Getting to Know Christ Intimately -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

Philippians 3:12-21

No matter where you are in your walk with Christ, it’s never too late to begin pursuing a deeper relationship with Him. Whether you’re already passionate about Jesus or know Him only on a surface level, everyone is welcome to join Paul and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). To get started, follow these six steps:

Study Scripture. No one can know God apart from His Word since He speaks to us through it, revealing who He is and what He does.

Be willing to spend time alone with the Lord in prayer, meditation, and worship. One of the biggest reasons Christians don’t have a close relationship with Jesus is that they’re unwilling to invest the time needed to get to know Him intimately.

Trust the Lord. The depth of any relationship depends on the level of trust.

Obey Him. As we take each step of obedience, God reveals more of Himself.

Observe how Christ works in your life. By paying attention to how the Lord operates, you’ll become familiar with His ways and goals.

Make Jesus your top priority. Be willing to lay aside anything that competes with your loyalty and devotion to Him.

Knowing Christ intimately is an attainable goal. The key is persistence, so forget past failures and press on. Find an example to follow. My grandfather’s relationship with Jesus was the inspiration for my journey of intimacy with Christ. I knew if he had that kind of relationship with Jesus, so could I.

Prayer and Meditation -Daily New Life

Daily New Life

Prayer and Meditation

But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. - Habakkuk 2:20

Although we don’t think about it much, our communication with God consists of two equally important parts: prayer and meditation. Prayer is talking to God. Most of us have this aspect down. Meditation is listening to God.  And it’s here that most of us need a bit of work.

Have you ever been in a relationship where the other person does all the talking? It gets old fast, doesn’t it?  The one up side is you become a good listener while the other person gets everything off his/her chest. But there’s a down side too: always listening and never talking leads you to begin to feel unknown, a little unloved, and sometimes, even used.

Now, think about how this applies to your relationship with God. Are you doing all the talking, without ever taking the time to listen? If you’re sharing with Him from the depths of your heart, that’s fantastic!  By all means, keep it up.  Just make sure, that you also take the time to use the ears of your heart to listen to God as well.

Remember, God tends to speak with a still, small voice; He very rarely shouts at His children. I heard it explained this way once, “God is a gentleman.” That’s why meditation is such an important aspect of prayer.  It teaches you to develop a quiet, patient heart and an open, attentive ear. These are essential components to growing in your walk with the Lord.

“Silence is deep as eternity; speech is shallow as time.” - Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

The “Nubbies”-Daily New Life

Daily New Life

The “Nubbies”

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.                                                                                - Romans 5:1

A psychologist friend recently told me about Cliff—a client he described as “a believer after God’s own heart.”

After years of service to The Lord, Cliff’s wife developed aggressive cancer. Many people joined Cliff in prayer for his wife, but she declined rapidly and died. Through it all, Cliff didn’t break his determined gaze upon Christ.  Instead of allowing the tragedy to shake his faith, he allowed his experience of pain, suffering, confusion, and grief to push him deeper into the arms of the living God.

Cliff knew two things, and held to them tenaciously. The first was that God was good. He didn’t understand the circumstances surrounding his wife’s sickness, or why she had to suffer and die. But he knew a reason resided with God, and that he would come to understand in the light of eternity. The second thing Cliff held to was his certainty that God loved him—in spite of everything, no matter what, and through it all.

When you’re in severe pain or distress, life becomes pretty simple. You’re in survival mode, and you have neither the heart nor the strength to spread your emotional energy around.  As Chuck Swindoll might say, “Life gets boiled down to the nubbies.”

When pain or distress boils your life down to the “nubbies,” do what Cliff did. Keep it simple. Grab hold of what you know is true about the living God, and hold on like a pit bull. 

“The nearer the dawn the darker the night.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

A Mighty God

Benefits of God's Greatest Gift -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

Matthew 27:51

On Christmas, we think of a newborn in a manger, perhaps with a halo surrounding his head. This sweet image is certainly meaningful to us. But it has become so commonplace in our culture that we tend to miss the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice and the amazing implications for us.

As we saw yesterday, salvation and an eternal home are two wonderful privileges that come to us through God’s gift of His Son. Now let’s look at three more.

• We have a personal relationship with the omniscient and omnipresent God. He is the Good Shepherd, who cares for us individually, unconditionally, and with great passion. He will do whatever it takes to keep us close to Him; no matter how we sin, He will never disown us. What security and value we have because of His great love!
• Jesus says that He is our faithful, trustworthy friend, available at all times, whether in seasons of heartache or rejoicing. The Lord offers the type of intimate relationship that we all long to have. And only He can fill our void in a truly lasting, satisfying way.
• The moment we are saved, God gives us another gift: His Holy Spirit indwells each believer, counseling, teaching, and enabling us to do His Will. He will never leave us and, in fact, will one day accompany us to heaven.

God is our Shepherd, Friend, and indwelling Teacher. His gift of redemption allows us to live abundantly now and also promises eternity in His presence. Take the time to explore some of the countless benefits of His gift so you can enjoy and be grateful for all the blessings we have in Jesus.

The Greatest Gift of All -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

John 3:15-21

Even children understand that unless a present is opened and explored, its value will remain unknown. Yet many people neglect “unwrapping” God’s gift of salvation through Jesus. They receive His forgiveness but fail to discover the marvelous treasures made available to them as children of God.

When God the Son came to dwell on earth, He took on human flesh. This mystery is known as the incarnation. Jesus, who was fully God, lived a sinless life. Yet He was also fully human. Without Christ, we would be eternally separated from God the Father. The sin we all inherited through Adam does not allow fellowship with the perfect God. So the Savior took our iniquities upon Himself and endured the death penalty in our place. And then He rose from the dead.

In doing this, Jesus redeemed us and opened the door for eternal fellowship with the Father. Any who so choose can accept mercy instead of punishment. It is God’s free gift, which includes an eternal home in heaven. We will live forever with Christians from every generation and can look forward to reuniting with loved ones who have already died in the Lord. A small baby in a manger was truly the greatest gift of all time.

Do you have a relationship with Almighty God? Jesus came to redeem you. If you haven’t accepted His salvation, take this opportunity: admit your need for forgiveness, and ask Christ to be your Savior. The gift is wrapped and ready, waiting for you to open and enjoy all God has given.

"They traded the truth about God for a lie.- (Rom.1:25)- Living Free Everyday

Living Free Everyday

"They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." - Romans 1:25 NLT

Thoughts for Today

When we become obsessed with controlling someone else's behavior, we have a problem called codependency. Codependents center their lives on the person they are trying to help, and as a result they exchange the truth of God for a lie, worshiping and serving a created person (the struggling loved one) rather than God the Creator.

Codependency is harmful because the person becomes mastered by a loved one's problem or becomes a loved one's master (playing God).

Generally, people are not aware that they are enabling and becoming codependent. They are trying to do the right thing, but too often they feel guilty because their efforts are not good enough to make the person they love change. Children are especially vulnerable to this distorted, guilt-ridden thinking.

Consider this …

Christians can be unusually susceptible to codependency. Sometimes when attempting to love others as Christ has commanded us, we slip into enabling behaviors that lead to codependent relationships. The issue of codependency should be approached with balance. According to the apostle Paul, the body of Christ should be interdependent (see Romans 12:7-16 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We need to avoid the extremes of selfish independence and codependence.

David's Devotion -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

Psalm 42:1-8

Do you want to know who God is and what He cares about most in your life? You may have stored up lots of intellectual information about the Bible; that is important, but it’s not the main issue. You may serve the Lord, which is also necessary. And you may give generously to the church—another significant aspect of Christian life. But what matters most is the depth of your personal relationship with the Lord. Knowledge, service, and tithes can never replace intimacy with God.

The psalmist-king understood this truth, and it strengthened him in times of trouble. When his son Absalom tried to take over the throne, David fled to the desert, where he wrote these words: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1-2). He knew that even in raging adversity, he could count on the Lord’s unfailing love being poured down on him (v. 8).

Throughout his psalms, we repeatedly see David’s hunger and thirst for the Lord. It was that passion—not his brute strength, savvy charisma, or remarkable ability to command an army—that made him a great man. And even though he made several significant mistakes, the Bible describes him as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14).

It’s not enough to read the Bible, volunteer your services, and give money to kingdom work. God wants to know you personally. While physical expressions of our devotion are important, they should be the result of a mature relationship with God. When we seek to know Him first, the rest will follow.

