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 Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:30 pm
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:18 pm
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December 5
Still More on Continuing in the Word of His Grace
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able . . . But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (Act_20:32 and 2Ti_3:14-15)
The present verses again point us to our current theme, continuing in the word of God's grace. Only the grace of God is able to provide what is needed for the life we are called to live. This necessary grace is held forth for our learning and appropriating in "the word of His grace." This life-giving grace is to be lived in day by day (ideally, from childhood through old age).
Paul urged Timothy to continue in the biblical truth that he had been taught, truth about which he had become convinced. "Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of." God's word not only instructs us in His ways, it also convinces us of their validity. In this process, God uses human instruments: "knowing from whom you have learned them." In Timothy's spiritual training, the Lord used the prophets of old (who were inspired to write the scriptures), as well as Paul (who discipled Timothy). Timothy's mother and grandmother were also a vital part of this process. "I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice" (2Ti_1:5). Thus, his spiritual nurture began in his childhood years. "From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures." It is the will of God that children be raised upon the scriptures. "Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Eph_6:4). If we were not raised upon the word, God wants to begin feeding it to us at new birth. "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1Pe_2:2). If we have never had a serious diet of the word, today is now the day to begin.
As we are learning the word of God, its ability is unleashed in our lives. Saving grace is the first great matter the Lord wants to bring to us through the scriptures: "which are able to make you wise for salvation." People can be exceedingly foolish concerning salvation, until they are enlightened through the word of God . Some think they do not need to be saved. Others think they can somehow save themselves. The Bible reveals the necessary path for all: "through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
Dear God of my salvation, I praise You for Your word, which brought me the wisdom to trust in the saving grace of Christ. I thank You for every person You have ever used to bring me any aspect of Your truth. Please teach me more and more — and please use me to get Your word to others, in Jesus name, Amen.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 2:41 am
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:44 am
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December 8
The Boldness of Grace
Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word . . . and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness . . . And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. (Act_4:29, Act_4:31, Act_4:33)
Those who serve God acceptably, must do so by grace. "Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably" (Heb_12:2 cool . Those who serve by grace find that the boldness of grace develops in their lives.
The early church gave testimony to this reality. Soon after Jesus' ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were boldly proclaiming Jesus throughout Jerusalem. This was extremely aggravating to the religious leaders: "being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead" (Act_4:2). When they arrested the disciples, Peter boldly preached Jesus before the Jewish authorities. "This [Jesus] is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Act_4:11-12). This bold application of prophecy and proclamation of the gospel astonished the religious establishment. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John . . . they marveled" (Act_4:13). Yet, in their hardness of heart, they further threatened the disciples. Being released, they gathered the church to pray for continued boldness. "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to
Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word." The answer to this prayer was another filling with the Spirit, resulting in further boldness. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." This filling of the Holy Spirit brought great measures of God's grace actively at work upon their lives, sustaining this powerful witness of the risen Christ. "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all."
This is the boldness of the new covenant of grace. "Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech" (2Co_3:12). This hope is new covenant confidence, which is part of the abundant life that the God brings us by His Spirit of grace: "who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2Co_3:6).
Heavenly Father, I need this same boldness in my life. Too often, I am hesitant and apprehensive concerning my testimony of You and Your truths. Please fill me afresh with Your Spirit that I might minister in the boldness of Your grace, Amen.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:50 pm
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:20 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:02 am
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Scripture confirming scripture!
