Prayer Focus - Dreams
Day 3
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
One dream you have for your family
One dream you have for your spiritual life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 102
"For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in His glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea.
In the course of my life He broke my strength; He cut short my days. So I said: 'Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; Your years go on through all generations. In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end. The children of Your servants will live in Your presence; their descendants will be established before You.'" ( vs. 2 - 7 )
Everything changes except for God. We all grow older, and tired, and weary, and eventually we give out. Even the earth someday will perish. It will wear out like an old garment and be tossed aside. It will be changed. Everything changes; this fact and God are the only constants. Day by day, the situations of our lives evolve. In one instant everything we have ever hoped for and dreamed of can be gone; swept away by a natural disaster or some other tragedy.
God alone is consistent. God alone will remain in the end. He brings down and lifts up. His power is amazing. It we look to creation and the earth and heavens, the vastness of His being is overwhelming. Who are we that He should even pay attention to us. Yet He does. He cares immensely for us. And He will in the end rebuild us if we let Him; no matter how far we have fallen. He will rebuild His kingdom as well. His plans will succeed as they always have. And He will listen to us if we call. We are all "the destitute" at one point or another in our lives. We all hit the bottom sometime, and it is there that God will be, waiting for us to turn to Him. In the end it is God and God alone.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Rebuild us. We rise and we fall. We have good days and we have bad days. We have dreams and failures. We cling to our existence here and try to make something of it. We desire to have consistency and eternal things. What we are often desiring and do not know it, is You. Help us to find You as You are all around us. You will remain when all else fails. We turn our eyes to You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What in my life needs to be rebuilt? Why?
2. Do I feel destitute in any way? Why? If not now, when have I felt this way? Did I turn to God or to other things for comfort?
3. Do I ever think about the creation of the earth? What do I believe about this? Why? Do I see God's hand in creation and nature?
4. What do I believe about God's eternal existence? Do I ever contemplate the end of time? What can I gain by thinking about these concepts?
5. What do I think it means to live in God's presence? Do I want this for my children and myself? What would it look like if my descendants were established before God? What can I do personally to ensure this?
Monday, October 12, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/11/15
Prayer Focus - Dreams
Day 2
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
One dream you have for your family
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 101
"I will be careful to lead a blameless life - when will You come to me?
I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me, he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence." ( vs. 2 - 7 )
What a challenging call this is for us to live differently. It calls us to be careful how we live our lives and to be different from the people around us. Not many people in our society value living carefully anymore. It is almost looked down upon to try to watch what we do. Our society prides itself on being open and free. We want to be free to do and say whatever we want even if it hurts others in some way. Yet God has called us to check ourselves; to deny ourselves and to follow certain guidelines so that we will have something better in the long run. Sin often feels good in the here and now, but it is later that we regret and reap consequences that are not always pleasant. Self-control on the other hand is almost always difficult and uncomfortable in the immediate and yet it produces wonderful results that we look back on with gratitude.
Let's look at a few of the things set out for us to watch out for in the verses of this psalm. First, it mentions walking in our homes with blameless hearts. I think this is especially interesting, because it is in our homes that we most often let our true selves come out. It is here that we are not so guarded and we indulge in behavior that we would never do in public. It is important to think about this and evaluate if we have a double standard in our lives. We should be the same in our homes as we are everywhere else.
Then we are called to not set any vile thing before our eyes. When I read this, it makes me think about the movies and shows we watch and the books and magazines we look at. Are we being righteous in this area or are we trying to be "relevant" by watching what is popular even if it has questionable content? Do we really need to fill our minds with some of the stuff that we do? Once something has entered our mind, it is almost impossible to get those thoughts and pictures out. A good question I ask myself is - "Could I imagine Jesus watching and enjoying this?" Even news can fill us with negative and vile images. I like to look at all the current news stories on the Internet and do so nightly, but even this is not always a productive activity for me. It tends to make me very down and upset. I also waste a lot of time reading these negative articles when I could be doing something more productive like spending time with my girls or getting some sleep.
The next stanza of the psalm talks of staying away from men of perverse heart and from evil in general. It speaks to us of watching the company we keep. This is also not a popular concept in our world today. We tend to want to hang out with whoever we want to. We want to do what we want and become who we want to become. There is often little thought to plans beyond our desires. We are often draw to people with wild lives. Look at the celebrities that we hold up and esteem by buying their albums, watching their movies, or reading about. Our heroes today are more often than not, not people of strong character. They are not people that most of us would want our children to become like.
The issues of slander and pride are also addressed here. God says He will silence those who slander their neighbors, even if it is in secret, and He also states that He will not endure proud hearts and haughty eyes. In another part of the scriptures, it states that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble ( James 4:6 ). This is very concerning as pride and slander are commonplace. We are even considered unusual if we do not talk about others. It is difficult to get through a day with out hearing gossip and often we are immersed in it before we even realize what is going on. Our society also looks up to and admires a certain amount of pride. We strive to be independent and confident. Often this goes over board and we become self righteous and arrogant.
Finally, the passage talks about deceit and lying. It says that we will not be able to dwell with God or stand in His presence if we practice deceit or speak falsely. How can we stay away from doing this, however, when it is almost expected that we will lie in certain situations. People will even ask us to lie for them and we have found many ways to defend our deceit. We are thought to be odd if we say no to others when they ask us to lie for them and we are often ridiculed if we take a stand for honesty; often by friends and family members.
What a high calling this psalm is to us. We are challenged to change and stand out in so many ways. It seems overwhelming just thinking about it. But God promises that His eyes will be on the faithful and that He can and will take care of us. If we lead a blameless life, God will come to us and provide for us. It must be possible or the scriptures would not for call us to do it. We can with Christ. We can if it is important to us. It all comes down to our heart. If our heart is right and we are striving with all we have to obey God, He will make up the difference. He will see our faith and count it as righteousness as He did with Abraham (Galatians 3:6). Let us then sing of God's greatness and be careful to live a blameless life. It is worth it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We want to lead a blameless life. Help us to put aside all of these sinful ways and embrace You. It will be alright to walk a different road than those around us. It will be worth it. Help us to fear You and not men. You are the one worth following. You are the true one. We praise You and sing of Your love and justice.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I act the same in my home as I do elsewhere? Do I have any double standards? What do I struggle the most with at home? Why? How can I change?
2. Am I careful about what I look at? How are my standards when it comes to movies and TV? How are my standards with what I read and the magazines that I look at? Am I spending too much time on the Internet and am I unproductive/unrighteous in any way with this area? What do I need to change? What is going well?
3. Do I stay away from people that are a bad influence on me? Why or why not? Am I drawn to people that are not very godly? Why or why not? Who are my heroes? Why? How do I feel about this concept of watching who I associate with?
4. Do I slander others, even if it is just in my mind (in secret)? Do I engage in gossip or listen to it? What harm does this do? How can I change? Am I prideful or arrogant in any ways? Do I look down on anyone? Why? How can I deal with this?
5. Am I deceitful in any way? Why? How do I justify this? Do I lie? Do I feel there is a difference between "big" and "little" lies? Why or why not? How does God feel about this? How can I stop lying and stop being deceitful if this is something I do?
Day 2
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
One dream you have for your family
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 101
"I will be careful to lead a blameless life - when will You come to me?
I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me, he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence." ( vs. 2 - 7 )
What a challenging call this is for us to live differently. It calls us to be careful how we live our lives and to be different from the people around us. Not many people in our society value living carefully anymore. It is almost looked down upon to try to watch what we do. Our society prides itself on being open and free. We want to be free to do and say whatever we want even if it hurts others in some way. Yet God has called us to check ourselves; to deny ourselves and to follow certain guidelines so that we will have something better in the long run. Sin often feels good in the here and now, but it is later that we regret and reap consequences that are not always pleasant. Self-control on the other hand is almost always difficult and uncomfortable in the immediate and yet it produces wonderful results that we look back on with gratitude.
Let's look at a few of the things set out for us to watch out for in the verses of this psalm. First, it mentions walking in our homes with blameless hearts. I think this is especially interesting, because it is in our homes that we most often let our true selves come out. It is here that we are not so guarded and we indulge in behavior that we would never do in public. It is important to think about this and evaluate if we have a double standard in our lives. We should be the same in our homes as we are everywhere else.
Then we are called to not set any vile thing before our eyes. When I read this, it makes me think about the movies and shows we watch and the books and magazines we look at. Are we being righteous in this area or are we trying to be "relevant" by watching what is popular even if it has questionable content? Do we really need to fill our minds with some of the stuff that we do? Once something has entered our mind, it is almost impossible to get those thoughts and pictures out. A good question I ask myself is - "Could I imagine Jesus watching and enjoying this?" Even news can fill us with negative and vile images. I like to look at all the current news stories on the Internet and do so nightly, but even this is not always a productive activity for me. It tends to make me very down and upset. I also waste a lot of time reading these negative articles when I could be doing something more productive like spending time with my girls or getting some sleep.
The next stanza of the psalm talks of staying away from men of perverse heart and from evil in general. It speaks to us of watching the company we keep. This is also not a popular concept in our world today. We tend to want to hang out with whoever we want to. We want to do what we want and become who we want to become. There is often little thought to plans beyond our desires. We are often draw to people with wild lives. Look at the celebrities that we hold up and esteem by buying their albums, watching their movies, or reading about. Our heroes today are more often than not, not people of strong character. They are not people that most of us would want our children to become like.
The issues of slander and pride are also addressed here. God says He will silence those who slander their neighbors, even if it is in secret, and He also states that He will not endure proud hearts and haughty eyes. In another part of the scriptures, it states that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble ( James 4:6 ). This is very concerning as pride and slander are commonplace. We are even considered unusual if we do not talk about others. It is difficult to get through a day with out hearing gossip and often we are immersed in it before we even realize what is going on. Our society also looks up to and admires a certain amount of pride. We strive to be independent and confident. Often this goes over board and we become self righteous and arrogant.
Finally, the passage talks about deceit and lying. It says that we will not be able to dwell with God or stand in His presence if we practice deceit or speak falsely. How can we stay away from doing this, however, when it is almost expected that we will lie in certain situations. People will even ask us to lie for them and we have found many ways to defend our deceit. We are thought to be odd if we say no to others when they ask us to lie for them and we are often ridiculed if we take a stand for honesty; often by friends and family members.
What a high calling this psalm is to us. We are challenged to change and stand out in so many ways. It seems overwhelming just thinking about it. But God promises that His eyes will be on the faithful and that He can and will take care of us. If we lead a blameless life, God will come to us and provide for us. It must be possible or the scriptures would not for call us to do it. We can with Christ. We can if it is important to us. It all comes down to our heart. If our heart is right and we are striving with all we have to obey God, He will make up the difference. He will see our faith and count it as righteousness as He did with Abraham (Galatians 3:6). Let us then sing of God's greatness and be careful to live a blameless life. It is worth it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We want to lead a blameless life. Help us to put aside all of these sinful ways and embrace You. It will be alright to walk a different road than those around us. It will be worth it. Help us to fear You and not men. You are the one worth following. You are the true one. We praise You and sing of Your love and justice.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I act the same in my home as I do elsewhere? Do I have any double standards? What do I struggle the most with at home? Why? How can I change?
2. Am I careful about what I look at? How are my standards when it comes to movies and TV? How are my standards with what I read and the magazines that I look at? Am I spending too much time on the Internet and am I unproductive/unrighteous in any way with this area? What do I need to change? What is going well?
3. Do I stay away from people that are a bad influence on me? Why or why not? Am I drawn to people that are not very godly? Why or why not? Who are my heroes? Why? How do I feel about this concept of watching who I associate with?
4. Do I slander others, even if it is just in my mind (in secret)? Do I engage in gossip or listen to it? What harm does this do? How can I change? Am I prideful or arrogant in any ways? Do I look down on anyone? Why? How can I deal with this?
