Daily Bread_February 7, 2014

Title: A Loving and Compelling Invitation

Text:

Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV)
²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Observation:

This is an invitation that is too real to reject; as opposed to those that are too good to be true. When evaluating an invitation, you must consider the source. This invitation comes from the heart and lips of Jesus. Consider what the Word says about Jesus; why would you not trust in Him?

Hebrews 1:1-5 (ESV)
¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?

I don’t know about you, but as for me, I believe in Jesus; O for faith to trust Him more. Lord, I delight to accept your invitation.

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I delight to accept the invitation of Your darling son to come to Him. Father, I came to Him for salvation 64 years ago, and I delight to live in His presence as long as I have life and breathe. O, what a day it will be when I behold Him face to face when I transition to my heavenly home.

Father, I am walking in the footsteps of Jesus, trusting in Him with my whole heart, and offering this prayer to You in His name, Amen.

This is the hymn the Church was singing when I accepted the invitation to come to Jesus for salvation 64 years ago; I trusted in Him then, I trust in Him more today. I have been sometimes unfaithful, but He has always been faithful. The chorus touched me then; this verse touches me now.

“Thou the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me;
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heaven but Thee?”
Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/1054#ixzz2sYtaQoYA

--

Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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_February 6, 2014

Title: A Refuge and Strength to Live Life On Purpose

Text:

Psalm 46:1-2 (NASB)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Observation:

I adopted the verse that follows as my life’s verse about eighteen years ago. It has greatly helped me to live my life in accordance with God’s purpose. I have discovered that God is not hard to find if I seek Him.

Psalm 105:4 (NASB)
⁴ Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.

The reason why it is not hard to find God is because of this verse.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NASB)
⁹ "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

O, the benefits of being in the presence of the Lord; to seek Him bring us face to face with the Sovereign God, who is God all by Himself, which makes Him sufficient for all our needs. God is looking for you, are you looking for Him?

In the presence of God we find help in our times of trouble; we find the strength that we need, and we have no reason to fear failure or what man can do to us. Everything we need to fulfill our God ordained purpose for still being alive are available from the hands of our all loving and all powerful God.

Allow this promise to sink deep into your heart, and learn to stand on this promise when the strong winds of adversity blow. Don’t live life alone when You can live it with the Lord every moment of your life.

Psalm 46:2 (NASB)
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I choose to trust in You for everything, and to not worry about anything. Father, I am resting in Your strong hands, and in the comfort of Your tender heart, and praying with the aid of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Deuteronomy 33:27 (NASB)
²⁷ "The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, 'Destroy!'

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Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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_February 5, 2014

Title: Do You Have the Gift of Peace?

Text:

Psalm 29:11 (HCSB)
¹¹ The LORD gives His people strength; the LORD blesses His people with peace.

Psalm 13:5 (HCSB)
⁵ But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.

Observation:

It makes all the difference in the world for believers who have a high view of the God of their salvation. They believe in the Sovereignty of God. I believe that the size and character of your God matters.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (HCSB)
¹¹ Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.
¹² Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.

So, when the Lord promises to bless His people with peace, they have confidence that He is able and willing to fulfill what He promises. The Sovereign God wants you to have peace, and He is able to keep that promise.

John 14:27 (HCSB)
²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.

John 16:33 (HCSB)
³³ 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.”

How can we have access to that peace? Of first importance is a personal relationship with the Lord, and living our lives in His presence. Two of the elements that are essential to an intimate relationship on our part are trust and thanksgiving.

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.

Psalm 28:7 (HCSB)
⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song.

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

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so grateful for Your promise to give Your people peace. Father God, I am so glad that circumstances do not cancel Your promises because You are God on the mountain, and God in the valley.

Father God, O how I pray for faith to trust You more, and for a heart that will overflow with thanksgiving for being able to live in Your presence, and feast from Your table of blessings. In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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_February 4, 2014

Title: The God of the Bible - - He is Real and Faithful

Text:

Genesis 8:22 (HCSB)
²² As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

Observation:

Over 4,000 years ago is the dating of the above promise. This is a promise made, and a promise kept. I often hear people in the marketplace talk about the irrelevance of the Bible or speak in terms of it being a fairy tale.

However, I beg to differ with them, and would kindly invite them to take a closer look at the Bible for themselves. Try it, it won’t hurt you, and I believe it will help you. The sincere and serious seeker will find answers because of this promise.

