Verse For The Day
“My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” (Psalm 62:7)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
The Standard
Revelation 3:15-16 NIV: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Am I hot or cold? Am I lukewarm? Perhaps the first question to ask would deal with what standard I am using to determine if I am hot, or cold, or lukewarm. Do I use my church as a standard? It was the entire church of Laodicea that was considered lukewarm. Many churches today "teach as doctrine the traditions of men." The church has members who are Christ-like, but the church itself is not the standard to look to. Do I use my own understanding as the standard? My understanding may be influenced by "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 Jn. 2:16), or the "worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth" (Mt. 13:22). Scripture tells me not to trust my own understanding but to trust God (Prov. 3:5-6). The only standard is Christ. Only in looking to Him will I avoid a lifestyle that has" a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Tim 3:5). Once we acknowledge Him as the standard, we have a decision to make—will I "throw off everything that hinders" (Heb. 12:1-3) so I can follow Him fully, or will I be content to remain lukewarm?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Daily Ponder
Verse For The Day
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Seeking His Truth
2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Ever wonder why it is that the Bible changes over time? Of course that is not true. God´s Word remains constant. What changes are the eyes through which the scripture is viewed—the minds in which the scripture is interpreted. Does it make sense to us to consider the interpretation of generations of Christians gone by as being interpretations that have missed the mark? What makes us believe our generation knows better than they? Truth be told, there is much interpretation being done that is heavily influenced by selfish desire and societal influence. I once heard a woman refer to Paul as a chauvinist. Could her viewpoints of Paul´s letters possibly have been clouded by societal influence? Most likely so. As we approach God´s Word, we must be willing to abandon all we think we know and discover His Truth as His Spirit would reveal it. We cannot let the world around us dictate how God´s Word should be understood; but we must let God´s Word be the measure by which we understand the world.
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Seeking His Truth
2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Ever wonder why it is that the Bible changes over time? Of course that is not true. God´s Word remains constant. What changes are the eyes through which the scripture is viewed—the minds in which the scripture is interpreted. Does it make sense to us to consider the interpretation of generations of Christians gone by as being interpretations that have missed the mark? What makes us believe our generation knows better than they? Truth be told, there is much interpretation being done that is heavily influenced by selfish desire and societal influence. I once heard a woman refer to Paul as a chauvinist. Could her viewpoints of Paul´s letters possibly have been clouded by societal influence? Most likely so. As we approach God´s Word, we must be willing to abandon all we think we know and discover His Truth as His Spirit would reveal it. We cannot let the world around us dictate how God´s Word should be understood; but we must let God´s Word be the measure by which we understand the world.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Verse For The Day
“ O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” (Isaiah 25:1)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
First Hand
1 John 1:3 NKJV: We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
God intercedes in our lives. But you have to wonder how much of what He does goes completely unnoticed by us. If only our first thoughts could always be to look for His hand in things. If only our first desire each day could be to consider our day as another chance to get even closer to Him. I´m convinced that if our hearts delighted in Him in this way, that we would notice far more of what He is doing each day--each moment. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." It´s easier to hear His voice when we are near Him. It´s easier to see His hand at work in our lives at times we are closest to Him. It´s easier to witness His work in our lives and the lives of others when we strive to abide in Christ. His faithfulness today will be our hope for tomorrow. As we reflect upon all the things we have seen God do, we will be greatly encouraged and our faith will be made stronger. And when we testify to others about our Lord Jesus Christ, or testimonies will be filled story after story about the wonderful things we have witnessed God do first hand.
“ O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” (Isaiah 25:1)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
First Hand
1 John 1:3 NKJV: We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
God intercedes in our lives. But you have to wonder how much of what He does goes completely unnoticed by us. If only our first thoughts could always be to look for His hand in things. If only our first desire each day could be to consider our day as another chance to get even closer to Him. I´m convinced that if our hearts delighted in Him in this way, that we would notice far more of what He is doing each day--each moment. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." It´s easier to hear His voice when we are near Him. It´s easier to see His hand at work in our lives at times we are closest to Him. It´s easier to witness His work in our lives and the lives of others when we strive to abide in Christ. His faithfulness today will be our hope for tomorrow. As we reflect upon all the things we have seen God do, we will be greatly encouraged and our faith will be made stronger. And when we testify to others about our Lord Jesus Christ, or testimonies will be filled story after story about the wonderful things we have witnessed God do first hand.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Daily Ponder ;-)
Verse For The Day
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.” (Job 23:10-11)Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
While You Wait
Psalm 37:4 NKJV: Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
When we make our requests to God, do we consider His request of us? He knows our requests before we ask, even as He knows our hearts. But He also desires that we know His heart, and that the nature of our requests will mature into something that reflects His desire for us. I may have a situation I am waiting for Him to resolve. Perhaps I need a job, or to sell a house, or something else I feel I have little control over. I make my request to God, and I ask people to pray for me that my situation be resolved quickly. But what might I be missing? Why does God wait to meet my need? There is a good chance that there is a need I have that God needs to show me that is not the need I am focused on. There is a good reason why God is not resolving my issue quickly. My prayer request, therefore, needs to mature to a level wherein I ask Him, what He needs of me. My prayer request turns from, "Lord, please fix this;" to "Lord, show me what You need from me where I am." The Lord will indeed meet all of our needs. But what is it He desires from you while you wait?
Daily Ponder
Verse For The Day
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Do Not Grow Weary
Galatians 6:9 NIV: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
The long road is often the least appealing. In our fast-paced world today, it seems so many of us so often look for the quickest solution, or the short answer. My wife could tell you I am not one for the short answer. She has often asked me if I could just give her a simple yes or no and leave it at that. With me, the explanation that goes with the yes or no may be repetitive, and overly lengthy. But, my quirks aside, in life the best things may call for repetition, and often develop over time. Consider how we love others, and how we might love others toward the Lord. With the right amount of prayer, time, and love, we can help others let go of the short answers and turn toward THE Answer. But we ourselves must remember that even though our efforts may feel repetitive and lengthy, the harvest indeed will come if we do grow weary, if we do not faint, and if we do not give up.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Do Not Grow Weary
Galatians 6:9 NIV: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
The long road is often the least appealing. In our fast-paced world today, it seems so many of us so often look for the quickest solution, or the short answer. My wife could tell you I am not one for the short answer. She has often asked me if I could just give her a simple yes or no and leave it at that. With me, the explanation that goes with the yes or no may be repetitive, and overly lengthy. But, my quirks aside, in life the best things may call for repetition, and often develop over time. Consider how we love others, and how we might love others toward the Lord. With the right amount of prayer, time, and love, we can help others let go of the short answers and turn toward THE Answer. But we ourselves must remember that even though our efforts may feel repetitive and lengthy, the harvest indeed will come if we do grow weary, if we do not faint, and if we do not give up.
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