Promise for Today - For Your Good

As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)

There’s nothing in your life that you can’t learn from if you’ll just respond with the right attitude.  Instead of saying, “God, why is this happening to me?’ learn to say, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” Every situation in life will either make you bitter or better. It’s your choice because you CAN choose how you respond to it.

Every problem has a purpose, and the purpose is to help you grow up spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 says, “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus” (ICB). If one of God’s purposes for your life is to grow up spiritually and to become like Jesus, then what is Jesus like?

The Bible calls Jesus’ character the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 GW). These are the qualities God wants to build in your life. He wants your life to overflow with love, joy, peace, and all of these attributes.

God often produces these qualities in your life by putting you in the exact opposite situation. 

He teaches you how to love by putting you around unlovely people. It’s easy to love people who are cool, people who are like you, people you get along with. But God will put you around seemingly unlovable people to show you what his unconditional love looks like.

He’ll teach you joy not by giving you everything you want but by showing you in adversity and grief that he is still enough.

He doesn’t teach you peace when you’re out fishing by the lake or wherever you choose to rest and relax. God teaches you real peace in the middle of chaos, when everything in your life is falling apart and you learn to trust him more.

God teaches us patience in traffic jams and waiting rooms and the thousand different ways we have to wait in life.

Becoming like Christ is a lifelong journey. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 in The Living Bible paraphrase, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.” God’s Spirit will be working on you the rest of your life to help you grow up spiritually.

When he uses ways to help you grow up that seem uncomfortable or inconvenient, remember that they are producing in you God’s best fruit.

Talk It Over

Think about a recent situation or circumstance that was difficult or stressful. How might God have intended to use it for your spiritual growth?

Why does adversity often teach us better than prosperity?

What do you think God wants you to do when you’re faced with adversity and you can’t see how God is using it for good in your life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Holy Spirit, we come before You with humble hearts, asking You to cultivate Your fruit in us. Let Your love flow through us, touching everyone we meet. Fill us with joy that overflows, peace that surpasses understanding, and patience that endures through trials.
           Lord, we ask for kindness and goodness to define our interactions, faithfulness to guide our commitments, and gentleness to reflect Your tender care. Grant us self-control to walk in righteousness and to resist temptations that seek to lead us astray.
          May love permeate our actions and words, joy radiate even in trials, and peace reign even amidst storms. Foster in us patience towards others, kindness in our dealings, goodness in our actions, faithfulness in our commitments, gentleness in our responses, and self-control in our desires.
         As we abide in You, we will bear much fruit, glorifying Your name and being a blessing to others.
We trust You, Father, to change us into the image of Your dear Son, and it's in His Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Looking for Progress

“I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” 

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

When my kids were little, they would bring pictures to me that they had drawn and say, “What do you think of this, Daddy?” I would tell them, “That’s perfect! It looks great.” When I told them it was perfect, I didn’t mean that it was a Picasso. I loved what they had created because it was perfect for that stage in their lives.

In the same way, God doesn’t wait until you’re mature to start loving you. He loved you before you were born. He doesn’t wait for you to clean up or straighten up before he thinks you’re good enough for his love. You shouldn’t do that with others, either. You’ve got to love them, warts and all. You’ve got to be patient with their progress.

The apostle Paul is a great example of this with the church in Philippi. Paul knew God was doing a good, long work in the lives of the people in the Philippian church, and Paul was patient with their progress. Being patient with other people’s progress is an essential part of happiness. Why? If you’re always expecting perfection in people before you can enjoy a relationship with them, then you’re never going to be happy. That’s because nobody’s perfect—especially you.

Here’s a little happiness hint: If you want to have happier and healthier relationships, then celebrate how far people have come rather than judging them for how far they still have to go. You’ve got to be patient with people’s progress.

To be able to celebrate people instead of judging them for their imperfections, you need patience. And the key to patience is love. Paul says in the next verse, “It is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart” (Philippians 1:7 NLT).

“In my heart”: Allowing other people to have a special place in your heart is a key to happiness. When you love and celebrate people and focus on their steps forward, then you’re going to build healthy, happy relationships.

Talk It Over

What effect does it have on you when your friends celebrate your success?

How does remembering God’s love for you help you love others well?

If you don’t consider yourself a patient person, what are some ways you can cultivate this fruit of the Spirit in your life?
- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for loving us before the foundation of the earth. Give us eyes of love to see the steps forward that our family and friends - and even we - are making. Help us to show our joy in their successes and loads of mercy when needed. Remove judgment and a critical spirit from our hearts so we have more room to give our people a special place instead. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - (Guest author) Waiting Well

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
James 1:4 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Patience is extremely important for people who want to glorify God and enjoy their lives. If we are impatient, the situations we encounter in life will certainly cause us to react emotionally.

The next time you have to wait on something or someone, instead of just reacting, try reminding yourself, "Getting upset will not make this go any faster, so I might as well enjoy the wait." Then perhaps say out loud, "I am developing patienceas I wait, so I am thankful in this situation." If you do that, you will be acting on the Word of God rather than reacting to the unpleasant circumstance.

Remember, patience is a fruit of the Spirit that God wants to develop in your life [note: see Galatians 5:22-23 ESV]. Don't merely think about how hard and frustrating it is, but think about how blessed you can be as you learn the art of waiting well.

Prayer:

Father,
          I am grateful that You have planted patience in my spirit and that through You, I can react properly to any situation. Help me today and every day to exercise patience in all things. *************In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Devotion from Joyce Meyer's "The Power of Being Thankful"

Advent - Day Seventeen

From 21 Gifts of Advent by Janelle Keith

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 NIV

The Gift of Patience

Who hasn’t waited for something … and then when you received the “thing," it was anticlimactic? Have you ever suffered through any disappointment or prayed for patience? Have you ever considered that Heaven is waiting patiently, too?

...Heaven is patiently waiting for you. I’m not only talking about the greeters at the pearly gates. Heaven in all of its glory is waiting for the children of God to mature into the likeness of God. Not so we can take His place on earth, but to reflect His love, light, and truth to all who need to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Heaven is patiently waiting for you to mature! And although no one is perfect in this, believers often fail to understand this truth. Salvation isn’t the end of our growing into His likeness. Rather, it’s the beginning of our new life in Christ as the Holy Spirit weaves God’s likeness into our spirit day by day. No one ever said it would happen quickly or come easily. On the contrary, Jesus warned us there would be troubles, but He promised peace in the overcoming. John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Advent reflection: Have the patience that Heaven displays. The people in Bible times waited over 400 years from the prophecy of Jesus until His actual arrival. During times of frustration and busyness, there are bound to be interruptions and bristly people to love. We are called to be the light and be patient with others. Choose kindness and generosity towards others; be gentle, and go out of your way to serve another. And in doing so, you will grow!
[It takes patience]

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Prayer:

Father,
            We pray according to Your Word. We want our Love to be sincere - please teach us to be devoted to one another in love and to honor one another above ourselves. Open our eyes to see those who are in need. Help us to keep our spiritual fervor, while serving You, Lord. Cause us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Pleasing God

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12 ESV

This verse is from one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Romans 12:9-16. In my opinion, those verses are the Cliffs Notes study guide for how to live a Christian life. But this particular verse has struck a chord with me. 

To be patient in tribulation. It's not fun, but it is SO necessary. To be steadfast no matter what the world throws at us. It strengthens our faith. It builds our endurance. James tells us to "Count it all joy..." 

We must ask ourselves which we want more - fun or faith? Which pleases God? (Hint: Hebrews 11:6) Choose this day whom you will serve... (Joshua 24:15)

Prayer:

Father,

          We want to please You above all else. Give us Your Strength to be able to Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Living the New Life

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:1-17 NLT

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for sending Your Son to pay the death penalty for our sin. Teach us how to live more fully in Your way. Holy Spirit, remind us always to make the choices to walk in mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and forgiveness as we live out our role as Christ's ambassadors. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Something Different for May - Day 29 - To Please Others

We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”

And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.” And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”

And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:1-13 NLT

Prayer - Day 29

Father, 

          Give me the same attitude of mind toward others that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice we glorify You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in You, so that I may overflow with hope by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen!

Praying Through Romans - www.crosswalk.cocm

Weary

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:9-10 NIV

We live in an age of instant gratification. People don't like to wait for anything. I know I don't need to belabor the point with a list of examples. We're all aware of it. 

Unfortunately, many times that same impatience is carried over into our relationship with the Lord. We've all heard the humorous prayer, "Lord, I need patience and I need it right now!" We've forgotten that we are to wait on the Lord. We've allowed ourselves to get weary in well-doing. We've taken our eyes off God and His purpose in our lives and have begun to look only at what WE are doing; at what it is costing US in time and energy or resources. 

It's easy enough to do. I'm not here to accuse, but to encourage. If you are weary and just want to quit, let me remind you where we find the strength to continue. It is ONLY in the Lord. Isaiah 40:31 tells us,  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Psalm 37:7-9 instructs us to Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Choose to trust the Lord and His Word MORE than the trials and circumstances in your life ...at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray Your Word in Psalm 27, We are confident that we will see Your goodness while we are here in the land of the living. We will wait patiently for You. We will be brave and courageous. Yes, Lord, we will wait patiently for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

The Big Squeeze

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
Romans 5:3-4 The Living Bible

There is a renewed call to prayer from the Holy Spirit. Do you feel it, too? Ringing over and over in my heart is the Scripture passage from Mark 12:30-31 NLT, "And you must love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind, and ALL your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The written emphasis is mine, but the emphatic inflection is God's. ALL my heart, ALL my soul, ALL my mind, and ALL my strength. I had to be honest with myself and ask, When was the last time I did anything with ALL that I am or ALL that I have... ?

So often, we fill up every waking moment with I have to do this or I have to do that and this must be done or that must be, and Suzie has to be at practice and Johnny has to, too, and we'll grab something at the drive-thru because we don't have time to cook and sit at the table...  And at night, when we fall into bed exhausted, we're too tired to pray, let alone worship, and we don't have all of anything left... Bob Sorge states, "This present world system is strategically designed to squeeze out your time and energy for the secret place." The secret place is our time with the Lord. It's where our strength is renewed. MAKE the time. Make it a priority once again.

So with renewed vigor, by the grace of God, I am getting back into shape spiritually - eagerly anticipating the next part of God's plan. Not just for me, but for ALL of us. Revelation 22:17 NKJV, And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. In my corner of the world, I see and hear people responding to the Spirit say, "Come!" and I pray it is the same for you.

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive us for all the times we've given You less than all. Therefore, since we are receiving Your Kingdom that cannot be shaken, grant us Your grace, by which we can serve You acceptably with reverence and Godly fear. For You, O Lord, are a consuming fire! Thank You for trials and tribulations that teach us patience and develop our character. Teach us how to give You Your heart's desire. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
 

Go for the Gold

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:12-13 NLT

Have you ever committed to a competition that required endurance training if there was to be any hope of even finishing, let alone winning? Endurance training is gruesome. You push to your very limit and then push some more. In fact, usually for endurance training, someone else is pushing you because they don't want to hear, "I can't..." And then a month or so into it, you're DOING what you could only hope you could do at the start. And you keep pushing, and keep going, and keep enduring. Why? Because you want what's at the end of the line. You press toward the prize. I know you know where I'm going with this.

James tells us in chapter 1, verses 2&3 NLT, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. If you have known me for very long, you have heard me say, "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." I believe that. There have been times in my life when it seemed like it would be a whole lot easier to die than to endure. But God would get me through that, and because of the endurance training I received during that trial, I would be able to endure the next, bigger, tougher situation. 

However, I can't say that I've ever been ecstatic or enthusiastic about trials and tribulations. I wasn't looking ahead - I wasn't looking to the hills where my help comes from. I wasn't looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12) Endured! Christ looked PAST the Cross to the joy that was set before Him.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us in 10:35-36, So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.

Just as God for the sake of the Cross looks beyond our frail, human nature so that Jesus can receive us unto Himself, so must we look beyond the trials and tribulations and patiently endure them so that we can continue to do the Father's will no matter what comes our way. It is in the patient endurance that we move into the position to be ready to receive all that He has promised.

C'mon! We're almost there! You can make it! It's not that much longer. Go for the gold - streets of gold!

Prayer:

Father,
            Your Word promises that You are the Lifter of our heads. Hold us up so we can see over this to the promise of eternity with You where there are no more tears. No more pain. No more separation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Do Not Give Up

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:9-10 NIV

We live in an age of instant gratification. People don't like to wait for anything. I know I don't need to belabor the point with a list of examples. We're all aware of it. 

Unfortunately, many times that same impatience is carried over into our relationship with the Lord. We've all heard the humorous prayer, "Lord, I need patience and I need it right now!" We've forgotten that we are to wait on the Lord. We've allowed ourselves to get weary in well-doing. We've taken our eyes off God and His purpose in our lives and have begun to look only at what WE are doing; at what it is costing US in time and energy or resources. 

It's easy enough to do. I'm not here to accuse, but to encourage. If you are weary and just want to quit, let me remind you where we find the strength to continue. It is ONLY in the Lord. Isaiah 40:31 tells us,  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Psalm 37:7-9 instructs us to Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Choose to trust the Lord and His Word MORE than the trials and circumstances in your life ...at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray Your Word in Psalm 27, We are confident that we will see Your goodness while we are here in the land of the living. We will wait patiently for You. We will be brave and courageous. Yes, Lord, we will wait patiently for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen