So Correct Me LORD, But Please Be Gentle

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So Correct Me
LORD,
But Please Be Gentle

Scripture

Jeremiah 10

⁶ Lord, there is no one like you!
    For you are great, and your name is full of power.

²³ I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
    We are not able to plan our own course.
²⁴ So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
    Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.

Observation

Jeremiah was very honest when he prayed. You and I need to be honest in our prayers too!

And this morning I agree with Jeremiah whole-heartedly when he said, “So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle.”

I want the Lord to keep me on course and I want to finish well, but I want the Lord to keep his cool while He corrects me.

In fact, God has given me promise after promise in His Word so I know that is how he is going to treat me. 

I don’t have to be afraid.

I don’t have to worry about Him mistreating me because He is angry with me.

If we are His children then we don’t have to be afraid of anything!

.

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Exodus 34:6
.
 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:22-24
.
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1-3

Application

I will trust the Lord to keep me on course. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power.  I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. Your faithful love never ends! Your mercies never cease. Great is Your faithfulness; Your mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “You, Lord are my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in You! 


Daily Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 10,11,12; John 14

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Don’t Let The Wise Boast In Their Wisdom, Or The Powerful Boast In Their Power, Or The Rich Boast In Their Riches.

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Don’t Let The Wise Boast In Their Wisdom,
Or The Powerful Boast In Their Power,
Or The Rich Boast In Their Riches. 

Scripture

Jeremiah 9

²³ This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
    or the powerful boast in their power,
    or the rich boast in their riches.

²⁴ But those who wish to boast
    should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
    who demonstrates unfailing love
    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!

Observation

The moment someone says something about us in a positive way is the very moment when we need to think of Jeremiah 9:23-24 because pride has a way of messing everything up and especially messing us up.

There is only one thing, or better yet there is only One Person to ever boast about and His name is Jesus! You and I are sinners. We are broken. And in our brokenness and humbleness is where God can do His work. 

I just came back from a breakfast meeting with some of the men that are leading out at Christ Fellowship. It is amazing to me to see how God is using each one of them to minister to different people in our fellowship.

Each one of them is gifted in a very special unique way, but none of them can boast in that uniqueness. We can only boast in our relationship with Jesus.

Pride has a way of creeping into our lives.

Dr. Waylon B. Moore gave me this advice and so I will give it to you, “Never take a pat on the back unless it is way down low.”

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Application

I will memorize this verse and strive to put it into practice, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30 How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking that I am something when I am not. I realize that anything good in me is because of Jesus Christ. I pray John 3:30 and I ask You to help me decrease so Jesus can increase and shine in my life. Be glorified in and through me today. I pray for those close to me who are going through sickness. I pray that Your power will be evident in their lives. I pray for healing. You are All-Powerful. Nothing is too hard for you! You are Healer. You are the Mighty God. Awesome is Your Power!


Daily Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 7,8,9; John 13

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Those Who Care Nothing For Their Life In This World Will Keep It For Eternity

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Those Who Care Nothing
For Their Life In This World
Will Keep It For Eternity

Scripture

John 12

²⁵ Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

Observation

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to visit my little sister Bea up in Shalimar, Florida and attend church with her and her family. I heard an amazing story of a surgeon’s work and ministry in the country of Bangladesh.

This man could have chosen to work in the US where he could have made a very good living at a top hospital in one of our major cities, but instead he made the decision to serve the Lord helping the poorest of the poor in very difficult conditions.

He and his wife and people like them are my heroes.

His motivation for serving and for making this sacrifice is not to just heal a person’s physical body; it is to see these people come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ! People that are making this kind of sacrifice need our support and they need for us to pray for them.

Application

I will pray for this family. I will support them. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray for those serving overseas in countries where life is very difficult and dangerous. I pray that You protect them. I pray that You use them to further Your kingdom. I pray for You to call out people from our church to go and serve all over this world. I pray for Martha Moore as she goes to serve You Europe. Open up doors for her to have a successful ministry. Bring people into her life that will help her. Answer all of her prayers. Make her plans successful. Give her the desires of her heart. I pray for the surgeon that I met this past Sunday. Bless he and his wife and family. Use them. Protect them. Help them to raise the support that they need to continue Your work where they serve!