5. Am I deceitful in any way? Why? How do I justify this? Do I lie? Do I feel there is a difference between "big" and "little" lies? Why or why not? How does God feel about this? How can I stop lying and stop being deceitful if this is something I do?
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/10/15
Prayer Focus - Dreams
Day 1
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 100
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
It is okay to be happy. Jesus came to give us life and life to the fullest (John 10:10). We are to shout for joy. We are to worship with gladness and sing joyful songs. This does not sound like a lot of our lives. We are struggling along. When someone asks us how we are, we say, "doing OK", or "tired", or "hanging in there". At least those are some of the common ones I say. I hear about the same from my friends and colleagues. Somehow this doesn't seem to fit with many of these verses.
I am glad that God wants us to be happy and to rejoice but I still struggle with this. There are a few reasons that I can see that make it difficult for me. First, I think I was raised to think that church and God was a holy and serious endeavor. I was being sacrilegious if I was enjoying myself; especially at a service or at a church activity. I was to be like the Puritans and be pure and like the Quakers and be quiet and contemplative. Christians weren't supposed to have fun! Only the "heathens" had fun. Then there was the artist side of me that wanted to be the "troubled soul", the artist on the edge. I could not write deep and meaningful stories and poems if I was "happy". Also, I would be naïve if I was a happy person. In my pride, I looked down on happy and joyful people and thought how could they be so shallow to be grateful and positive when there was so much evil and bad in the world. They just could not see things clearly like I did. What a prideful person I was.
When I became a Christian, despite whole heartedly acknowledging that I should be happy and joyful in Christ, all of these imbedded attitudes did not go away overnight. They had become such a part of my character that I struggled for years with depression and sadness even as a fully committed Christian. I wrote lists and lists of what I was grateful on a daily basis to help retrain my mind. I kept digging more and more of these attitudes out of my soul.
Although I am not perfect by any means on this aspect of my character now, I have made tremendous progress. I can see that happy and joyful people are not simple and naïve as I had once thought, but rather blessed. They do not rejoice because the world is good, but because there is still good in the world and because there is God! They are the ones that I want to be like! They are the ones that have life and life to the fullest. We can always rejoice in God. We can always shout to joy to Him and worship Him with gladness. He is good and His love does endure forever. He does not change. He is always faithful. He is the root of any good and beauty that we see around us.
So it is OK to be happy. No, not just OK, it is fitting and right. I praise God that He has freed me, and is freeing me on a daily basis of my unhappiness. I am grateful to be joyful. I am grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are so grateful for You. We are grateful that we can rejoice and be glad. There is so much sadness in the world. Thank You that we do not have to add to it. Let us bring joy to You and to those around us on a daily basis. Joy is like oxygen to the souls around us. The world is hungry for this. Help us to fill the world with what You give - life and life to the fullest.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I joyful? Why or why not? What hinders me from being joyful? When am I the most joyful?
2. Do I have any attitudes that I have developed over the years that are keeping me from being joyful? What can I do to correct these attitudes? Who can I talk to, to get help with them?
3. Do I praise God often? Do I complement people? Do I bring joy by my words? Why or why not?
4. In general, am I a positive or a negative person? Why do I think I am this way? What would other people say? Do I want to be a positive person? If I am not a positive person, how can I become one? If I am a positive person, is there someone I can encourage and help to become more positive?
5. How does focusing on the goodness of God help me to be more joyful? What good do I see in the world that I can focus on? How can my actions bring more good to the world?
Day 1
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 100
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
It is okay to be happy. Jesus came to give us life and life to the fullest (John 10:10). We are to shout for joy. We are to worship with gladness and sing joyful songs. This does not sound like a lot of our lives. We are struggling along. When someone asks us how we are, we say, "doing OK", or "tired", or "hanging in there". At least those are some of the common ones I say. I hear about the same from my friends and colleagues. Somehow this doesn't seem to fit with many of these verses.
I am glad that God wants us to be happy and to rejoice but I still struggle with this. There are a few reasons that I can see that make it difficult for me. First, I think I was raised to think that church and God was a holy and serious endeavor. I was being sacrilegious if I was enjoying myself; especially at a service or at a church activity. I was to be like the Puritans and be pure and like the Quakers and be quiet and contemplative. Christians weren't supposed to have fun! Only the "heathens" had fun. Then there was the artist side of me that wanted to be the "troubled soul", the artist on the edge. I could not write deep and meaningful stories and poems if I was "happy". Also, I would be naïve if I was a happy person. In my pride, I looked down on happy and joyful people and thought how could they be so shallow to be grateful and positive when there was so much evil and bad in the world. They just could not see things clearly like I did. What a prideful person I was.
When I became a Christian, despite whole heartedly acknowledging that I should be happy and joyful in Christ, all of these imbedded attitudes did not go away overnight. They had become such a part of my character that I struggled for years with depression and sadness even as a fully committed Christian. I wrote lists and lists of what I was grateful on a daily basis to help retrain my mind. I kept digging more and more of these attitudes out of my soul.
Although I am not perfect by any means on this aspect of my character now, I have made tremendous progress. I can see that happy and joyful people are not simple and naïve as I had once thought, but rather blessed. They do not rejoice because the world is good, but because there is still good in the world and because there is God! They are the ones that I want to be like! They are the ones that have life and life to the fullest. We can always rejoice in God. We can always shout to joy to Him and worship Him with gladness. He is good and His love does endure forever. He does not change. He is always faithful. He is the root of any good and beauty that we see around us.
So it is OK to be happy. No, not just OK, it is fitting and right. I praise God that He has freed me, and is freeing me on a daily basis of my unhappiness. I am grateful to be joyful. I am grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are so grateful for You. We are grateful that we can rejoice and be glad. There is so much sadness in the world. Thank You that we do not have to add to it. Let us bring joy to You and to those around us on a daily basis. Joy is like oxygen to the souls around us. The world is hungry for this. Help us to fill the world with what You give - life and life to the fullest.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I joyful? Why or why not? What hinders me from being joyful? When am I the most joyful?
2. Do I have any attitudes that I have developed over the years that are keeping me from being joyful? What can I do to correct these attitudes? Who can I talk to, to get help with them?
3. Do I praise God often? Do I complement people? Do I bring joy by my words? Why or why not?
4. In general, am I a positive or a negative person? Why do I think I am this way? What would other people say? Do I want to be a positive person? If I am not a positive person, how can I become one? If I am a positive person, is there someone I can encourage and help to become more positive?
5. How does focusing on the goodness of God help me to be more joyful? What good do I see in the world that I can focus on? How can my actions bring more good to the world?
Friday, October 9, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/9/15
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
One health issue that you need to deal with
One sin you need to overcome
One hope that you need to hang on to
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 99
"Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called on the Lord and He answered them...
Lord our God, You answered them; You were to Israel a forgiving God, though You punished their misdeeds." ( vs. 6, 8 )
Moses and Aaron were among God's priests. God has always had people who have followed Him throughout time. They were His priests, even before He set up all the laws and the official priesthood. God will always have people that will serve Him. The question is, "Will we be among them? Are we willing to be a part of His royal priesthood?"
I Peter 2:9 - 11
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you many declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us."
We are chosen. Will we live like it? We are a royal priesthood. Will we serve like we are? We belong to God. Will we act like it?
I belong. I have mercy. What amazing thoughts! Now I must show my gratitude by living differently; God's mercy and love demands it. And I can do this. We can do this - with God. He will answer us when we call. He will forgive. He will train us in the way we should go. Nothing is impossible for God and if He can take some rag tag fishermen and change the world, then He can use me. I must remember the verse that encourages me to believe this. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.". (Philippians 4:13) Let us live good lives so that we can bring glory to God and impact the world.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful to be Your priests. Help us to be what You have called us to be. You can do this. We are grateful to have been chosen and we want to share Your goodness with others. Help us to know what to do and how to live. We praise You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I willing to be a royal priest for God? Why or why not? What does this mean to me?
2. Am I serving God as I should? What do I think I could do to serve Him more effectively? What am I doing well? What could be improved?
3. Am I living a good life? Can others find anything in me that would bring dishonor to God? What should I change? What should I start doing that I am not?
4. Do I think God wants to use me? Do I think God can use me? What do I think will stop Him from being able to use me? What should I change? Why?
5. How do I feel about being a part of God's nation and being one of His people? Is it exciting to me or a burden? Why do I feel the way I do?
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
One health issue that you need to deal with
One sin you need to overcome
One hope that you need to hang on to
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 99
"Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called on the Lord and He answered them...
Lord our God, You answered them; You were to Israel a forgiving God, though You punished their misdeeds." ( vs. 6, 8 )
Moses and Aaron were among God's priests. God has always had people who have followed Him throughout time. They were His priests, even before He set up all the laws and the official priesthood. God will always have people that will serve Him. The question is, "Will we be among them? Are we willing to be a part of His royal priesthood?"
I Peter 2:9 - 11
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you many declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us."
We are chosen. Will we live like it? We are a royal priesthood. Will we serve like we are? We belong to God. Will we act like it?
I belong. I have mercy. What amazing thoughts! Now I must show my gratitude by living differently; God's mercy and love demands it. And I can do this. We can do this - with God. He will answer us when we call. He will forgive. He will train us in the way we should go. Nothing is impossible for God and if He can take some rag tag fishermen and change the world, then He can use me. I must remember the verse that encourages me to believe this. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.". (Philippians 4:13) Let us live good lives so that we can bring glory to God and impact the world.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful to be Your priests. Help us to be what You have called us to be. You can do this. We are grateful to have been chosen and we want to share Your goodness with others. Help us to know what to do and how to live. We praise You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I willing to be a royal priest for God? Why or why not? What does this mean to me?
2. Am I serving God as I should? What do I think I could do to serve Him more effectively? What am I doing well? What could be improved?
3. Am I living a good life? Can others find anything in me that would bring dishonor to God? What should I change? What should I start doing that I am not?
4. Do I think God wants to use me? Do I think God can use me? What do I think will stop Him from being able to use me? What should I change? Why?
5. How do I feel about being a part of God's nation and being one of His people? Is it exciting to me or a burden? Why do I feel the way I do?
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/8/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 6
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
One health issue that you need to deal with
One sin you need to overcome
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 98
"Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." ( vs. 1 - 3 )
We are told again to sing a new song! We are told to be different; to start over. Why is this so important to God? This first verse holds the key. God has done marvelous things; He has brought salvation and not just salvation for the Jewish nation, but for the whole world. The whole Bible is an amazing story written over a long period of time by various authors that tells the story of a loving God seeking to restore a lost relationship with His creation. God has always been after us to give us the chance to start over; to sing a new song. He had so many dreams and desires for a people that would love Him and He has patiently been pursuing the human race and each one of us ever since the fall. He is not satisfied with anyone being lost. He includes story after story of how He feels about each and every person that turns back to Him. He rejoices over the returned souls. What an amazing thought that I am that loved. In another part of the Scriptures it states that even if our mothers and fathers could forget us, God would not be able to. We are etched in His heart and soul. We are His. This is why we are to rejoice. This is why we are to sing a new song; because God has made it possible.
Another wonderful thought I have about this verse is that it shows the universality of a faith in God. It is not limited to one country or group of people. It is for everyone. Sometimes I think that those of us in America, think that Christianity has to look like American Christianity to be real, but this is so far from the truth. The Scriptures do not tell us what our dress should look like or what our songs should be or how each step of our worship service should go. It speaks to the heart. It speaks of loving God and loving others. If I am in another country, true Christianity will look like the people in that country with all their rich heritage loving God and others with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. What is important is our hearts. So if I worship outside in a field or I worship in a grand cathedral, it is all the same. I am worshipping God. I hope that we can open up our eyes to the love of God for all people and all nations. God wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. We should too.
