Friday, February 19, 2010

Moving Day!

The Stillness blog has moved to a new location. Everything will stay that same but the address. Click here to check out the new Stillness Blog.

Krista Jones

Is Your Ability to See God Blinded?

"Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things . . ." Isaiah 40:26

The people of God in Isaiah’s time had blinded their minds’ ability to see God by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look up at the heavens; that is, he made them begin to use their power to think and to visualize correctly. If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature and will realize that it is holy and sacred. We will see God reaching out to us in every wind that blows, every sunrise and sunset, every cloud in the sky, every flower that blooms, and every leaf that fades, if we will only begin to use our blinded thinking to visualize it.

The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant should be, or maybe your experience of salvation and sanctification? If so, then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don’t look back on your own experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else that has been blinding your thinking. Wake up and accept the ridicule that Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to God.

One of the reasons for our sense of futility in prayer is that we have lost our power to visualize. We can no longer even imagine putting ourselves deliberately before God. It is actually more important to be broken bread and poured-out wine in the area of intercession than in our personal contact with others. The power of visualization is what God gives a saint so that he can go beyond himself and be firmly placed into relationships he never before experienced.

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Highest"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Rich Toward God

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34

I watch the fluctuations of the stock market and reflect on the effects of fear and greed. A character in a 1980s movie had this philosophy: “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right! Greed works! . . . Greed [will] save . . . the USA!” What foolish thinking!

I think of that occasion when a man asked Jesus to serve as an arbiter and make his brother share their inheritance. Jesus refused the request but went on to do the man a greater kindness. He pointed out the motive behind the man’s request and its consequences: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

Then Jesus told a parable about a man who harvested a bumper crop and began to make plans to increase and enjoy his riches. He concluded: “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (vv.20-21).

The trouble with greed is that ultimately our goods go. But worse—we go. Better to store up treasure in heaven, invest in spiritual riches, and become “rich toward God.” — David H. Roper

The treasures of earth do not last,
But God has prepared us a place
Where someday with Him we will dwell,
Enjoying the riches of grace. —Branon

Our real wealth is what we invest for eternity.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Out of a Stump

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." Isaiah 11:1

Some of my midlife suffering came from tensions within my marriage. While (my husband) Sandy and I were away for a weekend at a lakeside cabin, the internal wrestling became intense. The pull to autonomy verses the pull to intimacy. Growth verses fallowness. Old wounds verses new healing. Freedom verses commitment. Choosing verses settling for. Leveling verses starting over. Hope verses despair. They were all there.

Early one morning we took a walk, moving through the shadows and listening to the crunch of pine cones beneath our shoes. The path wound uphill, getting steeper. I couldn't help but think how appropriate that was Marriage has its own steep hills.

On the pinnacle of the hill, I paused to catch my breath. Sandy wondered ahead, "Look!" he called. Standing twenty yards ahead he was pointing to a scarred tree stump. "Come closer."

I came closer. And there, growing in the center of the stump, was the green shoot of a new oak tree.

I don't know how long we stood side by side gazing at the new tree "hatching" from the old stump. All I know is that it seemed to me God was speaking eloquently once again and rebirth . . . a simple message about how life comes out of death and healing comes out of scars and wounds. The message said that rebuilding can happen after leaving. It said that hope is bigger than despair.

I looked at Sandy. Could we heal the wounds?

As we continued on the trail in the woods, I reached a "combustion point." I felt a firming inside me of the truth, as if the knowing had begun to congeal in my soul. And not just the knowing but the desire to unfold it, the strength to follow it. A little act of creation happened right then. A little birth. An "eastering."

I slipped my hand into Sandy's. "I love you," I whispered. It was the firs time in so long that I had said the words.

I felt his fingers tighten around mine. "I know. I love you too," he said.

By Sue Monk Kidd, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 1"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Going Higher

"For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo. O Lord, thou knowest in altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it." Psalm 139:4-6

Sometime ago I had the unique experience of conducting a Deeper Life Conference with teenagers at Mound Keswick in Minnesota. Each young person was already a believer in Jesus Christ. We were all there to go deeper. Or higher, as my dear friend, Dr. Walter Wilson, once corrected me.

In going "higher" we went deeply into the fact that only God, through the Holy Spirit, can re-form our unconscious depths. We spoke of the shadows and darkness and filth lurking there. And one young lady stopped listening at that point and came to me later trembling with fear at what might be in her subconscious!

She had shut her ears just when the glory part came.

Without the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in our depths, there is reason for panic. Psychiatry can bring up the twisted ugliness and just bringing it up "for air" relieves some tension and lessons the immediate danger. But the best psychiatry can do is to leave the complexes and neuroses there squirming on the table. Only the blood of Jesus Christ redeems. And there are no depths too dark nor too far down for His blood to cleanse.

These depths are unfathomable to the human mind. But not to God. He is there right now working in the depths of you and here working in the depths of me.

What a glorious relief! I can just go on. By faith.

By Eugenia Price, taken from "Share My Pleasant Stones"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, February 15, 2010

Good Habits

"So let us go on to grown-up teaching. Let us not go back over the beginning lessons we learned about Christ." Hebrews 6:1

I like the story of the little boy who fell out of bed. When his Mom asked him what happened, he answered, "I don't know, I guess I stayed too close to where I got in."

Easy to do the same with our faith. It's tempting just to stay where we got in and never move.

Pick a time in the not-too-distant past. A year or two ago. Now ask yourself a few questions. How does your prayer life today compare with then? How about your giving? Have both the amount and the joy increased? What about your church loyalty? Can you tell you've grown? And Bible study? Are you learning to learn? . . .
Don't make the mistake of the little boy. Don't stay too close to where you go tin. It's risky resting on the edge.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Sunday, February 14, 2010

People in Community

"How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!" Psalm 133:1 - The Message

The psalm puts into song what is said and demonstrated throughout Scripture and church: community is essential. Scripture knows nothing of the solitary Christian. People of faith are always members of a community. Creation itself was not complete until there was community, Adam needing Eve before humanity was whole. God never works with individuals in isolation, but always with people in community.

By Eugene Peterson, taken from "God's Message For Each Day."

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The God-Approved Man

"Regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 1:3-4

The argument of the apostles is that the man Jesus has been made higher than angels, higher than Moses and Aaron, higher than any creature in earth or heaven. And this exalted position He attained as a man. As God He already stood infinitely above all other beings. No argument was needed to prove the transcendence of the Godhead. The apostles were not declaring the preeminence of God, which would have been superfluous, but of a man, which was necessary.

