September 2nd, 2011
“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” 2 Corinthians 5:9 (NIV)
Have you ever wondered what the purpose of your family is? Have you discovered why you exist? God wants your family to maintain a vertical orientation. You exist to please God. In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul reminded the church family that their goal was to please God. Are you a God pleaser?
The enemy assaults the family. You have to fight for your family and you have to guard your passion to please God. You will have to combat the attempts the enemy makes to diffuse your focus on pleasing God. You have a choice to make. Joshua faced the onslaught of attacks which sought to erode the commitment to God embraced by the children of Israel. On behalf of his family, Joshua made the right choice.
• “‘But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’” Josh 24:15 (NIV)
Will you lead the way for your family to please God? Will you make the bold commitment to serve the Lord? Let me encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. Stay vertical!
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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September 1st, 2011
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
God designed the family and God defines the family. The family business is God’s business. God created Adam and Eve in His image. God created them for His pleasure. He blessed them and commanded them to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28). Their assignment was to love God, to love each other, and to be fruitful and increase in number.
What comes to your mind when you think of the word, family? You may have warm feelings of special memories that where made in the context of a loving environment. Perhaps the concept of family for you may surface feelings that are less desirable due to neglect or fractured relationships. Think about your current reality. What does your current family scenario look like?
God has a plan for you and for your family. His plan includes your need for loving relationships. God’s desire is that you know Him personally and then express His love within your family and to a lost world.
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 31st, 2011
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15 (NIV)
You are never more like Jesus than when you are serving.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of spending three days with Dr. Adrian Rogers who was the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and is now in Heaven. He walked a few of us pastors into the courtyard of Bellevue to show us the statue of Jesus bending down to wash a man’s feet. As we stood to behold the magnitude of the statue, Dr. Rogers said to us, “Men, it’s hard to look down on someone when you are washing his feet.”
God has not saved you to sit, but to serve. Jesus was not obedient to death on the cross so that you could embrace a consumer mindset of wanting to be served by others. Jesus took on the full wrath of God for your sin in order to save you from your sin and to propel you into a life of serving others. Jesus is not asking us to do anything He has not already done. Jesus is not asking us to give anything He has not already given. Jesus is our model to follow.
Are you doing as Jesus has done? Are you placing the needs of others before your own? Are you seizing the opportunities that God gives you to serve others? Are you serving your family? Are you serving your classmates or co-workers? Are you serving strangers?
Have you washed any feet lately?
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 30th, 2011
“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’“ Mark 1:17 (NIV)
If you aren’t fishing, you aren’t following.
Jesus invites us into a love relationship with Himself that is immediate and eternal. Our relationship with Jesus is to be marked by spiritual maturity and a passion for souls. Once you have been delivered from the flames of hell and graciously positioned on the path that leads to life eternal, you will want to share the Good News with others who don’t know Christ. You will want those who are hellbound to become a new creation in Christ. When your citizenship has been transferred to Heaven at conversion, you will want others to have the same gift that you have received. You will not be ashamed of the gospel for you will recognize it as the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16).
• “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” Prov 11:30 (NIV)
• “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philem 1:6 (NIV)
Watch for divine appointments ochestrated by God. The fish will be attracted by the lure of your life transformation in Christ. The glow of God on your countenance and the “Living Water” you splash as you interact with others will draw people to Christ. Let others see Jesus in you. Infuse your conversation with spiritual questions that prompt people to think about their eternal destination. There’s no lack of fish, only a lack of fishers of men, women, boys, and girls (Matt 9:38). What will you do with the opportunities God gives you this week to make Jesus known?
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 29th, 2011
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Bloom where God has planted you.
What are you waiting for? Don’t put off what God wants to do in you and through you. Don’t delay in being and portraying what God has created you for. The time is now. God wants you to shine His light and share His love right where you are. You don’t have to wait another moment. God knows where you are and what are you experiencing. God knows the spiritual condition of every person you will come in contact with this week.
You have been saved by knowing Jesus. Now that you are saved, you grow by connecting with Jesus and doing life with other believers. You grow in order to bloom for God’s glory. God has strategically placed you right where you are so that you can be an irresistible influence for Christ.
• “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Cor 9:8 (NIV)
• “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Col 1:10 (NIV)
Are you growing? Are you allowing Jesus to live His life in you and through you to draw others to a saving relationship with Jesus? Will the population of Heaven be increased by your life on earth? Your life matters for eternity.
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 26th, 2011
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)
God demonstrates His love and security by giving us options to consider. God does not force us to love Him. Allowing us to choose or refuse Him, God presents us with opportunities to come to know Him by experience. Every human being is on a journey of discovery. Some will ignore God’s revelation and some will choose to come to know God personally through an abiding relationship with Jesus.
Life and death are set before you. You have the freedom to choose the path that leads to life or you can choose the path that leads to death. Consider your options. If you choose life, then you are choosing to orient your life in alignment with God’s agenda. If you choose death, your path will be marked by rebellion against God and His plan for your life.
