melancholy euphoria

It was that woman's fault, Lord...

2012-03-06T06:21:00.002-08:00

VERSE:
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food
and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she
took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was
with her, and he ate it.
-- Genesis 3:6

THOUGHT:
Ouch! We've known the way of sin for thousands of years. Yet we
sometimes still follow the same path. We're lured by something
pleasing to our eyes. We pause for closer inspection of it,
allowing ourselves to be caught up in its desirability. We dabble
in it and play with it. We then participate in the sin. Finally, we
involve others in sin. You'd think we would have learned the
pattern and would have stopped by now. So with the help of the Holy
Spirit, why don't we start trying to do just that?

PRAYER:
Father, please forgive me for my rebellious and sinful heart. I
want to live wholly for you. I don't want to be captured by the
allure of sin or tempted by worldly passions, but I do want to
passionately live a godly life for your glory. In Jesus' mighty
name I pray. Amen.

What do you use for your life's compass?

2012-03-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
your paths straight.
-- Proverbs 3:5-6

THOUGHT:
What do you use for your life's compass? No matter how
insightful, wise, experienced, or knowledgeable we may be, only God
can guide our steps properly. God asks us to trust him and his
wisdom even when we can't immediately see the rationale behind it.
He wants us to recognize his presence, guidance, and grace in all
we do. As we trust and as we acknowledge his presence, we suddenly
realize that our paths are a lot straighter and our destinations
are a lot a closer.

PRAYER:
Abba Father, please give me courage to not lean on my own
understanding. I know my thinking can be flawed and what I intend
for good can blow up in my face. Please bless me with wisdom and
insight as I seek to live for you in today's confusing and immoral
world. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Some gifts are too precious for words

2012-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The
reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
-- 1 John 3:1

THOUGHT:
Some gifts are too precious for words and too wonderful to fully
appreciate. The greatest of these gifts is that we are God's
children! We have been adopted into the Father's family! Jesus
claims us as his younger siblings! Even though the world may not
acknowledge this, that condition doesn't make it any less true.
After all, the world didn't recognize its Creator when he became
flesh and lived among the people he had made. God's Word, however,
still proclaims the truth; we ARE the children of God!

PRAYER:
Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for the incredible blessing of
being your child. I know that I haven't begun to understand all the
glorious things this gift means. However, dear Father, I look
forward to what I can learn now about what it means, and I joyously
anticipate the day when I can see you face to face and fully know
the meaning of this joy. In Jesus' name. Amen.

For faith to be real, it must express itself in service

2012-02-26T06:48:00.002-08:00

VERSE:
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds
is dead.
-- James 2:26

THOUGHT:
By this definition, a whole lot of people claiming to be
believers are really spiritual corpses. For faith to be real, it
must express itself in service. Faith not only moves mountains; it
moves believers to act in ways that honor God and bless others,
demonstrating their thankfulness for God's incredible grace.

PRAYER:
Holy and Faithful Father, please forgive me for the times I've
been lazy in my spiritual walk. Help me see the many opportunities
for service you give to me each day, and then empower me to act in
those opportunities in ways that bless others. In Jesus' holy name
I pray. Amen.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

2012-02-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has
done great things.
-- Joel 2:21

THOUGHT:
This reassurance from God is given to a people facing desperate
times, which were brought on by God to lead them to repent. Their
land lies desolate and decimated from drought, plagues, and poor
harvests. God, however, is now promising to bless them if they will
return to him with all their hearts. The LORD, the covenant God of
Israel, will do great things to bring his people to deliverance
through their repentance and his gracious power. The land can
rejoice and be glad. So should his people! So should we! Because of
Jesus, we know that "the LORD has done great things" for us!

PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your incredible work in our
world. Thank you for your incredible work in my little part of that
world. Thank you for your deliverance in Jesus. Thank you for the
victory over death. Thank you for the incredible outpouring of your
grace and mercy. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Thank
you for the Scriptures which your Spirit inspired and uses to teach
us. Thank you for a family of friends in your Church. Thank you ...
in Jesus' name. Amen.

We are dead, but more alive than ever before

2012-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
-- Galatians 2:20

THOUGHT:
We are dead, but more alive than ever before. We are crucified
and humiliated, yet glorified as never before. You see, Christ
lives in us. He works through us to bless others. So the life we
live now in our limited bodies is not limited -- it is the work of
Christ. The life we live now is lived by faith in the one and only
Savior, who has shown his love by giving himself to redeem us.

PRAYER:
Almighty and Holy God, thank you for sharing your life and power
with me and through me. Thank you for joining my life to Christ.
Thank you for joining Christ to my life! May his love, grace, and
power be seen in my actions and character. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.

God Listens

2012-02-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens. He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens.

Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God.” Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.

Then, the angel “filled the incense pan with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth” (Rev. 8:5). One call and Heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven, and “God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.”

You are the someone of God’s kingdom. You have access to God’s furnace. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth.

What an amazing thought!

When you speak, Jesus hears.
And when Jesus hears, thunder falls.
And when thunder falls, the world is changed.
All because someone prayed.

From Lucado Inspirational Reader
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

Please forgive me for the times that I am in rebellion to your will.

2012-02-02T06:44:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
From inside the fish Jonah prayed ... "In my distress I called
to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I
called for help, and you listened to my cry."
-- Jonah 2:1-2

THOUGHT:
Jonah was disobedient, rebellious, and selfish. He had run from
the Lord. He had shunned the Lord's command. He had endangered the
lives of those on the ship where he had tried to hide. Yet even in
the middle of his rebellion, God heard his cry and delivered him.
If you are in rebellion, if you are seeking to hide some secret and
all-consuming sin, please know the Lord wants to ransom and redeem
you! Things won't be easy, but coming back to the Lord means
ultimate redemption and deliverance.

PRAYER:
Holy and righteous Father, please forgive me for the times that
I am in rebellion to your will. Help me to recognize those times
and give me the strength to avoid those temptations. In your grace,
dear Father, please not only help me to live as you want me to live
but also lead me to someone else who needs to know of your grace
and redemption. Please use me to help them escape from their
bondage to sin and shame. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Jesus is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption

2012-01-30T07:46:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
...you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from
God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the
Lord."
-- 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

THOUGHT:
Jesus is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Let's
unpack those church words. Righteousness -- the ability to stand
before God and be declared free from guilt. Holiness -- the
character and nature that reflect the glory and sanctity of heaven.
Redemption -- the gift of freedom bought at great expense.
Christians aren't perfect? Hmmm! We know this is true. But, because
of Jesus' loving sacrifice, we also know that in God's eyes we're
righteous, holy, and redeemed. That, dear friend of Jesus, is what
we call amazing grace!

PRAYER:
How can I thank you, wise and merciful Father, for the gift of
Jesus? Your love in formulating the plan to send him, your
sacrifice in having him become mortal, your agony when your own
creations murdered him are too wonderful for understanding. But in
my heart I do know that you did these things because of your loving
grace and I want to thank you and praise you forever. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

"Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven!"

2012-01-22T06:44:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Once you were alienated from God ... but now he has reconciled
you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in
his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
-- Colossians 1:22

THOUGHT:
"Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven!" You've probably seen
this bumper sticker or something similar. In one sense this is
absolutely true. But, from God's point of view, Christians ARE
perfect. That's the incredible message Paul gives the Colossians.
Because of Jesus' sacrifice, God does not see our imperfections. He
sees us through Christ's perfection. Look at these concepts and
marvel! Look at how God views you and give thanks! Be humbled by
God's grace to us in Jesus and rejoice! Holy, without blemish, and
free from accusation -- there's nothing left to say but
"Hallelujah!"

PRAYER:
Father, thank you for providing the sacrifice that makes me
clean. Thank you for seeing my worth through the perfection of
Jesus and his sacrifice. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for paying off my
debt to sin and for sharing your perfection with me. May my life
today, and everyday, more closely resemble the perfection you have
given me by your grace. In the name of my Savior Jesus, I pray.
Amen

RECALL WHAT GOD REMEMBERS

2012-01-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

I remember ... the kindness of thy youth.
Jeremiah 2:2

Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only
expecting God to be kind to me? Am I full of the little things that
cheer His heart over me, or am I whimpering because things are going
hardly with me? There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what
God prizes. It is a great thing to think that Jesus Christ has need
of me - "Give Me to drink." How much kindness have I shown Him this
past week? Have I been kind to His reputation in my life?

God is saying to His people - You are not in love with Me now, but I
remember the time when you were - "I remember...the love of thine
espousals." Am I as full of the extravagance of love to Jesus Christ
as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my
devotion to Him? Does He find me recalling the time when I did not
care for anything but Himself? Am I there now, or have I become wise
over loving Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no account of
where I go? or am I watching for the respect due to me; weighing how
much service I ought to give?

If, as I recall what God remembers about me, I find He is not what He
used to be to me, let it produce shame and humiliation, because that
shame will bring the godly sorrow that works repentance.

Just Believe

2012-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

It was small enough to overlook. Only two words. I know I’d read that passage a hundred times. But I’d never seen it.

But I won’t miss it again. It’s highlighted in yellow and underlined in red. You might want to do the same. Look in Mark, chapter 16. Get your pencil ready and enjoy this jewel in the seventh verse (here it comes). The verse reads like this: “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.

Did you see it? Read it again. (This time I italicized the words.)

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.”

Now tell me if that’s not a hidden treasure.

If I might paraphrase the words, “Don’t stay here, go tell the disciples,” a pause, then a smile, “and especially tell Peter, that he is going before you to Galilee.”

What a line. It’s as if all of heaven had watched Peter fall—and it’s as if all of heaven wanted to help him back up again. “Be sure and tell Peter that he’s not left out. Tell him that one failure doesn’t make a flop.”

Whew!

No wonder they call it the gospel of the second chance.

Those who know these types of things say that the Gospel of Mark is really the transcribed notes and dictated thoughts of Peter. If this is true, then it was Peter himself who included these two words! And if these really are his words, I can’t help but imagine that the old fisherman had to brush away a tear and swallow a lump when he got to this point in the story.

It’s not every day that you get a second chance. Peter must have known that. The next time he saw Jesus, he got so excited that he barely got his britches on before he jumped into the cold water of the Sea of Galilee. It was also enough, so they say, to cause this backwoods Galilean to carry the gospel of the second chance all the way to Rome where they killed him. If you’ve ever wondered what would cause a man to be willing to be crucified upside down, maybe now you know.

It’s not every day that you find someone who will give you a second chance—much less someone who will give you a second chance every day.

But in Jesus, Peter found both.

A: "How much did it cost?"

