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01-12-2009, 10:31 PM
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
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Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.' 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 NIV
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Rejoice in suffering
Rejoice in suffering, for there is no reward in Heaven for living a life of ease and luxury.
They who suffer on behalf of the Lord have laid up for themselves exceedingly great rewards and treasures in the everlasting and eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
When the Lord shall come, and indeed He shall come, He shall turn everything upside down and the valleys shall be lifted up and the mountains shall be made low.
The outcasts shall be made kings and kings and men of power in this earth shall become outcasts, cast into outer darkness where there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Blessed are the poor and woe unto the rich.
Because when our Lord shall come, He shall come with both rewards and recompense.
©01/13/2001 Jim Welch
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Perfect Strangers
Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles in this world to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul
(1 Pt. 2:11, The Amplified Bible).
One of my all time favorite TV shows was one called "Perfect Strangers." In it, two cousins decide to share an apartment in Chicago. The twist was that one of them happened to be from a foreign country. The absurdity was that it was not only foreign, but it was very strange in custom and culture. The show's hilarious antics often keyed on the eccentric behaviors and beliefs of the one cousin's background in relation to the other's. The amazing thing was that Balci, who was the foreigner, often was the one with the best answers to the more important questions.
Peter tells us that as we belong to God, we are the strangers in the world. But what does it mean to be a stranger? Most of us would agree that if we met someone like Balci, who was from a land as different to ours as night is to day, that we could define a stranger as: someone who stands out from the rest, as different, or peculiar. They would have characteristics and customs unlike those of the people in whose land they now lived. Often, one look bears the evidence of this fact.
If we as God's children are strangers in this land, then it should be evident. As others look at us, they might notice that we have different choices in lifestyle, entertainment, and desires from life. And not simply because they are choices, as much as it is because of what's inside of us.
Balci's Meposian heritage simply shined through in every movement he made, every syllable he uttered. He could not help but be who he was. He was born into a way of life, and that life was ingrained in every part of his being.
We are much the same way. Our culture we are born into is very much a part of who we are. It has become entangled within every fiber of our being. Our actions, our words, our choices--all can indicate where we are from. But as Christians we are well aware of the scripture that tells us we are to be born again. This would imply that we are born into a new culture, one that is vastly different from the culture we previously were a part of.
We are born into a new way of life. But there is an old way of life that has become ingrained into each of us. And to our own sorrow, many of us are strangers in Heavenly lands because our ingrained worldly heritage seeps through. And to our pain, if we walked the streets of gold today, we would be the ones who stood out as eccentric.
This is not to paint too dismal a picture. But if we are the strangers of this land, and we are the children of Light; when one looks at us along side the world--the difference should be night and day. We may seem very odd to those around us, but if we are the reflection a heavenly land--then we are the ones who will know the answers to many of the most important questions.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pt. 2:9).
Day by Day Devotionals
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January 13
Read Genesis 37 -- 39 http://www.studylight.org/desk/?l=en&query=ge+37-ge+39§ion=0&translation=kjv&oq=
Highlights In Today's Reading:
You may weep as you read about Joseph who foreshadows Christ. Both were especially loved by their fathers but hated by their brethren.
Joseph was deeply troubled about his older brothers' evil conduct while away from home, and he shared this concern with his father. As if to confirm the reports that Joseph brought to his father about the conduct of his brothers, the thirty-eighth chapter abruptly breaks into the history of Joseph by introducing the shameful behavior of Judah. Undoubtedly, Joseph's concern for his brothers' spiritual well-being, in addition to the fact that Joseph was the son of his old age (37:3), influenced Jacob to love Joseph more than all his children.
Now, as then, some people discourage the exposing of wrongdoing, while others say they do not want to become involved. But Joseph possessed spiritual integrity and was willing to face abuse from his brothers for exposing their evil ways (37:2-4). Their envy and hatred only increased when Joseph shared his prophetic dreams with them, revealing that God had a special position of leadership for him (37:4-8).
