Monthly Archives: April 2013

2013 Day 110 – Matthew 17-19, Psalm 65

20 Saturday Apr 2013

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I’m not gonna lie… I hate reading through these passages so quickly. Next year, once we finish this reading plan, we will take a much slower approach. There is so much information in these passages in Matthew. Jesus is having so many discussions and giving so many meaningful parables, it is difficult to digest all Jesus is saying. The main theme that stood out to me was how much Jesus kept pushing everyone, especially the rich young man, to do more. Jesus is not saying we must do more to be saves, He is saying we cannot do enough to be saved. There is nothing we can do, it must come from Him; through His sacrifice and gift of salvation.

2013 Day 109 – Matthew 14-16, Psalm 64

19 Friday Apr 2013

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I am sorry I’m so late in getting today’s post out. The verse that stood out to me today was Matthew 15:11, What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” We must always be careful with what comes out of our mouths. We don’t always have control over what is seen by our eyes, but we can certainly control what goes out and how other people perceive us.

2013 Day 108 – Matthew 11-13, Psalm 63

18 Thursday Apr 2013

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While it is important to clear our lives of the bad things, it is important to fill it with a strong and obedient life with God. In Matthew 12:43-45 Jesus says, 43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” If we simply remove the bad, we are inviting something to fill the void. We must be deliberate about what we allow to enter into our hearts and minds. Even the smallest of things can become some of the most difficult things to remove from our lives. For this reason, we must guard our lives with the power of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in all we do.

2013 Day 107 – Matthew 8-10, Psalm 62

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

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There is so much information to digest in today’s reading. The biggest thing that stood out to me was in Matthew 9:12-13, 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” We as believers are consistently working to make ourselves better for God. We work hard at sanctification and righteousness for God. The problem is what God wants most from us is to be a reflection of His mercy to those who need it most. No amount of righteous living makes up for God’s real desire from us, which is to bring people to the saving knowledge of His grace and Mercy.

2013 Day 106 – Matthew 5-7, Psalm 61

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

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Today’s reading in Matthew covers Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Every time I read this sermon, it astonishes me at the authority Jesus has over the definition of righteousness. When you really think about it, these are the words of God Himself speaking to each of us. There is nothing hidden behind the rules of the “law”. It is God telling us exactly what He expects from each of us. I think we would be well served if we read through the Sermon on the Mount more often and payed greater attention to Jesus’ word on how to live a purposeful life.

2013 Day 105 – Matthew 1-4, Psalm 60

15 Monday Apr 2013

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Today we begin the Book of Matthew. This book is one of the four Gospels and it is written by Matthew the tax collector. Matthew is not one of the disciples but he has been changed because of Jesus and is a believer of Jesus as the Messiah. One of the things I love about this book is the way it begins. It shows the precision of God and how God’s perfect plan brought Jesus into being. Matthew 1:17 says, Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. with all that history from the time of Abraham, I’m sure no one in that timeline would have guessed they were part of the direct line of the Messiah, yet God knew exactly what He was doing. If God can plan something as immense as the delivery of the Savior to the world, He can certainly plan my life to fulfill my part of His will for His kingdom. My part is simply to be obedient and willing to be used by Him when the Holy Spirit directs me to act.

2013 Day 104 – God Uses Little Things

14 Sunday Apr 2013

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For our reflection day, I thought I would share this short video. It is a great reminder that God doesn’t require great sacrifices, but little things in a consistent way. He is God and He can make great things out of the smallest of sacrifices.

 

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2013 Day 103 – Joshua 22-24, Psalm 59

13 Saturday Apr 2013

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Today we are finishing up the book of Joshua. This book is the fulfillment of God’s blessing on Israel with the delivery of the promised land. Joshua, Moses’ protege, has lead the Israelites into the land and conquered it. As he is about to end his time on earth he gives the Israelites a final challenge and asks who they will serve. In Joshua 24:14-15 it says, 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” I love the way Joshua takes a leadership stance with the statement, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Sometimes we simply need to do what we know is right, regardless of what anyone else is doing.

2013 Day 102 – Joshua 19-21, Psalm 58

12 Friday Apr 2013

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The verse that stood out to me today was Psalm 58:4-5 says, 4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, 5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be. This is a good description of what the world we live in has become. There is nothing we can do to convince others about Jesus. It is up to the Holy Spirit to change the hearts and minds of the nonbeliever. This is not to say we are without responsibility, because we must be obedient and be available to be used by the Holy Spirit in any way necessary. It is not our job to convert; it is our job to be available and and to serve.

2013 Day 101 – Joshua 16-18, Psalm 57

11 Thursday Apr 2013

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In today’s reading in Psalm, David writes about a time when he was fleeing from his enemies. Think of the despair David must have been feeling and yet, he knew he had to praise God through it all. Psalm 57:9-10 says, 9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. When we feel the most alone, we must always remember that God is faithful to us. he never leaves us, nor keeps us from His protection and blessings if we trust in Him.