1/1/99 2 Corinthians 5:1
We are filled with eternity. Not half filled or soon to be filled but full up to the brim filled. When we have Jesus in our heart we have everything that God designed for us so that we might have eternal life. That means for each one of us that there is no question about our future. It means that there are no gotchas that will be invoked by some mistake that we make along the way. We are filled with eternity and Christ lives in us.
1/2/99 2 Corinthians 5:2-4
Being filled with Christ means that we can do the next right thing. It doesn’t mean that we will always do the right thing or that others will. What it means is that we can always call home and get course corrections. That is what forgiveness is, simply a course correction. We recognize our error and go to the Father for correction. Lord, I’ve done wrong and He is faithful and righteous to forgive us. When we get back on the right course we can then do the next right thing. Our lives are built on individual action not future fears or past mistakes. Do the next right thing.
1/3/99 2 Corinthians 5:5
God is at work in us to build us into what He would have us become. Discovering God’s will involves a lot of surrender. Too often, we are busy advising God as to the speed we plan to accomplish things. God already knows the future. He isn’t misinformed about our abilities. He has a plan and a timetable. When you find yourself at the end of your rope, go back to the Father and ask Him if you have gotten ahead of His plan. If you have He will forgive you and bring peace and comfort. He will take captive those feelings of failure, pain, aggravation, irritation and lack of value. You are precious to Him. The Lord is good. All the time.
1/4/99 2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Death is frightening. We can’t control what will happen by ourselves. When we put our faith in Christ for salvation, we learn to place our trust in Him for the future. Our future is unknown and mysterious but the Lord says that He will be with us and never leave us. As we walk with Him, our faith grows and we develop a deep and abiding confidence in Him. His Word to us is that just as He cares for us now, when we die He will care for us in the next life. His commitment is for eternity, from right now until forever and forever. We can proclaim with Paul, our hope is placed in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
1/5/99 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
God’s gift of salvation is free. Our life of obedience is a choice. How I live and what I do is based upon my willingness to follow Jesus. All of the saved will stand before Jesus and give an account of how they have lived. The Lord makes all of the resources of heaven available to us. We decide if we will use the resources at hand.
1/6/99 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
He acted out of love. His life was focused on me. Forgiveness for my sin was His goal. He lived for me and He died for me. This idea so overwhelmed Paul the Apostle that everyday of his life was committed to honoring Jesus. What Paul did and didn’t do was controlled by his concern for honoring Christ. I want to be like that. I want to shape my life in such a way that all I think and do and say honor Jesus, my Lord and Savior.
1/7/99 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
When we come to Jesus, he makes us new inside. We are not reformed, or rehabilitated, we are recreated into new creatures and filled with the Holy Spirit of the Living God. We are living a new life in Christ.
Know the Lord in the fullness of His love for you and power in you. Be confident in Christ and yield to the old self no longer.
1/8/99 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Be courageous. Remember that you are called to be as He is. Love one another. Tell others that Jesus saves. Our only hope is in the salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ brings. Sin destroys, and the Lord heals. Share the Love of Christ by word and deed. Care for others as the Lord cares for you.
1/9/99 2 Corinthians 5:20
God’s Word officially designates us as ambassadors for Christ. We are the physical representatives for a spiritual kingdom. He chooses to use us as His agents to take the message of reconciliation to the world. This is a great privilege and responsibility. Peter learned of this responsibility by his failure in the courtyard of Caiaphas. Great pain and heartache stalked him the rest of his life but he never failed to tell the message of reconciliation again. Serve the Lord gladly and you will experience His presence and power continually.
1/10/99 2 Corinthians 5:21
We are not called to accomplish and then become but are called to be and then are used! What we are inside is what the Lord sees. He knows all things and He knows what we are and what we shall be. In each of us is the power to be victorious but unlike the tenets of the world, we are called to die first then be victorious. Jesus reigns in us today.
