Each of you should look not only to your own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

In the business world there are performance reviews that are called “360 Degree Reviews.” Here, not only does the immediate boss evaluate the performance of the employee, but the people — peers and subordinates – all around the one being evaluated also have input for this professional review. Thus, a 360 Degree Review.

How good it would be if I took more time to sincerely look around me at the people in my life — whether they are my nearest and dearest, acquaintances or strangers. But not to evaluate their performance. Rather to sincerely look around me to evaluate their needs and interests.

I need to be more aware…more interested in the people around me…and more willing to help in any way I can — as I learn: what they might be going through, what their immediate and long-term needs might be, what their interests are in order to obtain their goals practically – food, shelter, clothing, medicine, physical care, an occupation, transportation, education… and spiritually — receiving, knowing and giving: love, hope, peace, joy, courage, wisdom…

We all do need to look to our own interests in these life-matters. God knows that — and calls each of us to “…love yourself” (Mark 12:31)…AND we are to do this as we obey God’s call to “Love your neighbor…” (Mark 12:31).  

May the compassionately practical, spiritual and eternal love of Jesus move each of us — in a 360 degree perspective — to be more sensitive AND more responsive to the interests, the needs and the hearts of the people all around us…and do it all for the glory of our God!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5

God wants me — and each of His children – to let…to choose…to allow…to purpose that my — that our – gentleness be tangibly evident. And not just in my quiet time. Not just in my prayer time. Not just with a cute little puppy…or with a smiling, happy little baby…or with a sweet-tempered elderly man or woman.

Oh, no! God wants me — and each of His children – to let…to choose…to allow…to purpose that my — that our – gentleness be tangibly evident…to ALL people…of ALL personalities….in ALL situations…at ALL times. Gentleness — Christ-like gentleness — is to be tangibly evident in ALL our relationships and encounters with ALL others. 

Praise be to the Living God that “The Lord is near!” Because I darn sure know that ONLY with the Spirit of Jesus being near to me…filling me…leading me, am I able to offer any tangible and evident gentleness to those around me. And we all need this gentleness from our Lord for ourselves, for our own lives…and we all need to give this gentleness from Jesus to others so that they, too, will know that the Lord is near!

In the strength and love and nearness of Jesus, may we let our gentleness be tangibly evident to all!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

“The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

There is no commandment greater than these. There is nothing greater than love. Nothing.

Today, may each of us, by the power and the will of our Lord God, choose to truly love God, others and ourselves more fully…more purely, more sacrificially, more sincerely, more wisely, more generously, more kindly, more patiently, more joyfully. 

Then, let each of us choose to love more and more in this way tomorrow and the next day and the next day…

Because nothing is greater than love.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. Psalm 18:16

The LORD wants so much to take hold of all us…to save us…to protect us…to lead us…to transform us. Because the LORD loves us and does not want anyone to be eternally separated from Him by rejecting the salvation He offers.

The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

The LORD patiently waits for us to choose to let Him take hold of us…even while He passionately pursues us with His love. Seven years ago today my dad let God hold him after living most of his life in stubborn and cruel defiance of God and God’s righteous and loving ways.

Yet there was God…waiting patiently and wanting passionately…to take hold of my dad. Jesus had already died for Dad. There is no other sufficient, acceptable sacrifice, offering or action that could bring forgiveness and salvation to my dad…or to me…or to anyone…except for the blood that Jesus poured out on the cross. Jesus just needed Dad to finally acknowledge his need for God’s forgiveness and his need for God to take hold of him.

And on October 18, 2002, my dad did just that…and God took hold of him and drew him out of the deep waters of chaos and condemnation. That day God took hold of my dad through the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Four years later God took hold of my dad and escorted him away from all the chaos and deep waters on this side of Heaven and brought Dad into his eternal home to walk and live in peace along the river of life that flows from the throne of God.

May we each let the LORD take hold of us…to save us…to protect us…to lead us…to transform us…each and everyday of our lives.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

In the first year of the first month of King Hezekiah’s reign [715BC], he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them. 2 Chronicles 29:3

The king of Judah before Hezekiah was Ahaz. And Ahaz had turned from God and worshiped idols and false gods…”he set up altars to them on every street corner in Jerusalem.” Ahaz defiled and robbed the temple of the LORD…and even went so far as to ”shut the doors of the LORD’s temple…”—2 Chronicles 28:24

King Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz. But he did not follow in his footsteps. Hezekiah is described as doing “what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.”—2 Chronicles 29:2

And Hezekiah “opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them”…and did so much more to bring back the honest and true worship of the LORD…and to honor the LORD in his own life and in the lives of the people he led as king.

Where have we let others block us in some way from serving and worshiping the LORD? Where have we let others shut us away from putting our trust the LORD? Where have we let the actions or words of others hurt us or disappoint or frustrate us so much that we have shut ourselves away from the LORD in our woundedness, anger or self-pity?

Where have we ourselves—because of our own sin, pride, stubbornness, laziness—shut the doors of our hearts to worshiping and living for our LORD?

