Capacity vs Capability

One more time, one more time. Lord I’m glad to be in your service, one more time. I could have been doing anything else with my talents and gifts, but Lord I humbly lay them at Your feet so that you can do with them whatever You see fit. Never taking any day for granted and especially thanking you for today, Dear Lord, I thank you for another opportunity to be in your service, one more time.

Good day to you all! Tomorrow is not promised to us, but Heaven is guaranteed. Live for what is eternal.

As I watched the Presidential debate, there was talk about our military, and whether or not it was at an acceptable capacity to defend the United States. The allegation was made that the US Navy was the smallest that it had been since 1917. The President quickly defended the size of the Navy by informing his opponent that it wasn’t about the number of ships that we have, it was about the capability of those ships. The United States is in no danger because the technology that we employ and the people that we have behind that technology is the best in the world. We are truly able to do more with less.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to be look beyond capacity because God is capable. People may look at you and think that you are not working with too much. The same way that the giant Goliath looked at a young man, named David, and mocked him. David knew that he did not match up well with Goliath, but he knew that the God that He served was capable. People may look at you and not understand the God that is in you. Just like they looked at a man named Jesus, and said that He could not be the Son of God. They said that He has broken the law by healing the sick, and doing miracles. They accused Him of breaking Jewish law because He proclaimed to be the Son of God. Don’t you know that people will try to persecute you for being who you are. Nothing more, and nothing less. Well, this man names Jesus, who was the Son of God, was beaten and mock, and they hung him from a cross. They thought that they had seen the end of this man. Dear Reader they saw his capacity as a human being. Not knowing that Jesus had the capability of a Savior. Now you are covered in the blood. Dear Reader that makes you capable. That means that you may not have the capacity to hold a bunch of degree’s, but you are capable of making that business of yours a success. You may not have the capacity of knowledge that a doctor has, but you are capable of taking care of your sick children. Dear Reader, do not let anybody put a limit on what God can do for you. It’s not about the ships in your Navy, because we serve a God that is capable of doing great things.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

In Sickness and In Health

Rejoice today because we serve a God that is faithful to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse of all unrighteousness. Rejoice today because you are covered by the blood of Jesus and there is nothing that your enemies can do about that. You may hear people talk about your demise. You may hear predictions about your downfall. However, you are empowered by the blood of Jesus to overcome whatever the world puts in front of you. Rejoice today because you are victorious. Rejoice.

Good day to you all! You are a blessing to someone today! You are needed by someone today! Never underestimate your ability to change someone else’s situation.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

I love my mama! I am happy to report that my mother has safely returned from her mission trip to Africa. I was able to speak to her and she told me about all of the wonderful work that her group had done. She also informed me that she had sick while she was over there. Apparently she had suffered a bug bite that left her sick and swollen. There was no hospital where she was so they called the local doctor. He was a young doctor and he rode into the village on his bike with medicine in his pocket. Understand that this doctor was not highly regarded because he was so young. The people doubted his ability. I tell you that this doctor took care of my mother and restored her back to health. When word spread that this young man had healed “the American” his business began to pick up. He now has more business than he can handle. It is amazing how God works through what would seem like a bad situation in order to bless someone in need.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you during your trials. I want to let you know that what you are going through is not necessarily for your benefit. God can use your situation to turn around the life of someone else. What you are going through may not be comfortable. What you are going through may not seem like an ideal situation, but Dear Reader it is a part of God’s purpose for your life. Your trials and tribulations may be the catalyst for someone else’s victory. Sometimes it doesn’t feel good when God uses us, but the good news is that God is using us. My mother, who I love dearly, was not in a good place when she was sick in a strange country, but God knew what it would take to turn a young doctors practice around. God did not let anything happen to my mother, as a matter of fact they were successful in doing His work. When God uses you for His purpose the reward is great so be encouraged and know that you have not been forsaken. Dear Reader the victory is yours! Don’t let your situation get you down. Praise God for your situation whether it be bad or worse, in sickness and in health.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Just Give Me Jesus

Today you will face a new set of challenges.  Today you may find yourself faced with a new circumstance.  Today you may find that you don’t have all of the answers.  I want you to know that God is with you through it all.  The road may not be easy, but I don’t believe that God brought you this far just to leave you.  He is with you through all of your challenges today, and every day.  He is with you through every circumstance that you face.  Today you may not have all of the answers, but that is because God has already answered all of the questions before you even had the chance to ask.  Be of good cheer today because God is with you always.

