Law, Love And Joy

John 15:10-12

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy will be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

We are to love one another with God's "agape" love, that unconditional, accepting love that is sacrificial. When we do that then we are obeying all the other laws that have been given. We are not under the Old Testament Law because are subject to the higher Law of Love. Just like pilots do not "break" the law of Gravity, but obey the higher law of Aerodynamics to fly their planes. We cannot "break" any of God's laws, including His moral law--we only break ourselves over them. When we obey His Law of Love, then we're cooperating with how He designed this world to work, and we reap the benefits of our actions and attitudes--His joy!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Garments Of Salvation

Isaiah 61:10-11

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of Salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

O my dear Father, thank you so much for Your great and precious promises! Thank you for Your perfect Faithfulness to remain True to fulfill every detail of what You have said! Teach me, Father, Your great Plan of the Ages, and my small part in that Plan, to bring in Your Kingdom here on this Earth, under King Jesus. Make me Your hands, Your feet, Your voice; put Your thoughts into my mind and allow Your glory to shine in me, and praise will redound to Your Name.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Muzzle On My Mouth

Psalm 39:1-2

I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence." But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased. 

O my Father, help me to put a muzzle on my mouth, especially in the presence of those who do not yet know You. Put Your words in my mouth to boldly tell of Your greatness and goodness to all of Mankind You have made. Help me to speak only when Your words are on my tongue and keep the muzzle on if I have only my own words. Let me share Your Word with others, for it will not return to You empty, but will fulfill the purpose for which You have sent it.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

In The Land Of The Living

Psalm 27:13-14

I am still confident if this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

O my Father, I don't know all the good plans You have for me while I am still in this land of the living, but I know I can trust You to have my best in mind.

Wait for the Lord: Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

So I will wait for You, my Lord, in strength of heart, and continue to learn new things about You and about this world You have made for us to live in. I am open to Your showering of blessings, of either gaining material possessions or the loss of what I now possess for the gaining of spiritual riches. Teach me Your ways and Your will for me, Father, dear.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Prayer For A Lost Loved One

II Corinthians 12:20-21

Rephrased, Personalized:

For I realize that when you came home to me, I did not find you as I would want you to be, and you did not find me as you wanted me to be. Instead, we found quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I realize that when you came, my God humbled me before you, and I am grieved over how you have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which you are still indulging.

O my Father, please take hold of this loved one of mine; whatever it will take, convince them of Your holiness, Your purity, and Your love for them that You sent Your only Son to take their place in death so they could have eternal life. And help me to be Christ to them, not my flesh, that they may be drawn to You.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Paul And John Mark

Notes on Paul's relationship with John Mark:

Acts 13:4-5 -- When Barnabas and (Saul) Paul embarked on their first missionary journey, they took Mark with them.  They went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cypress. When they arrived at Salamis . . . John was with them as their helper.

They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. . . . From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. (v. 13)

According to the Holman Bible Atlas, this was a very marshy and unhealthy region with a mountain road that was extremely difficult and dangerous. It looks like John Mark had found that he had bitten off more than he could chew, and the harsh conditions overwhelmed him. This may have deprived Paul and Barnabas of needed help, and made it even more difficult for them. 

Acts 15:36-41 -- Some time later, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the Word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it was wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cypress, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Paul seemed very apprehensive of taking Mark back to the very area that was too difficult for him before, thinking that he might desert them again. So Paul and Barnabas parted, and went different ways. We know all about Paul's journeys, because he had Dr. Luke with him, who apparently wrote this Book of Acts. But since Mark had gone with Barnabas, he apparently matured in his faith and his ability to withstand hardship to be helpful.

Paul later wrote to the Colossians and to Timothy and Philemon, commending Mark: 

Colossians 4:10 -- My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (you have received instructions about him, if he comes to you, welcome him).

II Timothy 4:11 -- Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

Philemon 23-24 -- Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

So, after refusing to take Mark with him, he calls him, "My fellow worker," along with others, including Luke the Physician, who wrote the Gospel bearing his name; and says of Mark that, "he is helpful to me in my ministry." And Mark went on to write the Gospel that bears his name, too. 

