8/1/02 Mark 10: 50-52
Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Teacher,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has healed you.” And instantly the blind man could see! Then he followed Jesus down the road.
Lord I want you to help me change. Change my attitude, my actions and my faith. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
8/2/02 Mark 11:13-14
He noticed a fig tree a little way off that was in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
Lord my outer appearance is pure. I am careful to obey the law. Help me to develop my inner discipline which people can’t see as carefully as I develop my outer appearance.
8/3/02 Luke 22:50-51
And one of them slashed at the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “Don’t resist anymore.” And he touched the place where the man’s ear had been and healed him.
The Lord is at work in my life. Often the challenges and pitfalls of life, which seem so disastrous at the moment they occur, are in fact lessons for faith and practice. I want to be useful and usable. Help me stand fast in the face of spiritual opportunities.
8/4/02 John 21:6
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get plenty of fish!” So they did, and they couldn’t draw in the net because there were so many fish in it.
Jesus is in control. He is not surprised by my failure or my success. He wants to take everything that happens to me and shape it for His good purposes. If I will let Him, He will.
8/5/02 Acts 16:11
We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis.
Every great journey begins with a first step. What seemed like a simple change of direction at the time turned out to be the act that reached into western culture to evangelize me. I am a product of this missionary journey. God is so good.
8/6/02 2 Cor 2:12
Well, when I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord gave me tremendous opportunities.
Life is real. My opportunities will always be where I am. They never wait on my arrival at another destination. Opportunities always come knocking as I live my life.
8/7/02 2 Timothy 4:13
When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers.
Life is real. It gets cold and we get bored. I want to have a hot heart for Jesus and to keep my heart hot I must stay close to Him. I read His Word every day, I talk with Him morning, noon and night and I am committed to do what He says. Lord give me ears to hear.
8/8/02 Acts 16:12
From there we reached Philippi, a major city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony; we stayed there several days.
Big cities often seem fearful. The truth is big cities are full of little people. Everyone I come into contact with has the same problems I have and each one needs the Lord. My prayer is that I will let the Lord equip me to minister to everyone I come into contact with.
8/9/02 Philippians 1:1
This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. It is written to all of God’s people in Philippi, who believe in Christ Jesus, and to the elders and deacons.
Paul chose to submit himself to the Lord. He was totally under the control of Christ. Everyday of his life he spent seeking to let Jesus use him fully. I am trying to do that. I want to be useable and available. Help me Lord to keep my eyes on you.
8/10/02 1 Thessalonians 2:2
You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, even though we were surrounded by many who opposed us.
My failure is not an indicator of my worth and value. Jesus loves me. He loves me because I belong to Him. His love of me does not ebb and flow based on my success or failure. His love is constant and eternal.
8/11/02 Acts 17:1
Now Paul and Silas traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
My worship is important to the Lord. When I go to church I must remember that I am there to spend time with Jesus. The result of my worship should be that I am revived to serve Him.
8/12/02 Acts 17:11
And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.
I love the Lord. I think about the Lord as I go about my daily life. I am always interested in what the Lord has to say. I search His Word for His promises. I spend time with Him so that I will have the wisdom and guidance I need for daily living.
8/13/02 Acts 17:13
But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.
The world is always opposed to Jesus. When I purpose to follow the Lord persecution will happen. My response will be a reflection of my maturity. If I respond like the world the Lord often will need to perform corrective discipline. If I respond like Christ I will grow.
8/14/02 Acts 20:4
Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were from the province of Asia.
When the Lord calls me to lead He sends followers. If I am leading and no one is following, I am simply taking a walk. The Lord is in control. I must make sure that I am letting Him have control of me.
8/15/02 1 Thessalonians 1:1
This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours.
My needs are so great. God’s grace perfectly covers those needs. My heart is so anxious; God’s peace brings perfect rest and comfort. Let not your heart be troubled for you are beloved of God.
