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TRUST JESUS TODAY

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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Holiday (04/05/12)
My daughter’s birthday is in November, a holiday month. Sometimes, Thanksgiving falls on the exact same day as ‘her day’. Her 13th birthday was one of those times. I love to cook and a holiday meal gives me opportunity to bake and cook to the full extent of my heart’s desire.

My “birthday girl” daughter was helping me with the holiday feast preparation. As we stood looking at the chocolate cake, the pies and the cookies she said, "Mama, where’s my birthday cake?” I told her the chocolate cake could be for her birthday. In obvious disappointment, she said, “But mama, that’s for everybody, it isn’t for ME.” Of course, she was right. I hugged her and got my mixing bowl out.

Life can be busy! As Christians, it can be easy to substitute work in ministry for intimacy with our Lord. It’s so easy to get caught up in ‘doing’ things that we "include" God too. God created us for companionship with Him, relationship not just here on earth, but throughout eternity in His presence! We were not created to do good works, we were created to love our God and have relationship with him. It is because of our love for him, that we do the good works.

Has the business of life taken you away from your relationship with Jesus? Oddly, including a quiet time for conversation with the Lord doesn’t cram our day up! Those moments spent with the Lord give us strength for the day, peace from the busyness and relief from the stress.

Talk with the Lord, just like you talk to your friends and family. He loves you so much! He literally created you for the pleasure of your company! Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship. He made a place in your heart that only He can satisfy. Make time; take time, just for Him.

Hosea 6:6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings (NIV)
(word count 339; true story)
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This article has been read 833 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Dannie Hawley 
04/12/12
Great job! Makes me want to go make Jesus His own cake. Such a wealth of truth in so few words.
C D Swanson 
04/12/12
Beautiful job.

Yes, Christianity is not a religion, but it is in fact a REALITY. I always tell this to people who mention "religion."

Thank you for this entry, it was well written and told.

God bless~

Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/12/12
This is a beautiful devotion. The scripture is perfect. I like how you told a personal experience and related to our walk with God. I could really understand this as my daughter's birthday is near Christmas and she often gets one present for both. It's easy to mush everything together but you reminds us not to do that, especially our time with God. Well said!
Genia Gilbert
04/13/12
Good points and good writing. Our special loved ones need us to treat them as such, and our Dear Lord Jesus deserves our attention and our time.
Helen Carr
04/13/12
Such a simple yet profound devotional. I can relate to this so much; religion and 'doing' is so much easier than relationship, and 'being' - not only with God but with people in my life, too. And somehow, when we are busy doing, we feel justified; and yet as your scripture tells us, God loves sitting with us more than watching us strive for his approval. Thank you so much for this beautiful entry. Blessings.
Leola Ogle
04/14/12
An awesome devotional with a great reminder that we shouldn't get so busy that we neglect our fellowship and relationship with God. God bless!
Joe Moreland
04/15/12
This was so well written and delivers your point excellently. We shouldn't skimp on our loved ones and we shouldn't include God on an excursion and call it a "date". You've called attention to something we probably all are guilty of, simply because it is such an easy trap to fall into. Thanks for pointing it out. Hopefully I'll remember your article the next time I'm about to do this again...I give myself at least 10 minutes. :)
Donna Wilcher
04/16/12
Great devotional!

We should never spend more time doing things FOR Him, than we spend time WITH Him.

Thanks for the reminder!
Colin Swann
04/16/12
I enjoyed this true story and would have loved to have tried a piece of that chololate cake.
Graham Insley
04/17/12
"Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship."

This is my favourite point about about the whole 'God' issue, and you make this point so well in your intimate family setting.
Verna Cole Mitchell 
04/18/12
You've presented in your excellent devotional a call to place our attention on Jesus first.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/20/12
Congratulations for ranking 7th in level three!