Daily Prayer_November 8, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 27:11 (HCSB)
¹¹ Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy, so that I can answer anyone who taunts me.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 107:2 (HCSB)
² Let the redeemed of the LORD proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 9:23-28 (HCSB)
²³ Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these [sacrifices], but the heavenly things themselves [to be purified] with better sacrifices than these.
²⁴ For the Messiah did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that He might now appear in the presence of God for us.
²⁵ He did not do this to offer Himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.
²⁶ Otherwise, He would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
²⁷ And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—
²⁸ so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

My observation:

In today's focal passage I observed this big idea: the sacrifice of Jesus is a superior sacrifice. Our Messiah, Jesus, in his office as High Priest, only had to die once. O, I am so glad that Jesus paid the sin debt for all who have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

This is the condition of every person who has only been born once. The whole world stands guilty before God.

Romans 3:10 (HCSB)
¹⁰ as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:23 (HCSB)
²³ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

However, God has provided a way out of this condition.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (HCSB)
⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,
⁵ made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)
⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift—
⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast.

If you have received God's wonderful gift of salvation; if you have been born twice, then you will only have to die once. Jesus died once so that we wouldn't have to die twice.

O, how my heart is watching and waiting for his second appearance. O, what a glorious day that will be. Think about this. Are you ready if he would come today?

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank you for being a God who loves us supremely, and that you have the whole world on your heart.

2 Peter 3:9 (HCSB)
⁹ The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

Father, I thank you that you are a patient and loving Father, and that you are waiting for your wayward children to come home. Father, I pray that blinded eyes would be open; that unbelievers might see Jesus, and receive the gift of eternal life. In Jesus name, Amen.

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.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (HCSB)
¹¹ so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it ⌊to do⌋."

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Daily Prayer_November 7, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 27:10 (HCSB)
¹⁰ Don't abandon your friend or your father's friend, and don't go to your brother's house in your time of calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 106:43-45 (HCSB)
⁴³ He rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their sin.
⁴⁴ When He heard their cry, He took note of their distress,
⁴⁵ remembered His covenant with them, and relented according to the riches of His faithful love.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 8:7 (HCSB)
⁷ For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one.

Hebrews 8:10 (HCSB)
¹⁰ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

My observation:

I like new things. However, there is a condition, the new must be better than the old. In Hebrews chapter 8 the writer cites the new covenant that God made with his people. This is the kind of new that I welcome and embrace; this new covenant was superior to the old covenant.

The old covenant was faulty because God's people could not keep it. Their works were never sufficient as a condition for life. So God gave them a new covenant where he would provide a Savior who would do the work to satisfy the conditions for life. Under this new covenant works are only required as the fruit that gives evidence of new life.

Under the new covenant God puts his word in our heart, and he, by his Spirit works in us to transform our character. The result of God's work in us produces works through us that demonstrate that we have received the gift of new life.

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 (HCSB)
¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone.
³ It is clear that you are Christ's letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (HCSB)
¹⁸ We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I praise you for the new covenant that provided a better way to know you, and to be known by you.

Father, I thank you for the work that you do in the hearts of your children to make us acceptable in your eyes, and fit to live in your presence forever.

Father, with my whole heart, I want to cherish your word; I will hide it in my heart so that it will work in me to transform me. Father, I surrender myself to you, make me holy like you are holy. In Jesus name, Amen.

Leviticus 20:7-8 (HCSB)
⁷ Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am Yahweh your God.
⁸ Keep My statutes and do them; I am Yahweh who sets you apart.

--

1 Peter 5:7 (HCSB)
⁷ casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Daily Prayer_November 6, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 27:9 (HCSB)
⁹ Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 106:12-13 (HCSB)
¹² Then they believed His promises and sang His praise.
¹³ They soon forgot His works and would not wait for His counsel.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 7:18-19 (HCSB)
¹⁸ So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable
¹⁹ (for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
Hebrews 7:23-25 (HCSB)
²³ Now many have become [Levitical] priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office.
²⁴ But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently.
²⁵ Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

My observation:

The writer continues to remind the readers of this letter of the supremacy of Jesus. Jesus did what the Levitical priests could never do because they died. Unlike them, he died, but the grave could not hold him; on the third day he arose from the grave, and he lives forever.

Therefore, because he lives, Jesus is able to provide an eternal salvation. Because he is High Priest forever, he can provide a perfect salvation that will last forever.

We can also rest in the assurance that because he lives forever, Jesus is able to make intercession for his children forever. This provides us with the freedom and power to live a life of growing maturity in Christ.

Romans 8:34 (HCSB)
³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful to you for the supremacy of Jesus. Father, I thank you that in him and through him we can have the assurance of eternal life. Father, and not only that, but that he lives to make intercession for the children of God to his Father, who is also our Father and our God.

O, the blessing and the peace of knowing that whatever happens in the life of the child of God, that it is going to work out for God's glory and our good. Father, I thank you for being forever good, and forever faithful. Father, help me to be forever grateful. In Jesus name, Amen.

Romans 8:28 (HCSB)
²⁸ We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (HCSB)
¹⁸ Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

--

1 Peter 5:7 (HCSB)
⁷ casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Daily Prayer_November 5, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 27:5 (HCSB)
⁵ Better an open reprimand than concealed love.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 106:1 (HCSB)
¹ Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 6:9-12 (HCSB)
⁹ Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation.
¹⁰ For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them.
¹¹ Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope,
¹² so that you won't become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

My observation:

One of the things that keeps hope alive in my life regardless of the circumstances I encounter is the hope that fills my heart, and it is this, "God is not unjust, and he is not forgetful". Friends will forget you, and fail you, but God will never do either.

If you are a child of God, you have the iron clad promise that what God says in his word he will do. God is trustworthy; a promise made is a promise kept.

Yes, life is hard, but God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. I know one who will agree, and he is David.

Psalm 37:25 (HCSB)
²⁵ I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.

Love for God and his children, hope in the promises of God, faith in God and the patience to wait on God will get you safely to the finish line. The word for today is perseverance; never give in, and never give up. God is faithful to the end; he is God on the mountain, and God in the valley.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so grateful to you that the circumstances of life do not determine my destiny.

Father God, I am so blessed to know that I am in the hands of my Maker and my Keeper. Father, there is no place I would rather be than in the hands of my Lord and my God. In Jesus name, Amen.

--

1 Peter 5:7 (HCSB)
⁷ casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Daily Prayer_November 4, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 27:2 (HCSB)
² Let another praise you, and not your own mouth— a stranger, and not your own lips.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 105:7 (HCSB)
⁷ He is the LORD our God; His judgments [govern] the whole earth.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 5:11-14 (HCSB)
¹¹ We have a great deal to say about this, and it's difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand.
¹² Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God's revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.
¹³ Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.
¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

My observation:

The writer interrupts the discussion of Jesus as High Priest to admonish the readers of their immaturity. Notice what he says to them.

Hebrews 5:11 (AMP)
¹¹ Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even slothful in achieving spiritual insight].

As you look around the state of the church in America, could this be our problem? Is there a lack of interest in the truth, and is there a hardening of the heart to the truth?

The goal of every believer should be spiritual maturity. You cannot achieve spiritual maturity if you stay on "baby food" all of your life. There is a time in your life that you should move from the milk of the word to the meat of the word.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that you would stir the hearts of your people, and awaken within us a burning desire to grow in the grace and the knowledge of all of the word of God. Father, may we not be lacking in effort, and the energy needed to grow spiritually. In Jesus name, Amen.

--

1 Peter 5:7 (HCSB)
⁷ casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Daily Prayer_November 2, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 26:28 (HCSB)
²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 105:4 (HCSB)
⁴ Search for the LORD and for His strength; seek His face always.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 4:14-16 (HCSB)
¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession.
¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.
¹⁶ Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

My observation:

There is no place I would rather start my day then in the throne room of God. The door to God's home is always open, and he always has time for his children. You can sit and have a little talk with Jesus, or you can stay for awhile, and have a big talk with Jesus. Often, I need to have a big talk with Jesus. I love it that he is never too busy.

The key verse that grips my heart today is this one.

Hebrews 4:16 (HCSB)
¹⁶ Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

This is a wonderful promise for believers. It is welcoming to know that when we come to the throne of God; we come to a throne of grace.

Jesus is a great High Priest; he knows and understands our plea and our plight. In the throne room of God you will find one who sympathizes and empathizes with your need and your pain.

Hebrews 4:15 (HCSB)
¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.

When we are tempted; He understands because he was tempted. When you are tempted you can come to him for mercy and grace. When you sin, you can come to him for forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (HCSB)
⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so grateful for the privilege of being a child of God, and for the open door that I have to your throne of grace.

Father, I pray that when I am tempted, I will run to you for help in my time of need, and find the mercy and grace I need. Father, I pray that when tempted I will take the way out that you always provide.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (HCSB)
¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for being my advocate and my friend. Father, I thank you for being my God, and my dear Father. In Jesus name, Amen.

--

1 Peter 5:7 (HCSB)
⁷ casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Daily Prayer_November 1, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 26:27 (HCSB)
²⁷ The one who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone— it will come back on him.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 104:33-34 (HCSB)
³³ I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.
³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to Him; I will rejoice in the LORD.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Hebrews 3:7-15 (HCSB)
⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice,
⁸ do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,
⁹ where your fathers tested Me, tried [Me], and saw My works
¹⁰ for 40 years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, "They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways."
¹¹ So I swore in My anger, "They will not enter My rest."
¹² Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.
¹³ But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.
¹⁴ For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.
¹⁵ As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

My observation:

The writer of Hebrews cites the failure of their forefathers to obey God. As a result of their rebellion they spent forty years of wandering in the wilderness. There is always a consequence for willful disobedience of God.

The bible says this about what God's standard is for his believing people:

Hebrews 11:6 (HCSB)
⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

The faith that saves is the faith that keeps; it is the faith that listens to and hears the word of God, and it is the faith that obeys the word of God. It pays to examine your faith; does it meet the standard set by God in his word?

Hebrews 3:13-14 (HCSB)
¹³ But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.
¹⁴ For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.

These two verses should shine a bright light into our hearts. What is the condition of our heart? Has it been hardened by sin's deception? Those who have truly experienced saving faith will hold firmly unto the end.

If you are truly a believer, but have strayed from the will of God, and the ways of God, my prayer and plea to you is to come home to the Father; he is lovingly and patiently waiting for you to come home.

James 5:20 (HCSB)
²⁰ let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Are you a companion of the Messiah? If so, obey Him. If you are not, receive him by having faith in Jesus.

John 10:27-29 (HCSB)
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.
²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, my heart bows in gratitude as I think about the vastness of the love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God.

Father God, I thank you for the gift of faith, and the wooing of the Holy Spirit of God that led me, and prompted me to have faith in God for my salvation.

Father, I am so grateful that the faith that I placed in you is the faith that came from you; so I know that is it genuine faith. Father, I know that it is the faith that will endure to the end. Father, from the bottom of my heart I say these words, "Thank you Lord". In Jesus name, Amen.

--

1 Peter 5:7 (HCSB)
⁷ casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/