There can be little doubt Joseph's brothers perceived that his dreams were prophetic. Otherwise, they would have disregarded them as just nonsense — youthful visions. After his brothers sold him as a slave, in Egypt, Joseph was once again sold. Then he was cast into prison — not for breaking the law, but because of his high moral integrity. As a homesick prisoner, Joseph remained locked up for many years. During that time his feet were injured by the cruel treatment he received there (Ps. 105:17-18).
Without a doubt, his faith was tested. Although innocent, he suffered as one who was a guilty criminal, having to bear shame and physical cruelty. God tests our loyalty to Him by bringing circumstances into our lives that we may not understand — that may seem unfair and undeserved. But this is His means of testing our attitude — of perfecting our patience as well as our faith in Him.
Although we tend to seek the ways of comfort and ease, the Christian life as foreshadowed by Joseph's ordeal proves Peter's words to the Church: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you (I Pet. 4:12).
God used Joseph's difficult experiences in Egypt to prepare him to be the preserver of God's people and, thus, the lineage of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Joseph's experiences are a reminder that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).
Thought for Today:
The Bible teaches us that we should not be ashamed if we suffer for doing the right thing (I Pet. 4:16). Shame comes when we suffer for our wrongs.
Christ Portrayed:
By Joseph,who was rejected by his own brothers, sold for 20 pieces of silver to Gentiles, and unjustly imprisoned, but who eventually became their savior and a world ruler (Gen. 37:28; 41:39-40). Jesus came unto His own (people), and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God (John 1:11-12). He will return victoriously to rule the world (Rev. 19:11-16; 22:3).
Word Studies:
37:2 evil report = of sinful things they were doing; 37:7 made obeisance = bowed in respect; 37:11 observed = pondered; 37:22 rid = rescue; 37:29 rent = tore his clothes as an act of grief; 37:34 sackcloth = a coarse, loose cloth worn as a sign of mourning; 38:2 took = married; 38:18 signet = ring bearing seal with which official documents were stamped; 38:24 *****dom = prostitution; 39:14 mock = disgrace.
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Sheep or Savior
Hebrews 9:14
”How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
Saved by God’s Grace
Watching a two-year old get dressed is really a trip! The little guy knows he is supposed to put his legs into his pants. First, he tries putting his foot through the bottom of the pant leg. Oops! Then, he manages to get both legs into the same one. Can’t walk that way! After a dozen tries, he carries the pants to Mom, holds them up to her and says, “Help, please.”
The Old Testament Jews were a lot like a two-year old getting dressed. They wanted desperately to please God. He had told them to kill sheep and goats as sacrifices for their sins, but they had to do it over and over again. Every year they took animals to the Temple, watched the priest kill them and sprinkle their blood over the people and on the altar. For a while, they felt forgiven. But, then they sinned again. They told a lie, got angry, maybe even cheated their neighbor out of some grain by holding their thumb on the scale. Before they knew it, they were feeling spiritually dirty.
Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s answer to mankind’s cry of desperation, “Help me, please!” We all know that we break his standards in our thoughts and attitudes several times a day, let alone our stupid and rebellious actions. Since Jesus perfectly kept every one of God’s laws, he could pay the death penalty we deserve. God accepted his death as payment for us. When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, God forgives us forever from all of our sins. He even cleanses our conscience, making us free from guilt and shame over our sinful actions and thoughts.
In order to receive help getting dressed, a two-year-old has to give up doing it himself. He has to go to a “higher power” and ask for what he needs. We have to do the same if we want true and lasting forgiveness. We have to give up trying to please God ourselves. We have to go to him and ask for help. We also have to accept the help he has determined will do the job by placing our faith in Jesus as His Son and our Savior.
Today’s Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I’m sorry for all the bad things I do and think every day. So often, I’m rebelling against you and my parent in my mind, even when I’m doing what is expected of me. Please forgive me because Jesus died in my place. Clean me up and help me obey you from now on—from my heart. Amen.
Written by Martha E Menne
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The Curse of Sin
Bible Reading: Genesis 3:14-19; James 1:15.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they brought curses down upon themselves, the earth and all humankind. Although God yet loved them, and made a way for them to be redeemed, they still had to suffer the consequences for their sins. Make no mistake, sin always carries a curse with it. You might think that what you want to do won't hurt anyone else. Oh, but it will. Sin will destroy you and everyone you touch. Even when you repent, sin's consequences can poison your life. Sin is deadly, avoid it at all cost!
