November 9, 2009- The Ways of the World

Scripture to read today:

Job 34; 1 Corinthians 4; 1 Corinthians 5; 1 Corinthians 6

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Observation:
Paul is right- no one who lives for this world will pass through to the next. But what you’re not seeing in these verses is grace- the grace of God that cleanses us from these earthly sins. That doesn’t mean you can go back to them time and time again, but with the help of God can move past these desires and desire Christ more.

Application:
I’ve seen too many of these things destroy families. Some of them destroyed mine. So it isn’t just for one person’s sake that God take you away from these… it can affect way more than that. I know that He gives me the strength to overcome the things that have affected me- and the strength to stay away from these things as well.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for grace. It really is amazing! Forgive me for turning to the ways of the world and help me stay focused on Christ. Amen.

October 15, 2009- Giving God the Leftovers

Scripture to read today:

Nehemiah 13; Malachi 1; Malachi 2; Acts 4

Scripture that spoke to me:
Malachi 1:9
“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Observation:
The people weren’t bringing the best of their animals for sacrifice. Instead, they were bringing the sick, blind, and spotted animals as offerings to the Lord. They were giving God the leftovers- the things they could do without. This was not much of an offering- bringing things to God that they just wanted to get rid of.

Application:
Why should the Lord show us favor today? Is it for the things we give to Him? Are we offering the best of our time, talents, and money? Or are we offering God the leftovers- those things we really didn’t want anyway? How many of us sit in church and watch the clock, wondering if the minister is going to be finished by noon so that we won’t have to wait in line at our favorite restaurant? Can we offer God just an hour of our time? What about offerings? Do we put in the plate just what is handy, or do we truly tithe our income? Think on these things. If we met Jesus today in our own homes, would we open the good bottle of wine or just finish off the old grape juice at the back of the fridge?

Prayer:
Lord, help me give You my best. The best of whatever I have. I know that all I have comes from You, so let me not hold back in giving it back to You in praise and gratitude. Amen.

October 7, 2009- The Hand of God is Upon Me

Scripture to read today:

Ezra 7; Ezra 8; Luke 20

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezra 7:28b
So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

Observation:
Ezra has been sent by God (and with the king’s blessing) to Jerusalem to take silver and gold as gifts to the temple; inquire of the people there; and supply the temple with servants. Going with the blessing of both God and the king makes Ezra’s job better.

Application:
If the hand of God is upon you, then you will be blessed in all you do in the name of the Lord.  Life may not seem easier, but doors open that may have stayed closed otherwise. It’s like God lines things up that, if you’re in tune with him and paying attention, will make things fall in line.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for caring about my life, for making the things You ask me to do easier to do; for blessing me with more than I deserve. Amen.

September 11, 2009- Many Gifts

Scripture to read today:

Daniel 1; Daniel 2; Revelation 16

Scripture that spoke to me:
Daniel 1:17
God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

Observation:
The four men are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (who King Nebuchadnezzar renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.) They are Jews in exile in Babylon, but are young, strong men that the king wants to use in his service. God has blessed these men with special gifts.

Application:
God blesses us all with special gifts, and each gift is different. I look around sometimes and see that someone else has a gift that I don’t have, and I wish I did! But that doesn’t mean that my gift isn’t just as wonderful. I have the gift of music, and I have a friend who can’t carry a tune who would love to have that gift. But she has a gift for organization and details that I would love to have! So we are each special in our own way, and we should look upon the gifts we have as blessings from the Lord, and use them wisely.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for blessing me with the gift of music. Let me use it to glorify You. Amen.

July 4, 2009- Angels Among Us

Scripture to read today:

2 Kings 15; 2 Kings 16; Hosea 1; Hebrews 1

Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 1:14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Observation:
I don’t know much about angels, but this passage would tell me that angels are real- they are sent to those who believe- and they serve those on earth (including Jesus when he was on earth.)

Application:
I don’t know much or think much about angels. The supernatural world scares me a bit, and I don’t know what to make of spirits and demons and angels. But if I have an angel ministering to me, I want to know it. I need to pay more attention to the blessings God has given me.

Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for not understanding more and probably missing many of your blessings. Amen.

