November 27: Thank You

Posted by: Jeremiah Hann

Scripture:

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet, and a light for my path.”  Psalm 119:105

Observation:

This verse reminds us that when we look to the bible (and to Christ), for our answers, we will find the way to go.

Application:

I need to make sure that I am constantly talking to God, and constantly looking to Him and His Word for guidance.  God knows all the answers, and I need to always be looking to Him to get them for myself.

Prayer:

Hey God, Thanks so much for your Word.  Thanks so much for allowing me to read it anytime I want without worry.  Thank you for sending Jesus down to the earth.  Thank you for allowing me to have a relationship with you.  Thanks for the model that I get to read about with Jesus.  Thank you for putting guys like Daniel in the Bible, that I can see how he was living for you.  Thank you for today.  Thank you for family, and thank you for loving me with an unconditional love.  In Jesus name, Amen.

November 26th: Service…

By: Brent Hodges

Scripture

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another.”   1 Peter 4:10

Observation

Peter is writing to tell the church how to show love to God and to one another.

Application

God has blessed each of us with a unique spiritual gift.  One that is meant to be used to bring glory and honor to his name and to show his love to those around us.  I will use the gifts that God has blessed me with to be a blessing to others.  If you do not yet know your spiritual gift, I would encourage you to take a quick spiritual gifts survey.  You can find many of these surveys online for free.  The key is…once you know where you are gifted to use that gift to serve others.

Prayer

God, may I honor you by my service today.  May I show Christ’s love through the talents you have blessed me with.

November 25: Be Ready

Scripture

I Peter 3:!5

“Instead you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.  And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.”

 

Observation

Peter tells followers of Christ to be ready.  He wants them to be ready to tell others why they believe what they believe.  If anyone is to question them, they shouldn’t say, “Let me get back to you.”  Instead, they should be prepared with an answer for why they live their life for Christ.

 

Application

I like how this verse refers to our relationship with Christ as our Christian hope.  There truly is hope when you believe in Christ.  Since we have hope in Christ, others will see the way we live our lives and have a desire for that hope as well.  That is our open door to share with them about the good news of Jesus Christ.  We may not get open doors like that every day so we need to be ready to let others know why we believe what we believe once the door opens for us.

 

I have had some good conversations about Christ with people lately.  I’m so thankful that the topic of conversation came up and that I had a biblical answer to share with them at the time.  I need to be ready for any and every situation in which this happens.  I like how the next verse, I Peter 3:16, notes that we should share our responses to people in a gentle and loving way.  I could cram Christ down someone’s throat in a forceful way, but no one will come to Christ that way.  Instead I need to be wise in my choice of words and loving when I share with others so that they see it is done with a heart of love.

 

Prayer

God, thank You for the Christian hope You have given me.  I pray that you would continue to open doors for me to share about the hope I have in You in a loving and respectful way to others.  Please continue to use me to make a difference in the lives of my neighbors and in my community in Your name, Amen!

November 24th: Husbands must…………..

by Dennis Johnston

Scripture:

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives.  Treat your wife with understanding as you live together.  She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life.  Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.  1 Peter 3:7

Observation:

This chapter gives each Christ-follower instructions for husbands and wives.  Specifically, verses 1-6 discuss those of the wife.  In verse 7, we learn about the responsibility of the husband.

Application:

So how can I give honor to my wife?  Sounds like something worth my time.  By:

1.      Being understanding of my wife’s physical and emotional needs

a.       Be aware of those things that encourage my wife (words of affirmation, etc.)

b.      Asking about and listening to her as she describes her day and the experiences she had – good/bad and ugly.

Treat her as you should!  Not as I feel, but as I should………………..

1.      I’m told to love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25).  What is love?  1 Corinthians chapter 13 tells us that love is:

a.       Patient

b.      Kind

c.       It does not envy

d.      It does not boast

e.       It is not rude

f.       It is not self-seeking

g.      It is not easily angered

h.      It keeps no record of wrongs

i.        Rejoices with the truth

j.        It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

By continually and consistently focusing on “what love is” I’m able to give honor to my wife as we live together.  Additionally, when we pray together I don’t have guilt (etc.), but the freedom to approach Christ with a pure heart and ask anything in His name (John 14:14).

