MAXIMIZE EVERY MOMENT!

10-28-2016. . . .MAXIMIZE EVERY MOMENT!

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Gal 6:9-10 KJV) An opportunity denied is beyond our control, but an opportunity missed is completely our responsibility!  We must never become complacent and weary in our working to the degree that we end up squandering or completely missing our opportunities!  We must capitalize on our talent and creativity.  Be prepared and seize every opportunity!  Maximize every moment!  

PRAYER:  Lord thank you for every opportunity to do good!  May our works speak for us now and in the end!  Amen.

James 2:18. . . .But someone may well argue, "You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can't prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act." TLB

CHOICE OVER CHANCE!

10-27-2016. . . .CHOICE OVER CHANCE!

"Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time.   A man never knows when he is going to run into bad luck. He is like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare." (Eccl 9:11-12 TLB)  A man without God is one left to live life on a "take it as it comes" basis; absent of purpose and direction.  The fruit of his labor will be nothing and his destination will often be nowhere.  There is a better choice to be made and a better life to be lived!  It is a life directed by God.   It's Choice over Chance.

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for giving us a life of choice and not of chance.  You daily order our steps and our stops according to your own purpose.  Amen!

 Ps 37:23-24. . . . The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. 24 If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand. TLB

PRESENT AND PERSISTENT!

10-26-2016. . . .PRESENT AND PERSISTENT!

"For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom." (Ps 1:6 TLB)  Daily the Lord scrutinizes the plans and paths of His own, ensuring their successful completion.  No detail is left to chance.  His guiding hand is ever present and persistent to prevent deviation from His desired path.

PRAYER: Lord, thank you!  When we would go astray, the presence of your guiding and persistent hand is there to prevent our deviation.  Thank you again.  Amen!

Ps 139:7-10. . . .I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.  If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. TLB

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT!

10-25-2016. . . .MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT!

"Men and women don't live very long; like wildflowers, they spring up and blossom,  But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here.  God's love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, Making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said." (Ps 103:15-18 MSG)  No matter the number of years one may be blessed to live, when its all said and done our time here on earth is very brief.   Therefore, we must make every moment we live count!  The best way to accomplish this is to strive to do God's will and follow His ways.

PRAYER: Lord, may the life that we live be one of significance!  Help us to daily follow your word and your will.  Amen.

 Ps 103:17. . . . But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence him; his salvation is to children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant and remember to obey him! TLB

KEEP PRESSING!

10-21-2016. . . .KEEP PRESSING!

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going." (2 Cor 4:8-10 TLB)  With God, its never over until He says its over!  We always have what we need to recover and begin again.  Keep pressing!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for never abandoning us.  In you we have everything we need to keep pressing forward.  Amen.

Phil 3:13-14. . . . I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us. TLB

WALK IN THEM!

10-20-2016. . . .WALK IN THEM!

"The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take.   If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.  I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry."  (Ps 37:23-26 TLB)  Failures in life are inevitable and at times, unavoidable.  It is comforting to know however, that our failures are not fatal.  Instead of viewing them as an end, view them as opportunities for redirection.  New steps leading to guaranteed success have been laid out and are awaiting our decision to walk in them.

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for ordering our steps and for your faithfulness in watching over us and ensuring our success.  Help us to always have the right perspective about our failures and be willing to make the necessary decisions to adjust our direction.  Amen!

Ps 37:34-35. . . . Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing, and you will see the wicked destroyed. TLB

STILL STANDING!

10-18-2016. . . . STILL STANDING!

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor 15:58 KJV)  A group of friends went bowling one evening.  They each tried hard to make a strike but as it turned out, there would always be one pin left standing.  Although the pin was shaken and rocked from side to side from the force of the impact, it settled and remained standing. The enemy and even life in general, may at times attempt to bowl us over and strike us out.  Don't fall over.  Be the last pin standing.  We've got plenty to stand for!

PRAYER: Lord, when the storms of life are raging, continue to stand by us and strengthen us to continue standing with and by you.  Amen!

Ps 18:1-3. . . .I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.  I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.  KJV

WHO DOES THAT?

10-14-2016. . . .WHO DOES THAT?

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"Rom 3:23 KJV  Recently the question was raised, "If by default we're sinners, why do we still try to live a life without sin?"  The response: who does that?   Living life without sin was never the objective, but living a life free from the  penalty, power, and ultimately, the very presence of sin is a welcomed alternative made possible to us through Jesus Christ.  "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom 10:9 NKJV  Now, who does that?

PRAYER: Father, thank you for making the impossible possible for us.  You did for us what we would not and could not do for ourselves.  Thank you for salvation!  Thank you for Jesus!  Amen.

Rom 3:23-24. . . .Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal; 24 yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins. TLB

PERSPECTIVE ADJUSTMENT!

10-13-2016. . . .PERSPECTIVE ADJUSTMENT!

"Don't refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can."  (Prov 23:12 TLB)  No one is always right especially when it comes to our perspective of our self!  How we see ourself and how others view us could be (and usually is) totally different.   Consider constructive criticism from others as a "perspective adjustment"  designed to help us be and become our best self!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for placing people in our life that will tell us the truth about ourselves.  Help us to receive that truth and make the necessary adjustments in order that we may be and become our best self!

Prov 26:12. . . .There is one thing worse than a fool, and that is a man who is conceited. TLB

REMEMBER YOUR HERITAGE!

10-12-2016. . . . .REMEMBER YOUR HERITAGE!

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD (Isa 54:17 KJV)  The tricks and traps of our enemies will be many, but not one of them will succeed!  Let's not be guilty of having spiritual amnesia the next time we come under attack!  Remember your heritage!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for making us a part of your family and giving us a heritage of victory!  Amen!

2 Cor 2:14. . . .But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  NIV

SUCCESS PLANNED!

10-10-2016. . . .SUCCESS PLANNED!

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Prov 11:14KJV) Good advice and wise counsel are essential prerequisites for any successful endeavor.  Why travel an unsuccessful road others have already explored?   Failure avoided is success planned!  

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for providing us with good people who instruct us in the ways of success!  Help us to be humble enough to ask and receive from them!  Amen.

Josh 1:6-7. . . .

 

 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. NIV

HELP NOT HURT!

10-5-2016. . . .HELP NOT HURT!

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (James 1:19 NIV)  Words spoken without wisdom are like a surgeon's scalpel in the hand of the unskilled! That which was designed to help ends up hurting!  Be careful to speak words that help and not hurt.

PRAYER: Lord, may the words we speak always help and not hurt; heal and not hinder!  Amen!

James 1:19-20. . . .Dear brothers, don't ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry;  for anger doesn't make us good, as God demands that we must be. TLB

KNOWING AND KEEPING!

10-4-2016. . . .KNOWING AND KEEPING!

"The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him." (John 14:21 MSG)  Knowing God's word and keeping it equates to knowing Him better.  Not keeping His word means that one is really not serious about knowing Him and therefore, won't.  What one does proves who one knows; what one does not do proves the same.

PRAYER: Lord, help us to prove to the world that we know and love you by faithfully keeping your word.  We keep your word because we love you and want to know you better.  Help Us!  Amen.

Prov 7:1-3. . . . My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.   Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. KJV