Do you ever wonder why you exist? Day-to-day activities and worries pull us in so many directions that most of us seldom think about the goal of life. But our Creator made us with a purpose: to glorify Him (Isa. 43:7).
In His Word, God is emphatic that we are to testify to His faithfulness and His mighty works. Jesus Christ considered this important as well—when teaching His disciples how to communicate with God, He began His well-known prayer with adoration of His Father (Matt. 6:9).
Read: Psalm 103
Bible in a Year: Genesis 7-9; Matthew 3
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. —Psalm 103:2
A recurring difficulty on our journey of life is becoming so focused on what we need at the moment that we forget what we already have. I was reminded of that when our church choir sang a beautiful anthem based on Psalm 103. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (v. 2 nkjv). The Lord is our forgiver, healer, redeemer, provider, satisfier, and renewer (vv. 4-5). How could we forget that? And yet we often do when the events of daily life shift our attention to pressing needs, recurring failures, and circumstances that seem out of control.
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:3).
There can be no right living without right principles.
Imagine someone saying, “I have some extra money lying around. I think I’ll send a large check to the government.” Absurd, isn’t it? But every year, honest wage-earners fill out forms and give part of their income to the government. Why? It’s not because they are generous but because there is a law— a doctrine—that says they have to.
Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – From Doctrine to Duty
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27
God-sized goals are meant to challenge our thinking and further our faith. These Holy Spirit-inspired big ideas are crafted by our Creator to spur us on to good works and transformational living. God-sized goals make us uncomfortable at times. They are not guaranteed to happen, but they position us to pray more and believe in God better.
It is through prayerful planning and implementation that gigantic goals move from mere possibility to a surer probability. Huge objectives are a hedge against mediocrity and a prod toward perfection. God-sized goals are given to govern your thinking and determine your time, so you are intentional and focused on His big picture. Otherwise, you can drift without a rudder of reality, destined for disappointment.
Continue reading Wisdom Hunters, Boyd Bailey – God-Sized Goals
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. —Matthew 5:14
As believers in Christ, we can be bubbling over with life. We can be vibrant, alive, active, energized, peaceful, and joy-filled.
It is our approach to God that determines our attitude and countenance. When we approach God with boldness, thankful for His grace and confident that He loves us and He is for us, we can’t help but be full of life. However, a legalistic, religious approach to God steals life. It does not nourish it. Remember, Paul said, The Law kills, but the Spirit makes alive (2 Corinthians 3:6). When we follow the Spirit, we feel alive.
Let’s face it. Life can be scary.
We watch the news and feel like Chicken Little. The sky always seems to be falling.
We lose sleep over our loved ones, our lost ones, and our little ones.
We worry about the economy, finances, and employment.
We shake and shudder when more medical testing is required or the diagnosis is not favorable.
We are anxious with “what ifs” and “whys.”
“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” (John 10:10).
For me, the Christian life is an exciting, joy-filled adventure. It has been that way through more than 30 years of walking with the Lord. If you are not already experiencing such a life, it can be the same for you today, tomorrow and the rest of your days, no matter what the circumstances.
Jesus promised the full and abundant life for all those who walk in faith and obedience. His “exceeding great and precious promises” include every kind of provision for you – spiritual, emotional, material.
You start by getting to know God – who He is, what He is like and the benefits we enjoy when we belong to Him. Your view of God influences all the rest of your relationships. Scripture says the righteous shall live by faith. Faith must focus on an object, and the object in which we have our faith is God and His inspired Word.
Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Abundant Life for the Asking
Read: John 1:14-18
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:16-18)
Notice the reappearance in verse 17 of the words grace and truth, and the contrast which John draws between them and the Law and Moses. The Law makes demands. It is hard, cold, unyielding, without mercy. The symbol of it today is the IRS — the Tax Man. If we do not give up what the law requires we are subject to penalty: Do this and thou shalt live, says the IRS. John says that the Law was given by Moses. Moses did not originate it, but he gave it. Moses may disappear, but the Law remains — cold, unyielding, demanding, without mercy.
Read: Genesis 2:18-24
That is why a man . . . is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (v. 24 NIV)
I knew two presidents—Nixon and Clinton. I don’t just mean that I knew about them, I actually knew them because I met them personally. I met Richard Nixon when the seminary choir sang at the White House on Mother’s Day. And I met Bill Clinton at a huge banquet in Philadelphia. OK, I admit that my presidential encounters amounted to a hand shake and 10 words. I didn’t know either president nearly as well as I know my wife.
Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Brief Encounter or Long Marriage?
What have you “inherited” from 2015? Maybe it was your greatest year ever. Perhaps it was a nightmare you’d rather never repeat. Either way, now is a good time to reflect upon your experiences – good and bad – so that you can learn from them. Notes author John Maxwell: “Experience is not the best teacher. Evaluated experience is the best teacher. Reflective thinking is needed to turn experience into insight. We draw lessons from the past only when we study it.”
The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.
Proverbs 3:35
In this presidential election year, you will hear endless discussion of the various candidates’ experience. Why? Because Americans want a Chief Executive who has a record of success – someone who has been an effective leader regardless of the circumstances.
Continue reading Presidential Prayer Team; J.R.- Experience Count
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Have you ever broken something like your mom’s good china or a special glass? Glass is fragile; it is easily broken. It’s the same way with trust. Trust in a friend can easily be broken. One of the quickest ways to lose a person’s trust is by lying. If a person lies to you, you never know when to believe him.
Lies are told in several different ways: telling a half-truth, sharing a story in a way that makes you look better than what actually happened, being one way with one person and another way with somebody else, or allowing a lie or rumor to continue when you know that it is not true. No matter what form it takes, a lie is a sin.
Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is a God of Truth
Today’s Scripture: Nahum 1:6
“His wrath is poured out like fire.”
Many people think that God can just forgive our sins because he’s loving. Nothing could be further from the truth. The cross speaks to us not only about our sin but about God’s holiness.
We usually think of God’s holiness as his infinite moral purity, but there’s more to it than that. The basic meaning of the word holy is “separate,” and when used of God it means, among other things, that he’s eternally separate from any degree of sin. He does not sin himself, and he cannot abide or condone sin in his moral creatures.
Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 6:8-23
Don’t be afraid… Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. – 2 Kings 6:16
Most nations of the world have some sort of standing army–men and women whose sworn duty it is to defend the land against enemies. They stand ready to carry out the orders of the commander in chief.
The kingdom of God also has a commander in chief, and a huge standing army as well. God is the commander. He is called the Lord of hosts, and He has at His command a host of angels standing ready in battle array to carry out His orders. Angels are more than messengers of God, they are also the army of God, committed to win the battles of God.
Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – God’s Army
Read Luke 1:5-25
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21
A Ugandan pastor tells the story of the day his father kicked him out of the house. The young man had grown restless and disrespectful, thinking he knew better than his father. His father told him to leave the family home and directed him to a hut at the edge of his property. He provided his son with enough goats to start his own herd. At the time, being forced from the family home felt like a punishment, but later the son was able to see how his father’s gracious provision allowed him to mature and to learn how to be a man.
God’s treatment of Adam and Eve following their rebellion was a severe but fitting punishment. Because they had not cooperated with God’s rulership, the woman’s body wouldn’t cooperate with her attempts to bear children; the ground would not cooperate with the man’s attempts to bear fruit. Even their relationship would be defined by tension and frustration (v. 16). Their lives would become a constant struggle against death, reminding them of the dust from which they were made and the low position to which they would return.
Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – Shame Provided For
DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION 