Tag: Christianity

Overflowing

“My cup overflows with blessings.”

Psalm 23:5 NLT

Is an overflowing cup full?

Absolutely.

The wine reaches the rim and then tumbles over the edge.

The goblet is not large enough to contain the quantity.

According to David, our hearts are not large enough to contain the blessings that God wants to give.

He pours and pours until they literally flow over the edge and down on the table.

The last thing we need to worry about is not having enough.

Our cup overflows with blessings.

~ Max Lucado

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Verse of the Day – Seek the good of others

VERSE:
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
— 1 Corinthians 10:24
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Corinthians+10:24

THOUGHT:
Isn’t it amazing how the more we try to fix things for
ourselves, the more we focus on “looking out for number 1,” and the
more we also find ourselves isolated from meaningful relationships
that make life worth living. “If you want to have a friend, then be
a friend,” the saying goes. You know what? It’s right! It’s easy to
seek what is only for our own good. That’s what most folks do as a
matter of course. But what makes Christians redemptive, what makes
them like God, is their willingness to think of others before
themselves!

PRAYER:
Father, forgive me, because I know that I am often selfish and
seldom think through the implications of my decisions based on the
needs of others. I want to have the mind of Christ and be more
selfless and sacrificial with everyone who needs your grace and the
tenderness that you have placed within me to share with them.
Please bless me as I seek to be like your Son in this area of my
life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Jesus proves God wants intimacy with us

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. (Matthew 6:5 TEV)

— — —

“Christian prayer presupposes faith, that is, adherence to Christ. He is the one and only Mediator of our prayers. We pray at his command, and to that word Christian prayer is always bound.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

— — —

Bonhoeffer notes that Jesus is proof that God wants intimacy with us. Jesus came to create a bridge to God, and we become intimate with the Father through Jesus.

This is a problem when we pray in pride. Prideful prayers set us up to be false mediators between others and God. They slyly say, “Look at how I pray. Watch me and see how persuasive I can be with God.” They suggest we have a special connection with God independent of our connection through Christ. That encourages others to believe our prayers have more meaning before God than their prayers, when the truth of the Bible is that anyone connected to God through Jesus can approach the throne of grace boldly (Hebrews 4:16).

Bonhoeffer says, “[Jesus] is the one and only Mediator of our prayers. We pray at his command, and to that word Christian prayer is always bound.”

This is the reason we pray in the name of Jesus and why eliminating the name of Jesus from our prayers is a significant theological issue.

It is important to note, then, the distinct difference between being an intercessor for others and any arrogant attempt to be a mediator for them. We do not connect anyone to God; Jesus connects them to God. But Jesus calls us to intercede on behalf of others, standing beside them and sometimes instead of them as we fulfill the law of Christ by carrying the burdens of others to God in prayer (Galatians 6:2).

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You are the light of the world

A sermon by Davon Huss

Matthew 5:14-5:15

Evening Service for 5/31/2009

There are all kinds of theories about how to motivate people. We can do it through guilt, fear or shame. But overall these were not Jesus’ methods. Jesus motivated through positive messages of hope and encouragement.

Jesus told those at the Sermon on the Mount. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. What kind of people did he say this to? Farmers, fishermen, tax collectors, housewives, all in a tiny remote village in an obscure part of the world. Talk about a statement of faith. It must have sounded absurd at the time even to them.

But so are we. Who are we? We might see ourselves that way but this is how God sees us. (Phil 2:15 NIV) children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Thesis: You and I are the light of the world. What does it mean?

For instances:
1. We have a responsibility for the world.
A. What does light do?
1. Light is used to signal.
2. Light is used to guide. (Psa 119:105 NIV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
3. Light is used to penetrate the darkness and expose evil and error. (John 3:19 NIV) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:20 NIV) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.(John 3:21 NIV) But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
4. Light is used to prevent sin (security lights in dark areas)
5. Light is used to produce growth (plants).
6. Light does not exist for its own glory but to brighten up the world.
B. There was a time when the pulpits of this nation sounded with the call for young men and women to go out as missionaries to be lights to a world of darkness. We don’t sounds that trumpet as we once did. Shaun and Mary Ann Cooper.
C. We don’t call people to really sacrifice all they have and all they are for the good of souls and the Gospel.

2. We have something that the world desperately needs.
A. Mother Teresa was speaking to persons who had come to meet her from all over the world. Among the groups to which she spoke was one of the sisters from many North American orders. After her talk she asked if there were any questions. “Yes, I have one,” a woman sitting near the front said. “As you know, most of the orders represented here have been losing members. It seems that more and more women are leaving all the time. And yet your order is attracting thousands upon thousands. What do you do?” Mother Teresa said, “I give them Jesus.” “Yes, I know,” said the woman, “but take habits, for example. Do your women object to wearing habits? And the rules of the order, how do you do it?” “I give them Jesus,” Mother Teresa replied. “Yes, I know Mother,” said the woman, “but can you be more specific?” “I give them Jesus,” Mother Teresa repeated again. “Mother,” said the woman, “we are all of us aware of your fine work. I want to know about something else.” Mother Teresa said sternly, “I give them Jesus. There is nothing else.”
B. Many times that is all that we have. Our faith like many others has rules and commandments that are to benefit society. Our faith like many others has role models to look up to. Today we are reminded that we live in a pluralistic world. Many religions here in US. Many people who do good for this cause or in that name. What do we have to offer? Give them Jesus. The greatest heresy current today is that all religions are the same. Jesus had no peer. There never has been nor ever be anyone like Jesus.

3. We are not the source of light; we are reflectors of a much greater source.
A. In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
B. What does he mean when he says, “We are the light of the world.” We are like the moon. The moon gives off no light of its own. It just reflects the sun’s light.
C. There is One who has touched our lives and given us the power and authority to touch others.
D. Eric Butterworth once told about a college professor who had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, “He hasn’t got a chance.” 25 years later another sociology professor came across the earlier study. He had his students follow up on the project to see what had happened to these boys. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved success as lawyers, doctors and businessmen. The professor was astounded about the results. The earlier study was so inaccurate. What had happened to change the futures of these young boys? Fortunately, all the men were in the area and he was able to ask each one, “How do you account for your success?” In each case the reply came back, “There was this teacher…” That teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the elderly but still alert woman what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a smile. “It’s really very simple,” she said. “I loved those boys.”
E. This teacher saw possibilities in them that no one else saw. Tell someone long enough they begin to believe.
F. The love they received from Jesus they passed on to others. Today there is no place in this world that the light people have received from Jesus does not shine.

Conclusion and invitation:
A. To convince the people of Philadelphia of the advantage of street lighting, Benjamin Franklin decided to show his neighbors be placing one in front of his house. He purchased an attractive lantern, polished the glass, and placed it on an extended pole in front of his house. Each evening, he would light the wick and hang out the lantern. Before long all of his neighbors noticed the light and even those far up the street noticed the warm glow around his house. The people passing by his house were delighted because it made walking in the dark so much easier. Soon, other placed lanterns in front of their homes and eventually the city recognized the need for having well lighted streets.
B. This is what Jesus is talking about later in vs. 14- a CITY on a hill. From an airplane the first light is supported by all the others.
C. People in this world are lost in darkness and they’re looking for light to lead them to spiritual, emotional and mental safety. This next song is talking about vs. 15
D. There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
And hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
And hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world

Don Sutton, Pitcher (Hall of Fame)

Don Sutton 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Sutton

(Note: I found the following story of great interest to me, personally, because I went to High School with Don. He graduated 2 years after I did. We were in Student Council together.)

An illustration for Encouragement in a sermon by Davon Huss

Matthew 5:14-5:15

Evening Service for 5/31/2009
Matthew 5:14-15

*You are the Light of the World

Introduction:
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn’t won a game in 8 weeks.

The press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting lineup. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible.

Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. “I’d like to speak with you, Don,” he said. Sutton prepared for the worst.

“Don,” said Alston, “I know how the past couple of months have been for you. Everyone’s wondering whether we can make it to the play offs. You know there’s a lot of pressure. I’ve had to make a decision.”

Sutton had visions of being taken off the mound.

Alston continued, “If the Dodgers are going to win this year,” he said, looking Sutton in the eye, “they’re going to win with Don Sutton pitching. Come what may, you’re staying in the starting lineup. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Sutton’s losing streak lasted 2 more weeks, but because of his manager’s encouragement he felt different.

Something in him was turning around.

He found himself pitching the best ball of his career.

In the National League pennant drive, he won 13 games out of 14.

* For the conclusion of the sermon by Davon Huss, see the message:

You are the light of the world.