Key verses:
I Timothy 2: 1 - 4
"I urge, then, first of all, that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
Jeremiah 29: 11-13
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.'"
Luke 15:6 - 7
"Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
Isaiah 49:14 - 16
"But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.'
'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.'"
Acts 17: 26 - 27
"From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, thought He is not far from each one of us.
Galatians 3: 26 - 29
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You have done amazing miracles. You have worked salvation for the whole world. You have pursued us relentlessly. We have never been loved as we are with You. You love in a perfect manner and all that You bring into our lives is what we need to grow and change. Help us to love as You love. Help us to sing this new song and not be bound up with our traditions. We can truly change the world if we love. We thank You for giving us this task.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What marvelous things have I seen God do in my life? Am I grateful on a regular basis for these things? Why or why not? How can I increase my appreciation for what has God has done for me?
2. Have I experienced a fresh start with God? What was this experience like and when did it take place? What did I leave behind?
3. How do I feel about people that do not share my faith? Am I concerned about them being found by God? Why do I feel this way? Am I helping others to find God? Why or why not? What can I do to be more involved with helping others?
4. How do I feel about people that are different from me? How do I feel about people that worship differently from me? Am I prejudice in any way? How is this unlike God? What can I do to change?
5. Am I holding onto any religious traditions? Do I think people have to worship exactly as I do to be right with God? Why or why not? What can I do to reach out to others that differ from me religiously and show them the love of God?
Day 6
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
One health issue that you need to deal with
One sin you need to overcome
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 98
"Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." ( vs. 1 - 3 )
We are told again to sing a new song! We are told to be different; to start over. Why is this so important to God? This first verse holds the key. God has done marvelous things; He has brought salvation and not just salvation for the Jewish nation, but for the whole world. The whole Bible is an amazing story written over a long period of time by various authors that tells the story of a loving God seeking to restore a lost relationship with His creation. God has always been after us to give us the chance to start over; to sing a new song. He had so many dreams and desires for a people that would love Him and He has patiently been pursuing the human race and each one of us ever since the fall. He is not satisfied with anyone being lost. He includes story after story of how He feels about each and every person that turns back to Him. He rejoices over the returned souls. What an amazing thought that I am that loved. In another part of the Scriptures it states that even if our mothers and fathers could forget us, God would not be able to. We are etched in His heart and soul. We are His. This is why we are to rejoice. This is why we are to sing a new song; because God has made it possible.
Another wonderful thought I have about this verse is that it shows the universality of a faith in God. It is not limited to one country or group of people. It is for everyone. Sometimes I think that those of us in America, think that Christianity has to look like American Christianity to be real, but this is so far from the truth. The Scriptures do not tell us what our dress should look like or what our songs should be or how each step of our worship service should go. It speaks to the heart. It speaks of loving God and loving others. If I am in another country, true Christianity will look like the people in that country with all their rich heritage loving God and others with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. What is important is our hearts. So if I worship outside in a field or I worship in a grand cathedral, it is all the same. I am worshipping God. I hope that we can open up our eyes to the love of God for all people and all nations. God wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. We should too.
Key verses:
I Timothy 2: 1 - 4
"I urge, then, first of all, that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
Jeremiah 29: 11-13
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.'"
Luke 15:6 - 7
"Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
Isaiah 49:14 - 16
"But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.'
'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.'"
Acts 17: 26 - 27
"From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, thought He is not far from each one of us.
Galatians 3: 26 - 29
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You have done amazing miracles. You have worked salvation for the whole world. You have pursued us relentlessly. We have never been loved as we are with You. You love in a perfect manner and all that You bring into our lives is what we need to grow and change. Help us to love as You love. Help us to sing this new song and not be bound up with our traditions. We can truly change the world if we love. We thank You for giving us this task.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What marvelous things have I seen God do in my life? Am I grateful on a regular basis for these things? Why or why not? How can I increase my appreciation for what has God has done for me?
2. Have I experienced a fresh start with God? What was this experience like and when did it take place? What did I leave behind?
3. How do I feel about people that do not share my faith? Am I concerned about them being found by God? Why do I feel this way? Am I helping others to find God? Why or why not? What can I do to be more involved with helping others?
4. How do I feel about people that are different from me? How do I feel about people that worship differently from me? Am I prejudice in any way? How is this unlike God? What can I do to change?
5. Am I holding onto any religious traditions? Do I think people have to worship exactly as I do to be right with God? Why or why not? What can I do to reach out to others that differ from me religiously and show them the love of God?
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/7/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 5
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
One health issue that you need to deal with
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 97
"All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols ...
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name." ( vs. 7a, 10 - 12 )
We have a tendency to rely on things other than God. This can be equated to worshipping them. I know in my life I am tempted to think money will take care of my troubles. I sometimes think that if I had enough money, then my life would be better. I would not have to work and drive so much. I would have more time with my children and could be a better mother. Many thoughts run through my head, especially when I have to pay bills. Another thing that I often look to for comfort is relationships. I think that if my relationships were closer, I would be happier. If my husband and I were better friends then that would fix all my issues. Or maybe if my children were more obedient, everything would be solved. There are many others too, such as success, and self-development. Career has taken up a lot of my time and focus before too. When I look to all of these things to comfort or take care of me, I am in effect making them gods. I am looking to them to provide what only God can provide. In the end, they can do nothing, and I am sad and disillusioned again. They cannot save, and even rich people are miserable at times. We just need to look at the lives of the rich and famous to see that they are not satisfied. I end up, as this scripture says, put to shame.
It doesn't have to be this way though. I can make God my God and worship Him only. I can do this by memorizing the promises in His word that He will take care of me and by putting His words into practice day in and day out. I need to hate evil. It is okay to hate sometimes, if it is for the right things. I can not tolerate evil. I can not defend evil. I must hate it, for then I will be regarded as faithful, and God will protect me. Light and joy will be shed on me and I will receive the promises that God has woven into His word for those that walk in His ways. I need to hate evil, not because I am better than anyone else, but because I love God. And just because I hate evil, it does not mean I hate people. It is possible to hate sin and love the sinner; possible, not easy. Too many people fail at this and so we have a bad reputation for hating others when we stand up for what is right. Let us live correctly and have lives full of love and joy so that everyone will be drawn to God, and then as they learn that God loves them and as they learn to love God, the sinfulness will drop off like so many grave clothes. God can do this. Let us focus on love!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are the only true God. Help us to let go of all of the false gods that clamor for our attention. They will only bring us to shame while You will bring us life and life to the fullest. You are so good to us and we rejoice in Your blessings. Help us to hate evil. Help us to hate sin and love sinners. Help us to become what You want us to become, and help us rejoice in You always.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What things become my gods? What do I turn to for happiness and fulfillment other than God? Why? How does this affect me?
2. How do I see these things leading to shame in my life? How can I change my priorities and put God in the place He deserves to be?
3. Do I hate evil? Do I ever defend evil? Are there certain things I know the Scriptures say is sin that I accept or that I think are okay? Why?
4. How do I feel about hating what God hates? Why do I think God hates these things and calls certain things evil? How do these things affect us?
5. Do I think God will guard and protect me if I am faithful to Him and His commands? Why or why not? When have I seen God guard and protect me? How did that feel? Do I feel like I am in the light and do I have joy or do I feel that I am in darkness and do I have more sadness than joy? Can I relate this in anyway to my faithfulness? Why or why not?
Day 5
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
One health issue that you need to deal with
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 97
"All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols ...
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name." ( vs. 7a, 10 - 12 )
We have a tendency to rely on things other than God. This can be equated to worshipping them. I know in my life I am tempted to think money will take care of my troubles. I sometimes think that if I had enough money, then my life would be better. I would not have to work and drive so much. I would have more time with my children and could be a better mother. Many thoughts run through my head, especially when I have to pay bills. Another thing that I often look to for comfort is relationships. I think that if my relationships were closer, I would be happier. If my husband and I were better friends then that would fix all my issues. Or maybe if my children were more obedient, everything would be solved. There are many others too, such as success, and self-development. Career has taken up a lot of my time and focus before too. When I look to all of these things to comfort or take care of me, I am in effect making them gods. I am looking to them to provide what only God can provide. In the end, they can do nothing, and I am sad and disillusioned again. They cannot save, and even rich people are miserable at times. We just need to look at the lives of the rich and famous to see that they are not satisfied. I end up, as this scripture says, put to shame.
It doesn't have to be this way though. I can make God my God and worship Him only. I can do this by memorizing the promises in His word that He will take care of me and by putting His words into practice day in and day out. I need to hate evil. It is okay to hate sometimes, if it is for the right things. I can not tolerate evil. I can not defend evil. I must hate it, for then I will be regarded as faithful, and God will protect me. Light and joy will be shed on me and I will receive the promises that God has woven into His word for those that walk in His ways. I need to hate evil, not because I am better than anyone else, but because I love God. And just because I hate evil, it does not mean I hate people. It is possible to hate sin and love the sinner; possible, not easy. Too many people fail at this and so we have a bad reputation for hating others when we stand up for what is right. Let us live correctly and have lives full of love and joy so that everyone will be drawn to God, and then as they learn that God loves them and as they learn to love God, the sinfulness will drop off like so many grave clothes. God can do this. Let us focus on love!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are the only true God. Help us to let go of all of the false gods that clamor for our attention. They will only bring us to shame while You will bring us life and life to the fullest. You are so good to us and we rejoice in Your blessings. Help us to hate evil. Help us to hate sin and love sinners. Help us to become what You want us to become, and help us rejoice in You always.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What things become my gods? What do I turn to for happiness and fulfillment other than God? Why? How does this affect me?
2. How do I see these things leading to shame in my life? How can I change my priorities and put God in the place He deserves to be?
3. Do I hate evil? Do I ever defend evil? Are there certain things I know the Scriptures say is sin that I accept or that I think are okay? Why?
4. How do I feel about hating what God hates? Why do I think God hates these things and calls certain things evil? How do these things affect us?
5. Do I think God will guard and protect me if I am faithful to Him and His commands? Why or why not? When have I seen God guard and protect me? How did that feel? Do I feel like I am in the light and do I have joy or do I feel that I am in darkness and do I have more sadness than joy? Can I relate this in anyway to my faithfulness? Why or why not?
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/6/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 4
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 96
"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.." ( vs. 1 )
I have been singing a certain song all my life. God wants me to sing a new song. I can not keep doing things the way I have always done them and expect to have new results. It will not work that way. We get set in our ways and live in frustration but when we are shown something new that is working for someone, we doubt and are skeptical. We have many excuses and eventually we just say it is too much trouble to figure out how to do something different. At least I know that is how I am too often. I would rather stick with the familiar even if it is miserable than venture out into the unknown.
God would have us live another way. He shows us how to truly live in His word and He calls us out to follow. He wants us to start over and do things a new way, a way that works. Let us venture out and trust God. Let us sing a new song. It doesn't matter to God how it sounds, He just wants us to sing. He will make it beautiful.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help me to sing a new song. You can and will make it beautiful. You are deserving. You are good. We will sing.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What song have I been singing? How would I describe my life and my life priorities?
2. Is my song working? Am I satisfied with what I am accomplishing and who I am as a person?
3. What do I think God's song and my new song are? Am I finding out? How can I find out? Is there someone who I can talk to that can give me insight?
4. What would keep me from singing a new song? What fears do I have about doing something differently? Why? How can I overcome these fears?
5. Do I believe God can help me change? Do I want to sing a new song? Why or why not?
Day 4
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 96
"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.." ( vs. 1 )
I have been singing a certain song all my life. God wants me to sing a new song. I can not keep doing things the way I have always done them and expect to have new results. It will not work that way. We get set in our ways and live in frustration but when we are shown something new that is working for someone, we doubt and are skeptical. We have many excuses and eventually we just say it is too much trouble to figure out how to do something different. At least I know that is how I am too often. I would rather stick with the familiar even if it is miserable than venture out into the unknown.
