To Have One, Be One

Ever find yourself thinking about how you wish your friends did this more or that better? Do you yourself do the things that you wish your friends could provide for you? Are you always faithful with your promises to them?

While we can only attempt to follow Jesus' example isn't it worth it to try? He's the ultimate friend to us, and we should try to be the best friends we can be to our earthly friends.

-AMR
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Make Your Time Count

8 more days (of classes) and counting.....you can make it!

We all have tons of stuff to do these days and it seems endless. That's all the more reason to try to make the most of the time we dedicate to a given activity/responsibility. Putting your all into something for a short time is much more productive than doing something at half-tilt for hours on end. This is applicable to all aspects of our lives, since a quality 15 minutes of prayer/time with God is much more edifying than an hour of distracted "not-so-quiet time."

Try it for yourself!
-AMR
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Simmer Down Now!

A lot of times, tempers flare (heh heh, another cliche...) when people get really stressed out or overtired. The worse we feel, the more we tend to take it out on those around us, to make ourselves "feel better." I thought it would be nice to take a look at what The Word (and the campus journal) have to say about anger.

I know it's tough to maintain control of our emotions when we get stressed out but try to step back and think, what would Jesus do?

-AMR
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A Difficult Hill

This devotional is based on the old testament book of Isaiah and is nice because it talks about how we need to put our trust in God, especially when we seem to most problems. Given that it's officially "crunch time," I just want you to take a moment to realize that there is no burden that is too big for God to handle. A lot of the responsibilities and deadlines that we face are really tough for us to handle on our own, and some situations really would be hopeless if we had to deal with them by ourselves. Fortunately, we've got a friend who's always willing to listen, regardless of the time or place. A friend in Jesus who's always faithful and will give us the strength to carry on to the end of the semester (and beyond).

Take a few minutes to "cast thy burden on the lord" because he WILL "sustain thee" (psalms 55:22)

-AMR
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Overcoming Intimidation

Welcome Back! I thought I'd try a little something different today. This devotional is a prayer taken from volume 2 of a book of scriptural prayers entitled "Prayers That Avail Much." At the end are a bunch of biblical references that you'll find throughout the prayer. There are certainly more scriptures that have to do with the subject of intimidation, but the ones listed are a good start.

I've found that reading one of these and really thinking about the words and the scriptures is a good way to start quality quiet time with God. Try it!

-AMR


Overcoming Intimidation

Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, confessing that intimidation has caused me to stumble. I ask Your forgiveness for thinking of myself as inferior, for I am created in your image, and I am Your workmanship. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is in me. Therefore, the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me and causes me to face life with hope and divine energy.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Lord, You said that Your would never leave me or forsake me. Therefore, I can say without any doubt or fear that You are my helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me. Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world. If God is for me, who can be against me? I am free from the fear of man and public opinion.

Father, You have not given me a spirit of timidity-- of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear -- but You have given me a spirit of power and of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.

Scripture References:
1 John 1:9
Luke 17:21
Colossian 1:29
Hebrew 13:5
Romans 3:31
2 Timothy 1:7
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 1:19-20
Psalm 1:27
1 John 4:4
Proverbs 29:25
Philippians 4:13

A Day For Giving

I know that thanksgiving is not for another day and a half but I'm not sure how much internet access I'll have over the next few days and I really liked this devotional so I thought I'd send it today. It's from the Campus Journal and it's fairly self explanatory.

Have a happy Thanksgiving! For those of you traveling, have a safe, restful trip. Just think-- only 11 days of classes left after tomorrow (today?)......

-AMR
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Dealing With Delay

Do you remember the last time you had a big decision to make or a problem that you were dealing with? Did you turn it over to God? Did you have to wait a long time before receiving an answer?

A lot of times it's really difficult to be patient and wait for God's answer, especially when we're fairly certain about God's will and are just waiting for that final confirmation. Today's devotional focuses on a Psalm of David, one of God's beloved. David was selected to be the 2nd King of Israel but had to hide out for a while to avoid being killed by the first King (Saul), who turned away from the will of God. This Psalm (and others) reflect David's frustration about having to wait so long in a way that is easy for us to relate to. The important thing to notice, however, is that despite the powerless feeling of just having to wait, he did not turn away from the Lord, but rather continued to praise him (perhaps more than before).

I believe Psalm 27:14 sums up David's advice for us quite nicely (read the entire chapter if you like, it's short): "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. "

It's not easy but remember that we're working on God's time, which is always perfect!

-AMR
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Finish the Race!

Hey folks....I thought I'd try my hand at writing another one of these so bear with me!

