Finding Life

May 21, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , 2 Comments

Scripture

Matthew 10:39 “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses His life for My sake will find it.”

Observation

In this passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples that the only way to find real life is to lose it for Him.  Fully knowing the persecutions that would come by following Him, Jesus encourages His disciples to pick up their cross and follow His example or they would not be worthy of real life found in Him.  According to Jesus, real life is only found through life completely surrendered to Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life in which no man can come to the Father except through Him.

Application

Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly; however, this kind of life is only found through the Cross.  At the Cross, we lose our old life of sin and death and gain a new life of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.  As we surrender our heart, mind, and will to the Lord on a daily basis and invite Him to walk and supp with us through His Holy Spirit, we can walk in the fullness of life that Jesus died to give us regardless of our circumstances.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the fullness of life that You died to give me. Help me to follow your example on a daily basis by dying to myself and living in You.  I love You Jesus! Amen!

Finding Life Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Finding Life, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Multiplied Seed

May 15, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”  

Observation

In this passage, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about their giving.  In doing so, he eloquently communicates how the hand of God is involved in giving through the farming language of sowing and reaping.  Those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly and those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully. This is the way God has chosen to be glorified in our giving.  Without sowing, there is no reaping. Without God, there is no seed to sow nor any multiplied seed that is sown.  This process is simply designed by God; He provides the seed and He multiplies the seed that is sown in faith.

Application

In God’s economy, 1 + 1 = 100. To the natural mind this equation doesn’t make any sense; however, when we sow a kernel of corn in faith, God can multiply it and provide a 100 fold increase of seed kernels.  We do our possible part and then He does His impossible part which brings the impossible increase [1+1=100].  On the other hand, 0 + 0 = 0 in God’s economy because without faith we cannot please God and without Him, we can do nothing.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of faith and the provision of seed to bountifully sow in faith.  By Your grace, may You bountifully multiply the seed that I have sown in faith.  As Your Word declares, with men this is impossible, but with You all things are possible.  Help me Lord to always give in faith as a cheerful bountiful giver like You and have faith in You to multiply the seed that I have sown. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Multiplied Seed Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Multiplied Seed, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

All Came To Pass

May 9, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Joshua 21:45 “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

Observation

In this passage is the fulfillment of God’s promise to the children of Israel regarding the Promised Land that He said He would give to them. God promised Israel the land of the Jordan for their possession and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.  God promised them rest all around and they rested in every direction. And God promised that no man would be able to stand against them and He delivered them from all of their enemies. Not a single Word from God’s promise to Israel failed to come to pass.

Application

What God says He will do, I can trust that He will do because God is not a man that He should lie.  Furthermore, the Word of God says that all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.  Therefore, as a child of the Most High Living God, I can take great comfort in all of His promises to me because the Lord is faithful and He will fulfill His Word in my life just as He fulfilled His Word in the lives of the children of Israel.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet and Your faithfulness that reaches to the heavens. I praise You as Jevohah Nissi, the Lord my Banner, and invite Your Banner to rule and reign over my life, my home, my family, and my community. May all of Your promises be completely fulfilled in my life as I trust You and serve You all the days of my life. I love you Jesus! Amen!

All Came To Pass Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, All Came To Pass, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Trusting First

January 9, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , 1 Comment

In God We Trust

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

Quote: “The only way to receive others’ trust is to first trust others yourself!” – Wayne Hastings and Ron Potter

One day while driving in the car with my mother-in-law, my nephew was discussing his preparation for First Communion.  In that conversation, he stated that he was having trouble understanding how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were One.  So my mother-in-law explained to him that some things about God are hard to understand and that it required faith to believe God.  At that moment, my nephew’s younger five year old brother with fire-engine red hair and a squeaky little voice exclaimed, “Granny, I believe in all those special guys…God, Jesus, the Easter Bunny, Franklin Delano Roosevelt…”  Laughing under her breath, my mother-in-law inquired, “Franklin Delano Roosevelt!  What do you know about Franklin Delano Roosevelt?”  My nephew’s response, “He’s on the money, Granny…” 🙂  Well not exactly, but there is something on our money most worthy of note.  It is the four short powerful words, “In God We Trust.”

Because we, the people of the United States, deliberately chose to trust God as our Supreme Provider from the beginning, He blessed us beyond anything we could have ever imagined or asked for as a newly formed nation.  In spite of the formidable odds stacked against our founding fathers, they gave everything to secure the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, endowed by our Creator for all people.  Putting their trust in the providential care of the All-Powerful, All-Sufficient, Most High God, our founding fathers built our nation fearing God more than they feared man.  Likewise, the psalmist, King David, revealed the same kind of providential trust when he declared in Psalm 56:11, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” 

Recently, I received an alarming e-mail stating that the words, “In God We Trust”, were removed from the new dollar coin.  Disturbed by this, I was tempted to join the campaign to boycott the coin until one of my wise friends cautioned me to first validate the claim.  So I did by inspecting the first new dollar coin received to see if the claim was true.  As expected, I was disappointed to find out that our national statement of faith in God was not on the face or the back of the coin. But still finding it hard to believe, I searched the coin further.  And then, there the words were…impeccably inscribed on the side rim of the coin – “IN GOD WE TRUST.”  While I don’t know why the words were moved to the rim, I am glad that our new dollar coin still declares our national legacy of genuine faith in God. 

Unfortunately, we won’t always understand certain things in life; however, during such times we can most certainly believe the Word of the Lord as stated in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  With a spirit of faith and commitment, first put your trust in God before anything else, and you will discover that He is faithful to lead you into all truth and fulfill all of His promises for your life!

The Make It Happen Teamwork Value: “Make It Happen” People Foster A Safe Environment Of Teamwork And Mutual Respect!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Trusting First Copyright 2008, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Trusting First, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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