This Advent, follow the Lord closely…
It is easy to follow a person’s footprints if we walk close behind him, but if we walk some distance back, we might fail to see them as clearly. Similarly, if we follow close after the Lord, we would easily see the footsteps along the way, but if we try to follow afar off, we would find it difficult to know the path of His will.
Andrew Bonar
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While lecturing and book signing in San Antonio, I spent the night with my sister. When I blurry-eyed stepped into her shower, this is what greeted me.
SIN AROMA. I had to laugh. It was 6:30 in the morning and I’d already found God today. San Antonio is a bilingual city, so labels are in English and Spanish. “Sin Aroma” means “unscented”, But it got me to thinking. What is the aroma of sin? Isn’t it often undetectable? Unlike natural gas, which is also undetectable, nothing is added to temptations to let us know danger lurks. No nasty, scrunch up your nose odor to warn us to back away.
The father of lies’s temptations are often what we think we want, need or even believe is God’s will for us. So we dash ahead without taking it to God in prayer first for verification and blessing.
James wrote in his letter, “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, give birth to death.” (1:15)
Then fact that sin can wash over our body and we still “feel clean” is evidence that we live in a fallen world. But when we become the Body of Christ and He lives in us, sin’s enticement is more detectable. The more we allow ourselves to be washed in His Blood, the more protected we will become. As believers, we all need a “body wash” (jabon corporal) at least once a week (worshiping corporately) to slough off the sins that have begun to stick to us like sweat. As individuals, just as we cleanse our skin each day, let us also remember to wash our souls.
Now everyone sing…”What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus…”
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences | Tagged blood of Jesus, Body of Christ, clean, cleansed, God is in control. Where Did You FInd God Today?. Julie B Cosgrove, Julie B Cosgrove, sin, wash | 1 Comment »
By Amanda Scott
Our priest years ago told a story about his time in seminary school in Virginia. He and a friend from up north decided to travel to Georgia, his home state. Along the way they stopped at a Waffle House. They placed their orders and continued chatting. When the waitress brought their orders, the friend was surprised to find a mess of grits on his plate. “Excuse me, I didn’t order these grits,” he said. “That’s okay,” the waitress replied. “Well, I’m not paying for them.” The waitress looked puzzled.
It turned out that every meal came with a free side of grits. Finally, the mystery was solved and the seminarians realized that Grace is like grits. You don’t have to ask for it and you get it for free!
A recent article by LifeWay Research revealed that 71% agree that people first seek God then He responds with grace, meaning a majority of people don’t know grace is like grits!
If I ever forget that, I have Jasmine to remind me. She shared her story with our most recent team. As a child, Jasmine was sexually abused by her father. Eventually, she escaped the continued abuse, drugs, beatings, and prostitution that engulfed her life. Today she is almost two years drug free, she is working for the LAMB Institute, and is volunteering for our Alonzo Movement. “I always believed God loved me,” Jasmine says. No one had ever told her that, so how could she know God loved her? Pure grace. This grace, a free and unasked for gift carried her through her worst times, and it lifts her up today. Jasmine’s unconditional love shines through and impacts others around her. She passes God’s grace to her son, Lester.
I urge you to be among the 29% who know that grace is like grits. Give thanks to God that we don’t have to ask or pay for his grace in order to receive it. God makes the first move. He offers His grace first and always. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17
Amanda Scott is a SAMS missionary serving in Children’s Ministry at the LAMB Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Posted in Devotional | Tagged freely given, grace, Julie Cosgrove, SAMS, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
Would you think me crazy to say I found God today in my tea cup?
As many of you know already, I ‘m an avid Anglophile. I was weaned on Earl Grey and milk…well, almost. It has always been my comfort drink. When I am hurting, physically or emotionally, just wrapping my fingers around the warm mug and inhaling the soft scent of the tea relaxes me. Then that first creamy sip…hmmm. The world is a better place.
Now, I can drink tea without the cream, but somehow it is not as the same. The swirling white liquid changes the color, the texture and enhances the taste in my opinion. It makes it oh, so much better.
