"Too Heavenly Minded"

"...but we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16b

We have all heard it said, "You can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good". I understand where those who say that are coming from, but I don't believe that it is an accurate statement. As I thought about it, I began to think about the life of Jesus. He was nothing but "heavenly minded". He had a "kingdom mindset" behind everything He did- He did it with the kingdom in view. Everything He said was in reference to the kingdom. His thoughts were on the things of the kingdom- not on worldly things. Everywhere He went He was presenting the kingdom. His whole live was wrapped up in the kingdom and kingdom things and He was continually relating it to those on earth. He was the "embodiment" of the kingdom while He was on earth- showing us what the kingdom was like.

I don't think being "too heavenly minded is the problem". I think the problem with most Christians now days is that we aren't heavenly/kingdom minded enough. Perhaps it would be better said this way, "We need to be a little more heavenly/kingdom minded if we are going to be of any earthly good".

The scriptures tell us a lot about the renewing of our minds so that we won't be conformed to this world. It tells us what things we are to think on, and all those things are spiritual/heavenly things. If we are truly going to be of any earthly good, then we are going to have to be more kingdom minded than we are and less worldly minded--- we are going to have to keep heavenly things always in the forefront of our minds. Those things are: all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; the wages of sin is death- eternity in hell; the love of God that brought Jesus to earth to pay the price for our sins so that we can have eternal life; God's grace and mercy that He has shown to a lost and dying world; heaven; peace with God; fellowship and communion with the Father; joy in salvation; etc. We are going to have to have our minds on these "heavenly" things so that we will not forget that God loves the lost and without Him they are perishing.

Without being a little more heavenly minded we look, sound and act just like the world and, therefore, our lights are hid. Keeping our mind on heavenly/kingdom things keeps everything in perspective so that our lights continue to shine brightly and we don't lose our saltiness. If the world is going to see and hear about who Jesus is- it will happen as they see it and hear if from our lives. And they will only see it and hear it as we are more heavenly minded than earthly minded.

Have a great day. We need to be a little more heavenly minded if we are going to be of any earthly good.

For further reading:
Romans 12:2
Philippians 2:5;4:8
Colossians 3:1,2
Luke 17:21
John 14:9

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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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.
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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"A House Out of Order"

Dear All,
I want to thank you for your prayers for my husband... and your notes of concern and encouragement. Everything went well and we are back home now. I saw the Lord's wonderful keeping power and His how beautifully He moved on our behalf. I give Him praise and glory this morning.
Love and blessings,
Lorraine
___________________________________

"...Set thine house in order..." Isaiah 38:1ff

As most of you know, a week ago I went on a trip for a few days. Since I have been back- starting the very next morning after I returned- I have not had a minute to slow down (appointments, meetings, demands on my time- I won't bore you with all the details). Then my husband wound up having a heart cath and I have been on the go with that. I took a look around my neglected office this morning at the paper work that has piled up on my desk- bills that need attention, receipts that need to be filed, mail that needs to be sorted, etc. and thought- "this afternoon when I get back home, I have to get this office in order!'. At that moment, this verse came to me- "Set your house in order", and the Lord began to speak to me about this.

There are things that require our attention and we should give it to them. We should not be slothful or lazy in our business affairs, we should have good work ethics, we should not ignore our responsibilities, we should be diligent in every area of life. But we must also stop and take inventory of our "whole" life-- namely, our "spiritual" life.

Are we spending more time concerned with getting our "natural" life in order than we are with getting our "spiritual" life in order? You can work on taking care of the natural and neglect the spiritual until it is completely "out of order". Is your attention given first, and more, to your physical/natural well-being, or to your spiritual well-being? Which one of the two has your primary focus? Which one is your first priority?

Again, we should be taking care of business and not neglect our responsibilities, but our relationship with the Heavenly Father should be the first thing on our "to do list". Last night as I was answering my emails, I discovered a renewal notice for my website. It was due yesterday. Thank the Lord He brought it to my attention when He did, or it would have caused me to lose it and have to pay a higher price to have a new one. Neglect often cost us- it carries a price. We can't afford to neglect our spiritual man and relationship with the Lord either- it will cost us something if we do. And the price is too great to pay.

Have a great day. Don't neglect your physical responsibilities, but mainly don't neglect your "spiritual" life.

For further reading:
Hebrews 2:3
Matthew 6:19,33; 24:35

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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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.
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.

"God's Great Mercy"

Dear All,
I would appreciate it if you would remember my husband in prayer this morning. He will be having a heart cath.
Thank you. Love and blessings, Lorraine
__________________________________________________________

"And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man." 1 Chronicles 21:13

Last night a friend posted something on her face book wall for the reader to think about. What she said was, "Who would you rather on your side? Men/Women or the God who created the Men/Women? For some reason that question reminded me of the story in the Bible about King David when he disobeyed the Lord by taking a census of the people. Naturally, his act of disobedience brought not only consequences but it had to be punished. God gave David three choices as a punishment then allowed him to choose which one he wanted. "And the Lord spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me." (verses 9-12)

Out of the three David chose to fall into the hands of God and not man. His reason was: "for very great are His mercies". David knew that even though God's punishment was justified and deserved, God would show him mercy even in punishment. Therefore, he would rather face God than man because he knew that God's mercy, love, compassion and forgiveness was attached to His judgments. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" (Hebrews 12:6,7)

Even though David faced the punishment and Israel suffered for it too, David was right-- God stopped the punishment when David fell on his face before the Lord crying out in repentance asking for mercy.