Those first Christians believed that Jesus of Nazareth, a man they knew, had been raised to a position of Lordship over the universe. He was still their friend, still one of them, but had left them for a while to appear in the presence of God on their behalf. And the proof of this was the presence of the Holy Spirit among them.

One cause of our moral weakness today is an inadequate Christology. We think of Christ as God but fail to conceive of Him as a man glorified. To recapture the power of the Early Church we must believe what they believed. And they believed they had a God-approved man representing them in heaven.

Thought: The Risen Christ has not thrown aside His humanity. He is now the God Man and so intercedes for us. Our intercessor was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He fully understand our weakness.

By A.W. Tozer taken from "The Warfare of the Spirit"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, February 12, 2010

Becoming the "Filth of the World"

"We have been made as the filth of the world . . ." 1 Corinthians 4:13

These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or "filth of the world." "Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . ." ( Colossians 1:24 ) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration-being "separated to the gospel of God . . ." ( Romans 1:1 ).

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you . . ." (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, "I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend." And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the "skin of your teeth" if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is "separated to the gospel . . . ." Or you can say, "I don’t care if I am treated like ’the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed." A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but "to reveal His Son in me. . ." (Galatians 1:16 ).

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Highest"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, February 11, 2010

What Will I Do?

"Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22

A man who has been my mentor and friend for many years often says that his goal in studying the Bible is always personal application. I appreciate his emphasis on putting learning into practice, because it’s too easy for those of us who study, discuss, teach, and write about the Bible to take a merely intellectual approach to the Word.

Oswald Chambers said: “There is a danger with the children of God of getting too familiar with sublime things. We talk so much about these wonderful realities, and forget that we have to exhibit them in our lives. It is perilously possible to mistake the exposition of the truth for the truth; to run away with the idea that because we are able to expound these things, we are living them too.”

James reminds us that the person “who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (1:25). The key issue is not what is preached or written, but what is done.

When I study God’s Word, my first question should not be, “What am I going to say about this?” but “What am I going to do about this?” — David C. McCasland

We take delight to teach God’s Word,
We say, “Amen, it’s true!”
But it’s of little use to us
Unless His will we do. —D. De Haan

One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it. —Chambers

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Think Heaven

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:2

When I lose my cell phone, I will get another phone and dial my number in an attempt to find it, hoping it is not on mute. Then when I hear it ringing somewhere, I will go on a search to find it. It is a single-minded, active, and diligent investigation. That is what the apostle Paul was speaking of when he wrote, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2). That is how we should be looking at heaven.

Another way to translate this verse is, "Think heaven." In the original language, the verb is in the present tense, which could be translated, "Keep seeking heaven." So to put it all together, the apostle Paul was saying, "Constantly keep seeking and thinking about heaven."

So how can we be thinking about heaven? What is our point of reference? The problem is that we have a caricatured version of heaven in mind. We are not going to sit around on fluffy, white clouds, spending eternity in boredom. The Bible has a lot to specifically say about heaven.

That is why, when people write books about their alleged experiences of dying and going to heaven and returning to earth, it takes me to the pages of Scripture. It is not true if it contradicts Scripture. I know that I need a better source, a more authoritative source on heaven. I turn to Scripture so that I can know how to think when I think about heaven.

Even though our feet must be on earth, our minds should be in heaven. Yet many of us will go through a day, even a week, without a single thought of heaven. As Warren Wiersbe said, "For the Christian, heaven isn't a simply a destination; it's a motivation."

By Greg Laurie, taken from "Harvest Daily Devotional"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

He Freely Gives

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

If this is not a promise in form, it is in fact. Indeed, it is more than one promise, it is a conglomerate of promises. It is a mass of rubies, and emeralds, and diamonds, with a nugget of gold for their setting. It is a question which can never be answered so as to cause us any anxiety of heart. What can the LORD deny us after giving us Jesus? If we need all things in heaven and earth, He will grant them to us: for if there had been a limit anywhere, He would have kept back His own Son.

What do I want today? I have only to ask for it. I may seek earnestly, but not as if I had to use pressure and extort an unwilling gift from the LORD's hand; for He will give freely. Of His own He gave us His own Son. Certainly no one would have proposed such a gift to Him. No one would have ventured to ask for it. It would have been too presumptuous. He freely gave His Only-begotten, and, O my soul, canst thou not trust thy heavenly Father to give thee anything, to give thee everything? Thy poor prayer would have no force with Omnipotence if force were needed; but His love, like a spring, rises of itself and overflows for the supply of all thy needs.

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, February 08, 2010

Being Chosen

"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'" At once they left their nets and followed him (Matt 4:19-20).

Do you recall how good it felt when you were chosen to be on a team? It makes one feel special to be preferred over another.

During the time of Jesus rabbis' were well known in their community. Each rabbi had a following of students. Jesus was developing as a "superstar" rabbi. He was unlike the others. He did things differently. He often confronted the accepted thinking of other rabbis and Pharisees. The younger men had great respect for Jesus, the rabbi. To be selected by Jesus would be a great honor because most rabbis would usually select only the cream of the crop in the community as their disciples. By these standards, Peter and the other disciples would not have qualified. But Jesus had a purpose in mind for Peter and the disciples.

God is the one who calls people into relationship with Himself and to their calling in life. It is for His purposes, not ours. Jesus chose each of his disciples from the workplace instead of the rabbinical schools. They did not choose Jesus, Jesus chose them and it was deemed a great honor in their culture to be chosen by such a rabbi (Jn 15:16).

Jesus called you into relationship with Himself because His desire is for you to be a faithful priest in your work life, family, and city. "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind." (1 Samuel 2:35). He desires that you be a willing participant in his agenda. He has not called you for your purposes, but His.

Sometimes we think it's all about us. It has to be all about Him in order for us to fulfill what is in His heart and mind for His overall plan for His Kingdom. He doesn't need us, but He has chosen to use us.

God has an agenda for planet earth. He has chosen you and me as the primary instrument for accomplishing His plan. Are you willing to be his faithful priest and king to do what is in His heart and mind? Why not say "yes" to His agenda.

By Os Hillman, taken from "Today God is First"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Quiet Time With God

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters." Psalm 23:2

The word connected captures our contemporary experience of life. Many people rarely go anywhere without a cell phone, iPod, laptop, or pager. We have become accessible 24 hours a day. Some psychologists see this craving to stay connected as an addiction. Yet a growing number of people are deliberately limiting their use of technology. Being a “tech-no” is their way of preserving times of quiet, while limiting the flow of information into their lives.