Daily Promise – September 6 – He will carry us in His arms

Deuteronomy 1:31
31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee,
as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

Promise #249: I will carry you in My arms just like a father carries his child.

The NIV Bible says this verse this way… “There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” This is one of those very clear pictures in the Old Testament of God’s Fatherheart for the nation of Israel. I find it interesting that from God’s perspective, He saw Himself as actually carrying each Israelite just like an earthly father would carry his son.

I wonder what that would have looked like in the eyes of God? Would God have been cradling Israel in His big strong arms? Would He have been lifting up Israel over His head so that the nation could sit on top of His shoulders? Perhaps there would be many ways for God to carry Israel, depending on their situation. When they were grieving… When they were taking new territory… When they were afraid… God was always there to hold them and carry them through each season, whether they were even aware that He was holding them or not.

The truth is that no matter how difficult life gets, it is God who is carrying us through every adversity. We might not be aware of how close He is always to us, but that does not change the reality that He is holding us very close all the days of our lives. May each one of us feel the warmth of His embrace today.

~ Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – Live a quiet life

VERSE:
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own
business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that
your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you
will not be dependent on anybody.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Thessalonians+4:11-12

THOUGHT:
What’s your ambition? I don’t know about you, but I’m not so
sure I could say my ambition is to “live a quiet life ….” But
when I hear the reason for that directive, I understand. So many
people I meet are frazzled, run down, and exhausted with all their
“busy-ness.” So let’s make a commitment to cycle down a little,
trust God more and more each day, and seek to live a life that wins
the respect of those around us!

PRAYER:
O precious and righteous Father, I need your help to learn to
slow down and tend to my own responsibilities instead of running
around out of control and without purpose. Please grant me not only
the wisdom that I have been praying for, but also the patience and
quietude that I need for that wisdom to change my heart and mind.
In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

Labor of Love

Today, as the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, it occurs to me that God probably does not get to take the day off and have a bar-b-Que.  I figure he actually is extra busy taking care of all the partying idiots out there who are celebrating having the day off from their labor.

Whether it took Him six days in our concept of time, or His, it still took him six days.  I suppose He could have created existence in no time, but he didn’t.  He took His time, and labored over every detail, every nuance, down to the shape of sub-atomic particles.  Then made sure it all worked.  And, now, there are still an infinite number of variables to be considered in an infinite number of non-stop occurrences.  For us as Christians, we see His constant hand in our lives.  He shows us he is a loving, caring, involved Creator.  I don’t think there is any randomness.  There could be some auto-piloting happening, but I doubt if it is a lot, if any.

Of course, I don’t know these things, but they feel right and seem logical.  And, they sound to me like a great deal of labor.  So, hopefully, He pushes the pause button on our time stream, and gets to enjoy the holiday too.

Erick

God’s Grace is for Everyone

God’s Grace is for Everyone


Luke 17:15-16

New King James Version (NKJV)

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Jesus healed all ten lepers; but only one returned to thank him.

It is possible to receive God’s great gifts with an ungrateful spirit–nine of the lepers did so.

Only the thankful leper, however, learned that his faith had played a role in his healing, and only grateful Christians grow in understanding of God’s grace.

God does not demand that we thank him, but he is pleased when we do so, and he uses our spirit of thankfulness to teach us more about his Kingdom.

~ Life Application Bible

Daily Promise – September 3 – We don’t have to be afraid any longer

Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Promise #246: You can rest in My love, for I have power to save you.

I know that I say many of the promises are some of my most favorite, but this is really one of my favorite Old Testament Bible passages.
What a picture of God’s intimate heart for His kids! He says that He lives right in the midst of us, that He is mighty to save us and He rejoices over us with great joy and singing!

This is one of those amazing images in the Bible that speaks of a Father’s delight for His children. I believe that the connotation here is that God Himself is actually almost not able to contain Himself with the joy that He has for us.

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would be able to let this image go deeper into our hearts than it has ever gone before.

God is excited over your life! He is so happy that He sings His love songs over you and me.

Part of the promise of this one Bible verse is that because God really does love us and He has power to save us, we can rest in His love.
We don’t have to be afraid any longer.
He is big, He is strong and He is mighty to save us!
All we have to do is yield to His love today and rest.
~ Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – Using the gifts you’ve already been given

2 Timothy 1:13-14

What you heard from me,

keep as the pattern of sound teaching,

with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—

guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of 2 Timothy 1

Timothy had been Paul’s young helper. But, now, he was about to go out on his own to be the leader of a church. Although his responsibilities were changing, Paul is telling him to continue patterning himself with the sound teaching, faith, and love in Christ Jesus. Timothy had all of the foundational teaching and the gifts he needed. He just needed to allow the Holy Spirit to guard him and guide him.

Verse of the Day – God will tell us great and unsearchable things

VERSE:
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and
unsearchable things you do not know.
— Jeremiah 33:3
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Jeremiah+33:3

THOUGHT:
God wants us to seek him and call out to him. He wants to answer
us and tell us about things beyond our human comprehension. He
longs to draw us close so that we can know him. Like a scared child
calls out to a loving father in the next room, we too can call on
him knowing that our Father will answer, protect, and comfort us.
Even more than that, our Father will reveal to us things that would
be impossible for us to know without his grace.

PRAYER:
Almighty God and Abba Father, I do want to know you and to be
known by you. Yes, there are things in my heart and my life that I
wish were not there. But I know your grace and I am confident that
you know my heart and its desire to reflect your glory, share your
grace, and display your character. Thank you for the gift of being
your child and having my future secured. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110902

Daily Promises – September 2 – Every heart beat and every breath comes from the goodness of our heavenly Dad

Acts 17:24-25 KJV
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Promise #245: I give life and breath to all things.

In today’s promise, we read the Scripture passage where the Apostle Paul is speaking to some Greek philosophers on a place called Mars Hill. In this place of pagan worship, they have many false gods that they have erected statues and monuments to.

Paul, being the relevant kind of guy that he was, stopped at a simple monument created for ‘the unknown god’. It was there that Paul began to reveal some of the mysteries who the ‘unknown god’ actually was. Paul goes on to preach the good news to these philosophers and reveals that He is actually the only true God and that He does not need to be worshipped through statues and idols as He is the very one that gives life and breath to all things!

The reality is that our God and Father is not unknown and nameless. If we want to know what God is like, all we have to do is look at His Son, Jesus Christ. In John 14:9, Jesus says that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father’s being.

The wonderful news about today’s promise is that the God and Father of all creation (Ephesians 4:6) continues to be very involved in everything He created. He is not distant and unconcerned, for every heart beat and every breath comes from the goodness of our heavenly Dad.
Photo by Carl Dyck

No matter what the day brings, rest in His love

Genesis 1:1 KJV
In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth.

Promise #244: I spoke the universe into existence.

Right at the beginning of the Book of all books, the Bible says… “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This statement alone could be enough to bring peace to any unsettled heart. God is in control. And He has always been in control.

He is the One who spoke the entire universe into existence with just the sound of His voice. He is the Almighty God. He is the All Powerful God. He is the All Knowing God. Whenever you feel that your life is spinning off its axis, be comforted in knowing that our God and Father has always been and always will be.

This is the same Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent Creator who has decided to love you with all His heart (1 John 3:1). No matter what forces oppose you today, be comforted in knowing that the God who spoke the universe into existence is in your corner!

Daily Promises – August 31 – You can look forward . . .

2 Peter 3:13 KJV
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Promise #243: You can look forward to the new heaven and earth that I have promised.

We have something really big to look forward to! … A new heaven and a new earth! If that is not cause for celebration, I don’t what is! All of the reminders of a fallen world will be gone and we will have the privilege of enjoying an untainted new residence for all of eternity! No matter how difficult our circumstances become, we all can hold onto the promise of eternal life.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises a hope and a future to all who belong to Him. The next time you turn on the television and watch the news, don’t lose heart! There is a time coming when our God and Father will make a new heaven and a new earth for us! How amazing will that day be for all those who are in Christ!

~ Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 30 – A Mansion for us

John 14:2 KJV
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.

Promise #242: There is a special room in My house prepared just for you.

This is part of Jesus’ last address to His disciples before He goes to the cross. It is interesting that Jesus actually assumes that the disciples already know that they have a place in His Father’s house because He says… “If it were not so, I would have told you”. The verse prior to this one, Jesus says to His disciples … “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. NIV Bible

The very foundation of believing the promise that we have a place in our Father’s house (& heart) is trust. Jesus’ heart’s cry is trust in My Father and trust in me too! It is amazing to think that each one of us who has called on the name of the Lord and received the free gift of eternal life, has a place already prepared for us in heaven.

