3/1/03 John 2: 2
He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
God in Christ forgives me and purifies me. He does the same for everyone that comes to Jesus for forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
3/2/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 2-3
For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “All is well; everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman’s birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape.
It is imperative that I live with a sense of Jesus return. It will change the way I see myself and deal with life. I am not promised tomorrow, just this moment.
3/3/03 Psalm 94: 11
The LORD knows people’s thoughts, that they are worthless!
I value my ideas and plans. The problem is that often I make use of my plans before I submit them to the Lord. I am trying to develop a better habit of asking Jesus first before I act.
3/4/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 4
But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.
Jesus is coming back. The early church lived with a sense of His immediate return everyday. Come Lord Jesus.
3/5/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 5
For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.
I have been birthed into the family of God. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Sin no longer enslaves me. I can choose the power of Jesus to deal with my sin.
3/6/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 6
So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober.
Sin is never soft. It is constantly testing me. Sin will defeat me at every opportunity if I am not watchful. Life is dangerous and sin is persistent.
3/7/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 8
But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
Growing in Christ likeness takes time and attention everyday. It is easy to fall into poor devotional habits. Things work well a few days and my guard drops. Then I am surprised by evil. I must be faithful in my personal devotional life. The world the flesh and the devil are formidable foes.
3/8/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 9
For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.
Salvation began with God. He knew my need. Christ provided a way for me to be saved. I must make the decision to follow Jesus.
3/9/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 10
He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return.
I can survive. Whatever problem life gives me or problem that I create Jesus is able to carry me through to the end. He will never abandon me. I am not alone. Jesus is Lord.
3/10/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 11
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
You encourage me. It is always a blessing to hear how the Lord has helped someone else. It is a special blessing when the Lord uses me. We need each other. We can rejoice when we see the Lord at work.
3/11/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13
Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and warn you against all that is wrong. Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because of their work. And remember to live peaceably with each other.
The way I live is important. It is important that I honor those around me. I cannot succeed in life alone. I need people.
3/12/03 Psalm 94: 12
Happy are those whom you discipline, LORD, and those whom you teach from your law.
I don’t like discipline but I am grateful for it. The Lord will not let me stray too far from the right path thank you Lord for your love.
3/13/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 15
See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else.
There is power in praying for an enemy. When someone does me wrong I take them before the Lord and pray for His blessing of them. It releases me from my passions and reminds me of what great power there is in serving Jesus.
3/14/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 16
Always be joyful.
My circumstances do not determine if I will be joyful. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and is directly related to my willingness to obey Jesus. I can have joy because of what I see beyond my current conflict.
3/15/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 17
Keep on praying.
Time is not my friend. More often then not time disguises the activity of God. I pray and nothing seems to happen. The command is to keep praying. God is at work.
3/16/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 18
No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Evil does not come from God therefore I am not to be grateful for evil. My responsibility is even in the face of the devastating impact of evil in the world I am to be grateful to God for His goodness to me. In all things I can be grateful for the good that God will accomplish.
3/17/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-22
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil.
I am responsible to check out what people say accepting the truth and discarding error. The Lord works through people.
3/18/03 Psalm 94: 14
The LORD will not reject his people; he will not abandon his own special possession.
I serve a wonderful God who knows all about me. And He still saved me. He will never let me go. I can trust Jesus.
3/19/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.
God loves obedience. A foolish life will be a sinful life. If I want to be wise I must know what the Word of God says and follow it. Jesus will guide me to obedience.
3/20/03 1 Thessalonians 5: 28
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
I cannot out give Jesus. Jesus is God’s everything and gives me everything I need.
3/21/03 Psalm 94: 17 -18
Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have died. I cried out, “I’m slipping!” and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.
I must make the decision about what is important in my life. Am I more concerned with my comfort or am I committed to growing a closer relationship with the Lord? God’s support will always come at the point when I seek Him.
3/22/03 1 John 1: 1
The one who existed from the beginning is the one we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, the Word of life.
Jesus is alive. He is the creator and mighty God and He loves me. In Jesus I have life.
3/23/03 1 John 1: 2
This one who is life from God was shown to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and announce to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was shown to us.
Jesus is God. Christ brings to me light for living and life for eternity. In Christ I have forgiveness of my sin and a relationship with the Father.
3/24/03 1 John 1:3
We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
There is no such thing as spiritual grandchildren. I must have a personal relationship with Jesus. I must come to Him. I must experience His presence and life giving power.
3/25/03 1 John 1: 5
This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.
Jesus is perfect. He knows all about me and exactly what I need. I can go to Jesus to meet all of my needs. He will not fail me.
3/26/03 1 John 1: 6
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth.
I am responsible for living a holy life. I need a growing and personal relationship with Jesus to lead a holy life. If I live like the world I cannot think like Jesus. Christ in me is my only hope.
3/27/03 1 John 1: 7
But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.
When I am in conflict with someone I will often scurry to a quiet place. I will fret and fume at the unfairness or the ingratitude or whatever other reason for denial of my responsibility as a child of God. God is never fooled. God is always good. I am responsible for my brother. Forgiveness of sin brings me into harmonious relationships with those I live among.
3/28/03 1 John 1: 8
If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.
I am the worst of sinners. I sin deliberately and foolishly. The only person I can ever fool is myself. Christ gives me the opportunity to change. The only way I can change is to take responsibility for the way I live and do the things everyday that will encourage and strengthen me to become more like Jesus. I am saved by grace but I must learn to live responsibly.
3/29/03 Psalm 94: 22
But the LORD is my fortress; my God is a mighty rock where I can hide.
Sometimes when I have failed miserably and done what I said I wouldn’t do again for the thousandth time I must throw myself at the feet of Jesus. He intervenes in my spirit to rebuild the wall of grace that I so quickly destroy. Jesus is in the healing business.
3/30/03 1 John 1: 9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
God is not waiting on me to come up with a good excuse. He already knows what I did and at what point sin entered in. Jesus is waiting for me to see my sin and turn from it. That is the point that real confession and repentance happen.
3/31/03 1 John 1: 10
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
I am human and I sin. That is a fact. My journey to become more like Jesus always requires that step one be my willingness to deal with my sin. The temptation for me is to rationalize my sin. To say that it is inconsequential or unimportant. The truth is that the only sin that ever affects my relationship with Jesus is the sin that I do.
