Syncing Up

By Jarrod Spencer –

As personal digital assistants (PDA) and MP3 players are introduced into the technology world, the term synchronization, shortened to “sync,” has also been introduced. One will “sync” or “sync up” such an object with a computer. This action assures that both pieces of technology have the same information in them. Neither of them is competing, nor are they withholding any information from the other. It is a convenient tool to have for backing up, retrieving, and transferring information from one piece of technology to the other.

Now, phones are using the “sync” feature. This allows you to plug it in to your computer and save all your contacts. With the popularity of the “smartphone,” you have all your contacts, addresses, birthdates, anniversaries, appointments, pictures, videos, and any documents you wish to store, all in one small, portable object.

Christians also have the privilege of being able to “sync up.” With technology, there is a smaller unit (PDA/MP3/phone) that can hold a fraction of what the larger unit (computer) can hold. As we parallel this to us and our Creator, we are the smaller being and He is the ultimate being, and we can hold a fraction of what our Creator can hold.

When you connect to Him, through prayer, thought, or meditation, you are essentially “syncing up.” You might be trying to understand what His will is for you or asking for Him to care for a particular person or situation. “Syncing up” allows Him to better understand what you are experiencing. There isn’t a competition going on. When finished you are on the same page as Him.

With technology, each time something changes, we have to “sync up” our devices. As a Christian, our lives change daily, so we must “sync up” with our Creator regularly.

Take time to connect with Him so that the two of you can be in sync. Just as it is a benefit in technology to “sync up” between each unit, it will be even more beneficial to you to “sync up” with your Creator.

May we be constantly plugging in and syncing up!

PRAYER: Faithful Father, thank You for the opportunity to “sync up” with you anytime I need to. May I be willing to take what You communicate to me and use it for Your glory!

“This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever” (John 6:58 ESV).

Future Blessings Today

By Cheri Cowell –

A while back I received a great blessing. The mother of a teenager from one of my previous youth ministry jobs invited me to dinner. She told me of her daughter’s successes, and most importantly, her continued love for God.

“When Shannon comes to visit in a few weeks I know she would love to see you,” her mother said.

We never know the impact our lives are making on others. We hope, and we pray we are setting an example worthy to be followed. I was blessed by this mother who took the time to tell me I had done just that. She also shared that I had helped her, too.

Wow! God promises we will see the fruit of our endeavors, but not always when we think we should.

God promised Abraham that He would bless the world through his descendants, but Abraham must have wondered if he would really have an influence on those who followed. God made a similar promise to us. If we seek God with our whole hearts, minds, and souls, He will not forget us, nor the generations to come after us. We may not always know the good we are doing, but we know He has the power to multiply those deeds ten-fold.

PRAYER I praise You, Lord, for the promises You have kept through the generations. Because of one man’s faith, You were able to make us heirs to Your kingdom. Help me stay focused on the blessings that are to come and, if it be in Your will, allow me to catch a glimpse of a few of those future blessings today.

“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed’” (Acts 3:24 – 25 NIV).

Devo Spiritual Growth-Rubik’s Cube

By Elaine James –

Rubik’s cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor Erno Rubik. Although it is widely reported that the Cube was built as a teaching tool to help his students understand 3D objects, his actual purpose was solving the structural problem of moving the parts independently without the entire mechanism falling apart.

As a professor of architecture, Erno Rubik invented the little toy for his purpose of teaching and it ended up going all over the world and has sold over 350 million to date.

In the Scriptures, David spoke these words to his son, “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9, emphasis mine).

Reading this verse, I could not help but notice the words “willing mind.” What does it take to have a willing mind and wholehearted devotion? It is a committed choice that the focus of our mind will be on the Father.

These words bring to mind a Rubik’s cube, because to complete the puzzle, and get all the colors in order, one must deeply focus. Think about it. When you do any sort of mind puzzle, you must focus 100%, taking all the distractions of life out of your mind to concentrate on the puzzle.

David was commissioning Solomon to build the Lord’s temple. He used the same words that God says to each of us; the work He has in mind for us will require a willing mind.  He then asks us to cooperate with Him.

If you notice negative thoughts creeping into your mind, what do you choose to with those thoughts? Do you just follow wherever they lead, or do you choose to focus on God and invite Him into the situation. By praying prayers of thanksgiving, rejoicing, praising and petitions you allow God to renew your mind. This is your spiritual act of worship.

Rubik’s cube can give you a temporary reprieve from your thoughts, but God can give you everlasting relief and peace that renews your mind.

PRAYER:  Today I praise you and thank you. I choose to focus on you and give these thoughts to you. Thank you for peace. I wait on you. In Jesus name.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12: 1 – 2 MSG).

Laboring for the Prize

By Carin LeRoy –

I dread going to a dentist. There isn’t much in life that gives me more stress. Recently, I spent the morning in the dentist chair. When the doctor arrived to see me, the first thing I see is a needle aimed at my mouth. Closing my eyes, I mentally braced myself as several shots of Novocain were injected into my gums. Soon, I hardly felt my nose, so my only comfort at this point was that maybe I wouldn’t feel what would come next.

Then the grinding starts—lots of it—as he removes the upper part of my decayed tooth. Bits of dust fly everywhere as he works. My hands grip the chair and my body tenses as I lay there mouth open and unable to swallow. Neither do I find the short episodes of squirting water and suction any reprieve from all the grinding. It’s all just misery for me. After two hours, I emerge with an empty wallet and a newly crowned tooth.

Some things in life must be endured in order to gain something better. Laboring through birth to cuddle your newborn; Sitting in a 2×3 foot spot for endless hours in order to get to a vacation destination; raising a challenging teenager in order to make them a responsible adult; going through years of classes, papers and exams to obtain your degree. Many things in life require work, time and diligence in order to receive the desired reward that awaits us at the end.

Life has it’s hard times. We have challenges, pain, misfortune, death, sickness and debt. Many things bring difficulties into our life. But in the end of it all, if we believe in Christ who died for us, we have a wonderful “prize” that awaits us—eternity in heaven with a Savior that loves us. Let’s fix our eyes on eternity as we endure the struggles of this life. This life is temporary, but heaven is forever. Whatever you are dealing with today hang in there, because heaven waits!

PRAYER: Lord, give me strength as I face life’s challenges today and give me a heart that will focus on You. Keep me mindful that the struggles of this life are temporary and that You will walk with me through them until we meet in heaven.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV).

Mundane Moments or Movie Magic

By Robin J. Steinweg –

What if life were reduced to a 90-second movie trailer–the highest moments, best explosions, disasters and funny bits? Would anyone pay money to see it? Would it count for anything?

Let’s see. Born. Dragged by my pony, had to soak the grit off in the tub. Fell in love, married. Hit a deer with the car. Birthed two sons. Gall bladder removed… Wow, even I don’t care to go see it!

So what makes my life count? Certainly not the film-worthy exploits.

I think about what others have done that mattered to me:

*The friend who brought a meal after my dad died—a small thing to her, but huge to me.

*The doctor who, when I was twelve, kindly told me that my wide-set eyes were a sign of beauty—he gave me hope when my peers called me ‘Grubworm’ or ‘Birdlegs.’

*A stranger (a professional musician) who told me in one casual sentence that I was born to make music—and sent me in the direction the Lord wanted me to go.

*Curly-haired, three-year-old Jamie, who hugged my neck the first and only time I met him while waiting in line to see E.T. at a theater—and completely rearranged my heart about wanting a child.

Do these people know that their small, ordinary investments were used by God to change my life?

AUTHOR QUOTE: It’s not the events that create movie magic that matter. It’s the mundane moments—even unintentional acts—performed for others daily, in the name of Christ.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in My name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41 NIV).

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