Many followers of Christ find that a daily time of Bible reading and prayer is essential in their walk of faith. This “quiet time” is a disconnection from external distractions in order to connect with God. The “green pastures” and “still waters” of Psalm 23:2 are more than an idyllic country scene. They speak of our communion with God whereby He restores our souls and leads us in His paths (v.3).

All of us can make time to meet with God, but do we? In Robert Foster’s booklet “7 Minutes With God,” he suggests a way to begin: Start with a brief prayer for guidance, then read the Bible for a few minutes, and close with a short time of prayer that includes adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication for others. It’s vital to take time today to connect with the Lord, who is our life. — David C. McCasland

We need to set aside the time
To read God’s Word and pray,
And listen for the Spirit’s voice
To guide us in His way. —Sper

Time spent with God is time well spent.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Limiting Christ's Lordship

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not what I say?" Luke 6:46

One of the most incredible phenomena in the world today is the immense and universal popularity of Jesus Christ.

Yet the teachings of Christ are wholly contrary to the beliefs of the modern world. The spiritual philosophy underlying the kingdom of God is radically opposed to that of civilized society. In short, the Christ of the New Testament and the world of mankind are so sharply opposed to each other as to amount to downright hostility. To achieve a compromise is impossible.

We can only conclude that Jesus is universally popular today because He is universally misunderstood.

Everyone admires Jesus, but almost no one takes Him seriously. He is considered a kindly idealist who loved babies and underprivileged persons. He is pictured as a gentle dreamer who was naïve enough to believe in human goodness and brave enough to die for His belief. The world thinks of Him as meek, selfless and loving, and values Him because He was what we all are at heart, or would be if things were not so tough and we had more time to cultivate our virtues. Or He is a sweet, holy symbol of something too fine, too beautiful, to be real, but something which we would not lose nevertheless from our treasure house of precious things.

Because the human mind has two compartments, the practical and the ideal, people are able to live comfortably with their dreamy, romantic conception of Jesus while paying no attention whatsoever to His words. It is this neat division between the fanciful and the real that enables countless thousands of persons to say "Lord, Lord" in all sincerity while living every moment in flat defiance of His authority.

Thought: Christ is only our Lord as we submit to His lordship. That means making Christ Lord of all areas of our life. Are we attempting to limit His lordship in our lives?

By A.W. Tozer, taken from "The Warfare of the Spirit"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, February 05, 2010

Lessons from Daniel

I love Daniel. He was a man who followed God no matter what it cost him. We know that Daniel was born into a family of Judean nobility during Josiah's reign. We know that he and his friends were among the first young Jewish hostages taken into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. We know that three years of his youth he was trained in the wisdom of the Chaldeans and was given a new name, Belteshazzar.

Interesting facts: Daniel's name means, "God is (my) Judge." Belteschaar (a pagan deity) means, "Protect his life!" Now if I were Daniel I would a) not be happy to be taken away from my home and family and be forced to live under a pagan lifestyle. A lifestyle that forced me to learn things that really were worthless; and b) I would also balk at having my name changed to a pagan god's name. But, of course, I'm far from being a Daniel as he took things in stride understanding that God was with him. Daniel chose to make the best of his situation, go with the flow and trust that God would provide for his every need. Even the pagan god's name that was given to him indicates that God was protecting him as it means, "Protect his life!".

In Chapter 1 we read the account of Daniel and his friends being taken into Babylon and start their training. "Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king's court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans." (Daniel 1:3-4)

From the get-go we see that Daniel is very concerned about his faith and keeping God's commandments. He saw that choice food that was being served to them was contaminated because the first portion of it was offered to idols, the wine poured out on a pagan alter and ceremonially unclean animals were used not being properly prepared and slaughtered according to the law. "But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself." (Daniel 1:8)

He took a chance and made a proposition to the commander and asked if he and his friends could only have water and vegetables to eat instead of the choice food. Gutsy! And yet, because he was obeying God's commandments God protected him and caused him to find favor in the commander's eyes. And by the end of the chapter we know that Daniel and his friends were far more healthier, stronger and wiser then those who feasted on the choice food and wine. Because of this they were elevated into the king's service. "Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered into the king's personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm." (Daniel 1:18-20)

In Chapter 2 we see that the king has an undisclosed disturbing dream that no one can interpret. And because of this the king orders that if they could not help him that he would destroy them and their families. Again, we see that God continues to protect Daniel and his friends because they are lumped in with the others. Here, unlike Daniel, I would get my panties in a bunch and be annoyed that I was being lumped in with people I was nothing like. But thankfully, again, Daniel is far from who I am and he kept his cool trusting that God would continue to protect him. As he comes before the king he knows that he alone cannot interpret the dream but only through God's guidance can he do so. What does he do? Goes directly to God in prayer, "Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." (Daniel 2:17-18).

I love the next few verses, "Daniel said, 'Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give you thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and power; even now You have made known to me what we requested of you, for You have made known to us the king's matter.'" (Daniel 2:20-23). Here Daniel is giving glory where glory is due. He takes nothing on himself but give all to God and makes it known to the king where the interpretation of the dream is really coming from - God and not he.

Lessons from Daniel - Always keep God in the front of you no matter what the circumstances. When difficulties arise run directly to God and submit all to Him in prayer. This requires lots of patience, understanding, trust and faith.

Krista Jones
9.15.08

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Opposing God's Leadership

"The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them" (Num 12:9)

Beware of trying to depose a leader that God has raised in your midst. Leaders are placed by God in business, government, churches - almost every place where leaders are required. When God places a person in position of authority, it is a grievous sin to go against that leadership. God Himself opposes those who come against His leadership.

God's leaders are not perfect. They make mistakes. That is why following a leader can require a faith that goes beyond faith in the leader. Our faith lies in the God who elevated the leader to his or her position.

Miriam and Aaron, the older brother and sister of Moses, had a family dispute about Moses' wife, who was an Ethiopian and Cushite. She most likely was a black woman. We do not know the nature of the dispute, but it was a typical family conflict.

However, the family conflict began to impact God's agenda for a nation. They were now meddling in God's business. And He did not like that in the least. God literally brought Aaron and Miriam into the switching house. He judged both Miriam and Aaron for their rebellion against His ordained leader. "Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Num 12:8).

Miriam was stricken with leprosy and had it not been for Moses' appeal on her behalf, she would have been cast out for good. God gave her a second chance but it required being cast away from the camp for seven days. Miriam and Aaron repented for their rebellion.
If you struggle with a leader that God has over you, pray for that leader. If God wants to remove that leader, He can do it. Think twice about conspiring to remove a leader whom God has not chosen to remove yet.

