Daily Prayer_March 8, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 11:1-3 (NLT)
¹ The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.
² Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
³ Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 52:8-9 (NLT)
⁸ But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love.
⁹ I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Mark 14:18 (HCSB)
¹⁸ While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, "I assure you: One of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me!"

 My observation:

In today's meditation I was impressed to focus on Judas, who Jesus referred to at the gathering of the Last Supper in the above verse.

Here are some things we know about Judas:

He was a betrayer.

Luke 22:48 (HCSB)
⁴⁸ but Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

He was a thief.

John 12:6 (HCSB)
⁶ He didn't say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

Jesus knew that his life of evil would not change.

John 6:70 (HCSB)
⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, "Didn't I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!"

My prayer:

Psalm 52:2-3 (HCSB)
² Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery.
³ You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully. Selah

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that I will not be like the people that the Psalmist spoke of, and I pray that I will not be like Judas who Jesus chose to be one of the twelve disciples. Father God, I want to be like the Psalmist.

Psalm 52:8 (HCSB)
⁸ But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God's faithful love forever and ever.

 

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

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Daily Prayer_March 7, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 10:31-32 (HCSB)
³¹ The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
³² The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, [only] what is perverse.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 51:1-3 (HCSB)
¹ Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.
² Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
³ For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.

Psalm 51:10-13 (HCSB)
¹⁰ God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.
¹³ Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Luke 12:6-7 (HCSB)
⁶ Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight.
⁷ Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!

My observation:

Psalm 51 is my focus in today's meditation. David pours out his heart to God in recognition of the great sins he had committed.

All of us have the same need for repentance and forgiveness that David had. It is because of our DNA. The prophet said this also.

Jeremiah 17:9 (HCSB)
⁹ The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

After doing the wrong thing, David did the right thing. He confessed to God his transgressions, and God did what only He can do, he cleaned the heart of David, and restored him to useful kingdom service.

God will do for you what He did for David. However, it requires repentance from sins and a turning to God so that He can do for you what no other power can do.

Romans 7:24-25 (HCSB)
²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body?
²⁵ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so grateful for the grace of God, and that you are a God who graciously gives the repentant sinner a second chance. Father God, I am so glad that those you deliver, you are also able to keep.

Father, I thank you that you keep those who you deliver from the wages of sin, and that are the blood bought children through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jude 1:24-25 (HCSB)
²⁴ Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy,
²⁵ to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

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Daily Prayer_March 6, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 10:29-30 (NLT)
²⁹ The way of the LORD is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked.
³⁰ The godly will never be disturbed, but the wicked will be removed from the land.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 50:14-15 (NLT)
¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory."

The Word of God for encouragement:

Mark 13:37 (HCSB)
³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!"

My observation:

In the thirteen chapter of Mark there is not any portion that I can take out of context and comment on today and do it justice.

However, on the subject of the second coming of Christ the last word in the chapter gives us the proper response to the teaching of Jesus.

At all times we need to "Be alert".

Also, the poem of the Psalmist, Psalm 50, is a blessing to my heart. It reminds us of the importance of being thankful in all the seasons of our life.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray for the enabling power of the Holy Spirit so that I may be alert watching and praying as I look for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Surely, in these perilous times it could be any day.

Father God, I pray that when Jesus returns he will find me alert. Father, I pray that he would find me doing what I am doing now; reading the bible, praying, and applying the word of God to my life to bring it into agreement with the  will and purposes of God for my life.

Father, I am so thankful to be a child of God. I have no complaints about the storms my family is currently going through, because I know that Jesus is in control, and my faith is rooted firmly in the God of my salvation.

Father God, I know that in the fullness of time, and on time, you will speak to the storm and say, "Silence, be still". Father, today I am looking for a miracle of grace and mercy in the midst of the storm.

Mark 4:39 (HCSB)
³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Silence! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

 

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

.

 





 

Daily Prayer_March 5, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 10:27-28 (HCSB)
²⁷ The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.
²⁸ The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 49:12 (HCSB)
¹² But despite [his] assets, man will not last; he is like the animals that perish.

Psalm 49:14-15 (HCSB)
¹⁴ Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.
¹⁵ But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah

The Word of God for encouragement:

Mark 12:41-44 (HCSB)
⁴¹ Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums.
⁴² And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.
⁴³ Summoning His disciples, He said to them, "I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.
⁴⁴ For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on."

My observation:

The key thought from Psalm 49 griped my heart, and the selected verses above from that Psalm is my focus today.

In this Psalm the Psalmist tells how foolish it is to trust in riches, and he warns of where trusting in riches will take you. The Psalmist offers a better way; the way of wisdom over wealth.

Psalm 49:15 (HCSB)
¹⁵ But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah

Luke 16:22 (HCSB)
²² One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, my heart breaks for a generation of people who do not know God. Father, I also pray for those who know God, but do not know His power.

Father God, I pray that the Holy Spirit of God will open the eyes, and open the minds of those who have chosen the wealth of the world over the wisdom of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

.

 





 

Sunday Morning Reflections_March 4, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 10:26 (NLT)
²⁶ Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 48:9-10 (NLT)
⁹ O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.
¹⁰ As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Mark 12:25-27 (HCSB)
²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
²⁶ Now concerning the dead being raised—haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?
²⁷ He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived."

My observation:

Our focal passage is the response of Jesus to the hypothetical doctrinal question the Sadducees asked him about marriage in heaven. Jesus briefly touched on marriage in heaven, but that was not his focus. Jesus went to the heart of the matter.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and they only believed the Pentateuch. So Jesus answered them by quoting a verse from the scriptures that they believed in to teach them that there really is a resurrection of the dead.

Exodus 3:6 (HCSB)
⁶ Then He continued, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Jesus asked the Sadducees "Haven't your read in the book of Moses?" In the account that Jesus reference God told Moses that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was long after the death of these men. This is the clincher that seals the deal about the resurrection of the dead.

Mark 12:27 (HCSB)
²⁷ He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived."

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so glad that the grave is not the end of the story for those who have been redeemed by the precious blood on Your son, Jesus Christ, my Savior, and the Lord of my life.

Father, I thank you that there is life after the grave. I rest in the blessed assurance that when they lay me in the ground on earth that I will be fully alive in heaven, and that God will still be my God, He will be my God forever.

John 11:26 (HCSB)
²⁶ Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?"

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

.

 





 

Daily Prayer_March 2, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 10:23 (HCSB)
²³ As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a man of understanding.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The Word of God for encouragement:

Zechariah 9:9 (HCSB)
⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Mark 11:1-10 (HCSB)
¹ When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples
² and told them, "Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
³ If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.'"
⁴ So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it,
⁵ and some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the donkey?"
⁶ They answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go.
⁷ Then they brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it.
⁸ Many people spread their robes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.
⁹ Then those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting: Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!
¹⁰ The coming kingdom of our father David is blessed! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

My observation:

The event described in the passage from the gospel of Mark is the only time that Jesus allowed a public celebration in his honor. He did it to fulfill prophecy.

Jesus allowed this brief celebration and coronation, but He would allow nothing to keep Him from His appointment with death on the cross.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, the words of the Psalmist are words that are comforting to my soul this morning as I prepare to meet with the doctors in a few hours to get an updated status on my wife. Father, I thank you that You are always in control even when life's storms blow with hurricane force upon our weak and frail bodies. Father, I welcome your voice that speaks to me and says, "Be still, and know that I am God.

Abba, Father, You are my God; You are my refuge and strength, and an ever present help in trouble. Father God, I add my voice to the crowd on that day, and to the people of God of every age in singing the praises of Your Son, and my Savior.

Mark 11:9 (HCSB)
⁹ Then those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting: Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!

Psalm 103:1 (HCSB)
¹ My soul, praise Yahweh, and all that is within me, praise His holy name.

Psalm 103:3 (HCSB)
³ He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases.

 

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

.

 





 

Daily Prayer_March 1, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 10:22 (HCSB)
²² The LORD's blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 45:6-7 (HCSB)
⁶ Your throne, God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Mark 10:35-45 (HCSB)
³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Him and said, "Teacher, we want You to do something for us if we ask You."
³⁶ "What do you want Me to do for you?" He asked them.
³⁷ They answered Him, "Allow us to sit at Your right and at Your left in Your glory."
³⁸ But Jesus said to them, "You don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
³⁹ "We are able," they told Him. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.
⁴⁰ But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to give; instead, it is for those it has been prepared for."
⁴¹ When the [other] 10 [disciples] heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John.
⁴² Jesus called them over and said to them, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them.
⁴³ But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all.
⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many."

My observation:

 Today's focal passage is about "Suffering and Service". That is the message of Jesus to James and John, and to the other 10 disciples.

James and John wanted to get something from Jesus. However, the other 10 disciples were no different. They were made of the same material as the two who spoke up. I wonder what happened to Peter's tongue on that occasion. This time he was among the 10 who were indignant with James and John.

It is not what we get that should be of utmost importance to Christ followers; the most important thing is how much can I give.

The servant is not greater than the Master. Jesus had to experience the cup, the baptism, and the cross, and so must his followers experience their lot of suffering. However, thank God that there was a crown for Him, and there is a crown for His faithful servants.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful for the blessings of being a Christ follower. Father, I thank you for the joy of serving the Lord in spite of the suffering and the pain we sometime face. Father, the hope of the crown makes it all worthwhile.

Note:

Pray for my wife. I was with her at the hospital emergency room for 10 hours yesterday. She is a 24 year over comer of three incidents of cancer. She was kept overnight for treatment; no return of cancer indicated.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Mark 4:20 (ESV)
²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

.