Self-Monitoring -Daily New Life

Daily New Life

Self-Monitoring

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? - 1 Corinthians 2:16

Our contemporary culture desires things to happen as quickly and conveniently as possible. Yet when it comes to knowing others, and knowing ourselves, “quick and convenient” breeds superficiality. Our love for expediency is making us strangers to one another, and strangers to ourselves. 

A wise man long ago said that an unexamined life is not worth living. I would add: an unexamined life is impossible to live faithfully and well. One reason for this is that controlling our desires has everything to do with getting to know ourselves better—that is, understanding what people, situations, and substances give us problems, and what responses are effective in countering them.

A good way to begin practicing the examined life is to ask yourself what you’re feeling before you indulge your cravings. Our cravings are often the result of—and a superficial way of dealing with—some negative emotion. . . anger, depression, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, etc.  Once you’ve identified the feeling behind the drive, you can more appropriately express or deal with it, instead of engaging in some appetite you think will make the feeling disappear.

When you learn to know yourself and express your feelings appropriately, your appetites can stop being emotional buffers and once again serve the purposes God intended them to serve.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” - William James (1842-1910)

Fellowship with God - Daily New Life

Daily New Life

Fellowship with God

Come nearer to God and he will come near to you. - James 4:8

When you have an appetite that asks to be fed, you have a choice as to how you’re going to feed it.  At almost every point of decision, you’ll be tempted to satisfy your appetites in a way that does little more than nourishes your sinful desires and strengthens your resistance to God.  However, you have another choice: you can choose to feed your soul and strengthen yourself from the inside out.

There are many skills and strategies that can help you fight temptation and control your appetites—and you would be wise to learn them all well.  But none are more important, more effective, or more rewarding than fellowship with God!

As we spend time with our heavenly Father, we gain wisdom and understanding.  We grow stronger spiritually.  As a result, we become more able to utilize the resources He makes available to us. Through this growth, we become better equipped and better prepared to fight the good fight of faith by standing firm against the temptations that assail us.

It’s through fellowship with God that we open ourselves to the fulfillment we were designed for—a fulfillment that satisfies our cravings and our desires better and longer than any other alternative.

As you fellowship with God—through time spent in His Word, through relationships with other believers, and through loving service to others; you gain the accountability, the structure, and the support you need to control and redirect your appetites for redemptive ends.

“Man’s love of God is identical with his knowledge of Him.” - Moses Maimonides (1135-1204)

When Your Dream is Yet Unfulfilled - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

When Your Dream is Yet Unfulfilled - Christ’s Commission Fellowship



Zechariah 4:6-10
6So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. 7‘What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of “God bless it! God bless it!”’”
8Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 10Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

When Your Dream is Yet Unfulfilled

When God has given you a dream or a vision and it is yet unfulfilled, what do you do? We can find at least three important principles from the passage that can help us walk through the difficulties in life when our dreams are yet unfulfilled.

1. Principle of Confirmation
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation… his hands will also complete it. (v.9)
Make sure that your dream is from God. Come before God and lay hold of His promises for yourself, your marriage, children, business, career, and ministry.
Keep your focus on God’s promises because your attitude depends upon your focus. Focus on God’s promises and not on life’s problems.
Follow this simple equation: Big God, small problems, small God, big problems. His promises will prevail over any problems to fulfill the dream He has given you.
When there is vision there is God’s provision, so don’t give up, don’t quit, you are never hopeless in God.
When life gets difficult as you pursue God’s vision, don’t quit but surrender yourself anew to God and lay hold of His promises for it is your sure foundation.

2. Principle of Confidence
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. (v.6)
Don’t be discouraged by your lack of resources because God will provide. Our power comes from God’s strength, might and Spirit. When dreams are yet unfulfilled, we must go back to the word of God and lay hold of His power and promises to personally speak to our heart.
Our confidence comes with knowing God and His promises through His word. There is no substitute for being rooted in the word of God. Readiness is not a substitute for rootedness in Christ, in the word of God and in the doctrines of the church.
In the historical context of the book of Zechariah, it was about the people of Israel whose nation was in ruins at that time—their center of spiritual life, the temple was destroyed. They were people like many of us today who think that they were incapable to fulfill a dream.
It is not what you don’t have, but it is what God has. It doesn’t matter if you do not have military might like King David’s or wealth and power like King Solomon’s, because it is all by God’s Spirit after all. When our heart’s confidence is in God, we know that He will turn things around in order to fulfill His promises to make His dreams for your life a reality.

