Daily Devotional: 12/20/2018 - SCRIPTURE SERIES PT. I (MB)

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion." Psalm 73:25-26

This is a new series that I started back out towards the end of July, The Scripture Series. I was inspired after going on an encouragement date with a sister from Long Island and one with from our region. Usually at the end of these dates like the next day later or whenever they have the chance the sisters will write a card. And because I am me and I feel if someone gets me something I have to get them something in return, so I decided to combine the love for art and Scripture into one. But then I was like "BRAIN BLAST" why not make one for all the sisters in our campus for an encouragement for the upcoming semester and year. That was how The Scripture Series was created and this is only Part One with hopefully many more parts to come so we can encourage and give sisters hope all across the world.

• Women have it hard no matter where they go or what they do. They lack equality in every aspect. They are constantly objectified and are constantly being taken advantage of. It is our job as men and as human beings to treat all these women with respect, love and the dignity they deserve.
• I am going to try and keep these relatively short, but if God leads long we go long. Going to throw some fun facts and some scripture and call it a day.

Here are a couple fun facts for you, the first being that the hibiscus flower has so many attributes when it comes to health benefits and even the fact that it can be used a shoe shiner. The flower has been used in traditional medicine in China and in the Indian traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda. White and red hibiscus is considered to have medicinal properties. The roots are used to make various concoctions believed to cure ailments such as cough, hair loss, or hair greying. The other fun fact is that the color blue is known to have a calming effect on the psyche.

There is nothing above God and his Kingdom. Noting on this earth compares to anything God has in store for us. No amount of money, no relationship, no popularity status, nothing compares to our relationship with God. We are told to seek the Kingdom first above all things.

• Matthew 6:33 says, But first seek the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
• We pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done, as on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). We are called to long for his Kingdom and to seek his glory.

The best part is that we already have a path laid out for us. All we have to do is walk it and complete it. Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." The path is a narrow road and a very few people walk on it, but what is at the end is what is great.

• Every time I read this passage I think of the poem, The Road Not Traveled by Robert Frost. In this poem there is a path that forks. The one path is beaten and has been traveled on by so many people, then there is a path that has barely been walked on. Sometimes the way opposite of what everyone else is doing is the road we need to be on.
• The road less traveled on is the road to heaven. Only a selected amount of people go to heaven. The path to heaven is harder and less pleasing to the eye, but it is the right and best path for us to walk on.

We know how to follow this path that God has laid out for us. We have to allow God to guide us. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

• We have to trust God in all he does. We have to read and follow the Word.

John 14:6 says, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

• Jesus is the way, the truth, and the perfecter. We have to accept him in our lives, live out his mission, and live like him in order to stay straight on the path.

One of the easiest ways to fall off the path is go to the flesh and trust the flesh. The flesh is what leads to our destruction.

• Galatians 6:8 says, "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

The heart is the center of the body. It is where everything flows from, from blood to feelings, to intentions. The heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). We have to constantly protect and be guarding the heart for everything flows from it (Proverbs 4:23).

But again if we have God and trust him he will give us the strength and wisdom to overcome all things (Philippians 4:13, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:5). No strength is greater than our God's. Nothing is greater than he is. Nothing is more faithful than he is. Nothing is more loving than he is.

• The battle has already been won, thanks to Jesus. We just have to run and finish the race with the help of the Heavenly Father.

The hibiscus flower has medicinal values. It is able to heal and help sooth medical aliments. It is used for so many things so is God and he is the ultimate healer and redeemer. He is always wanting to heal our pain and to sooth our psyche. He is the blue to our sky. He is the joy and reason for life. We just have to glorify him in all that we do and follow his will. We cannot fall for the temptations of the world.

Lord, thank you for all that you do. You truly are amazing. There is nothing greater than you. I pray that you continually give us the strength to focus on you and the Kingdom. Allow us to put the Kingdom first before all things. Allow us to cut off the people that we need to in order to see you more clearly. I pray all this is your son's name, Amen.

#LetsBeAMovement