“God Heals.”

Monday, December 31.

“When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.” John 11:4

There is no illness under the sun that God can not heal.  The are many instances, in the Bible and in real life, where God’s healing power is manifested.  In John 11, Jesus’ two friends, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus about their brother’s Lazarus illness.  Jesus was in no hurry, because He is the God of time, and the God of good health.  It took Jesus two days to leave for the town of Bethany, which was near Jerusalem.  It was a town where people were plotting against Jesus.  But Jesus went there anyhow.  The rest of the narrative informs us that Jesus went into Bethany. He ordered dead Lazarus to rise from the dead. One attribute of God is that he never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is immutable.  What Jesus did yesterday, he is able to do today.  There is always healing in the name of Jesus.  All you have to do is just call upon his name with prayers, and He will meet you at the point of your needs.  In Matthew 9, Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter.  In Luke 7, Jesus also raised a widow’s son.  He give the power to you and myself to claim our healing.  All we have to do is just trust Him.  He is a God of time.  He is not slow concerning His promise to us.  He will do what He promised He will do.  In Isaiah, we learn that Jesus was wounded for our transgression. Jesus was bruised for our iniquity.  BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED! Isaiah 53:5.  Whatever illness we have, God’s delay is not God’s denial.  He will come true at the appointed time and heal us.

Memory verse: James 5:14

“The true nature of your mind does not harm, it heals.”  Ron W. Ratbun

 

“God Knows You Are There”

Thursday, December 27.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

The wisdom of a writing tells us that no act of kindness, no matter how small, goes unnoticed by God.  God is watching us all the time. As a matter of fact, God is present everywhere.  He is omnipresent.  This is one attribute of God that gives me comfort.  In any situation, the Bible assures me that God is there.  He is present during the morning.  He is present every time of the day.  Since the Scriptures remind us about God being present everywhere, it is obvious God sees everything we do.  When we visit the homeless, God sees us.  When we visit those that are sick or those in prison, God sees us.  When we give to the poor and needy, God knows about it.  When we lift our hearts in praise and thanksgiving, God come and dwell closer to us.  When we do all these good works, we show that we are truly servants.  There are others around us who see the way we live.  They see a light that radiates from the works we do.  They give praise to God for what we do. They glorify God.  This encourages others to join us.  They are encouraged to become followers of Christ.  This should be another way we can evangelize to them.  God is always happy when we live a good life.  He does not only see our work, he will reward us at the right time.  It is my prayer that we will live for God, work for God, and worship God always.

Memory verse: John 5:28

“There are two ways of spreading light: To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”  Edith Wharton

“Having a Positive Spirit,

Wednesday, December 25.

“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

In life, we will be surrounded with positive as well as negative circumstances. Depending on how one approach a circumstance in one’s life, there can be success and failure.  When we find ourselves in situations that are tough, we need to understand that such situation is temporal.  It will go away.  Often times we tend to blame others for situations in our lives.  We sometimes believed a particular person is to blame for our circumstances.  I want you to remember that when there is a situation in your life that is bad, do not blame anyone.  For an example, if you are at a job and you do not get promoted, do not blame it on your boss.  Probably that is not the place God wants you to be.  God has a great plan for you.  When the circumstances is right, you will be promoted by God.  Paul reminds young Timothy that God gives us the spirit of power and love and of self discipline.  We need to discipline the words that comes out of our mouth, we need to discipline ourselves in terms of work ethics, we need to discipline ourselves when it comes to our time.  God has empower us to take charge of our circumstances.  Any situation that poses challenge to us is a period of preparation for us.  God is preparing us for bigger things.  But we must be conscious of the fact that we have power to overcome any situation.

Memory verse: Hebrews 12:11

“By Constant Self-Discipline and Self-Control, You Can Develop Greatness of Character.” Greenville Kleiser  

 

“What God Remembers About Us”

Tuesday, December 24.

“He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).

Have you wondered what God really thinks about you?

Our greatest barrier to knowing God better may be how much we know about how much God knows about us. We struggle with God because we feel so bad about ourselves, and if we know the truth about ourselves, think of how much more God knows us!

We can’t fool him. Sometimes we don’t want to pray or read the Bible or think about God because when we look in the mirror, we feel like saying, “You’re a big disappointment” or “You ought to be a lot better by now.”