Hebrews 4:12 (HCSB)
¹² For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

What a book, and what a God. I invite you to read it, and introduce it to your family and friends. You and they will discover more of the promises of God, and His faithfulness. The Word has the power to speak to you personally, powerfully, and profitably.

Psalm 34:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so grateful for the Word of God, and for the promises that You are faithful to keep. Father, I pray that Your Spirit will do His office work in the readers, hearers, and the doers of the Word.

Father, only eternity will reveal the benefits of Your Word for those who believe in You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

“I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tells of His love in the Book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see:
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.”

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/291#ixzz2sMEmPG99

--

Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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_February 3, 2014

Title: Who Has Your Ear?

Text:

John 10:27 (HCSB)
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.

Matthew 17:5 (HCSB)
⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him!

Observation:

The art of listening is so important in life. O what pain we endure because of our failure to listen. The text for today points us to the person that we all need to listen to. An examination of your own history will instruct you on the consequences of not listening, and the benefits and blessing of listening and obeying.

Hear and take heed to what the Word of God says:

Luke 10:16 (HCSB)
¹⁶ Whoever listens to you listens to Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

Proverbs 19:20 (HCSB)
²⁰ Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life.

Psalm 81:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Listen, My people, and I will admonish you. Israel, if you would only listen to Me!

Is there something that you are dealing with in your life right now that you need to seek God’s help and direction for your life? O, the benefit and blessing of listening to God. O, the peril of not listening.

Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB)
³ Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so grateful that You are a God who hears and answers the prayers of your people.

Father, this morning I have sensed Your presence in my life, and I have received help that I needed so desperately.

Father, I am not ashamed to tell any who will listen that my God hears and answers prayer; Father, you heard my plea this morning, and I am so thankful. I thank Jesus for making it possible for me to have access to Your throne room where I found grace to help in my time of need. Amen and Amen.

--

Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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_January 31, 2014

Title: The Blessing of Being A Friend of God

Text:

Exodus 33:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰ And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.
¹¹ Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Observation:

On Tuesday I wrote on the topic, “How Close Is Your Relationship with the Lord?”  I received a comment from a friend who was encouraged by the topic, and cited the passage listed above.

Moses was not a perfect man; he had feet of clay like you and me. However, God was not ashamed to call Moses His friend. Let’s look at this friendship.

Exodus 34:8-10 (ESV)
⁸ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
⁹ And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
¹⁰ And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

God spoke with Moses as a friend because Moses obeyed God. He will be with us today because, if He dwells in us, He remains with us. Where loves abides you will find obedience to God.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV)
¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸ and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful that You are a faithful God, and that You promise to remain with those You are pleased to call Your friends. I am so grateful for the cross at Calvary where Jesus made this relationship and friendship possible. In the precious name of Jesus, my friend, I pray, Amen.

“Jesus is all the world to me,
I want no better friend.
I trust Him now; I’ll trust Him when
Life’s fleeting days shall end.
Beautiful life with such a Friend;
Beautiful life that has no end!
Eternal life, eternal joy,
He’s my Friend.”

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/530#ixzz2ryWfj8Zj

--

Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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_January 30, 2014

Title: The Best Things in Life Are Beyond Our Acquired Fears

Text:

1 John 4:18 (ESV)
¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Observation:

There are some cases in which fear is our friend; it keeps us from danger. However, in the case of acquired fear, it most likely the cause of keeping us from growing and reaching our potential.

Life does not provide us with a map for the journey of achieving our potential. However, we can have a compass that will give us a vision. I heard a quote recently that said, “Vision gives purpose to pain”.

I have been thinking that I need to be more intentional about getting outside of my comfort zone. However, I need to do this in the context of drawing closer to God, and taking everything to Him in prayer.

Looking back over my life I find that when I move outside of my comfort zone at the leading of the Lord that I have found the greatest joy, and achieved the most. I have found that you only need to know the next step to take, and have the encouragement to take it.

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.”

Prayer:

Father God, I thank You for the encouragement you give to my heart that gives me the courage to take the first step toward overcoming my acquired fears. Father, I pray that you would use the word you have given me today to give courage to someone to take the next step toward fulfilling their potential, and to fulfillment in their life. I pray this prayer with faith in God who can do anything but fail. Amen and Amen.

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Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

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/