing him.
Why is it that we don't think about praising the Lord until after we see the answer? The very fact that this wonderful God, the Creator of the universe, the One who is so great that there are not even words in our vocabulary to describe Him, the One who rules from heaven and all creation trembles at His voice, the One before whom every person will stand and give an account, that this awesome God would even allow us to come anywhere near Him much less make our request known to Him should give us plenty of reason to praise Him. Whether He ever answered any of my prayers or not, I have more than enough reason to praise Him all the days, and every day, of my life.
Why is it that when He doesn't answer our prayers in the way we wanted Him to, we don't praise Him? His praise should continually be in our mouths- and not only when we receive the things we desire for from Him. Is He not worthy of praise- period! Or is He only worthy of our praise after He gives us what we want?
If our praise is only based on His answer to our prayers, or because He gives us something, or because we see His hand moving in our lives, then we don't really understand what it means to give Him praise. Do I praise Him for the answer when I see it? Yes, I do. But do I praise Him when I don't see it? Yes, I do. Because with or without the answer-- He is still worthy to be praised because of Who He is.
Have a great day. Don't wait to praise Him only after He has answered your prayer.
For further reading:
Psalm 34:1; 113:1; 135:1; 147:1
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
When is the Psalmist offering praise to the Lord? After the Lord answered him? After he saw the manifestation of what he was praying for? After the answer was in his hands? That isn't what it says. He praised the Lord for hearing him.
Why is it that we don't think about praising the Lord until after we see the answer? The very fact that this wonderful God, the Creator of the universe, the One who is so great that there are not even words in our vocabulary to describe Him, the One who rules from heaven and all creation trembles at His voice, the One before whom every person will stand and give an account, that this awesome God would even allow us to come anywhere near Him much less make our request known to Him should give us plenty of reason to praise Him. Whether He ever answered any of my prayers or not, I have more than enough reason to praise Him all the days, and every day, of my life.
Why is it that when He doesn't answer our prayers in the way we wanted Him to, we don't praise Him? His praise should continually be in our mouths- and not only when we receive the things we desire for from Him. Is He not worthy of praise- period! Or is He only worthy of our praise after He gives us what we want?
If our praise is only based on His answer to our prayers, or because He gives us something, or because we see His hand moving in our lives, then we don't really understand what it means to give Him praise. Do I praise Him for the answer when I see it? Yes, I do. But do I praise Him when I don't see it? Yes, I do. Because with or without the answer-- He is still worthy to be praised because of Who He is.
Have a great day. Don't wait to praise Him only after He has answered your prayer.
For further reading:
Psalm 34:1; 113:1; 135:1; 147:1
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"Our Conversation"
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20
"Our conversation." I am going to get straight to the point this morning by asking you a question-- what do you spend your time talking about? What does your usual conversation consist of? Is your conversation centered around worldly things or godly things? Is your conversation always negative? Are you always murmuring and complaining, belittling, criticizing and gossiping about someone else? Does your conversation encourage or discourage others? Do the things that others hear you say relay a message of defeat or victory to them? Do your words inspire those who hear them? Do they bring them hope? Is it easy or hard for others to tell that you are a follower of Jesus by the conversations they hear you engaged in?
We may not think that our conversation has much of an influence on others but it does. The things we say can either build up or destroy; bring life or death; bring hurt or healing. Perhaps you haven't been giving much thought to the things that you say, or to the things that others hear you say. Often, those who don't know Christ as Savior are turned off and don't want Him for two reasons- 1) they don't see Him in those who profess to be Christians- instead they see hypocrisy; 2) they don't hear the things coming from our mouths that would give them a reason to desire to know Him.
It's time that we start becoming more aware of what we are saying. Our speech should always be "seasoned with grace"- pleasant and wholesome. Kindness should always be in our mouths. Words of faith should be at the center of our conversations. Praise for the Lord should be continually in our mouths. Our words should always edify and never pull someone else down. They should be full of wisdom. They should never speak that which is evil. Our words should be truthful and not deceitful.
There is far too much to say about our words and conversations than I can write this morning, but the Bible puts great importance upon them. My primary focus was on how our conversations either help bring someone to Christ because they hear uplifting words that glorify Him, or they turn them away because they hear the opposite coming from someone who professes to know Him. If God uses preaching- that's our words- to spread His gospel, then by the same token, our words can also hinder the spreading of the gospel if they are not the right kind of words.
