365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 59

The Lord is one.

Deuteronomy 6:4

One egg, comprised of yolk, white and shell. Water, existing as ice, liquid and steam. These are the most common analogies of how three distinct entities can unite in one single reality. Yet even these examples fall short (as all of them do) because nothing in our frame of reference is as perfectly intact as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In His Word, God presents Himself to us in this way — not as three Gods but as One, existing in a purer form of harmony than anything our earthly experience allows us to explain. He is Father, sending His Son to redeem us, then sending His Spirit to remain with us. And yet they are connected together in a unified whole from eternity past to eternity future.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is among the bedrock truths of the Bible. God has always existed as One, sharing among Himself a unity of being we can best understand as three identifiable Persons, yet so mutually connected that neither is superior or inferior to the other. Three in one. The God of glory. Always more than meets the eye.

Nothing is so fulfilling as falling in love with the God of the Game Plan for Life. That’s why God made us — for Himself. So begin enjoying His love. The great 4th/5th Century theologian Augustine finally found this to be true in his own life when he prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”

Taken from Game Plan for Life Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

On Guard

1 Peter 3: 8-12

A man whose company provides data security for military space operations told me how vulnerable computers are to outside attack. During a training exercise, hackers shut down a highly protected system without stealing a password or cracking a code. They simply accessed the unsecured maintenance program for the building that housed the computers and turned off the air conditioning. When the computer room became too hot, the system automatically shut down. As in military situations, overconfidence and a false sense of security can lead to defeat in our battle against the forces of evil. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul cautioned, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Eugene Peterson paraphrases this verse by saying, “Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”

We are not told to try to outsmart the enemy of our souls, but to trust the One who can. “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape” (v.13).

Confidence in God, not in ourselves, is the key to staying spiritually on guard. —David McCasland

When all goes well and I feel strong,
Oh, help me, Lord, to see
That I must place my confidence
In You and not in me. —Anon.

When temptation knocks, send Jesus to the door.

TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY - You’re an Everything/Nothing…and So Am I!

You’re an Everything/Nothing…and So Am I!

Psalm 8:4-5

Pride is a terrible sin, and we are instructed in God’s Word not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (see Romans 12:3). That doesn’t mean we need to have a bad opinion of or look down on ourselves. It does mean that we are to remember that we are no better than anyone else and whatever God has enabled us to do is a gift from Him. We have no more right to claim credit for a special ability we have than we do for blue eyes or brown hair. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and asked them what they had that did not come as a gift from God (see 1 Corinthians 4:7).
When we are warned not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, it means we are to realize that we are nothing apart from Jesus and without Him we can do nothing. The value we have is found in Him, and we can celebrate who we are only because of Him. Actually, when we celebrate who we are in Jesus, it is a way of celebrating Jesus Himself.
We make this a lot more difficult than it needs to be. It is simple—we are everything in Jesus and nothing in ourselves. I like to say, “I am an everything/nothing!” We celebrate because of the amazing work God does in us, and not because of any worth we have in ourselves. As long as we continue giving God the glory for anything good that we manifest, we are on a safe and right track.
For some reason, religion has taught people that to be godly, they must have a low, or even bad, opinion of themselves, and I believe this kind of thinking has done incalculable damage to the plan of God. As long as we know we are lower than God and He is always our Chief and Head, then we are safe.
Trust in Him
Say out loud daily, “I am nothing without Jesus, but in and through Him, I am valuable and I can do great things.”
From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 58

Why would God regret his decision to create human beings?

Genesis 6:5-6

God created a world in which people were free to love him or not love him. By creating human beings in his image and likeness, God gave them a unique quality of relationship with each other and with him. God entrusted them with freedom, which included the possibility that they might turn away from him; unfortunately, that is what they did.
Even though God could foresee what people would do, he created them with the capacity to do as they chose. God condemns no one unjustly. He doesn’t cause anyone to sin. He is the judge of all the earth, and he will do right by everyone. He does not coerce humans into loving him, for that wouldn’t be love. Yet nothing can thwart his glory and grace.
God showed that he is abounding in love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6) by not leaving the human race in its sin. His grief over people’s sin led him to provide a way of redemption: Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the way to eternal life has been opened to all who trust in him for salvation (Jn 14:6).

Taken from NIV Quest Study Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

A Father's Blessing
 1 Peter 3:8-12

A man who was grieving the death of his father said: “I am crying not only for my father, but for me. His death means that I’ll never hear the words I always wanted to hear from him: that he was proud of me, proud of the family I’ve raised and the life I’ve lived.”
Instead of repeating his father’s mistake, the man later gave his own son the words of encouragement he himself had never heard, saying he was proud of him and the life he had made.
Too often, tension between fathers and children goes unresolved. Old wounds remain unhealed. We are unwilling to forgive the angry words and hurts from the past. But for the sake of ourselves and our families, we need to begin dismantling the walls of separation between us.
How can we begin? The Bible’s command for all our relationships is: “Love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, . . . turn away from evil and do good; . . . seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:8-9,11).
Let’s determine by God’s grace to break the cycle of anger and give our children what they long to hear from us—words of blessing and love. —David McCasland

Our children need to know we care,
And that we’ll listen when they share;
For deep within they need to know
The way that Christ would have them go. —D. De Haan

The best thing you spend on your children is your time.

BELIEVE: How Much Does GOD Want Of Me?

How much does God want of me?

Matthew 25:14-30
Psalm 24:1-2

God created the earth and the cosmos. Everything belongs to him. But people are given a special role to play in creation. It is both an honor and a great responsibility.
Since God created everything, including humans, how do we fit into the created order? What is our role in this reality? The parable below instructs us on the importance of seeing ourselves not as owners but as managers of our lives and gifts. The bags of gold represent any resource God, the master, gives us. He ultimately owns the resource, but we are charged with caring for it and investing it in ways that yield results for the sake of the kingdom of God.

 

God's People Are Managers

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 25:14–30)

 

KEY VERSE

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2)

 

KEY IDEA

I believe everything I am and everything I own belong to God.

 

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

If we choose to show compassion to people as God does, then we move from owner to manager. My central question now becomes, “What does God want me to do with all the resources he has put into my care?”

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 57

God Has Made You Part of His Royal Priesthood
Revelation 1:5—6

Most of us wear a variety of hats: child, sibling, parent, homeowner, neighbor, employee, taxpayer, hobbyist, club member — and the list keeps on going.

If we’re a believer in Christ, we can add to that list. When we respond to God’s grace and put our trust in Christ, we become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And that’s not all. Through our faith, God declares us his beloved “children” (John 1:12). The Bible further identifies us as God’s “servants” (1 Corinthians 4:1), “ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20) and “soldier[s]” (2 Timothy 2:3) — among other designations.

There’s one more encouraging identity to ponder. The apostle John, in the opening chapter of Revelation describes believers as “priests.” The idea here is that, just like the priests of the Old Testament, we have been set apart by God to serve God. We help others encounter God. That is our express purpose as a part of God’s “royal priesthood” — to live our lives fully for him.

God’s Promise to Me

*I have made you to be a priest so that you might serve me.

My Prayer to God

Jesus, thank you, not only for freeing me from sin, but also for granting me the high privilege of serving you forever. Let me begin by serving you this day.

Taken from Once a Day Bible Promises