Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
How do I know which way to go?
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT
Pay attention and grow wise, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching.
Proverbs 4:1-2 NLT
I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won't limp or stumble as you run.
Proverbs 4:11-12 NLT
Sometimes we're faced with several options, and we don't know which way to go. In Psalm 25, David asked God for guidance. Perhaps he remembered when, as a shepherd boy, he had to show the right path to his sheep who were wandering away. Just as he knew which path would lead to safety for his sheep, God knew the path that would lead to everlasting life. Just as those sheep that looked to him for direction were in the least danger, so David knew he needed to look to God for direction.
Today, God still leads us by his truth—his written Word and his Spirit, which helps us to understand it. Are you not sure which path to take? Pray as David did and read what God has already said in his written Word. He will show the right road to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT
Pay attention and grow wise, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching.
Proverbs 4:1-2 NLT
I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won't limp or stumble as you run.
Proverbs 4:11-12 NLT
Sometimes we're faced with several options, and we don't know which way to go. In Psalm 25, David asked God for guidance. Perhaps he remembered when, as a shepherd boy, he had to show the right path to his sheep who were wandering away. Just as he knew which path would lead to safety for his sheep, God knew the path that would lead to everlasting life. Just as those sheep that looked to him for direction were in the least danger, so David knew he needed to look to God for direction.
Today, God still leads us by his truth—his written Word and his Spirit, which helps us to understand it. Are you not sure which path to take? Pray as David did and read what God has already said in his written Word. He will show the right road to follow.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Delay is not rejection!
Delay is not rejection
Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them. Finally, after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again."
John 11:5-7 NLT
God often delays His response out of love, as He works all things together for good.
Jeanne Zornes
Waiting with hope
Mary and Martha had sent their friend Jesus a message about the critical condition of their brother, Lazarus, and their urgent need for his help: "Lord, the one you love is very sick" (John 11:3). But instead of rushing off to Bethany, Jesus stayed where he was for two days before responding to Mary and Martha's plea. When he did arrive, he raised Lazarus from the dead in a magnificent display of his power.
Just as Mary and Martha struggled when Jesus answered their prayers for Lazarus in a time and way different from what they had expected, we get frustrated when the Lord delays in coming to us and answering our prayers.
As it did for the grieving sisters, two days (or two months or two years) of waiting can seem like an eternity to us. But in the midst of the "delay," God is not inactive. He is teaching us patience, perseverance, and faith and is planning to glorify himself in our circumstances. While we are waiting, he wants to cleanse our hearts and refocus us on Jesus. The Spirit always knows what will glorify God, and we can trust him when we're in the waiting room.
LORD, help me to wait for you in hope and perseverance, knowing that you will come. Grant me patience and faith in the waiting room of life yet to be.
Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them. Finally, after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again."
John 11:5-7 NLT
God often delays His response out of love, as He works all things together for good.
Jeanne Zornes
Waiting with hope
Mary and Martha had sent their friend Jesus a message about the critical condition of their brother, Lazarus, and their urgent need for his help: "Lord, the one you love is very sick" (John 11:3). But instead of rushing off to Bethany, Jesus stayed where he was for two days before responding to Mary and Martha's plea. When he did arrive, he raised Lazarus from the dead in a magnificent display of his power.
Just as Mary and Martha struggled when Jesus answered their prayers for Lazarus in a time and way different from what they had expected, we get frustrated when the Lord delays in coming to us and answering our prayers.
As it did for the grieving sisters, two days (or two months or two years) of waiting can seem like an eternity to us. But in the midst of the "delay," God is not inactive. He is teaching us patience, perseverance, and faith and is planning to glorify himself in our circumstances. While we are waiting, he wants to cleanse our hearts and refocus us on Jesus. The Spirit always knows what will glorify God, and we can trust him when we're in the waiting room.
LORD, help me to wait for you in hope and perseverance, knowing that you will come. Grant me patience and faith in the waiting room of life yet to be.
Monday, June 8, 2009
God's Timing is Perfect....
Never disappointed
Every day I call to you, my God, but, you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.
Psalm 22:2-5 NLT
The fugitive translator
William Tyndale was born about 1494 and educated first at Oxford, where he was ordained into the priesthood, then at Cambridge, where he joined the Reformation. He became convinced that England would never be evangelized using Latin Bibles. Tyndale's efforts to get permission to translate the Bible into English were unsuccessful, so he left England.