I weep when I think of the goodness and mercy of God. We fall, we sin, we disobey, we reject God and by doing so we deserve punishment, yet when we will turn to Him asking for forgiveness and mercy, He so graciously gives it to us.

David was guilty of his sin against God, and God showed mercy on him. Are you in need of God's mercy this morning over your act of disobedience? It is available to you just like it was for David. His mercies are awaiting you today. Go to Him in repentance and fall upon His mercy.... I am sure you will find it.

Have a great day. The mercy of God is so much greater than all our sins.

For further reading:
Lamentation 3:23
Psalm 33:22; 51:1; 66:20; 103:17

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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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.
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.

"Wrong or Right Reason?"

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." John 6:27

We put way too much emphasis on the physical life and material things. This is even true when it comes to our spiritual life. In John 6:26, Jesus tells us this: "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." Jesus said that the people were seeking Him because of the physical blessings and physical needs that He was providing for them. Then in our opening verse He tells us that this is the wrong reason to seek Him, and what we should be seeking Him for instead.

If we are seeking the Lord and following Him for the "things" He can give us, then we are following Him for the wrong reason. The crowds followed Jesus everywhere He went while He was on earth. Most were following Him because of some miracle He could give them, or because He fed them with bread and fish, or because they wanted Him to heal their body or do something for them. But few followed Him for the "right" reason. Think that isn't true? Then where were they all- where were the crowds- at the cross?

Why are you following Him? What do you seek to find from Him? Are you following Him because of some material thing you want Him to give you? Are you following Him because you want His physical blessings on your life? Are you following Him because you want to see His hand moving in your life? Are you following Him because of the eternal life that He provides? Are you following Him because you love Him? Are you following Him because you desire to see His "face" and know His "heart"? There is a right and a wrong reason for following Him. If your reason for following Him is based on receiving material blessings that He can give, then you are following Him for the wrong reason.

Have a great day. Is the reason you are following Jesus attached to some physical need He can provide for you, or out of love?

For further reading:
Matthew 6:19,20,33
Mark 7:6
Colossians 3:2

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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


If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.
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.

"Guilty Without Guilt"

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8

I want to talk about guilt this morning. In the English language the word guilt is a noun and a verb. The word guilt used as a noun means that it's a fact that you have committed some offense, some wrong doing or violated some law. Guilt as a verb deals with the feeling of remorse over some wrong that you have done. For example, the feeling of guilt may come as a result of cheating on your spouse. You betrayed the love that they gave you by giving yourself to someone else. It may come because you said something hurtful or harmful and now you wish you could take those words back because of the pain they inflicted. Parents often feel guilty because they did not spend time with their children while they were growing up. Some suffer with guilt because they committed a crime against another person through theft, murder, abuse, etc.

The guilt we feel is because we are in fact truly guilty of doing what we are feeling guilty about. It is not because we are innocent. I want to encourage you that if you are dealing with guilt today over something you did, the Lord wants to deliver you from it.

Look at the life of the Apostle Paul. He was guilty of persecuting the church. His occupation was to seek out those who were living for Christ and have them imprisoned or put to death. Then one day he had an encounter with the Lord on the Damascus Road and his life was forever changed. Instead of persecuting the church, he became part of it and preached the same gospel that he had tried to destroy. Although Paul was guilty of all the things we just said, he did not live in guilt over them. Had he, he would have never been able to preach the saving, healing, delivering message of Jesus. The guilt would have stopped him every time he opened his mouth. The point I want to make from the life of Paul is that while he was guilty, he did not live in guilt. And you don't have to either. The Lord wants to deliver you from the guilt of what you have done and give you healing and forgiveness. Did Paul still endure some things because of his guilty act? Yes. But he did not endure the struggle of wresting with those guilty feelings- he had peace, his guilt was gone.

Are you wresting with guilt? Are you guilty of doing the thing that you are having remorse over but you can't get past the guilt of it? The same healing that was available for Paul is available for you. The same peace that the Lord gave to him He wants to give to you. He wants to deliver you from the guilt.

The enemy wants to keep you bound in guilt so that he can stop you from fulfilling God's purpose and accomplishing God's plan for your life. He wants to keep you feeling guilty so that you will not pursue a relationship with the Lord.

This morning, take your guilt to God. Ask for His forgiveness, then let Him take the guilt away and give you peace.

Have a great day. You may be guilty, but the Lord wants to deliver you from the guilt.

For further reading:
Romans 8:1
1 John 1:9
Acts 9:1-26

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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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.
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.