THE POWER OF GIVING

 

Luke 6:38

 

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together

and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use,

it will be measured to you." NIV

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over. For the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." KJV

The world says "The more you take the more you have." Christ says "The more you give the more you have." The viewpoint of the world seems logical and would be common sense. However, we do not live by logic and common sense. We live by faith in the Son of God. If He says we will have more if we give, He will be faithful to His Word. What we take from the world will not last, nor will it satisfy, because we will want more. Our source for giving is not from our own reserves, but the eternal wealth of God, Himself. What we receive from Him will be eternal. We can't out give God.

Heavenly Father, we confess that there are times we take because we want. Your Word tells us the more we take, the more will be destroyed and wasted. We ask You for the desire to give freely from hearts of love molded by You. Keep us from giving in order to receive from You. But we cannot praise You enough for Your unending generosity to us. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

ATTITUDE OF CHRIST

Philippians 2:5

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." NIV

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." KJV

Our attitudes and the spirit in which we communicate are as important as the words we speak. It is true that others give meaning to the tone of our voice and demeanor of our bodies more than the words we are saying. It is easy to tell someone's true feelings by their tone and attitude than by just the words they utter. It is so important for us to keep our hearts and minds filled with the Holy Spirit so that we will have the mind of Christ. Then our tone of voice and our attitude will match what we say. And we will be more like Him.

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we fail to have the right attitude, but we only give lip service so that we appear more spiritual than we really are. Help us to adjust our attitudes and our spirits so that we will be like Christ and we will be fruitful in our testimony. We pray in Jesus' name.

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

Read 2 Corinthians 3:6

"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." NIV

"Who also hath made us all ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." KJV

 

The Son of God left behind His glory in heaven to show us how to live the Spirit of the law and stop failing at our miserable attempts to live by the letter of the law. It seems we find ourselves at times struggling to complete things we think will make us more worthy of God's love. If we depend on good works to get His reward, we also have to believe on our misdeeds will get us out of favor with God. This would result in a life of spiritual ups and downs, uncertainty, and utter defeat. Living in the Spirit brings peace and assurance that we are His children.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for trying to earn our salvation by doing good deeds. Help us to live in the Spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. We desire to please you and pray You will speak to us when we begin to trust in our good works. In Jesus' name, Amen.

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

THE TEST

 

Read Luke 4:13,14

 

"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside." NIV

"And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about." KJV

Spiritually speaking, there are times we find ourselves in the desert, tired and hungry for something to satisfy our needs. These are times when we are most vulnerable to take whatever seems good and whatever is the most convenient at the time. Remember, this is a test of our faith in God and our ability to defeat the enemy. If we stand in faith, we will walk away from these difficult times in the power of the Holy Spirit, ready to do God's will.

Heavenly Father, we recognize our need to keep our faith burning within us so that we will be able to stand in times of great difficulty. Help us, Lord, to have wisdom during these times so we will not make foolish choices. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

 

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

REJECTED BY OUR OWN

 

Read Luke 4:29

"They got up, drove Him out of the town, and took Him to the brow of the hill

on which the town was built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way." NIV

"And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong." KJV

Like Jesus beginning His ministry in His hometown of Nazareth, following the Lord's leading in your life is not easy. Many will reject you and and try to destroy your message; even those of your own town, who call themselves your friends and those who are members of your family will turn on you. But like Jesus, we can continue on our way in pursuit of seeking to be more like him and following God's will for our lives.

Heavenly Father, we stand in need of your help with continuing on our Christian walk in spite of the opposition we get from others. Help us to stay strong and faithful no matter who may try to distract us or destroy us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

GIVING ALL

Read John 1:14

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We haveseen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (NIV)

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we

beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father)

full of grace and truth." (KJV)

 It is such an amazing thing when we get hold of the fact that the Son of God actually left His throne in Heaven and became a human being. Even more amazing, He gave all He had, Himself, because of His love, mercy, and grace that would show us the Way to the One true God. When we take time to dwell on that, it seems like such a small thing that we would turn our total selves over to Him. But, that is all we have to give Him.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for not meditating on Your endless love and mercy. Give us a longing to think of the wonderful gift of Your Son and what that means for us. We thank You and praise You for making the way for us to come directly to You. In Jesus' name.

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION

 

Philippians 2:12b

"....continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." NIV

"....work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." KJV

Do we really understand salvation? It is a free gift God puts inside of us who believe Christ died for our sin. Now it is time for us to work out what God has put into us. Would we buy a new car, let it sit, just looking at it, admiring it, and being happy we have a new car? No! We would drive the car to the places we go. We would fill the tank with gas, change the oil, and check the tires. We would keep the car clean and polished. We would work the usefulness out of having bought a car. Likewise, we work out our salvation by using it. We read the Word, we pray, we spend time in communion with the Lord, we praise Him and rejoice in all He has done, we help others when they are in need, and we share the good news of the Gospel to those who need to hear it.

Heavenly Father, we ask that You would give us discernment and understanding about our salvation. Help us to work it out in the ways You have intended for us to do. Help us to never let our salvation stagnate and become useless. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC