February 19, 2010- How’s Your Soul Today?

Scripture to read today:
Numbers 5; Numbers 6; Acts 26

Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 26:28-29
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Observation:
Paul never stopped telling people about Jesus. Every chance he got, he was telling the story of Christ’s resurrection. King Agrippa is a smart man and Paul is able to intelligently approach him with facts that he couldn’t quite ignore. Paul’s concern for others’ souls shows in all his actions in his later years.

Application:
Am I concerned for anyone but myself and my family? I don’t even know where some people’s beliefs lie- how their souls are. I don’t take the time to find out, but assume that because they’re in church, they’re ok. Agrippa was a smart man (and as Paul points out right before this, not born under a rock) and knows what Paul is talking about. But he wasn’t convinced. Paul sees that. I don’t. I need to start looking closer and paying more attention.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, open my eyes to the people around me. Help me to know what to say to them that will help fill their void and turn them toward You. Amen.

February 12, 2010- Leaving Your Mark

Scripture to read today:
Leviticus 18; Leviticus 19; Psalm 13; Acts 19

Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 19:11-12
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Observation:
Paul was able to show Christ to so many people in so many ways. Here we see another extraordinary way that God performed miracles through Paul, so much that Paul didn’t even have to be present in order for God to work.

Application:
I know that God works through those who believe in Him. How much does He do through us that we don’t see? I remember reading about Dr. Livingston, where he came out of the African bush and claimed that he didn’t lead a soul to Christ. But imagine all that God did through him that he didn’t see and didn’t know about. We never know how our presence in someone’s life is going to affect them later. I hope I leave a positive mark that can be used for good, even if I never know about it.

Prayer:
Lord, let me leave a trail of Your love wherever I go, for You to use whenever it is appropriate whether I even know about it or not. Amen.

December 10, 2009- A Time to Get Involved, and a Time to Stay Away

Scripture to read today:
2 Timothy 1; 2 Timothy 2; 2 Timothy 3; 2 Timothy 4

Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Timothy 3:2-5
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Observation:
This is Paul’s vision of end times- people who love themselves and chase self-serving pleasures instead of good, Godly people. He also adds a warning to stay away from these people.

Application:
I see so much of this in the world today. My friend, Susan, posted a picture of a sign in her blog today that disturbed me (click here to see it.) Things like this make me sad… all the lost people in the world. So why does Paul tell Timothy to stay away? Why can’t he take them the Good News? More than likely, it is because that rarely happens. Usually the good person who enters the nest becomes corrupt, too.

Prayer:
Lord, let me know when to speak up and when to remain quiet; when to get involved and when to stay away. Amen.

December 9, 2009- A Better Place

Scripture to read today:
1 Timothy 5; 1 Timothy 6; Titus 1; Titus 2; Titus 3

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Timothy 5:24-25
The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

Observation:
Some people seem really good on the outside but if you look past the window dressing, they aren’t very nice people. I like how Paul says their sins “trail behind them.” Almost like they leave a dirty, strewn path wherever they go. (I’m getting the image of my oldest son, where he used to leave clothes and things all over the place- I could tell where he’d been in the house!) But good deeds also leave that path, more like planting flowers down the road you travel.

Application:
I want to leave the flowery path wherever I go. I want there to be more sunshine, more light, more happiness. Or if I can’t do that, at least have it be no worse than when I arrived. Maybe that is a throwback to my girl scout days- leave the place better than you found it. Wouldn’t this world be nicer if everyone did?

Prayer:
Lord, allow us to spread Your light wherever we go. Help us to make where we are a better place. Amen.

November 22, 2009- Words and Actions

Scripture to read today:

Matthew 11; Matthew 12; Matthew 13

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 11:18-19
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

Matthew 23:34
For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Observation:
Both John and Jesus came to the people with some things that they didn’t want to hear. No one wants to be told they’re wrong- especially if they thing they’re right! So the answer must be “they have a demon.” But look past their words to their actions. That’s where you see the goodness and rightness. The words were right too, but the actions is where you got to see that fact.

Application:
I talk a lot. I enjoy a good conversation- and I know how to listen as well. I’m sure my mouth says many things, and I hope they are all true. But I’m even more hopeful that my actions back up my words. It is hard to always do the right thing, and I know there are times that I fail miserably. But I have other people watching me for the right way to live. If  I want my kids to be good people, I have to set an example. I can’t just tell them how to live and then go live some other way.