God mended that broken relationship between Paul and Mark. And He can also mend our relationships with those with whom we are separated and cut off, our broken relationships. He is so good and great!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Wrestling In Prayer

Colossians 4:12

Epaphras . . . is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

How do we wrestle in prayer? When we cry out to God with tears? When we pray so earnestly and honestly that we weep for those we are praying for? When we spend nights in deep pain in grief for the sorrows we bear for those we care for? 

Please, dear Father, give us the words to give to our dear ones to encourage them to become mature in their psyches and minds and to be united as families. Father, You know how fractured and broken we are, when we agree on almost nothing. Help!

Even so come, Lord Jesus!

Actions And Truth

I John 3:18-20a

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This, then, is how we know that we belong to the Truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

When do our hearts condemn us? When do we feel guilty of wrong when we've done something good? Why would our hearts condemn us when we've loved with actions and truth instead of mere words?

If we have loved with actions and Truth, then that's when we can set our hearts at rest in His presence. If our hearts are condemning us, when we feel guilty, it's either when we've only used words and done nothing, or it's a false guilt in feeling we "haven't done enough." But we can never do "enough" to pay God back for what He's already done for us in the finished work He's accomplished in what Jesus Christ has done through His Cross and Resurrection. He has already done it all for and in us; we are to just work it out in our own daily lives. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

He Loves And Teaches Us

Psalm 119:124

Deal with Your servant according to Your love and teach me Your decrees.

When God teaches us His rules and regulations, it is so we will learn how to love Him and one another. He made this Earth for us, then He made us from it. He set everything in motion to operate smoothly, and wants us to maintain that equilibrium, taking care of the Earth and one another. He loves us so much, that He told us how to live, and how to relate to one another. When we know and follow His commandments and decrees, His ways, then we benefit and He gets the credit. We are blessed and He is glorified. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Blessings Versus Foolishness

Proverbs 13:19

A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.

God is our Creator. He made this Earth specifically for us; He put here everything we need for a full and satisfying life. And He gave us His Word, to tell us how to use this world for our benefit, and how to relate to one another in loving relationships. The Bible calls these Instructions laws, precepts, commandments, decrees, statutes and promises. When we obey these regulations and live our lives in the attitudes of love for one another, the result is that the good we long for is fulfilled, and we experience God's blessings. 

Fools are those who refuse to cooperate with God or trust Him, thinking that they know better. Their pride blinds them to God's ways, so they hate what is good and enjoy perverse and twisted concepts. Then they wonder why their lives are so miserable. They refuse to turn from their evil to the only One who can give them what we all desire: a happy, fulfilled life.

When the World happens on attitudes and ways of life that really work, they may not even realize that these are Scriptural principles, but whether they believe or not, these ways still work, because this is how we're made. How much better for them if they would find God in their searches, and decide to let Him into their minds and hearts. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Inquiring Of The Lord--Every Time

Joshua 5:13-6:21

Before the Battle of Jericho, the Commander of the Lord's Army appeared to Joshua to give him specific instructions. Joshua had the men follow these detailed plans, and they gained the victory.

Then, before each battle, when they inquired of the Lord, they obeyed and won.

But when a different situation arose (in Joshua 9:1-19), they forgot to inquire of the Lord (v. 14) and made a treaty with people who turned out to be their neighbors. So they had to keep their word, and not attack them. So they were aware of the principle of Psalm 15:4b, Who keeps his oath even when it hurts, written by King David many years later.

So I must never forget to pray before opening my mouth, or typing and email, or sending a text--every time!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

God's Promises To Us

II Peter 1:3-4

His Divine power -- Jesus' power.

has given us -- Given to us as a free gift.

everything we need -- Nothing is left out.

for life and godliness -- To live our lives here on Earth with the attitudes and strength of God.

through our knowledge of Him -- The deeper we go in our study of His written Word.

Who called us -- He is the One who sought us and found us and called us by name to Himself.

by His own glory -- Jesus' own shining, authority, credit.

and goodness. -- Right-ness, beauty, accurateness.

Through these -- His glory and goodness.

He has given us -- A free gift, not earned by us.

