Starting Right Psalm 5:1-3

Over the past few months I have discovered the importance of “Starting Right”.  What do I mean?  Well as they say Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I believe that the beginning of the day is also the most important time to spend time with the Lord.  By not skipping your breakfast they reckon you will enjoy better health.  Spiritual Health can also be blessed by ensuring we do spend time, reading the Word and talking to the Lord.

In recent months since my holiday, I have been spending time with the Lord in different ways.  It stemmed from a bad habit of not doing my daily readings during the holiday, thus continued afterwards in a “now and again” attitude.  I would read the word at work, or in an evening, and only when I had time and the end result was, in my experience, a feeling of spiritual “unhealthiness”.  I felt I mas neglecting my relationship with the Lord, and by only reading the word as and when, it wasnt sticking!  I was quickly forgetting what I had read or learnt within hours.

Why the morning

? – Psalm 5:1-3

I have realised that concentrating on God first thing in the morning when I wake up is the most important time.  By waiting till further in the day my brain has become full of problems I am dealing with at work, stress of life situations, and constant interruptions from collegues or family.  So getting up early again and maintaining this devotional blog will become my way of spending time with Him.

What better way to start the day, than spending time with Creator God!

I do encourage you, if you to struggle with a daily time with the Lord, or just to get time in your hectic lives to get up those 15 minutes earlier, read some scripture, make some notes if it helps (that why I do this blog to help me remember what I have learnt) and also pray.  You can get so many daily devotionals to help you if you struggle to find a place to start in the Bible, and they ususally have some very good write ups explaining the passage(s) you have just read.

Our Daily Bread and Word for Today are 2 I have used regularly and learnt so much from.

Promise – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

When Grandma passed away a few months ago, it reminded me of the exciting promise of eternal life. Reading through 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 is a wonderful insight into passing from life on earth to life in heaven.  Here is how I broke the passage down in brief to help me understand certain sections and to encourage myself.

The Promise:

1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

When you accept Jesus into your heart, you become a child of God and are automatically eligible for the inheritance of eternal life.

Longing for Rest:

2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Just like a long hard day, we long for rest and relaxation where we can unwind and leave the problems of that day behind us.  Its the same with life on earth!  It is tiring and we long to rest and be with our heavenly Father.

The Guarantee:

5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given

us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

God sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ to the sacrifice for our Sins. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are given the gift of Gods Holy Spirit as a guide, a strength and a comfort. And as this verse reminds us, as a guarantee of how serious God is about his promise to us.

Faith:

7We live by faith, not

by sight.

Unlike doubting Thomas, we believe in Jesus without needed to see Him.  We do not demand proof!  In my own life things have changed so much since I met Him that I can not deny His existence!  Looking at the beauty of creation, its impossible to imagine there was no creator!

Preparation:

10For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Matthew 6:19-24 – Treasures in Heaven.  We will be judged on that final day!  The things that we do for His glory will earn us spiritual rewards in heaven.  We don’t know what they are to be, but they must be awesome to be described as treasures!