Day 85, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

Follow the S.O.A.P method for bible journaling and you’re ready to go!

Todays’ Reading: Colossians 1:1-1:23

Theme: The Supremacy of Christ

SCRIPTURE: Colossians 1:15, 18,
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

OBSERVATION: The phrase in verse 15, “the firstborn over all creation does not mean Christ was a created being. Rather “firstborn” take the Old Testament meaning of “first in position,” “heir” or “supreme.” Christ is the heir and ruler of all creation as the eternal Son. In verse 18 Jesus Christ was the first to rise from the dead with a spiritual and immortal body. On his resurrection day Jesus became head of the church. The New Testament church began on the day of Jesus’ resurrection when the disciples received the Holy Spirit. The fact that Christ is the “firstborn from among the dead” implies there is a another resurrection for all those for whom Christ died.

The “First Born” as stated in both these passages teaches us that there is a blessing passed down as we are heirs to the throne of Christ. Jesus doesn’t take all the glory as the firstborn over all creation and over all the dead- but provides us a way to salvation and eternal glory as co-heirs with Christ.

APPLICATION: As Jesus has provided the way for my salvation and resurrection from the dead- I will participate in the eternal glory of God’s kingdom in the days to come. What an incredible promise to hold on to- that one day we will celebrate the victory of the cross and the work of Christ together with Him in eternity. Such a great perspective to be reminded of each day as this world we live in is only temporary. One day we will all be together with our saviour in Heaven.

PRAYER: I look forward to the day when I will be with you in glory, until that day help me to keep my focus on the tasks at hand and keep my perspective on you. Thank you for the victory over the enemy and the inheritance I have in You! Amen.

Dave

Reading #83
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Observation:   Human beings like to engage in war.  War is common and all too familiar to the human race.  Throughout all of history, we have killed each other; we have killed our own kind.  No other species on the planet kills its own kind, but we humans do.
And isn’t that just like God to address this in His Word……from a spiritual viewpoint….He teaches us how to prepare for the spiritual battle.  He tells us that the battle is not against flesh and blood but it is spiritual.  What a powerful instruction in the reading today!  Notice that the only offensive weapon is the sword, which is the Word of God.  All other pieces of the armour are defensive. The amour covers us from head to toe and yet if we look closely, there is nothing to cover our backs.  We are never to run away from the battle.  We are unprotected if we turn away from the fight.  We become vulnerable and leave ourselves open to be injured.

Application:  Everyone who ever wore such a suit of armour put on all the pieces of armour.  How foolish was person who didn’t protect his head, his shoulders, his arms, his hands, his legs, or his feet.  An individual had to put on the whole armour in order to go into battle.  Everybody knew this.  Noone had to persuade the soldiers of this basic fact.

These are the pieces of armour we must put on before going into battle:

Belt of Truth: Truth is the Word of God.  The belt is at the centre of our body and holds everything together.  So does the truth of God’s Word.  It is imperative that we seek truth in all relationships, truth about God and God’s love, truth about our spouse, our children, our parents, our grandparents, our neighbours and finally grasping the truth about ourselves.  We must live lives of truth and not to live a lie.  This is a gift from God.

Breastplate of Righteousness: “the state of being perfect; without sin”.  Then God calls us to live right in our relationships….to healthy relationships….to be in good relationship with all those around us and even ourselves….to be in right relationships and not wrong, sick and demeaning relationships. This is truly a gift from God that we all should desire and seek after.

Foot Protectors of Peace: We are not to be looking for a fight with ourselves, our family members or our co-workers.   We must try to work through the legitimate conflicts that are always found between people and nations and ethnic grounds.   We are to be peacemakers, to work hard for peace and towards peace in all relationships and with God.  This is truly a gift from God that we need.

