Daily Devotional – October 31

Being an avid ‘blogger I frequent many–have even developed relationships with some wonderful people such as Helen, Carol, CH, Smorg, Dave, Rattrap, and many others. My blog travels take me around the nation and around the world–but the thing I find most common to most of them (exception those individuals referenced above) is an underlying seething cauldron of anger, resentment, worry, impotence, and hopelessness.

“Peace” is commonly mentioned, but rarely are these people looking for it in the right place.

I dedicate this re-posting of a past post to those individuals lost in this sea of despair.

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MY PEACE

• Run through by spears and swords
• Dragged by horses
• Hanged
• Boiled alive
• Crucified
• Thrown from the heights
• Flayed to death
• Shot
• Stoned
• Tortured and beheaded

The fate suffered by the disciples of Jesus Christ, and yet…

JOHN 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We should never forget:

2Corinthians 12:9 (a) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee…

Look for peace in the only place it can be found.

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/2207885/view]

Daily Devotional – October 30

BODILY EXERCISE

1Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

While it does profit a little, we Christians should be more concerned about our spiritual strength than physical.  Every once in a while we need a good workout so here is today’s:

There is a great post here on WordPress that deserves your attention.  As a matter of fact, when I last chimed in there were over 100 comments.  JB, the blog’s writer is carrying on a lively discussion about whether there is a God or not.   His premise is that if God is good and can prevent suffering, then he is not good because suffering exists–or he doesn’t exist at all. 

There are hundreds of sites with similar assertions (whydoesGodhateamputees.com, etc.) but since this one is a WordPress, and because JB took the time to post and is responding to all comments, then you owe it to yourself to check it out!

JUMP IN!

Daily Devotional – October 27

JOY IN SERVICE

Around the world, in your own town.

Acts 20:24 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Daily Devotional – October 26

UNCERTAINTY

Though Werner Heisenberg was awarded a Nobel Prize for his elucidation of the “uncertainty principle” (in 1932), Albert Einstein never accepted the theory; its stipulation that the more carefully one measures the position of a given particle, the less certain its momentum becomes (and vice-versa).

“God,” Einstein often declared, “does not play dice with the universe.”

If the most intelligent man ever to live had faith in this certainty, why shouldn’t we?

Proverbs 3: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/2192235/view]

Daily Devotional – October 25

SHEPHERD’S PIE

A truly good church is like a shepherd’s pie.

If it is all about feeling, emotion, spiritual enhancement, existentialism–its sole constitution is mashed potatoes.

If it is all about learning, study, work, the attainment of knowledge–its sole constitution is beef.

Neither of these alone make a good shepherd’s pie, but together…

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

How’s your diet?

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/2192118/view]

Daily Devotional – October 24

YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

• Truth hurts.

• Follow not truth too near the heels, lest it dash out thy teeth. George Herbert

• A truth-teller finds the doors closed against him.

• A truth-telling woman has few friends.

• An old error is always more popular than a new truth.

• He must keep a sharp look-out who would speak the truth.

We find in Ephesians that the ultimate church must possess ultimate truth and be willing to teach it to its members (Please refer to previous post). But what does coming to the knowledge of truth give one? From the above quotes it looks like it gives one the ability to hurt or destroy; there are many people who attain great knowledge and use it to do great harm.

But as Christians we need to take that new found knowledge, the absolute unerring truth that only God can provide and…

1Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:

A true church will not only teach the truth, but also handle it.

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/2192529/view]

Daily Devotional – October 23

UNITY

My dear friend Helen (see previous post comments) was on the money when she indicated WHY we are to DO what we are supposed to do. That engaging in the “To Do” list would bring about UNITY.

So…

create a church that “perfects” the saints for the accomplishment of the ministry of Christ–a ministry that will make the body of Christ (the church) grow, Ephesians 4:12, so that we will be unified!
So…

What brings about UNITY?

Put on your thinking cap and find the key in the verses following Ephesians 4:12:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Find it?

[odeo= http://odeo.com/audio/2209667/view%5D

Note

Will continue on the Church and its purpose next week!

Daily Devotional – October 20

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Daily Devotional – October 18

TO DO LIST

1. Perfect the saints. Ephesians 4:12 (a) For the perfecting of the saints…

In every church I have ever been in the people are just perfect. As a matter of fact, every church out there is full of perfect people. Perfect saints.

Ok, now I’m awake.

The purpose of a church is to make its members (saints) perfect. Impossible task, right? And yet, the Apostle Paul succinctly states that the purpose of a church is to perfect the saints.

Oops, we left off a subcategory, we are supposed to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry. Ephesians 4:12 (b)…for the work of the ministry.

Why?

Well, we perfect the saints for the work of the ministry so that the body of Christ (the Church) will grow (spiritually and physically): Ephesians 4:12 (c)for the edifying (building) of the body of Christ.

2. Well, that’s it. Nothing more nothing less. That is the whole message.

Ever think that we may have strayed from that simple message and it may be the reason we aren’t growing spiritually or physically?

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/2192096/view]