Good day to you all! May there be peace in everything that you come across, and may joy abound throughout your day!

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Sometimes I hear a lot of things that sound sincerely religious.  I hear a lot of big words that sound really deep.  I hear a lot of big concepts that come from a lot of big people with a lot of big titles. I am not one to argue philosophies.  I am not one to have a religious debate with anyone.  I just listen.  Sometimes I even ponder what it is that I am being told, but I don’t dwell there very long.  I believe that Jesus came so that we would not have to go through the debates.  When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she gave Him a set of religious rules that had been in place on how and where to worship. Jesus told her that those rules did not matter, the only thing that mattered was the water that He was offering.  Jesus told her that if you drink the water in the well you will eventually be thirsty, but if you drink of the water that I am offering you, you will never thirst again. Just give me Jesus.

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  1John 5:11-12

Dear Reader I tell you today that you can have your religion, just give me Jesus.  When I am sick, there is nothing that I can do with your religion, just give me Jesus.  I cannot speak for anyone else, but for me, just give me Jesus.  When I am in between a rock and a hard place, just give me Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but the church can only do so much, the pastor can only do so much, but when it comes to what I need to get by, I need Jesus.  Dear Reader, when you have Jesus there is nothing that your enemy can do to you.  When you have Jesus you be healed.  When you have Jesus your enemies will become your foot stools.  I may not have a degree in theology, and I may not have any particular title.  In the world of religious affairs I may be a nobody, but I can tell you from experience that when I needed someone to be closer than a brother, I did not call upon a degree or a title.  I didn’t call upon a pastor, a bishop, a pope, or a rabbi.  I called upon the mighty name of Jesus. I know that you may be going through something today, and people will give you a lot of advice. Let me give you one more piece of advice: Jesus.  Just calling upon His name will move mountains.  You can keep your religion, just give me Jesus.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Where is the Love

You are more than a conqueror, you are more than what people expect you to be.  There is so much for you to do today.  There are so many people in need of your touch, your laugh, your smile.  Do not underestimate how important you are in the movement of this world today.  Yes the world turns, but when it comes to God and all His children there is no reason that you can’t be the bold and the beautiful.  Do not let anyone tell you that you are not gifted, and blessed.  Do not let anyone tell you that God’s grace and mercy are not covering you.  You are more than a conqueror today, so take hold of your blessings, and bless someone else. 

Good day to you all!  There will only ever be one you!  Don’t let someone else love you more than you love you.

For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  James 2:2-4

I was at home the other day, and I had the television on.  I wasn’t really watching it, but as I was listening I

heard something that caught my ear.  I heard a commercial that said at the end, ‘Who you care about tells a lot about you.”  I couldn’t help but think about how true that is.  If you care only about those who have as much as you, that speaks to your compassion.  If you only care about those who have status, then that speaks to your own self esteem.  If you only care about family that speaks to your values.  Jesus came to save the world.  He did not come to condemn the world.  Jesus came and surrounded himself with people of different walks of life, and he loved them all.  Jesus let the world know that he cared about the world because he died for the world. There are people today who claim to walk in Jesus example, yet don’t care about people who are different than themselves. Aren’t you glad that we serve a God who does not discriminate?

Dear Reader I want to encourage you on this day to open up your heart.  I want to encourage you to love someone who has been deemed unlovable. I used to feel like I wasn’t good enough.  People have a tendency to make you feel that if you are not going their direction you are going the wrong way.  Then I read about a man named Jesus.   How easy would it have been to have the Son of God who owns everything, to only look out for the rich? Like I told you before the world made me feel that I wasn’t good enough, but Jesus saw the best in me, when everyone else around could only see the worst in me.  So when that happened I returned the favor so that I could see the best in people when everyone else could only see the worst.  Who you care about says a lot about you.  Dear Reader there is someone who is in need of your caring.  There is someone who is in need of the love that you have to give.  The key is that they may not look like you.  They may not be from your side of the tracks.  They may not have what you have.  However, they need you.  Reach out to someone who needs a hand Dear Reader and show them where your heart is. Show them the love.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Wisdom of Tony Stark

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will that you have been seeking will suddenly appear. Praise God for all that you have been through because everything works together for your good. You have been through the fire and have come out without a scratch. You are stronger than you think and you are more beautiful than you will ever know. Do not let anyone or anything turn you around from what God has for you. You mean the world to the world.