2012-01-18T06:28:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as
silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
-- 1 Peter 1:18-19

THOUGHT:
A: "How much did it cost?" B: "What? This old thing? This sack
of bones and blood and brain? This heart and mind and soul that
live inside?" A: "Yeah! How much did it cost?" B: "It cost the
greatest gift of heaven to redeem it and make me whole. That's how
much God thinks of me. Incredible, isn't it?!"

PRAYER:
Father, I am bewildered, humbled, and thrilled to know that you
value me so highly. Forgive me for cheapening myself with sin, for
dwelling on things that are petty, and for chasing after things
that are worthless. Thank you for loving me so. By your Spirit,
please help me live up to the value you see in me and aspire to the
lofty life you call me to live. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

As I begin this new year...

2012-01-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
-- Genesis 1:1

THOUGHT:
We are creatures of the earth. Yes, we are much more than that,
but occasionally we need to be reminded of that! We can't truly
understand existence before time, yet before the beginning of time
as we know it, God existed -- he has revealed himself as "I Am,"
the one who was and who is and who is to come. Before there was an
ordered universe to provide the basis of our existence, God is "I
Am." He had existence before, beyond, and without our created
universe. We can't even truly comprehend this in its entirety.
That's why every new beginning -- whether it is a day, a week, a
year, or a millennium -- should begin with God. He alone is the
ultimate Genesis, our beginning.

PRAYER:
Almighty Creator and God of all of the universe, I praise you
for your incomparable power and your incomprehensible glory. As I
begin this new year, I know that my future rests in your will, your
grace, and your salvation. Please go with me as I journey toward
this future. Please be glorified in the way I live my life today,
this year, and for as long as you give me earthly life. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

Father God, thank you for the blessings of this past year.

2011-12-31T07:13:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and
who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
-- Revelation 1:8

THOUGHT:
From beginning to end, our God is there! What is there for us to
fear? What can happen that can change this one undeniable reality?
We belong to the God who is always there, who always cares for us,
and who will always work to bring us salvation! No matter what
happens to us tomorrow, or the next day, or the one after that, our
destiny lies with the God who stretches from beginning to end and
who secures for us life that never ends.

PRAYER:
Father God, thank you for the blessings of this past year.
Please guide me as I seek to use your blessings in the coming year.
Inspire my confidence about your future for me and fill me with joy
because of your salvation. For all that has been good, holy, and
gracious, I give you thanks and praise. For all the ways I've
sinned, failed, or stumbled, I ask for your forgiveness. And for
tomorrow, and another new day and another new year, I await with
anticipation and gladness for I know that I will see them come or I
will be at home with you where days and years no longer matter. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

So, what are your goals and plans for the New Year?

2011-12-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find
disorder and every evil practice.
-- James 3:16

THOUGHT:
So, what are your goals and plans for the New Year? Do you have
great dreams and laudable goals? I hope so. But, please join me as
I seriously look at why I set the goals I do and make the plans I
make. In the afterglow of Christmas, that great season of giving,
let's make sure our plans for the future are not selfish or based
on envy, lust, or greed. Instead, let's set our hearts to reach
great heights for God's glory and to do great things to be a
blessing to others. Otherwise, all our attempts to reach great
things ultimately will end in chaos, heartbreak, and destruction.

PRAYER:
Eternal God, please be with me as I seek to set goals for the
coming year. I want to do great things for your glory. Please use
me to accomplish your will in the world in which I live and in the
group of people to whom you have sent me. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen

God longs to bless us because ...

2011-12-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will
also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the
harvest of your righteousness.
-- 2 Corinthians 9:10

THOUGHT:
God has blessed us so much in Jesus. Yet God longs to bless us
even more. Why? God longs to bless us because ... he is a generous
God ... because he is our loving Father ... because that is his
nature ... because he wants us to be like him! God blesses us to be
a blessing to others!

PRAYER:
You have so richly blessed me, LORD, so please help me see the
opportunities you build into each day for me to bless others. Make
me a conduit of your blessings. I pray this in the name of Jesus
Christ my Lord. Amen.

The Greatest Gift!

2011-12-24T07:57:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.
-- John 3:16

THOUGHT:
God wants us to have life! Real life. Life that lasts forever
with him! That's why he sent Jesus, so we could have life. That is
why Jesus left him and came to earth. That is why Jesus endured the
Cross and its humiliation. That's why Jesus rose from the dead. God
loves us with an everlasting love in Jesus! What other Christmas
gift can compare? "O come, let us adore him!"

PRAYER:
Of all your gifts, loving Father, none can compare to Jesus. You
are worthy of praise simply because of who you are. You are worthy
of honor because of all that you have done. You are worthy of
praise because of your mighty acts. Most of all, you are worthy of
my heart, soul, mind, and strength because of your love
demonstrated in Jesus. Thank you for the greatest gift of all! In
Jesus' name I praise you. Amen.

HOW CAN I PERSONALLY PARTAKE IN THE ATONEMENT?

2011-12-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- Galatians 6:14

The Gospel of Jesus Christ always forces an issue of will. Do I
accept God's verdict on sin in the Cross of Christ? Have I the
slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified
with His death, to be killed right out to all interest in sin, in
worldliness, in self - to be so identified with Jesus that I am
spoilt for every thing else but Him? The great privilege of
discipleship is that I can sign on under His Cross, and that means
death to sin. Get alone with Jesus and either tell Him that you do
not want sin to die out in you; or else tell Him that at all costs
you want to be identified with His death. Immediately you transact in
confident faith in what Our Lord did on the Cross, a supernatural
identification with His death takes place, and you will know with a
knowledge that passeth knowledge that your "old man" is crucified
with Christ. The proof that your old man is crucified with Christ is
the amazing ease with which the life of God in you enables you to
obey the voice of Jesus Christ.

Every now and again, Our Lord lets us see what we would be like if it
were not for Himself; it is a justification of what He said -
"Without Me ye can do nothing." That is why the bedrock of
Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We
mistake the ecstasy of our first introduction into the Kingdom for
the purpose of God in getting us there; His purpose in getting us
there is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus
Christ means

Generosity is such a wonderful thing

2011-12-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Command them [the rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds,
and to be generous and willing to share.
-- 1Timothy 6:18

THOUGHT:
Generosity is such a wonderful thing -- not just to those on the
receiving end, but also to those who are on the giving end. Those
of us who can read this devotional on a computer via e-mail are
rich by the world's standards, so this passage on being generous
with our blessings is especially applicable. Let this giving-time
of the year be God's opportunity to reawaken in us the need to be
generous with our time, energy, and monetary blessings year round.

PRAYER:
O loving God, you have been so generous with me and blessed me
with so many incredible blessings. Thank you! Stir in my heart an
awareness of the joy of giving. Make my heart more like your own,
generous and gracious. Break down the anxiety and miserliness that
sometimes cloud my vision and keep me from sharing my time, money,
energy, and love as I should. Thank you for showing me how to be
generous in Jesus. I pray this in the name of Jesus, my Savior and
Lord. Amen.

God sent his Son. No one else would do

2011-12-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem
those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
-- Galatians 4:4-5

THOUGHT:
God sent his Son. No one else would do. He had sent prophets,
priests, and preachers. Religion remained earthbound, legalistic,
and doomed. So God sent what is most precious to him, his Son. Why?
So measly human beings such as you and I could be adopted into his
family and have the same rights as the Savior, God's Son and our
brother in the faith!

PRAYER:
Thank you, Holy God, for bringing me back into your family
through your Son. Thank you for not treating me as my sins deserve.
Thank you for not leaving me under Law, but redeeming me through
your grace into a dynamic love relationship as your child. Thank
you for your plan of redemption that wound its way through Old
Testament history until the time came to fulfill all your promises.
Thank you for sending your Son. In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ I thank you. Amen.

Jesus comes to our rescue!

2011-12-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present
evil age...
-- Galatians 1:3-4

THOUGHT:
Jesus comes to our rescue! Why? Because he knows the times in
which we live aren't easy. He knows that the world in which we live
is caught up in wickedness. That, however, is not the only reality.
He gives us great victory through his Cross. No wonder we can greet
each other with grace and peace. He purchased them for us.

PRAYER:
Father, please help me distinguish between good and evil as I
confront them daily in my life. Make evil repulsive to me despite
the many ways that Satan tries to make it look seductive. Thank
you, Jesus, for coming to my rescue when I was a sinner, unable to
save myself. Thank you for sharing your grace and giving me peace.
Through the blessed Holy Spirit I offer my thanks and praise in
Jesus' name. Amen

Holy and Almighty God you have done wonderful and mighty things.

2011-12-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with
thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than
a bull with its horns and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad --
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
-- Psalm 69:30-32

THOUGHT:
Our praise should not only please God, it should also produce
joy and gladness in the streets among the poor! Why? Because praise
invites us to not only applaud God for what he does, but to also
join him in partnership as he does it. God's generosity, which
evokes our praise, should stir our generosity, which in turn
blesses others and leads them to praise God!

PRAYER:
Holy God, Almighty and majestic King, you are worthy of all
honor and praise. You have done wonderful and mighty things. You
have poured out your blessings upon me. You have kept your promises
and provided me with the way of salvation. Please empower and
strengthen me as I commit myself to bless, serve, and encourage
others for your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Please stir my heart to care for others as you do

2011-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf,
do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless
and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the
work of your hands.
-- Deuteronomy 24:19

THOUGHT:
This is clearly a passage old Scrooge hadn't seen! God has
always set aside a provision for the poor. In this time of the year
when many people in the world over take special time to look after those
who are less fortunate, let's open our date books and schedule a
week to dedicate time for special generosity in May and in August
to go with a heart committed to be generous all the time. Let's not
let generosity and concern for those less fortunate be a once a
year thing!

PRAYER:
For all of your wonderful gifts of kindness and grace, I thank
you, dear Father and God. Please stir my heart to care for others
as you do. Please help me keep that spirit of concern alive all
year long and not just around Christmas time. In Jesus' name I ask
this. Amen.

Forgive me, generous LORD, for my selfishness and greed.

2011-12-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or
of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper
for God's holy people.
-- Ephesians 5:3

THOUGHT:
"Not even a hint!" Hmmmm! Don't you wish it were true? The
church I attend and the person I see most often in the mirror don't
quite measure up to this directive. If sexual temptation doesn't
get us, greed often does. In a culture of conspicuous consumption,
greed concerns me more than the immorality and impurity. Not
because I am unconcerned with impurity, but because we have become
so calloused to our own greed. In this season of giving, let's
honestly examine our hearts about our "wanting," "getting," and
"possessing."

PRAYER:
Forgive me, generous LORD, for my selfishness and greed. Please
give me a heart like yours. You demonstrated that heart when you
shared your most precious gift with sinners like me. Now I am a
child at your table and an heir of your inheritance. Thank you for
your grace! Please, dear Lord, bless me with your Spirit who seeks
to bring about a generous and gracious heart within me. In the name
of the greatest gift of all, Jesus of Bethlehem, I pray. Amen.

God's people are blessed to be a blessing.

2011-11-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous
on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in
thanksgiving to God.
-- 2 Corinthians 9:11

THOUGHT:
As we examine our blessings and give thanks to God for his
wonderful grace, let's ask why God has blessed us so much. Let's
also remember the primary spiritual principle that God made clear
in today's Scripture and also in his call to Abraham in Genesis
12:2: God's people are blessed to be a blessing. Let's make sure we
are not just recipients of God's blessings. Let's commit to be
conduits of those blessings to others.

PRAYER:
Thank you, generous Father, for giving your many lavish gifts to
me. Open my eyes to see how I can pass on those blessings to those
around me. As I share the blessings you have so richly given me,
may others find their greatest blessing of all -- your loving grace
-- and give thanks to you! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

God blesses us!

2011-11-24T06:44:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your
heart; consider what great things he has done for you.
-- 1 Samuel 12:24

THOUGHT:
God is awesome and mighty. He can do anything he chooses to do.
So isn't it amazing that of all the things he could do, he chooses
to do one thing especially well: God blesses us! God blesses us
with material blessing; he blesses us with spiritual blessings; he
blesses us with big things; he blesses us with small things; he
blesses us with hope; he blesses us beyond pain; he blesses us now;
he blesses us in the future; he blesses us ...

PRAYER:
Generous and gracious God, thank you for blessing me in so many
ways. Please help me to be continuously aware of all of the
blessings that you do give me and please use my life to be a
blessing to others and a glory to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

What's the secret of having a good day?

2011-11-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may
sing for joy and be glad all our days.
-- Psalm 90:14

THOUGHT:
What's the secret of having a good day? How about waking up and
recognizing that we begin each day just as we ended the previous
one -- we are in the grip of God's unfailing love. That should make
our hearts stir with love and our voices sing with joy. This song
should stir God's Spirit within us and lead us to a deep and
profound thanksgiving that gladdens all of our days. So rather than
waking up tired, cranky, and dreading another day, let this day be
a reminder of God's grace in our daily lives and a reminder of
God's promises in our hearts. Then, I don't think we're going to
have any problem singing the rest of the day!

PRAYER:
Glorious Master and Eternal Father, thank you for pouring your
love and joy into my heart through your Holy Spirit. Fill my heart
and satisfy my life with a sense of your abiding and unfailing
love. In the name of my loving Savior, Jesus. Amen.

O LORD, please make us a more joyful and happy people

2011-11-19T06:09:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be
happy and joyful.
-- Psalm 68:3

THOUGHT:
Let's join our hearts together today, tens of thousands of us,
and let's pray for God to make us a joyful and happy people who
live righteously to his glory. For those in difficulty, let's pray
for our mighty God to give them reasons to rejoice. For those who
have been bountifully blessed, let's pray he opens our eyes to see
the glorious riches that he has already poured into our lives.

PRAYER:
Wondrous Father, LORD God Almighty, thank you so much for your
generous blessings. O LORD, please make us a more joyful and happy
people. For my Christian brothers and sisters in hardship, I pray
for your deliverance, victory, and blessing. For those of us who
have been richly blessed, I pray for us to have more appreciative
and thankful hearts. Thank you for always hearing my prayers. In
Jesus' name. Amen.

God's Holy Spirit pours out his blessing

2011-11-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the
dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my
blessing on your descendants.
-- Isaiah 44:3

THOUGHT:
Growing up in West Texas in part of my early years, I certainly
know what "thirsty land" truly is. The black dirt shrinks, leaving
deep cracks in the ground. All the grass turns yellow, then brown,
and then dies. A wisp of breeze stirs swirls of dust over the
barren land. When the downpour finally comes, the "thirsty land"
swallows voluminous amounts of water as the rain runs off the wet
surface and finds its way into the deep cracks left from the
drought. The ground swells, the grass comes back to life, and life
is replenished. In a barren spiritual wasteland, God's Holy Spirit
pours out his blessing, brings times of refreshment, and
replenishes our thirsty hearts.

PRAYER:
Generous and loving Father, thank you for so many blessings you
have poured into my life. Most of all, dear Father, thank you for
the blessing of your presence, your strength, your grace, and your
refreshment given to me through your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I
thank you. Amen.

2011-11-09T06:58:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things
beyond our understanding.
-- Job 37:5

THOUGHT:
How does God help us know his will? Clearly God has given us the
Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to help us understand the
Scriptures. What about more subtle and less defined ways? Most of
us have had a "cluster of divine coincidences" (several events in
close proximity to prayer): a friend calls/writes at just the right
time; we read an article or hear a sermon that has a comment or two
directed at just the area of our concern or confusion; several
songs in worship convict us in the area on which we are seeking the
Lord's guidance; or we simply feel a pull on our conscience that
helps us discern right from wrong in a difficult situation. God
really means it when he says that if we will pray for wisdom
without doubting he'll give it to us and that if we are truly
seeking him we will find him. His voice does thunder in marvelous
ways!

PRAYER:
Holy God, please help me discern your will about several
important matters in my life. I don't want to make my decisions
based on my limited human wisdom. Please lead me by your Spirit in
the direction you want me to go and use me to bring you glory and
praise. Thank you for caring about my life enough to show me your
way more clearly. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

God is faithful! Scripture declares it

2011-11-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
-- 1 John 1:9

THOUGHT:
God is faithful! Scripture declares it. We've experienced it. In
fact, we cherish this promise from God, especially when things
don't turn out as they "should." So when Satan does trip us with
temptation and when we are weak or rebellious, isn't it comforting
that we can be forgiven and made clean again? God wants us to call
our sin what he calls it. (To "confess" literally means to "say the
same" thing about it as God does!) Incredibly, God does more than
forgive us. He also cleanses us. We're made new, fresh, pure, and
holy once again! That is more than being faithful and just; that's
being downright gracious.

PRAYER:
I do not have the words, Father, to express my appreciation for
your gracious forgiveness and cleansing of me. I am deeply sorry
for my weakness, my stumbling, and my rebellion. I deeply regret
disappointing you. Thank you for welcoming me back into your
presence and reminding me that I am your beloved child. Please
empower me to grow past my failures and to mature more fully into
the holiness of your Son, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

2011-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life.
--Romans 5:10

I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is
not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize
what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis
on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts
me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God
because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief
accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous
Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with
God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand
justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have
repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God
brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do
not know how, that I am saved.

The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the
sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the
Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new
creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the
marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all
experience. The impregnable safety of justification and
sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things
ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The
supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the
realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - "It is finished."

IS GOD'S WILL MY WILL?

2011-10-25T12:13:00.001-07:00

This is the will of God, even your sanctification.
-- 1 Thessalonians 4:3

It is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me; is it
my will? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made
possible by the Atonement? Am I willing to let Jesus be made
sanctification to me, and to let the life of Jesus be manifested in
my mortal flesh? Beware of saying - Oh, I am longing to be
sanctified. You are not, stop longing and make it a matter of
transaction - "Nothing in my hands I bring." Receive Jesus Christ to
be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel
of the Atonement of Jesus will be made real in you. All that Jesus
made possible is made mine by the free loving gift of God on the
ground of what He performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified
soul is that of profound humble holiness (there is no such thing as
proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense
of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing
realization that the love of God commended itself to me in that while
I cared nothing about Him, He completed everything for my salvation
and sanctification (see Rom. 5:8. R.V.). No wonder Paul says nothing
is "able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord."

Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with
God, and it is done only through the superb Atonement of Christ.
Never put the effect as the cause. The effect in me is obedience and
service and prayer, and is the out come of speechless thanks and
adoration for the marvellous sanctification wrought out in me because
of the Atonement.

Please teach me the balance between work and rest.

2011-10-14T16:16:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes
hungry.
-- Proverbs 19:15

THOUGHT:
I was raised in a family with three boys. Dad had a theory: A
certain amount of testosterone had to be burned off by each boy
every day. If it weren't burned off daily, the house would quickly
become unlivable. Dad didn't have to memorize Proverbs 19:15 - it
was embedded in his DNA! Growing up, I didn't appreciate the
importance of hard work. I knew they didn't call it "hard" by
accident! I was content to be a lollygagger (in East Texan English,
that's Solomon's ol' lazy, shiftless man). As I've grown older,
I've found that working hard with my hands has many redeeming
qualities and being a lollygagger has none!

PRAYER:
El Shaddai, God over all things, please teach me the balance
between work and rest. Help me to balance both, so that I can bring
you honor and display your gracious rule over my heart and my time.
In the name of Jesus I ask this. Amen

Forgive me, Father, for lingering on yesterdays,

2011-10-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.
-- 1 Corinthians 6:11

THOUGHT:
Following a list of vices, both scandalous and common, Paul
finishes with this incredible word of grace. We all have a tendency
to live in the land of "I-used-to-be." For some of us, our past
accomplishments become our excuse to live in the arrogant afterglow
of yesterday. Paul wrote Philippians 3:4b-9 for this group. For
others of us, the wounds and sins of our past become the bag of
rocks we drag with us through the rest of life. We take those
"rancid rocks" out and inspect them once again to our misery. We
use them as proof of why we can't move on with our lives. What a
glorious awakening Paul gives us in this passage. In Christ, there
are no more bags and no more rocks. We're clean! We're made holy!
We're declared innocent of any wrongdoing. How? Why? Who? The
sacrifice and triumph of Jesus and the powerful work of the Holy
Spirit.

PRAYER:
Forgive me, Father, for lingering on yesterdays, ruining my
todays, and clouding up my tomorrows. Help me with my tendency to
live in the land of "I-used-to-be." Give me the courage to believe
that you have put my past in its proper place and want to do a new
glorious thing in me today, a glorious and gracious thing that
brings you honor and me salvation! In Jesus' name I thank you.
Amen.

You see, true grace changes us!

2011-10-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
If you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his
commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your
fathers.
-- 1 Samuel 12:15
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Samuel+12:15

THOUGHT:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said more than 50 years ago that grace had
become cheapened. I wonder what he would say today? I'm all for
grace, but I'm horrified at the cost by which it came. I can't for
the life of me understand how we can so often claim to have
received it and yet bear no resemblance in character to the one who
gave it. God's Word through Samuel is a harsh one. Yet it is one
that I believe we must include in our triumphant song of grace. You
see, true grace changes us. It will make us gracious and more like
the Grace-giver himself. If not, what we call grace is impotent,
powerless, and false. Paul called this a form of religion that
denied God's true power in us (2 Timothy 3:5). Let's return
obedience back to the pantheon of virtues and rescue it from the
attic of our religious past.

PRAYER:
Father, I know that you are disappointed with my sin and yet
your grace still flows and covers it. But Father, I NEVER want to
presume on that grace. You and I know the deepest struggles of my
character and the things I only want to "kinda" give up. Please
work your perfection in me through the Holy Spirit, conforming me
to be more and more like my Savior Jesus, in whose name I pray.
Amen.

Can you trust what you don't see?

2011-09-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you
do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of
your faith, the salvation of your souls.
-- 1 Peter 1:8-9

THOUGHT:
Can you trust what you don't see? Of course! What kind of
question is that? Our lives depend on what we cannot see -- things
like gravity and the air we breathe, just to name two. Faith in
Jesus is as natural as faith in each of those things. The problem
is that our hearts are skeptical. We find it hard to believe that
anyone divine would love us so much. Our experience says, "If it
seems too good to be true, it is." That skepticism is just the
twisted form of the response God longs to see from us:
"inexpressible and glorious joy." I don't know about you, but I've
tasted both. I prefer joy over skepticism!

PRAYER:
What joy fills my heart, Father, when I anticipate what it will
be like to be in your presence -- to have you wipe each tear from
my eyes and to have you introduce me again to those I love and to
those I've only known by reputation. Please never let me outlive
that sense of anticipation and never let that hope dim in my heart,
no matter what else may happen in my life here. In Jesus' name I
pray. Amen.

We have no right to presume God's forgiveness!

2011-09-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver
us and forgive our sins for your name's sake.
-- Psalm 79:9

THOUGHT:
We don't deserve the grace we need! We have no right to presume
God's forgiveness! We have no reason to expect divine deliverance!
But in Jesus, God has shown us his incredible love and generosity.
We can confidently call out for his mercy and receive his grace,
forgiveness, and deliverance -- not because we deserve it, but
because of who he is and for the sake of his glorious name.

PRAYER:
Holy and awesome God, I need your grace and forgiveness. I need
your deliverance from the tempter's snare. Without your power and
mercy, I will surely fail. May the grace you extend to me bring you
praise. May the forgiveness you lavish on me bring others to honor
you. May your deliverance of me from the tempter's snare bring
glory to your name. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

All sorts of things can distract us from Kingdom matters

2011-09-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Jesus said, "The one who received the seed that fell among the
thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life
and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."
-- Matthew 13:22

THOUGHT:
All sorts of things can distract us from Kingdom matters. The
wear and tear of everyday life can make it hard to keep our
spiritual focus. But in an affluent society, our desire for riches,
our pursuit of material things, and our selfishness with wealth can
entangle us in worry. Worry can stifle our faith. Eventually the
fruitfulness of the Gospel is choked out and we lose our spiritual
vitality. Our greatest riches are found in Jesus. If he is our
priceless treasure and the Kingdom is our highest priority, then we
can handle the other things that come our way.

PRAYER:
Gracious Father, please help me to faithfully use the blessings
you have lavishly poured out upon me. Please don't let me be
deceived or owned by the things I possess, nor do I want to covet
what I do not have. Give me an undivided heart about the matters of
your Kingdom. Please bring to life in me the fruitfulness of a
heart full of your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return

2011-09-21T21:28:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our
days as of old.
-- Lamentations 5:21

THOUGHT:
When these words were first spoken, they focused on God's
restoration of Israel back to its place, its prominence, its life,
and its Temple. Yet from our vantage point, this prayer can be ours
as well. Restoration can mean Christ's return which brings us home
to God. On that day, every barrier standing between God and us will
fall. Our mortality will be swallowed up in victory. We will see
God face to face and get to walk with him in the cool of the day as
his perfect children. May that day come soon!

PRAYER:
Holy and awesome God, I know a huge gulf stands between your
perfection and my limitations. Yet, dear Father, I believe you have
spanned that gulf with your grace. While I wait for that perfection
to dawn in all its fullness, please empower me for my battles with
the Evil One and deliver me from all spiritual harm and attack.
Until the day I see you face to face, please accept my
all-too-limited and human praise for all you have done to save me.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

MISSIONARY MUNITIONS

2011-09-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet,
ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
John 13:14

Ministering as opportunity surrounds us does not mean selecting our
surroundings, it means being very selectly God's in any haphazard
surroundings which He engineers for us. The characteristics we
manifest in our immediate surroundings are indications of what we
will be like in other surroundings.

The things that Jesus did were of the most menial and commonplace
order, and this is an indication that it takes all God's power in me
to do the most commonplace things in His way. Can I use a towel as He
did? Towels and dishes and sandals, all the ordinary sordid things of
our lives, reveal more quickly than anything what we are made of. It
takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the meanest duty as it ought
to be done.

"I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to
you." Watch the kind of people God brings around you, and you will be
humiliated to find that this is His way of revealing to you the kind
of person you have been to Him. Now, He says, exhibit to that one
exactly what I have shown to you.

"Oh," you say, "I will do all that when I get out into the foreign
field." To talk in this way is like trying to produce the munitions
of war in the trenches - you will be killed while you are doing it.

We have to go the "second mile" with God. Some of us get played out
in the first ten yards, because God compels us to go where we cannot
see the way, and we say - "I will wait till I get nearer the big
crisis." If we do not do the running steadily in the little ways, we
shall do nothing in the crisis.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life

2011-09-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

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

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.

Please give me wisdom this week...

2011-09-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
We were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on
earth are but a shadow.
-- Job 8:9

THOUGHT:
While Job never learned why he suffered, he did learn his place
in the universe before the Almighty God (Job 38-41). When we are
young, time passes so very slowly -- especially if we are waiting
for something special! But as we get older, the years fly by more
and more quickly. Yet despite all our learning, despite all our
experience, we come to two great awakenings: our knowledge compared
to what there is to know is so very small and our place in the
passage of time is so very short. Both of these awakenings prepare
us to turn our lives and future over to our God who longs to bring
us to himself.

PRAYER:
Holy and Almighty God, my Abba Father, thank you so much for
your overwhelming patience as you try to communicate your love to
people like me with my limited abilities to comprehend your
magnificence and glory. Please give me wisdom this week, to make
the decisions I need to make and to choose your way and not my own.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Thank you for the gift of being your child

2011-09-02T16:38:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and
unsearchable things you do not know.
-- 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.

Thank you Jesus for all you have blessed me with.

2011-08-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
-- Mark 10:25

THOUGHT:
It is so easy to think of ourselves as average people who are
not rich. But bottom line, if we have access to a computer to read
e-mail, we're richer than most of the world. Let's not let our
"stuff" get in the way of our faith and compassion. God wants to
help our camels get through the eye of the needle. He will, if we
remember that what we have is a gift from him, and that he intends
for us to use it to bless others and honor him.

PRAYER:
Tender Father, it is sometimes very hard for me not to worry
some about money issues. I know that I am richly blessed and have
so many advantages. But Father, I don't want to be owned by the
things I possess and I don't want to be sidetracked by trying to
acquire what I don't have. Please help me as I seek to be rich in
kindness, generosity, and thankfulness with whatever you choose to
bless me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

John 6:66 - This verse haunts me.

2011-08-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer
followed him.
-- John 6:66

THOUGHT:
This verse haunts me. Not just because of the three numbers in
the reference, but because it is a great reminder that many folks
simply gave up following Jesus when things became hard to
understand. When he shattered their preconceived notions of
religious things, when he confronted them about their motives, they
went away. What will I do when things get difficult in my
discipleship and I can't figure out all the answers to what is
going on? I hope, I pray, I trust that I will follow until the way
and the will of the Lord become more clear!

PRAYER:
Awesome God, I confess openly that I cannot begin to understand
all the complexities of your will and the way you work in our
world. But Father, when I'm confused, please bring into my life
people who will help me hang on to my faith until the confusion
passes. And today, dear Father, please use me to help bless someone
who is struggling with his or her faith. In Jesus' name I ask it.
Amen.

God is a giving and generous God.

2011-08-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will
himself be refreshed.
-- Proverbs 11:25

THOUGHT:
God is a giving and generous God. He longs for his children to
be like him in this grace. Our place on earth is not to be hoarders
or collectors of blessing, forgiveness, wealth, and opportunity.
No, following the lead of our Eternal Father, we are to be conduits
of blessing, forgiveness, wealth, and opportunity. As we are
generous like God, we trust that he will in turn make sure we are
blessed and refreshed in the ways that will draw us more and more
into his character and more able to help others in the future.

PRAYER:
Holy God, I thank you for all the great examples of generosity
that have graced my life. Whether rich or poor, these conduits of
your grace have taught me that I, too, can be more like you in this
way. Bless my heart with trust and faith as I seek to be more
generous with others in my grace, forgiveness, finances,
encouragement, and time. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Thank you for delivering me so often from my stupidities

2011-08-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
-- Proverbs 6:28

THOUGHT:
I don't know about where you are, but this time of year, it's
really hot in Austin, Texas. You don't have to worry about hot
coals; just try the sidewalk. But this reminder about scorching
coals is sure good for me. We get to feeling so strong inside
spiritually, or we get seduced by a "favorite" temptation, and we
decide we can flirt with what is sinful. But the Holy Spirit
reminds us through the Wise Man that when we flirt with evil, we're
eventually going to get burned.

PRAYER:
Almighty God, loving Father, and tender Shepherd, please forgive
me. I confess that sometimes I allow myself to flirt with what is
not wholesome, right, and holy. Thank you for delivering me so
often from my stupidities in this area and bless me with strength
and renewed conviction as I seek to offer myself fully and
completely to you and as I seek to flee what is dangerous and
sinful. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"

2011-07-24T06:19:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
-- Ecclesiastes 7:10

THOUGHT:
The only thing we get by spending our time looking in the rear
view mirror is a big disaster in our front windshield! Our best
days as Christians are always ahead. Jesus has promised to return
and take us home to God -- what better future could there be! So
let's not get distracted with nostalgic cynicism. We can thank God
for his past blessings, but let's not waste the present with
pessimism. Let's make a commitment to redeem our time and trust
that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead also holds our
future in his hands.

PRAYER:
Holy God, give me a sense of purpose in each day that you give
me life and give me an optimistic outlook on the future and on my
Lord who will meet me there. Please help me have a sense of genuine
joy knowing that no matter where the road leads me today, I will
journey with you. In Jesus' name I thank you for being my loving
God and eternal Father. Amen.

Do not neglect your gift...

2011-07-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a
prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
-- 1 Timothy 4:14

THOUGHT:
Life seems so busy, so full of distractions and "to do" lists.
Let's not let our "busyness" keep us from our Father's "business."
Let's find the ways God has gifted us to serve him and his people;
then let's dedicate ourselves to that with all our heart, soul,
mind, and strength.

PRAYER:
Gracious God, you have blessed me in so many different ways.
Thank you for all these touches of your grace. But Father, I need
your help to more clearly see how you have gifted me to serve you
and to more passionately make that service a key priority in my
life each day. Thank you for always hearing my prayers. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

Jesus taught us that worship is not about a place, but about our Father

2011-07-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Above him were seraphs, each with six wings ... and they were
calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the
whole earth is full of his glory."
-- Isaiah 6:2-3

THOUGHT:
Jesus taught us that worship is not about a place, but about our
Father (John 4:21-24). Knowing that our Father is worshipped by the
heavenly hosts should inspire us, humble us, and motivate us to do
the same, no matter where we may find ourselves. Above all other
qualities, God is holy. Three times the heavenly beings acknowledge
his holiness -- he is special, undefiled, pure, perfect, and
something much more than everyday and mundane. His glory fills the
earth and sky. He is bigger than all we can imagine. He is worthy
of our worship, reverence, and awe.

PRAYER:
Holy God, Holy Father, Holy King of the ages, I praise you for
the wonderful gift of your grace. I know that in comparison to your
glory, I am not worthy to be in your presence. But you have made me
worthy and holy by the sacrificial blood of Jesus, the Lamb slain
for my sins. Thank you for this incredible gift so that I may
worship you as I should! In Jesus' name I praise you. Amen.

APPREHENDED BY GOD

2011-06-28T10:08:00.001-07:00

If that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended.
--Philippians 3:12

Never choose to be a worker; but when once God has put His call on
you, woe be to you if you turn to the right hand or to the left. We
are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but
because God has apprehended us. There is never any thought of - "Oh,
well, I am not fitted for this." What you are to preach is determined
by God, not by your own natural inclinations. Keep your soul
steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not to
bear testimony only, but to preach the gospel. Every Christian must
testify, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the
agonizing grip of God's hand on you, your life is in the grip of God
for that one thing. How many of us are held like that?

Never water down the word of God, preach it in its undiluted
sternness; there must be unflinching loyalty to the word of God; but
when you come to personal dealing with your fellow men, remember who
you are - not a special being made up in heaven, but a sinner saved
by grace.

"I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do . .

Every day must be greeted as a gift from God

2011-06-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for
man to direct his steps.
-- Jeremiah 10:23

THOUGHT:
While we may have goals and a sense of mission about our lives,
our lives are not really ours to plan. Every day must be greeted as
a gift from God. Every goal must ultimately be pursued to his
glory. Every true sense of direction is a gift to us from our
Father's Word or his Spirit.

PRAYER:
Wise and loving Father, lead me by your Holy Spirit. Fill me
with your holy wisdom. Guide me into a more complete understanding
of your will for my life. Please give me the wisdom to live each
day with character and holy grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Do I want to get there?

2011-06-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Come unto Me.
Matthew 11:28

Do I want to get there? I can now. The questions that matter in life
are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words - "Come
unto Me." Not - Do this, or don't do that; but - "Come unto Me." If I
will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordance
with my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually
find the song of the Lord begin.

Have you ever come to Jesus? Watch the stubbornness of your heart,
you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing -
"Come unto Me." If you want the actual experience of ceasing from
sin, you must come to Jesus.

Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word
"Come." At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the
Lord - "Come unto Me," and you are drawn immediately. Personal
contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and
commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the
will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to
Him.

". . . and I will give you rest," i.e., I will stay you. Not - I will
put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will
get you out of bed, out of the languor and exhaustion, out of the
state of being half dead while you are alive; I will imbue you with
the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital
activity. We get pathetic and talk about "suffering the will of the
Lord!" Where is the majestic vitality and might of the Son of God
about that?

O Father, please forgive us for choosing leaders for the wrong reasons...

2011-06-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a
man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who
will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not
be like sheep without a shepherd.
-- Numbers 27:16-17

THOUGHT:
Wow! For any city, county, or country electing new leadership,
or church selecting elders or ministers, what greater prayer could
there be?

PRAYER:
O Father, please forgive us for choosing leaders for the wrong
reasons and with the wrong character. Please raise up leaders at
every level of community that have integrity of character and a
deep concern for people. In the name of the Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Thank you, Jesus!

2011-05-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the
people and a light for the Gentiles.
-- Isaiah 42:6

THOUGHT:
God chose the Israelites to be his special nation. This wasn't
because they were better or brighter than other nations. No, God
chose them because of his love for Abraham and so he could bless
all nations of the earth through his chosen people.

PRAYER:
Father, I know you have blessed me with your salvation because
of your great mercy, grace, and kindness. In turn, please empower
me as I try to share your great blessings with others. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

THE HABIT OF WEALTH

2011-05-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

Partakers of the divine nature.

- 2 Peter 1:4

We are made partakers of the Divine nature through the promises; then
we have to "manipulate" the Divine nature in our human nature by
habits, and the first habit to form is the habit of realizing the
provision God has made. "Oh, I can't afford it," we say - one of the
worst lies is tucked up in that phrase. It is ungovernably bad taste
to talk about money in the natural domain, and so it is spiritually,
and yet we talk as if our Heavenly Father had cut us off with a
shilling! We think it a sign of real modesty to say at the end of a
day - "Oh, well, I have just got through, but it has been a severe
tussle." And all the Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He
will tax the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if
we will obey Him. What does it matter if external circumstances are
hard? Why should they not be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge
in the luxury of misery, we banish God's riches from our own lives
and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse
than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts
self-interest upon the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out
murmurings and our lives become craving spiritual sponges, there is
nothing lovely or generous about them.

When God is beginning to be satisfied with us He will impoverish
everything in the nature of fictitious wealth, until we learn that
all our fresh springs are in Him. If the majesty and grace and power
of God are not being manifested in us (not to our consciousness), God
holds us responsible. "God is able to make all grace abound," then
learn to lavish the grace of God on others. Be stamped with God's
nature, and His blessing will come through you all the time.

Wouldn't it be nice for God to let us off the hook at tax time?

2011-04-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if
revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then
honor.
-- Romans 13:7

THOUGHT:
Wouldn't it be nice for God to let us off the hook at tax time?
But he is calling us to his character, to be good, honest, and
holy. In a world that is fallen and needs redemption, we must learn
to live in it as God's children, but not possessed by it. So we
honor our responsibilities and commitments to others because in
doing so, we honor our Father.

PRAYER:
Holy God, bless my government that it may more wisely use the
taxes it collects from my fellow citizens and me. Please help me
show respect and honor today, so that my obedience to your will may
be personal and public, as well as private. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.

How do you invest your time?

2011-04-13T06:15:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
-- Psalm 144:4

THOUGHT:
Time is so precious -- time with our families, our children, our
parents, our friends, as well as our brothers and sisters in
Christ. How do you invest your time? Where do you invest it? You
know, it's really more valuable than the money we invest. Once it's
gone, it can't be reclaimed. So as you begin each day, ask God that
you will be able to "know the time," to see it for what it is and
to use it for its greatest good. Time passes quickly, and like the
shadows of early evening, it's not long before it is absorbed into
the gathering darkness of night.

PRAYER:
Eternal God, please give me the wisdom to use the time given me
today to do what is best, right, good, and profitable. I want to
invest my time in what is truly enduring. Please help me use my
time to influence and to bless all those with whom I interact so
that they are brought closer to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

At the cross, I see your love for me.

2011-03-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who
believes in me should stay in darkness.
-- John 12:46

THOUGHT:
One of the great stories in the Gospel of John is Nicodemus. He
came to Jesus at night and Jesus told him that those who love the
truth come to the light. Later, Nicodemus spoke up for Jesus even
though he was ridiculed for it. Then, at the worst possible time
politically and religiously, he showed himself as Jesus' disciple:
he took the broken and dead body of Jesus and helped Joseph of
Arimathea place him in a tomb. Nicodemus didn't stay in the
darkness. Neither should we. Jesus is the light of the world; if
our light cannot be found in him, how deep is our darkness!

PRAYER:
Father, I want to walk in the light with you. The darkness of
Calvary did not extinguish the light in Jesus; it made it burn more
brightly for me. At the cross, I see your love for me. At the
cross, I realize that Jesus took my sins away. At the cross, I see
Jesus' love for both you and me perfected. Thank you, Father for
your gracious salvation. Thank you, Jesus for your incredible
sacrifice. In the name Jesus, your perfect Lamb I pray. Amen.

Jesus, I am sorry for the times I have broken your heart with my rebellion and neglect.

2011-03-28T16:29:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and
testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray
me."
-- John 13:21

THOUGHT:
I can still remember my friend saying it in church one Sunday:
"We think so badly of old Judas for betraying the Lord for 30
pieces of silver, but how many times do we betray him for nothing?"
Ouch! What makes this so difficult for us to bear is Jesus' anguish
knowing one of his own would betray him. Let's make every effort
and call upon God's strength so that such betrayal can never be
true of us! And if it ever is, let's make sure we run toward his
grace with an honest desire to escape sin and come back to him!

PRAYER:
Jesus, I am sorry for the times I have broken your heart with my
rebellion and neglect. Father God, I apologize for my lack of
passion and zeal for your Son's sacrifice that saved me from sin
and death. I want to live more vibrantly for Jesus so others may
see him and come to know him. It is in his precious and holy name I
pray. Amen.

God is not only our protector; he is our helper.

2011-03-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the
mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
-- Psalm 46:1-2

THOUGHT:
God is not only our protector; he is our helper. Even when our
world seems to be crashing around us, he is there. He will deliver
us from death or deliver us through death. He will deliver us from
evil or he will deliver us to overcome evil. Our task is to trust
that in the midst of our earthquakes and tidal waves that we are
not alone and not abandoned.

PRAYER:
Holy God, I pray for those today who are in the middle of life's
earthquakes. You know those for whom I am concerned. You know I
care about their struggles which are too big for me to mitigate and
too painful for me to truly bring comfort. I ask you now to bless
them, be with them, and please deliver them quickly. You are our
only true hope and Jesus is our only sure redeemer. In the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Your love that led you to such sacrifice is beyond comprehension.

2011-03-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He
appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by
angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the
world, was taken up in glory.
-- 1 Timothy 3:16

THOUGHT:
Why would Jesus do it? How did he do it? How was he "God with
us" and still in "human flesh"? We cannot fully comprehend it, but
he was! The Son of God was also Jesus of Nazareth, born and placed
in a manger and crucified on a cross. But he was raised from the
dead and shown to be God's Son with power. He was seen by angels,
both on earth after his resurrection and in heaven at the throne of
God. He has been preached and believed on by people all over the
world. The glory that he has he will one day show and share with
us. If you want to understand godliness, then you begin with Jesus!

PRAYER:
Holy and marvelous God, your plan to redeem and save a sinner
like me, along with those like me all around the world, is
incredible. Your love that led you to such sacrifice is beyond
comprehension. I thank you for this overwhelming grace. I ask you
to forgive me of my sins. Please empower me with your Spirit that
raised Jesus from the dead so the mystery of your godliness may be
seen in my life today, in my family, among my friends, before my
co-workers, by those with whom I attend school, and especially in
the presence of my enemies. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen.

Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.

2011-03-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day
of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
-- Psalm 86:6-7

THOUGHT:
Sometimes there are no immediate answers. We have prayed and
cried and tried and gone sleepless and mourned and shouted. Still
there are no answers. The days roll by in an agonizing parade of
pain. Still there are no answers we can identify. What do we do? We
go to the Psalms. We let them raise up our heart's cry. We are
honest with the God of the entire universe and yet we can still
anticipate mercy from him. We are convinced that in our troubles,
he will not only hear us, but he will also care about what is
happening in our lives.

PRAYER:
Almighty God, the only true Healer of disease and Mender of
broken hearts, please hear the cry today of those I love who are in
such desperate situations. May your will be done in every one of
their lives with tenderness, grace, and a sense of your presence.
And Lord, please be near me, and help me see your answer to my
prayers. Forever yours in the name of Jesus. Amen.

We praise your mighty Name, O Lord

2011-03-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ.
-- Acts 2:36

THOUGHT:
More than titles, these two names of Jesus are the pillars
around which we can build our new lives in God's Kingdom. Jesus is
Lord! He is our Ruler and King. He is our Master and Teacher. Our
hearts are yielded to his will and open to his leading. We hold no
rival to Jesus in our hearts and lives. Jesus is the Christ! He is
the Messiah, the promised Savior of the Old Testament. He is the
one of whom the prophets spoke. Ruler and Savior, Master and
Messiah, Jesus is God's gift to bring us home. Jesus is the one who
went to the Cross to bring us forgiveness, redemption, and
salvation. The Crucified One is both Lord and Christ.

PRAYER:
We praise your mighty Name, O Lord, and thank you for your
gracious and sacrificial love. We praise you dear Father, for
sending your Son Jesus to die for our sins and to be raised for our
hope and salvation. Please help me, Sovereign God, to yield my
heart to Jesus my Lord as well as open my lips in praise to the
Christ of my salvation. In the mighty name Jesus and through the
intercession of the Spirit I pray. Amen.

God doesn't just forgive our sin; he purifies us of all unrighteousness

2011-03-01T06:51:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.
-- Psalm 103:12

THOUGHT:
Now that's a long way - from sun rising to sun setting, that's
how far God has removed our sins. But the key word is removed. When
we sin and come to God in repentance, God doesn't just forgive our
sin; he purifies us of all unrighteousness. What was unholy in me
is made righteous in him. What was impure is now clean. What was
stained is spotless. Why? How? We can now see more fully what the
Psalmist could know only in part. God doesn't see our sin, but
rather he sees Jesus' sacrifice. His blood purifies and cleanses
us! Our sin is gone and we are clean.

PRAYER:
Father of mercies, thank you for not only forgiving my sins, but
for removing them. I thank you that I can stand before you holy and
without fault because of the blood of Jesus and your gracious
desire to forgive. I now ask, Righteous Father, that you strengthen
me with your Holy Spirit so that my conduct will reflect the way
you see me in Jesus. In the name of the Christ, your Son and my
Savior, I pray. Amen.

We are set free to be God's children... for forever!

2011-02-24T07:54:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of
life set me free from the law of sin and death.
-- Romans 8:1-2

THOUGHT:
We are set free in Jesus from the most important bondage of all,
our fear of God's judgment. We are liberated from law, which
convicts and leads to death. We are set free by the Spirit to not
only fulfill what the Law intended, but also to be delivered from
the penalty of death that the Law required. In Jesus, and by the
power of his Spirit, we are set free to be God's children... for
forever!

PRAYER:
Abba Father, thank you for your deliverance. I know you paid a
very high price to give it to me. Forgive me for not letting that
deliverance make my heart soar with confident joy. Lead me by the
power of your Spirit so that I can experience the freedom and joy
of your salvation -- not just at the end of my days, but in the
moments of today, and each day you give me life. In Jesus' name I
pray. Amen.

Dear God, I love you!

2011-02-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
-- Psalm 63:3

THOUGHT:
Sounds like the words to some modern love song, doesn't it:
"Your love is better than life."? Well, it is a love song; it's
just not modern. While in the desert, David spoke of his longing
for the LORD. He recognized that life would be worthless if he had
to live it without the love of God. When is the last time you've
told God you loved him? When was the last time you sang a love song
to Jesus? No matter how long or short that time has been, today is
THE perfect time to let God know how precious his mercy is to you,
how liberating his grace is for you, and how his love is more
important to you than life itself.

PRAYER:
Loving Father, you have sacrificed so much for me and you have
given so much to me. I do not have adequate words to express my
thanks, my appreciation, and most importantly, my love for you. But
please receive my words knowing the commitment and passion of my
heart when I say, "Dear God, I love you." In Jesus' name I praise
and thank you. Amen.

What a wretched man I am!

2011-02-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of
death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!
-- Romans 7:24-25

THOUGHT:
While marred by sin and death, human beings are still created in
God's image and fashioned in our mother's womb by his Sovereign
care. But we bump up against the hard reality of our weakness and
failure. We cannot be like God in his most defining attribute,
holiness. We sin. We rebel. We fail. We do what we know we should
not do. We neglect the important matters of God's will and nitpick
at nothing. With our words, we hurt and injure those we love. Who
can save us from these bitter and limiting realities that we find
in ourselves? Praise and hallelujahs go to Jesus when we trust him
as our Messiah and Lord, since he can then save us from these evils
and make us ready to live a life of blessing to others and to God.

PRAYER:
Worthy of praise and honor are you God Most High. You are
mighty, holy, and beyond compare. You have also chosen to be
loving, generous, merciful, forgiving, and tender with us, your
children. Thank you for being God, just the way you have chosen to
reveal yourself to us as God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

What do you have that lasts forever?

2011-02-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying
love.
-- Ephesians 6:24

THOUGHT:
What do you have that lasts forever? Not much unless it is
connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. So many things we love and
pursue are hollow, fleeting, shallow, and vain. But grace comes,
grace stays, and grace lives with those whose love is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Neither time nor the grave can strip away our grace
in him when he is our Lord and he is our love.

PRAYER:
Holy God, I acknowledge that you loved me long before I knew
anything about you. I confess that despite your overwhelming love
for me, I have strayed from your will. But Father, deep within my
heart I love you and thank you for sending your Son Jesus. His
sacrifice and your mercy have not only given me hope, but they have
also given me confidence to face whatever lies ahead today and all
the days that follow. Please fill my heart with love for you and
your Son by the power of your Holy Spirit. Dear Father, may my
allegiance to you be as unwavering and undying as your love is for
me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

He doesn't waver! He doesn't change! Isn't that comforting?

2011-02-02T06:59:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting
shadows.
-- James 1:17

THOUGHT:
He doesn't waver! He doesn't change! Isn't that comforting? God
is consistent and in his consistency, he gives good gifts. He
created the world in all its majesty and gave it to us to use.
After sin strangled life, God gave us his great promise of
redemption and executed it through Abraham and the Israelites.
Because death claimed us, he gave us Jesus, crucified and
resurrected, to give us the assurance of our victory over sin and
death. There is no shadow in that brilliant light and we are
assured that light will keep on shining!

PRAYER:
Gracious and generous God Almighty, thank you for consistently
giving me your grace, your gifts, your love, and your promises. I
have no one; I have nothing that compares to you. Thank you for all
your many gifts in Jesus name! Amen.

Please use me to your glory today!

2011-01-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to
him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
-- Ephesians 3:20-21

THOUGHT:
Sometimes there is nothing left for us to do except praise God!
While we may sometimes dream of doing great things for God and his
Kingdom, the dreams aren't as big as God's plans. While we may be
richly talented, influential, powerful, or rich, these are merely
tools in God's hands, not symbols of our sufficiency. "God is able"
has to be one of the best and most accurate phrases in the Bible.
But this time, it's said about his work in you in me. He is able to
do much more than we imagine to work through and in us. What can we
say to that? Hallelujah!

PRAYER:
Loving Father, please help me better know and live your will. I
want to be your vessel of ministry, healing, blessing, and hope to
those around me at work and play. Please use me to your glory
today, and always. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

What motivates us to do what we do?

2011-01-23T06:00:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one
died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that
those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who
died for them and was raised again.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

THOUGHT:
What motivates us to do what we do? What drives us to
accomplish, to achieve, and to pursue even more? Paul said that
love was his compelling force. What would happen in our lives if
love was truly THE compelling factor in our motivation and
behavior? What if our desire to love those who do not know Jesus'
saving grace became our all-consuming concern? He died so that it
would be! Let's not disappoint him.

PRAYER:
God of eternity, please be with me as I seek to allow love to be
my primary compelling motivation in life. I want to show Jesus my
love and appreciation for all that he has done to save me. I want
to live for Jesus so others know he is Lord of my life. I want my
words and life to show his love to others so they can truly
experience it and come to know him. Please bless me as I pursue
this goal. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Please help me not to become cynical, negative, or bitter

2011-01-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:16

THOUGHT:
While we joke about growing older, the challenges of aging are
tough. We realize our mortality. Our bodies can betray us. We can't
do what we once could do. As Christians, we know that our aging
actually brings us closer to home and to the time when Jesus gives
us immortal bodies not subject to decay. God can help us use these
physical realities to be heavenly reminders of what is important.
With the help of his Spirit, we can be transformed to be more like
our Savior and to be more ready for our heavenly home!

PRAYER:
Almighty God, I confess that I like getting older less and less,
the older I get. I am thankful, however, that each day older I get,
the closer I am to coming home to you. Please help me not to become
cynical, negative, or bitter as I grow older. Instead, please renew
me and use me to bless others who need to find their way home to
you. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ALONE WITH GOD?

2011-01-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

When He was alone the twelve ... asked of Him ...
Mark 4:10

His Solitude with Us. When God gets us alone by affliction,
heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by
thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new fnendship -
when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded, and cannot
ask one question, then He begins to expound. Watch Jesus Christ's
training of the twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside,
who were perplexed. They constantly asked Him questions, and He
constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after
they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).

If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you,
and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with
your own soul. Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an
absolute confusion to you. We imagine we understand where the other
person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts.
There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed
by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when
Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up
with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy
ideas about our bodies? Jesus can expound nothing until we get
through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.

Our message is not ourselves.

2011-01-10T09:36:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and
ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:5

THOUGHT:
Our message is not ourselves. Jesus is Lord. One day all of
creation will acknowledge and praise him. But for the people around
us to praise Jesus today, they need to see him alive in us. We
serve others in Jesus' name. We are his body -- his hands of
compassion, his heart of mercy, and his voice of tenderness. So
let's lift up Jesus -- not just by telling others about him, but
serving others as his presence in the world.

PRAYER:
God of grace, thank you for the privilege of sharing your love
with others. Thank you for saving me FROM my sin. Thank you for
saving me FOR service to bless others for Jesus' sake. In the name
of Jesus, my Savior, I pray. Amen.

As Christians, we get a fresh and new start

2011-01-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old
has gone, the new has come!
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17

THOUGHT:
It's better than starting over! As Christians, we get a fresh
and new start. God not only forgave us, pardoned us, ransomed us,
and saved us; he also made us a new creation! And every time we
come to him, every day we rededicate ourselves to serve him, and
every new year we offer to him, we get a new start and a whole new
world. So as we begin this new year, let's begin by offering
ourselves to him, asking him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
and take leadership of our lives.

PRAYER:
Almighty and holy God, I want to glorify you and bring you
praise in the choices that I make, the people that I influence, the
words that I speak, and the actions that I take in this coming
year. I know that I am not guaranteed a single new day, but I want
each one that I live to be a day I have lived for your glory and
honor and praise. In the name of Jesus my Lord I pray. Amen.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

2010-12-31T07:05:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
This is what the Lord says, ... "Forget the former things; do
not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs
up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and
streams in the wasteland."
-- Isaiah 43:16,18-19

THOUGHT:
The year is gone, finished, past. We cannot reclaim it or undo
it. We cannot rest on the great distance it has brought us. If
tomorrow dawns, it will be another day, a new opportunity, and the
time to show our faith in Jesus as Lord. Let's journey forward,
knowing that God already inhabits the future and promises to
provide us refreshment on our journey there.

PRAYER:
Lord of all eternity, please help me to learn from my mistakes
this past year, but not to dwell on them. Please help me not rest
on my accomplishments in this past year, but use them to further
your work in me and through me. Please help me not quarrel with
those who injured me yesterday, last month, or this past year.
Instead, O Father, lead me in your paths and help me see your
mighty works this next year. In Jesus' name and by his power I ask
it. Amen.

Father, let me find rest in Jesus

2010-12-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
[Jesus said,] "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest."
-- Matthew 11:28
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Matthew+11:28

THOUGHT:
At the end of the year, it sure is nice to be invited to rest in
Jesus. So before we begin a new year, let's pause and place our
hopes, our future, our dreams, and especially our burdens down at
his feet and let him give us rest.

PRAYER:
Teach me, O God, to learn to rest in your grace and providence
more and worry less. I want to surrender my burdens to Jesus and
let him teach me his way and how to find his rest. Sometimes I am
so tired and weary I don't think I can continue; so please, dear
Father, let me find rest in Jesus. In his holy name I offer this
prayer. Amen.

Help me to be faithful to you in what I do and say

2010-12-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
The shepherds hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the
baby Jesus, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him,
they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this
child, and all who heard it were amazed ... But Mary treasured up
all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
-- Luke 2:16-20

THOUGHT:
The shepherds' reaction to baby Jesus is exactly what our
reaction will be when we see the returning Jesus: we will glorify
and praise God for all the things we see and hear and will find
that they are just as God has promised them to us. Since God kept
his word in the first coming of Jesus, we can be assured that he
will do it with the Second Coming of Jesus!

PRAYER:
Faithful and all powerful Lord, thank you for being trustworthy
and true. Help me to be faithful to you in what I do and say and
think during this stressful, yet marvelous time of the year. May I
never lose faith in the coming of Jesus and may my faith in him
ever shape my life to be more pleasing to you. In the name of your
holy Son I pray. Amen.

I've always been amazed at how God chose to place his Son into our world

2010-12-21T08:29:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
While [Joseph and Mary] were [in Bethlehem], the time came for
the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there
was no room for them in the inn.
-- Luke 2:6-7

THOUGHT:
I've always been amazed at how God chose to place his Son into
our world. He could have done it any way he wanted. But he chose
this way -- to enter the world in difficult times under difficult
circumstances as a helpless infant who must be cared for by parents
who were vulnerable to so many frailties. Yet in spite of the
challenges that lay ahead and the bewildering mystery that
confronted them, Joseph and Mary -- along with everyone around them
-- were caught up in the great joy of this new child. Thank God for
such new hope!

PRAYER:
Give me a heart of faith, O God, so that I might always see your
sovereignty and grace being poured out on me in special ways. I am
thrilled that you, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire
universe, chose to enter my world as a child. Thank you for
trusting your wonderful salvation to human flesh so we could know
that you deemed us worthy of entering our world to make us right
for yours. In the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

You are greater than I can imagine and your glory is without compare

2010-12-16T15:41:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior ... the Mighty One has done great things for me -
holy is his name."
-- Luke 1:46

THOUGHT:
While Mary's submission to God's will costs her in ways we can
never imagine, for Jesus to come to life in the hearts of people
today our attitude must be the same as her attitude was on this
night of miracle and mystery. We too, must be willing to be the
Lord's servant and offer him the praise of our lives and of our
lips. In Jesus, the Lord has done great things for us!

PRAYER:
Majestic Father, Almighty God, you have done wonderful things
for me. You have saved me from sin, you have paid the price for my
rebellion, and you have given me the promise of heaven and the Holy
Spirit to empower me there. You are greater than I can imagine and
your glory is without compare, yet you have stooped so low as to
reach me and then raised me back up with you by your grace. I can
never fully thank you, for you are more wonderful to me than my
words can declare or a thousand years of life could repay. In Jesus
holy name I give you all glory and praise. Amen.

Help me to know what it means to live your life

2010-12-11T11:35:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
[Jesus said,] "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me
you can do nothing. ... This is to my Father's glory, that you bear
much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
-- John 15:5,8

THOUGHT:
We take on Jesus' character (bear fruit) by remaining intimately
connected to him. The distance between heaven and earth is not so
great when heaven lives within us. In John 14, Jesus reminded us
that if we will obey him, he will come and live in us and will
reveal himself to us. So as we obey him, we know him better. His
life becomes real in us.

PRAYER:
Precious Lord, I want to obey your word, your will, and your
example. I want to obey you to honor you, to love you, and to know
you. So please, help me better come to know you as I more closely
walk in your steps. Help me to know what it means to live your life
in my world. Because of Jesus' mighty name I pray and thank him as
my Lord. Amen.

THE IMPARTIAL POWER OF GOD

2010-12-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
--Hebrews 10:1

We trample the blood of the Son of God under foot if we think we are
forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation of
the forgiveness of God and of the unfathomable depth of His
forgetting is the Death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the
outcome of our personal realization of the Atonement which He has
worked out for us. "Christ Jesus...is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." When we realize
that Christ is made all this to us, the boundless joy of God begins;
wherever the joy of God is not present, the death sentence is at
work.

It does not matter who or what we are, there is absolute
reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other
way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not
earned, but accepted. All the pleading which deliberately refuses to
recognize the Cross is of no avail; it is battering at another door
than the one which Jesus has opened. I don't want to come that way,
it is too humiliating to be received as a sinner. "There is none
other Name . . ." The apparent heartlessness of God is the expression
of His real heart, there is boundless entrance in His way. "We have
forgiveness through His blood." Identification with the death of
Jesus Christ means identification with Him to the death of everything
that never was in Him.

God is justified in saving bad men only as He makes them good. Our
Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The
Atonement is a propitiation whereby God through the death of Jesus
makes an unholy man holy.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

2010-11-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures
forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures
forever.
-- Psalm 136:1 and 26

THOUGHT:
Our thanks arises from the nature of God and his glory and
goodness. The steadfast reason we give thanks is because God is
good and his love is inexhaustible, beyond decay, and never ending.

PRAYER:
O great Lover of my soul, thank you for sending Jesus as the
demonstration of your love. I love you Father. I love you for who
you are and what you have done. I love you for what you have
promised. I love you for the blessings you shower upon me. I love
you for giving me hope. I love you because you first loved me. I
love you because you are worthy of all love. But I confess that my
love is not as strong as yours, so please, fill me with your love
by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, your Son and
my Savior, I lift my heart to you. Amen.

Today we sing out of gratitude.

2010-11-27T07:20:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and
admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
-- Colossians 3:16

THOUGHT:
We sing when we are happy. We sing when we are heartbroken.
Today we sing out of gratitude. God is not only worthy of all of
our praise, he is worthy of all of our thankfulness. But the basis
of all our songs is Jesus, and the proclamation of the good news
that brings life to us through him. As that message, that word of
Christ fills our hearts, we are tuned to be thankful children of
the Most High.

PRAYER:
I am so thankful today, Lord, for all the many blessings you
have poured into my life. Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness
give me hope for the future. Your gift of Jesus gives me life today
and promises life tomorrow. The incredible physical blessings, as
well as the blessings of family and friends are wonderful. But the
greatest of all blessings is the assurance that I will one day see
you face to face and share your glorious presence forever. In
Jesus' name I thank and praise you. Amen.

Worship is always about entering

2010-11-23T18:45:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Enter [the Lord's] gates with thanksgiving and his courts with
praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is
good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues
through all generations.
-- Psalm 100:4-5

THOUGHT:
Worship is always about entering - entering into grace, entering
with thanksgiving, entering to share with others, but most of all,
entering into the Lord's presence in a special way. But our
entering is not the basis of worship. Instead, worship is about the
Lord's faithfulness, goodness, and enduring grace. We come to God
like so many before us, with God waiting for us. We come to praise
him for all he has been, all he is, and all he will be. We come to
enter and worship. We can do this simply because God is faithful,
through all the generations, to wait for us to come.

PRAYER:
Faithful God, the Almighty Rock of Israel, the God on whom the
generations trusted, you alone, LORD, are God. I praise you for
your enduring grace and mercy. I praise you because I want my heart
tuned to your will. I praise you, because I want to prepare for my
longest lifetime, the one in your presence. I praise you in Jesus'
name. Amen.

IT IS FINISHED

2010-11-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.
--John 17:4

The Death of Jesus Christ is the performance in history of the very
Mind of God. There is no room for looking on Jesus Christ as a
martyr; His death was not something that happened to Him which might
have been prevented: His death was the very reason why He came.

Never build your preaching of forgiveness on the fact that God is our
Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. It is untrue to
Jesus Christ's revelation of God; it makes the Cross unnecessary, and
the Redemption "much ado about nothing." If God does forgive sin, it
is because of the Death of Christ. God could forgive men in no other
way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted to be Saviour
because of His death. "We see Jesus because of the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour." The greatest note of triumph
that ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded
on the Cross of Christ - "It is finished." That is the last word in
the Redemption of man.

Anything that belittles or obliterates the holiness of God by a false
view of the love of God, is untrue to the revelation of God given by
Jesus Christ. Never allow the thought that Jesus Christ stands with
us against God out of pity and compassion; that He became a curse for
us out of sympathy with us. Jesus Christ became a curse for us by the
Divine decree. Our portion of realizing the terrific meaning of the
curse is conviction of sin, the gift of shame and penitence is given
us - this is the great mercy of God. Jesus Christ hates the wrong in
man, and Calvary is the estimate of His hatred.

God longs to bless me

2010-11-20T18:30:00.001-08:00

VERSE:
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of
mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law
he meditates day and night.
-- Psalm 1:1-2

THOUGHT:
I get to choose which sources of information I feed my mind. But
this privilege and freedom is also a responsibility. God longs to
bless me, but that blessing remains dormant until my heart delights
in knowing and doing his will.

PRAYER:
Wondrous Creator, just as you fashioned such a beautiful world
and put me together in my mother's womb, I also ask that you create
in me a desire to know your truth and an insight in how to live
that truth. I know your Holy Spirit is in me to help me in this
journey, but I want so much to please you and bless you because of
all the ways you have blessed me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

WHEN HE IS COME

2010-11-19T08:21:00.001-08:00

And when He is come, He will convict the world of sin...
-John 16:8

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin; we know the
experience of being disturbed because of having done wrong things;
but conviction of sin by the Holy Ghost blots out every relationship
on earth and leaves one relationship only - "Against Thee, Thee only,
have I sinned!" When a man is convicted of sin in this way, he knows
with every power of his conscience that God dare not forgive him; if
God did forgive him, the man would have a stronger sense of justice
than God. God does forgive, but it cost the rending of His heart in
the Death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the
grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus
Christ alone that enables the Divine nature to for give and to remain
true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God
forgives us because He is love. When we have been convicted of sin we
will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary, and nothing
less; the love of God is spelt on the Cross and nowhere else. The
only ground on which God can forgive me is through the Cross of my
Lord. There, His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness means not merely that I am saved from hell and made right
for heaven (no man would accept forgiveness on such a level);
forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a recreated relationship,
into identification with God in Christ. The miracle of Redemption is
that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the
Holy One, by putting into me a new disposition, the disposition of
Jesus Christ.

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways.

2010-11-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

VERSE:
"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things
beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'"
-- Job 37:5-6

THOUGHT:
Isn't that a beautiful phrase! "God's voice thunders in
marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding."
Rather than spending a lot of time talking or thinking about how
marvelous God is, let's praise him in prayer.

PRAYER:
Holy, Righteous, and Eternal God! You alone are truly and fully
holy. I cannot but comprehend the distant outskirts of your ways,
but I love you. You are so far beyond me on my best days, I can't
quite understand why you would pay such a cost to redeem someone
like me. But, Dear God, I thank you and praise you from the bottom
of my heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Yes, there are things we don't like about our government.

2010-11-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for
there is no authority except that which God has established. The
authorities that exist have been established by God.
-- Romans 13:1

THOUGHT:
Yes, there are things we don't like about our government. But
God has truly blessed most of us so we can enjoy the protection of
the authorities where we live. But we also live in the time of some
of the greatest persecution ever known in the Christian era. So, as
we pray for our leaders and thank God for our freedoms, let's not
forget the persecuted church all over the world.

PRAYER:
O Great Deliverer, God of the Exodus, as you have shown your
power and deliverance in the past, we ask that you act today and
bless every believer who is persecuted for your sake. Please bless
them with tenderness, healing, and protection on this day. In the
powerful name of Jesus we ask it. Amen.

We've been picked to be on God's team and we were picked first!

2010-11-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
-- 1 Peter 2:9

THOUGHT:
We've been picked to be on God's team and we were picked first!
We have an important role to play in the unfolding of the world's
history. We're here to declare God's praises to those who don't
know him, so they can find his marvelous light and leave their
world of darkness.

PRAYER:
O Great Light of Eternal Hope, I praise you and thank you for
including me in your people. Now please move me and empower me to
share your Gospel with others so the world might truly know that
Jesus is Lord. In the name of my Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Praying for Afghanistan

2010-10-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Divine Guidance for Leaders

Scripture: “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” -Isaiah 30:21

Prayer: Lord, You command the symphony of creation. The stars twinkle, the oceans swell, and the birds on the mountains sing — all at Your bidding. Nothing is hidden from Your sight, and nothing is beyond Your reach.

I lift up the good men and women of Afghanistan who desire to lead their people into a new era of peace and prosperity. The challenges before them are great, but nothing is beyond Your reach. I am asking, Lord, for Your divine help and divine counsel to lead them through the obstacles they are facing.

Lord, we acknowledge that human skill and wisdom are not enough. These leaders need Your divine hand of guidance. I ask that You lead them with Your eye upon them. Speak to them about which way to turn and which choices to choose. I ask for dreams and angelic visitations to bring enlightenment, and equip them with wisdom and skills of leadership that can only be attributed to You.

In Jesus name, amen.

Don't you need a dose of the eternal today?

2010-10-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers
of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word
of the Lord stands forever.
-- 1 Peter 1:24-25

THOUGHT:
As the seasons change, the leaves fall, and the grass dies, we
are reminded once again of how short our lives are. Despite the
rapid advancements of technology, our deepest needs are addressed
only by the eternal and proven will of God in Scripture. Whether
you get your Scripture off the Bible on disk or from an old family
Bible, access it today. Don't you need a dose of the eternal today?

PRAYER:
As I age, I am constantly reminded, O God, of my transitory stay
on earth and your eternal reign in heaven. Give me a sense of my
place before you as I seek your will in your Word. In Jesus' name I
pray. Amen.

Protect the Children

2010-10-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Scripture: “May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.” -Psalms 72:4

Prayer: Thank You God that You are the defender of those who cannot defend themselves. You uphold the causes of the poor and needy and vulnerable. Thank You for Your love and Your justice!
We ask Lord that You would protect the children of Afghanistan. Keep them out of the crossfire, and send your angels to watch over them. Protect them from wicked men who would seek to exploit them for selfish gain. Raise up people who will build schools and provide education and opportunities for the children. Cover them with Your peace, and love. Thank you for dispatching Your power to protect and bless the lives of the children in Afghanistan.

Thank You God that You are everywhere, all the time, and You are able to do more than we ask or think. Thank You for caring for the precious lives of the children of Afghanistan! Prepare our hearts to take action Lord, if there is anything you want us to do to serve them in this season of unsettling. In Jesus matchless name, amen!”

Now thanks be to God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.

2010-10-24T09:55:00.001-07:00

The viewpoint of a worker for God must not be as near the highest as
he can get, it must be the highest. Be careful to maintain
strenuously God's point of view, it has to be done every day, bit by
bit; don't think on the finite. No outside power can touch the
viewpoint.

The viewpoint to maintain is that we are here for one purpose only,
viz., to be captives in the train of Christ's triumphs. We are not in
God's showroom, we are here to exhibit one thing - the absolute
captivity of our lives to Jesus Christ. How small the other points of
view are - I am standing alone battling for Jesus; I have to maintain
the cause of Christ and hold this fort for Him. Paul says - I am in
the train of a conqueror, and it does not matter what the
difficulties are, I am always led in triumph. Is this idea being
worked out practically in us? Paul's secret joy was that God took
him, a red-handed rebel against Jesus Christ, and made him a captive,
and now that is all he is here for. Paul's joy was to be a captive of
the Lord, he had no other interest in heaven or in earth. It is a
shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. The
Victor ought to have got us so completely that it is His victory all
the time, and we are more than conquerors through Him.

"For we are unto God a sweet saviour of Christ." We are enwheeled
with the odour of Jesus, and wherever we go we are a wonderful
refreshment to God.

If there is anything we don't like to do, it's wait

2010-10-21T21:31:00.001-07:00

VERSE:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the
Lord.
-- Psalm 27:14

THOUGHT:
If there is anything we don't like to do, it's wait. Maybe that
is why God is so interested in us learning to do it! There is
something purifying about remaining strong in tough times and
remaining faithful when ill winds blow. So God gives us times of
waiting to see if our search is really for him or merely for
something new or easy.

PRAYER:
Loving Father, I know you have waited for me so many times --
for me to show my faith, repent of my sins, grow in holiness, come
to you in prayer, act more mature, give to those who cannot return
my care ... Help me as I wait for you to show me the way with my
decisions, to act to relieve my need, and to reveal your presence
in my loneliness. I really do seek you with all my heart. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

Precious Father, you have done so much to save me

2010-10-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

VERSE:
The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant
known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will
release my feet from the snare.
-- Psalm 25:14-15

THOUGHT:
Where does true deliverance come from? Only from God.
Deliverance is found in God through deep reverential respect for
his holiness and might, through living in covenant relationship
with him, and through maintaining our focus on him. Any other roads
to deliverance are false and ultimately prove themselves to be a
snare. Like the tight rope walker whose eyes are not on the ground
or the surroundings, but on the rope in front of him where he will
walk, so too our eyes must be on the Lord. Only by looking to him
will he lead us to safety.

PRAYER:
Precious Father, you have done so much to save me. You who are
so holy and righteous, have reached down to take my hand when I was
a sinner and in rebellion to your love. Teach me your ways. Correct
the wrongs in my life. Guide me into the ways of your truth. I want
to not only be saved from my sin, but from days of uselessness and
frustration. Make me a vessel that can be used to honor you. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.