By Os Hillman, taken from "Today God Is First"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

We Are Becoming

"When the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled." I Cornithians 13:10 (The Message)

Not one of us, at this moment, is complete. In another hour, another day, we will have changed. We are in process of becoming either less or more. There are a million chemical and electrical interchanges going on in each of us this very moment. There are intricate moral decisions and spiritual transactions taking place. What are we becoming. Less or more?

By Eugene H. Peterson, taken from "God's Message for Each Day"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

He knows our thoughts

"You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know thoroughly everything I do." Psalm 139:3

Perhaps the reason that God doesn't always give us the answer to the whys of our existence is that He knows we haven't got the capacity to understand the answer. In learning to depend on God, we must accept that we may not know all the answers, but we know who knows the answers.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, February 01, 2010

February's Memory Verse

Romans 8:28

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28 (New American Standard Bible)

Last Month's Memory Verse:

John 3:16

Remember the key is to review review review. Always review the verses you've already memorized along with learning this month's verse.

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Redirected

"The Lord was with Joseph." Genesis 39:2

At the age of 16, pianist Leon Fleisher made his formal debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He went on to win prestigious international competitions and played in the world’s finest concert halls. But at the age of 37, Fleisher was struck with dystonia, a neurological condition that crippled his right hand. After a period of despondency and withdrawal, he turned to teaching and conducting, because, as he said, he loved music more than he loved the piano.

When our dreams are shattered, how do we react? After Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold as a slave by his brothers (Gen. 37:12-36), he could have given in to self-pity and self-indulgence. Instead, Joseph remained true to the Lord. Four times in Genesis 39, we read that “the Lord was with” Joseph (vv.2-3,21,23), and his actions revealed his own faithfulness to God. By his exemplary life, those he served in Egypt recognized God’s presence with him.

Do we love God more than our own dreams? Although Joseph must have grieved the loss of his past and what his life could have been, the Lord led him to a calling he had never imagined. Today, the Lord longs to lead us. Are we willing to be redirected by Him? — David C. McCasland

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away;
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way. —Overton

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, January 30, 2010

His Work, His Way

"So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law" (Mal 2:9).

My work, My way - When you and I live in this world without Christ we live a life just as Esau lived his life. Esau despised his birthright and failed to enter into a relationship with God that allowed him to fulfill his destiny. In essence, Esau fulfilled his work, his way. His life represented the carnal life of the flesh.

His work, my way - When you and I become born-again by the Spirit of God, we begin to focus our attention on living for Christ. We realize it is His work we are doing but it takes time before we learn what it means to do His work, His way.

My work, His way - As the Holy Spirit does His work in us, we learn to walk with God. We learn what it means to see our work as His work and we desire to do it His way. The Israelites were guilty of not knowing His ways and were unable to move into the Promised Land because of not understanding how to do Their work, His ways.

His work, His way - When we begin to walk with God we begin to realize that all that we do is His work and He calls us to do it His way. When we begin to walk with God in this manner we begin to see the Kingdom of God manifested in our working lives. We begin to experience His power and learn what it means to do His work, His way.

In order to experience God in this way, each of us must give our working lives to the Lord and ask him to teach us His way. Moses asked God: "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you" (Ex 33:12). Moses realized He needed God to teach him His ways in order for him to prosper in His relationship with God.

What best describes your life today? Your work, your way; Your work, His way; His work, your way; or His work, His way? Pray that you learn to do His work, His way.

By Os Hillman, taken from "Today God is First"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, January 29, 2010

The Overcomer

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree Of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).

No man may turn his back in the day of battle or refuse to go to the holy war. We must fight if we would reign, and we must carry on the warfare till we overcome every enemy, or else this promise is not for us, since it is only for "him that overcometh." We are to overcome the false prophets who have come into the world and all the evils which accompany their teaching. We are to overcome our own faintness of heart and tendency to decline from our first love. Read the whole of the Spirit's word to the church at Ephesus.

If by grace we win the day, as we shall if we truly follow our conquering Leader, then we shall be admitted to the very center of the paradise of God and shall be permitted to pass by the cherub and his flaming sword and come to that guarded tree, whereof if a man eat, he shall live forever. We shall thus escape that endless death which is the doom of sin and gain that everlasting life which is the seal of innocence, the outgrowth of immortal principles of Godlike holiness. Come, my heart, pluck up courage! To flee the conflict will be to lose the joys of the new and better Eden; to fight unto victory is to walk with God in paradise.

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Power of a Word

Proverbs 12:18 gives us some valuable advice,

"There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health."

Did you ever know someone who is good at making cutting remarks? They spoke like the piercings of a sword?

Over twenty years ago I was at the house of some friends. We were all just kind of hanging out and I made a comment to one of the brothers in the family. It was a clever little comment and was basically meant to take a jab at him.

A couple of the family members heard it and snickered and said, "Oh, way to go, Bayless! You got him!" But as soon as I said it, his countenance fell, and my heart just sank. While I looked for an opportunity to apologize to him that night, I didn't do it because he ended up leaving early.

I've regretted that comment ever since. I repented, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed me from that sin. But you know what? Those words were out, and I couldn't get them back.

Shortly after that night, he went feet first into a very destructive lifestyle involving his sexuality. I have to think that quite possibly my words pushed him away from God. It may have been that little jab of the sword that pushed him off the edge.

The New Testament says in Ephesians 4:29, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but only that which is good for edification or for building up that it may minister grace to the hearers.

Are your words ministering grace to those who hear them? Are they building up? Or are they tearing down?

By Bayless Conley, tkaen from "Answers for Each Day"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Have you found new life?

"So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…." John 6:67-68

Did you know that there are more conversations recorded between Jesus and Simon Peter than any other two people in Scripture? It's true, and I want to bring your attention to one such conversation. Jesus is saying something so important to you and me through it.

Jesus had been teaching to a crowd of people and he started calling them to a commitment… to the demands of a daring faith. And as he called them, some people began to walk away from him. You see, many who followed Jesus were only attracted to the miracles that he performed. They didn't want to hear about the cost of discipleship.

And so as these others departed, Jesus turned to his disciples and said, "Do you want to go away as well?" And Simon Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…."

Simon Peter got it! This commoner… this uneducated fisherman… was committed. He would follow Jesus anywhere, because in Christ Jesus he found new hope and a purpose for living!

You see, when you meet the Savior of the world, he changes your life and nothing else can ever satisfy.

Don't walk away from Jesus. Commit your life to him, follow him, and receive new life!

WHEN YOU MEET THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD…
NOTHING ELSE CAN EVER SATISFY.

By Jack Graham, taken from "Powerpoint Daily Devotional"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What I Believe

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"Romans 10:14

Sometimes people ask me why I do what I do. I have a very simple answer to that question, which is that I really do believe the things that we read in the Bible are true.

For example, I really believe what the Bible says about our lives being "a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). I really believe there is an eternity, there is an afterlife, there is a heaven, and there is a hell. I really believe that only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will go to heaven. And I also believe that I need to share this message with as many people as possible.

I received the following letter from someone who came to Christ at one of our Harvest Crusades some years ago:

My younger brother went to sleep one night and never woke up. He was 23 years old, and he had just graduated from college. He moved to Philadelphia after he graduated... I found out the Harvest Crusade was coming to Philadelphia, so I took my younger brother with me to hear the gospel. He was not yet a believer. He went forward at the invitation and gave his life to Christ, and God called him home... one month after his commitment to Christ. My brother lives today because of your ministry... he is in the arms of Jesus, and that's where I will meet him again.

That is why I do what I do. That is why I want to get the gospel out. And that is why we were placed on this earth: to come into a relationship with God, to know Him, and to glorify Him with our lives.

By Greg Laurie, taken from "Harvest Daily Devotional"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, January 25, 2010

Sin's Sinfulness

"There is a sin that leads to death. . . . All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death." First John 5:16;150;17

A great preacher, now deceased, to whom I used often to listen with profit and delight, would sometimes shout dramatically, "God never classifies sin."

His words were intended as a protest against a careless attitude toward certain forms of sin, and in their context I agree with them. Nevertheless God does classify sin and so does the law of the land, and so does the conscience of every man.

As various serpents differ from each other in their power to kill, so various sins carry different kinds of venom, all bad, but not all equally bad, their power to injure depending upon the high or low concentration of iniquity they carry in them.

Within the precincts of religion are sometimes found certain sins which I want here to mention. These may be classified under three heads: Sins committed out of weakness, respectable sins more or less allowed by everyone, and sins that have been woven into the religious fabric until they have become a necessary part of it.

No sin is to be excused. Every sin carries its own penalty. But the sin committed on impulse or the sin committed out of weakness over the protests of the heart surely does not carry the same deadly charge as those done with brazen deliberation. From such a sin there is complete deliverance by the power of Christ; and from such there is more likely to be, since it is a grief to those who commit it.

Thought: John points out that all wrongdoing is sin. He goes on to say that there is sin that leads to death and there is sin that does not. That some sin is more damaging than other sin seems obvious. There is sin that not only seriously affects the sinner but has deadly effects on other people as well.

By A.W. Tozer, taken from "The Warfare of the Spirit"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Credibility

"[Have] your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that . . . they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God." 1 Peter 2:12

The recent global financial crisis caused people to pay closer attention to their credit report. When credit was easy to get, some people became careless about how they used it. They didn’t bother to save for what they wanted; they just borrowed. Being in debt was no big deal. But in a crisis, that is no longer the case. Having good credit is suddenly very important.

After an advertisement for a credit repair service, a local newscaster said, “Credit repair isn’t something you can buy; it’s something you have to work for.”

The same principle applies to the credibility of our lives. We can’t buy it; it’s something we have to work for. We may be able to “borrow” credibility for a while by associating ourselves with credible people, but sooner or later we will need our own.

Credibility has to do with the ability to elicit belief. The reason it’s essential for Christians is that our lives affect God’s reputation (1 Peter 2:12). When we call ourselves by Christ’s name, His reputation is tied to ours. If people have reason not to believe us, they may not believe God.

The way to earn credibility is to live honorably. Then others will believe and glorify God. — Julie Ackerman Link

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Grace From The King

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:24

Every believer receives the grace of God as a result of responding to the good news. And the good news is that salvation is by grace.

The apostle Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, least anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9). The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people It is offered totally apart from anything we could ever do to receive God's favor. It is the unmerited favor of God, who in His mercy and loving-kindness grants us salvation as a gift. All we have to do is simply respond by believing in His Son.

We enter the kingdom of God only by the grace of God. There is no place or self-congratulations or human achievement. Remember to thank God for granting you such a gracious salvation.

By John MacArthur, taken from "Truth for Today"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, January 22, 2010

Living Well

"Help me understand these things inside and out so I can ponder your miracle-wonders." Psalm 119:27

What do Bible stories tell us about living this human life well, living it totally? Primarily and mostly they tell us that it means dealing with God. It means dealign with a lot of other things as well: danger and parents and enemies and friends and lovers and children and wives and pride and humiliation and . . . sickness and death and sexuality . . . and fear and peace - to say nothing of diapers . . . and breakfast and traffic jams and clogged drainpipes and bounced checks. But always, at the forefront and in the background of circumstances, events, and people, it's God.

By Eugene H. Peterson, taken from "God's Message For Each Day"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Asking Questions

"But I will call t God for help, and the Lord will save me. Morning, noon, and night. I am troubled and upset, but He will listen to me." Psalm 55:16-17

It's not a sin to doubt. Disbelief is sin, but questioning - sincerely seeking - is acceptable to God because in the presence of God you may ask any question you want.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Breath of Life

This morning I came across a well known children's Sunday School story. It's the story of Ezekiel having a vision of the Valley of Dry Bone (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

I can remember being a little scared when we heard this story. Bones coming together and forming flesh over them to eventually being a living breathing army was a bit yucky in my little mind. But now, this time around, I see that God is using this vision as an example of restoration. Throughout the whole book of Ezekiel I've read nothing but judgement, death and destruction. And yet, here is one of the first messages of hope.

Here God has taken dry bone that have long been dead. Bones that there seems to be no hope in every coming to life again. He first brings the bones together. Then He causes flesh to appear on them. But even though that forms the body it doesn't make them alive. They're still dead. "And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them." (Verse 8).

They needed the breath of life from God to be blown into them to make them truly alive. "Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'thus says the Lord God, 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, and they will come to life.' So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army." (verses 9-10).

I find it interesting that the act of breathing not only removes carbon dioxide waste but also results in loss of water from the body. "Exhaled air has a relative humidity of 100% because of water diffusing across the moist surface of breathing passages and alveoli." Humm . . . . so this bring to mind that God is the Living Water, "Jesus answered and said to her (women at the well), 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water . . . . .' Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." John 4:10, 13-14.

When God was breathing life into these bodies, He was not only filling them with air but living water. Our bodies are mostly made up of water so this makes sense.

I continue to pray for restoration in our lives, marriages and peace from anxiety. If God can call dry dead bones to life, He can bring to life what has been lost. I pray again like I did yesterday that He would give me a deep thirst for Him!

Jesus, Love of my soul
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high:

Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life be past;
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!

Other refuge here I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.