Good day to you all! There is a lesson in everything that happens to you, but it can easily be missed in the midst of complaining.

I love a good movie. A movie that came out recently that I enjoyed was The Avengers. I didn’t think that I would enjoy the super hero movies, as much as I have, but there is so much that we can learn from them. In the Avengers we have earth being attacked, and all seems to be lost. The enemy is too big and too numerous to stop. The head of the attack is bragging about his dominance to one of our heroes, Tony Stark. He tells him that there is nothing that he can do because the earth is already been defeated. The war is already over. Toney just looks at him, and tells him that what he is saying may be true, but they have put a team together, and they may not be able to stop the end of the world, but they would surely avenge the world. Oh what a wonderful lesson.

Dear Reader you may have had dreams when you were younger that have passed away. You may have had plans that did not work out. It may seem like all hope is lost, but let me encourage you today to keep your eyes on God. I want to encourage you to look your enemy in the eye and tell them that God is not done. It aint over until God says it’s over and right now God has not said that it was over. Dear Reader I want you to know that you are not done with your dreams. All this time you have been getting better. You have been getting wiser. You have become more efficient. Dear Reader with your knowledge, wisdom, and efficiency, you have put together a team. You may not be able to do anything about the dreams that have passed away, but with this new team, and God on your side, you can definitely avenge those dreams. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and everything else will become clear. All of those things that you lost will suddenly be found, and they will be found brand new. Your enemy thinks that they have seen the last of you, but they haven’t seen anything yet. The best is yet to come. Your best days are in front of you, and those who doubted you are in for the surprise of their life. Be excited Dear Reader, you are an Avenger!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Hold On, I'm Coming

God is speaking to you today. Don’t let your busy schedule keep you from listening. God is moving through you today. Don’t let the quest for your own direction keep you from going where He is leading. God is blessing you today. Don’t let the lack of material things keep you from seeing your true blessings. God is touching you today. Don’t let the artificial feelings that the world offers, keep you from feeling the real love that God is blessing you with. You are covered today. You are beautiful today. You are loved today. You are blessed today.

Good day to you all! If you are able to speak to someone today, and lift them up you have done a good thing. If you are able to speak to someone today and give them hope when the only thing that they have seen has been hopeless. If you can do these things then you are the blessing that someone has prayed for.

Don't you ever be sad,
Lean on me when times are bad.
When the day comes and you're down,
In a river of trouble and about to drown

Just hold on, I'm comin',
Hold on, I'm comin'. – Sam And Dave “Hold On, I’m Coming”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
A letter to the oppressor:
I pray that this message speaks to your heart in your time of need. I know that you feel that there is nothing that I can teach you. I don’t hold any significant degree’s and I hold no significant position. You have trained your eyes to look for material things, and you have trained your ears to listen for what is in your best interest.
Understand that I write to you, not just on my own behalf, but on the behalf of the people who are under your authority. We the people who will not rely on our own strength in order to change our situation because our strength is limited. We the people reach above your authority to draw upon the strength of God which is unlimited. In your arrogance you have been led to believe that your power is infinite and you shall not be moved. However I am speaking to you in your time of need, because it is time for your to move away from we the people. It is time for we the people who have studied, prayed, and waited, to remove the chains and the ropes that have kept our hopes and dreams bound for so long.
I tell you today that we shall call you out by name. We shall call you out: unemployment, depression, fear, unbearable boss, debt, backstabbing friend, abusive relationship, repossession, foreclosure, bad news, loneliness, negativity, poverty, and we shall say to you that your days are numbered, and your power is limited. You shall no longer hold any power over us. Your power is not as important as our weakness. It is in our weakness that we are made perfect. We shall boast in our weakness because it has never been said, “The smaller they are the harder they fall”. It has always been told that the bigger they are the harder they fall. I pray that this message speaks to your heart oh yea that despise forgiveness and savor oppression. I pray that your eyes can see the faces at the bottom of the well one day. I hope that you are able to hear the voices that cry out and cannot be heard. God promised that we the people call on Him, He will be on the way. The call has been made, and we shall hold in to hope, and we shall hold on to our dreams. We shall hold on to the promises of God. Your oppression shall no longer be your staple, but it shall be the back drop of the story that we shall tell when they ask us how we made it when the odds where stack against us. I write this to you on behalf of we the people who are:
Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed
John Reed