Always Be Joyful! Never Stop Praying. Be Thankful In All Circumstances.

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Always Be Joyful!
Never Stop Praying.
Be Thankful In All Circumstances.

If your spouse is using the words, “always” and “never” it usually means you are in big trouble.

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5
¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Observation

If your spouse is using the words, “always” and “never” when he or she is talking to you then it usually means that you are in big trouble.

These are two words that we try to get couples not to use when they are fighting.

You “never” pick up your clothes. You “always” put me down.

Maybe you are even guilty of this.

But here we find “always” and “never” used to encourage us.

What speaks to you out of these verses this morning?

Application

I will strive to be “thankful” in all circumstances.

Prayer

³ But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
⁴ And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. ⁵ May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. ¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.
¹⁸ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5,16,18

Daily Bible Reading 1 Thessalonians 4,5; 2 Thessalonians 1,2,3

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May The Lord Make Your Love For One Another And For All People Grow And Overflow, Just As Our Love For You Overflows.

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May The Lord Make Your Love For One Another
And For All People Grow And Overflow,
Just As Our Love For You Overflows. 

Lets slow down this holiday season and focus on the people around us …

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 3

¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

Observation

I rode up to Home Depot just a few minutes ago to get some of those 99-cent Poinsettias for Kathy. (I have done my “Black Friday” shopping!)

While driving up there I heard on the radio about all of the fights that broke out across the country in Wal-Mart’s as the stores opened up at 6 pm yesterday on Thanksgiving.

Spread that love around!

Our world is in desperate need of seeing God’s love in us. And we sure need to do a better job of loving our fellow Christ followers. I am talking to me, myself and I when I say that. I don’t know about you?

How can we do a better job of loving those around us? How can we let our love overflow during this holiday season?

Application

I am going to look for ways to express my love for around me. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me live in a way that people will know that I love them. Help my love overflow. Give me Your heart for my neighbors, for those in my family, and for those in our church.

And for anyone reading this blog this morning, “may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.”

Daily Bible Reading Matthew 28; 1 Thessalonians 1,2,3

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O LORD, Do Good To Those Who Are Good, Whose Hearts Are In Tune With You.

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O LORD,
Do Good To Those Who Are Good,
Whose Hearts Are In Tune With You.

God blesses those whose hearts are in tune with His.

Scripture

Psalms 125

⁴ O Lord, do good to those who are good,
    whose hearts are in tune with you.

Observation

When someone at Mission Tampa ask me to pray for them I pray for God in answer his or her request but I usually add something like this, “Lord, as “Joe” puts You first in his life I pray that You bless him and give him ________________.”

God blesses those whose hearts are in tune with His.

Today is Thanksgiving! Take time today to give Him thanks!

Application

 I will pray for God to be good to those whose hearts are in tune with His. And I will pray for God to change the hearts of those who are not walking with Him.

Prayer

    Shout with joy to the Lord, O earth!

        [2] Worship the Lord with gladness.

        Come before him, singing with joy.

    [3] Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

        He made us, and we are his.

        We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

    [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

        go into his courts with praise.

        Give thanks to him and bless his name.

    [5] For the Lord is good.

        His unfailing love continues forever,

        and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100:1-5

   

Daily Bible Reading Psalms 125; Matthew 26,27

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All The Nations Will Be Gathered In His Presence …

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All
The Nations
Will Be Gathered In His Presence … 

http://imb.org/now.aspx?CID=88573#.VHXLi2csGrg

Scripture

Matthew 25

³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Observation

    Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [20] Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – This year our Christ Fellowship goal is $20,000.

The goal for all of the Southern Baptist churches in the United States is 175 million dollars. This once a year offering supplies over half of the support for our world evangelization through more than 4,800 missionaries.

One day all peoples of all nations will be gathered before our Heavenly Father.

How many will be in Heaven because of our sacrificial giving?

Application

I will give to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering and I will encourage people to give.

How about you? Have you prayed about how much to give this year?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us to all be generous this year as we are challenged by our missionaries to give.

