Happy Days

For the Scriptures say, [ref. Psalm 34:12-16]
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

"The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

1 Peter 3:10-12 NLT

There are many people who don't realize happy days are a matter of choosing self-discipline. It's not a simple matter of kicking back and letting things be, it takes decisive action on our part. Making choices to:

    - not speak evil

    - not tell lies

    - turn away from evil

    - do good

    - search for peace

    - work to maintain it

It's as simple - or as difficult as we choose to make it be.

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us for our bad choices. Happy days are what we'd like to have, according to Your Word. Give us Your strength and Your wisdom to be able to walk fully in the fruit of Your Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

So You Know

And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:11-14 NLT

I remember a few years back, several of my co-workers made a point to ask me if I was going to be at work on the following Monday. After about the third one, I finally asked if they knew something I didn't know. It was then they told me about the nutcase who predicted the exact day and time the world would end - and he said it would be over the weekend.

They razzed me pretty good about not knowing what was going on in the news. I told them I didn't bother to get my news from the world. I know about what’s going on in the world today by reading the Book. I let them know that I don’t know exactly when Jesus is coming because even JESUS doesn't know when He’s coming back - but they could best believe it would NOT be on the day or the hour a man predicts – their Saturday night plans were safe…unless of course, God decided to send Jesus on Friday… which begged the question, THEN where would they be?

Our text continues in verse 23 TLB, Jesus speaking…

Then if anyone tells you, ‘The Messiah has arrived at such and such a place, or has appeared here or there,’ don’t believe it. For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets, and will do wonderful miracles so that if it were possible, even God’s chosen ones[a] would be deceived. See, I have warned you.

“So if someone tells you the Messiah has returned and is out in the desert, don’t bother to go and look. Or, that he is hiding at a certain place, don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah, return. And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.

“Immediately after the persecution of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give light, and the stars will seem to fall from the heavens, and the powers overshadowing the earth will be convulsed.

“And then at last the signal of my coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. And the nations of the world will see me arrive in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When her branch is tender and the leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is almost here. Just so, when you see all these things beginning to happen, you can know that my return is near, even at the doors. Then at last this age will come to its close.

“Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever. But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son. 

Only the Father knows.

It’s in the Book. Read it. Believe it. Know what’s going on in the world around you.

Prayer:

Father,

           Guard our hearts and minds to know Your Truth. Let us not be deceived by worldly fears and predictions. Let the light of Your Truth shine brightly as the world grows darker. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Thanksgiving Day - guest writer

Written by Debbie McDaniel of ibelieve.com

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God, it is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good; his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:1-5

All across our nation, Thanksgiving is a day that we set aside in order to do one thing.

Be thankful.

And usually what goes along with it, is lots of food, family and friends, laughter and fun, times of giving to others in need, maybe some football, or traditions that you’ve recognized through long years.

And sometimes too, there is also loneliness. And struggle. Or deep loss. Feelings of hurt and painful circumstances that you’re still trying to hurdle over.

Whatever you’re facing this Thanksgiving Day, in the midst of all of it, may we remember again that God gives us the opportunity each and every day, to give worship and thanks to Him. Every morning He gives us breath, which is His invitation to come joyfully into His Presence. He reminds us that He alone is God and we belong to Him. He assures us that His plans in our lives are for good, that His love covers us securely, and His faithfulness extends from generation to generation.

No matter what, He’s given us so many reasons to choose thankfulness and joy this day. Let’s do what the Psalmist of this great chapter says:

- Shout for joy.
- Worship the Lord with gladness.
- Come before Him with joyful songs.
- Know that He is God.
- Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
- Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
- Recognize His goodness, love, and faithfulness, through all the generations of our family.

Give thanks.

Prayer:

Dear God,

              Thank You for Your goodness and for Your blessings over our lives. Forgive us when we don't thank You enough, for who You are, for all that You do, for all that You've given. We’re so grateful to You for Your amazing love and care, for Your mercy and grace, for always working on our behalf, even behind the scenes when we’re unaware. Thank You that You are always with us and will never leave us, even through loss and the most difficult of times. Thank You for Your incredible sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on You afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with Your peace and joy, this Thanksgiving Day and every day. We give You thanks and praise, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Rejoice!

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 NLT

How do we love Christ? 

In every circumstance, choose how we can best bring Him the most honor and glory and do that. 

How do we trust Him?

By believing His every word and obeying. Trust isn't a feeling. To trust Him is a decision - a choice we make (to believe and obey).

What does it mean to rejoice in Christ? 

It means to thank Him and praise Him for the wondrous blessing of our salvation and our secured eternity with Him. When we meditate on that thought alone, our joy can be truly inexpressible. To get to live for God - knowing He ever watches over us - should flood our hearts with pure joy.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your wondrous plan for our salvation since before the foundation of the world. What great love You have for us - incomparable and incomprehensible - too great to fully grasp and understand. Help us, Father, to follow obediently in Your footsteps and to love others as You have loved us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

In Awe of God's Yes

Psalm 128 The Message - A Reward for Faithfulness

All you who fear God, how blessed you are!
How happily you walk on his smooth straight road!
You worked hard and deserve all you’ve got coming.
Enjoy the blessing! Soak in the goodness!

Your wife will bear children as a vine bears grapes,
your household lush as a vineyard,
The children around your table
as fresh and promising as young olive shoots.
Stand in awe of God’s Yes.
Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God!

Enjoy the good life in Jerusalem every day of your life.
And enjoy your grandchildren.
Peace to Israel!

Prayer:

Father,

          Forgive us for the times we forget ALL of Your goodness to us. Keep us ever mindful for we are forever grateful. Give us thankful hearts, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Graffiti

Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it.
James 4:11 The Message

Graffiti is an art form - an illegal one. Some of it is quite extraordinary, but it is still done without permission and defaces public or private property. In other words, it's against the law...  

Sin is like that. Hebrews 11 refers to the temporary pleasure of sin and yet, the full wage of sin is death. Mark 12 tells us to love God and love our neighbor - there are no greater commandments than those two.

James 3:9-10 tells us, With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. 

It doesn't matter how much Word we have memorized if we're not doers of it, too. Let's love one another. 

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to remember that what we sow, we also reap. Keep us ever mindful to sow good seed so our harvest is pure. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Works

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

James 2:14-17 NLT

From OpentheBible.org:

The majority of the New Testament is full of language to the tune of Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

But when we get to James 2, we see things like, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” and, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (vv. 17, 24 respectively).

So which is it? Is faith a gift of grace, alone? Or, do we need good works too? And how in the world do we teach this? The answers to these questions are found in the very important distinction between how faith is demonstrated, and how it is acquired. Salvation and faith are granted to us by the gift of grace. That is how they are acquired. But our faith is demonstrated by works. John 15:8 says, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” Bearing fruit, doing good works that glorify God, are proof of our salvation, not prerequisites for salvation.

In his commentary, Warren Wiersbe offers this helpful clarification on James 2:
"Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. That kind of faith is dead faith. True saving faith can never be by itself: It always brings life, and life produces good works."

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for taking us from dead faith and dead works to changed hearts and lives that glorify You. Your change in us is what produces the desire to do for others and serve the Body of Christ. Give us Your eyes to see those around us who are in need and how we can best help and serve them. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen