Monday, April 30, 2012

UNITY OF BELIEVERS

 
1 Peter 3:8


"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."NIV


"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."KJV


There is a reason that the Word tells us many times to be of one mind, unified, and in one accord. The Lord our God is One: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, perfect unity, oneness. Our Lord expects His bride, the Church, to be in perfect unity as well. Unfortunately, believers have made divisions among themselves over less important issues than the ones that matter. The true Church believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to earth to show us how to live, was crucified, and arose from the grave, now sitting with the Father in Heaven. He did this to make the final sacrifice for every sin of every human. Faith in this and repentance of a life of sin is what makes one a part of the Church. If all believers will unite on this Truth and leave behind differences of practice and interpretation of the Word, the gates of Hell will not prevail and the Church would be destroying the works of the devil that go on all around us.


Heavenly Father, as believers in You, we have our beliefs of what is right. We recognize that this has caused divisions in Your body, the Church. Open our hearts, our eyes, that we might clearly let the Holy Spirit direct us into unity with all believers; that we will be one with You. In Jesus Christ's name we pray, Amen.


           
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Sunday, April 29, 2012

ABOUNDING

 
2 Corinthians 9:8


"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."NIV


"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."KJV


There are times when we feel that our lives are surrounded by trouble, stress, and roadblocks from today's world. That's not always the case, there are also times when we are flourishing and the blessings of God are evident in our lives. But, no matter what our circumstances, we have God's guarantee that our work for His kingdom will succeed and produce fruit. Even more encouraging, God told us in His Word that He will abundantly bless us and that our work will flourish. Our God is so fully gracious and merciful.


Heavenly Father, we cannot thank You enough for Your blessings to us. We fall short in our reliance on You when things are not going well. Help us to keep our eyes on You as we go about Your business, in spite of what is going on around us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Saturday, April 28, 2012

HOLD ON

 
Hebrews 10:23


"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."NIV


Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised."KJV


Living in a world that is so unpredictable without mercy, it is almost impossible to trust in anything that will protect us and keep our lives in tact. As Christians, we can have trust in the unchangeable God Almighty who has promised that He will never forsake us. There is nothing in this world that can give us that kind of guarantee, even though many people and things try to make us believe they can do that. When all hope in this world and all that it offers is gone, there is our Lord who reigns in majesty and faithfulness. We can hold on to Him with no doubt.


Heavenly Father, thank You for Your steadfast love and faithfulness to us. May we use the faith You have given us to trust totally in You and Your Word that never changes. Help us to rid ourselves of any doubts we might have that You will always be with us. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Friday, April 27, 2012

WE ALL HAVE A GIFT

 
1 Corinthians 7:7


" . . .But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that."NIV


" . . .But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that." KJV


Just as each snowflake has it's own unique pattern, so all humans have a gift, a special talent. There are talents that require physical strength and agility. Other gifts require creative thinking or intellectual ways of thinking. There are gifts that show good will and helpfulness to others and those that require great speakers. We all have been given a gift. We take joy in the gifts of others just as we take joy in our own gifts that God has given us. In fact, if it were not for the truth that God gives all the gifts and we are all the recipients, we would have no gifts at all.


Heavenly Father, we give You praise and glory for the precious and various gifts You give. Help us to treasure and use our gifts for Your glory and encourage others to do so. Help us to never become conceited about our gift, but in humility, use our gifts together with those of others to show Your love and mercy to a dark and dying world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Thursday, April 26, 2012

IT'S ALL IN THE ATTITUDE

 
Philippians 2:14,15


"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation."NIV


"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."KJV


There are so many things on a daily basis that bring us frustration and irritation. How often do we mumble complaints or plainly argue about a situation? Doing so is the human side of us. As Christians, we show a different attitude toward stressful and trying times. If we are able to go through these things with a Godly attitude, no complaining, no arguing, but enduring and maturely talking through things, we will show that the light of Christ shines in us. We will be a testimony of the peaceful and pure life that following Christ produces. Those trapped in the darkness and deceit of this world will be affected in a positive way by our attitudes.