Daily Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 5,6; John 12

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I Am The Resurrection And The Life. Anyone Who Believes In Me Will Live, Even After Dying.

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I Am The Resurrection And The Life.
Anyone
Who Believes In Me Will Live, Even After Dying. 

Scripture

John 11

²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

Observation

John 11 is definitely one of my favorite chapters in the Bible if not my favorite! God didn’t create you and me just to live a few measly years here on planet Earth. He designed us to live forever with Him. Lazarus wasn’t just dead, as Kathy told me the other day after she had read a devotional on John 11, “he wasn’t just dead he was stinking dead!” He had been dead for 4 days and he stunk!

Only Jesus Christ has gone through death, burial, and then back to life again by His own power.

One day this body of mine is going to shut down and so is yours, but I am going to continue to live forever – are you?

Put your name in verse 25 right where it says “anyone”.

Don’t go another day without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Trust Him. Invite Him to be the Lord and Savior of your life right now.

    For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.] For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.   For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:9-10

Application

I am going to live forever with a new body. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that one day I am going to die. This old body of mine is wearing out. I also know that even though I am going to die I know that I am going to live forever. I am going to get an upgrade and You are going to give me a new body, one that is designed to last forever. It will never grow old and it will never wear out! I will be glad to get the new body with no more aches and pains! 

Daily Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 3,4; John 11

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I Give To Them Eternal Life

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I
Give To Them
Eternal Life

Scripture

John 10

²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.

Observation

Eternal Life – How can you have it?

If you go to a funeral, just about any funeral and listen to what people share about their departed loved one you would think that all you have to do to go to Heaven is to die.

Going to Heaven is easy, but it is not that easy.

You see not everybody is going to Heaven when they die.

Don’t get the wrong idea either. It is not good people that go to Heaven and bad people that go to Hell. Only the people that have received the “Gift” of Eternal Life are going to Heaven. Have you received God’s gift?

Lets back up for a second and start with this fact. You and I are sinners and our sins have separated us from God. (Romans 3:23) And God says that what we deserve because we are sinners is death – physical death and spiritual death. (Romans 6:23) And God says that after death comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

Now if you and I want to avoid death, judgment, and Hell we need to receive God’s gift of Eternal Life by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and in what Christ did for us on the cross. He died for you and for me on the cross. He laid down His life on that cross as a Gift.

Okay at your funeral and at my funeral they may talk about us being in Heaven with all of our loved ones, but is that where we will be? Our final destination, Heaven or Hell, depends on whether we have received the Gift of Eternal Life or not.

I was nineteen years old when someone shared this Good News with me. I prayed and I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life as my Lord and my Savior.

I am sixty-five years old and I can tell you for certain that the moment I die I will be with Jesus Christ.

Not because I am a good person, not because I do good things, not because I do more good things than bad things, oh no, I am going to be in Heaven because I have received Jesus Christ,

I have received the Gift of Eternal Life. How about you? Have you received the Gift of Eternal Life? Have you received forgiveness of your sins?

Why not pray and Jesus Christ to come into your life right now. I want to see you when I get to Heaven and you are not going to be there if you have not received God’s gift of Eternal Life. 

Application

I am praying for those close to me that God gives them spiritual understanding and they will put their trust totally in Jesus for their salvation. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that You are the only One that saves. I pray for those I love. I pray that You open up their spiritual eyes so that they can understand the message of salvation. Don’t let them trust in doing good things or being good to get them to Heaven. Show them that the only way to be saved is through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for working in their lives. Thank You for transforming lives one at a time. Nothing is too hard for You. 

Daily Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 1,2; John 10



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This Happened So The Power Of God Could Be Seen In Him

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This Happened
So The Power Of God
Could Be Seen In Him

Scripture

 John 9

1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
 
² “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

³ “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.
 

Observation

Why? Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to some one that I love?

When it comes to our health or the health of someone close to us we have a thousand whys?

I know I do!

This man was born blind. When Jesus met him the disciples of Jesus were asking the “why” question. “Why was he born blind they asked? Was it because of his own sins or his parents sins?”

