1/1/04 Psalm 62:7
My salvation and my honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
LIFESTYLE
The way I live makes a difference. If I live like the world I will suffer the same way the world suffers. If I have accepted Jesus and have not changed I am not living a Christ like life. I will not grow. I will not have spiritual power. My life will be in endless chaos. When I follow Jesus I change. I become Christ like and God fearing. Jesus brings grace and peace into my life and the Lord will walk with me.
1/2/04 Galatians 5:14
For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
LOVE
Jesus loves me and has given me the privilege to love others. People need love. Everyday I can act like Jesus because I can choose to love.
1/3/04 Galatians 5:15
But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
CONFLICT
Choices define our lives. We can choose to gripe and criticize everything others do or we can choose to be kind and understanding and accept people as they are. Our responsibility is not to be on a mission to change others. We are responsible to change from the way we act to the way Jesus would have us act. I must become more like Jesus.
1/4/04 Galatians 5:22-23
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
HOLY SPIRIT
I am either acting like Jesus or acting like the world. I am called to change. The Holy Spirit will guide me to become more like Jesus.
1/5/04 Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
LIFESTYLE
I cannot live like the world and become more like Jesus. A Christian life is a Christ like life. I study the Word to discover the truth. As Jesus speaks to me I listen and apply His Words to my life.
1/6/04 Galatians 5:26
Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.
LIFESTYLE
People count with the Lord. Jesus died for us as individuals. He knows each person. When I become more Christ like I will care for people the way Christ does.
1/7/04 Galatians 1:3
May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
PEACE
Peace in our daily life is a blessing. Peace comes directly from the heart of God. When I am filled with peace I am Christ controlled.
1/8/04 Galatians 1:4
He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.
WORLD
The world is my adversary. I am at war with the evil that controls the world. I am called to be different. I am charged with the responsibility to be a light in the darkness.
1/9/04 2 Corinthians 13:11
Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
JOY
Choices are important. I choose to spend time with God. I choose to let Jesus have control of me. I choose to do the things that Christ calls me to do. Joy is also a choice. When I see things through the eyes of Christ I will rejoice. Jesus brings joy into a committed life.
1/10/04 2 Corinthians 1:2
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you his grace and peace.
GRACE
Grace is a blessing. It is the Lord Jesus giving us what we need and cannot earn. Life is always changing. But I can have absolute confidence that the Lord Jesus is always working for my good. God’s grace is a blessing.
1/11/04 1Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the other churches.
PEACE
I am to be an agent for peace. Peace is a gift from God. It is a gift that we can give others. Peace is important. I am to be vigilant to pray for peace and to be a peaceful person.
1/12/04 Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
WORD
I must be careful as I live my life. I must be diligent in searching the Word of God for wisdom, mercy and grace. Only the wisdom of the Lord can outwit and defeat Satan. I must know what the Lord wants me to do. I discover the Lord’s directions and guidance as I spend time with Him and study His Word.
1/13/04 Romans 15:13
So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
HOPE
Hope comes from the Lord. The Lord is at work in us changing us into His likeness. Each day we become a little more like Jesus. Our growing hope will spill out of us into the lives of others. Those around us will be encouraged as they see the Father pouring Himself into us.
1/14/04 Romans 14:17 –
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
LIFESTYLE
Everything I do affects others. My life is always under inspection. Doing unto others as I would have done to me is a requirement. People are fragile and in need of special care. Jesus loves people.
1/15/04 Romans 12:18
Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
FORGIVENESS
People are human. They are often difficult to deal with and because they are human they will often do the wrong thing in dealing with me and you. I must learn to forgive and forget. Forgiveness is an essential element in Godly living.
1/16/04 Romans 8:6
If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
HOLY SPIRIT
God does not bargain with us. He knows the end from the beginning and has complete knowledge about our needs. Either I surrender control of my life to the Holy Spirit or I wallow in spiritual failure and sin. There is no fence sitting when it comes to a Christian lifestyle.
1/17/04 Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
PEACE
As a child of God I can live my life based on fact and not emotion. The fact is that when Christ is in control of my life I have peace with God. This is not something I earn; it is a part of the gift of salvation. God gives us peace.
1/18/04 Acts 16:36
So the jailer told Paul, “You and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”
PEACE
Peace comes because of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is in control of my life, He loves me and is always seeking for my best good. I can trust the Lord.
1/19/04 Acts 10:36
I’m sure you have heard about the Good News for the people of Israel – that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
FAMILY
I am part of the family of God. I belong to the Lord. I represent the Lord and His kingdom here on earth. One day I will be with Jesus and see Him face to face. Right now I can walk with Him and talk with Him by faith. By faith I have peace with God and can live a peaceful life.
1/20/04 Acts 9:31
The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it grew in strength and numbers. The believers were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
FEAR
Fear God is the first step of Godly wisdom. Once I realize who God is everything else will fall into place. God is so awesome, if I ever get a glimpse of His majesty I will serve Him with gladness.
1/21/04 John 20:21
He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
PEACEMAKERS
You and I are peacemakers. We are to sacrifice our lives for the brethren. That includes our spouses, children, neighbors, friends and enemies. This is a hard saying for the lost. But for the children of God it is a part of their daily life. Our God is an awesome God.
1/22/04 John 16:33
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
HOME
The world is not our home. Our lives are hidden in Christ with God. Christ has won the victory over death and has given us life. An abundant life that is worthy and victorious. Pray today that the Lord will let you see the awesome victory in your life.
1/23/04 John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
FEAR
Do not fear. Do not be troubled. Jesus is with you. He is the Lord. He loves you and is alive to give you wisdom, mercy and grace and to teach you to be victorious in daily living. He is alive.
1/24/04 Matthew 5:9
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
PEACE
Peace is a natural state for God’s children. As the children of God live their lives before a troubled world the result is peace everywhere they go. The world is chaotic and lost. A child of God is at peace and knows that Jesus is in control and loves them.
1/25/04 James 3:17
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.
WISDOM
Wisdom fills us with knowledge of God. We understand that Jesus is Lord and is in control. Wisdom guides us to spend time with Jesus, to read His Word and to let Christ guide us. Wisdom produces a life that values others and equips us to be servant of the Lord High God in this lost and dying world.
1/26/04 James 3:15
For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil.
SIN
When we are close to Jesus; He will show us our sin. He will call us to account and guide us to seek forgiveness. His forgiveness will change us. I will give up my sinful thoughts or actions and replace them with Christ like actions. A Christian lifestyle involves constant change and growth.
1/27/04 James 1:5
If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.
OBEDIENCE
God requires my obedience. If I ask Him what to do and have a spirit that is willing to do what God says, the Lord will give me spiritual wisdom. Jesus loves me and is always seeking my best good.
1/28/04 2Timothy 3:15
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
SALVATION
God is seeking the lost. Jesus would that no one die lost. You and I are part of God’s plan to tell everyone about Jesus. We do the telling and Jesus does the saving. Today tell a lost person about Jesus.
1/29/04 Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom – not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.
FREEDOM
People count. I am loved. I can help those around me. I can be myself. I can have confidence that the Lord will listen to me and guide me in the way that I should go. I have freedom in Jesus.
1/30/04 Colossians 1:28
So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
GOSPEL
The Gospel message is a message that every human being needs to hear. It is simply the story of our relationship with Jesus. It involves what we think and do and say. Our lives proclaim who controls us. If I am following Jesus it will be very easy for me to tell others about the Lord.
1/31/04 Colossians 1:9
So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.
PRAYER
Prayer is work. It is a work that is a worthy endeavor for every child of God. I need to be in constant prayer for the lost. I need to pray for my life. I need to be in prayer with the Father about every aspect of my life. A Christ like life includes much time in conversation with Jesus.