We’ve all felt that way from time to time, and I imagine that many people reading these words feel that way right now. It’s been a hard week, or a bad month, and now we’re near the end of what seems like a wasted year. Sam Storms captures the truth in one simple sentence:  I think we run from God rather than to him because we know our own hearts all too well and his barely at all.

I probably don’t need to spend any time convincing you that you are a sinner. You probably know the truth about yourself all too well. But it’s the other side that we need to talk about. We don’t know God’s heart very well.

That’s where Psalm 103 can help us tremendously. Perhaps no other chapter in the Bible so clearly reveals God’s compassion for his people. If you’re wondering what God thinks about you, take a journey through Psalm 103 and discover some liberating truths about God’s heart.  It is my prayers that God will lead you to his saving knowledge.

“There is no limit to where our brain can take us.  We are, if there be a God, God’s gracious creation.”

John Lydon

“Have a Good Reputation”

Monday, December 24.

“In view of this, I also do my best to maintain a blameless conscience both before God and before man. Acts 24:16

There is a common saying that, ‘a man lives for his reputation.’  A good reputation is important.  Everyone wants a good reputation.  A person’s reputation helps out in many facet of life.  The apostle Peter admonished Christian to ” live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong they may see your good deeds and glorify God.” (I Peter 2:12)  This will be a good reason why Christians should look to their reputation and keep it good, true, and honest.  This is important if God’s name should be glorify, to be walking example of the God, who we serve.  As Christians, our reputation should represent who we truly are, and not what people think about us.  A good reputation is based on true virtue.  Having true virtue is not an accident, it is automatic.  Philippians 2:7-8 tells us that Christ made himself of no reputation, but became obedient to death, even the death on the cross.  We should always do what is right even if someone is watching.  This is important because if no sees us, God is watching. Let us live a life that is worthy of our calling as Christians.

Memory verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:1

“A good reputation is more valuable than money.” Publilius Syrus, Life Back Quotes

https://firstchurchnewton.org/daily-devotions/1864/

“Prosperity Comes from God”

Friday, December 21.

“Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enable him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift from God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19

Every material possession we have comes from God.  It is God who provides for us.  The cars we ride, the house we sleep in, all comes from God. God loves us so much that He bless us with things we do not work for.   The hand of God bestows material wealth on His children because He wants them to be happy.  God does it without trouble.  He brings heavenly blessings to this temporal life on earth.  Ecclesiastes 5:19 reminds us that all these things God gives us are gifts.  The question here is, How do we use the gifts God gives us?  We should use those gifts to give back to God’s work, to the community and for ourselves.  Unfortunately, our inability to properly dispense the wealth God gives us results in many people being hungry in the midst of plenty.  Our inability to properly use the material wealth God blesses us with results in the work of God not being done.  One thing here is, if we misuse the money intended to do God’s work, we will be punished.  God requires us to use every dime given to us for the purpose of His work for the intended purpose.  If we do not please the Lord, the blessings God gave us will be taken away.  “To the man who please Him, God give wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner He give the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” Ecclesiastes 2:26  Let us be prudent today in the way we use the wealth God has given us.

Memory verse: Proverbs 3:5

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” Psalms 1:1

“What is the Purpose of Life?” 

Written by: Pastor Amos McCarthy.

Thursday, December 20.

“This world is fading away, along with everything it craves.  But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.” 1 John 2:17

 Many do not know that the lives that we have has been entrusted to us by God.  Our abilities, talents, children, and resources are given to us by God.  We are stewards of all that we have. Life is short.  The average time a person may live for would be little over 25,560 days.  So, it is important to stop and ask the question, what on earth am I here for?  What is the essence of life? What is the purpose of life?  The atheist, Bertrand Russell answers these questions by letting us know that life is meaningless if we do not take God without a proof.  If this is a true saying by an atheist, then one would also accept the fact that the answer to the purpose of life must begin with God.  God made everything for His own purpose.  God reminds us that we were made by Him.  We were in His plan before we were born.  Everyone is on earth for the sole purpose of knowing God.  Love God with all your heart.  According to the Tuesday, August 1 Edition of The Wichita Eagle, co-pastor Chad Gilstrap accredits success in managing all the busy schedule of his work week to God.  Pastor Gilstrap says, “God is good…” In all the toil on earth, one can only find the purpose of life meaningful, if one starts with God.  Proverbs 11:28 says, “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the godly flourish like leaves in Spring.” Put God first in your life, and it will have purpose that is meaningful.

Memory Verse Colossians 1:16

The purpose of life is to know, love, and serve God on earth…

John Wesley

“Grace has Power”

Wednesday, December 19

“How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:2 RSV

Most people would take a twenty dollars bill, if it was offer free by a good person.  It is difficult to refused money or material gift, if it is offer.  One thing, I have come to realize in my over 16 years in ministry, few are those who accept the free gift of grace.  Jesus Christ offer a free gift.  The gift is salvation.  All a person has to do is to believe in their heart, and confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus Christ.  In Romans 6, Paul asks a very crucial question, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?”  How can we who have been made right not live righteous lives? How can we who have been love not love? How can we who have been bless not bless?  How can we, who have been given grace not live graciously?  My fellow Christians, grace teaches us not to live against God nor to the evil things the world wants us to do.  Instead, grace teaches us to live now, in a wise and right way and in way that shows we serve God!  Titus 2:11-12  God’s grace releases us from all selfishness.  Why do people return?  Let us put it this way.  Sin puts us in prison, behind bars.  It brings shame and disgrace.  Jesus comes and bail us out.  Not only bail us out but serve our time for us.  He has set us free.  We have to just enjoy that freedom and live for God.  There is no two way to enjoying our freedom and receiving eternal life.  Let us this morning remember that all of life is free gift from God.  Grace! Grace is that unmerited favor God bestows on us.  The call of grace is to live a gracious life.

Memory verse: Romans 6:17-18

“In God’s garden of grace, even a broken tree can bear fruit.” Rick Warren

“The Woes of the Tongue””

Friday, December 14.

“But the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison.” James 3:8

The scripture above presents something difficult for every believer.  The scripture tells us that it is difficult to tame the tongue.  If it is difficult to control the tongue, then it is difficult for us Christians to control the word we say to others.  This is true because many Christians will say words to other that are hurtful or offensive.  Husbands or wives will say hurtful words to each other out of mistake.  Siblings will say words to each other that put a wedge between them.  Words that are said to others bring confusion, division, fights, or other bad situations between people.  Wrong words can even put nations at war with each other.  How can we control our words so that we can be a blessings to others?  How can we control our words so that we be a blessings to the church and our fellow Christians? First, we must understand that controlling our tongue enable us to be good disciples of Christ.  It gives us the opportunity to speak life into others, comfort, edify, and exhort others.  This brings people together.  It is alarming when James tells us that no one can tame the tongue.  But James also provides answers.  The Bible provides answers.  We can lean on Jesus Christ to help us control our tongue.  We can ask the Holy Spirit to guide our every word when we speak.  We can be a born again believer and still say words that are wrong.  But we can ask the Holy Spirit for guidance to help edify our tongue.  The Holy Spirit will help us not to say things that are not of God.  Let us trust and ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us always in how we talk.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom at all times, when we utter words.  Let it be our prayers that God will give us wisdom that our words will be a blessings to others.

Memory verse: James 3:6

“The tongue is a small thing, but it is strong enough to break a heart.” Facebook.com/Iloveinspiration.

“What Shows You Are Backsliding”

Thursday, December 13, 2018

“For if, after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them then the beginning.”  2 Peter 2:20

Back sliding is a serious issue in our Christian lives.  When we back slide, we do things that transgress the laws of God.  We indulge in a practice that does not represent Christ.  It is when we sin against God and continue in that sin.  Peter is one person who knew what back sliding was.  Peter knew first hand the reality and danger of back sliding.  He knew that even the night he denied Jesus.

Back sliding is a gradual process which takes the Christian by surprise.  That is why we have to be careful.  When we become Christians, we leave the world and its sins behind us. We cannot entangle ourselves again  with the sins of the world. Pride in one sign of back sliding. Pride in our lives is a sign because it puts self above God.  The first step to coming to Jesus is humility. Pride takes away that humility, and cause us to go back into the world.

One other sign is wordiness.  Peter was ashamed to be seen with Jesus.  As Christians, we should be careful not to mingle with the world.  It is dangerous.  If we play with the fire of the world, we will get burned.  If we flirt with worldly things, we will be tainted. Let us keep close to Christ.  Let us pray that the Spirit will keep us from gossips, back biting, jesting, hatred, and all other vices that will hamper our Christian walk.

Memory verse: Mark 14:54

“Worldliness is whatever makes sin normal and righteousness strange.” Kevin Deyoung