No matter how unstable this world system gets, we already have a home prepared for us and Jesus promises to one day receive us back unto Himself so that we can be with Him where He lives for eternity (verse 3). Where is this special room located in heaven? In John 1:18 KJV, it says that Jesus declared the Father right from His bosom. If we are to be where Jesus lives, I believe that each one of the rooms in the Father’s house are located right in the center of His heart!

What a glorious promise! We will live forever with Jesus in the very bosom of the Father! May this promise bring comfort and hope to our hearts today no matter what trials we are facing.

~ Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – How we treat others

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Galatians 3

This verse calls us to check our motives,

and our true Christian actions,

or reactions to people.

One of the main gauges of our spiritual growth

is how we treat others,

whether with prejudice,

or opened arms.

Your sister in Christ,

Sharon

Daily Promises – August 29 – You can Celebrate!

Luke 10:20 KJV
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you;
but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Promise #241: You can celebrate because your name is written in heaven.

In this Scripture passage, Jesus is telling His disciples not to rejoice because the demons submit to their authority, but rather rejoice because their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I believe the core of what Jesus is saying in this passage is simply this… relationship supercedes authority.

Though signs may follow us wherever we go on this side of heaven, the very reason for this demonstration of the authority that God has entrusted to us is because we belong to Him. The very fact that our names are written in heaven means that we will live with God Himself for all eternity and that is cause for lots of celebrating!

Though we may walk in the miraculous power of God, let us never forget that the very essence of why God saved us was not for works but for relationship. In Matthew 7:22-24 Jesus warns there will be some people who walked in miraculous signs and wonders in Jesus name who never knew Him. To ‘know’ Jesus is to be intimate with Him and that is the very reason why we were saved.

So no matter what amazing works God has you do today, do not rejoice because of the works themselves, but because your name is written in the halls of heaven where you will live with God forever!

~ Barry Adams

A still and quiet soul

By Jon Walker

My heart is not proud . . .

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother. . . .

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord

both now and forevermore.

(Psalm 131:1–3 NIV)

Psalm 131 teaches us to:

 

  • Keep our hearts humble. A humble heart means we know our position in Christ and stop being responsible for the things for which we were never responsible. This frees us to live like God intended and allows us to make uncluttered choices that will move us closer to God.

 

  • Show the maturity of a weaned child. We quietly center ourselves on God, peacefully, without agitation and anxiety, and trust God is actively supporting us. We trust God even when the answer to our prayers seems a long way off. The nursing child demands attention now, but the weaned child trusts and is content to wait.

 

  • Hope in the Lord with confident expectation. God’s Word says God will answer our prayers; he will respond to our needs; he will pave the path before us now and forever (Psalm 18:36).

God Can, Even Though I Can’t


By Jon Walker

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,

but our competence comes from God.

(2 Corinthians 3:5 NIV)

The only way you will fulfill God’s destiny for you is to rely on God’s strength. And that means you have to confess, “I can’t,” before you can agree, “God can.”

Otherwise, we’ll just keep thinking there’s still some ability (competency, sufficiency) in us that will allow us — independent of God — to do the things he expects of us.

We’ll continue to believe, wrongly, that we can do some things, perhaps all things, apart from God. We’ll keep applying the pretzel logic that we can make decisions disconnected from God that somehow keep us connected to God’s plans for us.

And when we make choices disconnected and independent from God, there is little difference between the way we live our lives and the way non-believers live their lives.

“But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT)

You have the Holy Spirit inside you. You have the ability to understand when God is telling you to take steps toward his goals for your life. Ask him to teach you to hear his still small voice and to help you take the steps he tells you to take. Then, look for the ways he guides you through the decisions and details of your life.

For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense God giving you direction. This will help you to see that he is at work in your life and that he has a constant interest in the details of your life.

Olly, Olly Oxen Free! « Two Minutes of Grace

Olly, Olly Oxen Free! « Two Minutes of Grace.

Debbie and I are kindred souls for sure. Lightning bugs, memories, hide and seek, learning to feel loved by God, so we feel love for ourselves. We can live and dwell in the Room of Grace rather than in the Room of Good Intentions. We are accepted for Who we are by God. After all, we are HIS handiwork, specially made for His good pleasure. Thanks, Debbie for sharing from your heart, as always.

Daily Promises – August 27 – He will shield us with His favor

Psalm 5:12 KJV
12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Promise #239: I will bless My righteous ones and shield them with My favor.

When someone has favor from the king, everyone in the kingdom knows it! Wherever they go, all of the royal subjects would recognize that this special person lives under the blessing of the king.

What do you think it would feel like to be shielded with favor from a king?

The truth is that we already have that kind of favor on our lives right now!

The King of kings is not only our king, but He is our elder brother too! We are part of His family and co-heirs with Him in His Father’s kingdom.
We are called to live a life where we look on the unseen and the eternal,
not the seen and the temporal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

If we could see into the reality of the kingdom,

we would see the favor that God has already placed on us,
that encompasses us wherever we go!
Angels who are ministering servants to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14), going before us and behind us…
Just because we are God’s kids and part of His amazing family.

May our God and Father open up our eyes today to begin to see into the unseen realm so that we can experience the tangible sense of His blessings and favor that surround us like a shield.

~ Barry Adams

Chew on Scripture

“You thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.” 

Psalm 1:2 The Message

The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed

but rather a mine to be quarried.

Here is a practical point.

Study the Bible a little at a time.

God seems to send messages as did his manna:

one day’s portion at a time.

He provides ” a command here, a command there.

A rule here, a rule there.

A little lesson here, a little lesson there” (Isa. 28:10).

Choose depth over quantity.

~ Max Lucado

Daily Promises – August 26 – You shall obtain mercy if . . .

Matthew 5:7 KJV
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Promise #238: I will show mercy to those who are merciful to others.Even in secular surroundings, there is an often quoted verse from Jesus that we call the ‘golden rule’.

Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you.
Even the world recognizes that this is a universal principle.
Mercy works the same way. There is a promise for mercy for those who are merciful to others.

It is that simple.
How much mercy do I need in my life?
Do I need just a little, or a lot? 
And of course my answer is always…
“I need as much mercy as I can get!”The way that I can walk in mercy (for myself) every day is by simply extending mercy to those around me.

The person who cuts me off when I am driving,
the miserable store clerk,
the friend who might have offended me in some way.
If I forget that I need mercy myself,
I may forget that I need to extend mercy to others. Think of the areas that you need mercy in your own life.

For your shortcomings, for your failures, etc.
Do you want mercy to cover every area where you fall short?
Then shower mercy on others on every occasion
because mercy is receiving something we don’t deserve.We know that God’s love for us is unconditional and we can’t do anything to earn or deserve it.

However, there is a principle in God’s kingdom that is at work
everytime we sow something…
because what we sow, we will eventually reap.
I know that I need mercy today,
so I pray that I will have the wisdom to sow mercy wherever I go!

The Whole Basket « Two Minutes of Grace

The Whole Basket « Two Minutes of Grace.

As usual, Debbie is in tune with the Holy Spirit to offer a new perspective of  how to interpret the scripture. I, for one, really look forward to her messages because they make me think through a lot of my own “misunderstood meanings within the scripture that has haunted me all of my Christian life”. It’s time to open up to a more positive, loving meaning from our Lord. Thanks, Debbie, for your dependence on God to give all of us new insight.

. . . Change Your Life


Posted: 23 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again. (John 8:11 TEV)

Grace is meant to justify the sinner — “Go and sin no more.” Grace is never meant to justify our sins — “Everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are.”

In other words, the grace of God is not a cosmic “get out of jail free” card.

Grace is given freely, but it cost Jesus a bloody price to offer it to us: “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13 NLT).

Grace is given freely, but to walk in grace with Jesus will cost us everything as we join Jesus in “the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” (Ephesians 2:10 MSG).

Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery from certain death, but his expectation was that her life would change immediately. To return to her old life would have mocked the very grace that Jesus offered her that day.

His expectation of a changed life is no different for us: “Go in my grace, and sin no more.”

IRANIAN AUTHOR: “WHY I RENOUNCE ISLAM AND CHOOSE CHRIST”

 

By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C, August 25, 2011) — Today, my friend Reza Kahlili, the former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps officer, has posted an article on his blog telling the world that he has renounced Shia Islam and become a follower of Jesus Christ. The article is also running today on the WorldNet Daily website.