Heavenly Father, we ask for Your forgiveness for those times we have acted like the world and have grumbled and argued over difficult situations. Help us to let the Holy Spirit shine through us at these frustrating times so that our attitudes will show the ungodly that being a child of God is the way to true peace and love. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

NARROW AND LEAST TRAVELLED

 
Matthew 7:14


"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." NIV


"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."KJV


We live in a world where we have interstate highways and GPS systems that give us the most direct route to the place we are going. It makes our travelling so much easier and saves us time and gasoline. That's all well and good for earthly travelling. When it comes to the spiritual journey to eternal life with our Lord, it is a totally different story. There are no shortcuts. There is no wide 4 lane major road. There is no straight shot. The way is very narrow. It is so inconvenient and it is not the way we would choose. It is rocky and treacherous with many dangers along the way. Because of these things, the narrow path to eternal life is travelled by very few. It is bypassed, overlooked or simply rejected. But, it is the only way that leads to life.


Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided the Way for us to get to You. Even though the path is narrow and difficult, it is a journey that gives us such a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and closeness with You, that it is worth every step on that narrow pathway. You are always with us, right beside us as we travel it. We praise and thank You in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I WILL SERVE HIM ALWAYS

 
Job 13:15


"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him."NIV


"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."KJV


We can certainly get into some very troublesome and unbearable situations in this world. Many times we become weak and angry, blaming God or others for our problems. If we are faithful to His Word and communion with Him and fellow Christians, we will know that it isn't God who causes these things. Yes, He may allow them, but being a mature Christian is understanding that He allows things to further His kingdom and to make us more like Him. We are to accept tribulations of this world with joy, knowing it is temporary and it won't even be remembered in eternity where we will be with Him.


Heavenly Father, help us to mature, by increasing our hunger for the Word and fellowship with You and our Christian brothers and sisters. Help us get to the place that we will accept whatever is happening to us that we have no control, and rejoice that You are God and will never leave or forsake us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Monday, April 23, 2012

SIN STARTS IN THE HEART

 
Matthew 5:21,22


"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." NIV


"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." KJV


We often fail to acknowledge that sin is not just a behavior. If we have not acted on a thought or feeling, then we believe we have not sinned. According to God's Word, more specifically the words of Jesus while He was on earth, even if we think about killing, lusting, etc in our hearts, we have committed the sin. We cannot help thoughts that come into our minds, but we control what we do with them. If we entertain a thought that is contrary to the Word of God, we are sinning just as if we are carrying out the act. If we guard our hearts and minds against temptation, God will give us strength to put it out and keep us from being pulled into sin.


Heavenly Father, we understand that sin begins in our thoughts that we seem to hang on to and entertain. Please give us the strength and maturity to bring all our thoughts captive to Christ so we won't sin against You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Sunday, April 22, 2012

LIVING WORTHY

 
Colossians 1:10


"So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing In the knowledge of God." NIV


"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."KJV


How do we live a life worthy of the Lord? It certainly cannot be within our own power, as we are human and imperfect. It cannot be by what we feel 'living worthy' means, because we are all so different in our beliefs of what that might be, there would be no unity among us. Just as it says in the preceding verse, we pray to be filled with the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord through His Spirit, so that we will in obedience to that, walk worthy (v.9). It's the only way. We have access to it. Let us walk in it and please our Lord.


Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided the way for us to walk worthy in Your presence. Help us to be disciplined and obedient so that we will walk as You want us to walk. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Saturday, April 21, 2012

AFFECTED BY OUR ASSOCIATIONS

 
1 Corinthians 15:33


"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character." NIV


"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." KJV


How can we stay away from "bad company," those who are ungodly, when we have to work every with them and live next door to them? How can we keep ourselves from being affected and taking on their bad characteristics? If we are put in positions that cause us to have to be around ungodly people, God will protect us and discipline us to pray, read the Word, and stay close to Him. If we choose to be around ungodly people, it won't be long before we begin to show mannerisms, speech, and behaviors that are like theirs, ungodly and corrupted.


Heavenly Father, forgive us if we have chosen to spend time around ungodly people because that is what we have wanted to do. Help us when we are around the ungodly because they are family or co-workers or neighbors. Give us sensitivity to the Holy Spirit so that we will be able to stand strong in the holiness of Your kingdom. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Friday, April 20, 2012

CONTINUAL PRAISE

 
Hebrews 13:15


"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." NIV


By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." KJV


Just like we breathe and blink our eyes, as Christians, we will mature spiritually to the place where we are continually praising our Lord. It is a sacrifice, because we live in a world of many distractions and necessary tasks. We are never distracted from breathing or blinking our eyes, and when we are grown up spiritually, we will always be aware of our Lord and His holiness, giving praise as natural as breathing.


Heavenly Father, we pray that by the Holy Spirit, we will hunger for the Word and communion with You so that we will mature as Christians and become continual worshippers, praising You always. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Whose Slaves Are We?

 
2 Peter 2:19


"They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity, for, people are slaves to whatever has mastered them." NIV


"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."KJV


It's for sure that most of us would deny that we are mastered by anything but God and ourselves. But if we take a much deeper look inside and let the Holy Spirit reveal truth to us, we will find that there are other masters lurking within us that we refuse to admit. Many things overcome us, or render us weak to deny and we give in to them. This means those things are our masters. It could be our families, our possessions, our jobs, our talents, or hobbies. If we do not have full control over them and God is not above them, we are slaves to them. God says we will have no other gods before Him. If we ask Him to search our hearts and get rid of those things that make us slaves, we will be slaves to God only and serve Him with joy and peace.


Heavenly Father, we ask that the Holy Spirit would reveal to us if there are masters other than God within our hearts and lives. If there are, help us by the power of the Holy Spirit and our faith to get rid of those things so that they no longer have control over our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

PONDERING OUR BEHAVIOR

 
Psalm 101:2


"I will be careful to lead a blameless life--when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart."NIV


"I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."KJV


Taking control over our behavior is difficult in this world. Can we really be careful and act wisely and perfectly in all that we do. With God's help we can do anything. He does expect us to exercise our faith. As a result, we will be pondering, considering deeply, meditating and carefully weighing in our minds the things we do. Sometimes, we have time to really thoughtfully consider our behaviors, but at other times, we are right on the spot and need to be ready to act in Godly ways. Staying in prayer and the Word will make us ready to behave in the way the pleases and glorifies God.


Heavenly Father, please forgive us for the times we fail to give thought to the things we do and cause our testimony to suffer. Help us to discipline our faith so that we might pray and study the Word so that we will be ready to live and behave in ways that glorify You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

GUARANTEED RESCUE

 
2 Timothy 4:18


"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen."NIV


"And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."KJV


The Lord does not rescue us so that we will never be attacked or even that we will never be harmed. However, the Lord has promised that He will deliver us, give us victory over, bring us safely home if necessary, from an evil attack. In this world we will have tribulation. If we put our faith and trust in the Lord, He will see to it that we are victorious over evil, whether in this world or in eternity.


Heavenly Father, help us to realize that while we are in this world we will be subject to evil attacks. Help us to remember that You are watching over us and will see to it that we will rise above the evil in whatever way You have planned for us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Monday, April 16, 2012

OUR TONGUE AND WHAT WE SAY

 
1 Peter 3:10


"For whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech."NIV


"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile."KJV


I think we all want to live our lives as contented and comfortable as we can given the cursed world in which we live. One way to do that is to keep our speech pure from being negative toward others. It always happens that we say something not so nice about someone and it somehow always gets back that we were the ones who said it. Now our lives are not so content and comfortable. We have been exposed as gossips, talking bad about other people. Its not only embarrassing and humiliating, but we have just tarnished our Christian testimony and weakened it before the people who know us. Can we see how critical it is to keep our speech pure and Christ-like? If we don't feel we can say something positive about someone, let's just keep silent.


Heavenly Father, forgive us for those times we have let our tongues roll and have spoken words of negativity, hurtful things, private things that demean and embarrass another person. Give us control of our speech so that we might encourage and lift others up and keep silent when we can find nothing good to say. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.


           
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Sunday, April 15, 2012

SCRATCH MY EARS?

 
2 Timothy 4:3


"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."NIV


"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears."KJV


When we have something we want to accomplish, we make it a priority to look for the easiest, most convenient way to get the job done. It is no different in these day for us when we look for ways to grow as Christians. The problem is, there are currently teachers, well known and well followed, who bypass things like self-sacrifice, suffering for Christ, enduring hardship. Of course our natural inclinations are to listen to the ways we can be overcomers by bypassing those things Christ told us we would have to experience. These false teachers speak words that lead us to believe all we have to do is claim what is rightfully ours and we can live in prosperity. Yes, the word says God wants us to prosper in all ways, but if we are only prospering in material things, we are missing the mark totally. If we claim we have died with Christ and are alive in Him, there are no shortcuts, no ways we can escape the trials and tribulations of this world. And God is not an ordering house or a candy machine. We are His servants, He is not ours. We obey Him even if it means suffering.


Heavenly Father, heal our itching ears and help us to discern the true teachings and not follow those teachings that sound good and make it look like a better way for us. May we always follow Your truth, no matter what the cost. In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen.



           
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Saturday, April 14, 2012

SUFFERING WILL BE LIKE NOTHING

 
Romans 8:18


"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."NIV


"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."KJV


Can any of us truly say we have not suffered, gone through some trial, been in a time of trouble? I don't think anyone could. Jesus himself said we would have trouble in this world. As we are going through such things there are many personal responses to it. Some become angry and blame God for allowing it to happen. Others suffer in silence yet sadness that they have to endure such hardship. Some seek worldly ways to stop the pain and suffering. Perhaps there are those who pray for deliverance and for God's will. We are told in the Word that whatever horrible, suffering, and trouble we are experiencing in this world cannot even be compared, cannot even be significant in the light of the glory that awaits us. This glory will be revealed in us, and the suffering and trouble will be no more.


Heavenly Father, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that the things of this world are only temporary, even pain and suffering. Help us to live in Your promise that this is all nothing compared to what we will experience when we come into Your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Friday, April 13, 2012

THE WATER THAT QUENCHES ETERNALLY

John 4:14


"But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."NIV


"But whosoever drinketh of this water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water I give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."KJV


Let's be honest. Don't we all look for things to satisfy our own wants, needs, and desires? Some of those things we will never get because they are out of our reach. But some of those things we will get and after we've had them for a while, there will be something else we will need to satisfy us. It is a cycle we go through when we live on this earth and do not have true contentment that can only come from Christ. If we look to Him, let Him change our hearts, turn from our own selfish ways, and let Him rule our hearts, we will have the thirst of dissatisfaction quenched forever and ever. Our souls will be content in Him. All other things will become secondary.


Heavenly Father, how grateful we are that You provide us with all our needs and many of our wants. We pray that our faith and trust will be on the eternal gift of Christ that will satisfy our total being no matter what else we want or get in this life. In His precious name we pray, Amen.




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Thursday, April 12, 2012

THE STATE OF FAITH

Hebrews 11:6


"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." NIV


"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." KJV


Human faith goes only as far as our human minds are able to understand. When we realize the limitations of our own faith, we are free to accept the free gift of faith from our God. The faith He gives will allow us to come to Him, seriously seek Him, and thereby find Him. Using the faith God gives us results in making us more like Him.


Heavenly Father, we know You have given all of us a measure of faith, but many times we fail to use the faith You have given us. Help us to use our faith so that we will grow in the knowledge of Your kingdom and become more like You. In Jesus' name, Amen.




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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

ALWAYS A WAY OUT

1 Corinthians 10:13


"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."NIV


"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."KJV


Do we find ourselves becoming overly confident in our ability to rise above temptation? We are never above the reach of temptation and the possibility of a fall. It is human nature to be faced with temptation and look for ways to justify our giving in to it. There are no excuses like, "I couldn't help it," "That's just the way I am." All of us are tempted in one way or another. The Lord will never allow us to get to a place in the face of temptation that we have no choice but to sin. He always provides a way out.


Heavenly Father, how we praise You for making a way for us to rise above temptation, not by our own strength, but by Your mercy and grace. Give us hearts of discernment so that we will not give in to temptation, but will take the way out You have provided for us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.




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