Religion

Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the whole world on the cross

Only Jesus was perfect, and that’s why He could pay the price of our sins and take our punishment so that God could forgive us. Jesus fulfilled the Law and its requirement of death to the sinners. He died in our place so that we wouldn't have to die. He voluntarily gave Himself to be crucified—He loves us that much!

What caused Jesus the greatest agony on the cross was not our sins, because He knew that we were going to be forgiven and saved. What broke His heart was thinking that His Father had turned His back on Him. He went through an experience that, thank God, we will never have to go through—not just crucifixion, not just the agony of the body, but the agony of mind and spirit, feeling that God had actually deserted Him. “My God, My God,” He cried out, “why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Had God forsaken Him? Yes, momentarily, that He might die the death of a sinner, without God.

Jesus loved us enough to give His own life for us and take the punishment of our sins upon Himself on that cross, so that we could be forgiven and be saved (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Such love!

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1 Peter 2:24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1 John 4:10 - In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 5:8 - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, thank you for dying for me, and thank you that you took my punishment for me, and wiped my sins clean.

The best thing you can do for others is pray for them

God has His reasons for allowing problems in life, and one of the main reasons is to teach us to pray. He lets us come to the end of our rope, the end of our strength and what we think we can do to solve the problem at hand, so we will realize that He’s the One who has got to do it and pray for Him to work, by His power.

If there’s something we can do to help the situation and we ask Him what that is and how to go about it, He will show us and help us do it. But in the end, the thing that will help more than anything and without which all our labors are incomplete, is prayer—to pray for Him to do the work in the spirit.

He’s the only One who can change hearts and minds. He’s the only One who can bring people to the point where they’re willing to change or do whatever’s necessary to make progress or fix the problem. So the best thing we can do to help people who are having problems is to pray for them. We can’t do the miracle that’s needed, but the Lord can. Our prayers move His hand and make things happen in the spiritual realm that change things in our physical realm.

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Job 42:10 - And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Ephesians 6:18 - Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

1 Timothy 2:1 - First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us to support others in prayer, knowing that it’s not the least we can do for them, but the most.

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You have the Holy Spirit if you ask for it

How do you know if you have been filled with the Holy Spirit? That’s simple. Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If you … know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:10,13). Like salvation, you can’t earn it or deserve it or be worthy of it; it's a gift, received by faith.

Sometimes people receive the Holy Spirit but they don't get any particular evidence and they're disappointed because it wasn't manifested by some supernatural or physical experience right then and there. But it doesn't matter how you feel; when you've asked God for the Holy Spirit, you have it.

You know you have it because He promised it. It’s just like salvation. How do you know you got saved when you received Jesus as your Savior?—Not because of whatever you may have felt or experienced at the time, but because of what He said about it in His Word. Your faith is built on fact—God’s Word—not on feelings.

Pray and ask Jesus to fill you with His Holy Spirit and He will. He’s promised to.

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Luke 11:10-13 - For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for(a) a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us to receive your Holy Spirit, who will fill our lives with your spirit and the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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Start your day off right

You ought to try a little prayer time every day, early in the morning before beginning your day’s work, asking Jesus to help you. When you first wake up, before you do anything, talk to Jesus. Get your orders from Him for the day, and you’ll be amazed at how He’ll solve or prevent a lot of your problems before the day even starts, simply by listening to what He has to say.

But if you go plunging into all your problems and troubles and your day’s work without stopping to talk to Jesus and get your directions from Him, you’ll be like a musician who decided to have his concert first, and then tune his instrument. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and first of all get in harmony with Him.

Don’t ever think that it’s too hard to pray or that you don’t have time to pray. The busier your day, the more reason you have to pray and the longer you ought to pray. If you’ll spend a little more time praying, you will find that you’ll spend a lot less time working to get things done later. If your day is hemmed with prayer, it is less likely to unravel. It’s that simple!