His first English New Testament was printed in Germany in 1525. As Tyndale's English Bibles were smuggled into England, the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of London began attacking him fiercely. On June 18, 1528 Thomas Wolsey, the English cardinal, ordered Tyndale's arrest and extradition to England. It took seven years to track him down, then spent eighteen months in a cold castle dungeon.
Tyndale, in his early forties, was found guilty and condemned to death as a heretic. Referring to the king's opposition to his English Bible, Tyndale said, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes."
The year that Tyndale died, there were two English Bibles containing his translation of the New Testament. When presented to Henry VIII, the king, not realizing it contained Tyndale's work, proclaimed, "In God's name let it go abroad among the people."
Tyndale's Bible translations were his lasting legacy. They were so well done that they made up 90 percent of the wording of the King James Version published nearly one hundred years later.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for June 18.
Every day I call to you, my God, but, you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.
Psalm 22:2-5 NLT
The fugitive translator
William Tyndale was born about 1494 and educated first at Oxford, where he was ordained into the priesthood, then at Cambridge, where he joined the Reformation. He became convinced that England would never be evangelized using Latin Bibles. Tyndale's efforts to get permission to translate the Bible into English were unsuccessful, so he left England.
His first English New Testament was printed in Germany in 1525. As Tyndale's English Bibles were smuggled into England, the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of London began attacking him fiercely. On June 18, 1528 Thomas Wolsey, the English cardinal, ordered Tyndale's arrest and extradition to England. It took seven years to track him down, then spent eighteen months in a cold castle dungeon.
Tyndale, in his early forties, was found guilty and condemned to death as a heretic. Referring to the king's opposition to his English Bible, Tyndale said, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes."
The year that Tyndale died, there were two English Bibles containing his translation of the New Testament. When presented to Henry VIII, the king, not realizing it contained Tyndale's work, proclaimed, "In God's name let it go abroad among the people."
Tyndale's Bible translations were his lasting legacy. They were so well done that they made up 90 percent of the wording of the King James Version published nearly one hundred years later.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for June 18.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Don't Worry
I saw this on Facebook today.......
Thought of the day, June 5Share
Today at 06:23
Don't Worry
Todays Verse
A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (NIV)
A Psalm of David. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. (AMP)
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (KJV)
(Psalm 23:1)
Todays Word
Psalm 23 is the most beloved psalm of the Bible. And it tells us what God is really like. It's a picture of God. The more you understand God, the easier it is to trust Him. The first cause of stress is Worry. We all have pet worries: finances, jobs, relationships, marriage, kids, health... There are three problems with worry. Worry is unhelpful, it's unreasonable and it's unhealthy. It's unhelpful because it never accomplishes anything, it never solves anything. It is stewing without doing. It's like racing your car engine -- you create a lot of smoke and noise but you don't go anywhere. Worry has never solved a problem. Worry cannot change the past if you worry about it. Worry cannot control the future. It only makes us miserable today. It's unhelpful, it doesn't work.
It is unreasonable. It exaggerates your problems, makes mountains out of molehills. It just makes problems seem bigger and bigger. The more you review something when you're worried about it, the bigger it gets. To worry about something you can't change is useless. To worry about something you can change is stupid -- change it. Either way, don't worry! It is unhealthy. The body was not made to worry; it's unnatural. When you worry you get ulcers, backaches, headaches, insomnia. Our bodies were not made to worry. Plants and animals don't worry. The only thing that worries in all God's creation is people. We worry and we weren't made to worry. It makes us unhappy and unhealthy. The old English word for worry is the word "to strangle" or "to choke". That's what worry does -- it strangles the life out of you. But it's not natural. You weren't born worrying. You have to learn to worry. You have to practice to be good at it. The good news is that if worry is learned it can also be unlearned.
Ps. 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need." If I believe that God is going to take care of me, I'm not going to worry. How does making God my shepherd show the antidote to stress in my life? If I let the Lord be my Shepherd how is that an antidote to worry? You have to know what shepherds do.
1. A shepherd provides. He provides food, shelter, the basic necessities for his sheep.
2. A shepherd protects. He defends against enemies, harm.
3. A shepherd guides. He leads sheep when they're confused and don't know which way to go.
4. A shepherd corrects. Any problem that comes along, he corrects it.
The amazing thing is this: God has promised to do these four things in your life if you'll trust Him, if you'll let Him be your shepherd. He says "I'll provide for you. I will protect you. I will guide you. I will correct the problems in your life for you. If you will let Me be your Shepherd." Isaiah 40:11 "God takes care of his people like a shepherd." God says, I'll take care of you, I'll guide, protect, correct. I will help you, if you'll let me be your shepherd. He even gets more specific in Phil. 4:19 "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This doesn't say, God will meet all of your greed. There's a difference between needs and wants. If God met all of your wants you'd be the biggest spoiled brat in the universe. You'd be spoiled and self-centered. He's not going to give you everything you want. It would be like the Midas touch. Soon you'd be miserable. But He has said, "I will meet all of your needs." God says "I will...". He doesn't say, I might, I'll think about it, possibly. He says I will. That means God's character is on the line. He's either going to do it or He's a liar. When God makes a promise His character is on the line. He's either got to do what He says or He's a liar. God says "I will meet all ..." What does "all" include? Doctor payments? Mortgage payments? Spiritual needs? Financial needs? Health needs? Relational needs? Yes. Everything.
If God has promised to provide all of your needs, to protect you, to guide you when you're confused, and to correct the problems in your life, what does that leave left to worry about? Nothing. When you have an insurance policy, once you know what's covered in that policy, you don't worry about it anymore. If something happens, whatever is covered, you don't worry about it. In the Bible are over 7,000 promises -- the coverage God puts on your life. When you understand them, what is left to worry about? Worry is not only unhelpful, unreasonable, unhealthy -- it's unnecessary if Jesus Christ is your Shepherd. Any time you worry you're acting like an atheist. In essence you are saying: God is not going to keep His promises; God's not going to take care of my needs. If it's to be, it's up to me. You're acting like an atheist every time you worry. Worry is simply practical atheism. It says, I don't believe God will do what He says He will do.
Todays Prayer
God i trust in You. I place all my hope in the security that you offer through Your word. Be with me God through all my life and show me the awesome wonders You have in store for me. In Jesus name, Amen
Thought of the day, June 5Share
Today at 06:23
Don't Worry
Todays Verse
A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (NIV)
A Psalm of David. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. (AMP)
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (KJV)
(Psalm 23:1)
Todays Word
Psalm 23 is the most beloved psalm of the Bible. And it tells us what God is really like. It's a picture of God. The more you understand God, the easier it is to trust Him. The first cause of stress is Worry. We all have pet worries: finances, jobs, relationships, marriage, kids, health... There are three problems with worry. Worry is unhelpful, it's unreasonable and it's unhealthy. It's unhelpful because it never accomplishes anything, it never solves anything. It is stewing without doing. It's like racing your car engine -- you create a lot of smoke and noise but you don't go anywhere. Worry has never solved a problem. Worry cannot change the past if you worry about it. Worry cannot control the future. It only makes us miserable today. It's unhelpful, it doesn't work.
It is unreasonable. It exaggerates your problems, makes mountains out of molehills. It just makes problems seem bigger and bigger. The more you review something when you're worried about it, the bigger it gets. To worry about something you can't change is useless. To worry about something you can change is stupid -- change it. Either way, don't worry! It is unhealthy. The body was not made to worry; it's unnatural. When you worry you get ulcers, backaches, headaches, insomnia. Our bodies were not made to worry. Plants and animals don't worry. The only thing that worries in all God's creation is people. We worry and we weren't made to worry. It makes us unhappy and unhealthy. The old English word for worry is the word "to strangle" or "to choke". That's what worry does -- it strangles the life out of you. But it's not natural. You weren't born worrying. You have to learn to worry. You have to practice to be good at it. The good news is that if worry is learned it can also be unlearned.
Ps. 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need." If I believe that God is going to take care of me, I'm not going to worry. How does making God my shepherd show the antidote to stress in my life? If I let the Lord be my Shepherd how is that an antidote to worry? You have to know what shepherds do.
1. A shepherd provides. He provides food, shelter, the basic necessities for his sheep.
2. A shepherd protects. He defends against enemies, harm.
3. A shepherd guides. He leads sheep when they're confused and don't know which way to go.
4. A shepherd corrects. Any problem that comes along, he corrects it.
The amazing thing is this: God has promised to do these four things in your life if you'll trust Him, if you'll let Him be your shepherd. He says "I'll provide for you. I will protect you. I will guide you. I will correct the problems in your life for you. If you will let Me be your Shepherd." Isaiah 40:11 "God takes care of his people like a shepherd." God says, I'll take care of you, I'll guide, protect, correct. I will help you, if you'll let me be your shepherd. He even gets more specific in Phil. 4:19 "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This doesn't say, God will meet all of your greed. There's a difference between needs and wants. If God met all of your wants you'd be the biggest spoiled brat in the universe. You'd be spoiled and self-centered. He's not going to give you everything you want. It would be like the Midas touch. Soon you'd be miserable. But He has said, "I will meet all of your needs." God says "I will...". He doesn't say, I might, I'll think about it, possibly. He says I will. That means God's character is on the line. He's either going to do it or He's a liar. When God makes a promise His character is on the line. He's either got to do what He says or He's a liar. God says "I will meet all ..." What does "all" include? Doctor payments? Mortgage payments? Spiritual needs? Financial needs? Health needs? Relational needs? Yes. Everything.
If God has promised to provide all of your needs, to protect you, to guide you when you're confused, and to correct the problems in your life, what does that leave left to worry about? Nothing. When you have an insurance policy, once you know what's covered in that policy, you don't worry about it anymore. If something happens, whatever is covered, you don't worry about it. In the Bible are over 7,000 promises -- the coverage God puts on your life. When you understand them, what is left to worry about? Worry is not only unhelpful, unreasonable, unhealthy -- it's unnecessary if Jesus Christ is your Shepherd. Any time you worry you're acting like an atheist. In essence you are saying: God is not going to keep His promises; God's not going to take care of my needs. If it's to be, it's up to me. You're acting like an atheist every time you worry. Worry is simply practical atheism. It says, I don't believe God will do what He says He will do.
Todays Prayer
God i trust in You. I place all my hope in the security that you offer through Your word. Be with me God through all my life and show me the awesome wonders You have in store for me. In Jesus name, Amen
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Malachi 3:3
A good friend of mine sent this to me. I couldn't pass on passing it on.
Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'
He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them.
And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.
'Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.'
Thank you God, for teaching me to laugh again......
but please Lord, don't ever let me forget that I cried.
Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'
He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them.
And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.
'Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.'
Thank you God, for teaching me to laugh again......
but please Lord, don't ever let me forget that I cried.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Has God calmed your fear?
In my distress I prayed to the Lord and the Lord answered me and rescued me. The Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
Psalm 118:5-7 NLT
I know I have mentioned these verses before but it tells us that the psalmist was in a frightening situation. But in his distress, he cried out to God in prayer. Because of God's presence and strength in response to his plea, the psalmist could look in triumph at those who hated and attacked him. For every difficulty and trial, God has prepared a way. His eyes are on those who trust in him in their distress, and his ears are attentive to their cries. You can know and rest assured that just as God was for David, he is for you! And because the all-powerful Lord who is on your side is your shield and defender, you do not have to be afraid. The Lord is greater than any problem, greater than any fear, greater than any person opposing you. Thank him for his help in past situations when there seemed to be no way out, and trust him and thank him for being "for you" today.
Prayer offers us a way out of our fear. It is all a matter of calling upon Jesus' name. Only in His name is there help. The more we call upon His name, the more we will experience this truth.
That truth is amazing to me and assures me of God's concern for me. I need to resolve not to be afraid because the Lord of the universe is on my side! We should never be afraid.
Psalm 118:5-7 NLT
I know I have mentioned these verses before but it tells us that the psalmist was in a frightening situation. But in his distress, he cried out to God in prayer. Because of God's presence and strength in response to his plea, the psalmist could look in triumph at those who hated and attacked him. For every difficulty and trial, God has prepared a way. His eyes are on those who trust in him in their distress, and his ears are attentive to their cries. You can know and rest assured that just as God was for David, he is for you! And because the all-powerful Lord who is on your side is your shield and defender, you do not have to be afraid. The Lord is greater than any problem, greater than any fear, greater than any person opposing you. Thank him for his help in past situations when there seemed to be no way out, and trust him and thank him for being "for you" today.
Prayer offers us a way out of our fear. It is all a matter of calling upon Jesus' name. Only in His name is there help. The more we call upon His name, the more we will experience this truth.
That truth is amazing to me and assures me of God's concern for me. I need to resolve not to be afraid because the Lord of the universe is on my side! We should never be afraid.
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