Have a great day. What is the topic of most of your conversations, and what kind of words are always coming out of your mouth?
For further reading:
Colossians 4:5
Proverbs 3126; 10:20; 18:21; 15:2
Romans 10:8
Psalms 34:13
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
"Our conversation." I am going to get straight to the point this morning by asking you a question-- what do you spend your time talking about? What does your usual conversation consist of? Is your conversation centered around worldly things or godly things? Is your conversation always negative? Are you always murmuring and complaining, belittling, criticizing and gossiping about someone else? Does your conversation encourage or discourage others? Do the things that others hear you say relay a message of defeat or victory to them? Do your words inspire those who hear them? Do they bring them hope? Is it easy or hard for others to tell that you are a follower of Jesus by the conversations they hear you engaged in?
We may not think that our conversation has much of an influence on others but it does. The things we say can either build up or destroy; bring life or death; bring hurt or healing. Perhaps you haven't been giving much thought to the things that you say, or to the things that others hear you say. Often, those who don't know Christ as Savior are turned off and don't want Him for two reasons- 1) they don't see Him in those who profess to be Christians- instead they see hypocrisy; 2) they don't hear the things coming from our mouths that would give them a reason to desire to know Him.
It's time that we start becoming more aware of what we are saying. Our speech should always be "seasoned with grace"- pleasant and wholesome. Kindness should always be in our mouths. Words of faith should be at the center of our conversations. Praise for the Lord should be continually in our mouths. Our words should always edify and never pull someone else down. They should be full of wisdom. They should never speak that which is evil. Our words should be truthful and not deceitful.
There is far too much to say about our words and conversations than I can write this morning, but the Bible puts great importance upon them. My primary focus was on how our conversations either help bring someone to Christ because they hear uplifting words that glorify Him, or they turn them away because they hear the opposite coming from someone who professes to know Him. If God uses preaching- that's our words- to spread His gospel, then by the same token, our words can also hinder the spreading of the gospel if they are not the right kind of words.
Have a great day. What is the topic of most of your conversations, and what kind of words are always coming out of your mouth?
For further reading:
Colossians 4:5
Proverbs 3126; 10:20; 18:21; 15:2
Romans 10:8
Psalms 34:13
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
"My Daddy"
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:11
Saturday I had a yard sale for the ministry. At the end of the day, I went to get in my vehicle and noticed that my key was on. I tried to crank it but it was dead. The battery was completely drained. I was going to need some help.
My first thought for help was my husband but he wasn't at home and I didn't want to call him because he was an hour away fishing. My brother in law who lives in town was with him, so I couldn't call him. I thought about my son in law, but he was too far away also. I thought about asking a stranger where I was having the yard sale, but wasn't sure if any of them would have jumper cables. Wondering what I was going to do, I finally thought about my daddy. He was only a couple of minutes away, had all the equipment that was needed to crank my vehicle, he was available and had the know how to get my vehicle running again.
Looking back over that situation I can see several spiritual parallels, and lessons, that I want to share with you.
1) The first one I thought about was the fact that when there was no one else around to call- there was my daddy. All were gone and unable to help me, but he was there. Our Heavenly Father is always there. We can always call on Him and He will be there for us. We can't always depend on people, they may not be there, but He will be. They may let us down, but He won't.
2) My daddy had everything that was needed to change my situation and put me back on the road again. I wasn't sure if those strangers who were already there had what was needed to help me, but I knew my daddy did. My Heavenly Father has everything that I need too. There is nothing that I need that He doesn't have. I may need peace, joy, strength, wisdom, finances, a healing-- He has it all no matter what my need may be.
3) When I called my daddy, I was confident that he would come and help me because in all my life he has never let me down. He has always been there when I needed him. When I need my Heavenly Father, I know I can call on Him with confidence that He will be there for me-- He always has, He has never let me down, He has never forsaken me in my time of need. Each and every time I have called on Him He has answered me-- and always will.
4) When I called my dad for help, he did not hesitate to come to my aid. He didn't put me on hold, or act like he was too busy, or tell me to call someone else. He dropped everything he was doing and came to my aid. (He literally dropped what he was doing and denied himself, because I discovered after it was all over that he was in the middle of eating his dinner when I called. He left his plate half-eaten to come help me.) My Heavenly Father doesn't hesitate to come to my aid either. He "drops" everything else to reach out to me whenever I need Him. He never turns me away. He is never too busy for me. I am His child and He does not hesitate to help me when I call Him.
5) When I needed the help, I don't know why I didn't immediately think about my daddy. I should have. He should have been on the top of my list. The parallel here also is that when we have a need, or are going through some difficulty, we often think about everyone else's help except our Heavenly Father. Why do we put Him at the "bottom of the list"? Why do we think we can do it ourselves, or turn to other men- who are just as weak and unwise as we are- when we are in need? Like my daddy in this case, our Heavenly Daddy should be at the very top of our list.
6) The last point is this-- why did my daddy do that? Why did he leave his dinner plate unfinished? Why didn't he turn me away when I was in need? Why did he come and help me? Why did I feel confident that if I called him he would come? The reason is simple-- I know my daddy loves me! Our Heavenly Father loves us too. Because of His love for us, He will not leave us nor forsake us, nor abandon us in our time of need. His love for us will always reach down to us when we call upon Him. He loves us and will be there to meet each and every need we have.
Have a great day. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and will never abandon us in our time of need, but come to our aid.
For further reading:
Psalm 103:13
Matthew 6:32
Hebrews 13:5
1 John 3:1
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
Saturday I had a yard sale for the ministry. At the end of the day, I went to get in my vehicle and noticed that my key was on. I tried to crank it but it was dead. The battery was completely drained. I was going to need some help.
My first thought for help was my husband but he wasn't at home and I didn't want to call him because he was an hour away fishing. My brother in law who lives in town was with him, so I couldn't call him. I thought about my son in law, but he was too far away also. I thought about asking a stranger where I was having the yard sale, but wasn't sure if any of them would have jumper cables. Wondering what I was going to do, I finally thought about my daddy. He was only a couple of minutes away, had all the equipment that was needed to crank my vehicle, he was available and had the know how to get my vehicle running again.
Looking back over that situation I can see several spiritual parallels, and lessons, that I want to share with you.
1) The first one I thought about was the fact that when there was no one else around to call- there was my daddy. All were gone and unable to help me, but he was there. Our Heavenly Father is always there. We can always call on Him and He will be there for us. We can't always depend on people, they may not be there, but He will be. They may let us down, but He won't.
2) My daddy had everything that was needed to change my situation and put me back on the road again. I wasn't sure if those strangers who were already there had what was needed to help me, but I knew my daddy did. My Heavenly Father has everything that I need too. There is nothing that I need that He doesn't have. I may need peace, joy, strength, wisdom, finances, a healing-- He has it all no matter what my need may be.
3) When I called my daddy, I was confident that he would come and help me because in all my life he has never let me down. He has always been there when I needed him. When I need my Heavenly Father, I know I can call on Him with confidence that He will be there for me-- He always has, He has never let me down, He has never forsaken me in my time of need. Each and every time I have called on Him He has answered me-- and always will.
4) When I called my dad for help, he did not hesitate to come to my aid. He didn't put me on hold, or act like he was too busy, or tell me to call someone else. He dropped everything he was doing and came to my aid. (He literally dropped what he was doing and denied himself, because I discovered after it was all over that he was in the middle of eating his dinner when I called. He left his plate half-eaten to come help me.) My Heavenly Father doesn't hesitate to come to my aid either. He "drops" everything else to reach out to me whenever I need Him. He never turns me away. He is never too busy for me. I am His child and He does not hesitate to help me when I call Him.
5) When I needed the help, I don't know why I didn't immediately think about my daddy. I should have. He should have been on the top of my list. The parallel here also is that when we have a need, or are going through some difficulty, we often think about everyone else's help except our Heavenly Father. Why do we put Him at the "bottom of the list"? Why do we think we can do it ourselves, or turn to other men- who are just as weak and unwise as we are- when we are in need? Like my daddy in this case, our Heavenly Daddy should be at the very top of our list.
6) The last point is this-- why did my daddy do that? Why did he leave his dinner plate unfinished? Why didn't he turn me away when I was in need? Why did he come and help me? Why did I feel confident that if I called him he would come? The reason is simple-- I know my daddy loves me! Our Heavenly Father loves us too. Because of His love for us, He will not leave us nor forsake us, nor abandon us in our time of need. His love for us will always reach down to us when we call upon Him. He loves us and will be there to meet each and every need we have.
Have a great day. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and will never abandon us in our time of need, but come to our aid.
For further reading:
Psalm 103:13
Matthew 6:32
Hebrews 13:5
1 John 3:1
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
Monday, October 3, 2011
"Rejoice In The Lord"
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
Not everything that happens to us each day causes us to "rejoice". There are situations that arise, events that take place, circumstances that occur that we can't rejoice over. Today we might get a bad report from the doctor- that is nothing to rejoice over. Our teenage daughter might tell us she is pregnant out of wedlock- we can't rejoice over that. We might find out our spouse has been cheating on us- no one can rejoice over that. The boss might give us the pink slip and tell us to pack up our things we no longer work for them- that is not something we can rejoice over either.
The scripture doesn't tell us to rejoice about the bad things that come our way. It doesn't mean we are to rejoice because some bad or evil thing happened. The rejoicing that it is talking about is in the Lord. In the Book of Philippians we are told to, "Rejoice in the Lord always", and it is even repeated, "And again I say, rejoice".
The rejoicing is not in the thing that happened but in the Lord. I will rejoice because even though this or that happened it can't separate me from the love of God- He will continue to love me. I will rejoice because, even though it was bad, the Lord will make all things work together for my good. I will rejoice because even though some terrible thing has formed against me, the Lord will see to it that it does not prosper. I can't rejoice when evil comes, but I can rejoice in the Lord who will deliver me from evil. I can't rejoice about the battles that rage against me, but I can rejoice in the Lord because He fights my battles for me. I will rejoice in the fact that the Lord is still in control- not my circumstances. I will rejoice in the Lord because I know He sees what is happening and will not leave me nor forsake me but will make a way for me.
While I can't rejoice about a bad thing that may happen in my life today, I can rejoice in the Lord who does not change and who is with me always. Therefore, I will rejoice in the Lord today even when bad things come my way.
Have a great day. Our rejoicing is in the faithfulness, goodness, tender mercies and grace of God- not in the bad things that happen.
For further reading:
Philippians 4:4
Isaiah 61:10
Psalm 97:12; 34:1,2
Habakkuk 3:17-19
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
Not everything that happens to us each day causes us to "rejoice". There are situations that arise, events that take place, circumstances that occur that we can't rejoice over. Today we might get a bad report from the doctor- that is nothing to rejoice over. Our teenage daughter might tell us she is pregnant out of wedlock- we can't rejoice over that. We might find out our spouse has been cheating on us- no one can rejoice over that. The boss might give us the pink slip and tell us to pack up our things we no longer work for them- that is not something we can rejoice over either.
The scripture doesn't tell us to rejoice about the bad things that come our way. It doesn't mean we are to rejoice because some bad or evil thing happened. The rejoicing that it is talking about is in the Lord. In the Book of Philippians we are told to, "Rejoice in the Lord always", and it is even repeated, "And again I say, rejoice".
The rejoicing is not in the thing that happened but in the Lord. I will rejoice because even though this or that happened it can't separate me from the love of God- He will continue to love me. I will rejoice because, even though it was bad, the Lord will make all things work together for my good. I will rejoice because even though some terrible thing has formed against me, the Lord will see to it that it does not prosper. I can't rejoice when evil comes, but I can rejoice in the Lord who will deliver me from evil. I can't rejoice about the battles that rage against me, but I can rejoice in the Lord because He fights my battles for me. I will rejoice in the fact that the Lord is still in control- not my circumstances. I will rejoice in the Lord because I know He sees what is happening and will not leave me nor forsake me but will make a way for me.
While I can't rejoice about a bad thing that may happen in my life today, I can rejoice in the Lord who does not change and who is with me always. Therefore, I will rejoice in the Lord today even when bad things come my way.
Have a great day. Our rejoicing is in the faithfulness, goodness, tender mercies and grace of God- not in the bad things that happen.
For further reading:
Philippians 4:4
Isaiah 61:10
Psalm 97:12; 34:1,2
Habakkuk 3:17-19
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
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