KeepMyCommandments | Kristi's Morning Devotional

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Be Prepared

For a few days now a couple of verses have been held in my heart. God has a specific plan and purpose for our lives and while the message is the same, give glory to God and testify of His goodness and forgiveness, we are different in our delivery of that message.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT

None of us can work hard enough, be good enough or excel high enough to be worthy of God’s grace. Grace is a gift. It is given to us by Almighty God. It’s a costly gift – it was bought with the blood of His Son, Jesus, but the Father gives it freely to those of us who believe.

God wants the world to know about and receive this gift of grace. He planned from time past the good things we can do.

The message of going into all the world and preaching the gospel, the good news of Christ, wasn’t just for the apostles and early disciples of Jesus. It’s for all of us who follow Christ and love Him.

We aren’t left to go on our own authority and in our own power. Never.

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 NLT

Jesus has commissioned us to go as His ambassadors in the authority given to Him by God, the Father.

Some are sent to the classroom, others to a hospital or corporate suite, and still others go into the world of finance, first-responders, restaurants or retirement. In every walk of life God has sent out His ambassadors. But He doesn’t send us out unprepared. We are to teach the commands that He has already given us.

Be prepared.

“You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:15-17 NLT

God has planned for us to do good works from the beginning, and He has also prepared and equipped us for the task. One of the definitions of the word inspired means “breathed in”. All Scripture is God-breathed – it teaches us right from wrong, directs our steps and corrects us.

God created us to do good things and then He gave us His word to equip us for those good works. Let’s use what we’ve been given and get going. The world is waiting!

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024

Obedience

I think we all struggle with obedience from time to time. We don’t want to appear foolish or be taken for a religious nut. Maybe we think what God is asking us to do isn’t significant and it won’t matter if we obey or not.

Wrong.

As we come to the Thanksgiving season, I want to be aware of those who may need my kindness and acts of love. I want to be obedient and attentive to the Lord’s leading.

“So be sure to give to the poor. Don’t hesitate to give to them, because the Lord your God will bless you for doing this good thing. He will bless you in all your work and in everything you do. ¹¹There will always be poor people in the land. That is why I command you to be ready to help your brother or sister. Give to the poor in your land who need help.” Deuteronomy 15:10-11 ERV

When the Lord is prompting the act of kindness it’s never in vain. No gift is too small when God puts it on your heart.

I remember a time not long ago when Dave and I pulled into a gas station and a man knocked on our window. He offered to wash our windows for a quarter – a quarter, mind you, no one was going broke over giving a quarter.

“I’ll wash your windows for a quarter. Oh, but it doesn’t look like they need washing, do they?” Dave explained no, we had just come from the car wash. To this the man walked on to another vehicle.

As I sat there my heart began to race and I knew the Lord was dealing with me on this. This thought came – give the man the ones you have in your wallet. Really? I figured there were probably 2 or 3 ones but wasn’t sure. I opened my wallet and looked, only one. I took it out and held on to it thinking when he comes back around, I’ll roll down the window and give it to him.

Next thought was this is probably a panhandler or a scam.

Then this thought – Really? You’re going to argue with what I’m asking you to do. It’s only a dollar. Go give it to the man. I jumped out of the truck walked over and gave him the dollar. I told him our windows were clean but wanted him to have this and before I could get the words out of my mouth to say “God bless you” he said them to me.

“The Lord blesses everyone who freely gives food to the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 CEV

I never want to stop hearing from the Lord. I know His voice and when he speaks, I want to be obedient, even if it’s just a dollar. I know I did what my Father asked. Reluctantly, but I did. For many mornings after that I found myself praying for him and asking the Lord to bless him and to protect him.

Just a reminder to be obedient and follow the Shepherd’s lead.

“But the man who takes care of the sheep enters through the gate. He is the shepherd. 3 The man who guards the gate opens the gate for the shepherd. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out. 4 He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. The sheep follow him, because they know his voice.” John 10:2-4 ERV

June 9, 2021June 9, 2021

Busy, Busy, Busy

Good Morning!

I hope that you are looking forward to your day. I’ve noticed the last couple months as things return to normal that I am hearing from friends and acquaintances that life is getting more hectic.

There are more things to occupy their time and schedules. Family get togethers, ball practice, weddings, showers, business trips, projects that had been put aside – life is certainly getting busier.

If we’re not careful we will find ourselves rapidly picking up speed on the old way of doing things and leave behind the slower lifestyle that was forced upon us but was good for us.

I have heard of studies that indicate mechanical equipment lasts longer with fewer repairs when it is allowed to be at rest at least one day a week. Employees are more productive when they have down time; one of the most positive comments during this nationwide work-from-home effort was that production and creativity increased.

Doctors attest to the fact that bodies are healthier when we have less stress and more rest. Even farmers know that taking their fields out of production every seven years is good for the soil and will cause the following year’s yield to increase.

I do believe that God knew what He was doing when He issued the commandment to rest on the Sabbath day.

“Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. ⁹You have six days when you can do your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. ¹¹In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.” Exodus 20:8-11 CEV

“You will plant seeds in your land for six years, and gather the grain. ¹¹But in the seventh year you will let the land rest without planting. So your people who are in need may eat. Whatever they leave, the animals may eat. You are to do the same with your grape-fields and olive trees. ¹²You will work six days and rest on the seventh day. So your bull and your donkey may rest. And the son of your female servant, and the stranger, may get their strength again.” Exodus 23:10-12 NLV

In Exodus 20, God gives what we call the Ten Commandments to Moses. He then gave them to Israelites. These were to be the laws that directed everyday living. Isn’t it interesting to see that resting was just as important to the Lord as not killing, lying, or stealing?

I think we should all take another look at our appointment books and schedules. Block off time to rest. Let your body, mind and spirit have time to recover.

For those of us who are always on the go this will be hard to initially implement but remember it’s God’s commandment for our well-being.

Enjoy the day!