This here is where the God part enters the picture.
My faith acts in much the same way. When I am hurting or frustrated I can wrap my soul around His Spirit. It envelops me and swirls through me. Immediately, I feel as sense of calm flow over my shoulders and down my back. When, through prayer, I drink in this holy peace, I begin to feels its effects from the inside out.
I suppose I could exist without my faith. Many people do. They drudge through life with a fatalistic, self-orientated attitude. But like the cream in my tea, faith enhances my life. It recolors it, 
enriches its flavor, and makes my day more appealing, no matter what happens. I really prefer having that dash of soul-cream in my day. When I pray to my Lord and read His word, it as if I am swirling goodness into my life.
As the tea warms my belly, faith warms my soul.
Of course, there are times I just want to bask in a good cup of tea–just because. Nothing is making me anxious. My aches and pains are minimal. Life is chuggin’ along just fine. Get the connection? I knew you would.
Enjoy some tea time with your Lord today.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences | Tagged faith, Holy Spirit, Julie Cosgrove, praying, warms the soul, Where did you find God today | 4 Comments »
I prayed, “I need to blog today. God, show me where to find You so I can lead others to now Your Truth.” The Spirit nudged me to open to Philippians – my all time favorite book in the Bible. A warmed smile slid across my lips as I logged into the Bible app on my e tablet, selected 1:1 and began to read. Then, verse 12 jumped off the page into my heart.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
Paul was imprisoned, in chains. Roman jails were not the best places in the world to be. Dank. Damp. Rats. Stink. But Paul’s attitude certainly did not match his surroundings.
Does mine? When something unfair, or wrong, or bad happens to me, is my attitude like Paul’s? Is it yours?
When life happens, do I point to my Lord in trust, believing He is to be glorified in every situation, instead of whining and turning the attention to poor little me? Not to step on toes, but I’ve read a great deal of bellyaching on Facebook lately: aches, pains, pity me for my chronic syndromes, flat tires, flooded laundry rooms, bad politicians…. What if we all instead posted, “I wait with anticipation on how God will bless me and others through this.”
What if we truly, as Paul states, give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians.5:18) (Philippians 4:6) ?
Right now, things are great. I have signed a contract for a third novel in 18 months and am soaring on the blessings of my dreams being fulfilled. Requests for my lectures and workshops are increasing. But, this life is not perfect. Tragedy will hit. Heartaches will come, and so will the getting-older aches,pains and illnesses.
I have this prayer today. May I advance the Gospel in each and every incident, good or bad. Join me in that prayer, won’t you?
Posted in Biblical, Devotional | Tagged advance the Gospel, face challenges with joy, give thanks in all circumstances, Julie Cosgrove, Philippians 1:12, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
It seemed clean. I could see through it just fine…until I turned my car into the rising sunlight. 
Oooh, the hazy smudges, minuscule dead bug guts, road dirt. It glared at me — literally. The brilliance of the rays accented the dirtiness of my car glass, making it hard for me to see beyond the filminess. It clouded my view.
So, as I waited for the light to change to green, I pushed the button on the wand to the right of my steering wheel, and squirted window cleanser on the outside of the shield. Then I flipped my wipers on full speed. Back-forth, back-forth, back-forth.
Well, that worked a bit. But, I realized there was haze on the inside as well. It was a residual of my breathing, mixed with fumes from the plastic dashboard, dust that slipped through the AC filter, and lint off my clothes. (Yeah. I Googled it to find out.) Okay, maybe a few fumes from the cheeseburger and fries I got at the drive-thru last week as well. I confess.
I grabbed a sleeve of my sweater (I didn’t have a rag) and wiped over the inside of the windshield in a tight, circular motion. Aha. Clarity. No more glare. Both sides cleaned…not perfect, but definitely a vast improvement.
Is that not indicative of our lives? Some dirt gets slammed into us- the offensive language or scenes on our TV shows that slip into the script. That touch of gossip we overheard in the restroom at work. The local news that has to relay all the ugly details. The younger coworker who is dressing in too tight clothes that accent the fact they work out–a lot.