June 5, 2009- Prayers for the Good

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 30; Proverbs 31; Psalm 33; Ephesians 1

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ephesians 1:16-18
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

Observation:
Paul was truly concerned for all the people where he carried the message of Jesus. Here, he tells the people of Ephesus that he has been praying for them- for them to know Christ better, to understand the hope he brings, and the inheritance that awaits them.

Application:
This struck me today, I believe, because I tend to send prayers out where things are wrong. I pray for those who I know do not know the Lord. I have never thought to pray for people who did, that they know Him better! I marvel at how much Paul knew as a trailblazer. I am certain that his knowledge was Spirit led, because how else could he have known all these things?

Prayer:
Lord, today I pray for everyone who knows You, no matter where they are in their life or on their journey, that each day brings them closer and closer to You and Your inheritance. Amen.

May 27, 2009- God has the Game Plan

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 4; Proverbs 5; Proverbs 6; Romans 8

Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Observation:
God is the omnipotent, all-powerful, mighty Lord! Yet He cares for each of us as His own children. We are blessed to have such a wonderful, caring Father. Yet we struggle to get more, we worry needlessly, we turn away from the Father to lead our own lives.

Application:
I needed this reminder today. I played the “If, then” game with myself last night. “If I lose my mother, then God will comfort me.” “If Scott leaves my life, then God must have someone even better in mind.” “If Brandon goes off to college and never comes home, then I have done my job.” Things like that. I went on and on- but it comes down to the fact that I know God is in control, and He has better plans than I could ever have! So I don’t need to worry, I just need to pray and listen and find what He has planned for me.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for loving me and wanting what is best for me. I know that if I follow Your ways, that I need not worry, because You have the plan already. Please continue to bless me and my family. Amen.

May 17, 2009- God’s Money

Scripture to read today:

1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 29; Psalm 95; 2 Thessalonians 1

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Chronicles 29:10-13
¹⁰ David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

¹¹ Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

¹² Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

Observation:
Jerusalem has just finished taking up an offering so they may build the temple. The people gave gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones. Verse 9 says they gave “freely and wholeheartedly.” This prayer of David’s is magnificent- he understood that everything the people had was given to them by Almighty God to begin with, and he praised the Lord for His power and His strength.

Application:
David got it, but I don’t think we get it sometimes. We see money as something WE earned. We work hard for our paychecks. We get up every morning and drag ourselves to work. We don’t see that God put us here, in this time and place, to do this job to His glory. We also don’t see that the money we earn past the 10% we give to the church, is His as well. We need to spend it in ways that are pleasing to Him.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for blessing me in abundance. I know I am rich, maybe not by American money standards, but I am by world standards. Help me to use what You give me to Your glory. Amen.

May 16, 2009- Living in the Light

Scripture to read today:

1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 28; Psalm 91; 1 Thessalonians 5

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Thessalonians 5:2,5-7
for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

Observation:
Paul is reminding the Macedonians that they serve a God of light- of daytime. Although the thief comes in the night, they do not live in the night, but sleep through the night to arrive at the next day. This metaphor can be taken both literally and figuratively.

Application:
My daddy always told me to come home early- you get in more trouble after dark than you do in the light of day. He was right. Doing things in the light, out in the open, keeps you more honest. It seems that the later I stay up, the more tired I am and the more likely to make a wrong decision or be influenced by temptation. Following the figurative side of the metaphor, the more I am with God, living in Jesus, the more I want to do the right things and focus on the light of God.

Prayer:
Lord, let me be a daytime person- one who lives in the light- and one who reflects that light on to others. Amen.

April 17, 2009- Testing God

Scripture to read today:

1 Samuel 19; 1 Chronicles 7; Psalm 59; Matthew 4

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 4:7
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.””

Observation:
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 to Satan as he was tempting Him. God does not need to be tested, for He is good always.

Application:
There is one verse in the Bible where God says “test me” and that is Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Have you ever tithed? God is saying here, “try it and see what happens.” He will bless you, and from some unexpected places.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for blessing me with the things You have given me. Help me to remember where they come from. Help me remain faithful to my tithe. Amen.