God would have us live another way. He shows us how to truly live in His word and He calls us out to follow. He wants us to start over and do things a new way, a way that works. Let us venture out and trust God. Let us sing a new song. It doesn't matter to God how it sounds, He just wants us to sing. He will make it beautiful.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help me to sing a new song. You can and will make it beautiful. You are deserving. You are good. We will sing.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What song have I been singing? How would I describe my life and my life priorities?
2. Is my song working? Am I satisfied with what I am accomplishing and who I am as a person?
3. What do I think God's song and my new song are? Am I finding out? How can I find out? Is there someone who I can talk to that can give me insight?
4. What would keep me from singing a new song? What fears do I have about doing something differently? Why? How can I overcome these fears?
5. Do I believe God can help me change? Do I want to sing a new song? Why or why not?
Monday, October 5, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/5/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 3
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 95
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did." ( vs. 6 - 9 )
We are the flock under God's care. Sheep need a shepherd. They are not the smartest animals in the world and they need to be led and cared for in an intensive manner if they are going to live and thrive. Although it is not that flattering to be compared to sheep, it is fitting. We do need a lot of help. We do easily go astray and get lost. It is good to know that we have a good shepherd that we can follow. He cares for us in so many ways. I love to read the 23 psalm which most people know and which once again refers to God as our shepherd. It is as follows:
I love the beautiful portrayal of God's care for us expressed here. I love the idea that I do not have to be in want and that as I go through my life here, I do not have to fear evil; not because it does not exist, but because God is with me.
I do have a responsibility in this scenario, however. I have to listen to God's voice. If I am a sheep and my shepherd is calling me, I need to go to my shepherd. I need to let him take care of me. If I continue to run away, I will only get myself into further trouble. If I am sick and need medication, I will only become more sick. I must heed to my master's voice. So I need to see that God is my shepherd, and then I need to follow and obey. I can't harden my heart. I must soften it. I need to remember all that God has already done for me and trust that if anyone can help me, then it will be Him. I must stop testing God and asking that He prove something to me. God does not have to prove anything to me. He already has. I just need to accept what I am and where I am and be a sheep basking in the love of a good shepherd.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are the Good Shepherd. You know how to take care of us. Help us to run to You, not away from You. Help us to do as You say and reap the benefits. Help us to remember how far You have brought us so far. You will not leave us wandering in the desert. You will bring us to a good land if we follow. Help us to follow, now and always.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I worshipping God on a regular basis? Do I feel He deserves my worship? Do I know how to worship? How can I learn to do this or to do this better?
2. What do I know about sheep? What can I learn about sheep? How am I like a sheep? How is God like a shepherd? What can I learn about God's nature by looking at this comparison?
3. Do I listen to God's voice or do I ignore it? Do I think the Bible or Scriptures are God's actual word, as though He were right here speaking to me? Why or why not? If I did see the Scriptures in this manner, how might that affect my reaction? How can I learn to listen to God's voice better?
4. Do I heed God's voice? Do I do what I think God is calling me to do or do I reason the feeling away? Have I hardened my heart to God's calling and voice? How? How can I change?
5. Do I ever test or try God? How do I do this? Why do I do this? Is this a trust issue? What can I do to stop testing God and to start trusting Him more?
Day 3
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 95
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did." ( vs. 6 - 9 )
We are the flock under God's care. Sheep need a shepherd. They are not the smartest animals in the world and they need to be led and cared for in an intensive manner if they are going to live and thrive. Although it is not that flattering to be compared to sheep, it is fitting. We do need a lot of help. We do easily go astray and get lost. It is good to know that we have a good shepherd that we can follow. He cares for us in so many ways. I love to read the 23 psalm which most people know and which once again refers to God as our shepherd. It is as follows:
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
I love the beautiful portrayal of God's care for us expressed here. I love the idea that I do not have to be in want and that as I go through my life here, I do not have to fear evil; not because it does not exist, but because God is with me.
I do have a responsibility in this scenario, however. I have to listen to God's voice. If I am a sheep and my shepherd is calling me, I need to go to my shepherd. I need to let him take care of me. If I continue to run away, I will only get myself into further trouble. If I am sick and need medication, I will only become more sick. I must heed to my master's voice. So I need to see that God is my shepherd, and then I need to follow and obey. I can't harden my heart. I must soften it. I need to remember all that God has already done for me and trust that if anyone can help me, then it will be Him. I must stop testing God and asking that He prove something to me. God does not have to prove anything to me. He already has. I just need to accept what I am and where I am and be a sheep basking in the love of a good shepherd.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are the Good Shepherd. You know how to take care of us. Help us to run to You, not away from You. Help us to do as You say and reap the benefits. Help us to remember how far You have brought us so far. You will not leave us wandering in the desert. You will bring us to a good land if we follow. Help us to follow, now and always.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I worshipping God on a regular basis? Do I feel He deserves my worship? Do I know how to worship? How can I learn to do this or to do this better?
2. What do I know about sheep? What can I learn about sheep? How am I like a sheep? How is God like a shepherd? What can I learn about God's nature by looking at this comparison?
3. Do I listen to God's voice or do I ignore it? Do I think the Bible or Scriptures are God's actual word, as though He were right here speaking to me? Why or why not? If I did see the Scriptures in this manner, how might that affect my reaction? How can I learn to listen to God's voice better?
4. Do I heed God's voice? Do I do what I think God is calling me to do or do I reason the feeling away? Have I hardened my heart to God's calling and voice? How? How can I change?
5. Do I ever test or try God? How do I do this? Why do I do this? Is this a trust issue? What can I do to stop testing God and to start trusting Him more?
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/4/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 94
"Does He who implanted the ear not hear? Does He who formed the eye not see? Does He who disciplines the nations not punish? Does He who teaches man lack knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law; You grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." ( vs. 9 -19 )
God knows. God knows everything. He knows every thought that comes into our mind. He is completely beyond our comprehension. We are finite and our thinking is finite. God is infinite. We are stuck to time and space. We can only be in one place at a time, and we can only know what is in our minds and hearts; sometimes not even that. So how is it that we think somehow that we are smarter than God or that we have something figured out that He hasn't yet? God knows us. God is not surprised by anything.
To me, this makes it all the more amazing that God pays attention to us at all. God knows everything about each and every one of us. He knows who will listen to Him and who will not. He knows all of the things we do in secret and all of the sinful leanings of our heart. And yet, He still cares. He still died. He still forgives. He invests His time to train us up; to discipline us. And He has a plan and a dream for us to make a difference in the world. He wants to see change. He desires change in each of our hearts and He is calling us. He asks, "Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand? Who will make a difference? Who will love as I have loved?" It is an overwhelming task but we have been called. If we look at the task, we will slip as the psalmist states. But God will help us. God will support us in the task if we go and try. God will calm the anxiety that comes and God will bring us joy as we obey. We just need to start and go and try.
Here are some of my favorite quotes on these thoughts:
"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step"
Chinese Proverb
"If the Lord calls you, He will equip you for the task He wants you to fulfill."
Warren Wierbe
"Have thy tools ready. God will find the work."
Charles Kingsley
"You will invest your life in something or you will throw it away on nothing."
Haddin Rosisson
"Employ whatever God has entrusted you with in doing good, all possible good, in every kind and degree."
John Wesley
"Start by doing what is necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible."
St. Francis of Assissi
"Discipline yourself so no one else has to."
John Wooden
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are not deaf or blind or dumb. You know exactly what is going on here. You know exactly what is going on in my heart. You know and still care. That is amazing to me. I am so grateful that You have called me and given me a part in Your amazing work. Help me to rise to the occasion. Help me to live a life worthy and to cling to You because You will make it all work out.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about the difference between God and me? Do I ever find myself thinking that I know better than God? How might my actions show this even if I don't think this outright? What can I change to have a better view of God and myself?
2. Do I allow God to discipline me? Do I listen to His word and to the people God has put in my life? Do I take advice? Why or why not? Am I teachable? Am I learning or have I become set in my ways? What can I do to become a lifelong learner?
3. Am I taking a stand for God? Do I stand up for God's word? If I am standing up for God and His ways, am I doing so in a loving and respectful way or do I just let people "have it"? What can I do to be more effective in the way I talk to people about God and His ways?
4. Do I feel that God can use me? Am I allowing myself to be a part of God's plan to change and transform the world? Why or why not? Do I want to do this? Do I see the importance of it? What can I do to change and allow myself to answer God's call.
5. Do I feel anxious or hopeless? Am I turning to God for help or am I trying to do everything on my own power? How can I allow God to support and console me? What role do my friends and fellow believers have in helping me? Do I allow others into my life so that they can be there for me? Why or why not? What should I change so that I can strengthened and receive joy?
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 94
"Does He who implanted the ear not hear? Does He who formed the eye not see? Does He who disciplines the nations not punish? Does He who teaches man lack knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law; You grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." ( vs. 9 -19 )
God knows. God knows everything. He knows every thought that comes into our mind. He is completely beyond our comprehension. We are finite and our thinking is finite. God is infinite. We are stuck to time and space. We can only be in one place at a time, and we can only know what is in our minds and hearts; sometimes not even that. So how is it that we think somehow that we are smarter than God or that we have something figured out that He hasn't yet? God knows us. God is not surprised by anything.
To me, this makes it all the more amazing that God pays attention to us at all. God knows everything about each and every one of us. He knows who will listen to Him and who will not. He knows all of the things we do in secret and all of the sinful leanings of our heart. And yet, He still cares. He still died. He still forgives. He invests His time to train us up; to discipline us. And He has a plan and a dream for us to make a difference in the world. He wants to see change. He desires change in each of our hearts and He is calling us. He asks, "Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand? Who will make a difference? Who will love as I have loved?" It is an overwhelming task but we have been called. If we look at the task, we will slip as the psalmist states. But God will help us. God will support us in the task if we go and try. God will calm the anxiety that comes and God will bring us joy as we obey. We just need to start and go and try.
Here are some of my favorite quotes on these thoughts:
"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step"
Chinese Proverb
"If the Lord calls you, He will equip you for the task He wants you to fulfill."
Warren Wierbe
"Have thy tools ready. God will find the work."
Charles Kingsley
"You will invest your life in something or you will throw it away on nothing."
Haddin Rosisson
"Employ whatever God has entrusted you with in doing good, all possible good, in every kind and degree."
John Wesley
"Start by doing what is necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible."
St. Francis of Assissi
"Discipline yourself so no one else has to."
John Wooden
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are not deaf or blind or dumb. You know exactly what is going on here. You know exactly what is going on in my heart. You know and still care. That is amazing to me. I am so grateful that You have called me and given me a part in Your amazing work. Help me to rise to the occasion. Help me to live a life worthy and to cling to You because You will make it all work out.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about the difference between God and me? Do I ever find myself thinking that I know better than God? How might my actions show this even if I don't think this outright? What can I change to have a better view of God and myself?
2. Do I allow God to discipline me? Do I listen to His word and to the people God has put in my life? Do I take advice? Why or why not? Am I teachable? Am I learning or have I become set in my ways? What can I do to become a lifelong learner?
3. Am I taking a stand for God? Do I stand up for God's word? If I am standing up for God and His ways, am I doing so in a loving and respectful way or do I just let people "have it"? What can I do to be more effective in the way I talk to people about God and His ways?
4. Do I feel that God can use me? Am I allowing myself to be a part of God's plan to change and transform the world? Why or why not? Do I want to do this? Do I see the importance of it? What can I do to change and allow myself to answer God's call.