2 Corinthians 8:10-12 (NIV)

And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

Finish the Race!

How many times have you had a good idea and started working on it, only to end up quitting midway through? It happens to the best of us, and it always seems to be for a different reason.

A few summers ago I worked at a day camp as one of the Arts & Crafts teachers and one of the projects we did with the kids was to make stuff out of Sculpey (that brightly colored clay that you bake to harden). In order for the project to stay together without cracking, it had to be tiny (we're talking lima bean sized). Anyway, as the "teacher" I spent a couple hours constructing miniature fruit baskets, cartoon characters, etc. as samples for the kids. I got to be pretty good at it and had the bright idea that I could make stuff and sell it on the street (e.g. jewelry and the like). To this day, I have Sculpey and accessories collecting dust in my closet at home (along with the workings of many other ditched endeavors).

The point of this story is that it's great to be creative and come up with cool ideas but it's meaningless if we can't finish the job. To actually reference my chosen title (I hate titles!) it's kind of like running a race. We do all of this preparation for the big day but if we don't show up, or if we drop out midway through, we have nothing to show for all of our hard work.

Paul is talking about giving (financial support) in this passage, but I believe that it's applicable to all areas of our lives. If it means that you have to do fewer things (activities, etc) in order to be able to complete them all, so be it. We should be doing everything for the glory of God and a half finished product is not a very good way of showing your love for him.

As the semester winds down, and you begin to tire of all the responsibilities and work that school demands, ask God for the strength and desire to be able to "Finish the Race." After all that you've put into your studies it would be a shame (not to mention a diservice to God, who blessed us with this opportunity in the first place) to let it go to waste. Being a first semester senior with the end so near this verse (v.11) has become an integral part of my life these days-- I challenge you to make it part of yours as well.

-AMR

A Life Worth Living

Happy Sunday! I hope that y'all are having a restful, productive day :-). Stay tough! Thanksgiving (and the really long weekend) are almost here!

I know you're all really busy but take some time out to reflect on your own life as you read on.....

-AMR
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Thank You For Not Squawking

Could you go through an entire day without complaining about anything? Easier said than done, right? When things don't go smoothly, whether it's getting a bad grade on a test or being late somewhere due to transportation woes, our first instinct is to look for someone (or something) else to blame and complain about. Personally, whenever exams roll around (pretty frequently), I'm the first to complain about how much school sucks, since my method of studying (not recommended) involves at least one (psuedo) all-nighter.

God doesn't want us to live our lives this way so give it a try-- one day without complaining.

**important: please note that this does NOT mean that we shouldn't seek others to talk about our problems with others in a constructive manner!**

Ciao
-AMR
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Isaiah 40:28

From the Daily Devo
by Pastor Steve Baney

Isaiah 40:28 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." (NIV)

If you haven't heard what Isaiah is talking about, then listen up. Our God is eternal. He has been here forever. He's the creator of everything. He's in charge of all creation. He never gets tired. He is a strong God. His wisdom is so great that it is far beyond our understanding. Don't we serve a wonderful God?

Lord, help me to realize and turn to you when I need strength.
Holy Bible, New International Version. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1988.

More Than A Nice Story

Have you ever wondered if the Bible really is truth? This devotional makes a good point in that most religions have some sort of holy book that contains God's "truths"; how do we know that the Bible is the real truth? Would you know what to say to someone who asked just this question? Read on for some insight regarding this matter.

-AMR
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If God Seems Far Away

Do you ever feel like you're doing everything you can to develop your relationship with God yet he still feels miles away? That's exactly the problem that the prophet Jeremiah had, as expressed in Lamentations. The entire book is a funeral song, written for the city of Jerusalem, whose fall he was an eyewitness to (check out Jeremiah chpts 39 and 52 for more details). Jeremiah was as faithful to God as he could be, but he still suffered physically and emotionally (read Lamentations chpts 1-2 for a better understanding....the imagery is very vivid ).

Despite his incredible pain, Jeremiah continued to trust God, and eventually was able to draw nearer to him. Keep the faith, even when you feel most discouraged, because God is faithful and is "good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;" (Lamentations 3:25,NIV).

-AMR
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Why Me?

For those of you in my small group, we'll be discussing Romans chpt 6 this week so don't forget to take a look at it. This devotional is nice because it's based on Romans 5:6-11, so it's a mini review of some of the ideas we've been talking about.

Enjoy!

-AMR
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Boring Worship is an Oxymoron

Hello...sorry about missing a day but my attempt to get up at 4 this morning to finish stuff up didn't quite happen and I'm only just now getting a chance to sit down to send this out. Anyway, I hope that everyone has had a blessed week without too much stress.

