February 13, 2010- It is Better to Give than to Receive

Scripture to read today:
Leviticus 20; Leviticus 21; Leviticus 22; Acts 20

Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

Observation:
Paul really got it. The message of servanthood that Jesus brought to light is carried on in everything Paul did.

Application:
It is in giving that we receive. I’ve seen that on the mission trips I’ve been on and also in the things we do to help people locally. I almost feel guilty because I know, in helping someone, I’m going to get something great in return. I can’t explain it only to know that, in helping someone, you get to experience just a little of what Jesus and Paul, and other great people throughout history, have done before us.

Prayer:
Lord, help more people see that giving is better than getting. Because if we all give, then we all will receive, and this is truly the message that Jesus came to give us. Amen.

November 2, 2009- Giving vs. Saving

Scripture to read today:

ob 23; Job 24; Mark 11; Mark 12

Scripture that spoke to me:
Mark 12:43-44
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Observation:
This lady gave all she had to God. Jesus knew that her tiny offering represented a greater portion than those larger gifts from the others. He knew her, what was in her heart, and what was in her bank account.

Application:
I read something the other day that bothered me a little. Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love, points out that God never told us to save money in the bank. We are to store up our riches in heaven, but on earth, sell all we have and give it to the poor. As I have been reading around the Bible, I haven’t found one place that says we must save for retirement. There is a lot about not borrowing money, about not lending money, about giving, but not about saving. This is contrary to all I was taught- get a good job, save money for retirement. And then I read this story. God wants us to do good things with our money, not hoard it. And that is really hard.

Prayer:
Lord, help me want to do good things with my money, for You. Help me not be greedy or selfish with what You have given me. Amen.

Seotember 17, 2009- Kiss the Messenger

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 42; Ezekiel 43; Ezekiel 44; Revelation 22

Scripture that spoke to me:
Revelation 22: 8-9
I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”

Observation:
In this last chapter of Revelation, John is telling us how he heard and saw all these things. An angel, sent from Jesus, gave him this message. And he was so in awe, he fell at the angel’s feet. But the angel reminded John that he was only the messenger- the praise belongs to the Lord.

Application:
I want to look at this as the messenger. We are all sent to spread the Good News- be the messenger. But how many times do we get the praise when something goes right? Do we remember to deflect that praise on to God? Or do we absorb the praise for ourselves?  Especially with music, I struggle with the fact that I want to sing well- I want people to like what I’m singing- and I want the praise that comes with a job well done. But my motives need to be right. The praise is fine as long as I understand that the praise belongs to God, who gave me the gift I use to glorify Him.

Prayer:
Lord, this is hard. It is hard to not be prideful when a job is well done. Help me to balance that pride with worship and thanksgiving for the good things You give me. Help me to do a good job of showing You to other people through these gifts. 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 25, 2009- Using God’s Gifts

Scripture to read today:

Isaiah 43; Isaiah 44; Isaiah 45; 1 Peter 4

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Peter 4: 10-11
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Observation:
God has given each of us a gift, maybe more. What we do with them is what is important. Do we use our gifts for good? Do we use them at all? If we don’t use them, they go away. If we use them well, it won’t even feel like we’re having to work very hard.

Application:
I haven’t played my saxophone in almost a year, and I’m sure I am not as good at it as I was when I was playing 30 hours a week. Talents fade if we don’t use them. I am musically talented, and good with kids, so the fact that I’m our children’s worship music leader is perfect for me. It doesn’t even feel like work! Using the talents that God gives us for Him will just make you happy! Now if you asked me to serve in the kitchen for a meal, I’d do it but it would be work and it wouldn’t be as rewarding. It isn’t my talent. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it from time to time, but there are people who are so comfortable in that kitchen that it is like home to them. So if everyone can match their gifts up with their work, we’d truly be Paul’s ideal of a body of Christ, where each part works together to make a whole.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for giving me the gift of music and putting me in a place that I can use it well. 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 1, 2009- Love Hurts

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 19; Proverbs 20; Proverbs 21; Romans 13

Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 13:9-10
The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Observation:
Love does no harm… I like the thought of that. According to Paul, love is patient and kind. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. Jesus summed it all up in one word- love.

Application:
I think sometimes we confuse love with desire. But desire is self-serving. Desire doesn’t take into account what others may want. Love puts everything on the other person- I’ll try to explain what I mean. If I love you, I want what is best for you. That may mean I have to suffer, or give up something I want, but if I truly love you, I will want to see you succeed and be willing to sacrifice.  A good example of this is watching Brandon plan for college. There’s nothing I’d like better than for him to live here forever, and Savannah is really going to miss him, too. But I know the best thing, for him, is to get out there and get his education. I love him enough to let him go.

Prayer:
Lord, help heal my heart from this selfless love. Where I need to love another by letting go, let there be joy to fill that empty space. 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 14, 2009- Grant me Wisdom

Scripture to read today:

1 Chronicles 22; 1 Chronicles 23; 1 Chronicles 24; 1 Thessalonians 3

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Chronicles 22:12
May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.

Observation:
This is King David talking to Solomon. David is getting old, and is preparing to make Solomon king. Moreover, he is preparing things so Solomon can build God’s house- a fine temple for the Lord. This is part of David’s blessing of Solomon, asking for discretion and understanding. We know that Solomon ended up with an abundance of both.

Application:
So what do we ask God for? Solomon was very smart, and it appears so was David, in that they both asked at some point for wisdom. I ask for peace, for protection, for love… for lots of things! I don’t know that I’ve asked for overall wisdom (only in particular circumstances.) My prayer today is going to be for wisdom, for if I was wise, I would make good choices in a lot of situations, not just in one particular one.  I would handle things better than I do. So today I ask for wisdom, not that I have a certain situation in mind, but so that I will be wise the next time a situation arises.

Prayer:
Lord, grant me wisdom, that I know how to conduct myself and my business so that You are uplifted in all I do. Amen.

April 20, 2009- You’ve Got Talent

Scripture to read today:

1 Samuel 23; Psalm 31; Psalm 54; Matthew 7

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 7:1-2
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Observation:
Jesus is speaking of the way we use our criticism of others to feel superior. The next few verses speak of not being able to fix the small problems others may have until we deal with our own huge problems. It is easier to overlook the things we need to work on and simply point out where someone else is lacking.

Application:
I think the world has had a good look at judgment this week with the appearance of Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent. I’ll admit to being one of the ones who first saw her and thought “How did she get on this show?” One note out of her mouth, and I had my answer. Wow! What a wonderful gift she has been given! We’re so used to the glamor and beauty of show business that when plain and ordinary come along, our first reaction is to make fun of it. Jesus, however, says that the judgment we have of others will be turned back on us. And I really don’t want someone judging me!

Prayer:
Lord, help me see others by what is in their heart, not what the packaging looks like. Amen.