Saturday, January 11, 2020
In Peace I Will Lie Down And Sleep, For You Alone, O Lord, Will Keep Me Safe.
In
Peace
I
Will Lie Down And Sleep,
For
You Alone, O Lord, Will Keep Me Safe.
Scripture
Psalm
4
Observation
Do
you have trouble sleeping at night? A while back Kathy was having
trouble sleeping and was letting fears keep her awake. I noticed one
day that she had Psalm 4:8 written down on a piece of paper on the
night stand by her side of the bed.
She
told me that she had memorized that verse and would pray it back to
God when she began to think about things that would keep her awake.
God
has given us thousands of promises in His Word for us to hold on to
because He knew that this world was a scary place to live in and He
knew that we would constantly need to be reminded that He would take
care of us.
Here
is another great promise that was also in today's Bible reading. It
is found in Luke 11:5-13.
Luke
11
5 Then,
teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose
you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three
loaves of bread. You say to him,
7 And
suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door
is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t
help you.’
8 But
I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if
you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever
you need because of your shameless persistence.
9 “And so
I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door
will be opened to you.
10 For
everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to
everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
13 So
if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him.”
Whatever
you and I are going through God has a promise for that … and we can
find a promise for every need in our life if we will just spend time
in His Word every day.
Application
Every
day I will read God's Word because I know that it is filled with
wonderful promises for me.
How
about you? Would you join me every day this year digging into the
riches of what He has for us?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, You have called me to live by faith. It is impossible for me
to live my life by faith if I am not in Your Word every day. Don't
let me miss a day. Don't let me sleep in and miss time with You.
Thank You for the promises that I read today. I know that I can sleep
well at night because You are going to take care of me. I know that
if I call on You and ask You for something that You will hear me and
You will give me what I ask for. I know from Luke
11:5-13 that it doesn't bother You if I am persistent. In
fact, You tell me that I should keep asking and never give up. And
that is just what I plan to do.
1
Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always
be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 27,28; Psalms 4; Luke 11
Friday, January 10, 2020
“Lord, Doesn't It Seem Unfair To You That My Sister Just Sits Here While I Do All The Work? Tell Her To Come And Help Me.” Luke 10
“Lord,
Doesn't It Seem Unfair To You
That
My Sister Just Sits Here While I Do All The Work?
Tell
Her To Come And Help Me.”
Scripture
Luke
10
38 As
Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they
came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him
into her home.
40 But
Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came
to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my
sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and
help me.”
42 There is
only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it,
and it will not be taken away from her.”
Observation
This
is a big problem for me. I don't know if it is for you or not, but I
need to remind myself all the time to not worry about what the people
around me are doing or not doing and just focus on what God has
called me to do.
It
is so easy for us to compare our selves with those around us. It is
also very easy, at least for me, to see what other people could do or
should be doing.
There
is only one thing that I should be concerned about and that one thing
is to serve the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul, and with
all my might.
I
serve an Audience of One. And His name is Jesus!
Application
When
I am tempted to critique what someone else is doing or not doing I
will remember the story of Martha, Mary, and Jesus in Luke 10:38-42.
How
about you? Will you serve an Audience of One?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, help me to keep my eyes on You and not worry about what
everybody else is doing or not doing. Give me a servant's heart. Help
me to make those around me successful in all that You have called
them to do.
I
pray for every leader at our church. Bless them, Lord. Give them a
fresh vision for the work that You have called them to do. Meet the
needs that they have so they can totally focus on what You want them
to do. Keep them away from stupid sins that will mess up their walk
with You.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 25,26; Psalms 6; Luke 10
Thursday, January 09, 2020
“I Will Follow You, Lord; But First Let Me Go Back And Say Goodbye To My Family”
“I
Will Follow You, Lord;
But
First Let Me Go Back
And
Say Goodbye To My Family”
Scripture
Luke
9
57 As
they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will
follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus
replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of
Man has no place to lay his head.”
But
he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus
said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and
proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still
another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back
and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus
replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is
fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Observation
“I
will follow you, Lord; but …” Excuses for why you and I may not
be following Jesus are just that … excuses! I can make excuses for
everything … but that is just what they are – excuses!
What
is God saying to me? What is God saying to you? What He wants from me
is obedience – what is He asking us to do that we have been
ignoring or that we have been making excuses about?
Think
about these verses … Luke 5:11, “So
they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed
him.”
Matthew 19:27 Peter
answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!
What then will there be for us?”
Being
a disciple of Jesus is costly but the benefits are out of this world!
Let's
not make excuses!
Application
I
will ask the Lord to help me be obedient and not let me make excuses.
How
about you?