An excerpt: “Jesus came to me when I needed guidance. He came to me at a time when my faith in man and religion was totally shaken. His words and His love became the guiding light to set me free from sin and hopelessness. I found myself knowing there is goodness and kindness and that it comes from within us – that it is only through His love that we will find peace and eternal life….After a long journey, I have finally found my God. I feel at home now. And as I continue my fight against the evil in Iran, I know in my heart that the Lord will guide me in that fight because He loves the people of Iran even more than I do. The Iranian people are desperate for their freedom, and Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).”

Publicly professing one’s faith in Jesus Christ is a big step for anyone from Shia or Sunni Islam. This is no less true for Reza today. Please pray for him to be strong. Please pray for him to walk with Jesus every day. Please pray that the Lord would protect him and his family spiritually, emotionally and physically as Reza takes this important step in the life of all Christ followers. Pray, too, that many will be moved to read the New Testament and consider the claims of Jesus of Nazareth and come to realize that Jesus truly is the Messiah. Feel free to share Reza’s article with family, friends and colleagues who would

Daily Promises – August 25 – God will keep us safe from the evil one

1 John 5:18 KJV

18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not;
but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.


Promise #237: I will keep you safe from the evil one.I really like the second part of the NIV Bible translation for this verse – the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. The NLT translation says it this way – for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

When we are born of God, we are safe. We have no reason to fear because Jesus Himself is our protector. This Bible verse says that the evil one cannot touch us. What a promise! In the world we live in, there is much to be afraid of, so much uncertainty that can keep people living in a state of fear. But we are not of this world, we are born of God. In John 3:9, the Apostle John says that God’s seed remains in us, His very DNA.

So be of good courage today because you have nothing to fear. For God has promised to keep you safe and secure in His loving embrace.

~ Barry Adams

Hatch or Go Bad (revised) « Two Minutes of Grace

Hatch or Go Bad (revised) « Two Minutes of Grace.

Thought-provoking. Many times I just want to stay in my shell. It’s easier than breaking out of it, huh? And it feels safer at the time. I think that’s why we restarted our “site”. It’s safer, while still breaking through the shell, at least a little bit.

It’s hard to not “Hide our light under a bushel”.

Do You Have a Teachable Spirit?

Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

Paul replied, ‘Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: “Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.”’ (Acts 23:5 NIV)

We have a teachable spirit when we can quickly respond to the truth, bringing our beliefs, thoughts, and behavior into line with what is true.

In a rather extreme example of being teachable, the apostle Paul stands before the Sanhedrin with a bloody lip. Someone had just ordered that Paul be slapped.

Immediately, Paul rebukes the man who gave the command: “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law are you ordering me to be struck?” (Acts 23:3 HCSB).

Paul is immediately rebuked by the men standing next to him. They tell him that the man who gave the order to slap him was “God’s high priest,” and even though Paul has disagreements with the man, he respects him as God’s anointed leader in that place and for that time (Acts 23:4).

Paul immediately takes the correction and, with the taste of blood still in his mouth, says, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people’” (Acts 23:5 NIV).

The Bible says it is wise to be open to instruction, even rebuke:

“… Rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;

teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning”

(Proverbs 9:8b–9 NIV).

Can You Do Everything in Christ?


Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 NIV)

We’re not as strong as we think we are, but God is stronger than we think.

You become strong through God’s strength. His strength enters your life, delivered by the Holy Spirit—Jesus within—and the more dependent you are on God, the stronger in him you become. In our weakness, he is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).

“I can do everything . . .” doesn’t mean, “Now that I’m a believer, I’m strong enough to do everything and anything for God.” Your own testimony can attest to the fears and failures related to such thinking.

The strength of “I can do everything . . .” comes through God, who gives you the strength you need for each day. Your ability to “do everything” is wholly dependent upon him, because your strength is dependent upon him. It’s not a strength you work up by pumping iron with emotional or mental barbells.

Strength comes from submission. The thing you do that may require the greatest strength is to submit yourself completely to God! But God is “working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

Strength is linked to faith. You believe in faith that God is giving you his strength, so in faith you can act in confidence, knowing the strength is there: “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV).

Ask for More

“Lord, teach me what you want me to do,

and I will live by your truth.” 

Psalm 86:11

When kindness comes through grudgingly, we’ll remember God’s kindness to us and ask Him to make us more kind.

When patience is scarce, we’ll thank Him for His and ask Him to make us more patient.

When it’s hard to forgive, we won’t list all the times we’ve been given grief.

Rather, we’ll list all the times we’ve been given grace

and pray to become more forgiving.

~ Max Lucado

He binds up the brokenhearted

 

Isaiah 61:1-2 KJV

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;


Promise #233: I bind up the brokenhearted and I will comfort all who mourn.

This is the Bible passage that Jesus read in the temple that affirmed His calling at the start of His public ministry. (Luke 4:14-21) When you read the whole Isaiah 61 chapter in the context of Luke 4, we can read that it was actually God the Father who sent His own Son into the world to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

The message of the kingdom is simply this… Good news for the poor. Healing for the broken hearted. Freedom for the captives. Wide open spaces to those imprisoned. Comfort for the grieving. And so much more.  This is why Jesus came 2,000 years ago and it is the same reason why the Holy Spirit is with us today.

If you are hurting, just open up your heart to the Holy Spirit and let the love of God bind up your broken heart. If you are grieving, let the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort bring His everlasting comfort to your mourning. If you are imprisoned, let the Lion of Judah set you free from all that keeps you in chains!
Photo by Jeff Epp

 

Faith in the Game – Crossing Over – by Brian Wilson

Faith In The Game – Crossing Over — by Brian Wilson.

You may wonder why I’m posting two messages today about Brian Wilson.

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area and following the SF Giants this year, Brian Wilson’s faith has been a topic I was interested in.

It wasn’t until today that I researched the reasons for his “crossing over” at the end of the games that he pitches.

Today Brian went on the DL (disabled list), along with many other players from the Giants team.

I have been reflecting lately, and praying for, the Giants.

I found it interesting that the Holy Spirit would put a baseball team on my heart to pray for. I had asked myself, “Sharon, why is praying for a baseball team important? After all, it’s JUST a game”. And then I thought, “No, it isn’t about the game. It’s about the players. Why is this team going through so much turmoil?”

It came to me.

They are one of the few teams I’m aware of who collectively honor the Lord. They aren’t ashamed of their faith. They believe strongly in showing that faith in small ways and big ways. And Brian Wilson is one who demonstrates his strength comes from the Lord by “crossing over”.

So, we pray for them. All of them. They’re up against the wall with injuries daily.

They are going to be held up to God for prayer by us daily, that their faith will remain strong and that they will come out of this rough spot spiritually stronger than ever.

GIANTS – Brian Wilson – Why he crosses his arms at the end of a game

At long last:

Brian Wilson reveals the meaning behind his crossed arms gesture after he saves a game

Posted by on July 14th, 2008 at 8:48 pm | Categorized as Uncategorized

One of the features I hoped to make semi-regular on this blog is an offer to take your questions for Giants players. If it’s an intriguing one, I’ll go and ask it for you. (See the Ask a Giant! tab at the top of this page.)

At the end of May, reader Bruce Chiang wanted to know why Brian Wilson crosses his arms after he records the save. One hand makes a fist (inside his glove) and he points his index finger with the other hand.

Wilson was evasive. He wasn’t ready to let it be publicly known what it meant. He pledged to tell me, but only on his terms and only when he was a little more confident that his season was going the right way.

Well, now he’s an All-Star and is likely to pitch an inning today at Yankee Stadium. So he promised to sit down with me on this last road trip and divulge the whole story.

One problem: He works out like a madman. Every time I tried to track him down at Shea Stadium or Wrigley Field, he was running stairs, lifting weights, running the warning track or perspiring on the exercise bike.

I got to the park massively early to track him down Sunday…and walked in the press box to see one player running on the track. Wilson, of course.

He took the loss in Saturday afternoon’s game and was doing his penance.

“I’m punishing myself,” he said.

When he switched to a stationary bike in a dank little storage space off the clubhouse, he finally agreed to talk to me.

(Some of you figured out it’s a mixed-martial arts reference and there’s a clothing company called One More Round that uses the slogan. Others thought it was a symbol of his devout Christian faith.)

Short answer: You’re both right. It goes a little deeper than that, though.

I promised Wilson that I would allow him to describe the personal significance of the gesture in his own words. That’s what follows, straight out of my tape recorder:

“One More Round is a clothing line. It has to do with the drive and determination that certain fighters have when their backs are against the wall. It’s, `No matter how deep I am in this fight, no matter how badly burned I am, I’ve got one more round in me.’ That’s basically the motto, the creed, of One More Round. No matter what it takes, I’ve got one more in me.

