Romans 2:4 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (5/1/2014)...

God has a holy temper, but He has a very long fuse! Even those who deny and blaspheme His name are recipients of His patience and long-suffering. He permits His enemies to live, to spew forth their horrid blasphemies, all the while blessing them with food and air and earthly pleasures.

- Sam Storms (Pleasures Evermore)

Romans 2:4 (NLT) Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 

2 Peter 3:8-10 (NLT) But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 

Psalm 40:1-4 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/30/2014)...

The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.

- Arnold Glasow

Psalm 40:1-4 (NLT) I waited patiently for the lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the lord. Oh, the joys of those who trust the lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. 

Psalm 6:1-6 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/29/2014)...

The optimist says, the cup is half full. The pessimist says, the cup is half empty. The child of God says; My cup runneth over.

Psalm 1:1-6 (NLT) Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. 

Mark 8:35 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/25/2014)...

"When Jesus calls us, he does not guarantee the future or even tell us what it will be like. He does promise that he will take us to be with him - which is the ultimate land! He does promise forgiveness and inner peace. He does promise that he will be with us through thick and thin. He does promise our ultimate good. But Jesus does not say that it will be smooth here on earth. He does not say that [all] problems will be solved. Nor does he promise a life of peace and ease. If you are looking for these kinds of promises before turning to Christ, you will never get them. And if you persist in your requirements, you will never come to Christ. He calls you to trust his word alone."

- R. Kent Hughes (Genesis, Beginning and Ending)

Matthew 10:37 (NLT)  “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 

Mark 8:35 (NLT)  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 

 

Ephesians 6:10-12

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/24/2014)...

"The unseen world is a real world, and modern men and women are particularly vulnerable to that spirit world because of their ignorance of it and their inquisitiveness about it. The average person today is like a person living in the Middle Ages, trying to fight disease while ignorant of bacteria. During the plague that decimated London and part of Britain in 1665, people know next to nothing about the simplest principles of sanitation. An open city sewer ran down the middle of each street. Rats multiplied. What caused the plague? The Royal College of Surgeons said it was carried by the air. People shut themselves in their houses; stopped up windows, and chimneys. They burned noxious an evil-smelling compounds to battle the enemy, fresh air. Suppose someone had told them that the plague was carried by a bacillus, that the invisible microbes were carried by fleas, and that rats were the chief hosts of the deadly fleas. That person would have been regarded as insane. The notion was nonsense."

- John Phillips/Jerry Vines (Exploring the Book of Daniel)

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT) A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Galatians 6:-4, 16-18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/23/2014)..,

Never be ashamed of your scars. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.

- 2014 Boston Marathon runner survivor (CBS News 4/21/14)

Galatians 6:14, 16-18 (NLT) As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 

Isaiah 40:8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/22/2014)..,

“The Bible has been banned, burned, scoffed, and ridiculed. Scholars have mocked it as foolish. Kings have branded it as illegal. A thousand times over, the grave has been dug and the dirge has begun, but somehow the Bible never stays in the grave. Not only has it survived, it has thrived. It’s the single most popular book in all of history. It has been the best-selling book in the world for years.”

- Max Lucado

Isaiah 40:8 (NLT) The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” 

1 Peter 1:23 (NLT) For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 

1 Peter 4:1-6 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 4/21/2014)...

"God does not waste an ounce of our pain or a drop of our tears; suffering doesn’t come our way for no reason, and He seems especially efficient at using what we endure to mold our character. If we are malleable, He takes our bumps and bruises and shapes them into something beautiful.” 

- Frank Peretti (The Wounded Spirit)

1Peter 4:1-6 (NLT) So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead —so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit. 

Matthew 15:10-11, 16-20 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/18/2014)...

"When you import the right things into your [life], you can export real health."

- Daniel Henderson (Defying Gravity)

Matthew 15:10-11, 16-20 (NLT) Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”..."Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” 

1 Corinthians 15:16-23 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/17/2014)...

"A non-physical resurrection is like a sunless sunrise."

