Day 52

Todays Reading – Luke 1:1-80

Scripture:

Luke 1:26-38

37 For nothing is impossible with God. 38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Observation:

Mary is confronted with an impossible situation. She is pledged to be married and the angel of the Lord is explaining to her how she will become pregnant. Mary never being with a man is confused how this will happen. The angel explains that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and she will be with child. Upon the angels explanation we see Mary’s faith. Her response is trust in God and believes that all things are possible with Him. She doesn’t hesitant or doubt she acts in faith and accepts what the Lord has planned for her. Mary’s faith is humbling she is abandoned to her will and follows Gods plan.

Application:

Mary is put in an extremely difficult position she is confronted with Gods plan for her life, with natural laws, the law of Moses and cultural expectations. Mary must choose her path. First she asks for an explanation on how this will be, upon the explanation, Mary is left to consider Gods plan and her reputation. Who would believe this is Gods baby, she will be rejected by her family, her husband to be and she may be stoned to death. In the text she seems to make the decision quickly, she seems to have faith that says ‘if it is Gods will He will provide a way’. Of course we see through the story that God does lead her through it and all the impossible things are made possible.

Reading the story of Mary can seem somewhat repetitive; after all it is read every Christmas. It seems even a little strange to read the ‘Christmas’ story in March. But I believe Mary is one of the strongest examples of faith in the Bible. She looks at Gods promise to her and what it would cost her and she quickly gives up all for His plan. I think we can learn a lot from the mother of Jesus. How many of us hear a plan from God but we are too worried about the situation or what other will think to step out in faith. Today lets pray for a faith like Mary and see what impossible things God makes possible!

Prayer

Father help us to have faith! Lord we are so worried about our reputation and what other will think that we are paralyzed. Help us to hear your voice and follow you with a reckless abandonment. God we long to be used by you! Increase of faith Jesus. AMEN

Alex

Day 51, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

Today’s Reading: John 1:1-35

Scripture:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Observation:

In this chapter we learn that John was sent by God as a witness to testify about the LIFE – and that life was the light of all mankind. John knew:

- he himself was not the light (he came only as the witness to the light)

- he was not the Messiah, Elijah nor the prophet

- he was the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord”

- that among them stands one they don’t know, the straps of whose sandals he’s not worthy to untie

- that the reason he came baptizing with water was so that JESUS might be revealed to Israel

- that JESUS is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”

- that JESUS is the Chosen One

- that JESUS is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit

John knew exactly who he was, who he was not and what he was sent to do. Through God’s revelation he recognized who Jesus was the moment he laid eyes on him and was quick to point people to HIM, that people started following Jesus right away.  John was a very good leader of his day and he accomplished that when he pointed people to JESUS.

Application:

People need to know who JESUS is. Wherever God places us, there will always be people around who need to know HIM.  Through our testimonies, our lives, our actions and our speech, people can be pointed to JESUS.  As His people, we need to be quick to point people to HIM so they can come to Him.

Prayer:

Father God, I believe in Jesus, your one and only Son, who came to earth and died for me that I may have everlasting life. Lord, I need You to help me live as a witness to Your goodness and love. Help me live my life pointing people to Jesus through Your Spirit who lives in me.

tet

Day 50, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

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

Todays’s Reading: Malachi 1-4

Theme: The Day of Judgement

SCRIPTURE: Malachi 3:8-10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?” “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse- the whole nation of you- because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty. “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

OBSERVATION: The people were robbing God by failing to bring him their tithes (one-tenth of their income). Tithing was required of the people in the law of Moses (Lev 27:30). God threatened to curse those who selfishly refused to give and to bless those who supported his work.

Today we are challenged to give in order to support the Lord’s work both at home and on the mission field across the globe.

APPLICATION: This scripture is a great reminder and challenge to every believer today to become good stewards of God’s resources. Sometimes we forget that everything, I mean EVERYTHING that we have in our possession comes from God. When we remember where the source of our blessings comes from (God, not us!) then we must follow God’s Tithing Principle.

Some months ago we challenged our community to engage in the Tithing Challenge, and it made a difference for those who participated. In my experience I have learned that you cannot take from God and expect blessing. “God Theft” is not what I want to engage in, I want to give my best sacrificial gift each week and watch God continue to bring blessings.

I challenge you to take on the Tithing Challenge, on your own, let us know how it goes, and watch God bless you like you’ve never experienced before!

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your word that challenges, and brings instruction to my understanding. Grant me wisdom and insight to continue to increase my tithe and offerings to advance the kingdom, Amen.

Dave

S:  Daniel 6:1-28

Daniel in the Den of Lions

 ^{1 [a]}It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, ² with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. ³ Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. ⁵ Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

 ⁶ So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! ⁷ The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. ⁸ Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” ⁹ So King Darius put the decree in writing.

 ¹⁰ Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ¹¹ Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. ¹² So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

   The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

 ¹³ Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” ¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

 ¹⁵ Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

 ¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

 ¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. ¹⁸ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

 ¹⁹ At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

 ²¹ Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! ²² My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

 ²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

 ²⁴ At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

 ²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

   “May you prosper greatly!

 ²⁶ “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

   “For he is the living God
   and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
   his dominion will never end.
²⁷ He rescues and he saves;
   he performs signs and wonders
   in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
   from the power of the lions.”

 ²⁸ So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus^[b] the Persian.

O: Daniel is a type of Christ: (a)  He is innocent and no fault is found in him.  This reminds us of the sinless Christ. (b)  The den was sealed with a stone to prevent any rescue.  This reminds us of the stone that sealed the entrance of Jesus’ tomb in a vain attempt to stop the resurrection. (c) Nevertheless, God rescued Daniel from certain death.  This reminds us of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

A:  (a) In changing times, God does not change. Therefore, we must not change in our devotion to God. We must remain constant.  (b) Our relationship with Jesus should be such a priority that we would risk all for it.  We must understand that there will come a time in our lives when we will need to take a stand for Jesus (c) We can entrust ourselves to God because He cares for us.

P:  Loving Father, what a wonderful example You gave us in the person of Daniel.  Give us an excellent spirit and when we are involved in business dealings may they be without fault as Daniel was.  Help us to be faithful to those over us and committed to prayer throughout our lives and always willing to obey God rather than man.  Give us the desire and passion to meet with you regularly each day.  In the mighty Name of Jesus Christ!  Amen!

Judy

Day 46 - Reading Isiah 51:1-53:12

S-cripture:

Listen to me, you who know right from wrong you who cherish my law in your hearts.  Do not be afraid of people’s scorn, nor fear their insults.  Isiah 51:7 (NLT)

O-bservation:

As a follower of Christ why do I ever fear man before fearing God?  This is sometimes a question that I ask myself when reflecting on some of the decisions I’ve made - trying to understand why I chose (or chose not) to do something.  Honestly, there have been many times when I struggled with sharing the word of God with others because of my own fear of being rejected or ridiculed, even though I know in my heart it is the right thing to do.  This verse serves as a reminder to me that there is no need to fear man since the Lord is the creator of everything and the only one I need to fear. I just have to remember that it’s my job to share the love of Christ with others & what they choose to do with it is completely up to them, and the Lord will be the judge in the end.

A-pplication:

In theory this is not hard to put into practice, as long as I’m willing to put God first and not worry about what other people might say or do.  First I need to listen to the Lord, so I can be strengthened by Him to say the right words to others.  My plan is to seek opportunities to just share my own experiences of how God has worked in my life and how amazing He truly is.  What I have to remember is that if there is any “backlash” that it’s not personal… if I’m feeling ridiculed or rejected that person is not against me… they are actually against Christ & He will deal with them accordingly!

P-rayer:

Father thank you for being patient with me as I struggle to vocalize your greatness to others.  I pray that You give me the words to speak so that I can bring honor and glory to Your name.  God provide opportunities for me to just share how wonderful you are so that I can make you proud. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!

Blessings to you,

Nina

Day 45

Reading Proverbs 16-18:24

Scripture: Proverbs 17:27, 18:2, 21-22

Observation:

The writer of proverbs is communicating that words matter and a person of wisdom understands that. He is not only saying that, he is giving us a picture. He is giving us a contrast of how wise people use their words and how a fool uses theirs. It is extremely interesting that truths written over 3000 years ago could be so true about our culture.

Application:

Words matter! Yes we all know this from a young age. What you say impacts people, what people say to you impact you as well. We may wish it was different but we see in these verses God has set it up this way(Pro.18:21). It is very interesting that although we know the impact of our words we are still very quick to insult someone or negatively respond to someone. King Solomon explains to us that we have the power of life and death in our tongues. If that is true and we believe that words matter, then it is time to ask the Holy Spirit to help us form new habits with our words. To often we respond to someone without thinking and we hurt them. It’s time to begin seeing our words as God has created them to be used, as a gift. God blessed us with the ability to help change others for better or worse. One kind word can change a persons day. You have life and death in your tongue the question today is will you speak life or death into the people you know today.

Prayer

Father forgive us for being so quick to use our words in hurtful and damaging ways. Help us to think about the words that are coming out of our mouths.  God we long to honor you with all we do and that starts with our words. We long to be the type of people that are known for speaking life into people.

Alex

Day 44 (Reading: Proverbs 1 – 4)

Theme – Godly Wisdom

Scripture: Proverbs 3:11-12 (New Century Version)

My child, do not reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t get angry when he corrects you. The Lord corrects those he loves, just as parents correct the child they delight in.

