Promise for Today - Simple Enough

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

Who do you think of as the most powerful man or woman in the world? There are certainly a lot of people vying for it at the moment, and it's only going to get worse.

People’s thoughts generally turn to world leaders or the wealthiest, and the responses are almost as varied as the number of people you ask. However, according to Scripture, it’s the one who, in his weakness, finds his strength in an unseen God (unseen by the world), or the one who rules his own spirit, or the one who controls his tongue.

Doesn’t that seem simple enough to do? Are we that powerful? The Truth is - apart from God, it's impossible.

Prayer:

Father,
          We submit our will to Yours. We want to live Your will for our lives. Help us, Lord. By Your Grace, cause us to be mighty for You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Uniquely the Same

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NKJV

God loves you and wants the very best for your life. My pastor declares this all the time. He's not a "name it, claim it", "blab it, grab it" "confess it, possess it" kind of guy, but he is steeped in the Word of God and proclaims Truth every time he speaks.

God really DOES love you and He TRULY wants the best for your life! I mean, c'mon! He sent Jesus for us! So, because He loves us so much, He made each of us uniquely ourselves. Think about the billions of people and no two fingerprints alike. Mind-boggling! He didn't make us unique in order to be in the spotlight. He didn't make us unique so that we could laud it over anyone who doesn't have the same giftings we might have. He made us unique because we each bring something of value to the table to accomplish His purpose - His goals in our lives and the lives of those around us. Something that is uniquely our own, yet a vital part of the whole picture.

The world calls for us to celebrate diversity and to make it our focus. The world encourages us to find the thing that's different and exploit it; to focus on what separates us and divide into groups accordingly. God never called us to division. He called us into relationship with Himself and the Body of Christ - which is you and me.

How do you make a friend? You either get thrust into a forced connection or you first notice that there is some kind of common ground on which you can connect. Right?

That is EXACTLY what God is calling us to do in our Scripture text for today. Yes, we're all different, but we are to celebrate the SAME! The same Spirit (the one that raised Christ Jesus from the dead). The same God who works all in all. We are not called to separatism.

Prayer:

Father,
           We don't want to lose our lives by lauding it over everyone. Lord, may we remember and focus on the Truth that we were created to do things for others - things that You ordained for us to do long ago. Help us to recognize Your handiwork and cause us to hasten to do all that You have in Your Heart and Mind for us. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - A Sobering Thought

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:20-23 NLT

I stopped at the store to pick up a few items I needed. While there, I noticed a bin of discounted CDs that contained re-releases of music I listened to years ago. I picked two - one Christian artist and one American blues singer.

Music is amazing! You hear an old favorite and it takes you back to a particular time or place. That's exactly what happened as soon as I got back in the car and slipped in the CD of the blues. The music strummed down the inroads of memory lane and the vocals massaged and manipulated me back to that time in my life... I cranked it up and hit the repeat button many times.

This morning when I woke up, the melody playing in my heart was from that blues CD. It's not "bad" music, but it is not conducive to worship. It hasn't put me in a mindset of prayer. It has not lent itself to assisting me to focus on the Lord and seek His direction for today. It's not what I normally wake up hearing in my heart. Verse 23 of our text for today reads, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

"Determines the course of my life"... That's a sobering thought. What else am I allowing into my heart?

Prayer:

Father,
          Awaken our hearts to only You, Lord. Always shine the Light of Your Truth into our lives so that everything we do is pleasing to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Our Generations

But Agrippa did answer: “Keep this up much longer and you’ll make a Christian out of me!”

Paul, still in chains, said, “That’s what I’m praying for, whether now or later, and not only you but everyone listening today, to become like me—except, of course, for this prison jewelry!”
Acts 26:28-29 The Message

My youngest granddaughter and I are great friends. We love to be together - to do nothing or to do something, it doesn't matter. We just like to be together. The scary part of it is that although 60 years separate us, we are very much alike. Sometimes, when I see my own less-than-desirable stubborn traits surface in her, I remind her parents, "We need to pray harder!" Although I will say, they are doing a fine job of raising her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Praise God!

My siblings and I are now the oldest generation in our family. It's amazing to see the 4th generation of children in my older brothers' lines; especially when I think of all the history that is represented there and back just a couple of generations. My maternal grandfather was saved a little over a hundred years ago. His life drastically changed, thus altering the path forward of the generations to follow. Thank You, God! For each generation is affected for good or for evil by the previous. 

Think about the generations of Herods. In his attempt to kill Jesus, Herod the Great wiped out all male babes two and under - the age group he figured Jesus would be in from the first he heard of Him. Herod Agrippa I (his grandson) is written about in Acts 12: "On an appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, 'The voice of a god, and not of a man!' Immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last." Herod Antipas actually met Jesus when He was being tried but failed to recognize Him as the Messiah. And then there's King Herod Agrippa II...who made a joke of Paul's impassioned plea. NKJV records his words as "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Four opportunities to meet the Savior of the world and to change their lives forever... each becoming like the one before him. Almost persuaded.

We've been promised that we would have one opportunity to hear and receive the Good News for ourselves. Most Americans have heard it many times, but maybe not elsewhere in the world. The question is, what have we done with the one time that we did hear that Jesus died on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins so that we could be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with our Heavenly Father? Who are we becoming like? Who do the generations coming after us favor? Who will they be like?

Prayer:

Father,

          May all who hear of Your grace and mercy to us in the crucifixion of Your Son, Jesus Christ, listen and obey Your Word. May we be according to Your Word in 1st John 3:2, Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see Him—and in seeing Him, become like Him. All of us who look forward to His Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

 

Turn Away and Keep Moving - Guest Author - Pr. Alan Neel

Guest author - Pastor Alan Neel

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Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
Proverbs 4:14-15 NLT

Indeed, it's not always our actions that get us into trouble, but our thoughts. What we think about somehow becomes "normalized" in our lives, causing us to lose our way. 

Yes, we as Christians should be different! Not just in our relationships and behavior, but also in our thought life. Proverbs give us good advice: "Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the paths of evildoers. Don't even think about it; don't go that way. TURN AWAY AND KEEP MOVING."

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Prayer:

Father,

           We trust Your Word and choose to walk in Your way. You said through the prophet Isaiah that You would go before us and make the crooked places straight. We want to follow You. Cause Your Word to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - No Argument There

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Mark 5:18-20 NLT

Have you noticed that more and more people like to argue - and sometimes over the least inconsequential matter? Only now they call it sharing... Some like to argue just for the sake of arguing. I'm half-Italian; we can argue loud and long over just about anything.

People will argue about the virgin birth, where the wise men first saw Jesus, walking on water, healing, belly buttons, for crying out loud. However, there is one thing people can't possibly argue about and that is your testimony of what God did for you. In the simple telling of how you got saved, there is no room for argument.

Take a minute and allow yourselves to remember the details of how and when you got saved. You don't need to get into a great theological discussion or debate. Go ahead. Think about it. Rehearse it... Pray for divine appointments, then go tell it. They can't argue with your testimony.

Prayer:

Father,
Awaken within us a burning desire to spread the Good News to this lost and dying world. Fan the flame within us so that no one within the sound of our voice spends eternity in hell. Bring peace and confidence - a holy boldness, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - In His Image

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them...

Genesis 1:27-28a NKJV

God has a reason, a design and a plan for everything He creates. We may not know or understand a large part of it, but that doesn't matter. Mankind was created in His likeness.

The original plan was that our nature would be like His, but it didn't take us long to fall, did it? One thousand, one hundred, eighty-nine chapters in the Bible, and by chapter 3, we'd already fallen. The fallen nature of man just wants to be blessed. And in our fallen nature, we started the "What about me?" saga. It doesn't want to work for it, to have to earn it - it's that whole I-didn't-ask-to-be-born-You-owe-me selfish, self-focused and self-consumed attitude.

The good news is that those who choose to follow God, to walk in Christ's footsteps - to pick up their Cross and be redeemed from the curse of sin - they can once again be the image of God. The redeemed nature wants to give and to bless others. That's following God. He's not asking us to do anything He hasn't already done Himself. You see, He gave us our very breath of life and then He gave us the opportunity for Life abundantly through the death of His Son. He gave - after we had already fallen.

"For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." Titus 2:11-14

Prayer:

Father,
          We want to be more like You. Redeem us unto every good work, Father, according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen