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?
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