Day-by-Day – Day 39 – The Word of the Lord

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Kate

p7050022 The phrase, “the word of the Lord,” appears 255 times in the Authorized Version. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have been contacted by readers criticizing the fact that I believe that the Bible is the sole authority to the Christian. If God sees fit to put the phrase, “the word of the Lord,” 255 times in the Bible, then it must be important!

I found it interesting that the last time it appears in the Bible is found in 1 Peter. Peter said that God’s Word would endure forever! God doesn’t need man to add it to His Word or even make it better or clearer.

~1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Day-by-Day – Day 38 – Prayer

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Kate

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~Psalm 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

What would we do without prayer? No matter how desperate our situation may be, we can ask the Lord to lead us to a place spiritually that will encourage us and lift us up. Without Christ as our Saviour, we cannot pray this. However, with Christ we are able to cry out to God and He will lead us to the Rock. That Rock is our Shepherd – it is He who will lead us to water – lead us to green pastures – forgive us our sins – lift up our spirits and raise us up!

You’ve been there, haven’t you? Tears wet your bed in the night. But with prayer, the sun rose the next morning and a new day came with all the blessed hope of renewed peace and joy. It is Christ who brings us this precious gift. It is He who loves us so much that He cares for us as a parent cares for his child. Thank You, Lord!!!

Day by Day – Day 37 – Wrath

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Kate

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~Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

~Luke 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

The Word speaks twice of John the Baptist warning the people of the wrath to come. In fact, he warned the very religious people as well – the Pharisees and Sadducees. There are “religions” out there that believe that they are the only ones going to Heaven. Or, they believe that one can never know for sure if they are going to Heaven.

~1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

God made it clear when He left us His Word! His children do not need to fear because Christ has delivered us from that wrath of judgment. When a person repents from his wicked ways and accepts the finished work of the cross, he is set free – delivered from damnation. We can, in fact, know while we are yet living, whether we are going to Heaven or not. It is our choice. Unless one repents from his sin, accepts Christ as his only way to Heaven, he will not see Heaven.

Thank You, Lord, for delivering us from the wrath to come! Thank You for sending Christ to take the punishment for that wrath so that we might be set free!

Day-by-Day – Day 36 – Rightful Worship

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Kate

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~Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

There will come a day when everything will be said and done. There won’t be any opportunities to live life again. There won’t be any second chances. Because of this, we should live our lives the right way the first time around.

The only way to know if your life is going right the first time around is to know where you will spend eternity after you leave this earth. Settling one’s salvation is the most important decision there is in life. Once this is settled, the Christian is able to serve the Lord, tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and look forward to the day when Christ reigns and rules this earth!

What a great time to look forward to for the believer! We long for the day that we can see our Saviour, the King of Kings, sit on His rightful throne and rule! All the nations of this earth will have to submit to His power. No longer will the devil have dominion!

~Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Day-by-Day – Day 35 – Call to Action

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Kate

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~Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

As parents, we can see life through our children, can’t we? For example, you tell your children to go clean up their rooms. One child stomps his foot on the floor and cleans his room but with a lot of attitude. The other one immediately does as he is told and does a great job. It’s not difficult for you to see which child brought much joy to his parents.

It is no different with Christians. How many of us serve the Lord grudgingly? How many of us serve Him because we love Him and are delighted to serve Him? When we serve Christ with gladness of heart, it is a testimony to the unbeliever. They see our joy for themselves and it attracts them. They want what we have – the joy of the Lord!

Won’t you serve the Lord with gladness today?

Day-by-Day – Day 34 – Lord

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Kate

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~Philippians 2:10-11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

One day, in the not too distant future, this verse will be fulfilled. It is certainly not true today. Everywhere we turn, we see the results of the devil’s work on this earth. Sin is running rampant and evil is ruling this earth. Just in the past 50 years, we have seen God turned into a mockery, we’ve seen murder legalized in the name of women’s rights, we’ve seen wrong become right. Man is not drawing closer to God but further away.

There is coming a day, however, that every man, woman and child will have to stand before Christ and will have to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. For believers, that day is an exciting one and we look forward to it. But to the unbeliever, it is the day of reckoning. There will be no do-overs. There will be no second changes. The believer must be busy sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ before the day is over and it is too late.

Day-by-Day – Day 33 – Love

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Kate

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~Joshua 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

The law in the Old Testament was no different that the law which Christ left for us to follow.

~Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

As a born-again Christian, our desire is to nurture our relationship with our Heavenly Father and become more like Christ. In so doing, our actions will speak and reflect this relationship. As we draw closer to the Lord, we have a desire to share that love with others. One who loves will not lie against another – one who loves will not steal from another. As a result, we are fulfilling the law that Christ spoke of: We draw closer to God and, in turn, reflect that relationship through our actions.

Day-by-Day – Day 32 – Heaven

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Kate

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~2 Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Elijah’s exit from earth and entrance to Heaven must have been spectacular! To think that one could be carried away in a horse-pulled chariot that were so bright they appeared as though they were on fire! I would have loved to witness that for myself!

The Word records a similar episode.

~Luke 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

Again, I would have loved to be with those who witnessed this blessed event.

Some Christians will be able to experience a similar event at the Rapture of the Saints!

~1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

~1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Praise the Lord that the believer can live in the midst of the turmoil but yet have peace because he knows the time is near, even at the door!

Day-by-Day – Day 31 – Precious Gift

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Kate

<~1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Those who do not have a relationship with God cannot understand the concept of God loving His creation so much that He would be willing to die for us. Therefore, when we tell others about Christ and His life, death, burial and resurrection, they think we are crazy. They think we are religious nuts with no common sense.

But to the believer, Christ’s sacrifice for us is so significant that we are brought to tears! To think that Someone would die for me despite my sinful life – despite how much I hurt Him! It shows us just how much God truly loves us!

~Romans 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

~Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Christ died for us while we were sinners – there is nothing we can do to make ourselves “good enough” for His wonderful gift of salvation! It is free – it is priceless – it is eternal!

My son took this picture above when visiting Monticello, Virginia. As I saw the sun’s rays piercing through the rain clouds, it reminded me of God’s precious love reaching down to man through His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no place that God’s hand cannot reach – His loves reaches down to the deepest depths!

~Jeremiah 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

Are You Dead Yet?

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Kate

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~When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ… That is dying to self.

~When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence… That is dying to self.

~When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured… That is dying to self.

~When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God… That is dying to self.

~When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown… That is dying to self.

~When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances… That is dying to self.

~When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart… That is dying to self.

Are you dead yet? In these last days, would the Spirit bring us to the cross.

~Philippians 3:10 That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.

~Author Unknown

Maranatha!

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Ps. 119:105

Monthly Archives: April 2009