Daily Bread_March 11, 2014

Title: The Wonder of God’s Love for You

Text:

Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)
³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Observation:

The pace of change in the past 30 years has been astonishing. However, there are some things that don’t grow old or ancient with the passing of time. The invention of the airplane was 111 years ago. If Jesus tarry his return for another 100 years; can you envision what transportation will be like? Have you ever felt like the Psalmist?

Psalm 55:6 (KJV)
And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

In the midst of rapid change there is one thing that does not change, that is the blessed assurance that we find in our text for today. I may not have wings like a dove, but I have a God who loves me supremely.

God knows who you are, and yet He loves you with an everlasting love. He does not love you because you are lovely; He loves you because that is His nature. He loved you before you were lovely.

Romans 5:8 (KJV)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:8 (KJV)
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:16 (KJV)
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Notice that our text says that nothing can separate you from the love of God. If you are a child of God, then God’s has you covered by the precious blood of His Son.

Prayer:

Father God, Sovereign Lord, my dear Father, I am so thankful for the promises of God, and this assurance of Your amazing love is a blessed assurance that calms my fears, and assures me in the depths of my soul. Father, I am so glad that You belong to me, and that I belong to You. Amen.

Song:

George Beverly Shea - The Love of God is Greater Far ( 1983 ) - YouTube

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Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

 

Daily Bread_March 10, 2014

Title: How Do You Walk in A Dark World?

Text:

Isaiah 50:10 (ESV)
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Observation:

The world is a dark and dangerous place. However, you don’t have to walk in darkness. When you walk into a dark room you dispel the darkness by turning on the light.

The same principle applies to dispelling the spiritual darkness that exists in the world. However, the Bible says that to walk in darkness is a choice.

John 3:19 (ESV)
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

The Lord is calling all who are walking in darkness to come to the light. Jesus is the light of the world; He is the only one who can dispel spiritual darkness. O, you will never regret coming to the light; coming to Jesus.

“The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin;
The light of the world is Jesus;
Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in,
The light of the world is Jesus.

·         Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me;
Once I was blind, but now I can see;
The light of the world is Jesus.”

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1018#ixzz2vJiZJl2c

The invitation to “come to the light” is worth investigating. Notice what the first century Jews of Berea did. They listened and believed.

Acts 17:11 (ESV)
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so grateful that You sent Jesus into the world so that all who believe in Him don’t have to ever walk in darkness again. For this, I am so thankful. O, how amazing is the love of God for sinners like me. Amen.

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

 

Daily Bread_March 7, 2014

Title: What Would Jesus Say About You?

Text:

Luke 18:9-14 (ESV)
⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Observation:

This is what leaped off the page and into my heart as I read this passage. There is a lack of prayer and a lack of humility among God’s people today. O that we would examine ourselves, and see ourselves through the eyes of Jesus. What does Jesus see when He looks at me? Consider what Jesus saw when He looked at the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Luke 18:11 (ESV)
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Luke 18:13 (ESV)
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

This is what Jesus said when He looked into the hearts of the two men. The tax collector was justified, and the other was not. What would Jesus say about you?

Luke 18:14 (ESV)
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Prayer:

Father God, stir our hearts and change our minds until we abandon our arrogance, and embrace humility; may we all be more like Jesus; people of prayer and humility. In His name I pray, Amen.

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

 

Daily Bread_March 6, 2014

Title: The Only Remedy for the Sin Problem

Text:

1 John 1:5-10 (ESV)
⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Observation:

None of us is perfect; and God is the only one who knows our heart. We can never say I will, and I shall in our strength alone. The writer of our text makes our condition clear when he says this.

1 John 1:8 (ESV)
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

We can say I will and I shall; however, there is always, “But, God”. Without Him we are lost and undone; without hope in this world, and the world to come.

Psalm 101:2 (ESV)
I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;

David could make this declaration because of the greatness and the graciousness of His God. David was a man of faith, and a man of prayer. He trusted in the Lord with his whole heart.

Psalm 51:10-12 (ESV)
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

What David was able to be and do was by the power of God. David was not a perfect man. However, he was blameless in the eyes of God. What matters is what is in your heart. Jesus is the only one who can change and cleanse our sinful hearts.

Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Prayer:

Father God, I acknowledge my weakness; that I am prone to go astray when I take my focus off of You. Father, I thank You for the precious and royal blood of Jesus. In His name I walk, and in His name I pray, Amen.

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

 

Daily Bread_March 5, 2014

Title: The Profit in Waiting on God

Text:

Psalm 31:24 (ESV)
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

Observation:

God has a reason for the period in our lives while we are waiting on Him. It is often during the periods of waiting that we learn the most; what we receive while we wait is of more benefit than the thing that we are waiting for. Have you had that experience of the blessings received by waiting?

When we act on our own, we get what we can do. When we wait on God, we get what He can do. I have decided to wait on God; I like His plan better than my plans. If God can wait on me, then surely I can wait on Him.

Isaiah 30:18 (ESV)
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 64:4 (ESV)
From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.

Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It takes faith in God to wait on God. But, the waiting is so rewarding. While we are waiting, God is working. I will choose to wait on God.

Micah 7:7 (ESV)
But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Prayer:

Father, You are such a great and gracious God; even while we wait You bless us, and provide for all of our needs. Yes Lord, I will keep on praying, watching, waiting and hoping in You; continually giving thanks to the God of my salvation. Amen.

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

 

Daily Bread_March 4, 2014

Title: A Prescription for the Discouraged

Text:

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Observation:

How often do you hear this statement “It is what it is?” Well what is it, and who said it? How about this one, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it”. What has God said?

Let’s consider some of the things that God has said about discouragement. If you receive these truths, and apply them to your life, your feelings and your behavior will change.

Psalm 31:24 (ESV)
²⁴ Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Romans 15:13 (ESV)
¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)
⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Some people say, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it”.  The truth is, “God said it, and that settles it whether I believe it or not”. Why not go with God; believe and receive Him?

Be encouraged and be blessed is my prayer for you today, and every day. Allow the word of God, and the Spirit of God to change your heart; then you will see the sad heart become a joyful and peaceful heart.

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I pray that You would encourage the readers, hearers and doers of Your Word; the things it says about discouragement. Amen.  God loves you; be encouraged.

“Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you!
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you!

• God will take care of you,
  Through every day o’er all the way;
  He will take care of you;
  God will take care of you!”

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/694#ixzz2uoygWxhG

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

 

Daily Bread_March 3, 2014

Title: What Do You Do in Times of Trouble?

Text:

Psalm 59:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Observation:

All of us face trouble at some point in our life. The important thing is how we respond to what happens to us.

The way to overcome trouble in our life is the power of God who rules and reigns over our circumstances. The help that the Lord gives His people comes from above.

James 1:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

David was able to sing in the midst of his trouble because he looked to the Lord for help; not his on strength, or his own history of what was possible. Your view of God is important. Think about this; How great is your God?

Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV)
²⁷ Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?

Luke 1:37 (KJV)
³⁷ For with God nothing shall be impossible.

When you have faith like David had, you can sing in the midst of your trouble; you can rest in the everlasting arms, and  be supported and sustained by the mighty hands of the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so thankful that I have a God who lives above; yet, He at the same time lives in the hearts of His people. Father, I pray that in my time of trouble, I will have the faith to lean hard on You. In the name of Jesus, who is mighty to save us, and keep us we pray; and all of God’s people said, Amen.

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/