Joshua 1:8-9
Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God is our Maker, and His Book of the Law, the Bible, is His Manufacturer's Instructions. He wants all of us to know what He has written there, to read it continually, and to think about it day and night, all the time. We are to consider His ways in every choice we make every day, every decision we make in our lives. That's how we will be able to be successful in our lives, and in our relationships with one another.
Then God will be with us to show us the right way to go, even when it is not the World's way. He will enable us to be bold and courageous to buck the tide and do what is right, even in the face of opposition and discouragement. We need to keep on keeping on, to accomplish everything God has planned for each of us to do. He will strengthen us and keep us faithful to Him when we continually soak in His Word every day.
And God will receive all the credit, all the honor and glory, for all the good that will be accomplished toward His own Kingdom rule, in our hearts now and in the World when Jesus returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Free From All Blame
I Corinthians 1:8
He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
O my Father, I thank You for Who You are, for being my great and omnipotent and magnificent and faithful God of all the Universe. I praise You for Your strength and Your goodness and Your beauty. Thank You for Your promise to keep me strong in You until the very Day our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
I know I have no strength in myself, in my flesh. The only strength I have is from You by Your own Holy Spirit. I thank You and praise You for giving to me Your Spirit of Truth and Righteousness so that I can be truthful and righteous. Only in You can I claim or experience any goodness. Help me to do my part to cooperate with You in bringing righteousness to my little part of the World, and may each of us as Your church rise up to do our parts to bring Your righteousness and peace back to this Nation You once made great, before the end comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
O my Father, I thank You for Who You are, for being my great and omnipotent and magnificent and faithful God of all the Universe. I praise You for Your strength and Your goodness and Your beauty. Thank You for Your promise to keep me strong in You until the very Day our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
I know I have no strength in myself, in my flesh. The only strength I have is from You by Your own Holy Spirit. I thank You and praise You for giving to me Your Spirit of Truth and Righteousness so that I can be truthful and righteous. Only in You can I claim or experience any goodness. Help me to do my part to cooperate with You in bringing righteousness to my little part of the World, and may each of us as Your church rise up to do our parts to bring Your righteousness and peace back to this Nation You once made great, before the end comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, February 24, 2017
Our Responsibility
II Chronicles 34:33
So King Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
This shows how the ruler of the nation can influence the people under his authority. This king was a "good" king, who knew God as the only God, and he promoted worship of the only One Who deserves adoration. And while he was still king over them, the people never did turn away from doing right, which brought peace to the land.
There are also plenty of examples of "bad" kings over Israel, who led the people into horrible, degrading acts of paganism; and that brought on wars, unrest, and even captivity.
We, as the citizens of our Nation, need to open our eyes and ears to understand how our daily lives and attitudes reflect either our good God or our detestable enemy. And we need to observe those who seek to rule over us, to examine their characters, in order to cooperate with God to elect righteous men and women over us to lead us aright, into the right, good ways of the Lord we call our God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
So King Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
This shows how the ruler of the nation can influence the people under his authority. This king was a "good" king, who knew God as the only God, and he promoted worship of the only One Who deserves adoration. And while he was still king over them, the people never did turn away from doing right, which brought peace to the land.
There are also plenty of examples of "bad" kings over Israel, who led the people into horrible, degrading acts of paganism; and that brought on wars, unrest, and even captivity.
We, as the citizens of our Nation, need to open our eyes and ears to understand how our daily lives and attitudes reflect either our good God or our detestable enemy. And we need to observe those who seek to rule over us, to examine their characters, in order to cooperate with God to elect righteous men and women over us to lead us aright, into the right, good ways of the Lord we call our God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, February 23, 2017
From Rebellion To Humility
II Chronicles 33:12-13
But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!
Manasseh's whole life was one of rebellion against the Lord as he ran after all the gods of the land, until he was taken prisoner to a foreign land with a ring in his nose, like a cow.
But in his distress and helplessness, he did seek and humbled himself before the Lord, the God over all the Earth. And when God brought Manasseh back, then he realized that the Lord really is the only God. He went on to remove all the pagan shrines he had built, and tried to lead the people back to God, too. So his end was much better than his beginning.
No matter how far we stray and run from God, He can bring us back, if we but humble ourselves before Him. And He can bring about the impossible.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!
Manasseh's whole life was one of rebellion against the Lord as he ran after all the gods of the land, until he was taken prisoner to a foreign land with a ring in his nose, like a cow.
But in his distress and helplessness, he did seek and humbled himself before the Lord, the God over all the Earth. And when God brought Manasseh back, then he realized that the Lord really is the only God. He went on to remove all the pagan shrines he had built, and tried to lead the people back to God, too. So his end was much better than his beginning.
