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Daily Devos from the past
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Friday - December 12th: We saw on the news a young lady who could remember everything about her life from a very early age. The news anchor gave her a date in the past and she could tell you the day of the week and any historical event that took place, and she could also tell you everything that happened to her on that date. If I had this amazing ability I would train my mind to forget everything that isn’t worth remembering. What are your memories? Paul writes to the Philippians, “. . . Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just . . . if their be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” 4:8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - December 11th: Isn’t it wonderful to know that in Christ Jesus that no matter what may have been in our past that our future is spotless? It seems that one of our biggest problems is in forgiving ourselves. Therefore we think that since we can’t forget and forgive ourselves for the things that we have done, God surely won’t forgive us. But He has and He does. Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit writes that we must, “. . . forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” Philippians 3:13b ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - December 10th: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8 Humility is a tough virtue! Most of us with pride say we are humble. Pride/humility seems like a oxymoron doesn’t it? How often does our pride get in the way of saying we might be wrong about something? We Americans say justice is universal or at least should be. But do you know that justice starts at the individual level? Justice, mercy, joined with humility institute a virtue that is needed to walk with the Lord. How is your walk with Him? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - December 9th: As we have been writing about success I feel that it is important to add this thought: Life should not be used up just to be “successful” in gaining the worlds treasures. Life should be spent for something that will outlast it. And by that I mean; “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” Matthew 6:20. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - December 8th: “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” Matthew 12:35 There is an old Chinese saying that goes something like this: A man never shows his own character so clearly as when he is talking about another’s. Therefore be very careful about what you say about someone else as you may be describing yourself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - December 5th: We’ve been talking about success there is something more that we need to say. It doesn’t make any difference how high you rise, you must never forget that you started with nothing. Even if you were born with the proverbial “silver spoon”, you were still born as a helpless babe. Success comes when you have achieved, and you realize that others are not here to serve you, but that you are now in a position to serve others. Of course you don’t have to have “arrived” before you begin to serve others. “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” Matthew 23:11, 12. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - December 4th: Let’s say you are on the road to success. Ok! Well one of the most important things to remember in reaching your goals in life is to keep focused – be single minded. Don’t become distracted by what others do or say, especially those on a university campus. Remember – you are walking with the Lord! Keep turning to Him for advice. You are to run your race with Him to win. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - December 3rd: Luke 11:9 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” I’ve been pushing success recently because it is such an important aspect of the positive life in the Lord. Therefore Perseverance is one of the important elements of success and self-worth. So, if you knock persistently and with exuberance (loudly) you are sure to get someone’s attention. You’ve heard the old adage “hang in there.” Well it’s true! Don’t give up hope. Hang in there with the Lord. That’s what I think Luke 11:9 is saying to each of us as we walk with the Lord in today’s changing social values. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - December 2nd: Everyone is enthusiastic at times. Some have enthusiasm for thirty minutes, others have it for thirty days – but it is those who have it for thirty years that makes a success in life. The point – keep your enthusiasm for the Lord. Keep persevering. Run your race until have crossed the finish line! Hebrews 12:1 “. . . let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - December 1st: Someone wrote: To love is to risk not being loved in return – To live is to risk dying – To hope is to risk disappointment – To try is to risk failure. But the person who risks nothing . . . does nothing, has nothing, and ultimately becomes nothing. Columbus, Christopher that is, said, “No one can discover new oceans and lands unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” “. . . and Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus” Matthew 14:29 Just think, without risk, life has little emotion, little that can be counted as satisfaction or fulfillment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - November 21st: This has been an interesting campaign period for the presidential hopefuls, and now we have a President Elect. Former President Harry Truman said that no Presidential candidate has ever escaped abuse or even libel from his opponent or the press. And something else that Harry S. Truman said is very appropriate, “If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything!” The thought that I brought from this is: Stand firm in and for your faith . . . and the Lord will stand with you. “. . . If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” Isaiah 7:9. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - November 20th: I’m confident that Annias had no idea what happened to Saul of Tarsus after his sight was restored. You know the story how that Saul met the Lord on the road to Damascus where he was going to persecute Jewish Christians. Saul went on to become Paul the great evangelist to the Gentiles. Annias’ short time with Paul can be a reminder to all of us what can accomplished in an hour with the Lord than one lifetime without Him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - November 19th: There is the story about Phil Mahre who in 1979 broke his lower leg and ankle skiing the giant-slalom. The question in the mind of his doctor was not would he ski again but would he ever walk again? After self-disciplined exercise, he forced himself to walk and then to skiing gentle slopes. In 1980 he won an Olympic Silver medal. He had kept telling himself, “I will walk and I will ski again.” For you and me the lesson is: “Don’t despair; but if we do, keep on working don’t stop. Don’t give in to despair.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - November 18th: Brother H.A. Dixon president of Freed-Hardeman College in the 1950’s-60’s in his first Chapel speech to new students in the spring of 1962 said, “knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the bible.” Then he went on to say, “the Bible will be the same forever, but college text books continue to change, therefore you can be assured that the Bible can mold you and make you better men and women in the coming years of change. You can be pillars of solid maturity in the Lord.” He ended is chapel talk with 2 Timothy 3: 16,17 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - November 17th: In 1956 while serving in the United States Air Force in Taiwan, I met one of my high school sports idols. He was an All American Basketball player from Wheaton College – Bud Schaffer. But I thought he was “nuts” because he turned down a lucrative professional basket ball career with the Boston Celtics to be a missionary in the Philippians. This made big headlines in the USA. (When I met him in 1956, he had been invited by the Chinese Nationalist Government to coach the Chinese Olympic basketball team. I was introduced to him by a missionary friend who had played basketball against him in college) Needless to say I was awed by this tremendous basketball player and more so by his awe inspiring faith in God and the ministry that God had called him to. He also inspired me to listen to and obey God’s word. What is your gift that God has given you to serve Him? “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 19-20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - November 14th: Do you know that a large part of your reputation is based on your ability to keep your word? Therefore weigh carefully what you say by knowing that you have the evidence to back what you have said or promised. I have found over the years that half the trouble in this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly, and not saying no quickly enough. In Proverbs 29:20 we read, “Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - November 13th: I read recently that Laziness is often taken for patience. And the article went on to say that, “patience – so often associated with generosity and a longsuffering nature toward others, or a steadfast faith in God – is a virtue. However, it was never intended to be an excuse for not exerting effort or not giving.” And the above reading took me to Hebrews 12:1,2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance (patience) the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - November 12th: Paul said, “As I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ “’Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “’Get up,’ the Lord said, “And go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’” “my companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. A man named Ananias came to see me . . . He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. Then he said: ’The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.” What a calling! Do you have any idea what the Lord wants you to do? Some say “use you talents to honor God.” Others say, He only wants us to love and obey him. (Obedience now that’s a though word isn’t it! Are you willing?) Obey and the calling will be revealed to you as you draw closer to the Lord. Oh, yes use your talents too! Use everything to honor and glorify the Lord. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - November 11th: I found this interesting story about Herbert Hoover and his wife in China. During the Boxer Rebellion he helped build barricades around the foreign compound in Tiensin and his wife helped set up a hospital and care for the wounded and then she would serve tea in the afternoons to those on guard duty. She was very calm during the whole episode and seemed even to enjoy the excitement. One afternoon three shells exploded around her house with the third crashing through a window. Several reporters covering the siege ran into the house to see if she was all right and her response was, “that was the third shell and therefore the last one for the present anyway. Their pattern is three in a row.” Then she brightly suggested, “Let’s go and have tea.” Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - November 10th: Someone noted how that one of the political candidates for President was much like Theodore Roosevelt. Six months after Teddy made a speech on readiness at the Naval Academy in 1897 war was declared when the Maine was blown up and 264 men lost their lives. He resigned his position and his friends thought he was crazy throwing away his political career and possibly his life just to stand by his convictions. He later wrote that he wanted to be able to tell his children why he had fought in the way, not why he hadn’t fought in it. Most of us are alike in our promises and commitments. It is only in our deeds that we differ. Proverbs 2:6 “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - November 7th: I ran across this saying the other day and it reminded me of what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” 2 Cor. 6?17,18. The saying is: A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the audience. There was story not too long about a group of college students who thought the cool thing to do was to get drunk. And so they got a group of their friends together and decided that they would begin by toasting all the members of their Fraternity. But one of the group said “sorry guys but this is not for me. I’m a Christian.” And he left, and his leaving the “party” put a damper on the “spirits” and they all went home. Would you leave the party? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - November 6th: Isn’t it wonderful to know what you do makes a difference for the good – what could be better? Have you ever asked others – who are the happiest people on the earth? Who do you think it would be? An artist admiring his finished work – a child building something with blocks – a mother at the end of a busy day bathing her baby – a doctor after saving a human life? We could add many more to these responses to this list. None of the above were millionaires. I’ve observed a happy person just admiring flowers or herbs that she has planted in her garden. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - November 5th: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the victor’s crown, the life God has promised to those who love him” James 1:12 Do you know someone who has “limitations?” I’m convinced that God looks at all of us and considers the potential that is in each of us. Therefore encourage that person you know to go beyond what they perceive as their “limitation.” And you do the same, go beyond what you perceive as your limitations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - November 4th: He is really a “character.” Usually when we hear this said about someone we think it means that something might be wrong with the person. But “character” is what we need to be striving for – good character. It has been said that, “Character is what you are in the dark.” Peter writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” 1 Peter 2:12. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - November 3rd: Have you ever studied words and put them in total context of what the speaker was presenting: For example the word evangelism. In W.E. Vine’s An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words we find evangelism means: “a messenger of good, a preacher of the gospel, to proclaim glad tidings, good news, and gospel. Missionaries are evangelists, as being essentially preachers of the Gospel.” Jesus told them, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8b. This commission is more than just telling it is also demonstrating the Christian life daily for the Lord. Evangelism then is a lifestyle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - October 31st: Aren’t the political campaign battles going on interesting?! One just wonders how we as a nation have come to the place in time that we find our selves. We’ve come through The Great War, survived the Great Depression, WWII, the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam, and now we are involved in a war in Iraq and a battle for our nation’s identity. We’ve seen the atomic age revolution push us to become the richest technological nation in the world. And now, religiously, we are in a post-modern situation that is challenging the very foundation of our traditional family values. And all of this historical and post-modern movement has convoluted our Christian values. My thought is: Lord help us to take our values from His wisdom and not to allow us to be manipulated by the culture in which we find ourselves! “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all the created” James 1:16-18. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - October 30th: When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” Matthew 9:11 Have you ever tried to overcome an impression that you didn’t want to leave with someone? Bad ones? It is easy to be with those who believe like we do; but it is difficult being around those who want to challenge your faith, lifestyle or those whose language and lifestyle is offensive. The Lord’s plan for converting the world is simple: Make friends with those who don’t know him yet. If we say we are “plugged in” to the power, meaning Jesus, then we must break out of our self-segregated patterns and engage the culture we are in. No, it doesn’t mean we have to participate in the culture that destroys, but it does mean that we must engage people – one at a time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - October 15th: I read a very motivational story about two Chinese Nobel prize winners in physics and a Dr. Chandrasekhar who won the same award in the same year. Actually the story is not about the two Chinese researchers but about Dr. Chandrasekhar who was their teacher. The story was about his dedication as a teacher. He drove twice a week, in the winter, 100 miles from Wisconsin to Chicago to teach Yang Chen Ning and Lee Tsung-Dao. Have you heard the saying, “The end must justify the means?” Of course you have! And how many times have you understood it to have a negative meaning. Dr. Chandrasekhar felt his drive in all kinds of weather and the results of his teaching (Nobel Prize winners) was “the end justifying the means. As a Christian we to must pursue and walk in the teachings of Jesus because the end will justify the means. “The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” Proverbs 20:7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - October 14th: Have you ever used the word hubris? I know I haven’t. I have heard the word in the past but didn’t pay much attention to it except to think the person using it was trying to impress his listeners. I heard it used yesterday (September 11, 2008) when a news journalist was interviewing one of the vice-presidential candidates. At first I thought he was complimenting the person. I decided to look it up and found he wasn’t complimenting at all. The meaning of hubris is excessive pride or arrogance. And on definition: hubris can lead to violence. Pride on one hand is very good and creates motivation, good work and stability. And then on the other hand it is a deadly sin if we begin to think too highly of our selves. This kind of pride becomes self-destructive. “The pride of your heart has deceived you” Obadiah 1:3 “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - October 13th: We must treat people like we want to be treated. There is a Buddhist writing that reads, “Treat your neighbor as your neighbor treats you.” We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. If you don’t know it read Luke 10:29-37. I wouldn’t want to be the priest or the Levite if the above Buddhist writing was the prevalent behavioral teaching of the day being followed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - October 10th: In Proverbs it is written, “A kind man benefits himself” 11:17 (NIV). What, this says to me is ; God is saying being polite cost nothing but goes along way in building one’s character. Being truly kind or polite is a behavioral trait and one that usually is taught in the family when one is a child. For man it’s a behavior that becomes second nature when it is being demonstrated by the parents and older siblings. One has to wonder what is being taught today. How do we want to be treated? Rhetorical isn’t it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - October 9th: My father-in-law was not a formally educated man. However, he was a well respected water well driller. He was a self taught veterinarian (everybody on the mountain and some in the valley brought their animals to him for care). Plus he was the local expert on dogs (dogs of all kinds, bird, squirrel, rabbit, deer, coon you name it). No he was not perfect by any means but he held to the ideal “I will not refuse to do something I can do, and when called upon do it as well as I can.” And this is what he taught his children. Ephesians 4:16 “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - October 8th: It’s a real experience to stand in line at the Starbucks on campus and listen to conversations that take place in front of you. (You can’t help overhearing what is being said). The immoral words put forth by both young men and women, and these young people are here for higher education! It causes one to wonder about their families and how they were raised. I’m not saying everything is terrible to listen to, but much is. And these “kids” are aspiring to be leaders in communities, schools, businesses, and government after they graduate? You can draw your own conclusions! Paul writes to Timothy “Flee evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). The encouragement should be, to young people, to conquer self first, and then the world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - October 7th: Self-esteem or self-worth is an important ingredient in today’s society, and it should be! Because it is important to know your value and the value of others! It’s not difficult to make right decisions when you know who you are and your worth. Do you have a core purpose or value statement that you live by? “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself . . .” Daniel 1:8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - October 6th: “Could be worse, could be better!” How many times have you heard that said about some project or program that you were involved in? The meaning you give to your work or study today and tomorrow will directly impact your satisfaction at the end of the day. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men . . . It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:23, 24 (NIV). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - October 3rd: How many times have you heard that we learn through teaching, reading and experience? I can remember when Dr. Spock’s book on child rearing was the “book of the day,” and hearing a mother who had raised several children say, “You can read that book all you want but the proof is in the day by day loving and nurturing the child.” In other words – read a book all you want and pass a written test but experience makes the expert! “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on who the fulfillment of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - October 2nd: Who are your heroes? Who do you want to be like? Who are your friends? Psychologists tell us that a person averages having five close friends in his or her life time. Not an acquaintance but a friend that you can share you deepest secrets, joys and failures. Did you know that Jesus refers to His followers as his friends? Isn’t it interesting that we have a great tendency to become like our friends. You know the question that follows: is Jesus your friend? “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” Proverbs 27:17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - October 1st: Are you happy? I know I am! Of course some would say that happiness is a relative term. What I have learned is that happy people do not have to have the very best of everything. They make do with whatever they have. The Holy Spirit had Paul to write to the Church at Philippi – “For have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11b, 13). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - September 30th: What do you think? Did Peter have a difficult time transitioning from fisherman to a fisher of men? We can certainly see where he blew it several times: like the walking on water episode, or the denying of Jesus three times episode. But he came through on the day of Pentecost and preached before thousands. Add your own scenario, but remember this – no matter what your background or what you’ve done, you’re not a failure if you choose not to be. Oops I almost forgot the most important thing; God has made it possible for you not fail if you choose not to. “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again”- Proverbs 24:16 (NIV). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - September 29th: Hey, I’m 21 and I have the right to drink and do whatever I want! Have you ever heard someone say that? I’m a firm believer that one’s maturity doesn’t come with numerical age, but with one’s acceptance of responsibility. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - September 26th: “Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly” Job 8:7 (NAS) Have you ever been discouraged? I know I have been at times! But, discouragement leads to depression and depression leads to “just sitting it out,” and not accomplishing anything, therefore don’t be discouraged. Remember, everyone who got where he is, started where he was. Start with the Jesus. Be thankful He didn’t just “sit it out.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - September 25th: It is important to have self-esteem, but if you only trust in yourself you are doomed to disappoint. But Trust in God and you will never be confounded in time or eternity. The Psalmist wrote “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man” Psalm 118:8 (NIV) Marian Anderson was of the wrong color to be admitted to a famous music conservatory, but her mother kept telling her “trust in the Lord and someone will listen.” Right after she was denied admittance to the conservatory Giuseppe Boghetti allowed her to audition and he made room for her as one of his students. She was on her way to become one of the most magnificent singers of her time. Easter Sunday in 1939 she sang before more than 75,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It was a performance that has been written about until this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - September 24th: Let me encourage you with this thought: know that nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. I just finished reading an excerpt on Michelangelo and how he went about all his work. It is amazing the detail that he went to before he began any project that he undertook. It took him four years to complete painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Can you imagine lying in uncomfortable positions on hard board scaffolding breathing suffocating air with plaster and dust falling in his face and irritating his skin? He was an artist filled with passionate enthusiasm. Do you have enthusiasm for what you want to accomplish in life? . . . for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - September 23rd: This Chinese saying really labeled me because I am so guilty at times: “The wise does at once what the fool does at last.” Immediately following that saying was written Proverbs 10:5 “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” Satan has fostered on mankind the idea “there’s no hurry, there’s no hurry, there’s no hurry.” Who knows how many have been lost or lives wounded because of the accepted notion: Delay is Alright. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - September 22nd: Matthew 7:7 “. . . seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” Opportunities are seldom labeled. Keep an open mind and keep your eyes open to the good things before you. If you are in God’s word and using it as your values clarifier it is easy to see what is good and what is evil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - September 19th: “This then, is how you should pray: “’Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done or earth as it is in heaven’” Matt. 6:9, 10. I love to read stories about missionaries and the challenges they faced. Adelaide Pollard was seriously discouraged because she had been unable to raise the necessary funds to go Africa. She overheard another woman’s prayer and was deeply moved by her sincere request. She then read again and again Jeremiah 18:3, 4 about the potter. That evening she wrote this hymn from her own prayer: “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Search me, and try me, Master, today! Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, as in Thy presence humbly I bow.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - September 18th: Talk about class distinction, Paul addresses “Wives,” “Husbands,” “Children,” “Slaves,” and Masters.” In which category do you find yourself? For my purpose I’m going to choose “Salves.” In Ephesians 6:6-8 Paul writes, Obey them (your masters) not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but then like the slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from you heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” If we cannot be a Christian where we are, we cannot be a Christian anywhere. We must do far more than just go to church or attend a devotional period occasionally. 365 days of the year! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - September 17th: Did you know that Woodrow Wilson taught at Princeton before becoming president of the university? He was a tough professor and really cracked down on students who were not serious about their education. One mother came to discuss her son’s reinstatement. She said it would affect her health and reputation and that was certain that she would die if he was not readmitted. Wilson’s response was very tough, “Madam, you force me to say a hard thing. If I had to choose between your life or my life or anybody’s life and the good of this college, I should choose the good of the college.” Her son was not reinstated! And then Wilson quoted Proverbs 17:16 “It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel who has not heart for truth.” (I’m using The Living Bible translation) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - September 16th: Haven’t you heard this before, “The best things in life are not free?” I know I have. Peter writes, “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” 1 Peter 1:18, 19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - September 15th: I read in a book on international business that, “Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Therefore, autograph you work with excellence.” Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16. This is not a passage to be learned in Sunday school it is a directors directions for the greatest performance continuing in life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - September 12th:
To everything there is a season . . . a time to keep silence, and a time to speak – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 This is a the tough part of the advice given in this chapter. Have you ever wanted to give some advice, but was fearful of how it was going to be received? Silence can be good, but never if it is the result of fear or lack of moral fiber. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - September 11th: Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart – Hebrews 6:6 Think about doing and building well today. Because you will have to live with the reputation you create. There is another Chinese saying that goes well with Hebrews 6:6, “You are only what you are when no one is looking.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - September 10th: But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men – Matthew 23:5 (NAS) Isn’t it sad that we are a society for the most part that lives according to the “brand”, “label”, “trademark,” etc., to impress others or make ourselves “feel” good, or “feel” important. Just be yourself in the Lord just to please him and you’ll be surprised and what other people see in you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - September 9th: See a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men – Proverbs 22:29 It seems that Alexander Graham Bell was motivated to helping the deaf because both his mother and wife were deaf. And so he spent a lifetime of experimenting to make “metal talk.” Hard work. Study. Hope. Persistence. These are all common things, and they are the keys to doing well. Bell once said in a lecture, “The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - September 8th: Aim for perfection – 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV) Listen to the rest of what Paul, inspired b y the Holy Spirit, said in verse 11, “listen to my appeal, but of one mind, and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - September 5th: Can two walk together, except they be agreed – Amos 3:3 How blessed we are when we have friends and family who cooperate and work together. All are “lifted up” when that happens. Is there someone today you can encourage in prayer, heart-to-heart friendship and caring? Look for someone! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - September 4th: For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? – Matthew 16:26 The very last line of the poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson that reminds us of what is written in Matthew 16:26. “Richard Cory” is the sad poem about a young man who seemingly had everything that anyone could want and that most everyone else wants. The last line reads, “It’s only when Christ is the only One who ultimately matters, that everything else matters.” The line just before this one reads, “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head.” Therefore, one hundred years from now it will not matter if you got that big break, or finally traded up to a Mercedes, but it will greatly matter, one hundred years from now, that you made a commitment to Jesus Christ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - September 3rd: Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves – Romans 12:10 (NIV) This is a toughie! But he/she cheated on my friend and hurt her/him badly, and now you ask me to treat him/her as if nothing happened? If he or she has got their act together in the Lord that is exactly what is being asked of us. How is the world to know that we are the Lord’s disciples? John 13:34, 35. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - September 2nd: In the multitude of words sin is not lacking. But he who restrains his lips is wise – Proverbs 10:19 (NKJ). The Living Bible translates it this way – Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow! You can choose the translation that best fits your situation. I would just add we need to watch what we say, how we say it, and whom we say it to. Remember that the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not necessarily true. People can be destroyed by what we say and how we say it. A wise person once said, “I’ve never been hurt y something I didn’t say.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - September 1st: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown of laurel that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever – 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25. Did you read the story about Michael Phelps the great Olympic swimmer? When he was a little boy he was diagnosed as ADHD and put on the medication Ritalin. His mother said he was hyperactive, talked all the time and asked a million questions. But as he developed into the great swimmer that he is today he learned to focus, discipline and dedicate himself. He did not want to be mediocre as a swimmer. In order not to have a mediocre life for the Lord we need to do the same, focus, discipline and dedicate ourselves for a great life in Christ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday - August 29th: Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral – Hebrews 13:4 (NIV) How many TV advertisements have you seen about sex and “safe” sex? Well the Bible has a word to describe “safe” sex: It’s the word marriage. In the 60’s we talked about “free love” and now we live in the period that is called the “new morality.” Dr. Francis Braceland, past president of the American Psychiatric Association and editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry states, “because of the more lenient attitude on campus about the premarital sex experience has imposed stresses on many young women severe enough to cause emotional breakdowns.” The evidence is compelling: the old morality put forth by God produces not only safer, healthier, happier people but also a conscience you can take to bed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday - August 28th: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh – Genesis 2:24 One of the most important decisions that you will ever make will be in choosing the person you will marry. Ruth Bell was born in China and when she was teenager she was sent, by her parents, to school in Korea. She thought of herself as becoming an “old maid” and serving as a missionary to the people of Tibet. She had a litmus test that the man she would marry would have to pass. She never did become a missionary to Tibet, but she did find a man worth marrying. She became Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham wife of Billy Graham. And as someone has written she became with her husband a missionary to the world. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday - August 27th: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth – 2 Timothy 2:15 Isn’t it interesting, that even a mosquito doesn’t get a slap on the back until it starts to work! Did you know who Helen Keller is? After a fever as a baby she became blind and deaf and was classified as deaf, dumb and blind. She became a very difficult child but was helped by a great teacher who challenged her and she learned Braille Did you know that she graduated from Radcliffe College with honors? Of course that was after she over came her handicaps. Each of us are called to overcome our faults, and weaknesses and exercise our strengths in the service of the Lord. As someone has said, “Just surviving” isn’t what we are challenged to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday - August 26th: Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice – Proverbs 13:10 (NIV) “Many receive advice but only the wise profit from it.” I’m not sure who said that but I wished I had learned it when I was younger (Will Rogers). But all the good advice in the world is only profitable if it is heeded – therefore value and apply it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday - August 25th: The memory of the righteous will be a blessing – Proverbs 10:7 (NIV) Just think, when you were born, you cried and your parents rejoiced. So now, live your life in such a way that when you die those you have lived with and neighbors you have influenced will cry but you will rejoice. A painting in an ancient temple depicts a king forging a chain from his crown, and nearby, another scene shows a slave converting his chain into a crown. Under the painting is written: “Life is what one makes it, no matter what it is made of.”
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