Other things dirty us from our inside. Anger, jealousy a revengeful thought, a slight pilfering of office supplies, forgetting to pray before we dash out the door to face the world. negative self-talk.
Both work to form a haze over our witness. People cannot see Christ as clearly in us. And as each little thing accumulates over time, it may be hard for us to notice the view has become obscure.
It works both ways. Our view of the world may not be as clear. We begin to think – Is it really all that bad nowadays? Perhaps times have changed,and so should my opinion. People seem more tolerant, maybe I should as well. It’s okay if I sleep in on Sunday, again. Everyone else does.
Our judgement has become clouded. That is until the Light of His Truth blares into our lives.
It may be a sermon, a passage in Scripture, or wisdom from a well meaning friend. Perhaps that small inner voice you know is not from your brain waves. Something throws a glare onto the filthiness you have collected in your life.
Time to wipe it clean…
Next time the Son shines, it will be clearer to others, and to ourselves, that we are truly His followers. No more haziness.
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences | Tagged haze, Julie Cosgrove, Light of Christ in us, sin, Where did you find God today, wipe it clean | 2 Comments »
In looking over the Psalm assigned to be read for this Sunday, the first verse caught my attention:
O Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth. (96:1)
Why should we sing unto the Lord a NEW song? I doubt if it means to sing Contemporary (CCM) over the old familiar hymns. Actually, neither existed when David penned this verse thousands of years ago, He wrote many of the psalms, and they were all “new” at one time.
Perhaps it is because the birds rise and sing with the sun. Maybe David took that as a hint that we should arise and praise God as well.
Another nugget of Scripture popped into my head-
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-24
Okay, Biblical scholars, I realize Lamentations was written centuries after David’s Psalms, but that to me is one of the proofs that the Bible is alive and God-breathed, as it states in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. So follow me here…
If God’s mercies are NEW every morning, and if we do as is suggested — not to let the sun set on our anger but rather pray it out before retiring so we can sleep in peace — then we can sing a new song every morning. Each day can be a fresh start. No need to carry over yesterday’s angst, regrets and sins.
I am going to personally renew the commitment to end each day wiping the slate clean with my Lord, just before my eyes close, by asking Him to give me a new morning when my eyes pop open again.
And I know He will. Because, great is His faithfulness.
Lord, may I be as faithful to You.
Posted in Biblical, Devotional | Tagged faithfulness, Julie B Cosgrove, mercies new, prayer, sing a new song, Where did you find God today | 2 Comments »
Ever get a scraggly place on your fingernail. It’s not a break, or even a chip. Just an almost microscopic rugged spot enough to catch materials, like clothes, hosiery, etc. And yes, it seems to catch on everything!! A slight aggravation seems to grow. You rub it against a rough surface, but that doesn’t do it. You need a file, the correct tool. And, until you can get to that nail file or emery board that rugged place bothers you.
(Guys, tell me you have this problem at times, too. Surely it is not just a girl thing. If not, bear with me. There is a point to this – no pun intended..)
But, once you get the file, it takes work to right the situation. You have to buff it away, feel the place, nope- not smooth enough yet. Buff…feel, nope…file a bit more. The thing is, the more you file, the more evident it becomes that the nail is damaged and needs to be re-shaped. At last your nail is smooth, well -shaped and presentable again.
Are you beginning to see the God-connection?
Sin can snag us. Until we bring it to God, it will nag at us, and as we go through the day, or week, or months, it keeps catching on our thoughts and actions. We know it’s there, even if no one else does.
So, we finally carve out time to fall to our knees and give it to our Lord. He scrapes it away, and at first, it makes the sin seem more obvious, so much larger. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that sin can be buffed away and we fully restored. Now we can grow again–in the correct direction.
But we know in this fallen world, we will brush against the harshness of sin again. We women usually carry an emery board in our purses so we are prepared when an unexpected snag occurs. May we all carry the Holy Spirit that close, and stop to correct the situation the first chance we get. It will make the day go, well, a lot smoother.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences | Tagged correction, Holy Spirit, Julie B Cosgrove, sin, Where Did You Find God | 1 Comment »
As I walked along a shaded breezeway, I noticed a small plant peeking out of the concrete. Evidently the wind blew a tiny seed into the crack and perhaps, after a few rainstorms, enough water was captured to entice it to sprout. Now it is growing. Will it last? Grow little plant – thrive.
It made me think of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Jesus says some seeds are sown in rocky soil, but since they have no roots, they die off quickly. He explains to his disciples that these are the people who have an emotional conversion, but they are never grounded in the Truth or the Word. They lack commitment and trust. But, is that always so?
Roots can take hold, even in the most unlikely places.
When it comes to spreading the love of Christ, we are all to join in the seeding process. Some are to clear the rocks away, others to till the soil, some to sow the seeds. Others are called to nurture the newly sprouting seedlings, Still others are to keep watering it so it will grow. But we must remember that God’s Holy Spirit does the growing.. God knows what lies beneath the surface and the potential that seed has. He know what each needs to thrive.
I am not sure if this small plant has deep roots or not. I don’t know what soil lies under that concrete walkway and brick wall. But My Father in Heaven knows.
I cannot see into the future to witness which lives my writings and lectures will have touched, and what the outcome will be for each. However, I know I am called to sow the Truth of Christ anyway and let God take care of the rest — be it through fifty more people or just one.
The next time you feel as if your efforts to bring someone closer to Christ seem unproductive, think on this tiny plant. You may think their lives are rocky right now, but there just may be nice soil that was once deposited underneath. Or, there may be undercurrents feeding into the rock you cannot see. Miracles happen every day.
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Nature | Tagged God knows, Julie B Cosgrove, Matthew 13, seeds, sowing, Where Did You Find God | 3 Comments »
Here in North Texas we are plagued with black beetles. Our cleaning crew at the Church can sweep diligently, and within hours, the sidewalks and floors are spotted with them again–all on their backs, wiggling their little six legged bodies. (Obviously the bug man’s spray works.)
When I first began to work here, my heart bled for these poor bugs who crawled over the invisible poison seeking water and shelter. I hated to see them suffer. So, I would diligently take a leaf or piece of paper and try to flip them over. Maybe if they had enough life left in them to keep flaying their legs, they’d be all right if they could just crawl away. Inevitably, the little guys would flip on their backs again and flay away.
I don’t know why God designed them to die on their backs, and I hope they are spared suffering- that it is just instinct to wiggle to the end since they have no emotions. But, it brought home a valuable lesson. Often, I see others suffering. Many are Christians. They seem to be flaying and are unable to right themselves, just like these beetles. No matter what I do– pray, help, talk– they seems to be stuck in that situation or slump.
I know now that God has placed them there for a reason even though I don’t know why. It may be to draw them to Him, to diminish their pride, to correct their path… that’s between them and God. But I ‘m confident He never takes His eyes off of them, because when I was flaying on my back, unable to upright myself, I felt my Lord’s presence hovering nearby. I heard His whisper, “Hang in there. I’m here.”
No matter how hard I try, I can’t turn my friends upright. But I know the One who can…and will in His own timing if they can just hang in there and keep having faith. It may happen on this earth or in Heaven. In the meantime, there is one thing I can do–pray them through it.
Like the beetles, we may not be able to flip over on our own, or even with the help of a well-meaning friend. Unlike the beetles, we have a choice of how we spend our time on our backs. Will we wiggle and squirm, or peacefully rest in the assurance that God has purposed our struggles? Our destiny, if we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, is not death. It is life beyond this world. That is the when all will be righted for good. We will never be flaying on our backs again.
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Nature | Tagged GOd will be htere, God will help in our struggles, Julie Cosgrove, pray for each other, upright, Where did you find God today | Leave a Comment »
Where Did You Find God Today? 