Psalm
51:16-17
16 You do
not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, I want to be a disciple like Peter, James, and John. I want
to be willing to follow You without hesitation just like they did.
Don't let me make excuses when I fail to be obedient. Convict me and
help me get back on track.
I
pray for any person who may read this blog. Help them to be 100%
committed to You. Help them to put Proverbs 3:5-6 into practice
today!
Proverbs
3:5-6
5 Trust in
the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 23,24; Luke 9
Wednesday, January 08, 2020
He Replied, “My Mother And Brothers Are Those Who Hear God's Word And Put It Into Practice.”
He
Replied,
“My
Mother And Brothers Are Those Who
Hear
God's Word And Put It Into Practice.”
Scripture
Luke
8
19 Now
Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able
to get near him because of the crowd.
Observation
I
wonder if Jesus' mother and His brothers heard what He said? We do
know that two of His brothers became believers, His brother James and
His brother Jude.
You
and I can have a very close relationship with Jesus if we will just
hear God's Word and put it into practice.
Going
to church and being part of a community group helps us apply Luke
8:21.
Have
you been missing church? Have you gotten lax in your participation in
a small group? This Wednesday (today) our community groups and our
children and youth ministries crank back up. Come join us! 5:30 PM
for dinner. 6:30 PM for community groups. We meet at the church 300
E. Sligh Ave.
Application
I
am looking forward to being a part of our men's community group that
meets Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM.
How
about you? Why don't you come and join us on Wednesday evenings?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, help me hear Your Word and help me to put it into practice. I
want to be close to Jesus. Help me to have faith like Abraham, even
though he was 100 years old, he never quit believing that You were
going to give him a son. And later he was willing to sacrifice his
son on the altar because he believed that if his son died that You
would bring him back to life. Give me that kind of faith, Lord.
I
pray for healing for my friends and family members who are going
through sickness. Encourage them today, Lord. Give them strength.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 20,21,22; Luke 8
Tuesday, January 07, 2020
“Therefore, I Tell You, Her Many Sins Have Been Forgiven – As Her Great Love Has Shown. But Whoever Has Been Forgiven Little Loves Little.”
“Therefore,
I Tell You, Her Many Sins Have Been Forgiven –
As
Her Great Love Has Shown.
But
Whoever Has Been Forgiven Little Loves Little.”
Scripture
Luke
7
36 When
one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went
to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.
37 A woman
in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at
the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of
perfume.
38 As she
stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with
her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured
perfume on them.
39 When the
Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this
man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what
kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
“Tell
me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two
people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty.
42 Neither
of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of
both. Now which of them will love him more?”
“You
have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he
turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this
woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my
feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her
hair.
45 You did
not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has
not stopped kissing my feet.
47 Therefore,
I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has
shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Observation
I
hope that you took time to read Luke 7:36-50. In fact, I hope that
you had time to read all of Luke chapter 7 and the other chapters
that I read in Genesis and Psalm 3.
There
was so much that I could have written about from these chapters, but
since I had to pick just one thing to write about this is what I
decided to go with.
Here
in Luke 7 we find a woman who had previously been a very sinful
woman. Her reputation must have been known to everyone and yet Jesus
allowed this sinful woman to anoint him with her tears of repentance
and genuine brokenness., After her encounter with Jesus she left as
completely different woman. Her faith had saved her and she left in
peace!
I
see this happen all the time at our church. I hear testimony after
testimony of lives that have been forever changed. The incredible,
wonderful stories of how God has forgiven them gives me “goose
bumps”.
In
fact, it happened again this past Sunday, when a young woman in our
Bible study class, shared how Jesus had changed her life. I don't
know about you, but I never get tired of hearing how God has changed
someone's life.
Are
your sins forgiven?
Application
I
would love to hear how God changed your life. No one has a story
exactly like your story!
How
about you? How has Jesus Christ changed your life?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, I am a sinner saved by Your grace. This woman didn't deserve
salvation and neither do I. Thank You for forgiving my sins. Thank
You for allowing me to hear all these stories of lives that have been
forever changed. Thank You for allowing me to be a part of a church
that focuses on reaching people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 18,19; Psalms 3; Luke 7
Monday, January 06, 2020
“So Why Do You Keep Calling Me 'Lord, Lord'! When You Don't Do What I Say?”
“So
Why Do You Keep Calling Me 'Lord, Lord'!
When
You
Don't Do What I Say?”
Scripture
Luke
6
46 “So
why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what
I say?
47 I will
show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my
teaching, and then follows it.
48 It is
like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation
on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that
house, it stands firm because it is well built.
49 But
anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a
house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods
sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of
ruins.”
Observation
2020
will be a great year for each one of us if we will just do what the
Lord tells us to do! Obedience is the key to experiencing a blessed
life and that is not just me saying that … it is exactly what God
says in His Word.
Here
are just a few verses, but I am sure that you could find a lot more:
Ephesians
6:1-3
1
Children,
obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the
right thing to do.
3 If you
honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you
will have a long life on the earth.”
(I
wanted to put this one in just in case one of my grown kids or one of
my grandkids happens to read this blog.)
Psalm
128:1
1
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to
him.
2
Chronicles 31:21
21 In
everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in
obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked
wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
Luke
11:28
He
replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of
God and obey it.”
Application
I
intend to read God's Word every day this year and put what I read
into practice the best that I can.
How
about you?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, I know that the key to living a blessed life is to obey what
You say. I know that I can't call Jesus the Lord of my life if I am
living in disobedience. Help me to live in a close relationship with
You. Don't let me do stupid sins that mess up my walk with You and
mess up my relationship with those around me. Show me when I sin and
help me confess that sin as soon as I commit it.
I
pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help them live lives of
obedience this year. Bless them, Lord, as they put You first in their
lives.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 15,16,17; Luke 6
Sunday, January 05, 2020
Why Do You Eat And Drink With Such Scum?
Why
Do
You Eat And Drink
With
Such Scum?
Scripture
Luke
5
27 Later,
as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at
his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my
disciple,” Jesus said to him.
29 Later,
Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor.
Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with
them.
30 But the
Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to
Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
32 I have
come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who
know they are sinners and need to repent.”
Observation
“Why
do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus'
answer to that question, “Healthy people don't need a doctor –
sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are
righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
So until we
realize that we are sinners who are in need of a Savior, until we
realize we are sick with a terminal illness called sin, we will never
repent and turn to Christ for salvation.
Kathy's Dad,
Clayton Bearden, is a great example of this. You couldn't ask for a
better man than Clayton, “Mr. Clean” as he was known by his
fellow pipefitters and friends. He was a good man. He didn't go to
church, but he made sure that all of his kids went to church. He had
a rule in his house, “If you didn't go to church then you couldn't
go out and do anything else on Sunday!”
I remember
sharing the Bridge of Life with him. I drew out the Gospel
presentation on a paper towel and told him to look at it and think
about it. At that time he thought that being “good” was going to
get him to Heaven.
Kathy's Dad at 67
finally started going to church. Kathy and I were in Seminary in
Texas preparing for the mission field and we had come home to Tampa
for a visit.
We were talking
to Clayton about his attending church and he told us that they had
just had the Lord's supper at church, but he did not take it. He
said, “The deacon passed the plate to me and gave me a look when I
didn't take it, he should have known that I wasn't a Christian.”
When we heard him
tell that story it made us very excited because we knew that he now
realized that he was lost and that being good wasn't going to get him
to Heaven.
It was a few
months later during a Revival service at the church that Kathy's dad
surrendered his life to Jesus. And WOW, what a changed man he was
after that!
Until
someone realizes that they are lost and in need of a Savior they will
never repent and turn to God.
Application
I
will continue to share the Good News of Jesus with people. I will not
give up on them.
How
about you?
Ephesians
2:8-9
8 God saved
you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for
this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation
is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can
boast about it.
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, thank You for opening up the spiritual eyes of my
father-in-law and saving him. I pray that if anyone reading this blog
thinks that they can be good enough to earn his or her way into
Heaven show them that they are lost and that they are in need of a
Savior. I pray for their salvation.
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.
1
John 5:11-12
11 And this
is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son. 12 Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have
life.
Romans
10:9-10
9 If you
openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For
it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 12,13,14; Luke 5
Saturday, January 04, 2020
The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Me, For He Has Anointed Me To Bring Good News To The Poor. He Has Sent Me To Proclaim That Captives Will Be Released …
The
Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Me,
For
He Has Anointed Me To Bring Good News To The Poor.
He
Has Sent Me To Proclaim That Captives Will Be Released …
Scripture
Luke
4
18 “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
Observation
After
Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2 from the scroll that day in the synagogue
and declared that He was the fulfillment of that Messianic promise,
the people got angry and wanted to kill him.
You
and I, as followers of Jesus Christ, have also been called to share
the Good News, to set captives free from sin, and to help the
spiritually blind to see.
God's
plan to bring light into this dark evil world is centered around us!
We are God's hope for this lost and dying world! God's plan to change
this world is to use us to do it. He has no plan “B” if plan “A”
doesn't work.
And
plan “A” is going to work. I know because I just read the book of
Revelation last week and I know how all of this is going to end!
Application
I
want God to use me to help someone know and accept the Good News of
Jesus Christ.
