May 1, 2000 1Ti 1:14
Oh, how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus.
One night at a revival the preacher said that I had as much of Christ as I wanted. That changed me. It put me on notice that the Lord was available for me. I realized that Christ was willing to spend as much time with me as I wanted. The depth of my relationship with Christ was a result of the time that I spent with Him.
May 2, 2000 1Ti 6:10
For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
I am concerned about the benchmarks I let creep into my life. What is it that makes me do what I do? Is it my love for Christ or a passion for money? When all I do revolves around money, I must take careful steps to change what I am doing. I found in my own life once that even my tithing became an issue for it was a point of pride and complaint. Lord look what I have done now you should respond in the way that I want. Money can indeed be a root of evil when it gains control of my life.
May 3, 2000 1Ti 6:11
But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
That’s right. Run from evil. I promise you that every time I walk, crawl or saunter from evil it defeats me. Be assured that you cannot stand in the presence of evil. Run.
May 4, 2000 Ps 33:18
But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.
I believe that the Lord will watch over and care for me. Whatever the result, the Lord is faithful. Every time I respond to life based on the faithfulness of the Lord, another particle of ignorance is stamped out of my life. God is good, all the time.
May 5, 2000 Ps 40:10
I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
I experience real joy and excitement in the Lord when I share with others what He is doing in my life. My feelings tend to be fairly moody and more often than not express themselves in negative ways. When I realize my feelings are taking center stage and request that He intercede, He does. My feelings change. The confusion or hurt or pain stops. I must tell you that the Lord is faithful to me in helping me to deal with my every day life.
May 6, 2000 Ps 45:1
My heart overflows with a beautiful thought! I will recite a lovely poem to the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.
I love the Lord with every fiber of my being. He is worthy of my total focus and the very best of my thoughts. He wants to spend time with me and I am committing myself this day to increase the amount of time I spend with the wondrous Lord God. Christ the King is a glorious king that is trustworthy and true. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessing and honor and mercy and grace belong to Him.
May 7, 2000 Ps 57:10
For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
There have been dark nights at hospitals when I clung to this passage. Several nights by a phone waiting to hear of or from a loved one this verse spoke to my heart. I have found in all of my ways that the Lord has been loving and faithful to me. And by faith I am confident that this will last through out eternity.
May 8, 2000 Ps 59:10
In his unfailing love, my God will come and help me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.
In my heart of hearts He said that He would never leave me alone. This was important to me. As a child loneliness was my constant companion. I was different and weak. The Lord assured me that He was on my side and that I would never be lonely again. I had but to recognize His constant presence and He would deal with my enemy loneliness. That is one enemy I no longer fear.
May 9, 2000 2Ti 1:13
Hold on to the pattern of right teaching you learned from me. And remember to live in the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.
Have you ever held on so tight that the blood threatened to burst out of your fingers? Have you been challenged so maliciously by the evil one that you literally had to hold on to keep from getting lost in sin? Many people have. Holding on helped me to come back. When I got back I found out that what I had held on to was holding on to me.
May 10, 2000 2Ti 2:22
Run 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.
I am responsible for the friends that I choose. My friends have a terrific impact on the way I respond to the issues of life. In my own life I find that my friends often come to my rescue when I am facing life’s greatest trials. If I didn’t have friends like that I would be in trouble. Thank you Lord for my friends. They are a blessing from you.
May 11, 2000 Mt 22:39
A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Have you ever struggled with caring for an unlikable neighbor? I have. It is a deep, heart-wrenching struggle. I want to comply with God’s requirement. I want to do right. But then the unlikable one does something even more detestable. Help me Lord to put my beliefs into action.
May 12, 2000 Lu 6:27
“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.
I have a hard, hard time actualizing this command in my life. I turn to the Lord for the strength I need to make myself do this. Every time I face an enemy with love I have to go back to the Lord Jesus for strength. I cannot love my enemy without the intervention of God’s grace in my heart.
May 13, 2000 1Jo 4:7
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
I know I am saved because of my love for others. Love is a choice. I choose to love others. Love is an action. I treat others with respect and kindness. By this I know that I am saved for the Lord Jesus Christ has changed the way that I act towards those that He died for.
May 14, 2000 1Jo 4:8
But anyone who does not love does not know God – for God is love.
Casting stones is never fruitful. Love removes fear and hate from our lives. If you are ruled by fear and hate for people, then you are not controlled by love. If you are not controlled by love, you do not belong to the Lord. If you do not belong to the Lord, you are dead in your trespasses and sin and Satan is your father.
May 15, 2000 Ps 40:16
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!”
Praise is a powerful part of worship of the Lord. Praising God helps me to keep my perspective on who God is and who I am. The Lord is worthy of all my praise and honor. His glory is beyond my ability to comprehend. Praise empowers me in my worship of the Lord Jesus who died for me that I might have life.