3. Principle of Consecration
Who despises the day of small things? (v. 10)
Depend on God’s timing for the fulfillment of the dream for you. Don’t despise the small things or small beginnings but consecrate them to God and watch Him multiply them.
God, in His timing will fulfill the dreams and the destiny He calls us for His purpose and for His glory. The key is we must learn to wait and trust in Him. To wait upon the Lord is not about doing nothing.
Waiting is an active word that expresses our faith in the Lord and is usually applied in the area of giving- our time, treasure and talent.
Giving expresses our faith. It is the action word of faith. God’s waiting room is the hardest place to be in. Oftentimes we grab and go ahead instead of waiting upon God’s provision. We grab because we don’t want small things but big things and we want them now.
The greater the dream God has given to you, the greater the obstacles you will face, but take courage and consecrate yourself as you wait upon the Lord.
Remember that in the darkest moment of your life, God does His deepest work. Don’t abandon God’s dream for you. Depend on God’s timing for the fulfillment of that dream.

Confess And Believe

The Real Heaven -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

The Real Heaven

Matthew 25:14-30

I’m not sure how this misconception about heaven got started, but I can assure you that the Bible doesn’t support the idea that we’ll be lying around on clouds, strumming harps. We have been gifted, equipped, and enabled to fulfill God’s purpose in this life. And He will still have a purpose for us in the life to come.

In today’s passage, Jesus described the kingdom of heaven in the context of a wealthy man giving his servants money to invest. The men who served their master faithfully were heartily congratulated and given greater responsibility. When we reach Christ’s judgment seat, our foremost reward will be to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:23 niv). I can’t imagine words that could please me more than a commendation from the Savior I love above all.

We will also receive our new assignment in God’s heavenly kingdom. This is the part of the reward that corresponds to the words, “You were faithful in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things” (v. 23). There will be no lazing about for us! We will have a renewed heaven and earth to live in and enjoy (2 Peter 3:13). In our perfected bodies with hearts and souls attuned to the Lord, we will serve Him and each other.

God has a plan for every believer to pursue, and He has gifted each of His children specifically for that purpose. There is no place for laziness now or after we reach our eternal home. This world is our training ground for the greater life to come, so let’s prepare like good and faithful servants.

The will of God will not lead where the grace of God cannot keep. -Bible Pathways

Bible Pathways

Read II Timothy 1 – 4

Highlights:

Exhortations to Timothy; the coming of apostasy; steadfastness in the Scriptures; the charge to preach.

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Tim. 2:3).

The ministry of Paul was marked by much suffering that demanded great endurance (II Cor. 11:22-28). He was in Roman prisons many times, but through it all, he never considered himself a prisoner of anyone other than Jesus (Phil. 1). He had also endured many other afflictions. He was beaten many times. He was shipwrecked. Often times, he faced opposition even from the Church because of his past. He even lived daily with some unknown ailment in his physical body as a spiritual challenge. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure (II Cor. 12:7).

Paul knew that his end was near and he was deeply concerned that Timothy, his son in the faith (I Tim. 1:2), be prepared as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He urged him to endure hardness and told him the secret of his success by urging him to Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed (II Tim. 2:15). It would appear from the things Paul was charging Timothy with that he was entrusting this young man to take up where he would leave off at the time of his death. The letter brings to mind the passing of the mantle from Elijah to Elisha. Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee . . . I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me . . . nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so (II Kings 2:9-10). The Scripture conveys what would happen at Elijah's departure. There is more than one similarity here. Timothy was being summoned to be with Paul here at the end of his life. Both of these great spiritual leaders, Elijah and Paul, were preparing their students, their sons in the Lord, for the task of stepping into their shoes and leading the church in their respective times.

A good soldier of Jesus Christ obeys our Lord's orders. He knows that Christ is concerned for his welfare and will not leave him alone in any situation. Timothy needed to understand that even though he might face persecution and afflictions, that Christ would be with him. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Heb. 13:5). The promise is clear from the Word of God. Christ will be with Timothy and all believers through the good and the bad times. Just like God led Paul through his hardships to a great life of service, He would do the same for Timothy.

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier (II Tim. 2:4).