It was neither.

It was so the power of God could be seen in him. God hears our questions that we are asking Him. We need to take time to listen to Him as He answers us. 

And we need to trust Him when we don’t understand.

Do not fear … do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you., He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. {Zephaniah 3:16-17}

 Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:17-18

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

   

 Application

I will trust God with everything that I cannot understand. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, there are some things that I will never understand this side of Heaven. There are so many questions that I have that go unanswered. This is what I do know. You are good. You love me. You are always working in our lives to bring us to a closer relationship with You. And I have Your promise that You gave me in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” And I will hold on to that promise when I don’t have the answer to why something has happened. 

   

Daily Bible Reading:  Zephaniah 1,2,3; John 9

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Yet I Will Rejoice In The LORD!

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Yet I Will
Rejoice
In The LORD!

Scripture

Habakkuk 3

¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,

¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights.

Observation

If I can paraphrase what Habakkuk 3:17-19, “No matter how bad it gets or no matter how bad it looks I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful no matter what comes my way because the Lord is my strength! 

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. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 

Sometimes in life when life is spinning out of our control all we can do is hold on to the great promises of God. 

He keeps every one of them!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Matthew 14:27

   

Application

I will hold on to the promises of God. He will never let me down. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, this morning as I read the great statement of faith that Habakkuk made I say, “Amen”. Help me to have that same kind of faith in You. You said it so I believe it kind of faith. Don’t let me doubt You for a minute. You are the Mighty God. There is no one like You. You alone are Worthy of Praise. I trust You with every detail of my life. Show me Your Power, Your Strength, Your Love for those around me today. 

Daily Bible Reading:  Habakkuk 1,2,3; John 8; Psalm 6, Psalm 106; Proverbs 6

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Each Morning I Bring My Requests To You And Wait Expectantly

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Each Morning
I Bring My Requests To You
And Wait Expectantly

Scripture

Psalm 5

¹ O Lord, hear me as I pray;
    pay attention to my groaning.
 
² Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
    for I pray to no one but you.
 
³ Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
    Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

Observation

“O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.” I identify with King David this morning. I know without a doubt that God hears my prayers.  The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

For all of you that are going through extremely difficult times right now I want you to know that there is hope.

I have a little booklet called “Facing Illness with Hope” and as I read through this morning I found this and I want to share it with you this morning.

Why?

I know I can ask you, Jesus. Help me listen to your response. Teach me to trust you, even when you’re quiet, or so it seems. These days present so many questions. The questions seem to outnumber the answers. I need wisdom to ask the right questions, as well as answers to those questions others ask me. It’s tough right now. But I also see blessings. I do. That helps. You help and give me hope. Thank you. By the way, I have another question … Why are you so good to me, Jesus? 

Isaiah 43:2
    When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 

Application

I will pray holding on to all of God’s promises. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, whenever You work and act we call it a miracle. Miracles are happening every day around us and we don’t even recognize them for what they are. We know that You are constantly at work in the lives of those we pray for. Help me to have faith in You whether I see Your Hand in what is happening or not. Help me trust You with the things that I have no control over which is just about everything going on at the moment. You are Lord. You are Sovereign. You are totally in control You love me and You love those who I am concerned about. You are constantly at work in their lives. You are my Hope! 


Daily Bible Reading:  2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7; Psalm 5, Psalm 105; Proverbs 5

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Don’t Be So Concerned About Perishable Things

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Don’t Be So
Concerned
About Perishable Things

Scripture

John 6

²⁷ But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

Observation

What do you want from Jesus?

The crowds were following Jesus just because He had miraculously fed 5,000 men with just 2 small fish and 5 small loves of bread. Actually it was more like 15 to 20 thousand people that were miraculously fed that day if you count the women and the children.

The crowd continued to follow Jesus hoping to experience another miracle, but they were not listening to His message of Eternal Life.

The truth is that you and I are going to live forever. We are going to either live in Heaven or Hell.

We are not going to just cease to exist when we die.

Jesus told the crowd, “Spend your energy seeking the Eternal Life that the Son of Man can give you.”

The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The crowd wanted from Jesus only what would perish – mere food, when Jesus wanted them to have way more. He wanted them to have Eternal Life.