I pray for James Lillie this morning. I pray for a complete recovery. I pray for Heather that you give her strength as she goes through this difficult time.

Daily Bible Reading Matthew 23,24,25

“Your Mistake Is That You Don’t Know The Scriptures, And You Don’t Know The Power Of God”

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“Your Mistake
Is That You Don’t Know The Scriptures,
And You Don’t Know The Power Of God”

I think you and I would be shocked if we knew ...

Scripture

Matthew 22

²⁹ Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.

Observation

Some Sadducees had tried to trick Jesus by asking Jesus a theoretical question about the Bible. They tried to trick “The Word” with a question about God’s Word.

How dumb was that!

I think you and I would be shocked if we knew how seldom the folks in our churches open up and read God’s Word.

Are you in a life group or attend a Sunday School class? Just ask those in your group how many of them take time to read God’s Word everyday. I think that you would be shocked.

But maybe not … do you read God’s Word everyday?

Why not make the commitment to the Lord to read His Word everyday? So that you and I can know the Scriptures and know the power of God.

Application

I recommit this morning to read God’s Word everyday.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, don’t let me go a day without opening up my Bible and spending time with You in Your Word. I want to know Your Word and I want to know and experience Your Power in my life. Speak to anyone that may read what I have written and impress on him the importance of being in Your Word on a daily basis. Help them make a commitment to Your Word and help us keep our commitments.

Daily Bible Reading Matthew 20,21,22

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“Humanly Speaking, It Is Impossible. But With God Everything Is Possible.”

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“Humanly Speaking,
It Is Impossible.
But With God Everything Is Possible.”

Only God can fix the broken lives that break my heart. I can’t fix them.

Scripture

Matthew 19

²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Observation

Scriptures says that Jesus looked at His disciples intently before He said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

He looked at His disciples, every day common ordinary men, thought and then said, “Humanly speaking it is impossible …” 

I think that He is looking intently at you and me this morning and probably saying the same thing, “Humanly impossible”. 

I have some things that I am praying about that are 100% Humanly Impossible. 

Only God can fix the broken lives that break my heart. I can’t fix them. 

God has given us this tool, or you might even as the Apostle Paul did, call it a weapon – He has given us Prayer! 

He has given us Prayer and He has given us all of the Promises in His Word. 

Application

I will pray. I will not give up. I will hold on to His Promises. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You know who I am praying for and You know that humanly speaking the situation is “impossible”. So I come to You because with You nothing is impossible! I pray today that You work and save these people who break my heart with the way that they are living. Turn their lives around so they bring You glory and honor. Give them lives worth living. Don’t let them allow sin to destroy their lives. Soften their hearts and help them to see their spiritual condition. I believe You when You say … with Me nothing is impossible.

Daily Bible Reading  Matthew 17,18,19

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But The Words You Speak Come From The Heart – That’s What Defiles You.

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But The Words
You Speak
Come From The Heart – That’s What Defiles You.

Scripture

Matthew 15

 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. ¹⁹ For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile you.

Observation

I think that it was yesterday that Kathy said to me yesterday in response to some dumb unkind thing that I said to her, “I am trying not to respond back to you in an ugly way!”

When she said this it made both of us laugh.

And it made me think about what I had just said … something stupid. The way she responded to me helped me to see how unkind and dumb my remark was.

For the life of me I can’t even remember what dumb thing I said, but I am glad that I have a wife who knows how to respond to me in a way that brings correction and doesn’t escalate things by trying to top my remark with more meanness!

So let’s think about what we say and how we say what we say! Remember it is coming from within our hearts.

Application

I will try to encourage Kathy and others by what I say and how I say what I say. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your word says, "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9

I believe it.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

I pray for Pastor Bruce and the lead team today. Use them for Your glory. I pray for people to be saved and the saints to be encouraged as we worship You today. Amen.

   

Daily Bible Reading Matthew 14,15,16

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Come To Me, All Of You Who Are Weary And Carry Heavy Burdens, And I Will Give You Rest.

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Come To Me,
All Of You Who Are Weary And Carry Heavy Burdens,
And I Will Give You Rest.

Overloaded and need relief?  

Scripture

Matthew 11

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Observation

Trying to drown your problems with pills and booze may make things easier for a moment, but it is only a temporary fix. 

So many people even many Christ followers are turning to prescription medicine to make life more bearable for them. I am not saying that everything that the doctor prescribes for us is bad, but what I am saying is that turning to Jesus and letting Him take our heavy load might be the real solution.

What has you on overload today? Give it to Jesus. When you start carrying that load again … give it back to Jesus. Every time your mind goes back to that unresolved issue … give it to Jesus.

Jesus wants to walk through life with us today. Just like two oxen yoked together Jesus wants us to get into the yoke with Him and He will make our part of the load a lot lighter.

So are we hardheaded or just plain stupid? Let’s quit carrying that entire load.

Let’s give it to Jesus. 

 Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall. Psalm 55:22

    Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. 1 Peter 5:7 

Application

Today every time I catch myself trying to carry all of my problems I will roll those problems back over to the Lord.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I can’t carry the weight of this load of concern today by myself. I need to roll it off of my shoulders and on to You. I believe You when You promise to make my burden light and easy to carry. I believe You when You tell me to give You all of my worries and cares. I give them to You right now. They are in Your Hands. You know what is breaking my heart today. You know what is so heavy that I cannot bear it. I roll those things over on to You. Nothing is too hard for You and with You nothing is impossible. So right now I am giving You some things that seem impossible to me.

Daily Bible Reading  Matthew 11,12,13

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So Don’t Be Afraid; You Are More Valuable To God Than A Whole Flock Of Sparrows.

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So Don’t Be Afraid;
You
Are More Valuable To God Than A Whole Flock Of Sparrows.

 A place called worry and a place called fear is a terrible place to hang out …

Scripture

Matthew 10

²⁹ What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? 

But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.
 
³⁰ And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
 
³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Observation

Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry. Over and over and over again in God’s word He tells us not to worry and not to be afraid!

Why all the repetition?

Because our default button sends us there in a micro second every time something challenges our faith.

Health issues (ours or a loved one), financial problems, marriage problems, kid problems, sick or aging parents, etc. send us to a place called worry and a place called fear. It is a terrible place and it is not intended for you and me to spend all of our time there.

Not staying in that place of worry, not living daily in that place called fear requires us to constantly place our trust in God and stay grounded in His Word.

Application

I am challenged and confronted most days and especially today by things that want to shake my faith. Today, I refuse to be shaken. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Today I hold on tightly to Your promises. Every one of Your promises is “yes” in Christ Jesus my Lord and my Savior. I am reminded in Your word not to be surprised by problems:

    “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33  

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” Psalm 16:8

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” 1 John 4:4

So my trust is in You ... In You alone. Nothing is too hard for You. 

Thank You Lord Jesus for taking care of me. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

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Can All Your Worries Add A Single Moment To Your Life?

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Can
All Your Worries
Add A Single Moment To Your Life? 

For all of us who have been worrying about stuff …

Scripture

Matthew 6

²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Observation

I don’t know about you, but I catch myself worrying about stuff. Last night when I went to bed I began to think about things and I caught myself worrying.

Good thing that God gave me some scripture memory verses awhile back that help me when I go to worrying. Let me share them with you.

It will do me good to think about them right now too!

    Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Application

I still have the unresolved issues ahead of me. Every time I start worrying about them I am going to pray, give them to God, and thank Him for always providing for me. I am going to do this because I want to experience God’s peace in my life.

How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me not to worry about anything; instead, help me to pray about everything. I will tell You about my needs, and I will thank You for all that You have done. Because if I do this, I will experience Your peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. Your peace will guard my heart and my mind as I live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (personalized)

Daily Bible Reading Matthew 5,6,7

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Prove By The Way You Live That You Have Repented Of Your Sins And Turned To God.

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Prove
By The Way You Live
That You Have Repented Of Your Sins And Turned To God.

Are we involving ourselves in habits and behaviors that hurt our witness?

Scripture

Matthew 3

⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

Observation

John The Baptist said this to the Pharisees and Sadducees one day when they came out to hear him and came out to see him baptizing his followers. Even though he said it to them then it is a good word for you and I today.

Are you and I living out our faith? Or are there still secret sins that you and I don’t want people to know about?

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

Are we involving ourselves in habits and behaviors that hurt our witness?

Do people quietly question our walk with Christ because we are still holding on to and involving ourselves in habits that bring God no glory? I am tempted to suggest a few habits but I won’t … you are probably thinking of one or two right now that either you or someone you love struggle with.

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

Is what I am doing or what I am getting ready to do going to bring glory to God?

Application

I will ask God to show me any contradictions in my life. This life He has called me to live for Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, don’t let me live the life of a Pharisee. Show me anything in my life that does not please You. Help me to live in a way that makes You smile.

Daily Bible Reading Matthew 1,2,3,4

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Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

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Our help is from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

Are we "Hardheaded" or just plain "Stupid"?

Scripture

Psalms 124

Our help is from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

Observation

Hardheaded … most of us try to go through this life living like God does not exist. 

How stupid is that! Very stupid and very hardheaded!

And yet I might be describing you and I might be describing myself this morning.

Because everyday we have a choice:

1. We either depend on ourselves to get face today’s difficulties

Or …

2. We turn to God and ask Him for help.

Lets see, which of those two options will bring us the best results?

Application

 I choose option 2 and I will turn to God this morning, Creator of heaven and earth, for help. How about you?

Prayer

    Praise the Lord! For You have heard my cry for mercy. Lord, You are My Strength, My Shield from every danger. I trust in You with all my heart. You help me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:6-7


Lord, You hear Your people when they call to You for help.  

You rescue them from all their troubles.  Lord, You are close to the brokenhearted; You rescue those whose spirits are crushed.  Lord, You rescue the godly; You are their fortress in times of trouble. Lord, You help them, rescuing them from the wicked. You save them, and they find shelter in You. Psalm 37:39-40

 

Daily Bible Reading Psalms 124; 2 Corinthians 11,12,13

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Whoever Sows Generously Will Also Reap Generously.

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Whoever
Sows Generously
Will Also Reap Generously.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering - Pray about what God would have you and your family to give.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 9

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Observation

Remember this: during the Christmas season (and all year round) the person who sows generously will also reap generously!

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering nationally is 175 million dollars this year! The offering for Christ Fellowship this year is $20,000.00

This one offering at Christmas provides more than half of the support to keep our 4,900 missionaries serving around the world. Last year through their efforts:

·        Nearly 1,700,000 heard a gospel witness

·        More than 235,000 became new believers

·        141 new people groups were engaged

Giving gifts at Christmas to family members is important, but lets downsize this year so we can give more to reach the world for Jesus!

Pray with your family about how much you are going to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. For more information go to http://www.imb.org/
           
Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift!

 Application

I will talk with Kathy about our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering? How about you? Will you talk with your family about setting aside money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I believe You when You say, “…for God loves a cheerful giver.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. 

 ⁹ As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:7-11) Amen

Daily Bible Reading 2 Corinthians 7,8,9,10

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The Father Of Compassion, And The God Of All Comfort, Who Comforts Us In All Our Troubles, So That We Can Comfort Those In Any Trouble With The Comfort We Ourselves Receive From God.

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The Father Of Compassion, And The God Of All Comfort,
Who Comforts Us In All Our Troubles, So That We Can Comfort
Those In Any Trouble With The Comfort We Ourselves Receive From God.

Somebody … anybody … can we have an  “Amen” to that!!! 

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
 

Observation

I was complaining to Kathy yesterday about the pain that I still have in my chest everyday and was sharing with her how I would love to be pain free so I could do more. I knew before I even said anything to her what I was going to hear in return.

She said, (she said it nicely I want you to know) “Just be grateful that you are alive … do what you can do and do it with all your strength!” In other words, “Shut up and live!”

The Apostle Paul who penned this letter to the church at Corinth was familiar with suffering. Not only was he familiar with beatings with rods, whippings with metal tipped whips, being stoned with rocks and left for dead, ship wrecked, etc., he was also dealing with a physical ailment/disease that God would not take away. He understood suffering.

So to us He says this morning (especially to me), God says, “Go and comfort others who are suffering and dealing with affliction.”

Everyday that I wake up and I am still breathing I get to acknowledge that my God is the God of all comfort and all compassion. Everyday He comforts me. Everyday He wants me to go out and do the same.  

Application

I will try to be a comfort to those who are suffering today. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray for Denise today and her children in the loss of her husband. I pray that You will be to them the God of all comfort and compassion. I pray for Ted’s siblings today (my cousins). I pray that through this loss they will be drawn to a closer relationship to You. Show them Your Power and Your love. May they sense Your Presence during this time of loss. You are the Mighty God. Nothing is too hard for You.  I pray for my friends who are looking ahead at treatment for cancer. I pray for healing. I pray that You give them strength.

Daily Bible Reading Job 41,42; 2 Corinthians 1,2

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Always Work Enthusiastically For The Lord, For You Know That Nothing You For The Lord Is Ever Useless.

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Always Work Enthusiastically
For The Lord,
For You Know That Nothing You For The Lord Is Ever Useless.

It is Friday, but Sunday is coming!

Scripture

1 Corinthians 15

⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

1 Corinthians 16

¹³ Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. ¹⁴ And do everything with love.

Observation

Make that phone call. Make that visit. Write that card. Study that Sunday school lesson. 

Sunday is coming!

Nothing that you and I do for the Lord is useless or wasted.

Be strong and immovable. Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. And do everything with love.

Sunday is coming!

Application

 By faith, I will focus on the important today and do it. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You know me. You know me better than anyone else. You know that I need to take these verses and put them into practice. Help me to be strong and courageous. Help me to be immovable. Help me to stand firm in my faith. Give me enthusiasm for the things that You place on my heart to do today. Give me the energy and the desire to do your work today. Because I know that whatever I do for You is never useless or wasted.

Daily Bible Reading Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15,16

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Love Never Gives Up

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Love
Never
Gives Up

For any of us who would like to quit …

Scripture

1 Corinthians 13

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Observation

It would be great if I could say that these verses describe me. They do describe Jesus Christ Who lives in me, but I have to admit that most days I am a long way from reflecting this kind of love. 

I am glad that the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “Let love be your highest goal!”

It is my goal! How about you? 

I have not arrived. Everyday I struggle with living out 1 Corinthians 13. But I am not alone … so do you! 

Application

I will ask God to help me to live out verse 5, “It (love) is not irritable.” 

What part of 1 Corinthians 13 are you going to work on?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to live out 1 Corinthians 13. Help me to be patient and kind. Help me to not be jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Don’t let me demand my own way. Help me not to be irritable, and help me not to keep record of being wronged. Help me not to rejoice about injustice but help me to rejoice whenever the truth wins out.  Help me never to give up, never to lose faith, and help me to always be hopeful, and always endure through every circumstance. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading Job 39,40; 1 Corinthians 13,14

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But Now Let Me Show You A Way Of Life That Is Best Of All.

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But Now
Let Me Show You
A Way Of Life That Is Best Of All.

Show me who needs extra time and attention today. 

Scripture

1 Corinthians 12

³¹ So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
… But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

Observation

The church at Corinth was a mess. They were arguing over everything. The Apostle Paul spends chapters 12 and 14 of 1 Corinthians talking about spiritual gifts. The church members at Corinth were fighting over which gifts were more important and the gift of tongues was one of the gifts being misused. So right in the middle of his instruction over spiritual gifts the Apostle Paul writes about what is most important – the gift of love!

Love is not a spiritual gift but it is something that we must choose to gift to other people. God commands it.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35
 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18
 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:9-10
No matter how gifted we are or how much talent we possess if we don’t love people we are nothing!

Application

I will ask God to help me love people more and I will ask Him to show me who needs extra time and attention today. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are Love. Help me live in a way today that lets people see You in me. Help me to love those around me. Don’t let me think only of myself. Show me who needs to be encouraged today.

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Daily Bible Reading Job 37,38; 1 Corinthians 12

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“…Whatever You Do Do It All For The Glory Of God.”

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“…Whatever You Do
Do It
All For The Glory Of God.”

 
Does what you and I are doing or wanting to do pass this test?

Scripture

1 Corinthians 10
³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Does what you and I are doing or wanting to do pass this test?

Observation

Arguments, discussions, or questions about stuff like drinking, smoking, doing drugs, watching certain programs on television or seeing certain movies can be answered by applying 1 Corinthians 10:31 to them.

Does what I am getting ready to do bring glory to my Heavenly Father? If the answer is “well not really” then let’s move on and focus on something else!

I know several people who are working on getting their bodies in shape. Does this bring glory to God? Absolutely! Overeating … sexual immorality … God doesn’t getting any glory from those two behaviors.

So let’s think about what we plan to do today. How much glory can we bring to our Heavenly Father through our actions today?

Let’s make God smile!

Application

I will evaluate my thoughts and my actions today in light of 1 Corinthians 10:31

  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I am proud of those who decide to change the direction of their lives especially when I see those changes bring You glory. Help me to do the same thing. Every choice that I make today will either bring You joy or make You sad. Don’t let me let You down today. Help me bring You glory.

Daily Bible Reading Psalms 122; 1 Corinthians 9,10,11

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God Paid A High Price For You, So Don’t Be Enslaved By This World.

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God Paid
A High Price For You,
So Don’t Be Enslaved By This World.

Don’t let me do stupid sins that enslave me to this world.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 7

²³ God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.

1 Corinthians 6

¹⁸ Run from sexual sin! 

No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
 
²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Observation

Honor God with our bodies! We live in a culture that focuses on “bodies” but the focus is on “indulgence” not bringing glory to God!

Sex and Food … both seem to be very enslaving in our culture!

The Apostle Paul tells us why we should live differently than those around us, “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.”

Satan will use anything to distract us. He constantly is looking for ways to enslave us.

You and I have been bought with a high price. So lets honor God with our bodies!

Application

I will strive to live a godly life this week keeping in mind that I have been bought with a very high price … Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me the strength that I need to live a godly life. Help me bring You glory and honor. Don’t let me do stupid sins that enslave me to this world. 

Guard my eyes and guard my heart. 



May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

Daily Bible Reading Job 35,36; 1 Corinthians 7,8

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God Has Made You His Heir

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God
Has Made
You His Heir

Great thing to be reminded of as we go through this week! 

Scripture

Galatians 3

⁹ So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Galatians 4

⁷ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Observation

I put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ when I was 19 years old. I am 63 years old and during my entire adult life I have enjoyed the benefits of being a child of the King. I have enjoyed the benefits of being a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I look back to my decision to become a Christ follower at 19 years of age and I am so grateful that God allowed me to become one of His children. I am His heir.

Everything He has will one day be mine! I will enjoy being a child of His Forever and ever and ever!

So what I deal with here on earth is small potatoes compared to what I will get to enjoy for all of Eternity. I am blessed. I share in the same blessing that God gave to Abraham.

 The Apostle Paul understood this when he sat in prison and wrote his letter to the Philippians and said:

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:6-7, 11-13

Application

 I will meditate all day long on the fact that I have the same blessing that God gave to Abraham.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to act like I am one of Your children. Help me to live in a way that makes You proud. Help me to be content with whatever I have. Help me to be able to live on almost nothing or with everything. Help me to learn the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. I want to be able to say with confidence, “I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength.”

Daily Bible Reading Job 30; Psalms 120; Galatians 3,4

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