May 16, 2000 Ps 42:8
Through each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.
I am drenched in the love of God. The Lord has singled me out for His blessing and concern. He has singled you out too. Do not forget that the love of God is adequate for anything that you will face today. His love for you is renewed each day.
May 17, 2000 Ps 44:26
Rise up! Come and help us! Save us because of your unfailing love.
Oh boy. I need your help today Lord. The trouble comes without warning. The failure seizes me by the throat. Hurry and save me.
May 18, 2000 1Th 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.
My defeat comes when I am not thinking clearly. I let the events of the day overwhelm my conversations with the Lord. I get stampeded into action. Do it now. Solve it this way. It’s so easy I won’t bother God with this. But, when defeat looms I draw near to God. The Lord renews my mind. Why oh why Lord do I stray so quickly to my own way? Help me to keep my focus on you.
May 19, 2000 1Th 5:13
Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because of their work. And remember to live peaceably with each other.
Criticism may be proper in many professions but when it spills over into my personal life, it is wrong. See everything. Overlook a lot. Criticize a little. This mindset enables me to take others to the throne of God instead of to the hardness of my heart.
May 20, 2000 Ps 45:7
You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
The Lord Jesus guides me to focus on what is right. The Holy Spirit touches my heart when my way veers from the proper direction. Christ is my focus. I am his focus. We each become the pride and joy of Jesus as we live our life in Him.
May 21, 2000 Ps 48:9
O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.
How many times have I blown it? Maybe a million times? The question at the point of failure is will he forgive me this time? His answer is always yes, His love never fails. I fail but He doesn’t.
May 22, 2000 2Ti 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
I am God’s property. The Lord owns the title deed to my life. Christ died that I might have an abundant life. Satan seeks to kill, steal and destroy. In Christ I am victorious. Live the Life.
May 23, 2000 2Ti 1:9
It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began – to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.
God would that no one be lost. This spurs me to evangelism. I must tell everyone about Jesus. He saved me. I want them to know. He forgives me. I want to tell everyone. He enables me to be what I always wanted to be. Praise the Lord that I am saved and you should be too.
May 24, 2000 2Ti 3:2
For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
I have cautioned my heart on this verse. Who are the ungrateful scoffers? Shouldn’t I be careful in my depiction of others that I not stand like the Pharisee in condemnation? It is pitiful that society as a whole seems to fit this description. Help me to pray Lord for the lost. Help me to cry for those dead in their trespasses and sin. Forgive me Lord when my life resembles a pagan life instead of a Godly life.
May 25, 2000 Tit 3:4
But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love.
I was dead in my sin and He set me free. Often I think about my life and how different it would have been if the Lord had not come. He was searching for me and found me and gave me life. The richness of his mercy and grace increases exponentially as I walk with Him. My troubles sideline me for a moment but then God shows me kindness and love and life resumes.
May 26, 2000 Jas 1:12
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
My testing generally comes from my own poor preparation for battle. The spiritual war is swirling all around me and I act as though I didn’t have a care in the world. Help me this day Lord to watch and pray. Encourage me to always be girded for battle.
May 27, 2000 Ps 33:22
Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.
Failure is feared more than death. But God’s love never fails. Whatever I do, wherever I am, God’s love does not fail. In failure He brings victory. In success He provides assurance. God’s love does not fail. When all else around me is falling apart, God’s love stands firm. I am His and He is mine. God’s love does not fail.
May 28, 2000 Ps 36:7
How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.
In the darkest hour of the darkest day, God’s love is comforting and encouraging. All of us have had that kind of experience. When we ask Him, He will respond. His response is love and protection. God is faithful, righteous and just. His love is greater than all my hurts.
May 29, 2000 Ps 36:10
Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts.
Jesus is the living water of life. His love is what I am so desperately in need of all the time. In the hour of my need His love is there. When I am not thinking about Him, He is thinking about me. His love reaches into my life and gives me a platform for living. His love is the gift of abundant life.
May 30, 2000 Ps 37:37
Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future lies before those who love peace.
What each one of us needs with out exception is peace. Peace is that comforting agent that encourages me to live an abundant life. Loneliness breeds desperation. Peace instills confidence. Peace enables me to sit quietly through the storms of life with confidence and assurance that God is in control. I am not alone.
May 31, 2000 2Th 1:3
Dear brothers and sisters, we always thank God for you, as is right, for we are thankful that your faith is flourishing and you are all growing in love for each other.
God is thinking about you this very moment. I am sharing my concern for you with the Father. I am asking Him to touch you with love and grace. He has placed you in this world as His co-worker. What has he called you to do? You can do it. Be busy about the master’s work.
