Reading for Jan. 1, 2009 Happy New Year!!!
Gen.1,2 & Luke 1
TOPIC: Inside Out
SCRIPTURE: "Zechariah and Elizabeth were blameless in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations." (Luke 1:6)
OBSERVATION: My Life Application Study Bible says Zech & Liz didn't merely go through the motions in following God's laws, they backed up their outward compliance with inward obedience. Unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites. Zech & Liz did not stop with the letter of the law. Their obedience was from the heart, and that is why they are called "blameless in God's eyes."
APPLICATION: I was stopped in my tracks when I came across this phrase "blameless in God's eyes"
Blameless = means not responsible for something wrong having doing nothing bad or wrong
C if these words describe U
On the Inside as well as Out
Innocent Spotless Clean Scrupulous
Untarnished Unblemished Irreproachable
Guiltless Above suspicion In the clear
Pure Unsullied Above Reproach
SO
How did u do?
Well
No matter what you've done in your past
You can begin this New Year by making a choice
to be "careful like Zech & Liz to obey all of our Lord's commands"
PRAYER: Father God, as I begin this new year help me to follow Zech & Liz's example of walking blameless before you from the inside out.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Not Planning On Dying Twice
Reading From Dec. 31, 2008
Revelation 19-22
TOPIC: The Wrong Crowd
SCRIPTURE: "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. BUT for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev.21:7-8)
OBSERVATION: As I read these verses, the part that jumped out at me was the "Cowards" are listed in the same crowd as the unbelieving, the corrupt, the murderers, the immoral, the idolaters, the liars, and those practicing magic arts.
A Coward is defined as somebody lacking courage, and somebody regarded as fearful
SIDE NOTE: I don't know about you but I've been a coward before according to that definition.
A deeper investigation into this word reveals that the "cowards" are not those who are simply fainthearted in their faith or who sometimes doubt or question. (Praise the Lord)
BUT
those who turn back from following God.
They are not brave enough to stand up for Christ,
they are not humble enough to accept his authority over their lives.
APPLICATION: I don't know about you but I don't won't to be in with that crowd because if you finish reading verse 8 the consequence of being in that crowd is NOT something I can bear.
Verse 8b reads "... their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
As I read these verses my mind went straight to Joshua Chapter 1.
There we find God telling Josh in
Chapter 1: 6 = Be strong and courageous
and again in
Chapter 1:7 = Only be strong and very courageous
and then again in
Chapter 1:9 = "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!
Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go."
Let me repeat it in case you didn't pick up on the repetition
Be strong and courageous
Only be strong and very courageous
Be strong and courageous
This is a command ! ! !
From God
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for reminding me that I am to be courageous in all things because of you. As long as I abide in you, you've got my back. Praise the Lord!!!
Revelation 19-22
TOPIC: The Wrong Crowd
SCRIPTURE: "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. BUT for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev.21:7-8)
OBSERVATION: As I read these verses, the part that jumped out at me was the "Cowards" are listed in the same crowd as the unbelieving, the corrupt, the murderers, the immoral, the idolaters, the liars, and those practicing magic arts.
A Coward is defined as somebody lacking courage, and somebody regarded as fearful
SIDE NOTE: I don't know about you but I've been a coward before according to that definition.
A deeper investigation into this word reveals that the "cowards" are not those who are simply fainthearted in their faith or who sometimes doubt or question. (Praise the Lord)
BUT
those who turn back from following God.
They are not brave enough to stand up for Christ,
they are not humble enough to accept his authority over their lives.
APPLICATION: I don't know about you but I don't won't to be in with that crowd because if you finish reading verse 8 the consequence of being in that crowd is NOT something I can bear.
Verse 8b reads "... their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
As I read these verses my mind went straight to Joshua Chapter 1.
There we find God telling Josh in
Chapter 1: 6 = Be strong and courageous
and again in
Chapter 1:7 = Only be strong and very courageous
and then again in
Chapter 1:9 = "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!
Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go."
Let me repeat it in case you didn't pick up on the repetition
Be strong and courageous
Only be strong and very courageous
Be strong and courageous
This is a command ! ! !
From God
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for reminding me that I am to be courageous in all things because of you. As long as I abide in you, you've got my back. Praise the Lord!!!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Choosing to "Cheat"
Reading from Dec. 9 I Tim.5,6; Tit. 1-3
TOPIC: Providing
SCRIPTURE: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (I Timothy 5:18)
OBSERVATION:"Every day parents and spouses leave their families in the pursuit of success. It's almost as though they're driving down the road, and they get pretty far along before they realize they've left members of their family behind. The tragedy is that many value their careers, success, or personal happiness more than they do their families. They decide that it's too much work to go back, so they just keep driving.
But what many are now realizing is that the hope of happiness at the expense of breaking up a family is an illusion. You can't give up your marriage or neglect your children and gain true success. As Nick Stinnet asserted more than a decade ago, 'When you have a strong family life, you receive the message that you are loved, cared for and important. The positive intake of love, affection, and respect...gives you inner resources to deal with life more successfully."
By: John Maxwell
From his book "Your Road Map for Success"
APPLICATION: So what about you?
Are you providing for your household
Spiritually?
Mentally?
Physically?
Emotionally?
& yes of course
Financially?
OR
Are you cheating them?
PRAYER: Father God, help me, you know I need your help. Help me NOT to cheat my family.
TOPIC: Providing
SCRIPTURE: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (I Timothy 5:18)
OBSERVATION:"Every day parents and spouses leave their families in the pursuit of success. It's almost as though they're driving down the road, and they get pretty far along before they realize they've left members of their family behind. The tragedy is that many value their careers, success, or personal happiness more than they do their families. They decide that it's too much work to go back, so they just keep driving.
But what many are now realizing is that the hope of happiness at the expense of breaking up a family is an illusion. You can't give up your marriage or neglect your children and gain true success. As Nick Stinnet asserted more than a decade ago, 'When you have a strong family life, you receive the message that you are loved, cared for and important. The positive intake of love, affection, and respect...gives you inner resources to deal with life more successfully."
By: John Maxwell
From his book "Your Road Map for Success"
APPLICATION: So what about you?
Are you providing for your household
Spiritually?
Mentally?
Physically?
Emotionally?
& yes of course
Financially?
OR
Are you cheating them?
PRAYER: Father God, help me, you know I need your help. Help me NOT to cheat my family.
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