“I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations” (Psalm 89:1)

October 19, 2011

Shouldn’t the One who made man’s mouth receive our songs and praise? What words and songs fill your mouth? Have you taught your children and grandchildren to sing “Jesus Loves Me?” Their mouths only repeat what they hear from ours.

“The time is coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant…I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33)

October 18, 2011

We are the recipients of this New Covenant of which Jeremiah prophesied. It is Jesus the Christ that has redeemed us and given us these new minds and hearts.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

October 17, 2011

Christians are to pray for those in authority regardless of political persuasion. We should be marked by our identity in Christ, not by donkeys and elephants.

“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you” (Jeremiah 29:7)

October 16, 2011

Do you ever ask how you ended up in this place? Rather than begging God for a move, consider the possibility that God wants you there. Perhaps He wants to bless this place through you. Are you a complaining presence or a blessing to the place you inhabit now?

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

October 15, 2011

A beautiful Trinitarian blessing. May the Spirit, who abides and fills you, direct your hearts to be immersed into God’s love and girded by Christ’s unstoppable perseverance. The 1st-Century Christians had no buildings or institutions, but they had all of God and turned the world upside down!

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29)

October 14, 2011

God said this in response to the false prophets whose words were based on their dreams. He said their words were like straw. God’s Word isn’t passive and weak. It burns and breaks us when our hearts are opened to hear it. Has your life been set aflame by the Word?

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11)

October 13, 2011

Words can be ugly and destructive or they can be so beautiful and encouraging that the hearer wants to wear them like jewelry. What kind of words do others hear from your mouth? Are they apt? Apt means not only appropriate but timely. Do you recognize the power of words?

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

October 12, 2011

Stop wondering about God’s will for your life. Instead, choose joy, pray and give thanks. This will make you receptive to God’s will. It turns your eyes outward, away from self, where you can see what God is already doing and join Him there.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him” (Jeremiah 17:7)

October 11, 2011

In what or whom do you place your trust? God often removes that in which we trust in order to show the fallacy of it and to offer HImself instead. If God calls you to do something, don’t let lack of resources stop you. This is the very time that God proves Himself. Put your confidence in Him.

“When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

October 10, 2011

For the Bible to do its work in us we must accept and receive that it is the Word of God. Otherwise, we have no basis for our faith. Hearing it preached and reading it, our believing grows.