Matthew 21:28-32 – “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’  29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.  30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.  31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.”  Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.”  NKJV

What a spectacular beginning to the day!  Cool breeze, hot coffee, God’s Holy Word, creatures stirring and coming out of their slumber and hearing the voice of the Lord in my heart.  We talked about “Campaign Mode Christianity.”

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart regarding the political scene and reminded me of how the politicians say one thing on the campaign trail and then fail to keep their promises once they are elected.   They are saying what they believe that people want to hear at the moment to buy a vote but are not really committed to doing that which they have promised.  It is “verbal” not “heart”. 

He reminded me that what we must have is “commitment from the heart” in all that we do, politically, socially, vocationally, financially, and spiritually.  Without that, we have nothing more than “Campaign Christianity.”  Our families suffer, our relationships suffer, our jobs suffer, our finances suffer, and our souls suffer.  He has placed before us “life and death” and it’s up to us to choose “life”.

In this parable we have two sons, one makes the commitment and the other is in campaign mode or just gives verbal assent to what he believes his father wants to hear.  One repents and acts upon the desires of his father, the other drifts into his own self-centeredness and does what he wants disregarding the wishes of the father. 

Too often, we do that in our lives.  In politics, this could be equated to a politician making a commitment (true commitment), to the Constitution, the people, the rule of law, and what is ethically and morally right.  On the other hand, he or she could be in Campaign Mode saying what they think we want to hear then following their own greed, graft, and corruption to get what benefits them and their special interest groups or party. 

In Christianity, it is a contrast of making a heart commitment, forming a conviction and following the desires of the Father with a whole heart or moving God aside and installing self as the center of our universe and following self.  I do not want to be a “Campaign Christian” nor a “Verbal Christian.”   I want to be a True Follower of Christ! 

Today we have two choices before us, regarding our lives, the sum total of our lives; we can be in a “campaign mode” or we can be in a “committed mode”.  The choice is ours!  As for me and my house, we choose the Lord! 

May the Lord Bless you as you begin your day in Him!  May He give you the grace and strength to follow His voice, rely on His grace and strength, and enjoy His presence in all that you do!  Have a great day!

Wow, another beautiful day is beginning to unfold.  It is a crisp 33 degrees with a 5 MPH East wind blowing. The stillness of the morning invokes memories of my childhood as we would prepare for the field before daylight.   Today in my time of Coffee and Conversation with the Lord, He brought this to my mind.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 – “Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.” NKJV

Troubling times are upon us in our great country and throughout the world.  We are watching America being dismantled before our very eyes.  The attack on freedom and liberty is such that even the most stout-hearted are facing moments of weakness, distress, and almost despair.  Yet, when I go to the above-listed passage I am comforted that God has given us clear direction and warning.

1.  Continue to do good.  Don’t stop doing the work of the Kingdom.  Keep casting your bread upon the waters.  It will return to you.  Be generous don’t withhold the good that is in your hand to give.
2. We do not know how evil the evil will be, but we know it will be evil.  We don’t know the extent or the speed with which it will overtake this planet and people, but we know that the attack of the evil one is a sure thing.  It will be and already is.  We, believers, must remain vigilant and “having done all to stand, stand, therefore.”
3. Don’t let circumstances and present conditions, economically, politically, socially, or spiritually cause you to lose sight of the true objective – The Kingdom of God.   Truly, if the clouds are full of rain it will rain.  If the earth is filled with evil, evil will manifest itself.  Likewise, if the earth becomes filled with the Spirit of God, God will be manifest. 
4. If we lose sight of the One to whom we are to look and lose sight of the objective then we become guilty of being one, “who observes the wind and will not sow, and regards the clouds and will not reap.”  Jesus promised a harvest and there will be one.  The only question is will we be a part of it? 