Choose life so that you will fulfill the purpose for which God created you. Choose life so that the next generation can examine your life and be convinced to follow in your steps on the path of life. Choose life so that you may love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Learn to listen to His voice and to practice instant obedience (John 10:27).
Have you allowed Jesus to be your life? Consider your options. Now, choose life!
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 25th, 2011
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Are you too busy to pray? Then, you are too busy. Make room for your relationship with God to be nurtured and developed through daily intimacy with God. Guard that special time and place to connect with God through Bible reading, meditating on God’s Word, and prayer. Once you leave that special time and place designed for your daily quiet time, commit to practice God’s Presence throughout the day.
To pray continually or to pray without ceasing is to operate your life throughout the day cognizant of God’s activity. You can enjoy unbroken fellowship with God throughout the day as you remain in an abiding relationship with Christ. As you maintain a level of relational bonding with God through being fully surrendered to His leadership and Lordship, you will enjoy an open line of communication with God.
The Holy Spirit indwelling you will be your constant Companion. You have the privilege and the honor of maintaining a perpetual awareness of God’s Presence in your life. Staying sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting moment by moment will enable you to experience the work of God in you and around you. Your heightened sensitivity to God’s activity will result in deeper intimacy with God.
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 24th, 2011
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
When you look into the rear view mirror of your life, where were you when you had the most meaningful times of prayer with the Lord? Can you identify a literal location? What was the environment like? Was it in the morning, at mid-day, in the evening, or into the night? When and where you connect with God matters. Of course, we know that God is omnipresent. There is nowhere God is not. God is everywhere all the time.
Jesus solidifies the discipline of securing a location to connect with God in prayer. Why would the location matter? Can’t you connect with God in prayer from any location? Yes! God can retrieve your prayer from any location, but Jesus is affirming the value of having a special place for communion in addition to practicing God’s Presence throughout the day.
Maybe you already have that special place where you meet with God to read His Word and to spend time in unbroken fellowship with God in prayer. Perhaps you have not selected that special place yet. Think about your schedule and think about a location that will enhance your daily quiet time alone with God. If you prefer solitude, then find a place that will ensure an environment of solitude. If you love the outdoors, find a place outside that helps you best connect with God. If you enjoy worship music playing softly while you commune with God, then have the music ready.
Remember that God will reward you for your private time alone with Him. God desires intimacy with you and has made that level of connection available to you. What will you do with the opportunity God has given you to know Him more?
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 23rd, 2011
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV)
How can the prayer of one person be powerful and effective and the prayer of another person be weak and ineffective? The power hinges on the level of righteousness. When a person is positionally in a right standing before Almighty God, the prayer is infused with power. When a person is living in sin and chooses to rebel against God, the prayer is contaminated by the poison of sin.
God rewards righteous living. God is holy and expects His children to be holy (1 Pet 1:16) and to live a life of moral purity. Where there is purity, there is power!
• “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.” Psalm 24:3-4 (NIV)
• “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” 1 Tim 2:8 (NIV)
Do you want your prayer to be powerful and effective? Examine your life and ask God to search your heart (Psalm 139:23). God wants you to have a vibrant prayer life. What is keeping you from having that kind of prayer life? Are you clean before God? Is there any unconfessed sin in your life? Are you harboring even a fraction of bitterness or resentment? Confess the sin God reveals and surrender to the Holy Spirit’s full control of your life. Walk in the purity you have found in Christ.
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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August 19th, 2011
“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” James 5:13 (NIV)
Independence is valued in our society. Being strong and self-sufficient tend to be the marks of success by the world’s standards. However, God’s economy has a much different value system. It’s not about personal strength, but reliance upon God’s strength. Self-sufficiency is replaced with dependency upon God and His provision. Success in God’s economy is marked by instant obedience and alignment with God’s plan.
Part of God’s plan includes our relational connection to God through an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. The love relationship that God has made available to us in Christ is nurtured by our daily communion with God in prayer. The prayer connection flows from God to us and from us to God. God invites us into an intimate prayer connection that radiates from His heart of love and our response of awe and wonder. Imagine being able to share your heart as well as your heartaches with the God of the universe. We have that amazing privilege to bring everything to God in prayer. In Christ, we have been given access to the Creator of the universe.
Are you in trouble? Are you experiencing challenging circumstances or strained relationships? Don’t delay! Take your burdens to the Lord in prayer. Empty the contents of your heart before the loving and faithful God that you have come to know by experience. God has provided you with the ultimate communication instrument called prayer. Just pray! Begin to articulate to God whatever is perplexing you and whatever is bothering you. God can handle your hurt. God can make the fog lift. Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). God’s line is never busy and yes, He can hear you now!
**Current devotions are from Dr. Trammell’s new devotional book available from Auxano Press **
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