Observation:

These 2 verses reminded me of Hebrews 12:5-11 –

“My child, don’t think the Lord’s discipline is worth nothing, and don’t stop trying when he corrects you.  The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as his child.” — Proverbs 3:11–12

So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline. God is treating you as children. All children are disciplined by their fathers. If you are never disciplined (and every child must be disciplined), you are not true children. We have all had fathers here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from the Father of our spirits so we will have life. Our fathers on earth disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us to help us, so we can become holy as he is. We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.

Application:

Nothing we desire compares to Godly wisdom.  I believe that accepting God’s discipline is wisdom that also comes from Him. What love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called His sons and daughters!  And it is because of this love that He could not leave us to our ways and watch us destroy ourselves. Thus, He disciplines us to help us walk in godliness and live the right way.  It is right to accept God’s discipline and correction because our lives depend on it.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me with your love. Help me remember that when your discipline comes, You have a good plan for me and that You are making me the person You had in mind when You created me. Teach me Your ways, Lord, that I may walk with You.

tet

Day 43, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

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

Todays’s Reading: Psalm 103:1-103:22

Theme: Praise the Lord

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 103:12 “How far has the LORD taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!

OBSERVATION: This is an encouraging Psalm of Praise to our Lord. The Psalmist is pointing out how incredible God’s love is to his creation.

The words recorded in this Psalm remind us of the vast love God has for each of us- even though we do not deserve it-God removes all our sins. As far as the east is to the west that’s how far it is removed.

APPLICATION: This scripture is something that has been with me since a young age and now as I have children I pass this on to my children. My children now understand that when they do something wrong or disobey that not only do their parents forgive them but God’s wonderful love covers their sin as far as the east is from the west.

This is an incredible truth that I will never forget, and pray you pass on to further generations!

PRAYER: Thank you Lord, for your love. Thanks for all the blessings you continue to bestow upon me and my family. I pray that I will never take for granted the wonderful love that you have given me as you remove my failures as far as the east is to the west, Amen.

Dave

S: Psalm 23:1-6

A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside uiet waters,  ³ he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup verflows. ⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

O: There are many insights about God that we can take away from this Psalm. A few can be mentioned here.

• God desires to guide his people in his ways.
• God seeks to comfort his people when they are exhausted
• God provides security for his people in very difficult and dangerous times.
• God allows us to find security in him during these difficult times
• God graciously provides for our needs in abundance, not just enough to barely get by with
• God sees his relationship with us as one of an intimate friend, living together in his house, as part of his family.
• Even now, we dwell in the presence of God.

A: It is good to remember that God is one who can bring us great comfort in times of danger and great distress. He will reach out to us and He leads us to a place in our lives where we can find comfort and be once again restored to a place of hope and security. God does not do this out of a cold obligation to a covenant, but rather it is his very nature and desire to reach out and guide us and comfort us.

P:  Most precious Father, what a comfort knowing that You are our Shepherd….a Shepherd Who knows His sheep one by one, Who knows His sheep by name, Who is abundantly able to provide, Who guides and protects and at the close of the day desires and longs to be with us.  Thank You, for being intimate with us that we find everything we need in You.  You are more than enough.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

je

Reading: 1 Kings 16:29-19:18
Day 39 - “Elijah and the Prophets of Baal”

SCRIPTURES:
Then call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord.  1 Kings 18:24

OBSERVATION:
In this verse I see a strong and confident man of God in Elijah.  When reading the scripture I envision him standing boldly with his head held high and speaking with authority to the people.  He challenged them to either choose to follow God or choose to follow Baal and to stop wavering between the two.

The wording used in this verse is very intentional and spoke quite clearly to me.
Elijah said, “Then call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord”

The words “your god” and “the Lord” appear quite powerful to me.
To me, him saying your god has the connotation that it’s just the god they believed in; one that did not have authority or dominion over anything, a man-made god that was not real.  I also noticed that he did not say my god he said “the Lord” meaning the creator of all things, the reigning authority, the one & only true God Almighty.
Those few simple words could easily be overlooked - but Elijah implied so much by his word choice.

APPLICATION:
The words we speak are so important, that we must be extremely careful about what we say.  Words can be used to build an empire or to destroy one, and it’s important to choose our words wisely.  Elijah’s words in this passage reflected a man of great faith, who truly believed that God would provide exactly what he needed to carry out what the Lord commanded of him as a follower of Christ.  Elijah didn’t doubt or question Gods authority, and his bold choice of words in this one small sentence reflected that so strongly.

PRAYER:
God thank you for who You are and that you are never changing.  I’m thankful to know that as long as I put my faith in You Lord and do as You command that You will provide exactly what I need to see success against my enemies.  Father please give me the boldness that Elijah had in this moment so I can be confident when facing opposition.

Blessings,
Nina