Moment of Meditation: Although sin may look attractive on the outside, the inside is full of deadly venom, which will destroy you and the ones you love.
A Talk with Jesus: Lord, keep me safe from sin's curse. Hide me in Your love. Amen.
For Further Study: Genesis 4:11; Numbers 32:23; Deuteronomy 11:26-28; Psalm 38:17-18; Proverbs 3:33; Isaiah 64:5-7; Malachi 2:2; Mark 9:43-47; Romans 6:23; 1 John 3:6-10.
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The God of all Grace
Daily Devotional for January 13
1 Peter 5:10 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
"The God of all grace" speaks of God as the total source of all spiritual comfort, and a help for every occasion.
From time to time we need to be comforted. A loved one may be very sick, or a sudden accident may have happened. A marriage may be in the process of breaking up. We can count on the God of all grace to comfort us and to be a help to us.
1 Corinthians 13:8 says, "Love never faileth", no not once. If you are going through a hard time, turn to Christ Jesus, for He can really help in a time of need.
Bible References (KJV)
1 Corinthians 13:8 "Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."
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Do You Not Yet Understand?
January 13th
READ: Mark 7:31-8:21
Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? (Mark 8:17b-18).
In this series of questions, our Lord is suggesting for them, and for us, what to do when we get the spiritual "blahs." One young man came to me and said, "I'm a graduate of a Bible college. I've been a Christian for a number of years. But I must tell you that I feel so blah, so empty. I've lost all interest in what God is doing, and I just don't have any desire even to get involved in a Bible study anymore. What should I do?" I had just been studying this passage, so I did what our Lord suggests in this passage without telling this young man what I was doing.
The first thing the Lord suggests is to use your mind. "Do you not see or understand?" Stop and think about where you are, about what is happening to you, and why it happened.
Analyze it. Read what the Bible has to say about it. That is what the mind is for. Study the revelations of God to you. Use your mind.
Second, He asks, "Are your hearts hardened?" That is, analyze the state of your heart. Are you dull, or do you respond? Have you forgotten truth? Because if the heart does not respond to what the mind has understood, then it is because you have not really believed it. You may have recognized mentally that it is true, but you have not acted upon it. You do not really believe God is going to do what He has said He will do. This is always revealed by a dull, unresponsive heart. Truth always moves us—when we believe it. It always grips us and excites us. And if we are not excited, it is because the mind has grasped it but the heart has not.
Jesus moves on: "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?" Jesus said these words again and again to the people He taught, and each time He means the same thing. Do not just look at the events you are seeing and think that is all there is to it. It is a parallel to something deeper and more important concerning your spirit. As these men were being fed by the loaves and the fishes, He was saying to them, "Don't think of this merely as a way of getting a good, quick, free meal. Remember that I am telling you that you have a deeper need, a far more demanding need, which needs daily replenishment as well."
And finally, "Don't you remember?" Hasn't God taught you things in the past through your circumstances? Hasn't He led you through events that have made you understand something about your life? Do you not remember the times He said things like that in the past? Remember them now, and recognize that you are in the hands of a loving Father who has put you right where you are to teach you a very needed truth.
Forgive me, Father, for the dullness of my heart. Help me to give myself every day to this One who is the bread sent down from heaven.
This daily devotion was inspired by one of Ray's sermons.
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The Hope of the Ages
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom. 5:5, 6.
Through the long centuries of "trouble and darkness" and "dimness of anguish" (Isa. 8:22) marking the history of mankind from the day our first parents lost their Eden home, to the time the Son of God appeared as the Saviour of sinners, the hope of the fallen race was centered in the coming of a Deliverer to free men and women from the bondage of sin and the grave.
The first intimation of such a hope was given to Adam and Eve in the sentence pronounced upon the serpent in Eden when the Lord declared to Satan in their hearing, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).