What do you want from Jesus?

John 10:28

    I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

John 5:24

    "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Romans 5:8

    But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 5:11-15

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Application

I will trust Jesus for everything in my life. How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, these are tough days. Help me trust You totally with every detail of my life. I know that You are with me right in the middle of the storms that come against me and against those that I love. Show Yourself powerful in the lives of those that are struggling with health issues. Work a miracle in their lives. You are the Mighty God and nothing is too hard for You. You are the Giver of life and our very breath is held in Your Mighty Hand.

Daily Bible Reading:  2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6



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Those Who Listen To My Message And Believe In God Who Sent Me Have Eternal Life

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Those Who Listen To My Message
And Believe
In God Who Sent Me Have Eternal Life

Scripture

John 5:24

²⁴ “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

Observation

What do we have to do to be condemned for our sins? Nothing! The Bible says, 

    “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” You and I are going to sin. It is our nature! It is not good people that go to Heaven and bad people that go to Hell. It is forgiven people that go to Heaven. 

We are all sinners. “For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.” Romans 3:23

   

You are either a forgiven sinner or a sinner that has not yet been forgiven. Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins. You and I have a choice. We can either surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and put our faith and trust in what He did on the cross for us or we can die in our sins and face certain condemnation and judgment.

The message that Jesus Christ has for you and for me is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

I know that when I die I will be in Heaven with Jesus Christ. It is not because of anything that I have done or anything that I can ever do. It is not because I am a good person or because I do good things. I am a sinner. I deserve to go to Hell.

But I am a sinner that has been saved by God’s grace through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have already passed from death to life. How about you? Where are you in your spiritual journey?

    

 Application

 I will continue to share the message that Jesus Saves. How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that there may be a person reading this blog today that has not placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ. I pray that You open up their spiritual eyes and their heart to the Good News that Jesus saves. Don't let them go one day longer in unbelief. Help them to believe!

Daily Bible Reading:  Nahum 1,2,3; John 5

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They Put A Ring Through His Nose, Bound Him In Bronze Chains, And Led Him Away To Babylon

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They Put A Ring
Through His Nose, Bound Him In Bronze Chains,
And Led Him Away To Babylon

Scripture

2 Chronicles 33

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. ¹¹ So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.
 
¹² But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.
 
¹³ And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!

Observation

Evil King Manasseh came to the end of the rope. He finally hit rock bottom.

It took a ring in his nose, some heavy bronze chains, and probably some very bad physical abuse by his captors.

This guy was bad through and through. He was the worst of the worst.

Just read what he did to the people he was supposed to take care of.

But when this horrible, terrible guy hit rock bottom, while he was in deep distress something happened, he suddenly remembered the God of his father King Hezekiah and King Manasseh sought the Lord in brokenness and humility.

God heard his prayer and brought him back to Jerusalem and restored him to his kingdom – This is an amazing story of God’s Grace and Mercy!

I am praying for some people close to me. They need to hit rock bottom so that in their deep distress the only place that they have to look - is up! I hope it doesn’t take a ring in the nose and bronze chains but whatever it takes Lord, for them to look up and put their faith and trust in You.

Application

I don’t deserve God’s love, His mercy, or His grace either. I will pray and ask the Lord to do whatever it takes to cause those I love to look up and trust in Him. Whatever it takes Lord, whatever it takes!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I read the story about King Manasseh I realize that Your love for us is so big. King Manasseh was so bad, but You gave him the opportunity to repent and change his ways. I pray for those around me that need to turn from a life of selfish living and turn to You. I want them to experience life the way that You meant for them to experience it, a life full of purpose and meaning. All they experience now is a life full of drama and strife. Do whatever it takes Lord to get them to look up and call upon You. Do whatever it takes to change the direction of their lives. Nothing is too hard for You. 

Daily Bible Reading:  2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33; John 4

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I Wait Quietly Before God, For My Victory Comes From Him.

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I Wait Quietly
Before God,
For My Victory Comes From Him.

Scripture

Psalms 62

¹ I wait quietly before God,
    for my victory comes from him.

