7/1/99 Romans 6: 15-16
So since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
When we come into the Family of God, we are responsible to choose our lifestyle. I can become as much like Jesus as I want. In Christ, I am no longer a slave to the flesh. In Christ I can grow in likeness to Him. I choose not the evil one. I am the one that is responsible for the way that I live.
7/2/99 Galatians 5:1
So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Never forget that the easy way is most often the wrong way. When I am confronted with the choices of life, I must choose how I will respond. Each point of choice requires me to evaluate the type of response I will make. Christ calls me to do the right thing. The flesh wants me to respond mindlessly to people and live a self centered life. It is my choice.
7/3/99 James 1:25
But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God created me to obey Him. In Christ, I have perfect freedom to obey God. My obedience to God creates a successful lifestyle and a Godly life. God wants me to succeed. The only way I can do that is by a lifestyle of obedience.
7/4/99 Psalms 33:12
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen for his own.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God is completely trustworthy. I am disappointed in myself when I respond to life with inconsistency. Sometimes I am surprised by the way that I respond. God never surprises us with uncertainty. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Eternal Living God is worthy of all of our devotion and obedience. He is trustworthy.
7/5/99 Psalm 11: 5 – 7
The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates everyone who loves violence. He rains down blazing coals on the wicked, punishing them with burning sulfur and scorching winds. For the Lord is righteous, and he loves justice. Those who do what is right will see his face.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God’s tests for some are a refining fire. Someone outside of God’s control in the same circumstances will find the same test an incinerator of destruction. Our tests are not an indication of our value. The way we respond to the test is the key indicator. Our responsibility is to do the next right thing. Bless the Lord for He is in control.
7/6/99 Proverbs 13:2
Good people enjoy the positive results of their words, but those who are treacherous crave violence.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Our heart is the rudder for the works of our hands. A child of God acts like a child of God. A child of Satan acts like Satan. We must pay careful attention to the way that we act. Our actions may be the only New Testament that a lost person ever reads. Jesus died that all might be saved.
7/7/99 Ezekiel 8:17-18
“Have you seen this, son of man,” (God) asked (Ezekiel). “Is it nothing for the people of Judah that they commit these terrible sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbing their noses at me, rousing my fury against them? Therefore, I will deal with them in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And although they scream for mercy, I will not listen.”
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
The wrath of God is a terrible thing to contemplate. The admonition by Ezekiel warns us that what we think about God by the way we live is an indicator of our relationship with God. Going to church, God-talk, and religious trappings don’t save us. Christ said that He was the way, the truth and the life. He also said that He, Jesus, was the only way we could be saved. There is salvation in no one else.
7/8/99 Jonah 3:7-10
Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: “No one, not even the animals, may eat or drink anything at all. Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will have pity on us and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”
When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Change. Look at the way you are living and change. The best of us too easily establish lifestyles that alienate us from God. Plow up the hard ground of your heart and change. Before it is too late, change. God wants each one of us to be constantly changing into the likeness of Jesus. Change.
7/09/99 Psalm 72:12-14
(The LORD) will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy and he will rescue them. He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God says that He loves that bedraggled homeless person you saw on the street. God says that that poor needy soul is precious to Him. What did you think? What was your evaluation? God says that He takes a personal interest, a special interest in the poor and needy. What kind of interest are you taking?
7/10/99 Psalm 34:14
Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living at peace with others.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
The next time you find yourself caught up in evil, turn away from and immediately do something good. It really is simple for God’s children to survive and overcome the evil one. Don’t wring your hands about the power of sin. Don’t cry for God to intervene. Stop doing evil and do good. This is a simple way that we can claim the power of God and defeat sins hold on us. Do it.
7/11/99 Psalm 37: 37-38
Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future lies before those who love peace. But the wicked will be destroyed; they have no future.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God is on my side. I am sincerely striving to live a Christ like life and some days fail miserably. When I stop and go to the Lord, He reminds me that He is on my side.
7/12/99 Isaiah 52: 7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Everyone needs the Lord. Many that we come into contact with on a daily basis are dead in their trespasses and sin. We have good news about their peace and eternal security. Ask the Lord to give you a heart of love for everyone that you come into contact with. When you love them you will be able to share the Good News of Christ with them.
7/13/99 Matthew 5:9
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Peace requires hard work. It doesn’t come to those that simply breeze through life. Peace is developed in a growing relationship with Jesus. It is one of the benefits of a Godly lifestyle. As we deal with our speech, and build the ways of the Lord into our lives we pursue peace.
7/14/99 Romans12: 17-18
Never payback evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Forgiveness is mandatory for the followers of Christ. We are not called to evaluate others actions but simply to forgive them. The issue is never what they have done but whether or not I will follow the Lord. Christ forgives us.
7/15/99 Romans 12: 19-21
Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it.” Says the Lord.
Instead, do what the Scriptures say, ” If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. And they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.”
Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
The only defense we have against evil is to do good. When we do good, we are exhibiting our confidence and trust in the Lord. We are to pray for those that curse us. These are hard words and separate the Children of God from the children of Satan.
7/16/99 Luke 14:25-27
25Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26“If you want to be my follower you must love me more than£ your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Cross bearing will never be a popular activity. The reason is because I must deal with myself to carry a cross. I always want to be first, have it easiest, get the most, or be the favorite. Christ calls me to put Him first. Cross bearing will never be popular or easy.
7/17/99 Matthew 10:38-39
8If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Cross bearing is a daily activity. I must be willing to be who I am to bear my cross. Reality is the first step in cross bearing. God made me for a mission. Will I do what God has called me to do or will I always seek to go my own way? Obedience to the Lord is the difference in cross bearing, Christ honoring service. Anything else is only an imitation. Christ calls me to look beyond what the world works for and recognize the eternal nature of our service to Him. Our feet are to be firmly placed in this world but our heart is to be totally given to the Lord.
7/18/99 Matthew 16:26-27
26And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul£ in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God sees things differently than the world does. If we only evaluate ourselves by the world’s standards, we will only build with wood, hay and stubble. In the day of judgement, all that we have worked for and built will be destroyed. On the other hand, if we focus our life on the things of God, our work will stand. The choice is ours. God’s way or no way.
7/19/99 Matthew 19:29-30
Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life. 30But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Eternal rewards outweigh temporary benefits. Our life in Christ is to be based on eternal values. Jesus is Lord of all. Anytime my focus is on something other than Jesus, my service in the world will be misplaced. Only by the leadership of the Lord can I find the right focus for my life.
7/20/99 John 8:2
2Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Christ will not let you stumble. The outlook may seem bleak. The battle may look lost. But, in Christ we have a victorious Lord who will lead us in His eternal triumph.
7/21/99 John 10:27-29
My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, 29for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Jesus is God’s everything. In Christ we have every resource that we will need. Our strength is our faith. Our victory is His promise. In Christ the solid rock I stand.
7/22/99 John 13:16-18
I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Talk is cheap. People evaluate us not on what we say but on what we do. Christ has appointed us to represent him here on earth. We are called to serve the Lord, serve each other and to minister in the world as an emissary of Christ. Don’t forget that every person we come into contact with needs Jesus. Jesus is the only way. We may be the only Jesus that some people will ever meet.
7/23/99 Galatians 5:25-26
If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Everything we do comes under the scrutiny of God. We cannot compartmentalize our lives. All that we say and do is to be done as unto the Lord. We are to bear the Cross-of Christ every day, not just Sunday.
7/24/9 Ephesians 5:1-2
Follow God’s example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Self-sacrificing service is our goal. When we study God’s Word, it is to change our hearts, call us to repentance and equip us to serve others. Our end game is not winning. We are not to worry about honors or folks saying thank you. Our responsibility is to care for others in the same way that Christ cares for us. Our command is to go and be like Christ.
7/25/99 Philippians 2:12-13
Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
God requires first place. He will empower us to live a Christian life. He will not empower us if we will not let Him. If we do not grow, it is not the Lord’s fault. First ask God to show you where you have gone wrong. Then, repent of self will and ask the Lord to help you change. When you trust the Lord He will give you the power to change. He will enable you to obey Him. God wants you to become like Jesus.
7/26/99 2 Timothy 2:5-7
Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. 6Hardworking farmers are the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7Think about what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding in all these things.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
You must know God’s rules to follow them. One of the requirements for the king in the Old Testament is that he make a personal handwritten copy of the Scriptures so that he would know God’s law. You too must know the rules. Ignorance of what God is calling you to do is no excuse. Study God’s Word diligently. Seek to understand what the Lord is saying to you about your life and work. Spend time in God’s Word!
7/27/99 2 Timothy 2:22
2Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Stop sinning. It is as simple as that. God’s Word is clear, when you find yourself in a compromised position, run from it. If you are tempted to drink, stop going where drinking is going on. If you have bad friends, get new ones. You stop sinning.
7/28/99 2 Timothy 2:23-25
Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24The Lord’s servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. We are to carefully present the Word of God in a respectful, loving way. Those that will not listen cannot be brow beaten. If you will care for them as the Word calls you to do, your actions will speak louder than your words.
7/29/99 Hebrews 6:11-12
11Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Heaven will be a great place. We will get there sooner than we think. Right now in the midst of all of life’s problems, remember that time is short. You don’t have a lot of time left. Work hard. Serve fearlessly. Strive to grow. Heaven will be a great place.
7/30/99 Hebrews 13:8-9
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your spiritual strength comes from God’s special favor, not from ceremonial rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. This world is always changing. Leaders come and leaders go. Jesus is always here and never changes. He loves you. He will enable you to serve Him. You are a child of God and never outside of Christ’s watchcare.
7/31/99 1 Peter 2:21-23
Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps. 22He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. 23He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
Hi, I’m Mike Clay with Today’s Good News.
Christ never sinned. He suffered in life and died on the Cross-for me, so that a sinner like me could be saved. If I serve Christ, I will suffer. Those that I am trying to help will be the ones that hurt me. All who follow Jesus must be prepared to suffer.