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Psalm 5:3 - O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Mark 1:35 - And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Psalm 90:14 - Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, please help me not to forget this important truth, and make it a habit to take time with you before beginning my day, knowing that if I put you first, things will turn out better.

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Jesus has all the help you need to overcome your natural weaknesses

Everyone has weaknesses, and everyone makes mistakes. That’s just part of life. We shouldn’t resign ourselves to failure, though, and we shouldn’t keep making the same mistakes; we should try to do better. The best thing to do with faults and failures and mistakes and weak areas is to recognize them, be honest about them, and then try to overcome them if we can.

The first step is to face the facts. If we can honestly admit our problems to ourselves, then we can fight them. The second step—and here is where the Christian is at a distinct advantage—is to be honest with the Lord about ourselves and ask for His help. We don’t have to fight to overcome these things on our own. If we’re willing to bare our souls to Jesus, He will step in and help us as only He can.

Another wonderful thing about this arrangement is that Jesus always offers us hope. He doesn’t throw us out when we make mistakes. If He did, we’d all have been thrown out a long time ago because we all make so many mistakes. Instead, He tries to help us learn from our mistakes, tells us how to do better next time, and encourages us to try again.

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2 Corinthians 12:9 - 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.

Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:22 - So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, thank you for your power and that you can help us to overcome our nature and become to men and women you want us to be.

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Only what's done for Christ will last!

Every Christian was intended to lay down his life and take up his cross and follow Jesus in order to bear fruit, more Christians like himself (Luke 9:23- 24; John 15:8). Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). If we will bury our lives in the soil of God’s service, if we will “die daily” for the Lord by giving our lives to help others (1 Corinthians 15:31), we will bring forth much fruit—more Christians to preach the Gospel to more of the lost and win them to Jesus—that He may have much fruit.

What a small price to pay for all the blessings, happiness, and eternal rewards in Heaven that He has promised you in return! If you give your all, God will reward you a hundred times over (Matthew 19:29). You can’t beat that kind of investment. There’s no other investment in this world that guarantees that kind of return.

What are you doing and for whom? Will it last forever for Jesus and others? Don’t waste another day! Spend its precious time for Him and His, for eternity!

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Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 138:8 - The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

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If you can't be a missionary, support one

Jesus said that we are to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). What is God’s kingdom? It’s the people who love Him and those He loves. If people are God’s kingdom, we are supposed to witness and win more people for His kingdom, or help others win them.

To help His kingdom is to help His people, and the way He helps people is often through other people. He likes to use us as His means in order that we too might be blessed and have a share in His work and its fruits and receive part of the rewards. That’s part of His plan.

The multimillionaire R.G. LeTourneau (1888-1969) went bankrupt early in his career. He asked God what God wanted him to do, and God told him that He wanted him to make money for His work. So LeTourneau started off promising God 10% of his income if He’d pull him out of debt, and God did. God made him a success, and he made millions. Toward the end of his life LeTourneau gave 90% of his income to foreign missions and lived very well on the other 10%—all because He put God’s kingdom first!

Are you called to raise funds for missions? Will you share forever in the eternal rewards of souls won as a result of your giving?

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2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV - Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Acts 20:35 ESV - In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Proverbs 3:9 ESV - Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first-fruits of all your produce.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help me to support those who do your work the best I can, and most importantly, in my prayers.

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Jesus, broken for us

The bread used for communion represents Jesus’ body, which was broken for us in a number of ways—the crown of thorns, the beatings, the stripes, the injuries and pain He suffered. He didn’t have to suffer all that for our sins, He only had to shed His blood and die for our sins. But His body suffered so that through this, He could also atone for our sicknesses: “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). To save our bodies, it took His body.

The best medicine in the world is the body of Jesus Christ, which was broken for our healing. When we partake of the bread, it shows we have faith that His body was broken for our health, so we can claim His healing by faith when we partake. If we eat of it by faith, we are healed by faith. It’s part of His atonement for salvation for the whole man—body, soul, and spirit.

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Acts 2:42 ESV - And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Luke 22:19 ESV - And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV - For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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PRAYER:

Thank You, Jesus, for the communion bread that represents Your body, which was broken for us and our physical health. As Your body was broken for our healing, so let us have faith to partake of it accordingly, in Your name we ask. Amen.

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“Dying grace” means perfect peace, perfect rest, no worry, no fear

Someone once asked Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899), “Do you have dying grace?”

“No, I don’t,” he answered. “I’m not dying yet!”

But when the time came, he did. Moody’s last words were: “I see earth receding; Heaven is approaching. God is calling me. This is my triumph. This is my coronation day. It is glorious. God is calling and I must go.”

If you know Jesus and have His love in your heart, He will also give you dying grace when your time to go comes. “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25). He’ll give you peace and faith.

Even the martyrs of the early church didn’t die sadly or sorrowfully, but singing and shouting and praising God. God will never let anything happen to you that is more than you are able to bear—not even death (1 Corinthians 10:13).

When the moment of death comes, God will give you such grace and peace and love and confidence and perfect faith that you will have no fear, only joy and thankfulness for Heaven and all that lies ahead. One life is past, and a new one begins. Heaven forever! Happiness for all eternity!

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Deuteronomy 33:25 ESV - Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV - No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

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Do all things in love

Whatever we do in word or in deed, we’re to do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). God is love (1 John 4:8), so we’re to do it all to the glory of love. There is no law but love in God’s kingdom of love (Galatians 5:14). God now only judges according to whether we have love or no love, whether what we do is done in love or selfishness and lack of love. Whatever is done in God’s love is right.

The Law of Moses spelled out in detail what people should or shouldn't do if they loved God, loved others, and acted in love. But once we’re saved, once we've received and are ruled by the Spirit of love itself, we don’t need that old law because we just won’t do those things we shouldn't, and we will voluntarily do those things we should. “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18). If your actions, thoughts, words, and deeds are motivated by love and guided by love, you can’t go wrong.

Love is what counts. God is love, His law is love, and our faith and practice are love. Isn't that a wonderful religion?

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1 John 4:8 ESV - Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV - So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Galatians 5:14 ESV - For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us always to use love as our rule book, and to strive to live in love and make loving decisions, to live like you did.

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Fill your heart with God's love and Word and pour out to others

We’re the vessels of God’s love to pour out His love to others. It’s His love, but He works through us. We’re His channels, tools in His hand.

God says, “Open your mouth and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). But where does He fill it from? He fills it from your heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If you have filled your heart beforehand, if you’re full of His love and the knowledge of His Word, the message you want to get across to others, when you open your mouth He will fill it, right out of your heart. It will just roll out by inspiration.

God doesn't expect you to do it. All He expects you to do is yield to Him and then He will do it through you. When you turn on a water faucet, the faucet doesn't do the work. It’s the power from outside that causes the water to flow effortlessly through the faucet. The faucet is just the channel, just the hole, to let the water flow out. If you’re full of the Spirit, full of Jesus and His love, full of the Word, then you can ask God to turn you on and let it roll.

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Psalm 81:10 ESV - Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Matthew 12:34 ESV - You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us to be so full of your spirit and your Word in our hearts that when we speak with others, we tell them about you and your greatness.

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Jesus wants us to grow into the stature of full-grown mature Christians

When we are saved or “born again” (John 3:3-8), at first we’re like babies, spiritually speaking. Like babies need nourishment and exercise every day to be healthy and grow, we need spiritual nourishment and exercise every day. But a lot of Christians stop growing when they are only a few months or years old. They never grow up; they never mature. They think they've learned all they need to and so never grow into the kind of Christians that Jesus wants them to be—mature Christians who are able to carry a lot of responsibility and make sacrifices when necessary.

God’s Word says that even Jesus “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8), and “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52 NIV). Every day we learn some new obedience, and although some things get harder, others get easier—like growing up. That’s what it’s all about!