As I contemplate the condition of this country, the world, and my life, I have some trepidation about where this country is going as well as the world in general.  I look inside myself and my cry is, Psalms 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” NKJV

I encourage everyone to keep the faith and keep the focus.  Do what you know to do and no matter what happens keep your eye on the prize of the high calling of God!  We will not only survive but thrive in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Blessings as you go through your day!

Mark 12:28-31 – “Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”  29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” NKJV

This morning the Lord reminded me of something my Grandfather told a neighbor and then the Lord related it to today.

When I was a pre-teen I was sitting on the front porch with my Grandfather when a man who lived just down the road came up and began talking.  Finally, the man said, “Mr. Kellum, everybody I know respects you and values your opinion, but I know you don’t like me, can I ask why?”  My Grandfather replied, “It’s not that I don’t like you, in Christ I love you, but I don’t respect you.”  The man was taken aback and pressed further asking, “Would you mind telling me why?”

My Grandfather responded, “You mistreat your family, your wife, and kids and you mistreat your animals too. I cannot respect a man who does that. You get drunk and come in and physically abuse your family. You don’t provide for them as you should and that I cannot respect.” The man went away with no visible change. About twelve years later he accepted Christ and said that one of the reasons was what my Grandfather said to him years earlier.

The Lord spoke to me about RESPECT!   Respecting others and being respected.  He also addressed what we often call respect and the demanding of respect and the anger some in the public arena have said about being “disrespected”.  Respect, in some areas, is not automatic.  I respect your right to privacy.  Your right to your own opinion.  Your right to live where you choose and can afford.  Your right to pursue your career in whatever fashion you desire so long as it’s legal.  I respect your right to believe whatever you choose to believe.  But, if I am to respect you as a person then there are some standards that I find in the Bible that I use to determine respect or the level of it.

I respect people I have never met and do not respect some that I have.  If a person, as the man my Grandfather addressed, will not provide for his own, mistreats his family and even his animals, is abusive physically, mentally, and verbally then I do not respect that. If that individual, as with my Grandfather, asks why I would give much the same answer with the addendum of sharing more of Christ’s plan or offer of salvation to them.

I want people to respect me, therefore it is incumbent upon me to conduct myself and condition my heart in a respectable manner!  If I manifest Christ in my life, my words, and my walk then there would be little, if anything to disrespect unless you have disrespect for Christ Himself. If in me, they see Jesus respect will not be an issue.  They may disagree with what I believe, even dislike me as a person but it will be difficult for them to actually have disrespect. I want to live my life in such a way as to bring honor to Christ nor dishonor!

Let’s begin our day and live our lives in such a manner as to earn the respect of others and thereby bring honor to our Lord! Blessings as you go through your day!

Genesis 1:1 – ” In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” NASB

What is the First Step?  What is the first step to believing?  What is the first step to a relationship with God?  What is the first step to abundant life? What is the first step to a life of victory and overcoming?  Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God…”  

If I don’t believe that as the foundation of everything that I believe I have no foundation upon which to build.  I either believe that in the dateless past (the beginning) there was God, and God created what I see before me, or I believe the explanation of the theories presented by the evolutionist.  Which is more difficult to believe?  To me the answer is simple; the easier to believe is that God IS and CREATED this world as well as we human beings.

I had a long conversation with a college professor.  He holds a Ph.D. in Biology and he assured me that he was both a devout evolutionist and a devout Christian and the two did not conflict.  His brand of Religious Affiliation is not important. His belief that somehow dismissing the Bible and still being a Christian is somehow compatible is.  To him is was ludicrous to believe that God spoke the world into existence.  He found that impossible to believe. He laughed at the idea that all this is by divine design.  The thought that God took dirt and formed Adam then breathed the breath of life into him was too far-fetched to embrace.  He found it impossible to believe that God took a rib from Adam and created Eve.

Yet, he believes that from a single-celled piece of slime, gradually over millions of years that piece of slime evolved into every species of creature including humankind on the planet.  He believes that somehow all this just happened by random chance.  I do not want to become political in this devotional, but if people really think like that in the realm of science and education and still believe that they are followers of Christ and see no conflict no wonder we have so much diversity in the political arena.

If I dismiss God being the beginning point.  If I dismiss the creation, dismiss the Garden of Eden, dismiss Adam & Eve and the fall of man then I must dismiss the remainder of the Bible.  How can I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, His sacrificial death on the Cross, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven if I do not believe the beginning account of Genesis?  Without that foundation, I have no basis for believing anything that is in the Bible.  That would negate my foundation of faith.  I would drift into nothingness in my belief system and become nothing more than the soulless animal creation.

Moral character would dissipate and there would be no restraints on my life.  After all, if we are just evolved creatures with no soul then what law would there be other than my own desire, to rule my life. I would effectively become the god of my own world and my world would exist so long as I was either cunning enough or was powerful enough to keep it intact. Nothing would be off-limits.

However, I choose to believe the report of Genesis 1 and believe that GOD IS, and He CREATED the heavens and the earth! I believe that He created man and the rest of the creatures on the planet and in the universe. I believe He hung the stars in place and placed everything where it was to be with the gravitational pull exactly as He designed and desired.   I believe that man fell in the Garden of Eden and brought condemnation to the race, that Jesus came to set us free from that bondage, give us Life and that Life more abundant!  

I believe that when we die, we will stand before God.  I believe that if we have accepted Christ as our Savior we will enter into the joys of the Lord and if we have rejected Him, we will be cast into outer darkness (hell). I  believe that the final result is based on our choices to accept Him or rejection of Him and it is not by random chance that I am here.  If you believe that you came from monkeys that is your choice.  You may, as some do, act like a soulless animal and live as though this life is all that there is. I choose to believe that God is both a loving God and one who will judge us in the end.

Therefore the first step is to either accept or reject Genesis 1:1.  If you do, the Bible opens an incredible world to you. If you do not then you are left in the darkness of the speculation of the theories as to how we got here.  I choose God not just some higher power, but the God of all creation as MY GOD and choose to follow HIM and His directives and guidance. I’ve had too many personal encounters and experiences to discount and dismiss my belief and faith, at this point in my life! So, I’ve taken the first step and believed and now I take the remaining steps and walk out that life step by step until the day He calls me home, which I believe is a VERY REAL PLACE – – HEAVEN!

God bless you as you go through your day!

In prayer I heard the LORD asking me this question today.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” NKJV

Romans 6:1-4 – “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life.” NKJV

Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” NKJV

Three times in my life the devil said to me in what seemed to be an audible voice, “I’m going to kill you.” Three times, the Lord performed a miracle to prevent my death in situations where I could have and would have died had He not intervened. I have known for almost all my life, in a very real way, that I am alive for a purpose and do not sense that I have fulfilled that purpose as of this date.

The devil tried to kill me almost from birth with the first two years spending more than 50% of the time in the doctor’s office and medical personnel trying to determine what was making me sick. The doctors gave my family virtually no hope that I would live to be a teenager, but God intervened and gave my dad wisdom to relocate.  As a result of that relocation, I got completely well.

The first time that I heard those words, “I’m going to kill you, or you are going to die”, was in Vietnam on the day of my arrival in-country.  God miraculously changed my orders and relocated me to a safe haven. Unfortunately, I learned that those who went where I was to be that day lost their lives that day. I was not a Christian at that time, but God’s mercy spared me for His purposes.

The next time, I was on a plane flying to Colorado from Austin, Texas, and had to change planes in Dallas. As we were coming into DFW, I heard those words so clear it startled me.  I looked around to see who had said them, but no one had been speaking to me.  As we made our descent, I sensed something very wrong, and just as the wheels touched the ground the engines roared, and we lifted off again and as I looked down and back, I saw another plane crossing our runway.  I was going to a retreat with other ministers for spiritual renewal and came away energized with a new vision and sense of purpose.

The third time I heard those words and a few months later was diagnosed with Parathyroid Cancer.  God miraculously used the surgeons and provided a healing touch that caused the surgeon to say as we were going in for a second surgery, “somebody much higher than me has been at work here.” He said that what had transpired never happened medically and considered it a miracle.  We rejoiced then and continue to rejoice now in the mercy, grace, and power of God!

God asked me after the last time the question in the title – “How do you kill a dead man?” My response to the devil since then has been, “And if you do manage to kill me what have you done? I will go home early, and someone will take my place and carry on the work that I’ve been assigned to do. I’m already dead, in Christ, so you can’t kill a dead man.”

I’m not trying to be flippant nor disregard the seriousness of attacks of the enemy, but in Christ we are more than conquerors and He has overcome the evil one and we are In Christ.  Therefore, we are overcomers!  I want to live out the full length of my days and accomplish all that God has for me to do! I want it to be said of me as it was of David in Acts 13:36 that I fulfilled the purpose of God in my generation and then I died. Not before, not until! My destiny complete, my race run, my journey complete, my fight won then go Home! 

You have a destiny and a purpose that God has designed and desired for you.  It is my sincere prayer that you fulfill every portion of it and live out the remainder of your days in abundant joy, grace, power, and love!

Blessings to each of you!

My heart is crying to the Lord for the “water brooks” of the Spirit of God!

Psalms 42:1-3 – “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” NKJV

Nothing is ever accomplished spiritually until God’s people become hungry, thirsty, and desperate for Him. He becomes more important than life, position, power, prestige, publicity, being known and all the other adjectives one can attribute to what man calls success. When we divest ourselves our ourselves and thirst for Him and Him alone, we find that He comes on the scene with His awesome demonstration of Grace, Power, and Love and things begin to happen.

When we defend, protect, guard, develop and attempt to establish our place or position or power or prestige He steps back and says, “Okay if you want to do it without me, go ahead but if you decide you need Me come to me.” Too often we try to take it from here and we fail miserably even if we amass large gatherings of people and gain worldwide fame it all becomes a tinkling cymbal and sounding brass. It is when He is our life, our source, our strength, our provider, our guide, and our God that we move into the realm of the Supernatural and see great things happen for the Kingdom of God.

When men and women stop following their drive to be recognized and receive credit for things and have a heart that says I don’t care who gets credit as long as it gets done, God moves in new ways. You don’t have to blow your own horn, if it needs blowing God will see to it that someone blows it. It’s not about you it’s about the Kingdom!

Today, I’m hungry and thirsty for the “water brooks” of the Spirit of the Lord and my tears have been my companion day and night over what I see and don’t see. I see the questions and discouragement of many and cry out to the Lord to come to us, let us come to you and drink where out of our innermost beings will FLOW RIVERS OF LIVING WATER! And those rivers will bring life wherever they touch.

Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty? Are you THIRSTY? Then it’s time to turn our eyes on the source of our “living waters” and come to Him and drink. “He must increase but I must decrease.” As we decrease, He will increase, and we will begin to see that for which we have longed.

May the richest and best of the Blessings of the Lord be yours today!

Isaiah 43:1-3 – “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” NKJV

All of us, from time to time, face trials, difficulties, and even tribulations. Some of them are of our own making and some are for the cause of the Kingdom of God. Regardless, we have a promise from the Father that we can lay claim to here in this passage. We Are His!  He has given us a simple but powerful promise that I have stood on many times in the past and will probably stand on many times in the future.

When we pass through the waters (either people or troubles) He will be with us.  When we go through the rivers (difficult times) – they Will Not overflow or overwhelm or overcome us.  When we walk through the fire (tribulation, trouble) – we Will Not be burned!  Hallelujah!  Not only not burned but not even scorched.  We’ll walk out as the three Hebrew Children and not even have the smell of smoke on our clothes. WHY? Because He is the Lord our God, the Holy One of Israel or Savior!