Today's devotional is taken from the Campus Journal. It makes a good point so I hope you like it.

-AMR
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All Stressed Out

I'm fairly certain that we've had other devotionals based on this passage but you can't go wrong with Philippians chpt 4! Anyway, in honor of all of the tests, papers and other commitments that are stressing us all out right now I just thought I'd send along a friendly reminder to take care of yourselves, both physically and spiritually. Speaking from personal experience, burning out is no fun (especially if it involves prolonged illness)! When I get stressed out, I often find myself shortchanging myself on food, sleep and even my daily quiet time with God, a sure recipe for disaster. It's not easy to make time for yourself when your work seems endless but I strongly encourage you to take care of yourself and prioritize!

-AMR
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Keeping Away the Elephants

Today's Devotional is taken from "Our Daily Bread". Enjoy.

-AMR

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Question Authority

Busy busy busy!
Check out the campus journal devotional.
-AMR

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Are You Listening?

Last day of break :-(....I hope you took advantage of it!

Today's devotional is taken from the Daily Devo (www.dailydevo.com).

Have you ever had a big decision to make and felt like you had to make it all by yourself? One of the nice things about having a relationship with God is that he'll tell us what to do ("direct [our] paths" Proverbs 3:6), if we can only trust him and listen! A lot of times I find myself praying about something but not really paying attention to the answer. I often do the same thing when talking to friends, family, etc so it's an important thing to look out for.

So ask yourself this question-- Are you really listening to what God is telling you?

-AMR

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The Daily Devo
by Pastor Steve baney

Isaiah 30:21 "Whether you turn to the right or to
the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you,
'This is the way; walk in it.'" (NIV)

One of the most wonderful aspects of God is that he is so personal with us. He doesn't sit up in heaven waiting for us to mess up. Instead, he walks along side us, eager to help us each step of the way. Are you making a big decision right now? God wants the best for you. Listen to his voice.

Lord, help me to open my ears to hear what You have to say to me.
Holy Bible, New International Version. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1988.

Something for Nothing

Hello all! I hope you're enjoying this break (which is going WAY too fast for me....). Since the Small groups are studying Romans, I thought this devotional was appropriate (sorry, no html today!). I know that my group just discussed chpt 5 last week, so this is a nice recap :-). I apologize in advance for any errors...it's the most I've had to type in a while :P

Enjoy!
-AMR

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Something for Nothing
By: Reverend Dr. Wilbur Daniel

~~~>Read Romans 5:1-11

The notion of pulling oneself up by the boostraps is a recurrent theme in American culture. It assumes that individuals can, by hard work and sheer force of will, lift themselves out of undesireable lifestyles and depressed economic circumstances. Regardless of our comfort level with the "bootstraps theory," there is one area of life in which it can never apply--that is the spiritual realm.

Paul reminds us that while we were yet without the moral and spiritual strength to live in a right relationship with God, God dispatched Jesus to redeem our souls. Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, was One who knew no sin. He took our sins to the cross that we might find pardon and eternal salvation with God. Paul lumps all of humanity into that one category--all of us are sinners who can only rejoince that God freely gave us salvation, the gift of life in Jesus Christ.

We cannot earn salvation by good works or by hard work. We cannot lift ourselves into the kingdom of God by our bootstraps. We can only reach out and receive God's free gif. As we do we should say "thank you" by living lives that are totally submitted to God and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Additional Scripture Readings (same idea as above):
Romans 3:22-24
2 Corinthians 8:7
Galatians 2:21

Poof-- It's Gone

This devotional talks about pride, an issue in all of our lives. Ephesians 4:2 reminds us to "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Think about what this really means as you read on. Jesus, of all people, had the most to boast about but he did not. Why? Because he was humble, and served others out of his love. If we truly feel God's love for us, shouldn't we desire to demonstrate it, just as Jesus did?

Enjoy. Have a wonderful, restful weekend :-).

-AMR
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The Peace of Mind Game

As I was sitting here worrying about a friend who's missing, I came across this devotional and thought I'd share it with you. Reading it gave me the extra little nudge I needed to remember that God is our shepherd, and he is always in control of the situation, watching out for us. It's silly for me to worry, because there's no one better than God to be watching over her :-).

Read on and you'll see what I'm getting at.

-AMR
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He is Faithful!

Happy November.....Fall break is nearly here (although for some of us it might have well have already started :P).

Today's devotional explores the topic of faithfulness. Think about what it has to say, because I, for one, know exactly what it's like to feel separated from God by my own doubts. It's nice to be reminded that he is faithful, even when we aren't!

Enjoy :-).
-AMR
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