06 Friday May 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
It is hard to continually do good and see little to no results. But in Galatians 6:9 Paul challenges us to keep going, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. God’s plan and timing are perfect. If we trust in Him, He will provide the harvest for our hard work in due time.
05 Thursday May 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Jew or Gentile doesn’t matter. We are saved by the love and sacrifice of Jesus. In Galatians 5:6 Paul says, For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has an value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Let us make no mistake that Christ died and saved us because of His love for us. There is no other reason or motive. In turn, we are to reflect the love of Jesus to others because of our faith in His love for us. We were created for this purpose.
27 Wednesday Apr 2016
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I love what James say about Elijah in James 5:17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. While Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible, he was still just a man. The difference between Elijah and us was his tremendous faith and trust in God. There is nothing standing in our way of having the same trust and faith except us.
23 Saturday Apr 2016
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We do not need to do anything to receive salvation. Christ did it all through His crucifixion on the cross. So what is James trying to say in James 2:26? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. He is not talking about salvation. He is talking about a changed and obedient life. Christ saves us from our imperfect lives and gives us the freedom to not be enslaved by our sin nature. If we do not take advantage of that freedom to act for the benefit of others, then what was the point of salvation? Freedom gives us the ability to choose a life fulfilled and happy through Christ. If we don’t take advantage of it, we are wasting the gift of salvation.
19 Tuesday Apr 2016
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When Herod addressed the people about their quarreling, they called him a god and not a man. The results are described in Acts 12:22-23, 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. Pride is a terrible sin and God chose to punish Herod immediately. While God does not punish all sin in this lifetime, He will bring all to judgement. Praise God for He gives us a way out if we simply choose to take it.
18 Monday Apr 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Our legacy as believers started in the early days of the Church. I love reading the last sentence in Acts 11:26 where it says, The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. This is where it all started. People can argue all they want about the genealogy of what happened, but they cannot argue about where we came from. We are Christians because we came from Christ. We should not be ashamed of that designation. But somehow being called a Christian is not acceptable any more and that is sad. I am proud to be called a believer, Christian, follower of Christ, or whatever you want to call me. Christ saved me; all to Him I owe.
13 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
What does God call us to be? Does God call us to be brave? Does He call us to be strong? The truth is, He calls us to be none of those things. God calls us to be Obedient. Even in the face of persecution, pain, and potentially death, God calls us to trust in Him. In today’s reading we read about Stephen. Stephen was obedient to the point of death. And in the face of death Jesus appeared to him and welcomed him home. In Acts7:59, having been obedient to Jesus’ calling on his life, Stephen is ready to go home, While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ” Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” When it is our time to go home to Jesus, will be ready? What do we need to do in this life to know we have done all that was asked of us?
12 Tuesday Apr 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
In today’s reading we are introduced to Stephen who was one of the seven chosen by the Apostles to supervise the distribution of food to the needy in the early church. Because Stephen was so filled with the Spirit, the religious leaders seized him under false accusations. Acts 6:15 describes what the Sanhedrin saw when Stephen came before them, All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of and angel. Stephen was filled with the Spirit because of his great faith. He had peace in knowing he was doing the work God had laid out for him. When we know we are in God’s will, we feel peace and have confidence we are where we need to be.
11 Monday Apr 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
The religious leaders tried everything they could think of to stop the Apostles from preaching the Gospel. It was interesting to see a Pharisee provide some wisdom to the situation when he addressed the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:39, But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourself fighting against God. People have tried to distort and stop the Gospel from spreading, but even after 2,000 years the light still finds a way through the dark. You can fight God’s will all you want, but in the end, God’s plan is perfect.
08 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
We will often become frozen to act because we feel we don’t have the right gifts, talents, or wealth to have an impact, but God only asks us to be willing. In Acts 3:6 we see how little the Apostles had, Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” But what they did have was an abundance of faith. That is all God asks of us: to trust in his power and strength and to be willing to act.
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