Thought for the Day: The will of God will not lead where the grace of God cannot keep.

Be Strong in His Might

Help Me Clearly See My Motives -Living Free Everyday

Living Free Everyday

"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." - 2 Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

Thoughts for Today

For our last look this week at inventorying our lives, let's think about choices in the workplace. Sometimes we tend to live by a different set of standards in our career or business, but God wants us to be guided by his principles in every area of our lives. It is especially important to consider our motives for doing what we do at work. Are we motivated mostly by our desire to move up the ladder and make more money—or is honoring Jesus still our most important motivator?

In taking inventory, make a list of questions to ask yourself. You might want to use some like these:

• Have I been swept into a competitive mode that causes me to try to get ahead even at the expense of hurting other people?
• Do I base business decisions solely on my desire to succeed, or do I first consider the integrity of my choices?
• Has my work become so all-consuming that I am putting it above my focus on my family?
• Am I participating in workplace gossip or complaining?
• What kind of influence am I having on those around me?

Consider this …

Honestly inventorying your attitudes and actions in the workplace is the first step toward correcting any problem areas. As you confess your failures to God, he will forgive you and help you chart a better path. Jesus loves you. Only as you choose to do things his way will you find real success—the kind that lasts for an eternity.

Prayer

Lord, help me clearly see my motives for all I do in the workplace. Forgive me for letting my desire to get ahead in my career overshadow my desire to honor you in all I do. I pray above all that my employer and co-workers will see Jesus in me and that you will use me to encourage them and influence them toward you. In Jesus' name …

“Lord, I need to hear from you.”- Time with God

Time with God
by: John North

Read Psalm 119:25-32

My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word…My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word…I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart. (vv. 25, 28, 32)

When you are struggling deeply through the hardest times in your life, turn to God and find strength in His word!

“My soul cleaves to the dust…my soul weeps because of grief”—is that you today? Look what the passage says God will do for you through His word: He will revive you, strengthen you, and enlarge your heart.

When your world falls apart around you, you will be tempted to push God away in anger and become hard toward Him. But that is like pushing away medicine when you are sick! God, the Great Physician, wants to come and heal your soul. He will minister to you through His word.

God’s message to you in this passage today is that He has given you His word for just such times as you are facing right now. In His word you will hear His voice in your heart assuring you that He still loves you, helping you to see your valley from a new, higher, more positive perspective, revealing His purposes to you, strengthening and encouraging you, giving you hope.

Why don’t you open your Bible right now and say, “Lord, I need to hear from you.”

God’s Viewpoint about Money -In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

God’s Viewpoint about Money

Read | 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Money plays a huge role in our existence. In fact, it’s impossible to live without it. How would we purchase food, shelter, and clothing? But it’s more than just a means for acquiring necessities. The quest for wealth has dominated mankind’s history. Wars have been fought over it, lives have been ruined by it, and people have died for lack of it. To gain a proper perspective of money, Christians must understand what the Lord thinks about it.

God is the source. Everything originates from the Creator and, therefore, belongs to Him (Ps. 24:1). This means we are merely stewards of the wealth He’s entrusted to us. Even if we work for it, He’s the one who has given us the opportunity and capabilities to earn it.

The Lord uses money for His purposes. We can’t separate our finances from our Christianity. God doesn’t provide money for just our physical needs; He uses it to transform us spiritually. In times of need, He trains us to rely upon Him and proves Himself faithful by providing. Wealth is also a tool He uses to teach us self-discipline. Instead of indulging our desires, we learn to seek His will and be content with what we have. In addition, the Lord uses money to train us to be generous and unselfish.

Take a dollar bill from your wallet and look at it—that piece of paper is a powerful instrument in the Lord’s hand when you give Him authority over it and cooperate with His spiritual transformation program. When you see a dollar, be reminded that what you do with it reveals your character.

The old covenant of law is a picture of the new covenant of grace in Christ -Quiet Walk

Quiet Walk

Hebrews 9

The old covenant of law is a picture of the new covenant of grace in Christ.

INSIGHT

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin (v. 22). We are not told why that is true, only that it is. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Wherever there is sin, someone must die. We can pay the penalty for our own sin, which is our own eternal, spiritual death, or the death which Christ suffered can be placed on our account. His death can count for ours, and we do not have to die spiritually. Faith is the vehicle by which this transaction takes place. Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but will have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

PRAYER

Because God has allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place, praise Him with the words of this psalm:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night . . .
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him (Psalm 92:1-2, 15).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
(John 17:3)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater faithfulness in sharing Christ,
national and world affairs,
whatever else is on your heart.

Close your worship time with this prayer to the Lord:
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) 

Praise and Proclaim the Lord

"In the new covenant there is a spiritual sanctuary."- Quiet Walk

Quiet Walk

Hebrews 8

The old covenant, being imperfect, was replaced by the new covenant based on grace.

INSIGHT

All the major features of the old covenant, which existed on a literal, physical level, are found in the new covenant on a spiritual, heavenly level. The old covenant had a physical sanctuary, a human high priest, and used real animals for sacrifices. This covenant was inadequate in that it could only deal with sins temporarily; it could not remove sins permanently (v. 7). In the new covenant there is a spiritual sanctuary, a heavenly High Priest, and a celestial Lamb whose death provides permanent forgiveness of sin for an infinite number of people. It is a 'better covenant, which was established on better promises.' (v. 6).

PRAYER

Praise the Lord that Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for the sins of all humankind:
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God (Psalm 90:1-2).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Israel, return to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
Take words with you,
And return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
"Take away all iniquity;
Receive us graciously,
For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips." (Hosea 14:1-2).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
(Revelation 3:20)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater love for others,
missionaries in the Middle East,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23) 

God is Always With You -Living Free Everyday

Living Free Everyday

God is Always With You

Today's Scripture

"The LORD is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope." - Psalm 34:18 CEV

Thoughts for Today

Have you ever stood in the middle of a crowded room and yet felt alone?

We have all experienced loneliness. People with chronic depression feel as though they are alone most of the time. They often feel that no one cares or understands … as though even God is distant and unavailable.

If you are feeling alone, try looking in the Bible for the truth. You may feel alone, but the truth is thatGod is always with you. Here are just a few of his promises: I am with you (Genesis 28:15). I walk with you (Leviticus 26:12). I am near you (Psalm 34:18). I hold your right hand (Isaiah 41:13). I carry you even into old age (Isaiah 46:4).

You can be encouraged by reading these scriptures and others like them. Write your favorites down and put them where you see them all the time. Speak them aloud. Substitute your name for the wordyou. God says, I am with (your name) … I walk with (your name) … I am near (your name).

Consider this …

God is speaking these promises to you personally. Remember … you are never alone. Jesus is with you. He is with you this moment. He will be with you tonight … and tomorrow. He will be with you through the good times and bad. He will never leave you.

Prayer

Father, thank you for your many promises to be with me—always. Help me believe your promises more than I believe my feelings. In Jesus' name …

OUR GOAL IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD

What makes the church work? -Time with God

Time with God

Colossians 2:18-19

Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

What makes the church work? Holding fast to Christ!

Don’t let anything loosen your grip on Jesus! If you want your church to “grow with a growth which is from God”, you must allow His life to flow through you and your church. What makes your church healthy will not be a better strategy or worship style or ministry resource, but rather a healthy inner life—a close walk with Jesus, a focus on His word and on His person, a sensitivity to His Spirit.

When you choose strategies and styles and resources, choose those that will focus your church on these things and your church will be on its way to good health.

Before you allow a critical spirit to gain a foothold in your relationship to your church, make sure that you yourself are walking with Christ, living in love, sacrificing for others, allowing Christ to speak and act through you, and focused on others rather than yourself. Then you’ll be a force for spiritual renewal in your church.

Unconditional Love For YOU -Living Free Everyday

Living Free Everyday

Unconditional Love For YOU

Today's Scripture

"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." - Ephesians 3:19 NLT

Thoughts for Today

Do you sometimes feel as though you are fighting your way through life and losing the battle? That you are such a failure that no one can help you?

We've probably all had these feelings at times. And if you suffer from chronic depression, you might feel alone and hopeless most of the time. When well-meaning people try to cheer you up by pointing out your good qualities, you may hear what they are saying as either false praise or else as words of one who doesn't really know you that well.

There is someone who knows you better than you know yourself. Someone who wants to give you hope and help you win the battle. His name is Jesus. He promises you peace (John 14:27). He intercedes to God the Father for you (John 17:9). He promises to work all things for your good (Romans 8:28). He rides on the Heavens to help you (Deuteronomy 33:26).

Consider this …

You may say, "Those promises sound good for someone else, but they couldn't be for me. I don't deserve them. You don't know me."

This may be true … but Jesus DOES know you. And he loves you. If no one else had existed, he would have died on the cross just for you. He loves you that much. None of us deserves that kind of love, but Jesus gives it freely and unconditionally.

Let him love you. Open your heart to the hope and healing that come only from him.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for dying for me. When I'm feeling down, help me to remember your love for me, to experience your love, and to share your love with others. In Jesus' name …

Humility - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Humility - Christ’s Commission Fellowship
Peter Tan-chi

Humility is a neglected virtue that we should constantly pray for, yet we lose it the instant we think we have acquired it. 1 Peter 5:5-7 says, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” According to this passage, there are three reasons why we must heed God’s command to be humble.

God is opposed to the proud. The word ‘opposed’ is used to describe an army that is organized to attack an enemy. This image shows that God takes pride seriously and He is constantly set against proud people. Pride is a root sin that produces many sins. It goes against our deep need for God. This is exactly why proud people don’t want to be corrected and refuse to repent.

Luke 18:10-14 tells of a repentant tax collector and a proud Pharisee. Spiritually proud people tend to judge others. On the other hand, humble people do not judge others easily because they are aware of their own failures and shortcomings. Jesus said, “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (v. 14)

God gives grace to the humble. The Christian life, from beginning until the end, can be lived by God’s grace alone. Just the same, we have an important part to play. We are neither to be controlling nor to be passive. We are to cooperate with God so He can work His way through us.

King Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king of Babylon who did not acknowledge the God of the heavens. He was warned: “Break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your inquities…” (Daniel 4:27). But still he considered himself above God. Therefore, God humbled him.

He lost his mind and behaved like a beast (Daniel 4:31-32). When he finally came to his senses, Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself and worshiped God. He realized that God alone has the power to give or withhold success to whomever He wishes (Daniel 4:17) and that God is able to humble those who walk in pride (Daniel 4:37).

God exalts in due time. God gives us the grace to depend on Him by humbling ourselves under His mighty hand “that He may exalt [us] at the proper time.” God’s timing is always perfect. When Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself and revered God, he was reestablished to his position and was blessed by God even more (Daniel 4:36).

Proud people would never admit that they are proud. Here are some tests by which you can personally assess yourself: Are you grateful when corrected? How do you respond to criticism? Do you submit to authority? Do you long to be recognized by others for your work in the ministry? Are you too concerned about how other people think about you? Are you anxious and strive to control your circumstances instead of surrendering them to God?

Being humble does not mean looking down on one’s self. It is having a proper perspective of who we are in God’s eyes. God loves us despite our imperfections and failures. In our weakness, He is our strength. He fixes and transforms broken lives to bring glory to His name. Having a mindset that we cannot boast about anything will guard us against pride. The moment we refuse to give God His proper place in our lives, pride will surely enter our hearts.

The truth is we need God’s help to be humble. The Bible tells us that God is opposed to the proud. He will use circumstances and people to humble us. We must cooperate with Him as He transforms us into Christ-likeness and trust in His promise that He will give grace and will exalt the humble in His perfect time.

The Problem of Unmet Needs

The Problem of Unmet Needs

Psalm 84:11-12

If the Lord has promised to provide and is able, why doesn't He always meet our needs when we ask? Since He's completely faithful to His Word, the problem is obviously with us, not Him. In today's passage, His promise of provision has a condition--it's given to "those who walk uprightly" (v. 11). So if God isn't providing for our needs as we think He should, He may have a different plan for us. But we should also examine our lives for possible hindrances.

Sin. One reason our prayers may not be answered is because we've allowed sin in our lives and are not walking uprightly. If the Lord ignored disobedience and granted our requests, He'd be affirming a sinful lifestyle.

Laziness. Another possible explanation for unmet needs is that we haven't done our part. Although God is the ultimate source of all we have, He's given us the responsibility to work in order to provide basic necessities (2 Thess. 3:10-11). If you're an able-bodied person who's unwilling to work and wants something for nothing, the Lord is not going to reinforce your laziness.

Desires. Perhaps God hasn't provided as you expected because your "needs" are really desires. If He knows that what you want won't fulfill His plans for your life, He will withhold it in order to provide something better.

