Daily Bread_December 9, 2014

Title: The Blessings That Come from a Faith That Passes the Faith Test

Text:

James 1:2-3 (ESV)
² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Observation:

Have you had any trials and tribulations in your life?  Notice that the text says when you meet trials of various kinds; not if, but when.

Trials don't make sense unless there is a purpose for them. The text answers this by giving God's purpose for allowing trials of various kinds in the life of His children. The text says:

James 1:3 (ESV)
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

How we respond to trials determines our maturity. We know we are no longer babes in Christ when we pass the faith test by being able to experience joy as God delivers us through the trial.

Notice what the Apostle Paul said about suffering; the purpose, and the outcome.

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)
³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

We need to guard our attitude and grow our faith so that we might come to the point where we are able to trust in God in everything that happens to us. You can get through the loss of many things, but you cannot please God and get through your trials without faith in God.

Psalm 131:1-3 (ESV)
¹ O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. ² But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. ³ O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful that I can put my life; all of it, in the hands of my Maker, and my Redeemer. Father God, I ask that You would strengthen our faith so that we will be able to trust in You more. O the joy of trusting in God. In the mighty name of Jesus 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_December 8, 2014

Title: Where is God?

Text:

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (ESV)
As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

Observation:

Have you ever asked the question, "Where is God?" If so, you are not alone. However, there is another question that is more helpful to ask. That question is this, "Where Am I?" God loves you so much; He wants you to live in His home forever. This is how much He loves you.

John 3:16 (ESV)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The only thing keeping you from having a forever relationship with God is your unbelief. God has done all of the heavy lifting, and He is waiting to hear from you.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The hymn writer expressed it this way.

"Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling—
 Calling for you and for me;
Patiently Jesus is waiting and watching—
 Watching for you and for me!"

Here is a picture of how God will respond when you, by faith, accept His loving invitation to come home to your heavenly Father.

Luke 15:20-24 (ESV)
²⁰ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' ²² But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. ²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

There is nothing impossible when you agree to have a personal relationship with God. Just think of what you and God can do together.  

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I pray that any of my family or friends who are in a far country will arise and do as the young man did in Luke 15. Lord, your compassionate love is so amazing, and so is your grace which you freely give to all who come to you in faith. O that someone would come to you today. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

My Soul Sings:

Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling

https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1027

--

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_December 5, 2014

Title: Who Are the People You Should Avoid?

Text:

Proverbs 26:4-5 (ESV)
⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Observation:

In this chapter Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, has some advice on the type of people you should avoid; the first on the list is the fool.

He proceeds to give several reasons why you should avoid the fool; notice that the Amplified Version adds something to describe these people {self-confident} fool.

Here are some of the reasons to avoid the fool.

Proverbs 26:1 (ESV)
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 26:8 (ESV)
Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.

You can't change him by promotion; the verses above, or by correction or admonition as shown in the following verses.

Proverbs 26:3 (AMP)
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a [straight, slender] rod for the backs of [self-confident] fools.

Proverbs 26:4-5 (AMP)
⁴ Answer not a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. ⁵ Answer a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes and conceit.

No matter how much you correct the fool, he goes right back to believing what he always believed, and doing what he has always done.

Proverbs 26:11 (ESV)
Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Peter writing about false prophets and false teachers admonished God's people the same way that Solomon advised about the fool; avoid them.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV)
¹ But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 2:22 (ESV)
What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."

Finally, do the wise thing; listen to the admonition of Solomon by avoiding the fool, and keep your mouth shut in his presence.

Proverbs 23:9 (HCSB)
Don't speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words.

Prayer:

Father God, I pray that You will give Your people the gift of discernment so that they may be able to avoid the self-confident fool, the false prophets, and the false teachers.

Father God, I pray that we will each know God, know the word, and stay in close communion with You through prayer. Then, we will know the type of people to avoid, and when to speak. In the mighty name of Jesus 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_December 4, 2014

Title: Why You Are Not Responsible or Able to Fix Every Wrong

Text:

Luke 10:41-42 (HCSB)
⁴¹ The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her."

Observation:

It is easy for us to see problems; especially those in the lives of others. The truth is that problems are inescapable in this fallen world. One of my friends is fond of saying this is the world; not heaven. Jesus has told us that we would have problems in this world.

John 16:33 (HCSB)
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

Rather than focusing our limited time, talent and treasury on fixing problems; many that are out of our control, we should focus on our relationship with the Lord. He can do more with the problems than we can; so why not talk to Him about the problems. Notice in the above verse that Jesus offers us Himself, and He is the Prince of Peace.

Psalm 32:8 (HCSB)
I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.

There is nothing that we will ever face that is too big for God. He invites us to bring everything we are concerned about to Him in prayer; that's what Jesus did, and that is what we should do.

We must be careful in serving God that we keep the main thing the main thing.

Luke 10:40 (HCSB)
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand."

Notice again what Jesus said to Martha.

Luke 10:41-42 (HCSB)
⁴¹ The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her."

We must align our priorities to give attention to first things. O, how blessed we would be if we sat at the Lord's feet, and listened to His Word.

Luke 10:39 (HCSB)
She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet and was listening to what He said.

Prayer:

Father God, I am so thankful that I don't have to carry the problems of the world on my back. Father, I am so thankful that I can take everything to You in prayer. Father, I am learning the peace, comfort, and joy that I can have when I make it a priority in my life to spend time in the Word and in prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus 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_December 3, 2014

Title: Have You Experienced the Joy of Doing God's Will?

Text:

Hebrews 12:1-4 (HCSB)
¹ Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne. ³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary and lose heart. ⁴ In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Observation:

We need to remember that we are currently living in the world; this is not heaven. Jesus told His followers then, and He tells us today the reality of life in this present world.

John 16:33 (HCSB)
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

I read this quote from Tony Evans this morning:

"Peace doesn't mean you won't have problems. Peace means your problems won't have you".

We should never forget that this Christian race is a marathon, and not a sprint. Running a marathon requires endurance; we can make it to the finish line if we keep our eyes on Jesus. He knows the way, He shows us the way, and He has promised that He would go with us all the way.

We have the example of the Old Testament saints to encourage us.

Romans 15:4 (HCSB)
For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.

But, most of all, we have the example of Jesus to encourage us, to help us, to lead us, and to empower us to finish the race, and win the prize. Why not experience the joy of obeying the will of God; to be happy in Jesus; is to trust and obey. Finally, learn to view life through the lens of eternity. Whatever you going through remember it won't last forever.

Psalm 30:5 (HCSB)
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.

Prayer:

Father God, I ask that You give Your people the grace that we need to be the people of God that You want us to be. Lord, by Your mercy may we experience the joy of obedience. In the mighty name of Jesus 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_December 2, 2014

Title: Are You Living Up to Your Purpose?

Text:

1 Peter 4:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve—because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin— ² in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God's will.

Observation:

A few days ago I woke up singing this song.

"I will sing of my Redeemer,
 And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
 From the curse to set me free."

Then I read these challenging reflection questions from Oswald Chambers:

Reflection Questions: Do I use God to further my own interests or do I serve God to further His? Do I use the Bible to prove that I am right or to find out where I am wrong? Am I joyful to find out where I am wrong so I can be made right? 

This is what I want to deal with aggressively and do it today; not tomorrow, and I need to do it every day. The enemy of my soul is constantly on the attack seeking to devour me.

1 Peter 5:8 (HCSB)
Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

O, Jesus, I am so glad You made it possible for me to sing this refrain.

"Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
 With His blood He purchased me,
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
 Paid the debt, and made me free."

Prayer:

Father God, O the inexpressible joy of being able to sing, "I Am Redeemed". O, Father, sanctify Your people by Your mighty power.  Father, we long to be finished with sin. Father, we look up to You for the power to walk and talk in a manner that will glorify You.

Father, I thank You for making Your people free. Father, I want to live to do Your will. Lord, I am so thankful that my sin debt has been marked "Paid in Full". In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

My Song:

I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Source:

https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/305

--

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_December 1, 2014

Title: How Do You Protect Your Heart?

Text:

Ephesians 6:14 (ESV)
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Observation:

There is no need in our life that needs to go unmet. We have this promise from God's Word to His people.

Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

There are many of God's people today who are suffering from broken hearts and hurt feelings. There are many who are downhearted and discouraged.

Why do we need to have a means of protecting our heart? Our heart is the seat of our emotions, and a big target for the enemy of our soul. Our heart is at risk unless we have the protection of the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV)
⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ¹⁰ "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Isaiah 59:17 (ESV)
He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

Now the above passage causes me to take a long pause; this verse is speaking of what the Lord did in response to the evil he saw in man.

Notice the context of this verse:

Isaiah 59:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵ Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

Now if nothing else will motivate you of the necessity of putting on the breastplate of righteousness, surely this one will. If the Lord put on righteousness as a breastplate, surely we need to do the same.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Prayer:

Father God, I pray for a mighty working of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit of God to convince us of our need for righteousness. Father, help us to dress right and walk right so that we will be pleasing in Your eyes. Father, make us to want what we need. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

"Righteousness, righteousness is what I long for. Righteousness, is what I need. Righteousness, that's what you want, that's what you want, that's what you want for me." Michael Stampley

--

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/