Shield of Faith: To use the shield of faith effectively it is imperative that we trust that God is with us.  We must trust that God is in us, to trust that God will strengthen us for every situation that we are facing.   Even though we can’t see it however, we trust God’s future plan for our life on both sides of the grave.
Helmet of Salvation:   What a gift to know that we are saved.  There is nothing we can do to earn or merit our own salvation, but that salvation and eternal life are a gift from God.  We don’t have to worry about doing anything but coming to Jesus with a genuine confession of our sin.  Eternal life is a given and sure as long as we keep our eyes and hearts fixed on Jesus and do what His Word says.

Sword of the Spirit: This is the Word of God.  There is power in the Word of God.  The words of Jesus, the Apostle Paul and the Old Testament are not merely words printed on pages of a dusty book that we pull out when the preacher is coming or when we have an occasional Bible devotional.  God’s words are living words, intended to live in us and through us.  We learn them, memorize them, recite them in our thoughts and with our mouths, so that God’s words are constantly inside us.  What a resource!

Praying in the Spirit: There is not a piece of armour mentioned with this seventh quality but the quality is important.  Last but not least it is “praying in the Spirit”. Do you have a problem with prayer and a wandering mind?  Do you have a problem praying and staying focused?  So often we don’t know how to pray and the Word of God comes to our rescue yet again… “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans,” Romans 8:26.

Prayer: O Father, today we come into the stillness of Your presence to begin this day with You, so that out of this moment, we may take with us a quiet serenity and strength to last us all day long.  We have come to find wisdom and learn how to put on the whole armour of God, so we do not make any foolish mistakes.  We have come to find peace, so that nothing would worry or upset us all through today.  We have come to find love so that nothing would make us bitter, unforgiving or unkind.  We have come to find justice, so that we would always work for the poor and disadvantaged in the world.  We have come to begin this day with You, continue it with You, and end it with You, so that this would be a day which has nothing to regret.  Thank You for hearing our prayer, loving Father.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Judy

Day 81

Reading: Romans 8:1-8:39 - More than Conquerors

SCRIPTURE:

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

OBSERVATION:

The dictionary definition of Abba is “an intimate term for God as Father”.  It’s so comforting to know that as a child of Christ I am no longer at a distance and separated from my Heavenly Father that I can take comfort in know him intimately.  When reading this scripture and just focusing on the Lord I suddenly felt the burdens and weight of the daily struggles I face being lifted….I felt relief in knowing that I can call the One who created all things Abba.  There is no worry I have that is greater than God; absolutely none!  As I took a few moments to meditate on this scripture reading I was reminded of that and comforted by it.

APPLICATION:

Not only do I need to remind myself that God is my father daily - so I can ease my burdens, but more importantly I need to share that with others.  It is up to me to encourage others to be in an intimate relationship with the Lord and I need to do that by sharing stories about how I have been blessed because of my relationship with Christ.

PRAYER:

Father I pray that you constantly remind me that You are my Father, and that I have nothing to fear of this world.  I ask that when I feel disappointed or saddened because people of this world have failed me that I will seek you and be reminded of your endless love, grace, & compassion.  Thank you God for being my strength and my comforter.  Amen.

There is none like our Heavenly Father, so I hope you enjoy this song, Nina

Day 80

Today’s Reading – Acts 25-28:31

Scripture:

Acts 28:30-31

He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance

Observation:

We see the book of Acts ending on a triumphant note. Despite being under house arrest, Paul is ‘boldly and without hindrance’ preaching and teaching in Rome, the capital city of the Roman Empire. Although the situation is anything but perfect Paul uses it to preach the gospel to the center of the Roman Empire.

Application:

Throughout life we go through seasons, some are good and others are extremely tough. Through the good times we can find it easy to stay close to God and His desires. It is when things begin to fall apart that serving God becomes a true sacrifice. Paul is put under house arrest for 2 years in Rome. The story says he did not give up or throw in the towel with God but he used his situation to proclaim to people around him, who Jesus is.

I believe the church today needs to be like Paul, we need to see our obstacles as opportunities for God to be proclaimed. To often we think God has forsaken us and we give up on Him, when He may just want to use your situation to reach some unreachable people. Lets be the type of people who preach Christ allows!

