November 24, 2009- Sold Out?

Scripture to read today:

Matthew 17; Matthew 18; Matthew 19

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 19:16-21
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

“Which ones?” the man inquired.

Jesus replied, ” ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Observation:
The man wasn’t going to be perfect by keeping the commandments. Perfection came when he let go of the things he loved the most in the world and followed Jesus.

Application:
What is it that I put between me and Jesus? My house? Job, kids, car… church? Am I sold out to Jesus- would I sell out and follow Him? I don’t know- I’d like to think I would, but I really don’t know.

Prayer:
Lord, sometimes I’m not the person I wish I am. Forgive me for the times I am not what you had in mind for me to be. Help me become all that you wish. Amen.

September 14, 2009- Love with Service

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 36; Ezekiel 37; Psalm 110; Revelation 19

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 36:9
See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted.

Application:
The Lord is promising to bring the children of Israel home. He isn’t banishing them forever. They will be a prosperous people again. The Lord cares for His people.

Observation:
If you care for someone, you pay attention to them. You help them when they are in trouble. That is why love and service go hand in hand- why James says that faith without deeds is dead. Because loving means wanting to make life better for someone else. It means paying attention to them and to their needs.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to love more people. Help us all to love each other and put hands to that love. I imagine a world where our goal is to help each other. What a wonderful world that would be, full of the love You have for us. Help me to do my part. Amen.

August 5, 2009- Becoming Famous

Scripture to read today:

2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7

Scripture that spoke to me:
John 7:4
You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!”

Observation:
Jesus’ brothers are trying to convince him to go to the festival and show what he can do. Their thinking is, if he can do such miraculous things, he should do them and become famous. Jesus’ answer, of course, is that his time has not yet come. He wasn’t there to put on a show, or be famous, but to tell the world of God’s goodness.

Application:
We’d opt for the show. I’m pretty sure that if I could do just one of the miracles Jesus did, I’d want to show off. I’d want people to see what I could do. The difference is, Jesus was showing what God could do- not he himself. I struggle with that- I give God the credit sometimes, but I like the accolades from people who tell me I do a good job.

Prayer:
Forgive me Lord for wanting the praises when they should all be Yours. Amen.

August 3, 2009- Not to Please Me

Scripture to read today:
Nahum 1-3; John 5

Scripture that spoke to me:
John 5: 30
By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Observation:
This is Jesus speaking on his own return and the judgment that will come. God has given Jesus the authority to judge because he is the Son of Man, and he will judge righteously.

Application:
How right we would all judge if we were judging to please God and not ourselves! I know I tend to judge people based on earthly standards. In many cases, I cannot see people’s hearts to judge them on a heavenly basis. But that is not my place. It has to be left to the One who CAN see their hearts. I also have to remember that He is judging my heart, too.

Prayer:
Lord forgive me when I rate people by earthly standards. Help me to remember that we are all One in You. Amen.

June 21, 2009- Mark of a Minister (And a Father- Happy Father’s Day!)

Scripture to read today:

2 Kings 6; 2 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Timothy 3:2-7
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

Observation:
This is Paul’s description of what a preacher should be. Someone who has managed his own life well, so that the church may be managed well, too.

Application:
I work with two preachers and also know the three at my church very well. I think they all fit this description. Not that they never make a mistake, or have flaws, but that their inner being, their character, is that of someone that people can look up to. I think of Scott, who is on track to be a minister, and see how he fits this description. I also see how God uses these fallible people to teach others about Him.

Prayer:
Lord, I pray for our ministers- that their lives are not only an example, but their hearts are, too. Be with them and their families as they set about to do Your work. 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 9, 2009- The Big Picture

Scripture to read today:

2 Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 26:53-54
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Observation:
Jesus knows that he fulfills all prophesy about the Messiah. This is the prophesy that has yet to be fulfilled- that the Son of Man will die on the cross and be raised up again in three days. He doesn’t want to do it- he has prayed to God at least twice to spare him- but he realizes that it has to happen in order for the plan to work. He has the power to stop it but doesn’t use it.

Application:
How many times do we know we have to do something that we don’t want to do- but we know it is the best thing to do. Scott’s dog died yesterday. She was at the Humane Society, and they would have disposed of the body. But we knew that we had to go get her and bring her back and bury her. So we did. It wasn’t easy. It would have been easier to let them do it. But we needed the sadness and closure. Savannah needed a grave. She also needed to see. I could think of many other examples- where you see the big picture, even though you don’t like a detail or two of it.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to see and understand the big picture, and know the best things to do. Amen.

Apriil 16, 2009- It’s Hard to be Humble

Scripture to read today:

1 Samuel 18; 1 Chronicles 6; Psalm 11; Matthew 3

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Samuel 18:23
They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”

Observation:
David had truly humble beginnings. He knows that Samuel anointed him as King long ago, but he is still humble and not ready to claim his stature.

Application:
How many of us would jump at the chance to marry a prince (or princess)? It is every little girl’s dream to be a princess one day, and often as we get older we’re still looking for our prince. For David to remain humble when his victories and successes could have fed his ego is amazing. I would probably be so proud that I would forget that God is the reason I succeeded. But David didn’t, and we shouldn’t either.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving me the abilities I have. I praise You that I am able to be successful in my work and in my relationships. Amen.

April 11, 2009- I Feel for You

Scripture to read today:

1 Samuel 11; 1 Samuel 12; 1 Chronicles 1; 2 Corinthians 11

Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Corinthians 11:29
Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

Observation:
Paul had a real love for the people he touched. He felt their pain and their suffering. He had put so much time and effort into the salvation of others that he took on their feelings as his own.

Application:
In the self-serving world we live in today, can we get to this place? Are we more concerned with our own feelings? I’m sure we are. Is there any way to get to the place Paul was- where if someone else is sad, we are, too? I think mothers can do that with their children. So our Heavenly Father does that with His children. And if we are truly His children, we should be able to feel that for each other, too.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to be aware of the feelings of others. Amen.

March 19, 2009- To put others first, you have to be willing to be last

Scripture to read today:

Joshua 3; Joshua 4; Joshua 5; Joshua 6; 1 Corinthians 4

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Corinthians 4:9-10
For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

Observation:
Paul didn’t have an easy life. He accepted that he would have struggles taking on what the Lord asked of him. He even, at several points, believed he deserved it for his early punishment of the Christians. Here, he is carrying on the idea that Jesus’ preaching was radical. He is happy to be a fool for Christ. He realized that to put others first, you have to be willing to be last.

Application:
How much of what we do for Christ is really for our own recognition? I know I fight this- I want people to tell me I’ve done well. I look for praise, instead of giving God the praise. I’m willing to work hard and to put others first, but I want the praise. I need to give God the praise for giving me the abilities I have. For I can do nothing without Him!

Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for giving me the abilities that I have. Change my heart to want only praises for You. Amen.