Psalm 143:10 (142:10 LXX)
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God;
Your good Spirit shall guide me in the land of uprightness.
Encouraging Words…
I have a Helper to guide me through this life and lead me to a righteous life. All I need to do is reach out to Him, follow Him, obey Him and life will be glorious. Hmmm, why do I keep doing it my way?
Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Encouraging Words…
Once again I am reminded that I am not on this journey through life as a Christian alone. My Lord is active in my life. I may have not yet reached the righteousness that I desire, but I am promised that God is not done with me yet. He will be working in me, and through me, the remainder of eternity.
2 Corinthians 9:6
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Command with a Promise…
Sometimes I am so abruptly reminded just how simple the laws of the new covenant really are. Basically they are to love the Lord my God with all of my soul, spirit, mind and heart and to love my neighbor as myself. From these basic commands flow everything including giving bountifully to my Lord and my God. And giving is not just from my wealth and abundance, but everything that God has blessed me with: money, resources, time, love for my neighbor…in other words, everything.
Luke 5:31-32
Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Encouraging Words…
The work of Christ was to put an end to death, and in that work He provided healing for our ultimate sickness that leads to death. He came to lead us, His creation, into repentance and on to a live of righteousness.
Psalm 139:1-3 (138:1-3 LXX)
Encouraging Words…
It is so encouraging to go through life knowing that my Lord is there with me, observing my ways, hearing my thoughts, guiding and protecting me all the while allowing me to exercise my freedom of choice. He does not force me to do anything, but He does allow me to experience the consequences of my choices…both good and bad. What a blessing!
Ephesians 6:4
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Personal Challenge…
As a parent of adult children, especially children that are spread across the country and around the world, I often ask myself, “How did I do as a father?” Did I love my children in a way that showed them the love of God? Did I demonstrate to them a godly and righteous life so that they would desire to love that way themselves? Do I have any outstanding apologies that I owe them for the wrongs that I did in their lives? I love my children deeply. I miss them because of the miles. And I am extremely proud of each one of them and whom they have become as adults. May my God and my Savior be a blessing in their lives as He has been in mine.
Ephesians 5:14-16
Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Personal Challenge…
How is my heart? Is it truly focused on God and reflecting on Him or is it focused on the world? If I observe my actions, my thoughts, the words that come out of my mouth, I will have a good indicator of the state of my heart. And my response is…Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Ephesians 4:26-27
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Personal Challenge…
The Bible does not tell us that we cannot be angry, but it does tell us to not let anger rule us. We are given anger in order to respond to injustices, to the wrongs generated by the enemy of God, so that others can be turned to Him. However, we cannot allow this anger to take us over and therefore lead us to sin.
Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives strength to the hungry, and sorrow to those who do not grieve. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the elect shall be without strength. But those who wait on God shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not hunger.
Encouraging Words…
Today I will be doing my sixth Iron Butt ride with two of my friends. A basic Iron Butt ride is 1,000 miles in 24 hours on a motorcycle. Some people think I am absolutely crazy for doing this, but to be honest for me it is really refreshing and a reminder of just what I am able to do. Also, I find time on my motorcycle presents a great opportunity to be alone with my God, aka meditation time. We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers along the way. I will try to post some updates on Facebook as we progress.
Verse of the Day 