His very great and precious promises, -- What He has said He would do for us is worth more than all the riches of this world, and more certain to be fulfilled than that the Sun will rise tomorrow morning.

so that through them -- Through His promises.

you may participate -- Take part in, be a part of.

in the Divine nature -- God's own Nature, which He gave us when we were born into His own family, the New Birth, Birth from above.

and escape -- avoid, get away from.

the corruption -- twistedness, decay, rottenness.

in the world -- In this Earth, the World System, human society and government.

caused by -- Resulting from.

evil desires -- What we naturally want: selfish, vengeful, prideful wants to have more earthly possessions, more admiration and worship from other people, more comfort and pleasure to our physical bodies; all against the good and glorious that God wants for us.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Resurrection

I Corinthians 15:1-58 (the whole chapter)

This whole chapter is about Resurrection: Jesus Christ's Resurrection (vs. 1-34), then our own Resurrection (vs. 35-57). How, because Jesus was raised, we will be, too. And about the Resurrection body we will receive at that time, the time of, the last trumpet (v. 52). That's when our perishable body, that is vulnerable to death, will put on the imperishable body, that cannot die; our mortal body will be changed into an immortal body--that's the Day that the prophesy in Isaiah 25:8 and in Hosea 13:14 will come true, that, Death will be swallowed up in victory; O Death, where is your victory? O Sheol, where is your sting?

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory (over death) through our Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 54-57)

Our response to this Truth (v. 58): We are to stand firm. Let nothing in this world's philosophy move us away from this Truth. Then give our lives fully to the furtherance of God's Kingdom, that His will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven, knowing our rewards will be eternal!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Life: Spiritual Versus Carnal

Ephesians 4:17,20-24

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 

You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the Truth that is in Christ Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

This is essential. Paul insists in the Lord, that we, as Christians, no longer live our lives by our own thought processes, and our desires for earthly things and pleasures. These are all of our physical flesh and the thinking in our own minds. Our earthly desires are corrupting us, as food left out becomes rancid, spoiled. Real life is not physical, but spiritual. And God's thoughts of us and His words are also spiritual.

So we are to train ourselves to think His thoughts, instead of our own; to see through His eyes, not our own; to live our lives in His righteousness, not carnality. Put off the old, carnal self, and put on that new self, that God has made for us, spiritual life that is pure, separate from the world, and just right for each of us.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Pangea And The Tower Of Babel

Genesis 10 and 11

This is the genealogical record of the generations of Noah's three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. There are some interesting notes here, on how Nimrod began to build great cities, beginning with Babylon (10:8-12). Then we are told about the tower they built there, in Babylon, on the Plain of Shinar (11:1-9). Several generations later, we are told that Eber named one of his sons Peleg (which means "Division") because, in his time the Earth was divided (10:25). 

So we see that God had told Mankind to spread out over the whole Earth, when all the land was one mass (called "Pangea"). But they decided instead to, make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole Earth (11:4). When God came down to see this city and tower, He was not pleased, so He confused their languages so that they would scatter (10:4). Then in the days of Peleg Pangea broke apart into the separate continents we still have today, evidenced by Continental Drift.

When we read it correctly, putting all the parts together, God's Word makes perfect sense, because it is His Truth for us.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Body Parts

I Corinthians 12:21-22

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.

This whole passage, verses 12 to 30, is about how every body is made up of different parts, as is the body of Christ, which is us. So each church, each congregation, needs to have a diverse mix of Christians who have different gifts, different personalities, different backgrounds, races and nationalities, all having the same worldview, basic beliefs (faith) and love for one another. So every assembly is responsible to welcome every Christian who has the same faith, outlook and love for others, regardless of their race, nationality, background, gifts or personality. 

Dear Father, please work in Your church, teach us to love with Your love; and You will receive all the glory for all You are doing in Your church and in the world.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Fit For Service

Luke 9:61-62

Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

This man wanted to put off following Jesus to party one last time; he wasn't ready to forsake everything else for Him. Jesus' answer to him uses the imagery of the farm: if you start to plow, then turn to look back, the furrow will not be straight. You must look at what you're doing to plow a straight furrow. So if I desire to follow the Lord, I must be willing to "turn my back" on any other relationship or endeavor that would interfere. If I'm still trying to divide my time and attention, then I'd be double-minded, and not succeed at either one. If I have affairs to wrap up, I need to take care of that business before I "put my hand to the plow." Then I'll serve single-heartedly.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Our Maker's Book Of Instructions

Psalm 18:20-24

The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All His laws are before me; I have not turned away from His decrees. I have been blameless before Him and have kept myself from sin. The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

When we buy an appliance or a vehicle, we get with it a book of the "manufacturer's instructions," so we will know how to run it and take care of it for our greatest benefit from it. God is our Maker, and He has given us His "Book of Instructions" which we call the Bible or Scripture. It contains all the rules, commands, precepts, decrees, statutes, laws, promises: His Words to teach us His ways. When we conform our attitudes according to His ways for us, then our lives will show the results, which we call blessed and prosperous.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Old And The New Testaments

Hebrews 3:5

Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 

The Old Testament was given to present God's plan; the people and events recorded there form a picture of what God would accomplish. The New Testament records the fulfillment of all that was presented before. Moses struck the rock in the desert and water poured out to nourish all the people, and Jesus is that Water of Life that He gives us in His Spirit that wells up in us as His fountain. The sacrifices were given to illustrate that Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. 

Every Old Testament story pictures a clear Truth that is revealed in the New Testament. If we ignore any part of it, we diminish the picture of His Plan. If we add to it, we would distort that picture, making it deceptive. His Truth is true!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Power Of Our Words

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death,

God created by speaking. He made us in His image, His likeness. He made us to be like Him. He imagined us, then spoke us into being. We also have imagination, and are creative in building what we have imagined. So our words are also very powerful.

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

We can speak life or death to another. So our thoughts should be in line with the good thoughts God has for us. We can train ourselves in righteousness in allowing positive thoughts to fill our minds. Focus on what good we see in others, not their faults. Remember the goodness of God toward us all and what we focus on will fill our vision, allowing the negative to fade into the background. Then we will live out that great Salvation that He has put inside us.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

He Wrote The Script

Matthew 16:27

For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.

Revelation 11:18

The 7th Trumpet: The time has come for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your Name, both small and great--and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

Revelation 19:11-16

I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True . . . and his Name is the Word of God. The armies of Heaven (saints) were following Him . . . this Name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Everything Jesus does brings glory to God. Everything we do in Christ also brings glory to God. God is the One Who made up the script for everything that exists, so when His plan unfolds in His way, in His time, He gets the credit, the glory for it all.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Strained Relationship

Jeremiah 31:20

"Is not Ephraim my dear son in whom I delight? Although often I speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the Lord.

I have prayed this prayer myself, for my own grown child, with whom I had a strained relationship. 

Since then, my relationship with this child has improved tremendously: God answered my prayer so graciously. When I stepped back and let God work in her heart, and responded to her in the way God would, gently and graciously, then God worked in her heart and thinking processes and mended our relationship. Praise God! He gave me the benefit, and He gets all the glory.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Not Right Away, But Soon

Habakkuk 2:3

These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

Luke 21:9

These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.

We read many exciting, even frightening things that God says will yet happen. But when the time comes for them to come to pass, God will not be late, He will be just in time. Habakkuk knew that God is never in a hurry, and Luke records Jesus' words about the "end times." There are many specific events we can look for to let us know that "the end is near," and we can make ourselves ready for His Glorious Appearing; but we are not to sit and wait, we are to "occupy" until He returns. We need not fear what is to come, as God has promised that His wrath will not come near us, we will only see it happening to the wicked who have refused to turn to God. They will certainly persecute us, as bearers of the Truth, witnesses of what Jesus has accomplished in us, and wants to do for others, too. They will even martyr God's people, as is already happening today, more so than in any other time in history. But God's wrath for us was poured out on Jesus on the Cross, not on us. And we who are left to witness That Day, will meet the Lord in the air, in the clouds, and be changed, glorified as He is glorified by His Resurrection, and then we will ever be with the Lord forever.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Eight Promises For Three Premises

Job 11:13-18

To many of God's promises there are premises, conditions we need to fulfill to claim the promises. Here we have three premises, that if we do these three things, God will promise to do eight things for us. Eight for the three.

Surrender your heart to God -- Premise #1

turn to Him in prayer -- Premise #2

and give up your sins, even those you do in secret. -- Premise #3

Then you won't be ashamed; -- Promise #1

you will be confident and fearless. -- Promise #2

Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, -- Promise #3

and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. -- Promise #4

Then you'll rest safe -- Promise #5

and secure, -- Promise #6

filled with hope -- Promise #7

and emptied of worry! -- Promise #8

No matter how hard we try, we can never out-give God! God never does ask a lot of us, what He asks is very simple. But simple doesn't mean easy. What God asks of us is actually impossible for us to do on our own; we need His Holy Spirit living in us to give us the power to do what He asks. Then He lavishes His love upon us and showers us with His uncountable blessings!

God always gives us everything we need, and much more than we need. He gives out of His unsearchable abundance, very generously. That's just who He is. His desire is for all to come to repentance, to realize our hopeless state before Him, and allow His only Son Jesus, His Christ for us, to pay our eternal debt for us on the Cross. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, when there is no more hope for them. He wants for everybody to turn to Him. But most won't. But to those who are willing and admit to God that they deserve that death, then He puts into them His own Holy Spirit to make their spirit alive, and adds to that all His other blessings, none of which we could ever deserve.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Overcoming Evil With Good

Romans 12:31

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

O my Father, teach us how to overcome evil with Your good. We can bless those who speak against us (v. 14), we can empathize with those who both rejoice and mourn (v. 15), we can endeaver to live in harmony with others, and we can not turn away from those who are considered to be of low position (v.16). But this is just a list; help us to have Your mind, Father, to think Your thoughts, see others as You see them, and do the things they need, not ourselves. Not to justify ourselves, as You have already justified us by the blood of Jesus, but to live in our own lives the righteousness that You have placed in us in Christ.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Man Of Understanding

Proverbs 20:5

The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

O my Father, I pray for all those whose purposes are still buried so deep that they need a "man of understanding" to draw them out. We all have hearts that deceive us, and we think we know why we do the things we do; but if we examine ourselves, we will find that we are still in the dark about our true motives. I question myself, "Why did I say that?" "Why did I do that?" To find a counselor who can ask the right questions of us is a great treasure. When we get to know ourselves, then we can make the correct choices to do and say what God has planned for us to do and say, and accomplish His purposes for us, as part of His plan; and we will reap the benefits, and God will get the glory, the credit for planning it all out and accomplishing it through us.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

May God Clear The Way

I Thessalonians 3:11-13

Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for one another and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.

Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus Christ clear the way for me to come to my dear loved ones this new year. May the Lord make their love increase and overflow for one another and for everyone else in our family, just as mine does for them. May He quicken their spirits with His own Holy Spirit, and strengthen their hearts so that they will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes soon with all His holy ones.  Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Do Not Be Anxious

Philippians 4:5

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

O my dear Father, help me to remember to consult You before I attempt to communicate by text or message or word, especially when it concerns old, unresolved issues. Help me to be content with whatever it is I have left, for I know I don't really need anything that You have not seen fit to provide me at the moment. Remind me of all Your abundant blessings that You have already lavished upon me. 

Keep me always mindful of You and Your ways, the way You love me, and are always so gentle with me. Help me to be increasingly each day more like You.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Good Deeds

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

O my Father, what "good deeds" are we doing, that we need to let others see? Sometimes it seems that I'm not doing much of anything. Open our eyes, Father, to see where others are lacking in light, love and hope, and show us how to be Your hands, Your feet and Your voice to provide them with what they need from us.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

New Year's Resolution For Prosperity

Job 22:21-22; 23:12

Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.

Job's friend Eliphaz gives this advice to him. And Job replies:

I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

Let's begin this year with this determination: Since God is our Creator, our Maker, and He has planned out everything to fulfill His purposes for all He has made; then it just makes sense to read the "Manufacturer's Instructions" and order our lives according to it. Then we, like Job (read the end of the book to see), will benefit with the prosperity that comes to those who are in tune with their surroundings, and we will enjoy life in the goodness of God to us. That will bring a smile to His face toward us, just as a father enjoys the successes of his children he loves. 

So may God bless this new year to you and your family with prosperity; financial, relational and spiritual.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!