To avoid disappointment with God, understand that His actions and character always align. He won't reward rebellion or laziness, and His answers to prayer fit with His goal of conforming us to Christ's image. If He's withholding something you deem essential, He's working something even better for you.

http://www.intouch.org/

Sowing and reaping -Parenting by Design

Parenting by Design

Sowing and reaping

Gal. 6:7-8: Do not be deceived.  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 (NIV).

One way to help our kids learn this biblical truth is to be consistent in our discipline. When we consistently follow through in giving needed consequences, children learn that their choices really are important and that they will affect the quality of their lives—in other words, they will have to reap what they sow.

No doubt about it, disciplining our kids takes time and energy. We may be tempted to forego consequences because it's inconvenient, we're tired, or we dread our child's reaction. It helps to focus on the big picture and the purpose behind our discipline. While it's important to learn that choices affect life on earth, it's more important for our kids to understand that they will reap what they sow eternally when making a decision to accept Christ.

Teach your kids about sowing and reaping, and help them sow the ultimate seed.

In Brokenness - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

In Brokenness - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Truth be told, we don’t want to be broken. We’d rather appear strong, sure, and dependable, to our families, friends, to other people, and even to God. We’d like to take charge and maintain the course of our lives by our own capacities and sheer know-how. As popular poetry would claim, it is better to be the captain of our own souls.

Choosing to stray down the path of self-sufficiency when we are God’s children is a dangerous proposition. Only through a close and intimate walk with God can we be strong and sure in our direction in life, and so when we decide to strike out for ourselves, God is willing to break us to remind us that we can do nothing without Him (Jn 15:5).

Nowhere do we get a clear picture of spiritual benefits of brokenness than in Jacob’s life story. We know that Jacob is one of the forefathers of the Jewish nation. He is very revered in that when Israelites make a reference to Yahweh, the God of heaven, they call Him “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. He is among the highly-honored patriarchs of the Jewish nation, and one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

Yet, did you know that Jacob himself did not start out living righteously in front of God to begin with? His very name means “supplanter”, “deceiver”, or “manipulator”. Both of them were prophesied to be the ancestors of upcoming nations, yet despite the great blessing on them, his shrewd character was already on display the moment he came out of his mother’s womb: he grabbed his twin brother Esau’s heel and held on to it (Gen 25:6).

Because of his dubious nature, Jacob became a rampant schemer, and even tried to bless himself by buying God’s blessing. Through trickery, he compelled his older brother to sell his birthright to him and got the firstborn blessings from his father, Isaac (Gen. 25:31).

Yet something happened to him at the lowest point of his life. Faced with the threat of annihilation from Jacob’s enraged brother, God meets him as he is and, of all things, wrestles with him until daybreak (Gen 32:24). God dislocates Jacob’s hip to demonstrate that he was no match for Him. At this point in time, Jacob is broken.

Once Jacob realized that he was wrestling with God, he desperately held on to Him. God now gives him a new direction and purpose, and with it, a new name: Israel – the one who struggled with God and men and has overcome.

Within that moment, Jacob abandoned all his ability to make it through life successfully and surrendered his all to the Lord, broken and repentant. Jacob is blessed by God and his descendants have been richly blessed because of him. His new namesake became the namesake of the entire Jewish nation even up to now.

The presence of God, as well as its accompanying blessings, can come only through an intimate relationship with Him—sometimes through the context of brokenness.

What is brokenness? It is when we surrender to God; relinquishing control of our lives to God; realizing that all we have is not enough until we have Him. Brokenness is when our failures are exposed and the flaws of our character and our lingering sins are brought out into the open, and then God deals with them.

Brokenness is God showing us through the circumstances of our lives that we are nothing without Him. It is the realization that He alone is enough.

Perhaps some of us are going through some tough times right now. These times are no accidents, for they are designed for our good (Rom 8:28). It may help to ask ourselves these questions: Is there anything that I have intentionally put between myself and God? Is there something in my life that God is stripping away? Is there something that I love and trust more than the Lord himself?

We know God can be relentless. However, despite the crushing and breaking, we can take comfort in the fact that God is ultimately good. Brokenness can indeed bring us closer to Him.

Pursue Intimacy With God Series
Speaker: Joby Soriano Date: May 27, 2012