Prayer:
Lord, let my words and my actions be a reflection of You to others. Help me not be proud that I am right but pleased that I am not wrong. Let me resist the temptations of this world. Amen.

November 14, 2009- Bad Company Corrupts Good Character

Scripture to read today:

Psalm 149; 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 16

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Observation:
Paul says this to the people of Corinth to have them take notice of their actions. Many felt that, since Jesus forgives, they could do whatever they wanted as long as they asked forgiveness for it.

Application:
It isn’t enough just to run to Jesus for forgiveness. If He is truly in your heart, you’ll live each day for Him- at least with an effort to be the best you can be. That doesn’t mean that you’ll never sin, but you’ll not plan to sin just to ask forgiveness for it later. That includes letting people into your life who may help you stray off the path. It is so tempting to think that you’ll change them into someone good, but more often that not, one small thing will lead to something larger.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to know who I need in my life. I do want to help others, lead them to You. But let me be strong enough to withstand coming across someone who may try to lead me away from You. Amen.

November 4, 2009- Go

Scripture to read today:

Job 26; Job 27; Mark 15; Mark 16

Scripture that spoke to me:
Mark 16:15
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

Observation:
This is the Great Commission. Go and make disciples. This is what we are called to do even today. Spread the Good News!

Application:
I get complacent at times. I pray to God and wait for an answer. What am I to do with my life? Where does He want me? I forget that He has already told us to GO! I may need to wait on going to a new place, but that shouldn’t mean that I can’t go right here. Speak about Him- spread the Good News.

Prayer:
Lord, forgive me when I forget that You already gave me my orders- to go. Help me to know when, where, and how, but never let me forget that I am to go. Amen.

October 24, 2009- Falling Asleep

Scripture to read today:

Job 15; Acts 19; Acts 20

Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 20:9-10
As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!”

Observation:
I love this story! Maybe because I can picture it in my mind- the dim room, flickering candles,and Paul droning on and on. I imagine Eutychus wasn’t the only one who fell asleep- just the only one to suffer for it!

Application:
What happens when we fall asleep? Jesus cautioned the disciples several times to stay awake and pray, not to fall asleep. I don’t know if he was talking literally or spiritually. It was because the disciples were awake at the transfiguration that they were able to see Jesus with Moses and Elijah. Jesus cautioned the disciples to not fall asleep in their faith, and we should be mindful to always be awake, not slumber in our faith.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to always be awake and open to You and Your teachings around me. Do not let me slumber and fall to my death. Amen.

September 29, 2009- Division Problems

Scripture to read today:

Zechariah 4; Zechariah 5; Zechariah 6; Luke 12

Scripture that spoke to me:
Luke 12:51-52
Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.

Observation:
This is so different from most of the teachings of Jesus- acceptance, love, brotherhood…. but what he is saying is that some will believe in Him and others won’t. That’s just the way it is. He came to separate the “wheat from the chaff” and that’s not dividing by family, race, economic status, popularity, but dividing by those who believe and those who don’t. This was a very different method of division for the Jews and it is still for us today.

Application:
We’re taught to bind our families together- the only way to do that is to have a family where everyone believes in Jesus. I still believe that is the basis for the failure of my marriage- I grew in my love for the Lord and he didn’t. Maybe it isn’t as simple as that, but as my walk got closer to God, he got more resentful of the time I put into it, and pulled back even further. My brother, the athiest, doesn’t join us on some family events. We invite him but don’t push him to- by not accepting the Lord he has alienated himself from certain parts of our lives. It is a shame, but that’s where the division comes.

Prayer:
Lord, teach me how to either accept division or correct it. I want to show people Your way and how to get to You. Amen.

August 31, 2009- Personal Salvation

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 12; Ezekiel 13; Ezekiel 14; Revelation 5

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 14:13-14
“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Observation:
We are responsible for our own salvation. We can’t get it from our parents, our church, our friends- we have to do it for ourselves. We can’t save someone else, no matter how hard we try. But we can give them the tools, the lessons, the knowledge to help themselves.

Application:
I’m going through this right now with my daughter. We’re talking about why SHE believes, why SHE goes to church- if it means anything or if it is just something she does- and how she can take ownership of her own beliefs. She is almost 13 years old, and it is my responsibility to help her see these things. But I can’t do it for her. She won’t be saved because I am saved, but because she develops a relationship with her Savior.

Prayer:
Lord, help my daughter, and help those I love, to come to know You better. Amen.