Prayer:

Lord, help our faithfulness. We desire to proclaim your name in every season of our lives. Let us be like Paul proclaiming your truth always to everyone we meet. Father forgive for our selfishness, and help us to focus on your plan and not our comfort.

We love you and need you. Amen

Alex

Day 79 Reading – Acts 16:1 – 20:1-38

Scripture : Acts 20:22-24

“But now I must obey the Holy Spirit and go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit tells me that troubles and even jail wait for me. I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace”.

Observation :

Paul has come a long way from a persecutor of those who believed in Jesus to a man who doesn’t even care about his own life if only he could complete the task that the Lord Jesus had given him. He is well aware of the uncertainty of the future. He is well aware of the troubles and prison time awaiting him in Jerusalem because of the Holy Spirit’s warnings. And yet none of these seem to bother him or change his mind about going. Paul has clearly made his mind up about what he will do. No one is convincing him to stay where he was just to be ‘safe’. His mind is focused on what is the most important thing – to obey Jesus, to do exactly what he was called to do, to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.

Application :

So what about me? Am I aware that following Jesus involves troubles and hardships, too? Do I know what God’s calling on my life is? Am I making this (calling) the most important thing in my life? Have I made up my mind to obey Jesus? Am I going to let anything or anyone stop me from obeying Jesus?

Following Jesus is serious business. Paul’s story teaches us that it could even cost us our very lives. Jesus said, “Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life.  Those who give up their lives for Me will hold on to true life” (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33; John 12:25; Mark 8:35). Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “To me the only important thing about living is Christ, and dying would be profit for me”.

Paul, towards the end of his life, encourages us with these words, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Prayer :

Jesus, You are the author and finisher of my faith. And I believe that it is You who will complete the good work You have began in me. Help me, by Your Holy Spirit, to obey You and to accomplish the calling You have on my life. Jesus, You are more than enough and being with You for eternity is the greatest reward.

teresita

Here’s a song by Paul Baloche, “My Reward”

Day 78, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

Follow the S.O.A.P method for bible journaling and you’re ready to go!

Todays’ Reading: Acts 15

Theme: The Council at Jerusalem

SCRIPTURE:  11…We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

OBSERVATION: The crucial question at the Jerusalem council was whether circumcision and obedience to the law of Moses were required for salvation.  The delegates concluded that Gentiles were saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, who forgave them and made them a new creation.

Grace comes to a person when he or she repents and believes in Christ as Lord and Saviour.  This response to God’s grace enables him or her to receive power to become a child of God.

APPLICATION: These were very important questions to investigate in the early church, and we’re so thankful for the early church leaders that helped to articulate Grace through the help of the Holy Spirit.  Each one of us requires the benefits of Grace if we are to be saved today and I am so thankful that God’s grace has not only been provided for my salvation but for every other part of my life as well.  God’s grace covers all sin, and I am thankful to my early church brothers for handling this issue with care under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  Can you imagine what life would be like without Grace?

I was looking for a song about grace on youtube for your enjoyment.  There’s a bunch of really good songs that you can watch and listen to but I found one video that really stood out for me.  Before you mock me- and post comments, I just want to say God’s Grace is still available for all of us- don’t you agree?

Dave

Watch & Listen, What do you think?

Life Journal #76

Scripture: Acts 9:1-31

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Observation:  Saul is literally stopped in his tracks by an encounter with God. He sees a vision of the living Christ, and is struck blind, and for days he is unable to eat or drink. Saul encounters the presence of the living Christ, and Christ becomes his Lord, and his life is never the same again. Our lesson today has some important things to tell us about the experience of conversion. I’m going to focus on two of them. First–and this isn’t going to shock anyone here, but it’s always worth repeating–conversion is initiated by God. It is a gift of God. God approaches us, and we are saved. Or, as William Willimon writes, “Conversion, change of the radical kind worked in Saul is something Christ does, not something we do.” It is Christ who invites us into relationship with him.

