Little Flatrock Christian Church

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”  John 15:11

“Nona, do you smile all the time?” These were my granddaughter’s words to my shocked ears.

“I do when you’re with me.”

The truth is, finding joy in spite of my circumstances is one of my biggest struggles.  If I’m not careful, even the smallest frustration can rob me of my joy.  Apparently, my granddaughter has not yet seen this side of me.

Jesus told his disciples that there is a brand of joy that is complete joy — the kind he experienced even when he knew the cross was just around the corner.  Now that’s a circumstance I have never faced.  This kind of joy is available to you and me as well, if we stay close to him.

My granddaughter isn’t always with me, but Jesus is.  If I stay close to him, I can experience joy in spite of any circumstance that comes my way.

Every time you choose to smile genuinely even though your circumstances are less than joyful, you give evidence that the same joy Jesus experienced in spite of the cross is in you.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“This is love:  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:10-11

Parental love is likely the purest expression of the love within the human race.  Parents spend their lives depositing their love into their children.  The children will never remember the caressing of their cheeks as babies, but the parents know it contributes to the overall physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational health of the children.

The greatest joy of parents is seeing their children all grown up and living a life of love — blessing their own children, their spouses, their neighbors.  When the children decide to live a life of love, the parents know their love has been received and made complete.

This is how it is for God, your Father.  He has been pouring His love into you all your life, even when you were too young to remember it.  When you grow up and choose to live a life of love, you give evidence that God’s love has been born in you and has been made complete in you.

Do you want to give evidence that God’s love is in you?  Go love someone else.

from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”  Ephesians 6:19-20

A husband came home from work after a very long and terrible day.  Everything had gone wrong.  He said to his wife, “I’ve had nothing but bad news at the office today.  If there is one thing I don’t want, it is more bad news.”

His wife gently replied, “In that case, you’ll be glad to know that three of your four children did not break their arms today.”

There is a real art to learning how to share bad news.  But delivering good news is so much fun.  Why, then, is it so hard for us to share our faith?  Without question, Paul goes down in history as one of the most aggressive evangelists ever to walk the planet.  Yet he confesses that it is easy to hold back and that even he needs courage.  If it is true for Paul, then it is likely true for you.

Maybe it helps to remember that the gospel is good news.  Try this on for size:  “You’ll be pleased to know that four out of every four people who ask for forgiveness and for eternal life in Jesus will receive it.”

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional  by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Since you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you — see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”  2 Corinthians 8:7

History tells us that during the Middle Ages, whenever a soldier was baptized, he would leave his right hand extended above the water.  Why? This was the hand he carried his sword in, and he was not offering it up to God.  Today we might see a person with that same hand extended above the water but with a wallet in it.

Paul challenged the Corinthian believers to drop that hand with the wallet into the water and excel in the “grace of giving.”  Notice he didn’t say the “obligation of giving.” We often miss this.  In the opening words of 1 Corinthians Paul wrote, “I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus” (1:4, emphasis added).  Aren’t you glad that when Jesus was baptized, His whole body went down into the water?  Aren’t you glad His whole body went on the cross?

So grab your wallet and baptize it along with the rest of you, so you can excel in offering the same kind of grace Christ offered to you.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  — Colossians 3:17

The clock is no respecter of persons.  Every single human who has ever lived on earth has exactly 168 hours a week.  And most of us find that after spending time sleeping, working, eating, and commuting, there just isn’t much left over.  So when someone requests a piece of your time, you can feel tension in your gut.

God, however, doesn’t want just a piece of your time; he wants it all.  Yikes!  Now, He is not asking you to go without sleep, quit your job, or stop eating.  He is asking for a total shift in attitude.  As you do the things you need to do, want to do, and are compelled to do because of your faith, offer it up to God in a way that pleases Him.

You see, the time God wants you to offer Him doesn’t have to be spent only sitting in church or serving in a ministry.  If you are peeling a potato, peel it in excellence for God.  If you are holding a baby, hold that baby for God, offering the child love and warmth of a caring heart.  If you run into a friend in the store, offer that conversation up to God and see what a difference it might make.

What are you going to do next?  Offer it up to God.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy & Rozanne Frazee

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith.”  Romans 12:4-6

“That person has charisma.”  We make this kind of statement about someone who arouses enthusiasm in others.  Did you know that if you are a Christian, you have charisma?  It’s absolutely true.

The Greek word for “gifts” Paul used in the verse above is charismata.  It is literally translated “grace gift,” and it refers to at least one special gift of the Holy Spirit deposited in you when you gave your life to Christ.  Maybe it is the gift of leadership, or mercy, or administration, or teaching, or simply being a good helper.  When we know our spiritual gifts and humbly use them in concert with other Christians to fulfill God’s purposes, good things happen in the lives of other people.  When good things happen in the lives of other people, it arouses enthusiasm in them.  Voilia:  charisma!

So, next time you hear someone say, “That person has charisma,” see who they’re talking about — it just may be you.

from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:44-47

The members of the early church did not devote themselves to evangelism — leading other folks to Christ.  They devoted themselves first to each other and to God.  They saw each other every day and often shared a meal together.  When they gathered around the table, they ate with “glad and sincere hearts.”  How did they do that?  Between bites they chatted about the wonderful life they now had in Christ, and they praised God for it.

Once they finished their meal, they walked through the neighborhood streets and simply met the needs of the people around them from a heart of gratitude.  Before people knew the doctrine that drove these believing neighbors, they experienced it.  The result?  People were added to the community of Christ every day.  Evangelism resulted.

Happy and kind people are contagious.  You may only be a great meal away from seeing another person come to Christ.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Ro

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.”  Romans 12:1

The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep trying to crawl off the altar.  Surrendering to someone else’s will brings about tremendous fear, even when it is God’s will.

What will He ask you to do?  Stay in a tumultuous relationship or marriage for the good of the other person?  Walk away from a relationship that is not honoring or pleasing to Him?  Watch your spouse or child head overseas to serve their country?  Move your family halfway across the country for a new job?

Fear associated with surrendering to uncertainty can cause a living sacrifice to wiggle right off the altar and try to take back control.  Sometimes you can’t even muster the courage to get on there in the first place!

When you are tempted to wiggle off the altar, God asks you to stay on it, rely on His mercy and grace to get you through, and believe His promise that He is working out all things for your ultimate good.

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.”  Matthew 6:33

Max Lucado tells the story of a little girl who earns enough money to buy a pretty faux pearl necklace.  One night her daddy comes to tell her goodnight and asks her, “Do you love me?”

The daughter replies, “Oh, yes, you know I love you!”

“Then give me your pearls,” he says.

“Oh, not my pearls, Daddy! You know I love my pearls.”

Kissing her goodnight, he says, “I understand.”

Several nights pass, then one evening the dad sees tears filling up his little girl’s eyes.  He asks, “What’s wrong?”

Holding out her hand, she opens it and offers her strand of pearls to her dad, explaining, “I love my pearls, Daddy, but I love you more.”

The dad accepts the pearls and then reaches into his pocket.  He pulls out a beautiful genuine pearl necklace and places it in his daughter’s hand.

Your heavenly Father wants you to open your hand and let go of the temporal things of your world so He can replace them with the genuine eternal things of His kingdom.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“The word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

A surgeon determines that you need surgery by evaluating your symptoms.  He may treat your symptoms, but this only masks them.  When the medicine wears off, your symptoms return.  The illness is caused by a deeper problem.  Until the root of the problem is cut out, the symptoms will not disappear.

The writer of Hebrews says living the Christian life without consistently reading the Bible is like treating symptoms of a disease instead of removing the actual cause.  Symptoms like anger, bitterness, depression, or hatred are indications of a deeper problem and can be masked for a time, but they always return.

Studying God’s Word is like being under the skilled scalpel of a surgeon. During this surgery, however, you’re awake, peering over your draped body in a mirror.  Now you see the deeper problems — insecurity, doubt, and sin.

Engaging in surgery by Scripture daily will bring healing and comfort for deep wounds, reinforce beliefs where doubt has crept in, and lead you in practices that will strengthen your faith.

The very best surgeon in the universe is available to you.  Put your trust in the Great Physician!

from the 31-Day Believe Devotional by Randy & Rozanne Frazee