As the guilty pair listened to these words, they were inspired with hope; for in the prophecy concerning the breaking of Satan's power they discerned a promise of deliverance from the ruin wrought through transgression. Though they must suffer from the power of their adversary because they had fallen under his seductive influence and had chosen to disobey the plain command of Jehovah, yet they need not yield to utter despair. The Son of God was offering to atone with His own lifeblood for their transgression. To them was to be granted a period of probation, during which, through faith in the power of Christ to save, they might become once more the children of God.
Satan, by means of his success in turning man aside from the path of obedience, became "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). The dominion that once was Adam's passed to the usurper. But the Son of God proposed to come to this earth to pay the penalty of sin, and thus not only redeem man, but recover the dominion forfeited. It is of this restoration that Micah prophesied when he said, "O Tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion" (Micah 4:8). . . .
This hope of redemption through the advent of the Son of God as Saviour and King has never become extinct in the hearts of men. From the beginning there have been some whose faith has reached out beyond the shadows of the present to the realities of the future. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--through these and other worthies the Lord has preserved the precious revealings of His will. And it was thus that to the children of Israel . . . God imparted a knowledge of the requirements of His law, and of the salvation to be accomplished through the atoning sacrifice of His beloved Son (Prophets and Kings, pp. 681-683).
From Lift Him Up - Page 19
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JUST AS I AM
“If you’re an apple, you can be the best apple you can be, but you can never be an orange.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, page 427
“He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” - John 15:2
For what it’s worth:
I was an apple, rotten to the core, trying to hide the decay. Most, once they saw the decay, threw me away. Not the people in Alcoholics Anonymous, they welcomed me just as I was. I learned early in AA that I don’t have to hide, I can be what I am and how I am on any given day. They not only accepted me, they introduced me to a new God – new to me - far different than the one I believed was punishing me for being rotten. I liked this new God and tried to grow closer and closer to Him by living the Twelve Steps that AA taught me. As I grew closer, I could see that He was pruning me to be able to bear fruit. Now I offer myself to Him each day and ask Him how I can be of help to Him in His work with bad apples like me. He blesses me by using me to bear more good fruit.
God bless you!
Joe W.
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Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.' 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 NIV
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Rejoice in suffering
Rejoice in suffering, for there is no reward in Heaven for living a life of ease and luxury.
They who suffer on behalf of the Lord have laid up for themselves exceedingly great rewards and treasures in the everlasting and eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
When the Lord shall come, and indeed He shall come, He shall turn everything upside down and the valleys shall be lifted up and the mountains shall be made low.
The outcasts shall be made kings and kings and men of power in this earth shall become outcasts, cast into outer darkness where there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Blessed are the poor and woe unto the rich.
Because when our Lord shall come, He shall come with both rewards and recompense.
©01/13/2001 Jim Welch
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Perfect Strangers
Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles in this world to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul
(1 Pt. 2:11, The Amplified Bible).
One of my all time favorite TV shows was one called "Perfect Strangers." In it, two cousins decide to share an apartment in Chicago. The twist was that one of them happened to be from a foreign country. The absurdity was that it was not only foreign, but it was very strange in custom and culture. The show's hilarious antics often keyed on the eccentric behaviors and beliefs of the one cousin's background in relation to the other's. The amazing thing was that Balci, who was the foreigner, often was the one with the best answers to the more important questions.
Peter tells us that as we belong to God, we are the strangers in the world. But what does it mean to be a stranger? Most of us would agree that if we met someone like Balci, who was from a land as different to ours as night is to day, that we could define a stranger as: someone who stands out from the rest, as different, or peculiar. They would have characteristics and customs unlike those of the people in whose land they now lived. Often, one look bears the evidence of this fact.
If we as God's children are strangers in this land, then it should be evident. As others look at us, they might notice that we have different choices in lifestyle, entertainment, and desires from life. And not simply because they are choices, as much as it is because of what's inside of us.
Balci's Meposian heritage simply shined through in every movement he made, every syllable he uttered. He could not help but be who he was. He was born into a way of life, and that life was ingrained in every part of his being.