No matter how far we stray and run from God, He can bring us back, if we but humble ourselves before Him. And He can bring about the impossible.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Hezekiah And Asa, Our Examples
II Chronicles 31:21
King Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
O my father, I thank You for giving us King Hezekiah's story, and telling us all about King Asa, and all the other accounts of Your people as examples for us to follow. Help us as a people to follow their example of seeking You with our whole heart, not being double-minded, but seeking Your Face in all that we do.
You set up and throw down our leaders, the "kings" of our nations. I believe that You have given us a Christian President now as Your Hezekiah or Your Asa, to lead us back into Your ways. Strengthen him and protect him from the enemy's attacks.
Continue to wake up Your church in America from our deep sleep; awaken us to the realization of how far we have fallen, how deep is the pit we have tumbled into down that slippery slope of the enemy's lies.
Father, I pray that You would return us to Your righteous ways. Rain down Your righteousness upon us all, as floods have deluged areas of the world, may Your righteousness soak us through, to cast down all the idols and pagan altars that have brought us shame. Forgive us, Father, and heal our land.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
King Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
O my father, I thank You for giving us King Hezekiah's story, and telling us all about King Asa, and all the other accounts of Your people as examples for us to follow. Help us as a people to follow their example of seeking You with our whole heart, not being double-minded, but seeking Your Face in all that we do.
You set up and throw down our leaders, the "kings" of our nations. I believe that You have given us a Christian President now as Your Hezekiah or Your Asa, to lead us back into Your ways. Strengthen him and protect him from the enemy's attacks.
Continue to wake up Your church in America from our deep sleep; awaken us to the realization of how far we have fallen, how deep is the pit we have tumbled into down that slippery slope of the enemy's lies.
Father, I pray that You would return us to Your righteous ways. Rain down Your righteousness upon us all, as floods have deluged areas of the world, may Your righteousness soak us through, to cast down all the idols and pagan altars that have brought us shame. Forgive us, Father, and heal our land.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Ears And Eyes
Proverbs 20:12
Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the Lord.
I pray that God would open our ears that we may hear, and open our eyes that we may see. That we may hear and see and perceive and understand what we are hearing and seeing in the light of God's Word and His ways, and how He is working in our lives and in the lives of others around us. May we do only what He deems helpful and necessary; that we not interfere in how He is dealing with His servants.
And I pray that God would cover us with His peace, that we need not worry or concern ourselves with what appears contrary, but trust in God to work His own will in our minds and hearts and lives according to His own plans for each of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the Lord.
I pray that God would open our ears that we may hear, and open our eyes that we may see. That we may hear and see and perceive and understand what we are hearing and seeing in the light of God's Word and His ways, and how He is working in our lives and in the lives of others around us. May we do only what He deems helpful and necessary; that we not interfere in how He is dealing with His servants.
And I pray that God would cover us with His peace, that we need not worry or concern ourselves with what appears contrary, but trust in God to work His own will in our minds and hearts and lives according to His own plans for each of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, February 20, 2017
Time Is Running Out
Romans 13:11-12
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the Day of Salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
Jesus is coming soon! Time is running out! It's time we all wake up from our complacency and get busy seeking God's face and His ways in our lives. We are responsible for all of our choices each day, from the smallest detail to the most momentous decisions.
Our Salvation here refers to the complete Redemption of our bodies into our glorious resurrection bodies that are like Jesus' Resurrection Body, that glows as bright as the Sun, at His coming again. And never before in history have all the signs of His coming been present all at the same time, as it is today.
So let us quit that bad habit, apologize to that person, or do that thing we have been put off doing. Let's not waste any of the precious moments of the few days left allotted to each of us until Jesus' Glorious Appearing. May our Lord strengthen us to do the good works our hands find to do and accomplish, starting with the little things of each day that will build into the larger things of our life's purpose.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the Day of Salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
Jesus is coming soon! Time is running out! It's time we all wake up from our complacency and get busy seeking God's face and His ways in our lives. We are responsible for all of our choices each day, from the smallest detail to the most momentous decisions.
Our Salvation here refers to the complete Redemption of our bodies into our glorious resurrection bodies that are like Jesus' Resurrection Body, that glows as bright as the Sun, at His coming again. And never before in history have all the signs of His coming been present all at the same time, as it is today.
So let us quit that bad habit, apologize to that person, or do that thing we have been put off doing. Let's not waste any of the precious moments of the few days left allotted to each of us until Jesus' Glorious Appearing. May our Lord strengthen us to do the good works our hands find to do and accomplish, starting with the little things of each day that will build into the larger things of our life's purpose.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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