Daily Devotionals

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Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on November 9, 2010 at 1:29pm

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, James 1:2

The Bible doesn't tell us to rejoice when we mess up and get into trouble. God can certainly use our mistakes to teach us, but that's not what James has in mind. Some of our trials just come from living. Things aren't going right. Usually it's not one big thing, but a lot of little things. We encounter physical, financial, relational or emotional trials that knock us for a loop. Peter calls this 'the trial of your faith' 1st Peter 1 1:7

What's on trial? Your faith! Whatever the size or length of our trial, there's nowhere we can go to escape the trial of our faith. Trying to avoid it is like changing schools in hopes of avoiding a test you don't want to take. But the next school will have tests too, probably harder than the ones in the school you just left, and now you're that much further behind in your studies and preparation. You can't outrun God-ordained trials. He knows where to find you!

The good news is, there's no such thing as a purposeless trial! Each trial is designed to launch us to a new spiritual level. The interesting thing about our trials is they're custom made; they have our name on them. Paul discovered two things about his trials:
First, the reason for the trial. In 2nd Corinthians 12:7: To keep him from becoming conceited'
Second, the result of the trial. Two verses later 'That Christ's power may rest on me'

Like a tailor measuring you for a suit that will fit perfectly, the Holy Spirit customizes the trials we encounter to meet our spiritual need, to mould us, and to make us more like Jesus!

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on November 5, 2010 at 7:51am

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matthew 5:44

I want to write to you today about the incredible importance of forgiveness in our lives. Without it, we’ll never make it in this world or the next. Doctors now know that we don’t get ulcers as much from what we eat; we get them from what’s eating us. If you want to have a miserable existence and risk contracting one or more diseases, then hold resentment and unforgiveness in your heart. They can destroy the body.

If you would prefer to cultivate a forgiving heart? Then learn from Joseph’s example. He had much to forgive…He had to forgive his father, Jacob, because of Jacob’s folly in preferring him over his brothers.
He had to forgive his brothers for throwing him into a pit then selling him into slavery as a mere alternative to killing him.

He had to forgive his brothers for all his years of slavery in Egypt and for the long, arduous tasks he had to perform until finally he was accepted into Potiphar’s household.
He had to forgive Potiphar’s wife, who took hold of his garment, bringing his integrity into question.
He had to forgive Potiphar, who never even looked into the matter between Joseph and his wife but condemned Joseph out of hand, sending him to prison to languish for years.

Joseph could well have said he had much to set right, but he never did. Instead he freely forgave them all.

Abraham Lincoln is also a wonderful example of forgiveness. He regularly forgave his enemies. On the very afternoon before he was shot, Lincoln gave instructions to his cabinet, many members of which were bent on stepping on the face of the South now that the Civil War had ended. Lincoln told his cabinet, “There will be no reparations.” He had a heart as big as the whole world and yet not big enough to hold a grudge.

Do you have an enemy whom you have not forgiven from your heart? Then ask God for the grace to forgive; after all, Jesus has forgiven us for so much more—who are we to hold grudges?

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on November 4, 2010 at 9:15am

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Romans 9:20

Maybe you have some questions for God today. Questions like, Why did You make me like this? Why are You letting`this happen to me? Why do I have this limitation? What is going on here, Lord?

Well, according to Scripture, when we question God, it’s like a piece of clay questioning the Master Potter. God is sovereign. He chooses, forms, and has a plan. Life is God’s potter’s wheel.

But life is not simply turning in circles. God knows and understands every turn of the wheel. What a potter can do with a lump of clay on the wheel, God can do in your life!

God has a master plan for you that is beautiful and wonderful. He knows your name and even the number of hairs on your head! He is working creatively and progressively in your life.

But, like a lump of clay, we are nothing apart from the work of God. You and I can never be made complete without the touch of the Master’s hand.

I want to encourage you today to yield to the Master’s hand. He sees the future and knows how to form you into the perfect vessel!

Give thanks today for the things to the Lord for the things that make you unique and ponder His plan for your life. Remember what I say, too frequently probably, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans!”

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on November 3, 2010 at 7:40am

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18

Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Many people do not know how to love their neighbors. It's easy if those neighbors love us back. But what about someone who doesn't even like us or someone we can barely tolerate? Are we to love them? You already know the answer.

The love Jesus spoke about was not about emotion, but it was about commitment. We are to love our neighbor despite our feelings toward that neighbor--even if we do not approve of that neighbor's lifestyle, we are to love him or her with the love of Christ. Is that hard? You bet. Love is not easy. Love sent Jesus to the cross.

I remember a story about Denise Rolle. At age 17 Denise found lots of faults with the church--from the teaching methods to the time the minister scheduled worship. She resented her parents for forcing her to go to church and Sunday School every week. She would sit in her class with her arms folded across her chest, slumped in a folding chair in the back of the class. Denise refused to make friends or to participate in class discussions. It was clear to everyone Denise did not want to be there.

One night, though, Denise came home to find her parents huddled in the driveway in their bathrobes. Fire had engulfed their house. They watched all their worldly possessions go up in smoke. It was a tragedy she would never forget.

Then shortly after the fire, something happened that took Denise by surprise. Some young people from her Sunday School class came to visit her. One young woman handed her an envelope. Denise opened the envelope with trembling hands to discover that they had filled it with money. "It's from everyone in our class," one of them told her, "We took up a collection." The love and affection of Denise's Sunday School classmates overwhelmed her. She never really wanted to be part of the class, but the class showed her how much they cared for her. "I received a lot more than money that day," she reflected, "I received unconditional love and a fresh realization of what it means to belong to be a Christian." This is what loving our neighbor is all about.

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on November 2, 2010 at 7:27am

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

One of the greatest themes that we find in the story of Jesus’ birth and life is “do not fear.” We see it when the angel spoke to Joseph and we see it when the angels speak to the shepherds the night Jesus was born. “Do… not… fear, fear not.”

Do these words from God have special meaning for you today?

Maybe you’re experiencing pain and suffering in your life right now, and you don’t understand why. Maybe you’re struggling with terrible troubles or disease or difficulties. And maybe this has you wondering where God is in the midst of it all!

If so, remember that as a child of God, He is with you. He will never leave or forsake you. This means you’re never alone!

And remember, God didn’t just speak with words. He came. He came to restore a broken relationship. He came in love and devotion and He sacrificed His life and His love… not with words or platitudes or clichés… but with a cross and with a promise to love you forever.

If you haven’t done so in a while, I’d like to encourage you to take a couple of minutes today and thank God that He came to earth… and that He’s given you, through His Son, a way to escape fear and worry.

And then, claim today’s verse, which says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on November 1, 2010 at 7:10am

Each of us possesses strengths which God has given us.
Psalm 18:32 says,
It is God who arms me with strength.
And in Philippians 4:13,
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
And King David said this in 1 Chronicles 29:12,
…in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

God gives us all strength, yet I believe there are specific things He gives each of us that make you and me strong individually. The book of Psalms says in 33:14-15, From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually. In the New Testament in 1st Corinthians 12:27 it says, Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

We are collectively the body of Christ, but God has wired us each differently. God has formed our hearts individually. He has put certain deposits in one person that may not be in another person. He has given one person a certain kind of strength that may not be another person's strength.

Here is what I am getting at. I believe there is something uniquely you that gives you strength and character and presence, something that makes you a person to be reckoned with, something that God has put in you. It is a foundation, a seat of strength that He wants to move through in order to influence and to bless others.

Rather than coveting someone else's unique giftings and strength, discover and develop your own. Remember, God individually fashioned you. There is something wonderfully unique about you, through which God wants to bring blessing to others.

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on October 29, 2010 at 7:18am

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

Some things that look good to eat aren't. Eve and Adam found that out when they took a chunk out of the forbidden fruit. It looked good, but it wasn't. That also could have been the case for two children who went trick or treating.

They came back with some assorted Halloween treats, $50 in cash, and something that looked like rock candy. It wasn't candy. The police said it was an illegal substance-- enough of the drug to kill the children had they eaten it. As I said, there are some things that look good to eat, but aren't.

