06 Sunday May 2012
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In chapter 54, David is asking God to hear his prayer and to deliver him from his enemies. In verse 2 it says, Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. How often do I need to feel God is hearing my prayers and is going to answer them.
05 Saturday May 2012
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Psalm 17 was written by David when he was being persecuted by Saul. Even when he knew his life was at risk, David knew where his protection was. I love verse 8 where it says, Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. According to the notes in my Bible, the “shadow of your wings” is a figure of speech symbolizing God’s protection. This same metaphor was used by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:11 because God guards us no matter what our circumstances may be.
Psalm 28 emphasizes the same message of protection, but this time specifically through prayer. Verse 1 says, To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Prayer is the best way to handle trials because it keeps us in communion with God who is our only source of safety.
04 Friday May 2012
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Paul and Barnabas experience a little bit of everything in today’s reading. At one point they are thought of as gods and the next Paul is almost stoned to death. Through it all they continue to drive down the road of obedience. It is usually easy for us to follow God when things are going right, but it’s not as easy when we see the locals with stones in their hands ready to throw it at our heads.
03 Thursday May 2012
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It never gets old hearing the plan of salvation, 38 “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” No matter how hard we try to be good, it is clear that we can never meet up to the standards required by the Law. It is only through the forgiveness of sin through Jesus that we can have salvation. The entire Bible is about this one thing and to miss this point is to miss THE point.
02 Wednesday May 2012
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Seeing how God help Peter escape from prison with the help of an angel shows how much the Apostles depended on God for everything. There are times, especially recently, where I realize I do not depend on God enough. As an American we are able to theoretically provide for all our own needs. I wonder what my “needs” would look like if I allowed God to provide according to His plan as opposed to what I think my “needs” are.
01 Tuesday May 2012
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It is interesting to see that the disciples of Antioch were the first to be called Christians (or “Christ-ones”). According to the notes in my Bible, Antioch was a mix of Jews and Gentiles whose only commonality was Christ – not race, culture, or language. This is why I find it ironic that in our present time, the word “Christian” is almost a bad word even in our own culture. For some reason, “Christian” has become a word that brings about images of discrimination and/or separation. We need to do a better job of associating the word “Christian” with Christ as the one who can cross any boundary and unify any group of people regardless of race, culture, or language. We, as Americans especially, need to accept that being Christian does not necessarily mean it is the American version of Christianity! We must do a better job of understanding God’s intent and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading when it comes to building and maintaining the community of “Christ-ones”.
30 Monday Apr 2012
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Acts 10 is a great story of salvation. Cornelius is a great example of trusting in God and listening to His leading. I’m not sure Cornelius really understood what God was about to do in his life, but he was willing to follow His direction. Peter is the same, but from a different direction, because he was willing to follow God’s direction in changing everything he considered sacred in his life. Both men show that what we may think is required or considered to be etched in stone, God can change in a heartbeat. It’s all God’s anyway, why not trust Him to do with it as He pleases.
29 Sunday Apr 2012
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Psalm 90 is written by Moses and is actually the oldest of the Psalms. The Psalm gives contrast to God’s eternal and all-powerful nature with man’s frailty. While our time on earth is limited, God is everlasting. He was here before us and will be here past our time. We need to think about our time here on earth and how we can impact it beyond our existence. Below is an illustration by Francis Chan that really impacted me me when I saw it. Watch it and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
28 Saturday Apr 2012
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We are to be thankful to God for His provision in our lives. David writes in Psalm 63 about all God has provided for Him. How often do we take the time to do the same thing? God is worthy to be praise and thanked on a continuous basis for everything, but especially for all He has provided specifically for us.
27 Friday Apr 2012
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Psalm 148 is all about praising God. The Psalmist basically says that all creation must praise God for who He is, what He has done, and all He has created. Psalm 149 is all about celebration. While we know we are to praise God, we don’t always know how to go about doing it. In this chapter several methods are suggested; in dancing, singing, and musical instruments. God created us and loves us, we should take the time to enjoy our praise of Him!
Daily Devotion 