“And to me, that relates to what I do on the mound. In the ninth inning, your back is against the wall and you’re probably facing the meat of the order. Whether it’s bases loaded, no outs, you’re only up by one, whatever, you’ve got one more round left in you. You can’t back down, you can’t give in, and that’s exactly how I portray my inning — as a war, as a battle. So when I go out there, I’m fighting for my team. I don’t care about any personal statistics, giving up runs or whatever. As long as I preserve the win, everything’s OK.

“Now, one of the main things I do after a game is the crossing of the arms. That’s on a T-shirt I wear underneath my jersey when I pitch. (He wore that T-shirt in an ESPN interview last month.) That’s just respecting the fighters and their commitment and determination and the hard work they put in.

“And also it’s taking into consideration my own walks in life. For instance, when I cross my arms, I have my left hand in the fist and my right hand goes underneath pointing with my (index) finger. What I’ve taken into my own belief is that this finger represents one man. I’m that one person. And I can only go so far in life leaning on my own understandings and my own strength. The fist represents the power of the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The fist is symbolic of a circle. It’s never-ending. This strength will only continue to grow. So here’s the strength of God and the strength of man. And without him, I am nothing. I can only go so far in this life. But when I cross, I now have this one person with the strength of Christ, and I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me. I can get over any battles in life.

“So I basically give respect to the ultimate fighting world and I also give respect to Christ, the audience of one that I play for. I don’t play for anything else. I play to impress Him and only Him and I must honor Him through defeat and also successes because I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the strength that He gives me. Talent only goes so far. But faith gets you a little farther. So that’s what it is. It just represents my faith and trust in him, and letting him know and the world know that any believer that walks with Christ, or any walk of life you have, no matter where you are, I’m showing respect to you for your hard work, too. Because it’s not easy living in this world.”

I asked him why he decided to make the gesture at the end of a game.

“I just thought it would be a good time. It shows no disrespect toward anybody. It’s all positive praise. It’s not for showboating. It’s not to start an epidemic. It’s just me getting a quick message out to the world and to Christ and that’s it. I just thought, `What more perfect time to display my faith than at the end of a game?’”

I knew that Wilson came to Christianity later in life. His father died of kidney cancer when he was 17, and for a long time, he was disillusioned.

“I had to go through my struggles in life. My alienation towards Christianity was very prominent through my adolescence. One day it hit me. I felt I needed to start correcting my life. This happened when I was 23 years old. I was in Augusta, Ga. (playing for the Giants’ low-A club), and I was just playing cards, going about my business, and every Sunday a group of guys would go with the team chaplain. I didn’t even know what `chaplain’ meant.

“Well, my father passed away when I was 17 and you know, I was praying he wouldn’t die. And he was taken away from me. I didn’t understand. It had nothing to do with your prayers not being answered. It was just his time to go. But me being 17 years old, not a very mature kid, I just took that as Him turning his back on me, so I turned my back on Him. When I put my cards down and went in the dugout to speak to the team chaplain, I soon learned that wasn’t the way it worked. No matter how many times I turn my back on God, He’ll always be in front of me. I could stray away from Him for 90 years but as long as I know Him for one day, He’ll honor me in heaven. So I thought that would be one heck of a life-altering change that I should make.”

I asked him about teammates dropping the X, including Omar Vizquel who does it every time. (Omar doesn’t know what it means. “I just like him because he’s crazy,” Vizquel said.)

“Yeah, we’ve got the first baseman doing it, too. Usually you cross your arms when you’re playing behind the runner, every once in awhile they’ll throw it up for me just to ease my mind. (Rich) Aurilia does it jokingly, but I take it as a reminder of why I’m out here. It’s, `Remember what kind of gift you have, and most of all, don’t let your team down.’”

Related articles

https://sharinhislove.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/faith-in-the-game-crossing-over-%E2%80%94-by-brian-wilson/

“Others can; you cannot.”

 

By Jon Walker

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25 NIV)

I’d been involved in a debate all day. There was something I wanted to do that I knew other Christians were involved with, but I felt a check from the Holy Spirit telling me I shouldn’t.

And as it happened, late in the day, I was working on a project with Rick Warren. He pulled some papers from his printer and handed them to me to read.

When I came to the last page, God ended the day-long debate. It was a page Rick must have printed for another project but then forgot to get from the printer. When he scooped up the pages intended for me, it ended up in my stack.

But I don’t believe in coincidence and so I think the page was intended for me as a message from God. There were four words on the paper: “Others can; you cannot.”

Sometimes the Spirit leads us to greater restriction than the law requires: “Where others can, we cannot.”

At other times, the Spirit may direct us to do more than the law requires, as foreshadowed by Jesus: “If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles” (Matthew 5:41 NLT).

If we’re led by the Spirit, we’re no longer under the law (Galatians 5:18). Yet this doesn’t mean we have a license to sin (Romans 6); instead, we’re compelled to live by love instead of by law. Jesus calls us to live by faith instead of by fear. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23 NIV, italics added).

Can you see, then, that it takes more faith to walk by the Spirit than to walk by the law? The law is meant to drive us to dependence on the Father as he guides us by the Spirit he’s placed within us.

This is not a downgrading of the law, which Jesus said he came to fulfill; rather, he gives us the objective to grow up in Christ, accepting the responsibility to stay intimate with the Law-giver who is teaching us the rhythms of grace.

Stay in Step With the Spirit Dance is a post from: GraceCreates Jon Walker is the author of Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer’s ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ and Growing with Purpose. He has served on staff at Saddleback Church and Purpose Driven Ministries and is currently the managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotionals and the Ministry Toolbox. Contact him at questions@gracecreates.com. This article is copyrighted 2011 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

Daily Promises – August 20 – In time, God will heal our wounds

Job 5:17-18 KJV

17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:
therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up:
he woundeth, and his hands make whole.


Promise #232: Do not despise My discipline, for in time I will heal your wounds.

You may be reading today’s promise and wonder why I would have ever chosen a Bible passage about discipline and wounding to be part of 365 Promises. We don’t hear too many sermons preached about the discipline of the Lord and if we do, they may be skewed from the perspective of the punishment from an angry God.

When many of us think of the word ‘discipline’, we think of our own life experiences with our parents, teachers, authority figures, etc. This does not usually bring up warm feelings of love and tenderness but feelings of guilt, shame and pain. In Hebrews 12:4-11, the writer encourages us not to despise the Lord’s discipline for God is treating us like His sons. God does not discipline us in anger but in absolute unconditional love.

Every son (or daughter) receives discipline. Receiving discipline is part of the evidence that we do indeed belong to God. The root word of discipline is disciple, which at its heart, is training. God is training us to become like Jesus and walk in His ways. In this Hebrews passage, the writer does acknowledge that no discipline is pleasant at the time, but it results in a harvest of righteousness.

In today’s promise, we have an assurance that though we may be enduring hardship now, there is a promise of healing for all our wounds to come. My prayer is that we would not see God’s discipline through the lens of how we were disciplined by authority figures in our lives. I pray that we would actually value the loving discipline from God and gladly submit to the Father of our spirits so that we can live a full life. (Hebrews 12:9)

~ Barry Adams
Photo by Steve Taylor

 

Daily Promises – August 19 – God will make us fruitful in our old age

Psalm 92:13-14 KJV

13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;


Promise #231: I will make you fruitful in your old age. 

I want to finish my life well. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we are called to throw off all the things that hinder us and the sin that so easily entangles us to run our race. I am not sure how many days I have left on this side of heaven, but I want each one of them to mean something from an eternal perspective. If possible, I want to increase in the anointing, I want to increase in effectiveness, I want to increase in fruitfulness as I get older.

Today’s promise says that fruitfulness will abound in old age for those who are sons and daughters to the Father. If you have every visited a seniors’ home, that is not always the case. Unfortunately for some people, as they get older, they experience more disappointment and disillusionment about the very meaning of life. Regret and bitterness can grow into a very bitter root.

But this is not so for those who are called by God to live a fruitful life! Let’s all claim this promise for ourselves and our loved ones today! Father, we thank you that our fruitfulness will bring glory to you, not only today, but for the rest of our lives. May fruit abound in me today! In Jesus’ name I pray.
Photo by Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 18 – Don’t be unbelieving

 

 

 

Matthew 18:19 KJV

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.


Promise #230: If two of you agree in prayer, I will do whatever you ask. 

In today’s promise, Jesus is speaking to his disciples and is encouraging them about their relationship with His Father in prayer. In the verse previous to this one, He tells them that whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. I wonder how the disciples reacted to Jesus’ statements? After all they were just fisherman and common folk, yet Jesus exhorted them that they had an audience with the Creator of the universe any time, night or day.

