Scripture: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) - Ephesians 2:4,5
Observation: Wow! These verses speak so much of our Great Lord. If we ever need a wake up call to start looking at the bigger picture, this is it. What one person or one thing on this earth can say that just by their grace alone, our sins are washed free and we are saved. It opens my eyes to the greatness of His power. It makes me so greatful and so humble to know that I have been saved by the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Out of the millions of galaxies and universes out there, He can actually see me, this little speck on this small planet in the midst of millions of billions of planets. That is just amazing and I'm so greatful.
Application: I have to be so greatful for this wonderful promise, and part of that is showing others what the Lord has done for me. Not by being boastful, or proud, but by living my life in a Godly way. I believe this is so others may see the wonderful glories that the Lord can do, and want that for themselves. All which will lead them to God's word and a holy life.
Prayer: Dear Father, I am just so greatful of the wonderful gift You have bestowed upon me. I ask that You help me to live the best way possible, so that I may encourage others to Your Love Lord. I am so thankful for all the things You've put in my life and I am greatful for everything You have in store for my future, whether good or bad, as I know whatever is in front of me will only serve to bring me closer to You. Amen
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Following in Humility
Scripture: And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people's faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. - Romans 16:17-20
Observation: With all the pop culture in the world and all the media leading minds in crazy directions, we must remain vigilant of any people that may lead us away from the Word of God. This is not to say that we should shun them and criticize their words, for the bible tells us, "Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong." (Romans 14:4) But we must look to God and pray that he help this individual receive the true words of the Lord. If then, the Lord tells us that we are to be the one to carry out this task, then we'll look to Him for guidance as to how to accomplish that. We have to be careful of how we approach individuals so "we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord" (Romans 15:2), and not tear them down.
Application: I notice as I became a new Christian that I was extremely excited about what the Lord had in store for me. And though I think there's nothing wrong with that, I became too prideful and righteous in my own beliefs that I condemned others in my own mind, for their beliefs as it didn't follow what I had learned. I had to learn, and am still continuing to learn, that I am not serving myself by bringing them to the Lord, I am serving God by bringing His children, back to Him and He has the plan as to when each person will see His unending love.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father...I thank You for the people that surround me everyday Lord. I thank You for the unique insights and attitudes that each bring to my life. I pray that You give me the understanding of other peoples opinions and that You give me the mind set necessary to combine all of these unique perspectives in my own mind, so that I may serve You better. I believe that You bring people into my life for a specific reason Lord, and I pray that I get the full message that You are trying to teach me. I pray that You use me as a tool Lord, so that I may serve Your Mighty Kingdom in all that I do. Amen.
Observation: With all the pop culture in the world and all the media leading minds in crazy directions, we must remain vigilant of any people that may lead us away from the Word of God. This is not to say that we should shun them and criticize their words, for the bible tells us, "Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong." (Romans 14:4) But we must look to God and pray that he help this individual receive the true words of the Lord. If then, the Lord tells us that we are to be the one to carry out this task, then we'll look to Him for guidance as to how to accomplish that. We have to be careful of how we approach individuals so "we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord" (Romans 15:2), and not tear them down.
Application: I notice as I became a new Christian that I was extremely excited about what the Lord had in store for me. And though I think there's nothing wrong with that, I became too prideful and righteous in my own beliefs that I condemned others in my own mind, for their beliefs as it didn't follow what I had learned. I had to learn, and am still continuing to learn, that I am not serving myself by bringing them to the Lord, I am serving God by bringing His children, back to Him and He has the plan as to when each person will see His unending love.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father...I thank You for the people that surround me everyday Lord. I thank You for the unique insights and attitudes that each bring to my life. I pray that You give me the understanding of other peoples opinions and that You give me the mind set necessary to combine all of these unique perspectives in my own mind, so that I may serve You better. I believe that You bring people into my life for a specific reason Lord, and I pray that I get the full message that You are trying to teach me. I pray that You use me as a tool Lord, so that I may serve Your Mighty Kingdom in all that I do. Amen.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Evaluate Yourself...First
Scripture: Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. - Romans 12:21
Observation: Everyday, evil tries to enter our hearts and corrupt us into doing things we might later regret. It does so, in part, by manipulating us into believing we are righteous in all that we do. When another commits a wrong against us, it is THEIR fault, not ours. We fail to take a look at our own role in the conflict at hand. If we take so much time criticizing others, shouldn't we spend just as much time, if not more, critizicing ourselves? As the bible tells us, "Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us." (Romans 12:3) It's funny how when you hear the story of a conflict, told by the opposing parties, how each story embellishes the greatness of their deeds, yet underplays the hand they had in adding to the conflict. Remembering the previous scripture, we should "never pay back evil with more evil" but instead, "do things in a way that everyone can see you are honorable." (Romans 12:17) We have to understand that we aren't totally righteous and treat others without evil. "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." - Romans 12:18
Application: I must remember that the only 100% righteous being is God himself and because of that, I must evaluate myself before evaluating others. And regardless of what I might find, I must treat all those who I do come into conflict with, in a Godly way. I can't know what's going on in the mind of another person, and I can't pretend to understand what someone else is going through. Maybe they're having a bad day or maybe a loved one has passed away and getting angry is how they cope with that. I can stop evil in it's tracks by taking the time to sympathize with the other person, and treat them without vengeful actions, but by actions of caring and kindness.
Prayer: Dear Father...I thank You for the wonderful gift of forgiveness. I am so greatful that we can come into conflict with another individual, and still be able to turn that conflict into a friendship through the power of forgiveness and grace. I pray that You help me become more patient and gracious Lord so that I may forgive others, and forgive myself, just as You've forgiven me of all my sins. It's just an awesome fact that regardless of what anyone has done, that they can turn to You and know that they will be welcomed to Your table. I pray that You bestow that kind of heart upon me Lord. I pray that You stop me anytime I feel the urge to commit a vengeful act upon someone, and please guide me in my own self evaluation, anytime I come into conflict with someone else. I thank you again for everything this life has to offer. Amen
Observation: Everyday, evil tries to enter our hearts and corrupt us into doing things we might later regret. It does so, in part, by manipulating us into believing we are righteous in all that we do. When another commits a wrong against us, it is THEIR fault, not ours. We fail to take a look at our own role in the conflict at hand. If we take so much time criticizing others, shouldn't we spend just as much time, if not more, critizicing ourselves? As the bible tells us, "Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us." (Romans 12:3) It's funny how when you hear the story of a conflict, told by the opposing parties, how each story embellishes the greatness of their deeds, yet underplays the hand they had in adding to the conflict. Remembering the previous scripture, we should "never pay back evil with more evil" but instead, "do things in a way that everyone can see you are honorable." (Romans 12:17) We have to understand that we aren't totally righteous and treat others without evil. "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." - Romans 12:18
Application: I must remember that the only 100% righteous being is God himself and because of that, I must evaluate myself before evaluating others. And regardless of what I might find, I must treat all those who I do come into conflict with, in a Godly way. I can't know what's going on in the mind of another person, and I can't pretend to understand what someone else is going through. Maybe they're having a bad day or maybe a loved one has passed away and getting angry is how they cope with that. I can stop evil in it's tracks by taking the time to sympathize with the other person, and treat them without vengeful actions, but by actions of caring and kindness.
Prayer: Dear Father...I thank You for the wonderful gift of forgiveness. I am so greatful that we can come into conflict with another individual, and still be able to turn that conflict into a friendship through the power of forgiveness and grace. I pray that You help me become more patient and gracious Lord so that I may forgive others, and forgive myself, just as You've forgiven me of all my sins. It's just an awesome fact that regardless of what anyone has done, that they can turn to You and know that they will be welcomed to Your table. I pray that You bestow that kind of heart upon me Lord. I pray that You stop me anytime I feel the urge to commit a vengeful act upon someone, and please guide me in my own self evaluation, anytime I come into conflict with someone else. I thank you again for everything this life has to offer. Amen
Ashamed of our Past...Hopeful for the Future
(Actually this is December 1st's post, but only got to publish it now)
Scripture: When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:20-23
Observation: Too many times we give into sin without realizing the full repercussions of our actions. They say that hindsight is 20/20 and all too true that is. We look back in shame realizing that what we have done will only cause bad things. However, now that we have given our lives to Christ, we can do things that, when we look back, will only cause great joy and happiness. We can begin to live shameless lives taking solice in the fact that what we do, is in the will of our Great Lord.
Application: It is true that God's gift of eternal life is a free one however, I know that I must live my life free of sin. I must strive to be more like Jesus and give up my rights for the glory of God. God gave his only son so that I may have eternal life. That is a sacrfice I hold closer to my heart than any other. I can do my best to not let that sacrifice fall in vain by living my life the way God has decided.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father...I thank you for the wonderful sacrifice you made for me the day Jesus died on the cross. I ask that you take my hand and lead me in everything that comes my way on this earth. I give my heart and my body to you Lord so that you may let me take pride in the fact that I am serving you Lord and not serving myself to the temptation of sin. Amen.
Scripture: When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:20-23
Observation: Too many times we give into sin without realizing the full repercussions of our actions. They say that hindsight is 20/20 and all too true that is. We look back in shame realizing that what we have done will only cause bad things. However, now that we have given our lives to Christ, we can do things that, when we look back, will only cause great joy and happiness. We can begin to live shameless lives taking solice in the fact that what we do, is in the will of our Great Lord.
Application: It is true that God's gift of eternal life is a free one however, I know that I must live my life free of sin. I must strive to be more like Jesus and give up my rights for the glory of God. God gave his only son so that I may have eternal life. That is a sacrfice I hold closer to my heart than any other. I can do my best to not let that sacrifice fall in vain by living my life the way God has decided.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father...I thank you for the wonderful sacrifice you made for me the day Jesus died on the cross. I ask that you take my hand and lead me in everything that comes my way on this earth. I give my heart and my body to you Lord so that you may let me take pride in the fact that I am serving you Lord and not serving myself to the temptation of sin. Amen.
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