5. Do I feel anxious or hopeless? Am I turning to God for help or am I trying to do everything on my own power? How can I allow God to support and console me? What role do my friends and fellow believers have in helping me? Do I allow others into my life so that they can be there for me? Why or why not? What should I change so that I can strengthened and receive joy?
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/3/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 93
"The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity
The seas have lifted up. O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty.
Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O Lord." Psalm 93
God is in charge. God is majestic, and God is strong. The earth runs on fixed principles. It is more ancient than we are. It is established. This psalm speaks to me of how life is so much more than we are. We get caught up in our lives and our struggles and it is hard to have a true perspective of how small we really are. If we can think about all the people that have come and gone through all generations, it helps a little. If we stand by the ocean that helps as well. When I am near the ocean, it calms me. I look at the wide expanse in front of me and am amazed that this is only a small fraction of the water that covers this planet. This planet is truly immense and we like tiny ants run around as if we control it. How funny and sad we are at the same time. We control nothing.
I love the comparison of God and the ocean. The psalmist stresses the power of the ocean, its magnificent waves and the thunder they produce. Waves can truly destroy as we saw with all the tsunamis in recent years. It is amazing the power that is with in the ocean and yet the psalmist closes with God. God is mighty. God is mightier than the strongest things we see on our planet. And God is consistent. His statutes, His word doesn't change. He does not change. He is always holy and always good. He is the only thing that we can trust in. He is all we need.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are unchanging. We are grateful that Your creation runs on fixed principles so that we can have consistency. We are grateful for the cycles of life and we are grateful that You allow us to see the beauty of nature around us. Nature speaks to Your power and glory. It points out Your magnificence because it is powerful, and glorious, and magnificent. You have created all of this. We can not fathom You and all that You are but we are grateful for You anyway, and we are grateful that You allow us to serve You. We rest in You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about God reigning? Do I have issues with authority? Why or why not? How can I come to appreciate authority?
2. How do I view God? Do I think He is majestic, holy, and strong or do I have conflicting views? Why do I see God as I do? Does it have anything to do with how I see my father?
3. Do I see God in the world around me? How do I feel about nature and science? Do I see God's hand in the laws of nature? Do I see God's hand in science? How can nature increase my love for God?
4. What helps me to put life in perspective? Am I tempted to view life from a narrow viewpoint and think it is all about me? Do I see how not in control we are? Does this turn me to God or just stress me out? How can I turn to God more and let go of my desire to control everything? How can I have a whole world perspective?
5. How do I feel about God's statutes? Do I see them as consistent? Do I see them as valuable? Am I following them and putting them into practice in my life? Why or why not? How can I do this and what do I think I will gain from it?
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 93
"The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity
The seas have lifted up. O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty.
Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O Lord." Psalm 93
God is in charge. God is majestic, and God is strong. The earth runs on fixed principles. It is more ancient than we are. It is established. This psalm speaks to me of how life is so much more than we are. We get caught up in our lives and our struggles and it is hard to have a true perspective of how small we really are. If we can think about all the people that have come and gone through all generations, it helps a little. If we stand by the ocean that helps as well. When I am near the ocean, it calms me. I look at the wide expanse in front of me and am amazed that this is only a small fraction of the water that covers this planet. This planet is truly immense and we like tiny ants run around as if we control it. How funny and sad we are at the same time. We control nothing.
I love the comparison of God and the ocean. The psalmist stresses the power of the ocean, its magnificent waves and the thunder they produce. Waves can truly destroy as we saw with all the tsunamis in recent years. It is amazing the power that is with in the ocean and yet the psalmist closes with God. God is mighty. God is mightier than the strongest things we see on our planet. And God is consistent. His statutes, His word doesn't change. He does not change. He is always holy and always good. He is the only thing that we can trust in. He is all we need.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are unchanging. We are grateful that Your creation runs on fixed principles so that we can have consistency. We are grateful for the cycles of life and we are grateful that You allow us to see the beauty of nature around us. Nature speaks to Your power and glory. It points out Your magnificence because it is powerful, and glorious, and magnificent. You have created all of this. We can not fathom You and all that You are but we are grateful for You anyway, and we are grateful that You allow us to serve You. We rest in You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about God reigning? Do I have issues with authority? Why or why not? How can I come to appreciate authority?
2. How do I view God? Do I think He is majestic, holy, and strong or do I have conflicting views? Why do I see God as I do? Does it have anything to do with how I see my father?
3. Do I see God in the world around me? How do I feel about nature and science? Do I see God's hand in the laws of nature? Do I see God's hand in science? How can nature increase my love for God?
4. What helps me to put life in perspective? Am I tempted to view life from a narrow viewpoint and think it is all about me? Do I see how not in control we are? Does this turn me to God or just stress me out? How can I turn to God more and let go of my desire to control everything? How can I have a whole world perspective?
5. How do I feel about God's statutes? Do I see them as consistent? Do I see them as valuable? Am I following them and putting them into practice in my life? Why or why not? How can I do this and what do I think I will gain from it?
Friday, October 2, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/2/15
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream that you want to see happen in your life
One issue in your character that you want to see changed
One regret that you want to move past
One person that you want to get to know better
One health issue that you want to see improved in someone (can be yourself)
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 92
"It is good to praise the Lord...
For You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O Lord, how profound Your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.
But You, O Lord, are exalted forever.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is not wickedness in Him." (vs. 1a, 4 - 8, 12 - 15)
It is good to praise the Lord. I am grateful to know and understand this. Some people will never understand and this is hard for us. It is sad and oftentimes even heartbreaking, but we must remain faithful and remember that even Jesus was deserted by His closest friends in the end. They did not fully understand what He was about and what He came for. He knew that but He still did what He had to for those of us who would believe. We can not be down heartened as if it was our fault when someone we love is not following God. Everyone has free choice and some choose to sear their consciences and pursue other gods. Some deny that there is anything beyond what they can see. They live only for the here and now. But God is real, whether we choose to believe in Him or not. He will be exalted. We just need to keep holding this out.
If we choose to follow God and be righteous, we will flourish. It is an eternal principle. We may not grow rich or live free from struggles, but we will grow and still bear fruit in our old age. What a wonderful promise, that although our bodies are aging and dying, our souls and our spiritual lives become more and more beautiful if we devote ourselves to God. I want to flourish. I do not want to grow old and set in my ways. I want to be new and fresh and beautiful inside. I hope this for all of us. So let us praise the Lord, for this is good.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You for this is good. You have been very good to us. Help us to always understand and seek You. Help us to know gratitude and be able to see all the works of Your hand in our life and in the lives of others. We want to grow strong and tall like the trees. We want to flourish in Your house. We want to still bear fruit in our old age. We know that we will find this only in You. We long to be close to You and be transformed.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I praise God? Why or why not? What do I have to praise God for? Can I make a list of 10, 20, or 30 plus things that God deserves praise for?
2. How do I feel when people do not understand my faith? Do I love the people anyway or do I get angry and dismissive? Do I pray for those who reject my faith?
3. Do I feel like I am growing spiritually? Why or why not? How can I go after this? What am I doing that helps? What am I doing that hinders me?
4. How long have I been following God? Do I still have the love I originally did? If it is not as strong, why do I feel like it has faded? What can I do to get back my "first love"?
5. Am I bearing fruit? What does that mean to me? What evidence is there that my faith is growing and being more productive?
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream that you want to see happen in your life
One issue in your character that you want to see changed
One regret that you want to move past
One person that you want to get to know better
One health issue that you want to see improved in someone (can be yourself)
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 92
"It is good to praise the Lord...
For You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O Lord, how profound Your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.
But You, O Lord, are exalted forever.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is not wickedness in Him." (vs. 1a, 4 - 8, 12 - 15)
It is good to praise the Lord. I am grateful to know and understand this. Some people will never understand and this is hard for us. It is sad and oftentimes even heartbreaking, but we must remain faithful and remember that even Jesus was deserted by His closest friends in the end. They did not fully understand what He was about and what He came for. He knew that but He still did what He had to for those of us who would believe. We can not be down heartened as if it was our fault when someone we love is not following God. Everyone has free choice and some choose to sear their consciences and pursue other gods. Some deny that there is anything beyond what they can see. They live only for the here and now. But God is real, whether we choose to believe in Him or not. He will be exalted. We just need to keep holding this out.
If we choose to follow God and be righteous, we will flourish. It is an eternal principle. We may not grow rich or live free from struggles, but we will grow and still bear fruit in our old age. What a wonderful promise, that although our bodies are aging and dying, our souls and our spiritual lives become more and more beautiful if we devote ourselves to God. I want to flourish. I do not want to grow old and set in my ways. I want to be new and fresh and beautiful inside. I hope this for all of us. So let us praise the Lord, for this is good.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You for this is good. You have been very good to us. Help us to always understand and seek You. Help us to know gratitude and be able to see all the works of Your hand in our life and in the lives of others. We want to grow strong and tall like the trees. We want to flourish in Your house. We want to still bear fruit in our old age. We know that we will find this only in You. We long to be close to You and be transformed.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I praise God? Why or why not? What do I have to praise God for? Can I make a list of 10, 20, or 30 plus things that God deserves praise for?
2. How do I feel when people do not understand my faith? Do I love the people anyway or do I get angry and dismissive? Do I pray for those who reject my faith?
3. Do I feel like I am growing spiritually? Why or why not? How can I go after this? What am I doing that helps? What am I doing that hinders me?
4. How long have I been following God? Do I still have the love I originally did? If it is not as strong, why do I feel like it has faded? What can I do to get back my "first love"?
5. Am I bearing fruit? What does that mean to me? What evidence is there that my faith is growing and being more productive?
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/1/15
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 6
Pray for:
One thing that you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream that you want to see happen in your life
One issue in your character that you want to see changed
One regret that you want to move past
One person that you want to get to know better
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 91
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm 91
It is hard to add to this. I love the promises of God. As I sit here tonight, trying to stay awake to write this, I am reminded that God will take care of me. He has taken care of me so far and I know He will not stop now. God will give us rest. He grants sleep to those He loves. We do not have to fear anything if we believe this passage. God will take care of it all. God has a plan.
God will even send His angels to protect and guard me. God will do all this because I love Him. I want to learn more and more how to love God. It is that important. I want to be with him and reap the blessings that only a relationship with Him can provide. I am grateful that I have been given that chance. I know I have to live worthy, but I think it is completely worth it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You even pay attention to us, how much more that You bless us. You have been tremendously good and kind throughout our lives. We praise you for everything.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1.Am I dwelling in the shelter of God? What would that be like? How can I do this?
2. Do I trust God? How do I know? How can I develop a deeper trust?
3. Do I think angels are protecting me? Why or why not? What have I seen that was miraculous or out of the ordinary in my life?
4. Do I love God? How do I show it? Do I make time for Him? If God were a person, am I treating Him right? Why or why not? How can I change?
5. Do I acknowledge God? Do I stand up for God and His ways in front of people? Am I afraid to look religious in front of others? How can I be more bold?
Day 6
Pray for:
One thing that you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream that you want to see happen in your life
One issue in your character that you want to see changed
One regret that you want to move past
One person that you want to get to know better
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 91
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm 91
It is hard to add to this. I love the promises of God. As I sit here tonight, trying to stay awake to write this, I am reminded that God will take care of me. He has taken care of me so far and I know He will not stop now. God will give us rest. He grants sleep to those He loves. We do not have to fear anything if we believe this passage. God will take care of it all. God has a plan.
God will even send His angels to protect and guard me. God will do all this because I love Him. I want to learn more and more how to love God. It is that important. I want to be with him and reap the blessings that only a relationship with Him can provide. I am grateful that I have been given that chance. I know I have to live worthy, but I think it is completely worth it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You even pay attention to us, how much more that You bless us. You have been tremendously good and kind throughout our lives. We praise you for everything.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1.Am I dwelling in the shelter of God? What would that be like? How can I do this?
2. Do I trust God? How do I know? How can I develop a deeper trust?
3. Do I think angels are protecting me? Why or why not? What have I seen that was miraculous or out of the ordinary in my life?
4. Do I love God? How do I show it? Do I make time for Him? If God were a person, am I treating Him right? Why or why not? How can I change?
5. Do I acknowledge God? Do I stand up for God and His ways in front of people? Am I afraid to look religious in front of others? How can I be more bold?
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/30/15
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 5
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
One issue in your character that you would like to see changed
One regret that you would like to move past
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 90
"Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, 'Return to dust, O sons of men.' For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning - though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.
We finish our years with a moan. The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us: establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." ( vs. 1 - 6, 9b - 10, 12, 14, 17 )
We have come from God, and we will return to face Him. The unseen is unfathomable, but sometimes I can slightly catch an understanding. What if I had never been born, didn't exist at all. What if I had never had the chance to experience life here on earth or anywhere for that matter. That thought has always made me slightly nauseous because I love life. I am so grateful that I exist, even on the worst days.
Life is so strange. We are here, and then we are gone. Where do we go? What is important? So many unknowns. But we can know a few things. We are here now. There is something beyond us, and we will die someday. Seventy or eighty years if we have the strength. Isn't that the truth? Living can be hard. Living can be confusing. But we know, we can see, that there is something special in us that is keeping us alive and when someone dies, that spark that made them who they are is gone and now there is just an outer shell. They are no longer here.
So if we are here and then gone, and if God remains, what is really important? If I am going to fly away back to God, I had better be ready for that. We need to face this reality, that this time here is really just the pause before the real life begins. If what comes after earth lasts for eternity, time without end, then that is so much more important than what I have on my to do list today. I do need to number my days correctly. I can not believe that I am almost 50 now. It seems that I was just a child. Time has gone by so fast and it will never come back to me. Each moment is gone forever. What will I make of my remaining days? Realistically, my life is already half over, unless I can somehow manage to stay alive until I am 100. I must remember this and focus. I no longer have time to waste, if I ever did.
I want to be satisfied by God and God alone. I want to awake and be content with His love. I want to really live while I have the chance and no longer be afraid. Fear is so binding; so limiting. Only God can do this. It is not within me. I turn to God and pray that His favor will rest upon me. I pray that His favor will rest upon you. I want to make a difference in this world, that it mattered that I was here and that I left things better than I found them. Yes Lord, establish the work of our hands and help us to walk with You and no longer be afraid.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are here. We know that this is not all there is. The unknown is frightening, but You say that perfect love drives out fear. Your love is perfect. Please drive out our fear. Help us to see life as You see it and to have the proper priorities. Help us to truly live. The time is short. We want to make it count.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I ever think about how short life is? Do I think about eternity? Why or why not? How can thinking about these concepts help me?
2. Do I think about what I would like to accomplish with my life? Are my goals in line with God's? How do I know?
3. Does my relationship with God motivate me? Am I in love with God? Does His love satisfy me or am I looking for something else to make me happy?
4. Am I joyful? Why or why not? How could I cultivate more joy? How could changing my priorities affect my joy level?
5. Do I feel like God's favor is on me? Why or why not? What work do I see God blessing in my life? Is it different from what I would like to see God blessing? Is what I consider my work the same as what God would consider my work? Why do I think this?
Day 5
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
One issue in your character that you would like to see changed
One regret that you would like to move past
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 90
"Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, 'Return to dust, O sons of men.' For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning - though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.
We finish our years with a moan. The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us: establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." ( vs. 1 - 6, 9b - 10, 12, 14, 17 )
We have come from God, and we will return to face Him. The unseen is unfathomable, but sometimes I can slightly catch an understanding. What if I had never been born, didn't exist at all. What if I had never had the chance to experience life here on earth or anywhere for that matter. That thought has always made me slightly nauseous because I love life. I am so grateful that I exist, even on the worst days.
Life is so strange. We are here, and then we are gone. Where do we go? What is important? So many unknowns. But we can know a few things. We are here now. There is something beyond us, and we will die someday. Seventy or eighty years if we have the strength. Isn't that the truth? Living can be hard. Living can be confusing. But we know, we can see, that there is something special in us that is keeping us alive and when someone dies, that spark that made them who they are is gone and now there is just an outer shell. They are no longer here.
So if we are here and then gone, and if God remains, what is really important? If I am going to fly away back to God, I had better be ready for that. We need to face this reality, that this time here is really just the pause before the real life begins. If what comes after earth lasts for eternity, time without end, then that is so much more important than what I have on my to do list today. I do need to number my days correctly. I can not believe that I am almost 50 now. It seems that I was just a child. Time has gone by so fast and it will never come back to me. Each moment is gone forever. What will I make of my remaining days? Realistically, my life is already half over, unless I can somehow manage to stay alive until I am 100. I must remember this and focus. I no longer have time to waste, if I ever did.
I want to be satisfied by God and God alone. I want to awake and be content with His love. I want to really live while I have the chance and no longer be afraid. Fear is so binding; so limiting. Only God can do this. It is not within me. I turn to God and pray that His favor will rest upon me. I pray that His favor will rest upon you. I want to make a difference in this world, that it mattered that I was here and that I left things better than I found them. Yes Lord, establish the work of our hands and help us to walk with You and no longer be afraid.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are here. We know that this is not all there is. The unknown is frightening, but You say that perfect love drives out fear. Your love is perfect. Please drive out our fear. Help us to see life as You see it and to have the proper priorities. Help us to truly live. The time is short. We want to make it count.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I ever think about how short life is? Do I think about eternity? Why or why not? How can thinking about these concepts help me?
2. Do I think about what I would like to accomplish with my life? Are my goals in line with God's? How do I know?
3. Does my relationship with God motivate me? Am I in love with God? Does His love satisfy me or am I looking for something else to make me happy?
4. Am I joyful? Why or why not? How could I cultivate more joy? How could changing my priorities affect my joy level?
5. Do I feel like God's favor is on me? Why or why not? What work do I see God blessing in my life? Is it different from what I would like to see God blessing? Is what I consider my work the same as what God would consider my work? Why do I think this?
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/29/15
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 4
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
One issue in your character that you would like to see changed
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 89
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor You exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel." ( vs. 14 - 18 )
Righteousness and justice form the foundation of the throne of God. He is righteous and just. How good it is to know that there is a standard that never changes. Although we do not necessarily like everything about it, it is steadfast and I think that we long for that type of consistency. We hate it when things are not fair. It is good to know that God is fair, and that justice will win out one day. It is also good to know that God does not forget our hard work and all of the good things that we have done. ("God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10) Someday we will reap what we have sown. ("Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6: 7-9)
What is even better than God being righteous and justice, however, is that God is loving and faithful. He is so much so, that it goes before Him. These qualities trumpet His coming. When I think about the world, I still see God; even with all the evil that is here. Sometimes people will say, "How can there be a God when there is bad things happening?" I think, "If there is no God, that is all that would be happening!" God is in all the kindness and beauty that is still here on Earth. When I see a beautiful sunset, I see God. When I look at my children playing and laughing, I see God. When I receive a kindness or am able to give to someone, I feel God's presence. God is good, always good.
We will be blessed if we can believe and hold onto this; when we can acclaim God. We will receive what we have faith in. God does not change, but we can be blinded to Him. Sometimes my students do not like me. They think I am mean and hard. They have not been able to see who I really am, because they do not cooperate with the rules of the class, or they perceive my pushing them to be excellent and to achieve as meanness. No matter how kind and loving I may be, they will never see it. They are blinded by their own perceptions and rebelliousness. I have not changed. This is how it is with God. If we are rebellious and resentful about being transformed, we will see God as a harsh taskmaster. If we follow God's laws and make Him our strength, and if we are willing to be changed, God will be our most treasured glory and strength. The choice is ours.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are good. You do bless us. Help us to see You; to see the real You and for us to not be deceived by our rebelliousness. You are righteous and just. You are loving and faithful. We are grateful that You are not like us. You are so praiseworthy. Thank You for our lives and for Your promises. Help us to live up to Your desires for us.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I see God as righteous? Am I righteous? What does this mean to me? How can I be righteous in my day to day living?
2. Do I value justice? How do I see God as just? Am I just? What does this mean to me? How can I learn to be more just and to value justice more?
3. How do I see God as loving? What does that mean to me? Am I loving? What evidence is there to support my answer? How can I be more loving?
4. How do I see God as faithful? What does that mean to me? Am I faithful to God? Am I faithful to others? Why or why not? How can I become more faithful to God and to others?
5. How do I acclaim God? What is my view of Him? Do I have a true perspective or am I tainted by bitterness or bad experiences? How can I work through any issues I have so that I can be able to see God as He truly is? How will this change my life?
Day 4
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
One issue in your character that you would like to see changed
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 89
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor You exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel." ( vs. 14 - 18 )
Righteousness and justice form the foundation of the throne of God. He is righteous and just. How good it is to know that there is a standard that never changes. Although we do not necessarily like everything about it, it is steadfast and I think that we long for that type of consistency. We hate it when things are not fair. It is good to know that God is fair, and that justice will win out one day. It is also good to know that God does not forget our hard work and all of the good things that we have done. ("God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10) Someday we will reap what we have sown. ("Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6: 7-9)
What is even better than God being righteous and justice, however, is that God is loving and faithful. He is so much so, that it goes before Him. These qualities trumpet His coming. When I think about the world, I still see God; even with all the evil that is here. Sometimes people will say, "How can there be a God when there is bad things happening?" I think, "If there is no God, that is all that would be happening!" God is in all the kindness and beauty that is still here on Earth. When I see a beautiful sunset, I see God. When I look at my children playing and laughing, I see God. When I receive a kindness or am able to give to someone, I feel God's presence. God is good, always good.
We will be blessed if we can believe and hold onto this; when we can acclaim God. We will receive what we have faith in. God does not change, but we can be blinded to Him. Sometimes my students do not like me. They think I am mean and hard. They have not been able to see who I really am, because they do not cooperate with the rules of the class, or they perceive my pushing them to be excellent and to achieve as meanness. No matter how kind and loving I may be, they will never see it. They are blinded by their own perceptions and rebelliousness. I have not changed. This is how it is with God. If we are rebellious and resentful about being transformed, we will see God as a harsh taskmaster. If we follow God's laws and make Him our strength, and if we are willing to be changed, God will be our most treasured glory and strength. The choice is ours.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are good. You do bless us. Help us to see You; to see the real You and for us to not be deceived by our rebelliousness. You are righteous and just. You are loving and faithful. We are grateful that You are not like us. You are so praiseworthy. Thank You for our lives and for Your promises. Help us to live up to Your desires for us.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I see God as righteous? Am I righteous? What does this mean to me? How can I be righteous in my day to day living?
2. Do I value justice? How do I see God as just? Am I just? What does this mean to me? How can I learn to be more just and to value justice more?
3. How do I see God as loving? What does that mean to me? Am I loving? What evidence is there to support my answer? How can I be more loving?
4. How do I see God as faithful? What does that mean to me? Am I faithful to God? Am I faithful to others? Why or why not? How can I become more faithful to God and to others?
5. How do I acclaim God? What is my view of Him? Do I have a true perspective or am I tainted by bitterness or bad experiences? How can I work through any issues I have so that I can be able to see God as He truly is? How will this change my life?
Monday, September 28, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/28/15
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 3
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 88
"O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before You. May my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave...
I call to You, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to You.