The second thing this story shows us so well is that conversion is a transformation of life, a change in being. This is explicit in the story of Saul’s conversion. The story begins with Saul “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” It ends with his baptism into this same community of disciples. In the process, Saul is literally blinded, and when he sees again, he sees everything differently. Saul, the enemy of Ananias, has become his brother. Saul’s enemy has become his Lord. Saul encounters the living Christ, and his life is transformed. He is transformed from an expert on legalism to an expert on grace. He is transformed from a keeper of boundaries to a love beyond boundaries. He is transformed from a builder of walls between people to a love beyond walls.

Application:  1. Paul was the enemy of Christians. The conversion of Paul was the conversion of an utterly committed opponent of Christianity. This is the kind of person that no one expects to be converted. Paul has taken such a public stand that it would be totally humiliating to change his mind and support what he had been fighting against. It would be like Osama bin Laden getting converted and becoming a Christian missionary to Muslims in Saudi Arabia. Paul has gone from murderer to missionary! Isn’t God amazing! So what God wants us to see in this conversion is that the most unlikely people can be converted and are converted. God’s mercy and power are not limited to people who have been set up for Christianity by a good family or a church association or a clean moral track record. The chief of sinners was converted. And that means hope in evangelism and in our own faltering walk with the Lord.

2. God works in unexpected ways at unexpected times. The second thing to notice about Paul’s conversion is that it was sudden and unexpected. Verse 3: “Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him.” The whole thing came out of the blue. Paul never links his conversion to any previous work of God in his life. He did not see his conversion as the climax of a long process of God’s convicting him of sin or of frustrating him with his life or of scaring him with death or hell. All those things may have happened in an instant. But there was no long process. The conversion was sudden and utterly unexpected. This means that we should not be despairing for those who show no signs of being prepared for conversion. It is a mistake to think that prayers for others are only effective if they have immediate effect in some kind of openness or interest or spiritual sensitivity. Paul was not open and not interested and not spiritually sensitive. He was utterly closed and utterly convinced that Christianity was untrue and spiritually dead in trespasses and sins as he says in Ephesians 2:3. Paul was not “ripe for the picking” as we like to say. He was way beyond picking. He was hard and dry and shriveled up. What happened to Paul was sudden and utterly unexpected, and that means the same can happen for others. We should keep praying and keep speaking the truth in love to them.

3. The Reach of God. Paul’s conversion was for your sake. I want you to take this point very personally. God had you in view when he chose Paul and saved him by sovereign grace. 1 Timothy 1:15b-16 is very important here: “I am the worst of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the worst, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience (literally: the whole of his longsuffering) for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” If you believe in Jesus for eternal life – or if you may not yet believe in Him for eternal life – Paul’s conversion is for your sake. It is to make Christ’s immense “longsuffering” vivid for you. Paul’s pre-conversion life was a long, long trial to Jesus. “Why do you persecute me?” Jesus asked. “Your life of unbelief and rebellion is a persecution of ME!” Paul had been set apart for God since before he was born. So all his life was one long abuse of God, and one long rejection and mockery of Jesus who loved him. That is why Paul says his conversion is a brilliant demonstration of Jesus’ longsuffering. And that is what He offers you. It was for our sake that Jesus did it the way He did it.

Prayer:  Awesome and gracious, Father, You Who are the One that brings us to life and the Spirit that sustains us — forgive us for being less than we ought to be. God, I pray that You burden our hearts with those people who need a Damascus road experience with You. Guide us to become who we are to become, in Your service. Send us out to live lives of hope — to be nurturers of Your vision — and to serve as Your healers in this wounded world. We ask that You grant us wisdom — grant us courage — grant us Your peace. In the saving Name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Judy

Day 74 - Reading Acts 8:26-8:40 - “Sharing the Word”

Scripture:

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”  Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah.  Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”                Acts 8:29-30

Observation:

The first thing I notice from this specific reading was that Philip was not hesitant to act on what the Holy Spirit instructed.  Gods word is not something for us to selfishly keep to ourselves, it is of the utmost important that we share His word and who He is with others to offer understanding and instruction.  We can always trust Holy Spirit to open the doors and provide the opportunities but it is up to us as individuals to decide to take action and speak up.  We are not called to sit idlely by waiting on others to share the greatness of God; as His children it is our duty to glorify His name.

Application:

Not only should it be a priorty to speak of Gods greatness to others but we need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and stay in His word daily to become more and more like Him.  It should be not only be the words I speak that tell others about the Lord but my actions, and everything I do should be more and more aligned with His character.  The world should be able to see with their own eyes that there is something different about people who follow Christ & it should be something good that they see.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you that your love is neverchanging & you know that I’ll mess up time-and-time again and continue to offer your love and grace.  Lord, help me to be more like you and not only to be able to speak of your greatness but to be a true reflection of who you are in my daily walk.  Continue to transform me day-by-day as I seek you with all my heart.  Amen!

Blessings, Nina.

Day 73

Today’s Reading: Acts 6 – 8:8

Scripture: Acts 8:1-6

Observation:

At this point the first century Church has been consistently increasing in number. The Holy Spirit has been poured out and lives are being changed. As everything seems to be going in the right direction a great persecution comes and threatens everything. The Church in Jerusalem was just being build to a place where from a human perspective it could begin to grow outside of Jerusalem and accomplish the great commission. Saul steps on to the scene and seems to ruin everything, but God in his wisdom has a plan. Saul scatters the Church in fear and as they are sent running they begin to spread the message of Jesus all over. In Acts 8 verse 4 it is written that ‘those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.’ Mans plan would have taken years to build a structure and send out believers to accomplish the great commission. But God in a moment sends out a multitude to spread his news!

Application:

Sometimes we think God can only work as we see fit and if His plan doesn’t line up to ours, the plan is going to fail. We see trials and obstacles as dead ends. We don’t allow God to direct us and see Him work through the trial or obstacle. We see in Acts the people of faith scattered all across, not being overcome with the situation but overcoming the situation and spreading the good news. Many of us if we were in this situation would throw up our hands and exclaim ‘its over’. Not the first century Church they allow God to use this impossible situation and lives all over the Mediterranean are changed because of their willingness to persevere.

Its time for the 21^st century Church to be willing to be put in uncomfortable situations so that Gods name can be advanced. We are so busy worrying about our comfort that we miss Gods plan.

Prayer

God help us to be a people with perseverance. We desire to be used of you in whatever way you desire. Too many times we limit you to what we can see and understand. Your ways are better then ours. Forgive us for questioning your plan and how you accomplish your will. Help us to be willing and ready to spread your good news wherever and how you see fit. God you are amazing and serving you is our greatest pleasure! Amen.

Reading for Today: Acts 3-4

Day 70

Scripture: Acts ?4:12 Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.” (New Century Version)

Observation: Peter’s argument reached a climax. The resurrected Jesus had healed the crippled man physically. That same Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, can heal all people spiritually. Peter, being empowered with supernatural boldness by the Holy Spirit attributed the man’s healing to the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they crucified but whom God raised from the dead. At the time many people did not believe in the resurrection of the dead particularly the Sadducees. Such people were irritated and annoyed with the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead and will never accept the truth, in essence they’ve rejected Jesus as the Messiah! Peter and John prove to some of the religious leaders (i.e. Sadducees and the Pharisees) that their belief system is faulty and corrupt. They believe that the Messiah will come in power and will restore Jerusalem from the Roman government. There’s no other name above heaven and earth that can we be saved. Salvation does not come from being a descendant of Abraham or by following the Law of Moses. The Bible clearly tells us that salvation can only be found through faith in Christ Jesus!

Application: Jesus’ death on the cross reconciles all men and women to the Father when we put our trust in Him. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son. There’s nothing we can do to save our souls – only Jesus can! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, the only way to the Father is through Him. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. We need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God sent him to die in our place to take away our sins. We receive forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus’ death.

Prayer: Father God, thank you for sending your one and only Son Jesus to die for me that I may have eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

junn

Here’s one of the powerful song we do at church. Be blessed!