1/11/99 Galatians 6:1-2
The trail is uphill all the way when walking by faith. The battles are ferocious and the attacks are in the midst of joy, destruction is at the point of desperation until all we have is our faith. The evil one viscously pursues without any remorse those that belong to the Lord. Satan’s goal is that all that we accomplish be destroyed and in that is the victory because eternal things cannot be destroyed. So, when all around you there is only destruction, look up and remember that Satan can only destroy things that are not eternal. Jesus saves, we are eternal and He loves you. HALLELUJAH!
1/12/99 Galatians 6:3-4
We see through a glass darkly, for faith is unseen, but life is real, and yet passing away and faith is eternal and will be absorbed by love. The unreal then is the real and the real is the unreal. What we stand on today is sinking sand what we believe in is eternal iron.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. When
everything else is destroyed in this life we still have our faith. Our Faith is not in health, wealth and happiness but in the Lord and Creator of the Universe, Jesus Christ.
1/13/99 Galatians 6:14
We are not alone. Jesus lives in each one of us. I have the right and responsibility to take all of the things that happen in my life and lay them at the feet of Jesus. This is called humility. I can do nothing apart from Him. On my own, I will fail. Under His leadership I will be victorious. This is my charge each day, to crucify the self and yield to the Almighty.
When we do this we are walking in the Lord. Jesus is the Way and there is no other.
1/14/99 Psalm 27:1-3
The Accuser is seeking whom he might devour. We are on his menu. The Lord is strong and mighty and we belong to Him. He will fight our fights and save us from the evil one.
Bless the name of the Lord. He is a strong tower, seeking that we might be saved.
1/15/99 Psalm 27:4
I want to live in the presence of the Lord. If I am to accomplish my goal, I must submit myself wholeheartedly to the Lord for His instruction and correction. That means that He will make me aware of my sinfulness. It will be a heartbreaker for God’s Word says that my heart is sinful beyond my ability to comprehend. Then, instruction for living and correction for the course enter in. God will not let me stray from Him if my desire is to live in His presence.
1/16/99 Psalm 27:5-6
Troubles come. Life hurts. God protects His children from the troubles and hurt of life. Not by taking His children out of the world but instead by helping them see what is important and what is passing away. We can lead worthy worthwhile lives full of wisdom and peace without a dime. Our worth is in our relationship with the Lord and each other. That is eternal. It will never end.
1/17/99 Psalm 27:7-9
It seems at times that trouble and evil go unchecked. To us time often defines truth. God is not limited by time. He is faithful and always judges fairly. We are not left alone and will never be overlooked. Because of time, things sometimes seem unfair but they are not. We can trust the Lord. God is good all the time.
1/18/99 Psalm 27:13-14
Trials can tempt our faith. They hurt. Even though it may seem that our trials will never end and that the Lord will never answer, He will meet us at the right time. God delivers. We can wait on the Lord for He often uses periods of waiting to renew, refresh, and teach us. When you face today’s trial, be calm and wait upon the Lord.
1/19/99 Romans 3:19-20
This isn’t fair. I shouldn’t suffer for that. It happened because. Ever feel that way? I do. I am learning now after so many years that when I begin to protest to the Lord about the unfairness of life, that sometimes my emotions may be because of sin lurking deep in my heart. Finding that sin is easy. I simply ask the Lord to reveal the cause of my emotions. He does. Discovering sin and dealing with it isn’t pleasant. I have to admit I was wrong. Even when the circumstances might justify my emotions, when sin is in control it is wrong. Lord forgive me of my self-centered ways, my holier than thou attitudes and the sin that so easily entangles me. He does. God is so good.
1/20/99 Romans 3:21-22
When we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins, and they are many, we have everything that God has for us. Jesus is “God’s Everything.” We each have equal access to the cleansing forgiveness that Christ provides. There are no super saints among God’s children, only forgiven sinners. We are made whole in Christ.
1/21/99 Romans 3:23-26
In a swimming pool, everyone gets wet. In this world everyone sins and all sin is sin, it all separates us form the Father. If we refuse to recognize this basic law, then we will remain dead in our trespasses and sin. The Word of the Lord tells us that He has provided for our reconciliation to Him from death. This is a grace gift from God. Jesus died for you and for me. He is the Savior. Every person is in need of salvation.
The cross where Jesus died is the place where our problem was solved. There is no other way to the Father except through Christ. He is Lord.
1/22/99 Romans 6:17
Do you want to have a miracle? Obey God. All miracles start with obedience. Is your prayer life dry and dead ended? Obey God and He will resurrect your prayer life. Are you at your ropes end? Obey God and He will provide new rope.
God is not in the repair business. He is in the replacement business. He brings new life, new ways, new hearts, new souls and we live by faith in obedience to Him. Want a miracle? Obey God.
1/23/99 Hebrews 9:15
Jesus will save you. The promise to all of us is based on the promise to each one of us. Jesus saves the individual, not a group.
When you look at your life, forget who you are and what you have done and realize that Jesus died for you because God wants you, His creation, to have a relationship with Him, the Creator. God loves you. You belong to Him. But, you can only become a part of His Family by accepting the invitation that Christ offers for your salvation. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and come into your heart and save you. Jesus saves.
1/24/99 Matthew 20:25-28
It is very difficult for us to give up our authority. We find our value and worth in what we do. Jesus says that our value and worth is based on what we are. If we care for others and strive to serve others we find welling up from deep within our soul a real sense of purpose, and worth. This will transcend time so that at age 65 when we survey the panorama of our life the Holy Spirit will bear witness to our spirit that we have made valuable investments. Don’t base your life on things that moth and rust destroy. Serving one another is real leadership. A real leader is a servant. Jesus served others and so can you.
1/25/99 Matthew 21:19-22
The fig tree looked good but it was barren. There was no substance, only an appearance. I look at my life and am often convicted when I find myself saying things that I don’t do. That is form over substance. Too many times we will find ourselves talking one game and walking another. Any truth here?
Guard yourself from foolish living. Bring your life before the scrutiny of the Lord. He will guide, direct and protect you.
1/26/99 Matthew 22:35-40
They were talking with Jesus about their 600 laws. One of them wanted Jesus to identify the most important one. He did. God is first and people count. We should develop an evaluative process where everything we do is reviewed with that in mind. God is first and people count. Love is a worthy focus for our lives. It is God’s focus!
1/27/99 Matthew23:8-11
When we serve others we become aware of their needs. A life of service helps us to get over a self-centered lifestyle. Jesus’ example was that a valuable life is found in service to others. The problem is that we often omit serving those around us. Some how or another, people get it in their mind that service will happen at a point in the future, tomorrow, when they are prepared. Being a servant always happens where we are. Opportunity to serve often happens when we are not prepared.
1/28/99 Matthew 23:12
I want to be and feel valuable. Sometimes, life grinds me down and I don’t get what I feel is my due. My emotions boil over and in my sin I expound on my virtue, and value. ‘I did’ becomes my mantra. When I recover my senses, it is usually during a point of discovery on my knees before the Lord. He reminds me that I am valuable. He assures me that He knows who and where I am and that He will never forget me. He forgives me and encourages me to be mindful of others, their feelings and their need for encouragement.
1/29/99 Matthew 24:45-47
Faithfulness as a servant is an indication of our faith in the Lord. He has said that His return will be soon. If you believe that then every encounter you have will have a freshness and urgency about it that the world cannot rob. Look up, Jesus is coming soon.
1/30/99 Psalm 127:1
A family without God can never experience the spiritual bond that the Lord brings to relationships. A country that is not based upon the Lord will crumble from the inside. Pray today for our country and our families. People need the Lord.
1/31/99 Psalm 32:1-2
God clears our record when we go to Him and seek His forgiveness. The problem is that it takes a real head jolt by the Lord to get my attention many times. I get caught up in alibis and excuses. Finally, when at the point of awareness I go to the Lord on my knees. Lord cleanse me from unrighteousness is my plea. He does. Jesus is in the forgiveness business. I thank the Lord that He is.
