January 31, 2012

Matthew 10:32-33 NASB
Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

Personal Challenge...
Contrary to popular belief the act of confessing Christ before men is not a one time event, like saying the "sinner's prayer". It is an active, ongoing profession of faith in Christ the Redeemer through words, actions, thoughts, and our entire being. Being a Christian is not a noun...it is an active verb.

January 30, 2012

Proverbs 8:17 NIV
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

Encouraging Words...
Sometimes it is just the simple things about faith that are the most powerful. He wants us to love Him and seek Him. He will do the rest.

January 27, 2012

Psalm 18:46 NASB
The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,

Encouraging Words...
It has truly been a blessing to have been able to live most of my life with a Rock as my friend, my protection, and my salvation. It is encouraging to know that He will always be there, solid and consistent through the remainder of my days.

January 26, 2012

Ephesians 5:25-28 NASB
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

Encouraging Words...
Today I am celebrating my fourth anniversary with my wonderful bride. It is such a blessing to have a godly, Christ-centered partner to share this journey through life with. I do love her dearly.

January 25, 2012

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NASB
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Personal Challenge...
What a dilemma to live with every day...to be here on earth in our physical bodies separated from the presence of our Lord or to be absent from our physical bodies and in the presence of our King. What a great reason for living each day by faith, knowing in our hearts and ultimately our minds that today is the day that the Lord has given us to live for Him and through Him. Through this kind of living we can bring a piece of Heaven to those around us. Eternity has already started for those of us who claim Jesus as our Lord...it does not start when we die physically because through Him we have already died to our physical selves and are (or should be) living for Him now.

January 24, 2012

Luke 10:2 NLT
These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his fields.

Personal Challenge...
Having been working in Haiti as a missionary for two years now I am just beginning to understand the urgency of this verse. There is so much work that needs to be done in the world around us. We are called to reach out to the lost, the orphans, the widows, the homeless, the hungry. But we are not just called to reach out to them, but we are commanded to lead the lost to a home in Christ, to take care of the orphans and widows, to provide shelter for the homeless, and to feed the hungry.

Some of us can do that by going to where the needs are and giving of ourselves to meet these needs. But some cannot go, however, they can be senders...providing for the needs of those who do go with their wealth and their time in prayer. Please be a support system for those in your life that you know are the "go'ers". Support and encourage the workers of the harvest.

January 23, 2012

Isaiah 33:13-16 NASB
“You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.” Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?” He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.

Command with a Promise...
Read down through "He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, he who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe, he who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil" and you will see the command to God's people. The promise is that whomever lives their life this way wil "dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure." Does this apply to God's people today? I certainly think it does. God wants us to live holy and righteous lives for His glory.

January 20, 2012

Proverbs 3:1-2 NASB
My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you.

Command with a Promise...
I have often been surprised by how often the Bible talks about doing things with our hearts rather than our minds. Here we are commanded to hold on to the teachings of God and to keep his commandments...with our heart. The result will be length of days and years of life blessed with peace, God's peace. I agree that it is important to study and to learn about God and our responsibilities to Him, but He wants it to go much deeper than that. He desires that we know him from our heart, the center of our being, and that we serve Him from there. Even Satan and all of his minions have all the knowledge that is available about God. That knowledge without the love and the service from our hearts makes us no different than them.

January 19, 2012

Psalm 86:12 NASB
I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.

Personal Challenge...
God is God and I am not...this is why I must always remember to give thanks to Him. He is the one to be glorified and everything and at all times.

January 18, 2012

Job 28:28 NASB
“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

Personal Challenge...
Now this is not what you would most likely hear in the world today as sound advice. Where does true wisdom begin...in the fear (respect, awe, reverence, piety) of the Lord. What is the basis of understanding...running away from evil (wickedness, mischief, wrong-being). God desires from us a humble and contrite heart...isn't this where true wisdom and understanding begins?

January 17, 2012

James 2:19-20 NASB
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Personal Challenge...
Have you ever caught yourself minimizing God or taking Him and our calling to worship and obey Him lightly? Being a follower of Christ is serious business. Sometimes I think the modern church has watered God down so much that He is seen as just one more character, person, object in our lives to use when WE need it.

We are called to worship Him with awe and reverence, does your worship reflect this? We are called to obey Him and humble ourselves before Him, are you doing this in every moment of your day and night? I regret to admit that I all too often put God in the back seat and take over piloting my vehicle through life.

He is God and I am not! He is the Lord of all and I am not. I must decrease so that He can increase. I must exercise my faith in Him by doing His works. Otherwise, I am no different that the demons who know Him, but are not His "children".

January 16, 2012

2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

Encouraging Words...
As each day passes by and I am reminded more and more that my body is growing older this verse encourages me. It is wonderful to know that this physical presence is but a small blip on our lifeline of eternity. As I have heard, this life in these physical bodies are but the introduction to the book of our lives. We have not even started the first chapter yet. I guess the real important question to ask is, "Where will the chapters of your book be set throughout eternity?" I am grateful that I can say that through the work of my Lord Jesus Christ my setting will be in the presence of God.

January 13, 2012

Acts 5:40-42 NIV
His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Personal Challenge...
When you read this scripture in it's context you will find that the apostles have been pulled into the Council of the high priest to be judged because they were publicly proclaiming Jesus as the Lord and the Messiah. The Council was tired of punishing them and having them go right back out and do it again. This time they were getting ready to put them to death when Gamaliel, a member of the Council, convinced them that if this new movement (what we now call Christianity) was truly of God then they would not be able to stop it by killing these men.

Fast forward to our times today. Are we as Christians willing to stand up so firmly for our Lord? Are we willing to take the cat-calls and the slurs because we are willing to pray over our meal at a restaurant, or cross ourselves in public when the names of the Trinity are invoked, or kneel before Him? Are we willing to be public with our commitment to Christ or do we feel it is more politically correct to hide our expressions of faith because we might offend someone. I must admit that I have all too often chosen not to stand out for my faith because of who might be looking in my direction. Think about it...even Jesus was willing to be hung naked on a cross in front of all of the people of Jerusalem in order to save mankind and creation from death. What am I willing to do for Him?

January 12, 2012

John 16:33 NLT
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.

Encouraging Words...
Have you ever had one of those times where you felt like you were all alone? Maybe it was out on a desolate country road or hiking in the wilderness. Maybe it was in the middle of a crowded area. Often it is in the midst of those trials that bear down upon us. But here is a wonderful promise from God's eternal Word. We are not alone for God is ever present and He, in the form of man, has overcome the world and redeemed creation from the hold that death had on it. We are not alone and have the Creator/Redeemer of all there with us.

January 11, 2012

Isaiah 1:16-20 NASB
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Personal Challenge...
When did we, "the church", start making salvation a noun? It is truly a verb throughout the scriptures. It begins with the work of Jesus on the cross, but it continues through the Holy Spirit working in and though our lives, and continues with us being obedient to His directions and the commandments of our God. It works out in our lives being lived in community with other believers. It is a continual, ongoing process and we are called to be active participants in that process.

January 10, 2012

Proverbs 3:25-26 NIV
Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.


Encouraging Words...
To continue with yesterday's verse of the day, this one is another reminder that living my life with my confidence and trust placed in the LORD will provide for me a life lived without fear. It is not my act of confidence or trust that provides this life without fear, but it is the One in whom I place that confidence and trust. God is my provider, my protector, my sustainer. It is Him and His hold on the greater things that takes care of me and those whom He places in my life. It is once again, not about me, but about Him and His creation.

January 9, 2012

Psalm 10:14 NIV
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

Encouraging Words...
It is so refreshing to go through each day knowing that I am not alone in what is going on around me. God knows everything that I am going through, both positive and negative, and He knows the bigger picture, the eternal one. What more can I ask for than a Father who is always there with me and helping me to fit into His eternal plan.

January 6, 2012

Deuteronomy 8:18 NASB
“But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Personal Challenge...
I guess the real question here is, "What is wealth?" According to the standards of the world most would apply this verse to material wealth, or stuff, and that God is promising that He will provide for us abundantly. But according to the standards of Eternity, wealth comes in many more forms. It may be health, it may be wisdom and knowledge, it may be those blessings that are hard to qualify (like my next breath, or that continual heart beat, or the love that I receive from those in my life). But the bottom line is that it all comes from the LORD my God and His covenant with mankind. Glory be to Him!

January 5, 2012

1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Command with a Promise...
If I humble myself before my God He will exalt me at the time that He choses. If I cast all of my cares and anxieties upon Him He will come through, because He cares for me, His child.

January 4, 2012

Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Command with a Promise...
My daily reading today took me through the first four chapters of Ecclesiastes. I love how this book reminds me that all of life is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity and that so much of what happens through this earthly life is futile and meaningless. I must seek out those things in my life that are truly important, things that make an impression on eternity, like loving those whom God has placed in my life, spending time with my spouse, my children, my grandchildren, doing those things that build up rather than tear down.

I love how these verses from Hebrews remind me that I must hold on to the confidence in Christ that God has placed in my heart and persevere, because through this He will reward me, He will give me that which He has promised.

January 3, 2012

1 Corinthians 2:9
...but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery...
9* but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

Personal Challenge...
I often find myself asking (sometimes even challenging) God why certain things are happening the way that they are or where He is leading me. This verse reminds me that God's wisdom is so much greater than mine, and that He has such wonderful things in store for me. It is up to me to love Him, to trust Him, and to obey Him. He will do the rest.