- Randy Alcorn

1 Corinthians 15:16-23 (NLT) And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/16/2014)...

"Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."

- Mark Twain

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. 

Romans 2:28-29 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/15/2014)...

Trying to work for God without worshipping God results in joyless legalism. Work minus worship magnifies your will power not God's worth. If you try to do things for God without delighting in God you bring dishonor upon God. Serving God without savoring God is lifeless and unreal.

- John Piper

Romans 2:28-29 (NLT) For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/14/2014)...

"Prayer is not getting God to adjust His program to what we want, it is adjusting our lives to the revealed will of God. When we pray, it isn't God who changes, but us."

- David Jeremiah (The Handwriting On The Wall)

1 John 5:14-15 (NLT) And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 

Galatians 2:20 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/11/2014)...

"Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?"

- Leonard Ravenhill

Galatians 2:20 (NLT) My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/10/2014)...

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. 

“There are three persons living in each of us: the one we think we are, the one other people think we are, and the one God knows we are.” 

― Leonard Ravenhill, (Why Revival Tarries)

Daniel 9:19 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/9/2014)...

“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.” (Daniel 9:19 NLT)

“The early church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.” 

― Leonard Ravenhill

Proverbs 10:25 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/8/2014)...

"I'm not kidding. Even stress can be a blessing if you know how to deal with it. Instead of asking God to get rid of it, I had to learn to neutralize its effect. I discovered that winners turn stress into something good, while losers let stress turn life into something bad. Winners see an answer for every problem, while losers see a problem for every answer. Knowing these differences and incorporating them into the way you face stress is key to keeping your dignity and peace in adversity."

- Barbara Johnson (Living Above Worry and Stress)

Proverbs 10:25 (NLT) When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation. 

John 4:13-14 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/7/2014)...

Dragon's blood forests are nearly devoid of seedlings and young trees. Some scientists blame a lack of water caused by a decrease in seasonal cloud cover—and predict that many stands could disappear within a century.

- National Geographic (June 2012)

John 4:13-14 (NLT) Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” 

Matthew 9:35-38 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/4/2014)..,

"The tax code is 10 times the size of the Bible, without any good news."

- Senator Paul Ryan

Matthew 9:35-38 (NLT) Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” 

Philippians 2:1-5 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/3/2014)...

The best exercise is bending down to help someone else up.

- unknown

Philippians 2:1-5 (NLT) Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 

Philippians 4:10-14 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (4/2/2014)...

Philippians 4:10-14 (NLT) How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 

God Can Use You!

There may be many reasons why you believe God cannot use you.

But don't worry.  You're in good company . . . .

Moses stuttered. 

David's armor didn't fit. 

John Mark was rejected by Paul. 

Timothy had ulcers. 

Hosea's wife was a prostitute. 

Jacob was a liar. 

King David had an affair. 

King Solomon was too rich. 

Jesus was too poor. 

Abraham was too old. 

King David was too young. 

Apostle Peter was afraid of death. 

Lazarus was dead. 

Naomi was a widow. 

Paul was a murderer. 

So was Moses. 

Jonah ran from God. 

Miriam was a gossip. 

Gideon and Thomas both doubted. 

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. 

Elijah was burnt out. 

Martha was a worry-wart. 

Samson had long hair.

Noah got drunk.

...Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse? 

So did Peter, Paul -- well, lots of folks did. 

But God doesn't require a job interview. He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses, because He's more our Dad than our Boss. He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. He's not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need. 

Satan says, "You're not worthy." Jesus says, "So what? . . . I AM." 

Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. 

God looks back and sees the cross. 

He doesn't calculate what you did in the past...It's not even on the record. 

Sure, There are lots of reasons why God shouldn't have called us. But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, or what we look like. 

Pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate with Him will make mincemeat of our limitations.

- Unknown