The Added Benefits

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
Ephesians 1:18 NLT

Have you ever received a gift that came with an instruction manual, but figured you knew enough about it that you didn't have to read it? Or you had listened to enough people who knew about it that you figured there was no need to waste time reading the manual? After all, the print is small and sometimes they're difficult to understand, right? Yeah, and then later you find out there are all sorts of added features and benefits to the gift - designed to make your life easier - if you had only known...

In our Promise for Today, Paul prays that our hearts will be flooded with light so that we can see and understand all the added features and benefits of the greatest Gift we have ever received. We need to read the instruction manual (the Bible) God wrote for us so we can best understand who He is and how His plan for salvation fully works in and for our lives.

Prayer:

Father, 

          Thank You for getting it all written down for us. Open our eyes of understanding to see You. Open our hearts to receive all that You have planned for us to do. Give us the wisdom and strength to carry out Your plan. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen

Lesser Summer

[ Judgment for Disobedience ] “My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot out lies. They refuse to stand up for the truth. They only go from bad to worse. They do not know me,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:3 NLT

At the end of August, I'm thinking about Fall. It's my favorite season. However, here in Texas, we don't really call it Fall. Here it's known as Lesser Summer... and we are grateful for it. However, people love to mark the seasons. In the U.S., Fall is most appreciated on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The trees are extraordinary with colors you have to see to believe. The pictures - no matter how good they are - just can't quite capture the first-hand experience. It is worth every penny to make that trip at least once in your lifetime.

As the news was abuzz with the change of seasons, I just kept thinking about Fall, which led me to thinking about The Fall. You know, Mankind's fall. There's an old song from the 80's we used to sing that part of the lyric was, "If you don't stand up for what is right, you're going to fall for anything." As I contemplated that line, I realized the depth of the Truth in it.

When we make a stand for or against something, there is a determination in our stance. Our feet are planted more squarely, our body braced, our muscles tensed for action to combat the opposition. If we don't stand up for what we know to be right - what we know to be Truth, then we have no courage or strength born of conviction to withstand the onslaught against us and so we will fall... again.

I love Ephesians 6:13-14a in the King James or the New King James:
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth... We will not fall if we take up the whole armor of God.

It's our choice: Stand up or fall.

Prayer:

Father,
          I don't want to be knocked down to make me look up. I look to You now for strength born of conviction to walk in Your Truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and we want to follow Him and worship You in Truth. Help us, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Without Christ

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12-13 NLT

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:4-5 NLT

Without Christ, not only can I not DO anything, I am nothing. When I first came back to Christ a long time ago (longer than I care to admit, but it almost qualifies for Once upon a time…) someone taught me an illustration using the title Christian. He said, "We who follow Christ are called Christian. However, if you remove Christ from Christian, all you have left are the letters I A N - an acronym for I Am Nothing…because without Christ, I am nothing." I have found that to be an eternal Truth.

If you are an active follower of Jesus Christ, do you remember the days BEFORE Him? Maybe you weren’t so bad. Maybe you were a “good” person but just didn’t have Christ as the Savior of your life. Me? I was an unholy terror. More often than not, I wish I and everyone who knew me then could have a partial lobotomy to remove the memories of the garbage details of my life. 

You might ask yourself where I’m going with this, or why I’m bringing it up. After all, it’s all forgiven through Christ and He promises to never remember it. Well, it's because it's so shocking for me to think that a perfect and holy God would want to use me. And I want you to know that He wants you, too.

Is there something that God has allowed in your life, some type of beauty-for-ashes miracle He has allowed, the sight of which causes you to simply stand back, mouth agape in wonder, and stare? How can we not take time to relish the wonder of God’s mercy? Today is our chance to celebrate the mystery of divine second chances.

Scripture tells us that everything we go through and He brings us out of, is all redeemed to accomplish His purpose for our lives. Any grace, any Truth, any redemptive word of wisdom, any tidbit of comfort or mercy that you receive from this Promise for Today is all because of Jesus Christ – the Author and Finisher of my faith and yours. Today, I am publicly reaffirming that Truth to you. You see, without Christ, I Am Nothing.

Prayer:

Father,
           Your Word tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are Your masterpiece. You created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things You planned for us long ago. Thank You, Father, for not throwing us away, for not leaving us in our sin. Keep us on the path forward to accomplish those things You have planned for us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Never

1. Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 

2 For he loves us with unfailing love; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 177 NLT

In the King James Bible, verse 2 reads, for his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. At first, I wondered how could this short chapter - only two verses - be translated so differently? And then I realized it's only worded differently. It really says the same thing. After all, what is God? The TRUTH is that God IS love. He is unfailing, therefore His love is unfailing. Unfailing love IS faithful love, so that Truth endures forever.

In the good times, His love never fails.
In the bad times, His love never fails.
In times of war AND times of peace, His love never fails.
In life AND in death, His love never fails.

I'm just paraphrasing a few lines of the psalms, but the Truth remains. The love of God does not fail. 

It NEVER fails.

When we can see it and when we can't.
When we can feel it and when we can't.
When we understand why and when we can't.

In and of Himself, God is love. He loves us when we can't. And when we can't do anything or change anything or see how it all works, He can. And we will praise Him.

Prayer:

Father,
            There is so much we don't understand. There are many, many hard times, but You, O God, are faithful. Your Word tells us that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but YOU, O Lord, deliver us out of them all! You see the end from the beginning. You saw our need and gave us a Savior. Blessed be Your Name, O Lord, our Redeemer. Giving You all praise and honor and glory for Your love never fails. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

'Cause I Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith. I Gotta Have Faith!

Guest author tonight - my daughter, Valerie 💓

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 NLT

Ever have one of those days (weeks, months, years) where you find yourself facing unfamiliar territory? Perhaps standing in the middle of some crossroads filled with complete uncertainty? Or maybe you've come to a fork in the road, unsure if you should take the left or the right road. Then to top it all off, you're completely alone (or so you're convinced). Then, right at THAT exact moment, Satan "finishes" you off with a barrage of lies. How everyone close to you has gone away (they had better things to do - sound familiar?), abandoned you (if they really cared or loved you, where are they? - one of Satan's favorite lies, I'm sure), they left you to face this (trial/tribulation/battle/next chapter) alone. 

In reality, the truth of the matter is YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You have God and your faith and trust in God. And God will honor your faith and trust by NEVER failing you! He may not do it the way you want Him to but He will NEVER fail you, that's His promise to you. Like it says, in Philippians 4:12 NKJV-  I can do all things through Christ who STRENGTHENS me.

Dear Lord, we thank you for lifting us out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire produced from Satan's lies. We ask that You continue to steady us and guide us. Help us to keep our eyes solely on You, Lord, and keep our feet on Your steady ground. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Pointing the Way or Providing It?

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

Psalm 37:23 NKJV

When people give directions, I get a mental picture of them standing and pointing in the right direction. And it dawned on me tonight that I tend to think of the Lord doing exactly that same thing while He's directing my path. That is until I read this particular verse in the Amplified Bible. It reads differently.

The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

Think about that for a minute. Pointing the way to go is one thing. Establishing my steps is a whole 'nother story (Texan for completely different)! God may be pointing me down a rough path, one with twists and turns, steep hills and lots of obstacles. My first inclination would be to find a go-around. How in the world will I walk that path?!? How? The only way possible - with Him.

His Word tells us in Isaiah 45:2 that He goes before us and makes the crooked places straight, levels the uneven places, flattens the mountains and hills. Not only that but according to our Promise for Today, HE ESTABLISHES our steps. He's right there to make certain that our steps are sure. The next verse (Psalm 37:24) promises that even if we fall, the Lord holds our hand and we won't be utterly cast down.

If God is pointing you to it, trust Him. His Word promises there is nowhere we can go that He isn't already there (Psalm 139:8-12). And truthfully, wouldn't we rather be on a rough road WITH God than a smooth road WITHOUT Him?

Prayer:

Father,
           Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

A Generous Spirit

As the Scriptures say, 

 “They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
2nd Corinthians 9:9-11 NLT

People get nervous when you talk about Christianity. They fidget when you start talking about money. But if you want to really see them squirm, talk about money and Jesus in the same breath! However, truth is Truth. Now, before you get upset, I'm not talking about prospering for the sake of prosperity, so don't leave me yet.

Scripture tells us to share freely and give generously to the poor. If we do, according to the Word of God, He will both provide and increase our resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in us. The increased resources are NOT for us to keep, but to give away to others. It's not about making us rich. It's about a harvest of generosity. It's about reaping a generous spirit. It's about giving to others so that it opens the gate for them to come into the presence of God because they're giving thanks for what they have received.

Our text for today is the basis for the Law of Reciprocity. BIG buzzword in recent years. However, I'm not talking about transactional reciprocity - value given for value received. Author Wayne Baker has this to say about the power of reciprocity, "The lesson is that we cannot pursue the power of reciprocity. When we try to invoke reciprocity directly, we lose sight of the reason for it: helping others. Paradoxically, it is in helping others without expecting reciprocity in return that we invoke the power of reciprocity. The deliberate pursuit of reciprocity fails..." Mr. Baker paraphrased what the Scripture has to say and got himself another best seller.

What is our motivation behind giving? Is it obligational reciprocity? Yuck... Is it transactional reciprocity – value given for value received? Or is it - according to His Word - from a great harvest of generosity? If we continue in today's text, verse 13 reads, As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. Oh, please let it be that we are found obedient to the Good News of Christ!

Prayer:

Father,
             You love a cheerful giver, and You set the ultimate example of giving by giving us Your Son, Jesus. Provide and increase our resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in us, Lord, according to Your Word. Enrich us in every way so that we may always be generous. Help us especially to be generous with Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Generous to meet the needs of those around us so they will seek You out and thank You and give You glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen