God's Word for Today

Matthew 19:26

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

A Child's Prayer Time

Praising Him

I have been impressed recently by the fact that we should praise God often! Praising God is part of worshipping Him. I have heard it said that our work in Heaven will be worshipping God, and we should be doing that now, too! There is so much to praise Him for! Of course I can't touch on them all, but here are some things to think about:

We should praise Him simply for Who He is!
Deuteronomy 4:39 (NIV) Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

We should praise Him for His holiness:
Psalm 29:2 (NIV) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.

We should praise Him for providing for our salvation:
Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His glory.

We should praise Him for His dependability -- His faithfulness:
Psalm 40:10 (NIV) I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and Your truth from the great assembly.

We should praise Him for providing for our everyday material needs -- not always our wants, but our needs:
Luke 12:27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!

I hope you will join with me in trying to remember to praise God every day, for both eternal and temporal benefits!

God's Word for Today

Colossians 3:1-3

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Staying Faithful to God's Word

My hometown of St. Louis is the world headquarters of Joyce Meyer Ministries and her ministry's theme is "There is Life in the Word" and I couldn't agree more. God's word is the bread of life that feeds our souls and sustains our spiritual lives. When we are struggling in our faith, it is very tempting to stop reading the Bible on a consistent basis. After all, we don't feel we are getting anything out of it. We just don't feel like opening it. But a lesson most of us learned as children, and still learn as adults, is that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to or feel like doing. However, if we don't do certain things, there are consequences. If we don't keep up with homework or study for tests, we might fail a course. If we don't pay our taxes, the IRS will find us and make us pay or charge us criminally. If we don't nurture a relationship, the relationship might die. There are consequences to not reading the Bible regularly, too; we just don't always readily see them. But they are there. When we are having dry times in our faith, it is crucial that we read the Bible every day, even and actually - especially when we do not feel like it. Otherwise, we drift farther from the Word and it drifts farther from our consciences, from our hearts and minds. Also, I can tell you from personal experience, that even when I thought I wasn't getting something out of Bible-reading, I was - the effects may not show themselves immediately. But every time we read a verse from the Scriptures, it is pushed a little deeper into our hearts and minds. Satan would be delighted for us to stop reading the Word when we don't feel like it. It fits right into his plan. And God wants us to delight in His word. We need to pray to Him to help us crave it. 1 Peter 2:2 tells us "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" NKJV. We must read the Word every day. We will not grow close to God as long as we don't study His word, for He has provided this for our salvation and growth, and as a means for us to learn about His character, as well as for encouragement, and helping us to live the life He wants us to live. Paul told writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17- "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" NKJV. God wants us to have abundant life. He wants us to have a joyful life. Just as Jesus said in John 10:10-“I have come that they might have life, and more abundantly.” We will never have the abundant life or the joy that God wants for us, if we do not digest His word on a consistent basis. Get in the word of God and God's word will get into you.

Just Another Problem for the Pastor

This week we had a minor water leak caused by a water pipe busting...so I can relate to this pastor's delima.

God's Word for Today

2 Corinthians 13:14

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."