When I have reflected on this passage in the past, I have always wondered about the words ‘any thing‘. Did Jesus really mean that they could have any thing they asked for if there was agreement by two or more? It seems that He said what He meant because any thing means any thing! However, we know from other Bible verses that the things that Jesus are referring to are definitely linked to the things that are already in God’s heart.

However, this should be a huge encouragement to each one of us today! God invites us to link our hearts with other believers on earth and come before His throne room and make our requests known to God. Don’t be timid and don’t be unbelieving. Come with a heart full of faith believing that God hears your requests and has a desire to answer your prayers!

By Barry Adams

Taking a long time to boil

“Love is patient.”  I Corinthians 13:4

The Greek word used here for patient . . . means

“taking a long time to boil.”

Think about a pot of boiling water . . .

Water boils quickly when the flame is high.

It boils slowly when the flame is low.

Patience “keeps the burner down.”

Patience isn’t naive.

It doesn’t ignore misbehavior.

It just keeps the flame low.

It waits. It listens . . .

This is how God treats us.

And, according to Jesus,

this is how we should treat others.

~ Max Lucado

Daily Promises – August 17 – God’s purpose will be fulfilled

Proverbs 19:21 KJV

21 There are many devices in a man’s heart;
nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.


Promise #229: Though you have many plans, My purpose will be fulfilled. 

Over the years, I have looked to this Bible verse many times. By nature I am a strategist and a planner. I like to know how to best prepare for whatever life has to throw at me. Unfortunately many of the plans that I have put into place never come to pass. That is why I take great comfort in this verse because it basically says that while we have many ideas of our own, it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail in our lives.

The NIV Bible says it this way… Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. This promise gives a planner like me great comfort in knowing that God’s purpose for my life will come to pass because of His faithfulness, not because of my planning! What a relief! The old saying ‘hindsight is 20/20 vision’ is so true. When I look back at my life, there are so many things that I ‘planned’ that didn’t come to pass and I thank God that they didn’t now!

So today, my encouragement for you is to be encouraged that our God and Father has a plan for your life that will not be thwarted by anything! You can rest in His faithfulness to bring about His purposes for your life.

~ Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 16 – No one can stand against you

Romans 8:31 KJV

31 What shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us?


Promise #228: If I am for you, no one can stand against you.
This is one of my favorite promises of all time! If God is for us, who can be against us. I feel like there is nothing that I can add to this amazing promise. The God who created the universe, the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent everlasting Father is on your side. He is for you! He has placed all of heaven’s resources on your side simply because you are joined to Jesus Christ and are part of His family.

In this orphan world system, many things will oppose us, but none of these things can possibly stand against our God and Father for nothing will ever separate you from His love.

Nothing!

Death can’t.

Life can’t.

Angels can’t.

Demons can’t.

The present.

The future.

Nothing in all creation will ever separate you from the love that God has for you in Jesus Christ! (Romans 8:35-39)

God is for you so no one can stand against you.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Jeanne Costello

Brag about this

“The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging.”

Galatians 6:14

Do you feel a need for affirmation?

Does your self-esteem need attention?

You don’t need to drop names or show off.

You need only to pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this:

The maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you.

And that is a fact.

So if you need to brag,

brag about that.

~ Max Lucado

Footprints in the Sand

One night a man had a dream.

He dreamed he was  walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand ;

one belonging to him and the other to the Lord. 

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,

he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of his life

there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened

at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.

This really bothered him and questioned the Lord about it. 

”Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

you’d walk with me all the way.

However, I noticed that during the most troublesome times

of my life there was only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why when I needed you most

you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “my precious, precious child,

I love you and I would never leave you

during your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints

it was then that I carried you.”

“Footprints in the Sand”

~ Ella H. Scharring-Hausen on June 6, 1922


Unchanging

“Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.”  I Thessalonians 5:8, The Message

Don’t put your hope into things that change—relationships, money, talents, beauty, even health. Set your sights on the one thing that can never change: trust in your heavenly Father.

~ Max Lucado

Verse of the Day – August 12 – We are God’s Handiwork

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Handiwork? What does that mean?

To me, it means that God,

through Christ Jesus,

took special care, time, thought,

to create me.

To fashion me out of the most precious materials

To mold me into a unique shape

To make sure He put me in just the right environment

so that I would grow according to His plan.

He sat, pondering, to give me a special kind of

heart to be receptive to the needs of others

To give me His kind of love, agape, so that

I would have an empathetic touch

and voice to minister to those I meet.

To give me the perfect mate so that I would know

that His love for me would have arms

to hold me,

joy to share with me,

patience to lift me up when I am down,

Unconditional human, yet Godly, love

that would shelter me

through all the storms of life.

To give me a vision for souls

in their lost state

and love to give everyone I meet,

and to help

lead them to His light.

Yes, He thought of all I would need

to go through life here on earth

and He gave me all the tools

to handle the journey

Some didn’t look like they were meant

for me,

but as I am drawn to minister to others

each day,

I realize that being, in the world’s eyes,

flawed,

would be my greatest gift

from my Creator

so that I could feel what they feel,

hurt as they hurt,

walk where they walk,

and know that through my reaching

out,

I have allowed God to use my arms

to wrap

His arms around His children.

a semblance of how

He would wrap His arms around them

if He were here in the flesh.

I am humbled to be

His Handiwork.

~ Sharon Rule

Washed Away

The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.

I John 1:7

The cleansing is not a promise for the future but a reality in the present. Let a speck of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of filth land on the heart of God’s child, and it is wiped away . . .

Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, “I can clean that if you want.”

~ Max Lucado

Daily Promises – August 11 – God is our shield and our protector

Psalm 3:3 KJV

3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.


Promise #223: I am your shield, your glory and the lifter of your head. The Hebrew word for shield in this promise is a substance so thick that it is likened unto the scaly hide of a crocodile. God is our shield and our protector. Nothing can get through His defences. Our God and Father is also our glory, which is a Hebrew word ‘kabowd’, which means a weighty honor that He places on us simply because we belong to Him.

I love the NLT Bible translation for this verse…  ‘3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.’  God protects us, He bestows His own glory on us, and He lifts up our head when we are discouraged. When I think of the last part of this promise, I picture a child standing face to face with his father, with his head held down in discouragement. The father not wanting his child to be discouraged, gently puts his finger on the little boy’s chin and raises his head until their eyes meet.When we get discouraged, our God and Father is the lifter of our head. As the NLT Bible says, He is ‘the one who holds my head high’. If you are disappointed today, may you feel the loving touch of your Father raising your head so that your eyes meet His loving glance.

~ Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 6 – Do not be afraid of what others can do to you

Psalm 56:11 KJV
11 In God have I put my trust:
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Promise #221: Trust in Me and do not be afraid of what others can do to you.

Fear of man is a powerful debilitating force in our world today. It will keep us from taking risks and it will keep us from being the person God made us to be.

If we are afraid of what others think, or what they will do to us, we are kept in a prison of their control.
God wants us to be free and He does not want us to live in fear.

The only way to deal with fear is to embrace the love that God has for us and allow perfect love to drive all fear away. (1 John 4:19)

Trust is the key. Knowing that our God and Father has our best interests at heart all the time.

In this promise, the psalmist makes a declaration that he will put his trust in God and not be afraid of what man can do to him. May faith rise up in our hearts today and agree with Romans 8:31, where the Apostle Paul declares “If God is for us, who can be against us?”. 

May each one of us grow in the incredible freedom of the children of God that we were intended to walk in and not live the place of being afraid.
Photo by Jeff Epp

Daily Promises – August 8 – Jesus will cleanse us from all sin

1 John 1:7 KJV
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Promise #220: If you walk in the light, the blood of My Son Jesus will cleanse you from all sin.

Jesus is called the Light of the World. In Him is no darkness, only brilliant, glorious light. The good news of the gospel is that when we receive the free gift of God, which is the life of His own Son, we are completely cleansed from all unrighteousness and forgiven from all our sin. We have become children of the light because we are now joined completely into the holy life of Jesus. Romans 8:1 says because of this exchange, there is therefore now no condemnation for us.

Our adversary the devil is called the accuser of the brethren. His aim is to continually bring accusations against us that would somehow cause us to feel ashamed and run and hide from God. When you hear these accusing voices, declare the finished work of the blood of Jesus over your life for it is the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood that keeps us walking in the light!

We have no need to hide in shame from God. Jesus Christ has secured our place in His Father’s heart and His blood has covered our past sins, our present sins and our future sins. You can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. When He cried it is finished! on the cross, He meant it. Does this mean that we can go on living  a sinful life? God forbid! However, we can rest assured that if we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, His blood cleanses us from ALL sin.
Photo by Barry Adams

Enough

He is able . . . to run to the cry of . . . those who are being . . . tested.

Hebrews 2:18 AMP

Jesus was angry enough to purge the temple, hungry enough to eat raw grain, distraught enough to weep in public, fun loving enough to be called a drunkard, winsome enough to attract kids, . . . radical enough to get kicked out of town, responsible enough to care for his mother, tempted enough to know the smell of Satan, and fearful enough to sweat blood . . .

Whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel.

– Max Lucado

Daily Promises – August 7 – We can BOLDLY approach God

Ephesians 3:12 KJV
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Promise #219: Through faith in Christ, you can boldly approach Me with confidence.

The NIV Bible says Ephesians 3:12 in this way… ‘In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’ What a glorious promise! Through our new life in Jesus Christ, we have complete and unrestricted access to our heavenly Father. Though angels bow down in reverence to Almighty God, we can call Him our Abba. Though He holds the earth in the palm of His hand, He calls us His little ones.

Praise God for giving us an amazing salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In the great exchange that happened at the cross, Jesus exchanged His life for our life. We no longer live apart from Christ (Galatians 2:20), so being in Christ, we have full access to our Father just like Jesus does. As a matter of fact, in Colossians 3, Paul says that we actually are hid with Christ in God, seated in the heavens!

As a father, I would be disappointed if I felt that my children were afraid to come into my presence. They are my children after all! They are welcome any time, night or day! If we as dads are intended to be a shadow of the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48), how much more does He desire that we come boldly into His throne room with freedom and confidence?

May each one of us be encouraged today to come into our Papa’s presence with a new boldness. Not because of anything that we have done, but because our big brother, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, has made the way for us to approach God with a confident expectation that He will receive us and put us on His lap, day or night.

~ Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 6 – God has numbered each hair on our head

By Barry Adams

Matthew 10:30 KJV
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

 Promise #218: I have even numbered each hair on your head.

The entire context of this promise can be found in Matthew 10:29-31
29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. NIV Bible

In Matthew 10, Jesus is commissioning His disciples to go out into the world to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. Heal the sick, cast out devils and freely give what you freely receive. In the midst of His charge to go, Jesus does talk about the reality that they will encounter opposition to this message. There will even be those who will want to kill them for what they represent. But all the while, Jesus is encouraging them not to be afraid.

He goes on to tell them that though sparrows are insignificant in the eyes of men, Father God always keeps a watchful eye on them. Jesus encourages His disciples that they are worth more than many sparrows, so if God watches over the birds, He will watch over them! The source of much of worry and anxiety is fear. Fear is rooted in a feeling that we are on our own and we have to try and manage life by ourselves.

Jesus encourages us to not fear, but be reminded that we are not on our own, that we have a heavenly Father who loves us and is in control of our lives. He even has taken the time to number each one of the hairs on our heads! What detail! What involvement in our lives! We have nothing to fear when the God of the universe is for us and so intimately involved in our lives.

Knowing the Father’s love for us will not necessarily shield us from heartache, pain and suffering because Jesus did tell us that in the world we will have trouble. However, in the midst of all our struggles, He does promise to cast out all fear from our hearts! May each one of us go deeper into our Father’s love today, knowing that our worth to Him is far more than many sparrows and that He has taken the time to number each one of the hairs on our head.

Verse of the Day – August 6 – He brings the wind out of His treasuries

15 He has made the earth by His power;
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
16 When He utters His voice—
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:

“ He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightnings for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”

Jeremiah 51:15-16

Note: I love this description of our God.

Daily Promises – August 5 – God has cared for us from the moment we were born

Psalm 71:6 KJV

6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.


Promise #217: I have cared for you from the moment you were born.
In this Psalm David makes that declaration that it was actually God that took him out of his mother’s womb. The Message Bible, this verse says ‘I’ve hung on you from the day of my birth, the day you took me from the cradle;’.  The NIV Bible says ‘From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.’

What an amazing promise! Our God and Father was there on the day you were born! Many people carry around the feeling that their parents didn’t plan their birth, so they feel like they were an accident. This Bible promise says the exact opposite! Not one person who has ever been born has been a mistake! God planned each birth and was in the delivery room to welcome all of us into the world.

If you struggle to feel that you belong in this world, I pray that this promise will go deep into your heart. God knit you together in your mother’s womb and He has cared for you from the moment you were born until today.

And He will never stop caring for you because you are the apple of His eye!
Photo by Barry Adams

God’s love will cause even the worst situation to turn out for good

1 Chronicles 16:34 KJV
34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good;
for his mercy endureth for ever.

Promise #216: I am good and My mercy is everlasting.

In the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Adam and Eve, he was primarily questioning the goodness of God. “Did God really say…” He tried to portray a view of God that was skewed and distorted.  That God was insecure and didn’t want the best for Adam and Eve. That God wasn’t good.

The enemy’s tactics have remained the same up until today. He continues to question the goodness of God at every turn. My encouragement to you today is to believe the truth about God and make a declaration to the heavens that He is really good and His love endures forever!

The love that God has for us will not change today, tomorrow or in eternity. It will endure forever! The very foundation of our God and Father’s heart is goodness and love. No matter what happens in life, I would encourage you to not side with the accuser and question your Father’s goodness. Our God is good and He is loving beyond comprehension.

In the midst of any storm that you are going through, His love will cause even the worst situation to turn for good (Romans 8:28). May faith rise up in our hearts to know this on a level that is deeper than we have ever known it before.
Photo by Carl Dyck

Daily Promises – August 2 – The Kings belong to God

(My Note: The last few weeks have been nerve-wracking, at best. Those of us who depend on Social Security, the military, and any others who were threatened that we might not get our checks tomorrow or later this month, or anyone who may feel any other repercussion of this situation, were tested as to how strong our faith is.

Knowing that God is the King of all the earth, knowing that He allows all of the things to happen around us, and that He will carry us through it is where our only sure Hope lies.

The world truly is shaking around us.   But we know He will carry us through this crisis.

We know He wants no harm to come to us.

He promises that all will work out for our good.

Holding onto Him during this time of potential financial crisis is our real comfort.

We all should feel that we are truly blessed to know, as well as feel, His constant presence.)

Psalm 47:7-9 KJV
7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. 8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. 9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

Promise #214: I rule the earth and all the kings belong to Me.God is the King of all the earth. Jesus is proclaimed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There is no disputing the absolute and complete power of the living God. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. While our adversary the devil, has limited power for a short season as the prince of the power of the air, the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it!When everything around us seems to be shaken… Wars, economies, governments, etc., have no fear! God is seated in the heavens and He rules the earth. May we rise up and worship Him today for His goodness and His mercy and His majesty!Hollywood often projects the battle of good versus evil as two equal, opposing forces clashing for victory. The truth is that our God is all powerful and ever present. He is so huge, that the universe cannot contain Him. We are not locked in a battle between good and evil that has an uncertain outcome. We win! Jesus has already declared the victory through His death and resurrection!

While we know that in this world we will have trouble, may each one of us be encouraged today in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and that our heavenly Dad is the God and Father over all creation (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Daily Promises – August 1 – No excuse for not knowing God is real

(Note: As you are aware, I don’t add a lot of notes. The messages I find are generally so self-sufficient, adding to them is not required. However, because of what just happened to me, I wanted to share with you.

I usually read through a complete message, and then decide how to title it. This time, I looked at the picture, immediately thought of Romans 1:20, and made up the title before reading the message.

If there ever was a confirmation that God was in a title, this shows it.

I love it when He let’s me know I’m on the right track in my thinking.

It thrills me.

Our goal is to always been on the same page with Him.

Isn’t God cute?

It’s the little things, huh?)

Psalm 19:1 KJV
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Promise #213: The heavens declare My glory and reveal My handiwork.In Romans 1:20 in the NLT Bible it says…
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (NLT)Nature is continually revealing the character and nature of God. Every tree, every stream, every animal on the face of the planet bears witness to the glory and majesty of the Triune God. There is simply no excuse. Nature proves not only that God exists, but that He is kind and gracious to all that He has made.I love this photo of the northern lights in Canada. What an amazing display of the glory of God! Today’s promise simply states that the heavens declare His glory and the skies show off His handiwork. My prayer for all of us today is that there will be a heightened awareness to the eternal power of God that is clearly displayed in the world around us. The next time you look at a sunrise or sunset, or billowing clouds, or a clear starry night, may the love of God overwhelm you and may you see His glory revealed through all that He has created.
Photo by Carl Dyck

Daily Promises – July 31 – God’s Promises are True

Numbers 23:19 KJV
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:
hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Promise #212: Every promise that I make is true for I do not lie or change My mind.

In today’s promise, Numbers 23:19 clearly tells us that God is not a man, that he should lie. One of the problems that we have relating to God is the ability to trust Him completely. The reason why we struggle to trust him is that we have learned from life’s experiences that people do not always keep their promises.

While I don’t think we intentionally make the same assumptions about God, there is something in the human heart that can sometimes project onto God the same disappointments that we have experienced with people close to us. Because God says that He is the perfect Father, many times we can assume that God will treat us just like our earthly fathers did. If we struggled to trust our parents, then we may struggle to trust God.

But this promise clearly says that God is not like any person on earth. He does not lie or change His mind. Every promise that He makes is completely and absolutely true! The work that God has called us to is to simply believe that He is who He says He is. May faith rise up in our hearts today that cries out ‘Yes and Amen!’ to every promise that God makes! He is true! He is faithful! …And He always keeps His promises.
Photo by Mark Gyde

Daily Promises – July 30

Revelation 22:4 KJV
 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Promise #211: One day, you will see My face and My name will be on your forehead.

In the book of Genesis, the story begins with our God and Father creating the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. In the book of Revelation, the Bible ends with the promise that we will see God face to face and His name will be written on our foreheads.  What an amazing hope that we all have to look forward to.

In the Old Testament, no man could see God and live. When we get to heaven, we will be able to look face to face into His loving eyes and have His name imprinted upon us.  I pray that God will open the eyes of our hearts today so that by faith we will be able to look forward to that day when He will wipe all our tears away.

This is our destiny. This is where we are headed if we have received the free gift of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s life. We have nothing to fear. We have nothing to dread. Just an eternity of glorious bliss, gazing into the eyes of the One who loved us before the creation of the world. Hallelujah!
Photo by Barry Adams

Daily Promises – July 29

1 John 3:2 KJV
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 Promise #210: You are My children now, and you will be just like Jesus when He appears.

When Jesus returns, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. This Scripture tells us that at this point, we don’t know what that will look like. All we know is that when we fix our eyes on Jesus, there will be a final transformation that will take place to conform us into His image completely.

While this promise gives us hope for the future, it also speaks directly into our present situation. The Apostle John encourages us that we are sons of God now! We do not have to wait until we see Jesus face to face to experience the tangible reality of being God’s kids. We are His children now, and one day, we will see all of the human trappings of our flesh consumed in the fire of the presence of Jesus when we see him face to face.

But until then, we have an amazing promise that we are already the children of God right now! May each one of us be able to see with our spiritual eyes today that the promise of God is not only for the future, but for the present.

Photo by Barry Adams

Our Next Door Savior

Anything you did even for the least of my people here, you did also for me.

Matthew 25:40

What is the sign of the saved?

Their scholarship?

Their willingness to go to foreign lands?

Their ability to amass an audience and preach?

Their skillful pens and hope-filled volumes?

No.

The sign of the saved is their love for the least . . .

No fanfare.

No hoopla.

No media coverage.

Just good people doing good things.

For when we do good things to others we do good things to God.

~ Max Lucado

Second Birth

God is being patient with you . . . He wants all people to change their hearts and lives.”  2 Peter 3:9

In many ways your new birth is like your first: In your new birth God provides what you need; someone else feels the pain, and someone else does the work. And just as parents are patient with their newborn, so God is patient with you. But there is one difference. The first time you had no choice about being born; this time you do.

The power is God’s.

The effort is God’s.

The pain is God’s.

But the choice is yours.

~ Max Lucado

Verse of the Day – July 28 – Press toward the Goal

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14 NKJV

Hebrews 12 NIV

 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Daily Promises – July 28 – When all around us is shaking

Revelation 3:12 KJV
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Promise #209: Those who overcome will be made pillars in My temple forever.

The Bible says that life is but a vapor. The span of a person’s life is but a twinkle of the eye in the perspective of all eternity. That is why it is so important for us to have an eternal mindset rather than a temporal one. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, the NIV Bible says … 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (NIV)

When the pressures of life get too much. When the worries of an uncertain future cloud our thought life. When we are discouraged with the circumstances around us. No matter what situation you find yourself in today, take a moment, and think about eternity.  In today’s Scripture, Jesus Himself, promises that He is going to make us as pillars in the temple of His God forever and write on each one of us a new name!

When all around us begins to shake, be encouraged that God is giving us a kingdom that cannot be shaken. One day, all those who belong to Jesus will stand firm forever in the city of our God, the New Jerusalem!
Photo by Mark Gyde

He sings over you

The Lord God is like a sun and shield; the Lord gives us kindness and honor.

Psalm 84:11

Rejections are like speed bumps on the road.

They come with the journey.

You can’t keep people from rejecting you.

But you can keep rejections from enraging you.

How? By letting God’s acceptance compensate for their rejection.

When others reject you, let God accept you.

He is not frowning.

He is not mad.

He sings over you.

Take a long drink from His limitless love.

~Max Lucado

The Fear of Man


by Neil Anderson – July 27

Psalm 118:6-8
The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man

 

David’s question in Psalm 118:6 introduces a common fear among Christians: the fear of man. The timid man is quick to respond to the question, “I’ll tell you what man can do to me. He can abuse me, he can fire me from my job, and he can even kill me.”

True, but Jesus tells us to lay those fears aside: “Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). If you fail to take God as your refuge, the fear of man will control your life.

God appointed Saul to be the first king of Israel and commanded him to utterly destroy Amalek, along with all of his family, followers and possessions. Unfortunately, Saul didn’t completely obey. Samuel confronted Saul, and after Saul’s excuses ran out, he confessed, “I have sinned . . . because I feared the people and listened to their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). Then the Lord rejected Saul as king of Israel. More than one king has fallen for fearing man more than God.

Suppose you are intimidated by your boss. You work in fear of him from eight to five. What power does he have over you? He could fire you! How could you overcome that power? You could quit or be willing to quit. By not allowing your boss to hold the job over your head, you would free yourself from his intimidations. God’s Word says, “Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:14, 15).

I’m not suggesting that you rebel against your boss or become irresponsible. Servants are to obey their masters, and we are to work heartily as for the Lord rather than men (Colossians 3:22, 23). However, when you make God your sanctuary, you free yourself to live a responsible life. If you lose your job in the process, you have the assurance that God will meet all your needs.

Prayer: Lord, I want to be a God-pleaser, not a people-pleaser. Give me strength to stand up for the truth no matter what the cost.

Daily Promises – July 27 – God will take care of you

Matthew 6:25-26 KJV
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?


Promise #208: Don’t worry, I will take care of you.

This is a relatively short promise compared to the lengthy corresponding Bible text. But if you look at the simple message that Jesus is saying, the promise is short and sweet. When I was growing up, I was taught that worry was a sign of being responsible. If I didn’t worry, then I didn’t care.

As I get older, I am learning that many of the things that I was told were actually not the truth. Worry is not helpful to us. Worry is not a sign of responsibility. While worry cannot extend our lives, studies show that it can shorten our lives because over 70% of illnesses are stress related. This only goes to show that our bodies were not created to deal with a lot of stress.

Jesus encourages us to ‘take no thought for our life’…period. The reason why we don’t have to worry is because we have a Father in heaven who has promised to take care of us all of the days of our lives. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus tells how His Father cares for the birds of the air who do not sow or reap or store into barns. He then asks the question… How much more valuable are you than the birds?

Worry is a sign that we are not yet convinced of our value to God. Don’t worry about how much you worry though! Just ask God to give you a deeper revelation of your worth to Him. Fathers provide for their children. Children don’t have to beg for their provision, they can just rest in the knowledge that they are being cared for by a loving Dad. Don’t worry… God will take care of you!
Photo by Jeff Epp

What’s in store for you?


The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too.

Isaiah 58:11 NLT

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.

William Williams

A step at a time

Wouldn’t you like to know now what is in store for you a year from now? God leads us a day a time, a step at a time. No need to worry about distant events. The Welsh hymn writer William Williams compared the Christian life to the Israelite’s trek through the wilderness. We may not know the route by which God is leading us, but we humbly count on His guidance.

As a college student, Williams prepared for a career in medicine. But one Sunday morning he heard a man preaching in a Welsh churchyard. Williams responded in faith, and his life was radically changed. For forty-three years he preached and sang throughout Wales. “He sang Wales into piety,” said one writer. He was the poet laureate of the Welsh revival. Soon, all of Wales was singing their way to the coal mines and soccer matches. And their favorite hymn was this marching song by one of their own: “Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah.…Songs of praises I will ever give to Thee.”

Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House) entry for January 12

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House