Therefore, be of good cheer, there is no problem that God cannot solve!  No river that He cannot cross!  No mountain that He cannot climb!  Nothing is impossible with Him and we are in Him, so nothing is impossible for us who believe!  Today is a day of miracles walk in yours!  No matter what you are facing, face it with the knowledge and assurance that you are not walking alone. HE IS THERE WITH YOU! If He is there, then everything’s going to be alright! Make this a day of rejoicing it is a day of victory!

Blessings as you experience Him in a New and Powerful Way Today!

John 1:19-34 – “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ” I am not the Christ.” 21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them saying, ” I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘ After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ 31 “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 John testified saying, ” I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” NASB

It is another beautiful morning here in North Texas. The temperature is pleasant, and the morning is breaking on the horizon with all the sounds coming to life. I have my Bible on my lap opened to a place that the Holy Spirit prompted, a song in my heart, a praise on my lips, and a prayer for the labors of the day being sent heavenward. The first five words are what I heard today! BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!

Sometimes we just need to stop everything else and focus on the only truly important thing – HIM!  We need to be reminded that Jesus is truly the “Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world for us.”  As John Baptist said here, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world!” The SIN that reaches back to the Garden of Eden where man lost his way.  That time when and where the devil, satan became the god of this world and all the torment that has ensued. 

Now, Jesus has bought us back!  His sacrifice enabled us to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God.  We have moved from darkness into light. We have moved from servants of satan to servants of God. We have moved from lost sheep to the redeemed!

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!  I encourage everyone to meditate upon Him and what He has done!  Mediate upon on His ultimate and complete sacrifice – His Finished Work!  Rejoice in the relationship that you have and is available with and in Him.  We shall behold Him!  We do behold Him!  We are beholding Him!  Today, make it your singular objective to BEHOLD HIM!  Like the old song, “Turn your eyes upon on Jesus…. Look full into His wonderful face…”  Then, truly the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of HIS GLORY AND GRACE! Make this a day of rejoicing and worship. Make Him the beginning of your day!

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD! May the Lord richly bless each of you as you begin your day and may this be the best day you have ever experience to this point and may tomorrow be even better!

Blessings to all, you are my special friends and my prayers are with you today and every day!

Philippians 4:4-13 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” NKJV

I love the way Paul begins this passage with Double Rejoicing!  Don’t just rejoice but rejoice again, that will get your heart pumping and get your focus pointed in the right direction.  Then he adds something that is not always easy “Let your gentleness be known to all men.”  Be steel wrapped in velvet!  Quit worrying!  That’s much easier to do once you have rejoiced and rejoiced again, prayed and made supplication while giving thanks and the Peace of God floods your heart and mind through Jesus!

He proceeds to tell us how to walk.  It is too bad those in Washington DC and too many in church don’t read and practice this.  For believers, this is our marching orders.  The truth, the noble, the just, the pure, the lovely, the good report, the things of virtue and that which is praiseworthy is to occupy our thought processes throughout the day.  Do them, do the word, follow His instructions and you will find the Peace of God flowing out from you because it is in you.

Paul advised that he had learned contentment because he had practiced the things listed above.  He knew how to abound and how to be abased. How to have plenty and to have little. How to be rich and be poor. How to be celebrated and how to be hated. How to be full and how to be hungry. His secret was In Christ!  No matter what he faced it was “In Christ” out of the Peace of God!  

He said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That was his secret and ours!  Out of the Peace of God that passes all understanding, from our position In Christ,  we can face whatever we face with rejoicing, prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving demonstrating gentleness, noble character, being just, pure, virtue, and the reports will be good and lovely.  It is In Christ out of God’s Peace that we live and move and have our being.

Today, begin the day rejoicing even if you don’t feel like rejoicing and once you’ve done that rejoice again!  Refuse to allow worry to fill your heart and mind. Meditate on the true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good report and virtuous and walk in what you have learned in the Peace of God.  Remember You Can Do All Things Through Christ!  He is Our Strength! Get out of the way devil, we are coming through!

Blessings on this beautiful day!