How
about you? It is a great prayer for 2020 – “Lord, use me to help
someone come out of spiritual darkness this year and into the light!”
Matthew
5:14-16
15 Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it
on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the
same way, let your light shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your Father in heaven.
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, I want to be used by You in 2020. I want You to place me in
the path of those who are living in spiritual darkness so I can help
them to walk in the Light. Jesus is the Light of the world. The world
is so dark right now. It desperately needs the Good News of Jesus
Christ.
Give
me boldness, Lord. Give me Your heart for the people around me. Open
up doors of ministry both to me and to any
person that may be reading this blog today. Use us, Lord. Put
us right where You want us and then help us be the light that You
want us to be.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 9,10,11; Luke 4
Thursday, January 02, 2020
It Was The Woman You Gave Me Who Gave Me The Fruit, And I Ate It.
It
Was The Woman
You
Gave Me
Who
Gave Me The Fruit, And I Ate It.
Scripture
Genesis
3
8 When the
cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard
the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from
the Lord God among the trees.
11 “Who
told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have
you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
“The
serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
14 Then
the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because
you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic
and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long
as you live.
15 And
I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your
offspring and her offspring.He will strike your head, and you will
strike his heel.”
16 Then he
said to the woman, “I
will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give
birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule
over you.”
17 And to
the man he said, “Since
you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I
commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All
your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,though you will eat of its grains.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,though you will eat of its grains.
19 By
the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to
the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and
to dust you will return.”
Observation
If
you have the tendency to blame other people for your present
circumstances then my friend you are not alone. The blame game
started all the way back in the Garden of Eden.
Oh,
let's not be too hard on Adam and Eve, they might have been the first
couple who started it, but you and I are just as guilty.
The
biggest step in recovery and the biggest step in getting a
relationship back on the right track is admitting that “I” have a
problem, and admitting that “I” messed up.
It
is amazing how easy it is for me to see the tiny speck in someone
elses eye, but for some reason I can't see the log that is in my own.
You
and I have a serious “I” problem. If we want to place blame on
somebody, let's blame it on Adam and Eve and not on our spouse!
Application
When
Kathy and I have an argument (yes, we do have arguments), I will be
quick to say, “I love you. I am sorry. I was wrong. Will you
forgive me?” I will not play the blame game.
How
about you?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, You know my heart. I like to be right just as much as anyone
else. Help me to love my wife and help me not worry about always
having to be right. Don't let me blame other people when I mess up.
Help me to own up to my own shortcomings.
I
pray for couples who are constantly fighting and arguing with each
other. Help them, Lord. Help them to grow spiritually. Help them to
admit their faults to each other so they can have a great
relationship. Don't let them get caught up in the blame game.
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 3,4,5; Luke 2
Wednesday, January 01, 2020
For With God Nothing Shall Be Impossible.
For
With
God
Nothing
Shall Be Impossible.
Scripture
Luke
1
37 For
the word of God will never fail. NLT
37
For with God
nothing shall be impossible. KJV
Observation
Genesis
1:1 starts out “In
the beginning God...” and that is exactly how we
should start out 2020 ... in the beginning of each day we should
start it out with time with God … in His Word! Happy &
Prosperous New Year to you and to your entire family! God is so good!
This
year is going to be a great year (Jer. 29:11)!
Yes, it is going to be filled with many exciting challenges, but it
is also going to be a difficult year because we know that life is
also filled with trials and troubles (John
16:33).
And
that is why you and I need to develop and maintain the wonderful
habit of spending time reading God's Word every day.
I
don't know about you but I am looking forward to finding all of God's
thousands of promises that He has for me in His Word.
Luke
1:37 is great promise in no matter what translation we read it
in!
And
Luke 1:77 reminds me that it is not good
people that go to Heaven and bad people that go to Hell. It is only
forgiven people that go to Heaven. And forgiveness is only available
through a relationship with Jesus Christ!
Application
I
optimistically look forward to 2020! I serve a Great and Mighty God!
With God's help, I will read the Bible every day.
How
about you?
Jeremiah
29:11
11 For I
know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are
plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
John
16:33
33 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.”
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, As I start out this new year I want You to know that I am
counting on You. This is going to be a great year because I serve You
and You are a great and mighty God. You are a God of mercy and grace.
You love me so much. And I know that I don't deserve it.
I
pray for my friends who take time to read this very simple blog.
Bless them, Lord. Help them to walk by faith in this new year. Show
them that they can totally trust You for every detail of their life.
You are so good. You have been so good to me and my family. Thank You
for Your goodness and Your loving kindness!
Daily
Bible Reading: Genesis 1,2; Luke 1
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