But I cry to You for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before You." ( vs. 1- 3, 9b, 13 )
This psalm is a psalm of sadness. Most psalms, if they deal with sadness, end with triumph and the praising of God, but this one is different. There is no redemption mentioned and the final line states, "the darkness is my closest friend. (vs. 18b)" The author is very dramatic presenting how he feels at the moment and is very descriptive. I believe God included this psalm for many reasons. First, I think that God is pointing out the depression is real and that it can be really expressed to Him. We do not need to hide away our negative feelings from God. He knows them already. He is not shocked. Secondly, I think that God wants us to not surrender to our feelings. He wants us to begin to look honestly at them and sort out fact from exaggeration. God has so much more for us. He does not what us languishing away. He came to give us life and life to the fullest. (John 10:10)
I think, the key to overcoming is to pray. I was struck by the writer's intense turning to God. He prayed, and prayed incessantly. He poured out his troubles. He prayed consistently and also it seems, constantly. He reasoned with God and was not afraid to pour out his heart. This is how we will conquer depression and negative emotions. We can not just hope it will go away. We have to be proactive and start praying and then start doing what we know we should. As we give to others, we shall begin to receive as well. It is a blessed miracle that we can be transformed.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We all go through difficult times now and then. Sometimes when we look around us and see problems we feel defeated. Sometimes it seems that we do not have any friends. But You are always there and You are working for us to bring us to You. Help us to draw near to You and pray through all of our feelings. You already know them anyway. We love and appreciate You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I suffer from depression? How do I deal with this? If not, what do I think about those who suffer from depression? Why?
2. Are my feelings always correct? How have my feelings betrayed me before? What can I do to help deal with my feelings? Do I believe God can save me from my feelings and emotions? Why or why not?
3. How is my prayer life? Do I pray about my emotions? Am I praying about any sadness and depression in my life? How can I improve this aspect of my prayer life?
4. Do I exaggerate my problems? Do I have trouble looking at the issues in my life honestly? Do I make blanket statements about what is happening with me?
5. Am I getting involved with others on a regular basis? Am I meeting the needs of those around me? Do I make a difference in anyone's life? How can I start giving to others?
Day 3
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 88
"O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before You. May my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave...
I call to You, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to You.
But I cry to You for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before You." ( vs. 1- 3, 9b, 13 )
This psalm is a psalm of sadness. Most psalms, if they deal with sadness, end with triumph and the praising of God, but this one is different. There is no redemption mentioned and the final line states, "the darkness is my closest friend. (vs. 18b)" The author is very dramatic presenting how he feels at the moment and is very descriptive. I believe God included this psalm for many reasons. First, I think that God is pointing out the depression is real and that it can be really expressed to Him. We do not need to hide away our negative feelings from God. He knows them already. He is not shocked. Secondly, I think that God wants us to not surrender to our feelings. He wants us to begin to look honestly at them and sort out fact from exaggeration. God has so much more for us. He does not what us languishing away. He came to give us life and life to the fullest. (John 10:10)
I think, the key to overcoming is to pray. I was struck by the writer's intense turning to God. He prayed, and prayed incessantly. He poured out his troubles. He prayed consistently and also it seems, constantly. He reasoned with God and was not afraid to pour out his heart. This is how we will conquer depression and negative emotions. We can not just hope it will go away. We have to be proactive and start praying and then start doing what we know we should. As we give to others, we shall begin to receive as well. It is a blessed miracle that we can be transformed.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We all go through difficult times now and then. Sometimes when we look around us and see problems we feel defeated. Sometimes it seems that we do not have any friends. But You are always there and You are working for us to bring us to You. Help us to draw near to You and pray through all of our feelings. You already know them anyway. We love and appreciate You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I suffer from depression? How do I deal with this? If not, what do I think about those who suffer from depression? Why?
2. Are my feelings always correct? How have my feelings betrayed me before? What can I do to help deal with my feelings? Do I believe God can save me from my feelings and emotions? Why or why not?
3. How is my prayer life? Do I pray about my emotions? Am I praying about any sadness and depression in my life? How can I improve this aspect of my prayer life?
4. Do I exaggerate my problems? Do I have trouble looking at the issues in my life honestly? Do I make blanket statements about what is happening with me?
5. Am I getting involved with others on a regular basis? Am I meeting the needs of those around me? Do I make a difference in anyone's life? How can I start giving to others?
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/27/15 (1/27/10)
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 87
"The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God. "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me - Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush - and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'"
Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her." The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: This one was born in Zion." ( vs. 2 - 6 )
In the Old Testament, Zion referred primarily to Jerusalem but was also used to refer to the Temple, and the Jewish nation; the people of God. In the New Testament, Zion usually refers to the spiritual kingdom of God, which could also seen as the church if one does a more thorough study. In Psalm 87, we see how much God cares about His people, whether His original people or those of us that have been grafted in. God loves us. God is desirous for all of us to belong to His kingdom, Zion. He also desires for His kingdom to be glorious and He is committed to establishing and maintaining it.
Imagine, we can be a part of this. We can have our names written in the register of the people and we can have our place of birth be recorded as Zion. This is ultimately the desired end result, isn't it? To have God acknowledge us as His own on that day when we will face Him. For Him to say to everyone, "Yes, this one was born in Zion. This child is mine!". Our national heritage often inspires us. I know when I was just out of college, I contemplated becoming an Australian citizen so that I could further my water polo career there. Even though at that time, I did not think that I cared that much about being an American, when I faced with the idea of having to renounce my citizenship to the United States, I couldn't. It was then that I realized what my country did mean to me. I thought of all my memories of growing up and of all the benefits that I had received, and I realized I loved my country, even with all of its faults. How much more so should we feel about our spiritual heritage and our spiritual country.
If we have been born again, we are citizens of Zion. We have a new kingdom. It is challenging to say to ourselves, "I have been born in Zion". Do we realize what an amazing thing this is? We have a fresh start and a new allegiance. We have all the rights and privileges of citizens of the kingdom of God. But do we live accordingly? I think too often, we take for granted what we have, just as I had taken for granted what I had as an American citizen. We need to make a conscious effort to be grateful and to give back. As John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural address in 1961:
"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
Kennedy was calling Americans and the whole world higher. Many responded to his plea. As followers of God and citizens of His country, we should take our duty even more to heart because, besides being citizens of God's kingdom, we have also been called to become His ambassadors. We are representing Him. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (II Corinthians 5:20) I have been given a job to do in my life. I need to represent God. I need to live in a way that will glorify Him. I can not just do whatever I want anymore. People are watching. People will always watch.
I remember one of the most convicting moments of my high school days. I was supposed to be a Christian. I had been telling my friends about God in my junior year of school, but then in my senior year, I started partying and put aside my faith. One night at a party, I had been drinking and was not behaving in a very Christian manner. One of my friends stopped me in my tracks when they said, "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be a Christian." I didn't know what to say at that point, because they were right. I was supposed to be something but I wasn't living like it. I realized I was as big a hypocrite as the people I was upset with in my church and in my life. I kept partying that night, but that moment in time kept echoing in my head and eventually, I did become a true Christian. But that memory was never forgotten. I can still hear my friend asking me that question, even all these years later and that is okay because it is a good question. I am supposed to be a Christian. So, what does my life say? I hope it says I am. I hope it says that this is what is most important to me. I hope now, I do have integrity.
Looking back, sometimes it is hard for me to believe that I was given a second chance. I know I didn't deserve it. But God gives us all second, and third, and fourth chances. In fact, He is calling us until the day we die. I love the part of this psalm that says, "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me - Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush - and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'" (vs. 4) These countries were not friends of God. They were the enemies of the Jews; the ones that enslaved and persecuted them. But it appears that they are given a second chance. They too had the opportunity to become children of Zion. This speaks to me of the extreme love of God, that all of us, no matter how far we have fallen or where we have been, can start over. We can be born again and receive a new country, a new life.
What an exciting thought and what a responsibility as well! Let us rise to the occasion so we can retain our citizenship in Zion and enjoy all of its blessings.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
What a wonderful thought that we have been born in Zion. Help us to remember that we belong to such an awesome kingdom. We are a people now. We have a great heritage. Let us live so that others may see and worship You. Let us be worthy ambassadors for our spiritual homeland. Let us make You proud.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Have I been born in Zion? Is my name written in the register? How do I know? Are there any questions that I need to resolve about my conversion or any doubts in my mind? How can I clear these up so that I have full confidence in my citizenship?
2. Am I inspired by my spiritual heritage and belonging? Do I think about what an honor this is? How will dwelling on my citizenship in Zion help me to live better in the here and now?
3. Am I being a good ambassador for my spiritual country? What impression will others have of God and the kingdom because of me? Are there things I need to change to serve God better in my role as ambassador?
4. What blessings have I received due to my spiritual birth? What privileges do I enjoy because of this? Am I grateful or do I take advantage of my position in Christ?
5. What is my attitude about God's kingdom and the church. Am I serving my spiritual country or am I looking for what I can receive from it? What can I do to make my spiritual country, and my physical country a better place?
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 87
"The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God. "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me - Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush - and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'"
Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her." The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: This one was born in Zion." ( vs. 2 - 6 )
In the Old Testament, Zion referred primarily to Jerusalem but was also used to refer to the Temple, and the Jewish nation; the people of God. In the New Testament, Zion usually refers to the spiritual kingdom of God, which could also seen as the church if one does a more thorough study. In Psalm 87, we see how much God cares about His people, whether His original people or those of us that have been grafted in. God loves us. God is desirous for all of us to belong to His kingdom, Zion. He also desires for His kingdom to be glorious and He is committed to establishing and maintaining it.
Imagine, we can be a part of this. We can have our names written in the register of the people and we can have our place of birth be recorded as Zion. This is ultimately the desired end result, isn't it? To have God acknowledge us as His own on that day when we will face Him. For Him to say to everyone, "Yes, this one was born in Zion. This child is mine!". Our national heritage often inspires us. I know when I was just out of college, I contemplated becoming an Australian citizen so that I could further my water polo career there. Even though at that time, I did not think that I cared that much about being an American, when I faced with the idea of having to renounce my citizenship to the United States, I couldn't. It was then that I realized what my country did mean to me. I thought of all my memories of growing up and of all the benefits that I had received, and I realized I loved my country, even with all of its faults. How much more so should we feel about our spiritual heritage and our spiritual country.
If we have been born again, we are citizens of Zion. We have a new kingdom. It is challenging to say to ourselves, "I have been born in Zion". Do we realize what an amazing thing this is? We have a fresh start and a new allegiance. We have all the rights and privileges of citizens of the kingdom of God. But do we live accordingly? I think too often, we take for granted what we have, just as I had taken for granted what I had as an American citizen. We need to make a conscious effort to be grateful and to give back. As John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural address in 1961:
"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
Kennedy was calling Americans and the whole world higher. Many responded to his plea. As followers of God and citizens of His country, we should take our duty even more to heart because, besides being citizens of God's kingdom, we have also been called to become His ambassadors. We are representing Him. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (II Corinthians 5:20) I have been given a job to do in my life. I need to represent God. I need to live in a way that will glorify Him. I can not just do whatever I want anymore. People are watching. People will always watch.
I remember one of the most convicting moments of my high school days. I was supposed to be a Christian. I had been telling my friends about God in my junior year of school, but then in my senior year, I started partying and put aside my faith. One night at a party, I had been drinking and was not behaving in a very Christian manner. One of my friends stopped me in my tracks when they said, "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be a Christian." I didn't know what to say at that point, because they were right. I was supposed to be something but I wasn't living like it. I realized I was as big a hypocrite as the people I was upset with in my church and in my life. I kept partying that night, but that moment in time kept echoing in my head and eventually, I did become a true Christian. But that memory was never forgotten. I can still hear my friend asking me that question, even all these years later and that is okay because it is a good question. I am supposed to be a Christian. So, what does my life say? I hope it says I am. I hope it says that this is what is most important to me. I hope now, I do have integrity.
Looking back, sometimes it is hard for me to believe that I was given a second chance. I know I didn't deserve it. But God gives us all second, and third, and fourth chances. In fact, He is calling us until the day we die. I love the part of this psalm that says, "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me - Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush - and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'" (vs. 4) These countries were not friends of God. They were the enemies of the Jews; the ones that enslaved and persecuted them. But it appears that they are given a second chance. They too had the opportunity to become children of Zion. This speaks to me of the extreme love of God, that all of us, no matter how far we have fallen or where we have been, can start over. We can be born again and receive a new country, a new life.
What an exciting thought and what a responsibility as well! Let us rise to the occasion so we can retain our citizenship in Zion and enjoy all of its blessings.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
What a wonderful thought that we have been born in Zion. Help us to remember that we belong to such an awesome kingdom. We are a people now. We have a great heritage. Let us live so that others may see and worship You. Let us be worthy ambassadors for our spiritual homeland. Let us make You proud.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Have I been born in Zion? Is my name written in the register? How do I know? Are there any questions that I need to resolve about my conversion or any doubts in my mind? How can I clear these up so that I have full confidence in my citizenship?
2. Am I inspired by my spiritual heritage and belonging? Do I think about what an honor this is? How will dwelling on my citizenship in Zion help me to live better in the here and now?
3. Am I being a good ambassador for my spiritual country? What impression will others have of God and the kingdom because of me? Are there things I need to change to serve God better in my role as ambassador?
4. What blessings have I received due to my spiritual birth? What privileges do I enjoy because of this? Am I grateful or do I take advantage of my position in Christ?
5. What is my attitude about God's kingdom and the church. Am I serving my spiritual country or am I looking for what I can receive from it? What can I do to make my spiritual country, and my physical country a better place?
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/26/15 (1/26/10)
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 1-2, 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. We feel poor and needy and overwhelmed. I often find myself saying that my life is just too much for me, and I know there are so many people out there that have more difficulties than I do. But life can be overwhelming regardless. This is when it is good to remember who God is and meditate on His characteristics. God is good, always good and faithful, always faithful. He is slow to anger. He is strong. We also need to remember that He has given us a specific race to run that is already marked out for us. Everything is all in God's hands and He does know what He is doing.
God is also compassionate. He is not being mean to us when we face challenges. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they can become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough to do more. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever He has given to us. He knows exactly what we can take and He is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). He is training and disciplining us for our eternal benefit and also for His glory here on Earth. As we grow in our faith throughout our lives and through our struggles, we are being transformed and this points others to God as well.
God will also often push us to our limits because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did, done that day. I know it was only because of God because it seems too much for one person to accomplish. I laugh and think that I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus on one day at a time and on the One who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek God's mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Why? How can I improve my perspective?
5. Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 1-2, 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. We feel poor and needy and overwhelmed. I often find myself saying that my life is just too much for me, and I know there are so many people out there that have more difficulties than I do. But life can be overwhelming regardless. This is when it is good to remember who God is and meditate on His characteristics. God is good, always good and faithful, always faithful. He is slow to anger. He is strong. We also need to remember that He has given us a specific race to run that is already marked out for us. Everything is all in God's hands and He does know what He is doing.
God is also compassionate. He is not being mean to us when we face challenges. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they can become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough to do more. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever He has given to us. He knows exactly what we can take and He is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). He is training and disciplining us for our eternal benefit and also for His glory here on Earth. As we grow in our faith throughout our lives and through our struggles, we are being transformed and this points others to God as well.
God will also often push us to our limits because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did, done that day. I know it was only because of God because it seems too much for one person to accomplish. I laugh and think that I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus on one day at a time and on the One who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek God's mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Why? How can I improve my perspective?
5. Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Friday, September 25, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/25/15 (1/25/10)
Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to see improved in your relationship with God - (Love God)
One thing that you want to see improved in the way you relate to others - (with all your heart)
One past hurt that you want to see healed and overcome - (with all your soul)
One skill or topic you want to learn - (with all your mind)
One thing that you want to see improved about your health - (with all your strength)
One thing you want to do to help others around you - (Love your neighbor)
One thing you need to accept and be grateful for about yourself or your life - (as yourself)
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 85
"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land." ( vs. 8-9)
"I will listen to God." Can I truly say that? Will I stop and hear. Will I stop listening to the world. So many messages bombard us day in and day out. We can even be sitting down to read our Bibles; trying to listen to God, but still walk away unchanged. I love the verse - "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes we just need to still everything. Sit and just be quiet for awhile. God does not speak in all the noise. He is the still small voice, the whisper. One story that always impacts me is the story of Elijah when he went to meet God. He had been fighting battles for God and then he became exhausted and depressed. God told him to go to a certain place, Mount Horeb, and there he would meet with God. When he was there, there was a great wind, and then an earthquake, and then a fire, but God was not in any of those things. After, the fire, there came a gentle whisper, and then Elijah knew it was God so he went out to speak with Him (I Kings 19). God is all around us but He is not loud. He speaks in whispers, it is up to us to hear and listen.
So when we finally hear God, what is He saying? He has blessings and commands. He promises peace yet He expects change. He has salvation and glory but He expects respect and honor. God has so much for us, but we must not go back to our old ways. This would be foolish but it is so tempting. We forget how miserable we were once we have cleaned up for awhile. We think things always must have been good for us and we think maybe it was better when we didn't have to worry about pleasing God, when we just did what we wanted to. We have to remember where we have come from. We must not put our hand to the plow and look back. God has salvation and everything else waiting for us. But it is up to us to respond and to do so correctly and consistently. This is when we will have peace. A Christian who is not in submission to God and His will and who has one foot in and one foot out of the kingdom of God will never experience peace. It is perhaps more frustrating than leaving God altogether. When we are finally all in, then we will see the glory of God.
"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps." (vs. 12-13)
This is a bold statement. God will give what is good. There is no doubt about it in this psalm. Will we be able to receive it? That is the true question. God is faithful, we are not. The land will yield a harvest, but will we? Once again, it is not a question of God's ability or desire but of our obedience. Righteousness is necessary to prepare the way for God. Just as we read in an earlier psalm that praise helps bring about God's blessings, so it appears does righteousness. If I want to see my life yield a harvest, I must get myself ready to receive it by being righteous. God will only give what will be beneficial to me. He needs to see my desire to do and be right with Him. This is what God needs to see in order to bestow the blessings He wants to. By doing this, I am showing Him that I am ready to use His gifts appropriately and to use His blessings to give back to Him. He is always thinking long term and so must we. Let us prepare our lives for service and then see what happens. I believe it will astound us.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We need to listen to You. We will listen to You. Help us not to return to our folly. We have lived in it long enough. It does not produce the life we so desire. We long for peace. We do not want to look back. There is so much ahead to look to. Although the world often looks so dark, there is Your bright and shining light guiding us on. Help us to sow righteousness so that we may reap a harvest. We want our land, our lives, to yield a harvest. We know that is up to You but we need to do our part. Help us to work hard. We wait to see the good that You will give. You are great and we praise You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I still before God? Am I listening to Him? When is it hard for me to be still and listen? When is it easy? Do I obey what I hear?
2. Do I primarily have peace or frustration in my life? Am I looking back in any way to my old life? What areas seemed better then? Why? Is this the truth? What can I do to get my eyes focused forward and on God in a greater way?
3. Am I completely devoted to God or are there any parts of my life that I hold back from Him? What can I do about these areas if there are any? Am I devoted to His kingdom? How can I be more devoted?
4. Is my life yielding a harvest? Why or why not? What can I do to change or do better to be more fruitful?
5. Am I living a life that God can bless? In what ways am I being righteous? In what ways am I not? How can I improve? What is the necessary that I need to start doing? What is the possible in my life? What is holding me back from doing my all?
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to see improved in your relationship with God - (Love God)
One thing that you want to see improved in the way you relate to others - (with all your heart)
One past hurt that you want to see healed and overcome - (with all your soul)
One skill or topic you want to learn - (with all your mind)
One thing that you want to see improved about your health - (with all your strength)
One thing you want to do to help others around you - (Love your neighbor)
One thing you need to accept and be grateful for about yourself or your life - (as yourself)
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 85
"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land." ( vs. 8-9)
"I will listen to God." Can I truly say that? Will I stop and hear. Will I stop listening to the world. So many messages bombard us day in and day out. We can even be sitting down to read our Bibles; trying to listen to God, but still walk away unchanged. I love the verse - "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes we just need to still everything. Sit and just be quiet for awhile. God does not speak in all the noise. He is the still small voice, the whisper. One story that always impacts me is the story of Elijah when he went to meet God. He had been fighting battles for God and then he became exhausted and depressed. God told him to go to a certain place, Mount Horeb, and there he would meet with God. When he was there, there was a great wind, and then an earthquake, and then a fire, but God was not in any of those things. After, the fire, there came a gentle whisper, and then Elijah knew it was God so he went out to speak with Him (I Kings 19). God is all around us but He is not loud. He speaks in whispers, it is up to us to hear and listen.
So when we finally hear God, what is He saying? He has blessings and commands. He promises peace yet He expects change. He has salvation and glory but He expects respect and honor. God has so much for us, but we must not go back to our old ways. This would be foolish but it is so tempting. We forget how miserable we were once we have cleaned up for awhile. We think things always must have been good for us and we think maybe it was better when we didn't have to worry about pleasing God, when we just did what we wanted to. We have to remember where we have come from. We must not put our hand to the plow and look back. God has salvation and everything else waiting for us. But it is up to us to respond and to do so correctly and consistently. This is when we will have peace. A Christian who is not in submission to God and His will and who has one foot in and one foot out of the kingdom of God will never experience peace. It is perhaps more frustrating than leaving God altogether. When we are finally all in, then we will see the glory of God.
"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps." (vs. 12-13)
This is a bold statement. God will give what is good. There is no doubt about it in this psalm. Will we be able to receive it? That is the true question. God is faithful, we are not. The land will yield a harvest, but will we? Once again, it is not a question of God's ability or desire but of our obedience. Righteousness is necessary to prepare the way for God. Just as we read in an earlier psalm that praise helps bring about God's blessings, so it appears does righteousness. If I want to see my life yield a harvest, I must get myself ready to receive it by being righteous. God will only give what will be beneficial to me. He needs to see my desire to do and be right with Him. This is what God needs to see in order to bestow the blessings He wants to. By doing this, I am showing Him that I am ready to use His gifts appropriately and to use His blessings to give back to Him. He is always thinking long term and so must we. Let us prepare our lives for service and then see what happens. I believe it will astound us.
"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible"
St. Francis of Assisi
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We need to listen to You. We will listen to You. Help us not to return to our folly. We have lived in it long enough. It does not produce the life we so desire. We long for peace. We do not want to look back. There is so much ahead to look to. Although the world often looks so dark, there is Your bright and shining light guiding us on. Help us to sow righteousness so that we may reap a harvest. We want our land, our lives, to yield a harvest. We know that is up to You but we need to do our part. Help us to work hard. We wait to see the good that You will give. You are great and we praise You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I still before God? Am I listening to Him? When is it hard for me to be still and listen? When is it easy? Do I obey what I hear?
2. Do I primarily have peace or frustration in my life? Am I looking back in any way to my old life? What areas seemed better then? Why? Is this the truth? What can I do to get my eyes focused forward and on God in a greater way?
3. Am I completely devoted to God or are there any parts of my life that I hold back from Him? What can I do about these areas if there are any? Am I devoted to His kingdom? How can I be more devoted?
4. Is my life yielding a harvest? Why or why not? What can I do to change or do better to be more fruitful?
5. Am I living a life that God can bless? In what ways am I being righteous? In what ways am I not? How can I improve? What is the necessary that I need to start doing? What is the possible in my life? What is holding me back from doing my all?
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