- Charles Wesley

Krista Jones
9.11.08

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Freedom to Live as Servants of God

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God." First Peter 2:16

Every man in a free society must decide whether he will exploit his liberty or curtail it for intelligent and moral ends. He may take upon him the responsibility of a business and a family and thus be useful to the race, or he may shun all obligations and end on skid row. The tramp is freer than president or king, but his freedom is his undoing. While he lives he remains socially sterile and when he dies he leaves behind him nothing to make the world glad he lived.

The Christian cannot escape the peril of too much liberty. He is indeed free, but his very freedom may prove a source of real temptation to him. He is free from the chains of sin, free from the moral consequences of evil acts now forgiven, free from the curse of the law and the displeasure of God. Grace has opened the prison door for him, and like Barabbas of old he walks at liberty because Another died in his stead.

All this the instructed Christian knows and he refuses to let false teachers and misguided religionists rivet a yoke of bondage upon his neck. But now what shall he do with his freedom? Two possibilities offer themselves. He may accept his blood-won freedom as a cloak for the flesh, as the New Testament declares that some have done, or he may kneel like the camel to receive his voluntary burden. And what is this burden? The woes of his fellowmen which he must do what he can to assuage; the debt which he along with Paul owes to the lost world; the sound of hungry children crying in the night; the church in Babylonian captivity; the swift onrush of evil doctrines and the success of false prophets; the slow decay of the moral foundations of the so-called Christian nations and whatever else demands self-sacrifice, cross-carrying, long prayer vigils and courageous witness to alleviate and correct.

Thought: The limited freedom that is ours we may exercise as a cloak for evil or to serve God. Beneath the cloak sin chains form again. Serving God results in growing assurance of faith in Christ (1 Timothy 3:13). How are you using your freedom?

By A.W. Tozer, taken from "The Warfare of the Spirit"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, January 18, 2010

"Loved unto the End"

"For the LORD will not cast off for ever." Lamentations 3:31

He may cast away for a season but not forever. A woman may leave off her ornaments for a few days, but she will not forget them or throw them upon the dunghill. It is not like the LORD to cast off those whom He loves, for "having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." Some talk of our being in grace and out of it, as if we were like rabbits that run in and out of their burrows; but, indeed, it is not so. The LORD's love is a far more serious and abiding matter than this.

He chose us from eternity, and He will love us throughout eternity. He loved us so as to die for us, and we may therefore be sure that His love will never die. His honor is so wrapped up in the salvation of the believer that He can no more cast him of than He can cast off His own robes of office as King of glory. No, no! The LORD Jesus, as a Head, never casts off His members; as a Husband, He never casts off His bride. Did you think you were cast off? Why did you think so evil of the LORD who has betrothed you to Himself? Cast off such thoughts, and never let them lodge in your soul again. "The LORD hath not cast away his people which he foreknew" (Romans 11:2). "He hateth putting away" (Malachi 2:16).

By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Discovering Your Purpose

"You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something" (Psalm 139: 15). (Msg)

If you are going to discover how God wants to use your life and work, you must know why you were created. If you start trying to determine your purpose in life before understanding why you were created, you will inevitably get hung up on the things you do as the basis for fulfillment in your life, which will only lead to frustration and disappointment.

First and foremost, God created you to know Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him. In fact, God says that if a man is going to boast about anything in life, "boast about this: that he understands and knows me" (Jer. 9:24). Mankind's relationship with God was lost in the Garden when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus' death on the cross, however, allows us to restore this relationship with God and to have an intimate fellowship with Him. The apostle Paul came to understand this when he said, "I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself" (Phil. 3:10, THE MESSAGE).

Establishing this relationship with God is vital to understanding your purpose. If you don't have this relationship with God, you will seek to fulfill your purpose out of wrong motives; such as fear, insecurity, pride, money, relationships, guilt, or unresolved anger. God's desire is for you to be motivated out of love for Him and to desire to worship Him in all that you do. As you develop your relationship with God, He will begin to reveal His purpose for your life. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord" (Jer. 29:11).

Today, ask God to help you discover your unique purpose.

By Os Hillman, taken from "Today God Is First"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, January 16, 2010

A Mysterious Union

"Taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." Philippians 2:7

The humanity and deity of Christ is a mysterious union we can never fully understand. But the Bible emphasizes both.

Luke 23:39-43 provides a good example. At the cross, ". . . one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, 'If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.' But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we received the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

In His humanness, Jesus was a victim, mercilessly hammered to a cross after being spat upon, mocked, and humiliated. But in His deity, He promised the thief on the cross eternal life, as only God can.

By John MacArthur, taken from "Truth for Today"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, January 15, 2010

A Wonderful Guarantee

"I will strengthen thee" (Isaiah 41:10).

When called to serve or to suffer, we take stock of our strength, and we find it to be less than we thought and less than we need. But let not our heart sink within us while we have such a word as this to fall back upon, for it guarantees us all that we can possibly need. God has strength omnipotent; that strength He can communicate to us; and His promise is that He will do so. He will be the food of our souls and the health of our hearts; and thus He will give us strength. There is no telling how much power God can put into a man. When divine strength comes, human weakness is no more a hindrance.

Do we not remember seasons of labor and trial in which we received such special strength that we wondered at ourselves? In the midst of danger we were calm, under bereavement we were resigned, in slander we were self-contained, and in sickness we were patient. The fact is that God gives unexpected strength when unusual trials come upon us, We rise out of our feeble selves. Cowards play the man, foolish ones have wisdom given them, and the silent receive in the self-same hour what they shall speak, My own weakness makes me shrink, but God's promise makes me brave. LORD, strengthen me "according to thy word."

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Shepherding

This morning I came across Ezekiel 34 and within it I learned a little bit about Shepherding.

Ezekiel 34:1-10 talk about how the shepherds of Israel, the kings and their officials, prophets and priests, had failed in keeping God's commandments. They not only didn't keep His commandments, but partook in the sinning of the nations around them which lead Israel down the wrong path and into destruction. Because of this, their sheep were scattered and they were punished.

Ezekiel 34:11-31 talk about the restoration of Israel. He starts out by saying in verses 11-12, "For thus says the Lord God, Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day." Here God is saying that He will take control of the flock from the faithless shepherds and save the flock from the nations they have been scattered into.

Verses 14-15 says, "I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God." I like these verses because it reminds me of how faithful God is to us. Although we get lost and/or have been lost, He found us and brought us back to Himself. And by doing so we dwell with Him, are feed wonderful spiritual food and become spiritually rich.

Verses 24-29 says, "I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. Also the tree of the field will yield it's fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be prey to the nations and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore."