Spiritual maturity is not entirely a matter of time; it’s mostly a matter of your connection with Jesus and His Word and your obedience and humility. A child becomes a true adult when he learns to act responsibly and think of others, and it’s the same with Christians. That’s spiritual maturity.

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Luke 2:52 NIV - And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV - When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Hebrews 5:12-14 ESV - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us to always be growing and maturing as Christian's, so that we can become the men and women of God that you want us to be.

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People don't need to see perfection

Don't worry if you feel you're a mess, because we all are. But Jesus is everything! Just talk about Jesus. Forget about your problems and just talk about Jesus. Praise Jesus and love Jesus, and you can’t go wrong. When others see that you’re just like them, when they see that you also stumble and fall but let Jesus pick you up again, when they see you give all your trials and problems to Him and let Him carry you through, this will encourage their faith.

The fact that you feel like a mess but keep on keeping on for Jesus is what matters. The fact that you keep giving all your problems to Jesus and keep trusting Him is a far greater testimony than if you were perfect, because that points others to Jesus and glorifies Him, not yourself.

So keep loving Jesus. Keep running to His Word. Keep depending on Him every minute of every day, for everything, at every turn. Keep tuning in to His voice and following Him. This is what others need to see, and this is what will inspire them to do the same. They’ll know that if Jesus can do it for you, He’ll do it for them.

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Romans 3:23 ESV - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:10 ESV - As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one.”

James 4:11-12 ESV - Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help me not to be discouraged, because I can’t be perfect. Instead please help me to always come to you with my problems, asking your forgiveness, so you can make me whole again.

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What God has done for others, He can do for you!

All through the Bible God miraculously empowered and protected His children, and the same miracles of power and protection that occurred back in Bible times can happen now. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If Jesus could do those miracles in His day and through the apostles in theirs, then He can still do them today! God is still the God of miracles, and what He’s done before He can do again! In fact, Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).

Jesus also said, “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18 KJV). So if you have Jesus, you've got all that power! God has not only promised all this power, but He’s promised it for right now if you need it and have faith to claim and exercise it. Think how much good you can do in His name!

It is no secret what God can do!

What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you!

With arms wide open, He’ll carry you through!

It is no secret what God can do!

—Stuart Hamblin (1908-1989)

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Hebrews 13:8 ESV - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Matthew 28:18 KJV - And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, thank you for your power and that even I can do great works in your name. Please help me to have faith to expect miracles.

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The best ability is availability

God doesn't create saints out of thin air; He creates them out of flesh and blood, normal people who love Him and let Him use them. Most of the greatest saints the world has ever known were people who just did what they thought needed to be done, whether or not others heard about it or even knew they were around. They were always there when someone needed them, always willing to see the need and respond.

If you have real love for God and others, you will be aware of the needs around you and do whatever needs to be done. And when God sees that you will do the lowly little tasks lovingly and faithfully and well, He will know He can trust you with bigger, more important jobs (Luke 16:10). But He won’t force you. It all depends on you and your yieldedness, your willingness to be made willing. Yieldedness requires humility, which is a manifestation of love—the kind of love that is willing to go anywhere, anytime, and do anything, for anybody, and be nobody, to please God and help others.

Are you ready for anything God wants you to do? “I beseech you therefore, brethren, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1 KJV).

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Jeremiah 29:11 ESV - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Isaiah 58:11 ESV - And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV - “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Ephesians 3:20 ESV - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help me to make myself available for you to work through me. Please help my love for you drive me to do what you want me to do and to help others as you want me to. Please help me to be a yielded vessel.

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Love is the most important thing in our religion

The Bible preaches love—the love of God through Jesus Christ, His Son. He also blesses us with other kinds of love and they are all important, but His is all-important. This is the cornerstone of the religion we Christians are supposed to practice: love for God and love for others. Love is what Jesus Himself taught—the Good News that God is love (1 John 4:8). True love, real love, unselfish love, sacrificial love, God’s love, is all the religion we need.

“Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). That’s all the laws of the whole Bible put together--love! If you have love, you have everything. If you do everything out of genuine love for God and others, you are fulfilling all the laws of God.

Herein is our salvation and message: love, true love, the love of God and fellow man, for it is God’s divine love working in us that helps us fulfill His great commandment to love one another. Thank God for such sweet love in the Lord!

Isn't it wonderful to have love? When you have God you have love, because God is love (1 John 4:8).

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1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV - Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV - So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

John 13:34 ESV - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, help us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and use our sample of love to turn people to you.

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We're saved sinners because we have received Christ

Let’s face it: All of us are sinners. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God is not so angry with the sinner for breaking the rules, because He knows the sinner is a sinner and can’t be perfect. So the great condemnation is not that we’re sinful, which God can forgive and does forgive if we receive His pardon through Jesus, but “this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

The only unpardonable sin is rejecting Jesus as your Savior—to have been shown the love of God and resisted it. This is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Mark 3:28-29). He’ll forgive every sin in the Book except that.

So you either belong to Jesus or you don’t. That’s the only difference God sees. God sees nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ and the blood-washed soul.

All glory and praise

To the Lamb Jesus that was slain,

Who hath borne all our sins,

And hath cleansed every stain.

—William Paton Mackay (1839-1885)

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1 John 1:9 ESV - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:7 ESV - 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.

Acts 2:38 ESV - And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

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She has done what she could

Remember what Jesus said about the dear woman who anointed His head with costly, fragrant oil before His death? He said, “She has done what she could” (Mark 14:3-9).

Maybe you feel you can’t do very much, but at least you can do what you can! If you will be faithful to do your best at the job God has given you to do for Him, however great or small it may be, He will greatly reward you one of these days soon when you stand before Jesus at the “judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10). You will reap eternal rewards and everlasting glory, and have a feeling of genuine permanent accomplishment from your investment in His work. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” you will hear Him say. “Because you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21).

Have you done what you could, or are you going to be sorry for your sins of omission? Don’t lose your reward or let another take the crown that God has for you (Revelation 3:11).

I am satisfied with Jesus, but the question comes to me,

As I think of Calvary, “Is my Savior satisfied with me?”

—B.B. McKinney (1886-1952)

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Mark 14:3-9 ESV - 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us to do what we can, knowing that even though it may feel like we can’t do much, it means much to you and your kingdom. Help us to be faithful for you and to give of ourselves for you.

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Obedience comes before the anointing

You don’t get the anointing to obey; you get the anointing because you obey. Look how much the Lord hinges on your doing what He asks, just because He says so. Even if you don’t know all the whys or wherefores, you've just got to do it. But once you do, it will usually become clear why He asked it of you, or He will explain.

Jesus commanded His disciples to wait together in Jerusalem until they were “endued with power from on high” to carry the message of God’s love to the world (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5,8). After ten days of obedience, there came that final tremendous explosion on the Day of Pentecost when they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. It was such an explosion that thousands gathered to see what in the world was going on, and three thousand people got saved that day (Acts chapter 2).

If you’ll believe God’s Word, He will give you the faith to take that first step of obedience. The moment you obey by faith, you get the anointing to carry on. The test is to see whether you’re going to obey or not, but as soon as you do, God steps in and does His part without fail.

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Acts 5:29 ESV - But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

2 Kings 18:6 ESV - For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses.

Psalm 119:30 ESV - I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.

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PRAYER:

Jesus, please help us to follow the example of your disciples in the Bible and follow your instructions carefully so that we can receive the blessings you have for us.

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Every day can be a holiday for Jesus

Every day can be a holiday, because every day can be a holy day if we live them all for Jesus. Every day can be holy, sacred, cleansed, and set apart to serve Jesus.

Some esteem one day above another, but we should esteem all days the same (Romans 14:5). They are all the Lord’s days, so they are all holy days—not mere holidays, but holy days. We shouldn't love God and Jesus any more on one day than we do every other day of the week. We should love and worship the Lord just as much every day.

We can have Thanksgiving Day every day. We should be thankful and treasure every moment of every day and constantly be praising and thanking the Lord for it. We can have Christmas every day. If Christmas lives in our hearts and minds, we can live each day like Christmas day. We should love Him better every day, grow sweeter every day, and try to be a greater blessing to others every day. Then every day will be Christmas and Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday and New Year all in one!

Jesus saves and keeps me,

And He’s the One I’m living for.

Every day with Jesus,

Is sweeter than the day before!

—Robert C

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Philippians 4:4 ESV - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Romans 15:13 ESV - 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.

Romans 14:17 ESV - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, thank you that every day can be special because we have you in our lives. Please help us to remember this as we go through our day, and to include you in what we do and draw on you and your power.

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Simplicity that is in Christ - 2 Corinthians 11:3

The first time the Devil tempted man, he tempted him with something that supposedly would make man wise--knowledge (Genesis 3:1-6). Likewise today, many books are written with the demonic wisdom of the Devil himself, cunningly devised to deceive and lead people astray, to pervert, to warp, and twist them spiritually to where they don’t know what is true.

“God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33). God likes to keep things very simple. That's why it's wonderful to have the Bible as a guide. Then you know what's perverted and what's normal, what's right and what's wrong. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God” (1 Corinthians 3:19). You cannot fill your mind and heart with worldly wisdom, the foolishness of man, without it affecting your spirit, just like you can't wade through the garbage and the gutter without getting besmirched (Colossians 2:8).

Why waste time on complicated and confusing theories and thoughts of man when the Word is right there, so simple and direct to the point? Stick to the refreshing water of the Word that feeds your soul, renews your mind, lifts your spirit, encourages your heart, and purifies your whole being!

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1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV - For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints.

1 Corinthians 3:19 ESV - 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness”.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, help us to put our faith in you and your wisdom, and not in the wisdom of men. Help us to go to your Word for advice, and not to the so called saviors in this world. Help us to keep our eyes on you.

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God sometimes has to correct us, but He always does so in love

God is just and merciful and loving. He deals with us, His children, with much love and long-suffering and patience, but He also deals with us firmly when He sees that we’re getting off the track. Like a shepherd with an errant sheep, He sometimes has to let us feel His shepherd’s rod in order to turn us off the wrong path. He is a loving God, but He’s also a very good Father who knows how to correct us when we need it.

Although God’s corrections are sometimes hard to take, they’re a token of His love—His “intolerable compliments”—and are good for us if we learn our lessons and are thereby brought into harmony with Him and doing what He knows is best for us and others. Therefore, don’t forget “the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens’” (Hebrews 12:5-6). God’s chastenings are proof that He loves you.

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV - For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

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 PRAYER:

Help us not to despise your chastening, Lord, but to see your hand and leading in our lives and to always strive to go your way instead of ours.

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Let the light in, and the darkness will flee

The Devil is the accuser of the saints (Revelation 12:9-10). He accuses us for what we haven’t done or could have done or should have done but didn't. He picks at all the lacks and shortcomings and weaknesses and little failures. If you start listening to him, you’re beaten, because there will always be something more you could have done or something you wish you hadn't done. There will always be something—some neglect, some oversight, some mistake or fault, some bad habit—that the Devil can pick on if he wants to, and he sure wants to!

But thank God for Jesus! He’s the antidote! Jesus always points out the good things. He never loses faith in us and He never stops loving us, even when we do make mistakes. So when the Devil descends on you with his dark thoughts about yourself or others, don’t listen to him. Listen to Jesus instead. Let the light in! Think positive thoughts. Remind yourself constantly of the good. When you think positively about yourself and others, it chases away the doubts and the fears and nagging little accusations from the Devil. Fill your mind and heart and mouth with positive things. Chase away the Devil and all his shades of night by letting the light in. Count your blessings and put the Devil on the run!

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Ephesians 5:14 ESV - For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

James 1:17 ESV - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no fickleness, neither shadow of turning.

1 John 1:7 ESV - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, help us to let your light into our lives. Thank you that you are the antidote, that you bring good into our lives and that if we let you in by choosing to turn to you.

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What everybody needs is love

People are hungry for love—love they have never known before, true love, sincere love, genuine love, the truly great love of their life, the love of all loves from the Lover of all lovers, who alone can satisfy that deepest yearning of every human soul for total love and complete understanding.

People’s hearts are the same the world over. Their longings, loves, hunger for God and His truth, for joy and happiness and peace of mind are God-created and universal. People can never be happy with a heavy heart, a troubled mind, a discouraged spirit, and an unsaved soul. The human soul can never be completely satisfied with anything but utter union with the great and loving Spirit that created it. Flesh can satisfy flesh, but only Spirit can satisfy spirit.

Do you want the key to every heart?—Try love! It never fails, because God is love and it’s impossible for Him to fail!

Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I've found thee!

Ah, at last I've found the reason for it all!

Ah, ‘tis love and love alone the whole world yearns for,

And ‘tis love that bids us heed Thy call!

—Rida Johnson Young (1869-1926), “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life,” paraphrased

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1 John 3:18 ESV - Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Romans 12:9 ESV - Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

1 John 4:21 ESV - And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, help us to remember that what everybody needs is love and that the solution to any problems in life is love and we can slowly change things that seem impossibly bad through love.

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Every day, Jesus has to cleanse us

Believe it or not, everybody who believes in Jesus is a saint. Most people think that to be a saint they must be made perfectly and permanently holy, but actually the ancient Greek words hagios and hagiazo, which are translated as “saint” and “sanctify” in the New Testament, both mean to be cleansed and separated and set aside for further use. We may not be perfect or sinless saints, but we’re cleansed and made holy by His blood. Jesus takes us, dirty as we are with sin, and He washes away our sins with His blood and our evil thoughts with His Word (1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14; Ephesians 5:26).

Sanctification is not just a one-time thing that takes place when you receive salvation. It is a constant process. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet at the Last Supper (John 13:4-12), He was illustrating that even after we get saved and He cleanses us of our sins, if we wade through the filth of this world as we serve Him, we have to have a little bit of washing every day. Is there ever a day that passes that we don’t sin?—Not really. We’re human, so daily He has to cleanse us—our minds, our thoughts, our bodies, our actions, our words. If we want Him to continue to use us, we have to be washed and set aside again and again.

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1 John 1:7 ESV - 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.

Revelation 7:14 ESV - I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Ephesians 5:26 ESV … that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word …

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 PRAYER:

Jesus, help us to cleanse our minds, thoughts, actions and words with your Word everyday and not to forget to spend time with you first thing.

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If we're going to grow and mature spiritually, then we need to grow in love

Love is the most important thing (1 Corinthians chapter 13). That’s really the whole purpose for living, to love God and others. That means not only winning the lost wherever they are, but winning our brothers and sisters in Christ who are right beside us. The whole purpose for everything is love.

Some of our relationships are directly between the Lord and us, like praise and prayer and obedience to His Word, but most of our relationships are on a personal level with others. And the main lesson we’re supposed to learn from these is to love one another. If we haven’t learned to work well with others or how to treat them in love, then we’re missing one of the major lessons of life.

We’re not going to grow very much or learn very much unless we learn to interact lovingly with other people, and that’s not always easy. It takes patience, love, and humility. Jesus gave the simple key when He instructed us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12). It takes a lot to learn how to carry that out, but that’s what we’re here to learn. Do you want to grow?—Then love!

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Romans 13:8 ESV - Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Ephesians 4:2 ESV - With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.

1 Peter 1:22 ESV - Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.