We are much the same way. Our culture we are born into is very much a part of who we are. It has become entangled within every fiber of our being. Our actions, our words, our choices--all can indicate where we are from. But as Christians we are well aware of the scripture that tells us we are to be born again. This would imply that we are born into a new culture, one that is vastly different from the culture we previously were a part of.
We are born into a new way of life. But there is an old way of life that has become ingrained into each of us. And to our own sorrow, many of us are strangers in Heavenly lands because our ingrained worldly heritage seeps through. And to our pain, if we walked the streets of gold today, we would be the ones who stood out as eccentric.
This is not to paint too dismal a picture. But if we are the strangers of this land, and we are the children of Light; when one looks at us along side the world--the difference should be night and day. We may seem very odd to those around us, but if we are the reflection a heavenly land--then we are the ones who will know the answers to many of the most important questions.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pt. 2:9).
Day by Day Devotionals
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January 13
Read Genesis 37 -- 39 http://www.studylight.org/desk/?l=en&query=ge+37-ge+39§ion=0&translation=kjv&oq=
Highlights In Today's Reading:
You may weep as you read about Joseph who foreshadows Christ. Both were especially loved by their fathers but hated by their brethren.
Joseph was deeply troubled about his older brothers' evil conduct while away from home, and he shared this concern with his father. As if to confirm the reports that Joseph brought to his father about the conduct of his brothers, the thirty-eighth chapter abruptly breaks into the history of Joseph by introducing the shameful behavior of Judah. Undoubtedly, Joseph's concern for his brothers' spiritual well-being, in addition to the fact that Joseph was the son of his old age (37:3), influenced Jacob to love Joseph more than all his children.
Now, as then, some people discourage the exposing of wrongdoing, while others say they do not want to become involved. But Joseph possessed spiritual integrity and was willing to face abuse from his brothers for exposing their evil ways (37:2-4). Their envy and hatred only increased when Joseph shared his prophetic dreams with them, revealing that God had a special position of leadership for him (37:4-8).
There can be little doubt Joseph's brothers perceived that his dreams were prophetic. Otherwise, they would have disregarded them as just nonsense — youthful visions. After his brothers sold him as a slave, in Egypt, Joseph was once again sold. Then he was cast into prison — not for breaking the law, but because of his high moral integrity. As a homesick prisoner, Joseph remained locked up for many years. During that time his feet were injured by the cruel treatment he received there (Ps. 105:17-18).
Without a doubt, his faith was tested. Although innocent, he suffered as one who was a guilty criminal, having to bear shame and physical cruelty. God tests our loyalty to Him by bringing circumstances into our lives that we may not understand — that may seem unfair and undeserved. But this is His means of testing our attitude — of perfecting our patience as well as our faith in Him.
Although we tend to seek the ways of comfort and ease, the Christian life as foreshadowed by Joseph's ordeal proves Peter's words to the Church: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you (I Pet. 4:12).
God used Joseph's difficult experiences in Egypt to prepare him to be the preserver of God's people and, thus, the lineage of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Joseph's experiences are a reminder that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).
Thought for Today:
The Bible teaches us that we should not be ashamed if we suffer for doing the right thing (I Pet. 4:16). Shame comes when we suffer for our wrongs.
Christ Portrayed:
By Joseph,who was rejected by his own brothers, sold for 20 pieces of silver to Gentiles, and unjustly imprisoned, but who eventually became their savior and a world ruler (Gen. 37:28; 41:39-40). Jesus came unto His own (people), and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God (John 1:11-12). He will return victoriously to rule the world (Rev. 19:11-16; 22:3).
Word Studies:
37:2 evil report = of sinful things they were doing; 37:7 made obeisance = bowed in respect; 37:11 observed = pondered; 37:22 rid = rescue; 37:29 rent = tore his clothes as an act of grief; 37:34 sackcloth = a coarse, loose cloth worn as a sign of mourning; 38:2 took = married; 38:18 signet = ring bearing seal with which official documents were stamped; 38:24 *****dom = prostitution; 39:14 mock = disgrace.