Psalm 22:14-18 NIV written way before the time of Christ.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced [c] my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
John 19:23-24
23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."[a] So this is what the soldiers did.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:35 pm
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December 13 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...Nothing could keep Jesus from coming to save you and me -- not the distance between heaven and earth, not the difficulty of an unexpected pregnancy for his unmarried mother, not a city full of travelers and parents tired from a long journey, certainly not a maniacal king who sought to snuff out his life, not jeering mobs crying crucify him, not disciples that abandoned him, not soldiers that mocked him, not a scourge that raked his flesh, and not a cross that claimed his physical life. So what makes you think he would let you go or give up on you after his love has captured your heart? My Prayer...Dear Father, help me understand your love more fully. Give me strength to overcome the doubts Satan has tried to plant in my heart. Bless me with your gracious power and transform me out of my own weakness into a useful tool for your service. Keep my eyes fixed on the Lord whose hand will not let the waves claim me or let my own doubts destroy me. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen. |
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:18 am
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:42 pm
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December 14 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. — Romans 14:5 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...So often we let personal preference, peer pressure, and concerns about the celebration of certain days, especially holidays, have a divisive effect on our Christian relationships. Bottom line: we're not to try to press our opinion or position on anyone else. We're not to judge another because he doesn't celebrate a special day to the Lord and we're not to judge another because she does celebrate special days. This is a matter of personal conviction that revolves around our desire to please the Lord and to honor him in ways we feel are appropriate. Let's not be so insecure that we have to do what everyone else does or force anyone else to do as we prefer. Instead, let's remember the right angle to take with all things: honor God with everything we are and consider the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. My Prayer...O Father, please forgive us for fracturing the fellowship of your people based on human observances and our preference about those observances. As for me, Father, please give me courage to honor Christ according to my convictions, but also please give me the wisdom to do so in ways that bless your people and that do not cause division. I know I will never fully succeed at this goal, but I do believe that, with your help, I will find ways to bring you the glory due you and to also maintain my fellowship with your children. Purify my heart in this matter and guide me in the way I need to go. In Jesus' name. Amen. |
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:21 pm
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December 15 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. — John 1:14 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...Jesus is God's message. It wasn't a message contained in a book or given in a vision, or revealed on a mountain to only a watchful few. No, God's message was human flesh, bone, and blood. God's message came and lived among us. He faced our hardship, got our dirt between his toes, felt our disappointments, struggled with our temptations, suffered our treachery, and bled our blood. Yet living in our world, God's message brought us more than truth; he delivered us from death by God's grace. My Prayer...Almighty God, thank you for speaking in the past through your people. Thank you for inspiring godly people to give us your Scripture. Thank you for making the proclamation of your Word powerful today through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. May I hear your truth in each of these areas. Most of all, Father, I praise you for speaking your clearest, most profound, and most accessible message in Jesus. Because of Jesus, I know you love me, I know you have cleansed me, and I know I will share heaven with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and may my gratitude be seen in the quality and character displayed in my life. In the name of Jesus. Amen. |
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:51 pm
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December 16 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. — 1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...So many sleepwalk through life. They never are awake enough to really live. But we are not going to do that with our lives! We are alive because we know Jesus has come and not only brought us life, but he has also showed us how to live. So we are going to be alert. We are going to be self-controlled. We are going to be fully alive, because we know Jesus' return is imminent and our day of salvation and deliverance is near. My Prayer...Forgive me, Heavenly Father, for the times that I have lost my sense of urgency to live for Jesus. Use the Holy Spirit within me to arouse my passions to serve him with my eyes wide open and my heart set on great and heavenly things. I know you can, and will, do more than I can ask or imagine, but please, awaken me to dream great dreams and imagine great things for your glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. |
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 3:11 am
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:11 pm
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December 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. — 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...Life can be very tough. Eventually, our bodies are going to die. In the process of living, we're going to face some very difficult circumstances and going to experience some awful pain. But, as bad as life's hard realities can be, we are headed for an eternal glory beyond our imagining. Life's difficulties simply can't compare to this glory that awaits us. Our pain is temporary. The things that cause our pain are temporary. The treatments, the prescriptions, the therapies, the surgeries, the setbacks are all temporary. All these things that we have seen and experienced are passing. But our eternal glory, our indescribable bliss, that wonderful future that we cannot yet see, is eternal ... forever ... incorruptible ... and reserved for us, God's precious children! My Prayer...Dear God, my Abba Father, please be with me during the painful and difficult passages of my life. Help me keep my heart fixed on what is unseen. In addition, dear Father, I want to pray that you please be present in the lives of the following people I love ... Please grant them healing. If not healing, dear Father, please pour your love into their hearts through the Holy Spirit and give them rugged perseverance and indestructible hope. Help them see your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen. |
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Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 1:48 pm
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Sorry I didn't post yesterday, we got 7 in. of snow, and I was at my church.
December 19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. — Psalm 80:19 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...In the days of Jesus' birth, there was a group of devout and lowly people who still looked for God's redemption. They knew that salvation could not, and would not, come without great cost -- not just to themselves, but also to God. Isaiah had hinted about this in his Servant Songs (see Isaiah 53). They had experienced it in their own history. So with honest hearts, they confessed that they didn't have the power to bring salvation and deliverance. This power had to come from God and had to be released to people who were seeking God's transformation in their lives. They needed to ask God for it! They needed to seek his face, his presence, in their daily lives. So must we! My Prayer...O LORD, God of heaven and earth, Ruler of all creation, I praise you. I praise you for your power and glory. I praise you for your wisdom and creativity. I praise you for your mercy and righteousness. I praise you because you alone are worthy of my praise. O LORD, you alone can bring me full salvation. Please, shine your face upon me. Please, make your presence known in my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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