Daily Devotional - Page 2

Commander · #11 01-20-2009, 03:13 PM

Thank you very much HardCory for taking the time to transpose these each day. I truly appreciate and will read them everyday.

fightbackhxc21 · #12 01-20-2009, 03:56 PM

thanks cory, i have been busy so i havent been able to really contribute to this. but i soon will be. I was thinking since your doing this ill just give a verse that i read each day or something. Thanks for this!

HardCory · #13 01-21-2009, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Commander

Thank you very much HardCory for taking the time to transpose these each day. I truly appreciate and will read them everyday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fightbackhxc21

thanks cory, i have been busy so i havent been able to really contribute to this. but i soon will be. I was thinking since your doing this ill just give a verse that i read each day or something. Thanks for this!

No problem guys, like I've said these really help me start the day, I'll try and keep up with them, school starts back up on Monday, but we'll see what I can do.

HardCory · #14 01-21-2009, 03:32 AM

January 21, 2009

The Perfect Sentence

READ: Exodus 3:13-18

Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? —Exodus 15:11

As a young girl writing in my diary, my secret ambition was to compose the perfect sentence. I wondered what it would look and sound like. Perhaps it would include a strong verb and colorful adjectives.

My pursuit of the perfect sentence will never be satisfied, but I have found a statement of perfection in Exodus 3:14. When the Lord God called Moses from the burning bush, He told him that he had been chosen to bring His people out of bondage in Egypt (v.10). Moses, who was anxious about this responsibility, wondered what to say if the Israelites doubted him and asked who he was representing.

The Lord replied, “I AM WHO I AM” (v.14). By using His unique name, He offered Moses a glimpse of the nature of His eternal existence in one sentence. You might say it’s a statement of perfection!

Bible commentator G. Bush writes this about God’s description of Himself: “He, in distinction from all others, is the one only true God, the God who really is . . . . The eternal, self-existent, and immutable Being; the only being who can say that He always will be what He always has been.”

God says, “I AM WHO I AM.” He and His name are perfect. In reverence we are to bow before Him. — Anne Cetas

For Further Study
At the name of Jesus, every knee will one day bow.
To learn about His name read The Amazing Prophecy
Of Names at www.discoveryseries.org/q0207

Looking for perfection? Look to Jesus.

fightbackhxc21 · #15 01-21-2009, 05:00 AM

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

alang · #16 01-21-2009, 10:27 AM

Cory,

Thank you for this. I read them every day.

HardCory · #17 01-22-2009, 03:15 AM

January 22, 2009

The God Of Victory

READ: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. —Romans 12:21

In Greek mythology, Nike was the goddess of victory. Nike fought on the side of the Olympian gods, gaining a victory over the mighty Titans. As a result, she became a symbol of winning. But Nike’s alleged powers were not just limited to warfare. She also became a favorite goddess of athletes who wanted to win in competitive sports. The Romans adopted her into their worship and gave her the Latin name Victoria.

In the Greco-Roman world where Paul taught, victory was highly valued. So when he expressed Christian truth, he used words his audience could understand. In his letters, he described Christ as the One who leads us in a military procession of triumph (2 Cor. 2:14-17) and compared the Christian life to someone training for the ancient Olympic games (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

Paul also used the word for victory in reference to our struggles with those who intentionally hurt us. “Overcome [be a victor over] evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). This may mean returning kindness for spite or respectfully setting limits on evil behavior. In either case, an attitude of love cannot be generated in our own strength. But in Christ, we have divine power that ancient pagans could only hope for. Jesus Christ is the genuine God of victory. — Dennis Fisher

Through trials we learn to overcome,
Through Christ our victories are won;
Come lay your burdens at His feet
And find this inner peace so sweet. —Halsey

God will give us the victory when we join Him in the fight.

HardCory · #18 01-23-2009, 02:39 AM

January 23, 2009

Supersize It

READ: Isaiah 6:1-10

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. —Isaiah 6:1

After you placed your food order at a popular fast food restaurant, the cashiers used to ask that famous question: “Would you like to supersize that?” In essence, they were asking the customers if they wanted more of what they were already getting.

In a similar way, when we come into God’s presence, I believe He asks us: “Would you like to enlarge your understanding of Me today?”

Isaiah had one such experience with God. Through a painful event in his life, Isaiah saw the Lord “high and lifted up” (Isa. 6:1). Through this encounter, God supersized Isaiah’s understanding of His holiness. He saw God’s complete moral excellence that unifies His attributes.

God also enlarged Isaiah’s realization of his own sin (v.5). This led to an expansion of his understanding of God’s complete forgiveness and cleansing (vv.6-7). Only when Isaiah understood the depth of his sin could he appreciate and accept forgiveness and cleansing from God. Finally, his encounter with God led to Isaiah’s declaration of availability and commitment to reach out to others and to help them increase their understanding of God (vv.8-9).

Let’s ask God to supersize our understanding of His greatness today. — Marvin Williams

Oh, I want to know You, blessed Lord,
Better than I’ve ever known before!
In Your Word I read of Your great purpose—
Help me understand it more and more. —Hess

Knowing about God is fascinating. Knowing God personally is life-changing.

Commander · #19 01-23-2009, 03:52 PM

still logged in and reading.

HardCory · #20 01-24-2009, 03:49 AM

January 24, 2009

Small Is Beautiful

READ: John 6:53-71

Who has despised the day of small things? —Zechariah 4:10

Just the other day someone said of a friend, “This man is destined for a great ministry,” by which he meant he was headed for the big time—a high-profile church with a big budget.

It made me wonder: Why do we think that God’s call is necessarily upwardly mobile? Why wouldn’t He send His best workers to labor for a lifetime in some small place? Aren’t there people in obscure places who need to be evangelized and taught? God is not willing that any perish.

Jesus cared about the individual as well as the masses. He taught large crowds if they appeared, but it never bothered Him that His audience grew smaller every day. Many left Him, John said (John 6:66), a fickle attrition that would have thrown most of us into high panic. Yet Jesus pressed on with those the Father gave Him.

We live in a culture where bigger is better, where size is the measure of success. It takes a strong person to resist that trend, especially if he or she is laboring in a small place.

But size is nothing; substance is everything. Whether you’re pastoring a small church or leading a small Bible study or Sunday school class, serve them with all your heart. Pray, love, teach by word and example. Your little place is not a steppingstone to greatness. It is greatness. — David H. Roper

The Lord will give you help and strength
For work He bids you do;
To serve Him from a heart of love
Is all He asks of you. —Fasick

Little is much when God is in it.