Observation

I am so tired of watching and hearing the stupid and ridiculous things that continue to come out of the mouths of our country’s so called “leaders”. 

If you are like me you have to be saying or at least thinking, “Is this the best our country has got?” 

So if you want some sanity this Monday morning open up your Bible and get God’s perspective on our sad situation. 

This is what I read this morning in Psalm 62:1-2, 7-8 

“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.”  My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.” 


Thank goodness our God has this all under His control! 

Psalm 146:8 “…The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.”

Application

I will wait quietly before the Lord, for my victory comes from Him. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray for our presidential candidates. Give them wisdom. Help them to see the need to seek Your guidance and Your direction. Help us, as we have to endure the next few months of listening to their nonsense. I pray for a godly leader. I pray that someone would emerge and save us from the direction that our country is heading. Thank You for letting us know that we are on the winning team and for letting us know that You have this craziness all under Your control. 

Daily Bible Reading:  Isaiah 65,66; Psalms 62; John 3

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Give Thanks To The LORD, For He Is Good!

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Give Thanks
To The LORD,
For He Is Good!

Scripture

Psalms 107

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.

⁸ Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

Observation

Aaron Myers taught my Sunday school class for me not too long ago and he taught the class a lesson on prayer that he and the other AWANA teachers had used with the kids.

It is the Hand Illustration for prayer!

Hopefully I will have the chance to share this illustration at the church where I am preaching this morning.

Our thumb and our pointer finger represent “Praise” and “Thanksgiving”!

Our middle finger, which is taller than all the rest, is for “Intercession” - praying for others.

Our ring finger reminds us of “Confession” – we need to confess our sins. 

The pinky, which is the smallest of all of our fingers, is for “Petition” – praying for the things that we need for ourselves. Notice that it comes last!

Corrie Ten Boom said this, “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.”

“Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.” E M Bounds

 Application

I will pray all the time. How about you?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Never stop praying.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege I have in Christ. I can come directly to You in prayer. You  have given me the keys of Heaven. I can bring Heaven down to earth through my prayers. You love me. You love to hear me when I pray and You want to talk to me through Your Word. And when I pray help me to always expect great things.

Daily Bible Reading:  Isaiah 63,64; Psalms 107; John 2

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From His Abundance We Have All Received One Gracious Blessing After Another

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From His Abundance
We Have All Received
One Gracious Blessing After Another

Scripture

John 1

¹⁶ From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.

Observation

God is good! All the time! All the time! God is good! 

I love it when I ask some people at Mission Tampa how they are doing and they respond back to me, “I am blessed and highly favored!” 

I love it because it is so true! 

I have been reading about the life of missionary Hudson Taylor. Take a minute and Google his name and read about his amazing life of faith. 

He was a man of prayer and was mightily used by God in the nation of China. 

Once when he was at a hard place financially he wrote in a letter to his sister, “We have 27 cents in our account and all the promises of God”. 

You and I are so blessed. Let’s not focus on what we don’t have. 

Let’s meditate today on the goodness of our Heavenly Father. “From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another”!

Application

I am thanking God today for His goodness. Why don’t you do the same?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, it doesn’t matter how much money Kathy and I have or don’t have in our bank account because we have all of Your promises and we know that we can count on every single one of them. We can hold on to them tightly. They are secure. You are totally trustworthy. As I read about men and women like Hudson Taylor, E M Bounds, Andrew Murray, George Mueller, John Wesley, Corrie Ten Boom, Lottie Moon, and William Carey it encourages me to be like them when it comes to prayer. Don’t let me doubt Your promise to me in John 14:13, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

   

Daily Bible Reading:  Isaiah 60,61,62; John 1


> If you are reading this simple blog this morning you are an encouragement to me!

> I have made it a habit to pray for those who read this blog! I enjoy lifting you and your family up to the Lord in prayer.

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And Remember, Our Lord’s Patience Gives People Time To Be Saved

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And Remember,
Our Lord’s Patience
Gives People Time To Be Saved

Scripture

2 Peter 3

⁸ But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

¹⁵ And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—

Observation

I am praying for certain people in my family just like you probably are and I am asking God to save them.