8/16/02 Acts 17:16
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
I am troubled by insignificant slights. I am troubled by my own foolishness. There is so much darkness. I am to be light in a dark world. Lord help me to be troubled by the darkness all around me.
8/17/02 Acts 17:22-23
So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it ‘To an Unknown God.’ You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him.
Jesus is Lord and there is no other. He is the focus and foundation for my life. Without Jesus I cannot be what I was created to be. My witness to the world is not a theological treatise. It is a life lived by the power of Jesus. Christ in me is my only hope of glory.
8/18/02 Acts 17:24-25
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is.
I need you Lord. I need to let you have leadership in all things I do. I need to seek your council before and not after I do things. Help me Lord Jesus to grow in my faith and service.
8/19/02 Acts 17:28
For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, ‘We are his offspring.’
I am a child of God. He created me and gave me the opportunity to become His child by confessing my sin and proclaiming my belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a simple act but an act with eternal consequences. Praise the name of the Lord.
8/20/02 2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.
I am a servant not a master. The master travels in the chariot. The servant follows behind. My troubles always begin when I try to get up in the chariot. So often I just don’t get it. Jesus’ love always gets it and as a result I always benefit. God is good.
8/21/02 Matthew 8:8
Then the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed!
My worth and value is in Christ. He is the foundation upon which I can build my life. I stumble and fumble but in Christ I have wisdom and strength.
8/22/02 Matthew 12:18-21
“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, and I am very pleased with him. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout; he will not raise his voice in public. He will not crush those who are weak, or quench the smallest hope, until he brings full justice with his final victory. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
God has a plan. I am in that plan. His timing is perfect and His victories are perfect. I often feel like I am twisting and turning in the wind, like life is out of control. God has everything under control. Christ is King and His reign is eternal.
8/23/02 Matthew 20:26-27
But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave.
God is the audience. All of my life is acted out before Him. He knows everything that is going on and is in control. When I believe God and live like I believe Him then my life will be in control. God is good and He has given me a good life.
8/24/02 Matthew 23:11-12
The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Everyone I come into contact with has a need. The Lord has charged me with the responsibility to serve those I meet. It is a charge from God empowered by Jesus. Obedience requires that I serve, it isn’t an option.
8/25/02 Mark 9:35
He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to him. Then he said, “Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
I trust the Lord. I evidence my trust by obedience. Being a servant is part of that obedience. I don’t serve people because they are worthy. I serve people because Jesus is worthy and I love Him.
8/26/02 John 13:6
How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.
Jesus is my master. He will guide my every step. He has complete demand on my time and talents. My primary responsibility is to be an obedient servant.
8/27/02 Acts 3:26
When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
I can never fully understand the magnitude of my sinfulness. I do know this, once I was dead in my trespasses and sin and now I am alive in Christ. Jesus delivered me from the realm of evil and brought me into the inner courts of the Lord High God. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
8/28/02 Romans 15:8
Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.
Everything from the Lord is yes. All 7,000 plus of His promises in His Word are yes to me. He loves me and is seeking for my best good. I may not understand it, I may tremble and cringe when I am claiming them but the truth is unchangeable, God loves me.
8/29/02 Galatians 1:10
Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.
I go to the Lord for His directions for each day. Where He leads I will go. What He says I will do. I begin each day with this commitment. I end each day seeking forgiveness for where I have failed and then go to sleep. In the morning I begin the journey fresh and new.
8/30/02 Revelation 1:1
This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants.
God wants fellowship with me. He guides me towards obedience. I choose whether I will obey Him or ignore Him. Life is very simple. People are very complex. God is good praise His holy name.
8/31/02 Revelation 15:3
And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your actions, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.
Jesus is God’s everything. I can never go wrong following Christ. He makes the blind see. He heals the hurting and brings the hated to the banquet table. I may walk through the shadow of death but the Lord will never let me go. Jesus is Lord of all and my Lord.