Prayer:

God, I desire to honor my wife and love her and give myself up for her.  Strengthen me to be patient and kind – to always protect and trust in her as we grow together.

November 23rd: Who And Whose We Are

by Paul Lewis

Scripture: 1Peter 2:9

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.You are royal priests (a royal priesthood), a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Observation:

Who we are:

- A chosen people

- Royal priests (many versions translate this as a royal priesthood)

- A holy nation

Whose we are:

- God’s very own possession

Why?

- So that we show others the goodness of God

How?

- He (God) called us out of darkness into his wonderful light

Application:

We have been called for a purpose. We are chosen, royal, and to be holy for the purpose of showing others the goodness of God. We aren’t saved for our benefit alone, but so that we will become active in the process of saving others as well. It is a huge honor, priviledge, and resposibility that God has invited us and called us into the process of bringing others to salvation, just as someone played a part in leading us to salvation.

How are you showing others the goodness of God?

Prayer:

God, help me to show others you goodness each day. Especially those who don’t know you!

Amen

November 22nd: Joy in Trial

Scripture

1 Peter 1:6-7

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Observation

Trials = opportunity to show faith

Application

During these tough economic times, the church has the ability to show the world what people of faith do when they face adversity.  This could the the churches finest hour in our lifetimes.  And trust me, people are looking.  When times get tough, people like no other time, turn back to God.  We need to be here with open arms, showing God’s love in real and tangible ways.  When we despair, we not only effect our own family and circle of friends, we are affecting all the people on the outside looking in.  If we stand firm in our faith during these times, our community will be changed.

Prayer

God, thank you for this window of opportunity you have given us to reach out to our community in a significant way.

November 21st: Hide it Away

Scripture

Psalm 119:10-11

I have tried hard to find you—
don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

Observation

The most effective way to not wander from God is to have his word in your life.

Application

We are always looking for the next bet thing that will help us stay connected to God.  The lasted teacher, Bible study, class, conference, etc.  The point is simple, the tools God has given us is His word.  When I find myself distant from God, it is not because I haven’t read a good book lately or taken a class….it’s simply because I have neglected the daily reading of his word.

Prayer

Help you word penetrate my heart so that I will not wander.

November 20th: One of the Big Ten – Covetting

Scripture

James 4:1-3

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Observation

When we desire what we don’t have it eventually leads to conflict.  We try to get it my whatever means possible.  It probably won;t be as drastic as murder; but we are definitely not above betrayal, dishonesty, or overworking ourselves.  Even if we do ask God, we often have the wrong motives and this causes conflict with him because we think he should do something that is outside of his will for us.

Application

How much stress in my life would be immediately eliminated if I was totally content with what I currently have?  I need to get to that place.

Prayer

Thank you for what you have given me.  I am completely blessed and could never repay you for all you have already done.

November 19th: Show Me the Faith!

Scripture

James 2:18

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

Observation

The subject covered here is one of the toughest issues for Christians.  What is the balance of faith and good deeds in our lives? Scripture after scripture point us to salvation through faith alone.  However, others point to the fact that without good deeds, your faith is useless.  I believe the real problem with this concept comes to the surface when we are trying to decide about others level of faith.  We can look interior and know our hearts, but when we see others all we see are the actions displayed in front of us that moment.  We make judgements and assumptions.  The issue of faith and good deeds is best left as an internal heart check.

Application

I know that if my faith is real, my life should be different.  I need to constantly be looking at my actions to see if they are.  I realize that my actions are my issue, but they are also so impactful in the lives of others.  Seeing a changed life speaks so much more than talking about life change.

Prayer

God hep me to live out the life you gave for life for me to live.

November 18th: Slow Down

Posted by Jeremiah Hann

Scripture:

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  James 1:19

Observation:

Sometimes in life we do this completely wrong…We are quick to speak and slow to listen.  James tells us that this is the way we are supposed to listen and speak.

Application:

When I am quick to listen, I don’t get upset as easily, because I am able to understand situations.  Sometimes we get upset at people because they do something we don’t like, but we never stop to understand why.  If I am quick to listen and slow to speak, life will probably be less stressful.

Prayer:

Hey God, Please help me to take this challenge and be quick to listen and slow to speak.  I know that in order to do this, I need your help.  Please make me more like you.  In Jesus name, Amen.