I want them to put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and I want to see their lives transformed. And I will let you know that I am not the most patient guy in the world.

This passage of scripture is a huge encouragement to an impatient guy like me. How about you?

Do you have some people on your impossible list? Don’t give up on them.

You and I did not deserve salvation and yet God saved me and if God saved you it wasn’t because you deserved it either. The people that we want to see come to faith in Christ don’t deserve salvation either but God wants them to be saved.

He is patiently giving them more time. Maybe you have not given your life to Christ yet – to you I will say this – today is the day to make the decision to surrender your life to Him.

Application

I will continue to pray for those that God has put on my heart that need a personal relationship with Him and I will not give up praying for them. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me a godly Granny that prayed for me to be saved. I believe that because of her prayers for me I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior. I don’t deserve salvation but because of Your Grace and Your Mercy I have it.

I pray for those in my family that live like You do not exist. I pray for their salvation. I want them to experience the life that Kathy and I get to experience and I want them to have Eternal life. Bring people into their lives that will challenge them to repent and turn to You. Open up their spiritual eyes and turn their hearts away from sin and self and turn their hearts towards You. Give me patience and the faith to not stop praying for them. 

Daily Bible Reading:  Isaiah 57,58,59; Psalms 103; 2 Peter 3

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For You Are A Slave To Whatever Controls You.

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For You
Are A Slave
To Whatever Controls You.

Scripture

2 Peter 2


19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

Observation

I don’t think any person when they took the first drink of alcohol did it thinking, “Oh boy one day I will be a slave to alcohol and I will get to become an alcoholic.”

Or the guy sitting in front of his computer that clicked on a picture that took him to a porn site thinking, “I know that this is going to destroy my marriage and sexual perversion will dominate and control my soon to be miserable life 24/7!” 

The girl when she tried drugs for the first time never ever thought that it would lead her to an existence (not life) on Nebraska Avenue selling her body for a few dollars to buy her next fix, living a life as a slave to drugs and a slave to the pimp that both now own her life.

None of us plan for sin to wreck our lives, but you and I are slaves to whatever controls us.

We all need to be set free!

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Jesus Christ wants to set us free from a life of sin. He wants to empower us to live our lives to the fullest, filled with purpose and meaning. Are you ready to turn your life over to Him?

I have been set free! How about you?

Application

I will stay away from stupid sins today. I will resist the devil and draw close to God. How about you?

⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:7-10

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I think about people I know who are still caught in the slavery of sin it makes me sad. When I know that if they would just turn from sin and turn to You that they could be walking in victory and not defeat. I know that they could experience joy instead of sorrow and pain, but so far they choose to stay where they are. So I continue to pray for them. I ask You Lord to set them free. Help them to see that Jesus and only Jesus can set them free. Bring people into their lives that help them to see that Jesus is their only Hope. Set them free Lord. Set them free. 

Daily Bible Reading:  Isaiah 53,54,55,56; 2 Peter 2

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You Thrill Me, LORD, With All You Have Done For Me!

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You Thrill Me,
LORD,
With All You Have Done For Me!

Scripture

Psalms 92

⁴ You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!
    I sing for joy because of what you have done.

Observation

Every one of us should be able to make this same statement, but is that what is overflowing from our hearts this morning? 

If not, why don’t we just stop and think about all of the wonderful things that our Lord has done for us – lets do that right now! 

If I listed everything that the Lord has done for me you would probably get very bored after the first few hundred pages. 

Did you know that God says that giving Him “thanks” is the best offering that we can give Him? 

I can honestly say along with Psalmist this morning, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, and your faithfulness in the evening”. 

Application

I will take time this morning to thank the Lord for all that He has done for me. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You have given me life. You have allowed me to come back from the point of death now many times. Everyday I am allowed to live on this earth I consider a gift from You. You thrill me, Lord, with all that You have done for me. I give You praise. I don’t deserve the love that You have poured out on me. Help me to live the rest of my life in a way that pleases You. I know that each and every breath that I take You hold in Your hands. My breath and my very life are always held tightly in Your Hands. 


Daily Bible Reading:  Isaiah 50,51,52; Psalms 92; 2 Peter 1



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