I like the last verse of the chapter, verse 31, "As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God," declares the Lord God.

It is so wonderful that we have a God who is like our shepherd. Shepherds protected their flocks with their lives. If one went missing they'd go in search of it. When they found the lost sheep they'd bring it back to the flock and care for it. When we obey God's commandments and stay close to Him, we are blessed, secure, fed and protected. We no longer are slaves to sin as He has freed us from it through His Son, Jesus. John 10:11 says, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

Thank you God for being my Shepherd. For constantly finding me when I wonder off in what looks like better pastures. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to die for me so that I might be free!

Krista Jones
9.10.08

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Life of Power to Follow

"Jesus answered him, ’Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.’"John 13:36

"And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me’ " (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, "Follow Me" (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, "Follow Me" (John 21:19). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. The first "Follow Me" was nothing mysterious; it was an external following. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18 ).

Between these two times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75). But then he came completely to the end of himself and all of his self-sufficiency. There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. In his state of destitution, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Lord had for him. ". . . He breathed on them, and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit’ " (John 20:22 ). No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.

All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to "receive the Holy Spirit." "Receive the Holy Spirit "— the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Highest"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Pieces of Life

"Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is is." Matthew 22:21

Our citizenship is in heaven," say those who pray, and they are ardent in pursing the prizes of that place. But this passion for the unseen in no way detracts from their involvement in daily affairs; working well and playing fair, signing petitions and paying taxes, rebuking the wicked and encouraging the righteous, getting wet in the rain and smelling the flowers. Theirs is a tremendous, kaleidoscopic assemblage of bits and pieces of touched, smelled, seen and tasted reality that is received and offered in acts of prayer.

By Eugene H. Peterson, taken from "God's Message for Each Day"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, January 11, 2010

Why?

"No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." I Corinthians 2:11

A misconception people have in dealing with life's troubles is that it's wrong to ask why - that a Christian simply accepts and never questions. Abraham, Moses, and David all interceded and struggled to understand God. but the lives of these men model for us a total reliance on God, even in the midst of questioning.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Locked In

"I suffer trouble . . . even to the point of chains; but the Word of God is not chained." 2 Timothy 2:9

Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, describes his life after a massive stroke left him with a condition called “Locked-In Syndrome.” Although he was almost completely paralyzed, Bauby was able to write his book by blinking his left eyelid. An aide would recite a coded alphabet, until Bauby blinked to choose the letter of a word he was dictating. The book required about 200,000 blinks to write. Bauby used the only physical ability left him to communicate with others.

In 2 Timothy we read of Paul experiencing a different kind of “locked-in syndrome.” Under house arrest, the apostle learned that his execution might be imminent. With this in view, he told Timothy: “I suffer trouble . . . even to the point of chains; but the Word of God is not chained” (2 Tim. 2:9). In spite of his isolation, Paul welcomed visitors, wrote letters of encouragement, and rejoiced at the spread of God’s Word.

For some of us, circumstances may have isolated us from others. Lying in a hospital bed, serving time in a prison, or being a shut-in can make us feel that we are experiencing our own “locked-in syndrome.” If this is true for you, why not prayerfully reflect on some ways you can still reach out to others. — Dennis Fisher

Give me to serve in humble sphere,
I ask not aught beside!
Content to fill a little place,
If God be glorified. —Anon.

No deed is too small when done for Christ.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Living with Christ

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." Romans 6:8

Another reason that our religion must interfere with our private lives is that we live in the world, the Bible name for human society. The regenerated man has been inwardly separated from society as Israel was separated from Egypt at the crossing of the Red Sea. The Christian is a man of heaven temporarily living on earth. Though in spirit divided from the race of fallen men he must yet in the flesh live among them. In many things he is like them, but in others he differs so radically from them that they cannot but see and resent it. From the days of Cain and Abel the man of earth has punished the man of heaven for being different. The long history of persecution and martyrdom confirms this.

But we must not get the impression that the Christian life is one continuous conflict, one unbroken irritating struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil. A thousand times no. A heart that learns to die with Christ soon knows the blessed experience of rising with Him, and all the world’s persecutions cannot still the high note of holy joy that springs up in the soul that has become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Thought: There is that conflict between our sinful nature and the Spirit. But as we submit to the Spirit's control, there is also the peace of Christ (John 14:27) and His joy (John 15:11) to calm and brighten our way, because having died with Christ we may also live with Him.

By A.W. Tozer taken from "The Warfare of the Spirit"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, January 08, 2010

The Cross

The cross. Before Christ the cross was known at the "accursed tree". It was an instrument of torture. It was a place where hardened and wicked criminals were punished. It was a mark of deep shame and disgrace.

That all changed when Christ died on the cross for us. I like what my devotional had to say about it. "It is not an accident or a tragedy, but the universal sign of God's love for sinful man. The cross is the only adequate explanation of John 3:16. Our Father was not compelled to permit the cross; His love for us constrained Him. Willingly Christ gave His life because He loved us and desired us to live with Him in His eternal kingdom." - Streams in the Desert, Vol. 2 (Sept. 6).

I like what Romans 8:31-39 has to say about this.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, no life, no angels, nor principalities, no things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

My study notes say of these verses that no one can condemn us because, 1) Christ died for us; 2) He is alive and seated at the right hand of God, the position of power; and 3) He is interceding for us.

These verses also say that our suffering doesn't separate us from Christ. But what it does do is carry us towards our ultimate goal.

These verses also say that it is impossible to go beyond the reach of God's love.

Love is something that I sometimes can not define. I know when I feel loved and I know when I feel love towards others. Receiving or giving has the same affect upon me. I feel safe, warm, joyful, giddy, protective/protected, longing and secure. But in order to love and be loved you have to know how to trust. When you love someone and know they love you, you are putting your trust in their hands. Love costs and if we're willing to pay the price we know the wonderful joy it brings into our lives.

Jesus went to the cross loving us so much that He was willing to give His life up for us. He loved His Father so much that He was willing to obey Him at all cost, even the cost of His life. We look back at what He did for us on the cross and feel the love that radiates from it for us. We feel the safe, warm, joyful, giddy, protected and secure feeling from the One who saved us through pain, torture, shame and disgrace. Jesus knew the price love would cost Him and yet, He gave us His all.

Under and Eastern sky
Amid the rabble cry,
A man went forth to die
For me!

Thorn-crowned His blessed head,
Blood-stained His every tread,
To Calvary He was Led
For me!

The cross. At one time it was the "accursed tree" full of pain, torture, shame and disgrace. Now, it is a sign of love, forgiveness and eternal life. Love lead Christ to Calvary.