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Sheep or Savior
Hebrews 9:14
”How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
Saved by God’s Grace
Watching a two-year old get dressed is really a trip! The little guy knows he is supposed to put his legs into his pants. First, he tries putting his foot through the bottom of the pant leg. Oops! Then, he manages to get both legs into the same one. Can’t walk that way! After a dozen tries, he carries the pants to Mom, holds them up to her and says, “Help, please.”
The Old Testament Jews were a lot like a two-year old getting dressed. They wanted desperately to please God. He had told them to kill sheep and goats as sacrifices for their sins, but they had to do it over and over again. Every year they took animals to the Temple, watched the priest kill them and sprinkle their blood over the people and on the altar. For a while, they felt forgiven. But, then they sinned again. They told a lie, got angry, maybe even cheated their neighbor out of some grain by holding their thumb on the scale. Before they knew it, they were feeling spiritually dirty.
Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s answer to mankind’s cry of desperation, “Help me, please!” We all know that we break his standards in our thoughts and attitudes several times a day, let alone our stupid and rebellious actions. Since Jesus perfectly kept every one of God’s laws, he could pay the death penalty we deserve. God accepted his death as payment for us. When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, God forgives us forever from all of our sins. He even cleanses our conscience, making us free from guilt and shame over our sinful actions and thoughts.
In order to receive help getting dressed, a two-year-old has to give up doing it himself. He has to go to a “higher power” and ask for what he needs. We have to do the same if we want true and lasting forgiveness. We have to give up trying to please God ourselves. We have to go to him and ask for help. We also have to accept the help he has determined will do the job by placing our faith in Jesus as His Son and our Savior.
Today’s Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I’m sorry for all the bad things I do and think every day. So often, I’m rebelling against you and my parent in my mind, even when I’m doing what is expected of me. Please forgive me because Jesus died in my place. Clean me up and help me obey you from now on—from my heart. Amen.
Written by Martha E Menne
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The Curse of Sin
Bible Reading: Genesis 3:14-19; James 1:15.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they brought curses down upon themselves, the earth and all humankind. Although God yet loved them, and made a way for them to be redeemed, they still had to suffer the consequences for their sins. Make no mistake, sin always carries a curse with it. You might think that what you want to do won't hurt anyone else. Oh, but it will. Sin will destroy you and everyone you touch. Even when you repent, sin's consequences can poison your life. Sin is deadly, avoid it at all cost!
Moment of Meditation: Although sin may look attractive on the outside, the inside is full of deadly venom, which will destroy you and the ones you love.
A Talk with Jesus: Lord, keep me safe from sin's curse. Hide me in Your love. Amen.
For Further Study: Genesis 4:11; Numbers 32:23; Deuteronomy 11:26-28; Psalm 38:17-18; Proverbs 3:33; Isaiah 64:5-7; Malachi 2:2; Mark 9:43-47; Romans 6:23; 1 John 3:6-10.
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The God of all Grace
Daily Devotional for January 13
1 Peter 5:10 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
"The God of all grace" speaks of God as the total source of all spiritual comfort, and a help for every occasion.
From time to time we need to be comforted. A loved one may be very sick, or a sudden accident may have happened. A marriage may be in the process of breaking up. We can count on the God of all grace to comfort us and to be a help to us.
1 Corinthians 13:8 says, "Love never faileth", no not once. If you are going through a hard time, turn to Christ Jesus, for He can really help in a time of need.
Bible References (KJV)
1 Corinthians 13:8 "Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."
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Do You Not Yet Understand?
January 13th
READ: Mark 7:31-8:21
Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? (Mark 8:17b-18).
In this series of questions, our Lord is suggesting for them, and for us, what to do when we get the spiritual "blahs." One young man came to me and said, "I'm a graduate of a Bible college. I've been a Christian for a number of years. But I must tell you that I feel so blah, so empty. I've lost all interest in what God is doing, and I just don't have any desire even to get involved in a Bible study anymore. What should I do?" I had just been studying this passage, so I did what our Lord suggests in this passage without telling this young man what I was doing.
The first thing the Lord suggests is to use your mind. "Do you not see or understand?" Stop and think about where you are, about what is happening to you, and why it happened.
Analyze it. Read what the Bible has to say about it. That is what the mind is for. Study the revelations of God to you. Use your mind.
Second, He asks, "Are your hearts hardened?" That is, analyze the state of your heart. Are you dull, or do you respond? Have you forgotten truth? Because if the heart does not respond to what the mind has understood, then it is because you have not really believed it. You may have recognized mentally that it is true, but you have not acted upon it. You do not really believe God is going to do what He has said He will do. This is always revealed by a dull, unresponsive heart. Truth always moves us—when we believe it. It always grips us and excites us. And if we are not excited, it is because the mind has grasped it but the heart has not.
Jesus moves on: "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?" Jesus said these words again and again to the people He taught, and each time He means the same thing. Do not just look at the events you are seeing and think that is all there is to it. It is a parallel to something deeper and more important concerning your spirit. As these men were being fed by the loaves and the fishes, He was saying to them, "Don't think of this merely as a way of getting a good, quick, free meal. Remember that I am telling you that you have a deeper need, a far more demanding need, which needs daily replenishment as well."
And finally, "Don't you remember?" Hasn't God taught you things in the past through your circumstances? Hasn't He led you through events that have made you understand something about your life? Do you not remember the times He said things like that in the past? Remember them now, and recognize that you are in the hands of a loving Father who has put you right where you are to teach you a very needed truth.
Forgive me, Father, for the dullness of my heart. Help me to give myself every day to this One who is the bread sent down from heaven.
This daily devotion was inspired by one of Ray's sermons.
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The Hope of the Ages
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom. 5:5, 6.
Through the long centuries of "trouble and darkness" and "dimness of anguish" (Isa. 8:22) marking the history of mankind from the day our first parents lost their Eden home, to the time the Son of God appeared as the Saviour of sinners, the hope of the fallen race was centered in the coming of a Deliverer to free men and women from the bondage of sin and the grave.
The first intimation of such a hope was given to Adam and Eve in the sentence pronounced upon the serpent in Eden when the Lord declared to Satan in their hearing, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).
As the guilty pair listened to these words, they were inspired with hope; for in the prophecy concerning the breaking of Satan's power they discerned a promise of deliverance from the ruin wrought through transgression. Though they must suffer from the power of their adversary because they had fallen under his seductive influence and had chosen to disobey the plain command of Jehovah, yet they need not yield to utter despair. The Son of God was offering to atone with His own lifeblood for their transgression. To them was to be granted a period of probation, during which, through faith in the power of Christ to save, they might become once more the children of God.
Satan, by means of his success in turning man aside from the path of obedience, became "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). The dominion that once was Adam's passed to the usurper. But the Son of God proposed to come to this earth to pay the penalty of sin, and thus not only redeem man, but recover the dominion forfeited. It is of this restoration that Micah prophesied when he said, "O Tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion" (Micah 4:8). . . .
This hope of redemption through the advent of the Son of God as Saviour and King has never become extinct in the hearts of men. From the beginning there have been some whose faith has reached out beyond the shadows of the present to the realities of the future. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--through these and other worthies the Lord has preserved the precious revealings of His will. And it was thus that to the children of Israel . . . God imparted a knowledge of the requirements of His law, and of the salvation to be accomplished through the atoning sacrifice of His beloved Son (Prophets and Kings, pp. 681-683).
From Lift Him Up - Page 19
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JUST AS I AM
“If you’re an apple, you can be the best apple you can be, but you can never be an orange.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, page 427
“He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” - John 15:2
For what it’s worth:
I was an apple, rotten to the core, trying to hide the decay. Most, once they saw the decay, threw me away. Not the people in Alcoholics Anonymous, they welcomed me just as I was. I learned early in AA that I don’t have to hide, I can be what I am and how I am on any given day. They not only accepted me, they introduced me to a new God – new to me - far different than the one I believed was punishing me for being rotten. I liked this new God and tried to grow closer and closer to Him by living the Twelve Steps that AA taught me. As I grew closer, I could see that He was pruning me to be able to bear fruit. Now I offer myself to Him each day and ask Him how I can be of help to Him in His work with bad apples like me. He blesses me by using me to bear more good fruit.
God bless you!
Joe W.