Devotion. The definition of devotion is loyalty and passion for a cause. Abraham Lincoln said this in his Gettysburg address, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion,  to which they gave the last full measure of devotion. We do our duty to God. But when was the last time we did it with passion? We are loyal to God. But if we sit on our works, where is the devotion? We all love to be in the presence of God.  So, why doesn’t that excitement travel from church to our home? The excitement of our salvation is what people see in our lives. It draws them to God. Devotion is part of our life with God. I die daily, that He will increase and I will decrease. And I do it with devotion, not like those that stand on the corners and make a show of it. This is the reality of Christianity. 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Commitment.  To varies degrees we all have some sort of commitment. We are committed to eat or wear the latest fashions.  Sometimes we have to make the hard choices and commit to things we don’t want.  But we all have to make a choice in life. And if it is something we want and make a commitment,  do we stick with it? I guess it is all in how much we want it. Jesus understood why He came  to this world. He knew He was going to died for the sins of the world.  The bible says He set His face towards Jerusalem.  When time came, Jesus and the disciples went to the garden of gethsemane to pray.  Jesus prayed 3 times not to die. But each time, He accepted God’s will and made the commitment.  Jesus didn’t want to die, but He knew that God’s will would only happen if He committed His life. Jesus is our example.  And God’s will can only take place for us if we commit our lives to Him. This is the Reality of Christianity. 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Compassion. You experience it every day. You look at something and your heart go out to it. And you want to help the situation.  It is a natural response from our humanity. It is because we are the image and likeness of God.  For God so loved that He gave. God looked upon Israel as sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus said that He came to seek and save that which was lost. We want to save the babies, the animals or the oceans. We are willing to fight to the end for this just cause. Compassion will compel you to do the impossible.  And you can succeed. There are many causes in this world.  Choosing the right one takes compassion and understanding.  We can’t save everyone, but we can start with ourselves.  Then go out into the world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him shouldn’t perish, but have everlasting life.

Crain Blanchard. 

Www.joseph1637.com 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Surrender. One of the toughest things I have ever gone through was to give up and surrender. I always wanted to be my own person. To live my life my way. As smart and independent as I thought I was, I couldn’t find my way out of paper bag. Even now, I sometimes think I can do it myself, just to mess up anything. God had to convince me that only He knew the right way. I had and still do have to place my life in His hands. When I do, God shows me a better way, the right way. Many are the paths that lead to destruction,  but there is only one way to God. So, each day I surrender my life to God, because every day is new. I die daily, so God can live through me in a lost and dying world. Surrender is never easy, but is necessary for my survival.  This is the reality of Christianity. 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Belief.  I was always amazed when I listen to people. I would hear their life story within a few minutes. I thought the key was listening to people. What that wasn’t the key at all.  When I came to the Lord I learned the scripture about the heart. It said out of the abundance of the mouth the heart speaks. And there was another one that said, As a man believes so is he. What I was listening to was the heart of a person. Belief is not something that you contribute to, are like on Facebook or just want to share with people. Belief is who you are. It come straight out of your heart.  Belief is what you do when no one is looking. Faith and doubt are the opposite sides of the same coin. It is what you believe and trust.  A person can believe in any direction but can’t go in both directions. So what do you believe today? Is God true?  So what is in your heart? 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Trust, I didn’t trust anyone. I learned that people will betray you for their own agenda. I learned how difficult it was to be alone. I resigned myself to a life of loneliness. I wanted more, but there were few options opened to me. God had to win my trust before I would surrender. Step by step, God ordered my path to Him. So, when God got me to the place to recieve Jesus, I would.  Even after I received Jesus in my heart, I wanted to know that I was on the right track. God took me step by step, here a little, there a little. It was never more than I was able. He brought me to the place where He asked me if I would die for Him. I said yes. I had committed my life to God and His plan. Trust is a reality of Christianity. 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Last year our church have an outreach to our city. We had a Christmas dinner for everyone. About 400 people showed up. We are a small church. But everyone helped out. People donated turkeys, hams, and all the fixings. We were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough. But God had planned it. It was more than enough.  Nobody skipped a beat.  Everyone went to work. And I believe it was a success. Even the Mayor and Police Chief were there and helped serve food. It’s like that old song, little is much when God is in it. The people from our city had smiles on there face and every member of our church had a smile from ear to ear. We started planning the for beginning of next November.  It’s the 6th time we have done this. God didn’t require more than what we had. Because He knew it was enough. That is all God is asking for. It’s just you. This is the reality of Christianity.  

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

I began reading Psalms.  God stop me at Psalm 23.  He told me to study this particular psalm. He was going to base my instruction about it.  As I read and learned the Psalm,  I saw the God was leading me where he wanted me to go. It wasn’t my choice. He knew where I needed to go. God’s ways are higher than ours. We need to follow even if no one else is going our way. At first everything was normal and predictable. Then God led me into a dark place. What I didn’t realize at first was that God was showing me my heart. He needed to get me to a place to see what was in my heart. It’s call The Valley of the shadow of death. Then God let me out again. I didn’t like it and sometimes it was hard.  But I knew that I had to walk there to empty my heart. Life isn’t always fair but God has gone before us to make straight the paths.  What we need to do is follow. And be willing to allow God to cleanse our heart. He is the shepherd and we are the sheep of his flock. The sheep know their shepherd and follow. 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Faith, what do you do with it?  The Bible says that faith is the things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. And without faith it is impossible to please God. It also says that faith can move mountains, literally and figuratively.   So how do you get this faith?  Everybody wants the power of God operating in their lives. Let’s start from the beginning. God gives every one of his children the measure of faith. Ever wonder why new christians can do more than older christians?  It is simple they believe God without any doubt. They aren’t afraid to step out on the water and to go to Jesus. I have walked in some very scary places. Only because God called me there. It is The Valley of death. And there wasn’t anyone backing me up. It was just me and God. I would extend my faith and God would do the work. You know the Lord’s prayer?  Our faith is to bring God’s will from heaven to Earth. We have to be in the place of believing and trusting God. He will do the work for us.  This is the reality of Christianity.

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com 

Let’s Flash forward for a moment. In 2016 we were flooded out.  My home had a foot 1/2 of water in it for a week. We literally lost everything. My wife did not want to move back into the house. So we sold the house and look for a new one. We move to a small town next door.  God told me to go to a particular church. It was less than 50 people. God open my eyes to see what was there. The people were unassuming gentle and kind. But this church is alive and on fire. This church is doing more than larger churches in the whole area.  They support missionaries, have a food bank every month and have multiple out reaches throughout the year.  I’m blessed to be in this church. They are doing what God has called all of us to do to reach out to a hurting and dying world. Nobody will know their names or ever see them with the rich and famous. But their names are written down in God’s book. Jesus knows them by name. I’m blessed to know them and be part of this church. This is the reality of Christianity. 

Crain Blanchard. 

Joseph1637@juno.com

Www.joseph1637.com