Monday
A Work-In-Progress
Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience (Titus 2:2 NLT).
Hmmm, self-control, respectful, full of faith, love, and patience … I have some work to do, on myself. How about you?
Dear Father, let us be raw steel and be ready to be shaped into Your likeness. Father God, hone us into what you want us to be. Lord, put us into the fire to harden us and strengthen us. Put us to Your grinder stone and shape us to what You desire. Finally, put us to the final sharpening stone, the smooth stone that brings forth a flawless edge and razor sharpness, gently guide us over this stone so we might be made perfect, in Your image. All of this is for Your glory, not ours. Then Father, use us for Your purpose. We lay our lives at the foot of the Cross, we are Yours, Father. Amen.
Tuesday
God's Plan
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved (Romans 10:9-10 NLT).
Ladies and Gentlemen- THIS IS GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION. Don't make it so difficult. Jesus did the hard part, all we have to do is accept Him and what He did, for us.
Father, thank You for Your perfect plan. We praise Your mighty name. Amen.
Wednesday
Your Gift – It's a God Thing!
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord (1 Corinthians 12:4-5 NLT).
We serve an awesome God. He is a God that has embedded in each of us, a gift. Our gifts vary from one person to the next. Some people are great communicators, some are great builders, laborers, and some are great counselors. We all have abilities that are far beyond our human abilities. What is your gift?
It may be easy to determine the spiritual gift that God has blessed you with, then again it may not be so easy. Our abilities and gifts may change as we grow in our relationship with Jesus. I believe that God defines and redefines His blessing of gifts in each of us. He might add more gifts to our “plates” as we work for His kingdom. The main thing is keeping the “Main Thing” the “Main Thing”. Jesus Christ Is the Main Thing!
What are your gifts? I can't tell anyone that. Some people struggle to find exactly what their gift might be. By working to share and spread the Gospel, our spiritual gift will become apparent. We might even find that we are blessed with more than one gift, but we might not find that gift(s) unless we get out and work for God's Kingdom.
We work for our Lord, not out of a works-based salvation, but we work for Jesus because of what He did for us. Because of His gift of Salvation, we use the gifts that He gave us for His Glory.
Lord God, thank You for Your amazing gifts. I praise Your holy name. Amen.
Thursday
Our Every Cry
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies (Psalm 17:6-7 NLT).
God hears our every prayer. He cries with us in our every heartbreak. He walks with us, every step. He picks us up when we fall. he carries us when we can't walk. He helps us run when we can barely crawl.
God also answers our every prayer; yes, no or not yet. I know that "no" sounds bad but His "no" is always the best thing for us. In fact, a no to our request is many times better than a yes. :-) I can personally testify to that. :-)
Dear Lord God, Your love endures forever. Thank you, Father. We praise Your mighty name and pray in the mighty and matchless name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friday
God's Promises – Bank On Them
God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection (Psalm 18:30 NLT).
He promises His hand of protection. The key to His promises is to give Him your heart, abide in His Word and live according to His direction.
Dear Father, help us to draw nearer to You. We pray in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. Amen.
Saturday
Saved by Grace through Faith
So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (Galatians 3:11 NLT).
It is by faith in Jesus and what He did for us that we are saved. It is NOT about what we did, but what He did for us. We are saved by grace because of God's love for each of us. Our part of salvation is accepting the facts that Jesus came to save the lost (us), laid His life down for our sins, was dead and buried, then God raised Christ from the dead and He sits at the right hand of our Heavenly Father. Through the repentance of our sins and our declaration that we believe in the grace that God has provided us through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are saved. Thank You, Lord!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for saving us from ourselves. Thank You for making a path for us to reach Heaven and be with You when this life is over. I praise Your name and accept Your Amazing Grace. Amen.
Sunday
The Love of God
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8 NLT).
We are dependent on God's grace through our faith that we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not by what we have done or can do, but what God did for us. It is truly a mystery of God that we will not fully understand until we are face to face with our King.
For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17 NLT).
God gave the law, the Ten Commandments, through Moses. We are to use God's word and His commandments as our map for life. The Ten Commandments are still valid today as the right way to live our lives. We should note, though, that we are incapable of keeping the law, and as broken people, we can not inherit Heaven without God's intervention. His plan of salvation is only available through His Son, Jesus Christ
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6 NLT).
Through our faith that God is who He is and His promises are true and His word is perfect; we are saved by His grace. Thanks be to God.
Lord God, thank You! Amen.