It’s time to FULLY open the doors of the temple of the LORD in our own lives…no matter what or who may have shut them. It’s time to FULLY open the doors of our hearts to worship and love the LORD our God with all that we are.

May our God, the Holy One, the Almighty LORD show each one of us how to open the doors of the temple of the LORD…the doors to our own hearts so that we may each truly worship the LORD each new day…so that we may worship the LORD—seeking His forgiveness, cleansing and renewal…so that we may worship the LORD—seeking to be His child…living in the righteousness, love and forgiveness towards others that LORD Himself has given to us through His Son Jesus Christ.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

1 John 5: 18-21

As children born into eternal life through the love sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His eternal resurrection, we know Him who is true.

And we know that we have been given the Spirit of the Living Christ to lead us away from deliberately staying in the habit and lifestyle of choosing to sin so that we may choose to follow God’s righteous, protective, good and loving ways.

We know and have been given understanding that Jesus Christ alone is the true God and eternal life.

We know that our lives are kept in Him alone…and that we are to keep ourselves from any and everything that would become an idol for us…any and everything that would become more important to us than our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know so much because of the understanding given to us by our Loving and Holy, Intimate and Sovereign God!

So! Let’s live like we know!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

I am the LORD, that is my name!

I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. Isaiah 42:8

God is God. The Only Creator. The Only Giver of Life. The Only Savior. 

God is God. The Eternal One. The Holy One. The Righteous Judge. The Ancient of Days. The Redeemer. The Deliverer. The Healer.

God is God. The Wonderful Counselor. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace.

God is God. The Way. The Truth. The Life. The Word. The Spirit.

God is God. God is Love…and in God’s love:

…He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him…God sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

And God wants us to never allow anything else to pull on our minds and hearts as more glorious or more wonderful than our God.

Because God alone loves us perfectly. Because God alone saves us eternally.

All glory and honor to the LORD…Alone!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Some Pharisees and teachers of the law challenged Jesus about why his disciples were eating with “unclean” hands, not doing the ceremonial washing before a meal. Jesus needed to set them straight on what really makes a person “unclean” before God…and it has nothing to do with soap and water.

(Commercial break: for physical health and protection against disease, including the Swine Flu, Yes! Wash your hands—often and well!)

Now, back to the real killer disease: sin.

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean’…For from within, out  of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:14-15, 21-23

Sin—which comes from within us, threatens, infects, hurts all relationships to some extent and kills every single one of us—is the true pandemic of this world that we must be vigilant to turn from…and humble enough to accept our only hope for cure: the blood sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ who took our place in death, so that we might be given His pure life through the power of His resurrection!

God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

That is clean. That is protected. That is salvation.

To have Jesus as our Savior and Lord is the very power of God that conquers sin and death…the very power of God to heal, free and transform our lives!

Is it time for you to invite Jesus to be your Savior? He is here for you. He loves you unfailingly.

If you want Jesus as your Savior, pray…talk to Him about these things: Admit to Jesus that you need Him…that you need His forgiveness…that you need to trust in His death and in His blood poured out on the cross to be the payment for your sin debt before our Holy God. Invite Jesus to be your Savior. Accept the loving, faithful promise of His salvation and the gift of eternal life with Him in Heaven. And THANK HIM! You are His child!  

If you have prayed to ask Jesus to be your Savior: Happy Birthday! You are born anew into the Kingdom of God! Tell someone about your decision. And get yourself into a good Bible teaching church. You can email us…and we will lift you in prayer and celebrate with you!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Oh! The truth of God…and the timing of God…and the sense of humor (?) of God!

When I posted the Devotional for yesterday, October 12, (in the late afternoon of October 11) I had no idea that I would be dealing with the reality of “My flesh and heart may fail…” quite so soon! 

Long story…very short: I woke up in horrendous pain a little after 2am, and ended up in the ER. I’ll spare you the rest of the details, except to say that I’m fine. And, by God’s good grace, I will recover fully (and quickly!) from one ugly urinary tract-kidney infection. (Think Paul Edgecomb’s excruciating uti in “The Green Mile”)

But God!!!???

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

 But God! And, YES, this is still my truth and my experience: God is the strength of my heart…and of my mind…and of my body…and God is my portion…the One and Only who gives me all that I truly need for my life. No matter what my circumstances may be…or how unexpectedly…or suddenly they may change!

Oh! The truth of God…and the timing of God…and the sense of humor (?) of God!  And, Oh! The amazing and perfect love and grace of God…which is present with us, and available to us, always! No buts about it!!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart not only may fail…but they will fail (and as a card carrying AARP member, I can definitely tell you that some parts are failing to a certain extent right now.) 

But God! I love that phrase!

My flesh and my heart may–will fail…But God is the strength of my heart! But God is my portion forever!

My flesh and my heart may–will fail…But God encourages me!

But God supplies all of my truest, deepest needs!

But God gives me unfailing love!

But God forgives all my sins!

But God promises to give me eternal life!

But God gives me hope!  

But God  gives me peace!

But God gives me wisdom!

But God gives me joy!

No matter what may happen to me or what circumstances I will go through, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! No buts about it!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane