Friday April 16, 2010
You are Righteous
"...not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." (Philippians 3:9)
I don't care how badly you may have messed things up yesterday or how many mistakes you have made, I want you to begin this day knowing you are righteous! Not because of anything you've done but because you've received, by faith in Jesus, the very righteousness of God.
Just look at the kinds of benefits the Word of God says that righteousness will bring:
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Ps. 92:12).
"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth" (Prov. 11:10).
"The seed of the righteous shall be delivered" (Prov. 11:21).
"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers" (1 Pet. 3:12).
"For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12).
"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles" (Ps. 34:17).
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Ps. 37:25).
"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever" (Ps. 37:29).
"The Lord loveth the righteous" (Ps. 146:8).
Don't let the devil rob you of even one of these blessings by telling you you're unworthy of them. Run him off. Shout out loud, "I am the righteousness of God!" Then step out in faith and enjoy the privileges God has prepared for you!
Scripture Reading: Romans 3:21-28
Thursday April 15,2010
Let the World Know
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. ...that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me." (John 17:20,22-23)
Over the years the Church has come up with all kinds of elaborate ways to evangelize the world. We get together and map out plans and strategies and raise money for it. But through it all, we rarely mention the plan that Jesus gave us.
Most believers don't even realize that He gave us the key to winning the world, but He did. He prayed about it right before He went to the Cross. He asked the Father to bring us into a place of such oneness with each other and with Him that the world would know that He had been sent from God.
If you and I and all the rest of the Body of Christ would get together and start loving each other, we'd evangelize the world so fast it would make your head swim. It's true. But until recently, we've been too busy scrapping with one another and getting our feelings hurt to give it much thought.
But, praise God, it's beginning to dawn on some folks now that we need to stop that stuff. We need to start treating Jesus' command that we love one another as a command instead of an alternative. We need to drop our silly arguments and be unified by the Spirit of God.
Do you want to take a step toward evangelizing the world today? Then start praying for oneness. Make up your mind that you're going to start loving your fellow believers instead of criticizing, complaining, and talking ugly about them.
Start confessing that the Church of God is going to rise up together in faith and love as one glorious Body driven by the power of Jesus Himself. We are, you know. Jesus prayed that it would happen, and the Holy Spirit is already bringing it to pass.
Satan would like to stop it, but he can't. It's far more powerful than he is--and it's going to blast a hole in his operation that's big enough to drive a train through. It's going to let the whole world know that Jesus truly is Lord!
Scripture Reading: John 17:9-26
APRIL 14, 2010
Be a Blessing
"Let those who favor my righteous cause and have pleasure in my uprightness shout for joy and be glad, and say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." (Psalm 35:27, The Amplified Bible)
If traditional religion has taught you that God wants you poor and oppressed, I have good news for you today. The Bible says, "God takes pleasure" in your prosperity. God wants you to prosper!
Not just in the financial realm but in every area of your life...spirit, soul, and body.
No matter where you are or who you are, God wants to see you delivered from every adverse situation.
Why? Because He loves you and He has a job for you to do. He wants you to help meet the needs of mankind and He's smart enough to know that you can't give away what you don't have. You can't give to spread the gospel or buy food for the hungry when you're broke. You can't go out laying hands on the sick when you're lying in a hospital bed. You can't minister joy to others when you're being held captive by depression. No! You have to be blessed to be a blessing.
If you really want to tap into the riches of God today, make up your mind to be a blessing to others, and before you know it, you'll be receiving more from God than you ever dreamed.
That's what happened to me. I decided years ago, first and foremost, to be a giver. I developed a lifestyle of giving. Today, I literally "live to give." And I don't mind telling you, God dumps blessings on me by the truckload!
He'll do the same for you if you'll become His servant--if you'll lay down your time and your money and your love for those who need it. Become a giver--and God will take pleasure in prospering you!
Scripture Reading: Genesis 12:1-4,Genesis 13:1-4
Certainly there are going to be some golden vessels in the kingdom and there are going to be some clay pots, but we are the ones--not God--who determine which kind we will be. Second Timothy 2:21 tells us that "whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean]--who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences-- will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work" (AMP).