You know, Satan likes to put some pretty nice wrappings around his temptations, doesn't he? He polishes his enticements, spiffs up his persuasions, drapes them in fancy paper, pretty bows, and says, "Here, I made this just for you." That's right -- custom temptations -- exclusively for you.

Now, I don't know what particular temptation Satan has picked out for you, but I do know you have a Savior who lived, died, and rose to free you from your sins. Because of Jesus, those temptations -- once taken - can't hold you forever. You can be forgiven.

I also know that our Lord sends His Holy Spirit to help each of His children see those temptations for the garbage they really are. And then, once we've seen them, He helps us avoid them. The Bible calls it walking in the Spirit.

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on October 28, 2010 at 8:38am

Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place." Judges 7:7

Remember the story of Gideon in the Old Testament Book of Judges? Gideon had a fairly large army of 32,000 men. But he had a much larger adversary in the Midianites, who numbered in the thousands and thousands.

God came to Gideon one day and told him that his army was too big. He told Gideon to call the men together and say, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave and go home.” Gideon obeyed the Lord, and 22,000 men said, “We’re out of here.” God thinned the ranks once more, and Gideon was left with 300 men.

Why did God do that? He was looking for those who would stand up for Him, for those who would make a sacrifice.

In the same way, time will tell whether you are a true follower of Jesus Christ. It will be determined on the battlefield, not in a church service where everyone is praising the Lord together. Time will tell you whether have truly gone forward spiritually. It will be determined by how you hold up when the first difficulties come, when the first temptations come, and when the first persecution comes.

I remember how things changed when I became a follower of Jesus Christ. I was mocked and abandoned by people I had known for many years. It took a while but I finally figured out that if I was to follow Jesus, I would lose some so-called friends, and it would not always be easy.

If you are willing to endure, then you will have the greatest adventure imaginable in serving the Lord. God is looking for men and women to enlist in His army for His divine Delta Force

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on October 27, 2010 at 7:25am

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

Many believers have all their spiritual armor in place, but they never use their sword. They talk about it. They study it. They compare swords with others. But they never use their sword in spiritual battle.

In fact, satan would be pleased if believers would just keep their sword in its sheath. He knows all too well the power and the authority of the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Please read this verse again slowly. Ponder it.

God says of His own Word in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Heavy stuff.

There is power and authority in the Word of God. That is why satan doesn’t want you to use this incredible weapon God has given you.

Remember how effectively Jesus used the sword of God’s Word to defend Himself when He faced spiritual attack in the wilderness? Jesus was God. He didn’t have to stand around and deal with the devil. He could have gotten out of the situation very easily. But instead, He stood and modeled for us the right way to fight temptation: with the Word of God.

So when satan tries to attack you with temptation, fear, or doubt, or brings up past sins you’ve already confessed and of which you’ve been forgiven, remember the sword of the Spirit. Pull it out of its sheath and use it aggressively to defend yourself. Amen!

Comment by Bishop Christopher Cate on October 26, 2010 at 8:14am

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

There are material goods which Jesus identifies as "treasures on earth.” And there are immaterial goods which Jesus calls "treasures in heaven."

Treasures upon earth have two characteristics.

First, all natural things decay. What rust doesn't destroy, moths or termites will. Second, because of the value of earthly treasures, there is always a concern for security. It is hard to be anxiety-free if we are worried about our possessions. The more we possess, the more we cause others to covet, hence the reason why thieves break in and steal. On the other hand, treasures in heaven are beyond the reach of thieves and secure from the ravages of moths and rust.

This is a tough question to answer honestly, at least for me.

What do you treasure in your heart? What would you exchange for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Would you exchange these qualities for a new car, a cabin in the hills, a boat in the marina, exceptional status at the top of the corporate ladder?

Achievement is determined by who or what you serve. There is a moral healthiness and simple, unaffected goodness present in the single-minded person that is absent from the one serving many masters. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious" Matthew 6;24,25

There will be no peace serving two masters. To whichever master we yield, by that master we shall be controlled

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