Krista Jones
9.6.08

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Thursday, January 07, 2010

The Lord Has Need of Him

They said, the Lord hath need of him - Luke 19:34

Oh, could I hear Thee say as much of me, my blessed Lord! Here, where two ways meet, I have been standing long, waiting for a purpose worthy to fill my soul, and task the powers that are, as yet, only in the first burst of young life.

Thou needest much and many in Thy great redemptive work. The boat to cross the lake; the line to catch the fish; the bread and fish to feed the crowds; the baskets to gather up the fragments; the chalice to hold the wine; the dish to hold the sop; the little child to be the text for Thy sermon; the clay for the blind man's eyes; the tender women to minister of their substance; the apostles to preach Thy Gospel. Canst Thou not find a nitch for me also?

Thou requirest undivided loyalty. - Born of the Virgin's womb, laid in death where man's dust had never come, Thou must have a colt on which none had ever sat. I cannot give Thee a heart which has never known another; but I profess to Thee that there is no rival now. Thou mayest have all. Thine is the Kingdom.

Thou requirest patience and humility. - But these, also, Thou hast taught. I have waited patiently till this glad hour, and am quieted and humbled like a weaned child. No longer do I seek great things for myself. It is enough for me to be and do anything, if only Thou shalt be glorified.

Thou requirest, perhaps, but one brief service. - To serve Thee always with increasing fervor would be my choice; but if Thou needest only one brief, glad hour of ministry, like that the good Ananias did to Thy Church when he ministered to Saul, then be it so. To prepare for it, and revert to it, would be my satisfaction in having lived.

By F.B. Meyer, taken from "Our Daily Homily"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Forgiving Those Who Judge You

"After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10).

Have you ever been wrongly judged? Have you ever had people assume there was sin in your life because of the troubles you may have experienced? Or perhaps they judged your motives as wrong. What if the people judging you were your closest friends?

This was exactly what happened in the life of Job. His friends did not understand how a godly person could ever go through his degree of adversity his unless God was judging him for his sin. However, his friends were wrong and God intervened. "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has," said God to Job's three friends.

Nothing has really changed after thousands of years. I recall going through a seven year "Job" experience. Friends in the marketplace could not understand why I would experience such calamity unless I had made poor choices. Those in the Church often wrongly equated trouble with sin. Sometimes this can be true, but often trouble is simply a consequence of a call on one's life such as Joseph and the apostle Paul experienced.
Joseph was required to forgive his brothers. Jesus was required to forgive Judas and the disciples for betrayal. You and I are required to forgive those who wrongfully judge us.

This forgiveness is often THE most important step in gaining restoration in our own lives. The scripture above reveals that it was not until Job prayed for his friends that he was restored in the things he had lost.

Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? It may be the missing piece of your puzzle for restoration.

By Os Hillman, taken from "Today God Is First"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Nothing Old

"And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5).

Glory be to His name! All things need making new, for they are sadly battered and worn by sin. It is time that the old vesture was rolled up and laid aside, and that creation put on her Sunday suit. But no one else can make all things new except the LORD who made them at the first; for it needs as much power to make out of evil as to make out of nothing. Our LORD Jesus has undertaken the task, and He is fully competent for the performance of it. Already he has commenced His labor, and for centuries He has persevered in making new the hearts of men and the order of society. By and by He will make new the whole constitution of human government, and human nature shall be changed by His grace; and there shall come a day when the body shall be made new and raised like unto His glorious body. What a joy to belong to a kingdom in which everything is being made new by the power of its King! We are not dying out: we are hastening on to a more glorious life. Despite the opposition of the powers of evil, our glorious LORD Jesus is accomplishing His purpose and making us, and all things about us, "new" and as full of beauty as when they first came from the hand of the LORD.

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Monday, January 04, 2010

The Great Life

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled . . . " John 14:27

Whenever we experience something difficult in our personal life, we are tempted to blame God. But we are the ones in the wrong, not God. Blaming God is evidence that we are refusing to let go of some disobedience somewhere in our lives. But as soon as we let go, everything becomes as clear as daylight to us. As long as we try to serve two masters, ourselves and God, there will be difficulties combined with doubt and confusion. Our attitude must be one of complete reliance on God. Once we get to that point, there is nothing easier than living the life of a saint. We encounter difficulties when we try to usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own purposes.

God’s mark of approval, whenever you obey Him, is peace. He sends an immeasurable, deep peace; not a natural peace, "as the world gives," but the peace of Jesus. Whenever peace does not come, wait until it does, or seek to find out why it is not coming. If you are acting on your own impulse, or out of a sense of the heroic, to be seen by others, the peace of Jesus will not exhibit itself. This shows no unity with God or confidence in Him. The spirit of simplicity, clarity, and unity is born through the Holy Spirit, not through your decisions. God counters our self-willed decisions with an appeal for simplicity and unity.

My questions arise whenever I cease to obey. When I do obey God, problems come, not between me and God, but as a means to keep my mind examining with amazement the revealed truth of God. But any problem that comes between God and myself is the result of disobedience. Any problem that comes while I obey God (and there will be many), increases my overjoyed delight, because I know that my Father knows and cares, and I can watch and anticipate how He will unravel my problems.

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Highest"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Weekend Bible Reading

Live It!

"You are to them as a very lovely song . . . they hear your words, but they do not do them." Ezekiel 33:32

Each year, one of my goals is to read the entire Bible. While listing it among my New Year’s resolutions, I noticed a bookmark on my desk. On one side was a brief appeal for people to take in foster children. On the other side were these words referring to that appeal: “Don’t read it. Live it. Real children. Real stories. Real life.” The people who produced the bookmark knew how easily we absorb information without acting on it. They wanted people to respond.

Regular intake of God’s Word is a worthy practice, but it’s not an end in itself. The prophet Ezekiel spoke to an audience who loved to listen but refused to act. The Lord said to Ezekiel: “Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them” (33:32).

Jesus said: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24).

How will each of us read the Bible this year? Will we read it quickly to achieve the goal of getting through it? Or will we read it with the aim of doing what it says?

Don’t just read it. Live it! — David C. McCasland

The Bible gives us all we need
To live our lives for God each day;
But it won’t help if we don’t read
Then follow what its pages say. —Sper

The value of the Bible consists not only in knowing it but obeying it.

Take from "Our Daily Bread"

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible

Friday, January 01, 2010

January's Memory Verse

John 1:12

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

John 1:12 (NASB - New American Standard Bible)

Remember the key is to review review review. Always review the verses you've already memorized along with learning this month's verse.

If you'd like to see a list of past verses click on the "Memory Verse" label below.

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible