Thursday, January 28, 2010

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

No Fear


He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast,trusting
in the LORD. Psalm 112:7

Friday, January 22, 2010

Look


Look to Me,
and be saved.

Isaiah 45:22





Troubles almost always make us look to God,
but His blessings tend to divert our atten-
tion elsewhere. We will find what we are
looking for if we will concentrate on Him.
Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries
about tomorrow all vanish when we look at God.
Build your hope on Him. No matter how many
things seem to be pressing in on you, be
determined to push them aside and look to Him.

~Oswald Chambers~
from: My Utmost for His Highest

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Worth









This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one
and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10


God's message to His children is consistent: we've been accepted by Him and belong to Him forever. In this acceptance, we discover a sense of security, adequacy, and love that frees us to live for Him.

Our worth does not derive from anything in our character or performance but rather depends solely on our relationship with Jesus.

The world thinks love and worth are tied to performance, while security rests in material possesions. But God showed His love by sending Christ to die for us. In Him, we find value, competence, and peace. Consider whose message you are believing--God's or the world's.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Surrender



"...Give yourselves to God...
surrender your whole being to
Him to be used for righteous
purposes." Romans 6:13




The heart of worship is surrender.

Surrender is an unpopular word, disliked almost as
much as the word submission. It implies losing, and
no one wants to be a loser.

Surrender evokes the unpleasant images of admitting
defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to
a stronger opponent. The word is almost always used
in a negative context.

In our competitive world we're taught to never quit
trying, never give up, and never give in - so we don't
hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything,
surrendering is unthinkable.

Yet, the Bible teaches us that rather than trying to win,
succeed, overcome, and conquer, we should instead yield,
submit, obey, and surrender.

And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship.
This is true worship: bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves
completely to Him.

Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience, cooperating with your
Creator. You say, "Yes Lord" to whatever He asks of you.

You can't claim Jesus as your Lord when you refuse to obey Him.
Surrendered people obey God's word, even when it doesn't make sense.

God is not a cruel slave driver, or a bully who uses brute force to
coerce us into submission. He doesn't try to break our will, but woos
us to Himself, so that we might offer it freely to Him. God is a Lover
and a Liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage.

When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that
He is not a tyrant but a Savior; not a boss, but a brother; not a
dictator, but a friend.

~Rick Warren~

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Confidence


But blessed is the man
who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in Him.

Jeremiah 17:7





Our world is full of distrust, fear
and uncertainty. Don't allow yourself
to listen to negative messages, which
can make you lose the confidence God
gives His children. Instead, focus on
the truth in Scripture.

Facing each day with the knowledge that
our strength comes from Jesus will drive
away doubt and anxiety. We can purpose-
fully develop confidence in almighty God
by maturing in our faith. The more our
friendship with the heavenly Father deepens,
the more unshakable trust in Him will become.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Monday, January 11, 2010

Intimacy


"Jesus said to him,
'Have I been with you
so long, and yet you
have not known Me,
Philip?'" (John 14:9)






True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with
someone in thought, heart and spirit. The whole experience
of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest
relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings
and know His Word, but do we really know Him?

The bearing of fruit is always shown in scripture to be the
visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
The christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never
draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of
a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the
outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to
its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of
the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are
intimate with Him.

~Oswald Chambers~
from: My Utmost for His Highest

Friday, January 8, 2010

Fulfilled












Remain in Me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it
must remain in the Vine. Neither can you
bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

John 15:4


Our heavenly Father will not force us to
remain with Him. If we ignore His guiding
Holy Spirit and insist on following an un-
godly path, He'll let us go our own way.

If we wander and maker ourselves top
priority over the Lord, we will also ex-
perience a disconnect with our heavenly
Father. As Christians, we cannot move off
God's chosen path without first closing our
mind and heart to His truth and His call on
our lives.

God has bestowed spiritual gifts and material
resources to build His kingdom, and He's also
provided His Spirit to offer guidance. Pur-
suing our own plan wastes what He has given us.

Chasing after dreams that are outside of God's
purpose will lead to discontent. A great weari-
ness will overtake us if we live apart from God.
Only in Christ can we find true fulfillment.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Revelation


Where there is no revelation,
the people cast off restraint;
but happy is he who keeps the law.

Proverbs 29:18






The world operates on vision. God's people live
by revelation. The world seeks grand and noble
purposes and goals to achieve. People dream up
the greatest and most satisfying things in which
they can invest their lives. God's people function
in a radically different way.

God does not ask for our opinion about what is best
for our future, our family, our church, or our country.
He already knows! What God wants is to get the attention
of His people and reveal to us what is on His heart and
what is His will, for God's ways are not our ways.

Whenever people do not base their lives on God's revelation,
they "cast off restraint." That is, they do what is right
in their own eyes. They set goals, arrange their agenda,
and then pray for God's blessings. The only way for you
to know God's will is for Him to reveal it to you. You
will never discover it on your own. When you hear from the
Father, you have an immediate agenda for your life: obedience.

Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby
from: Experiencing God Day by Day