Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Day 272 A building project indeed.

Proverbs 23:3-4
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

This is one of my life long verses.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Day 271 Being Well Dressed : Stability by Integrity

Psalm 26:1 VINDICATE ME, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity; I have [expectantly] trusted in, leaned on, and relied on the Lord without wavering and I shall not slide. (Amp)

Ephesians 6:11
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

How often the struggles we face are "feelings" based and not something that have neither face nor feet?

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Interesting... "when the day of evil comes" not "if" but "when" We are promised that we "will fear no evil because you are with me" not that we will side step "the evil day".

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Truth and Guarding the Heart with Righteousness are the first things to set in place for stability and integrity.

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Then we can "walk the talk" with the Prince of Peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Not only do we steady ourselves from within, we are to be prepared on the outside. Being on the defensive with an active faith to quench the fiery arrows that are surely heading our direction.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Protection of our mind and taking the offensive sword of the Spirit is a crucial part of the whole warfare stance. It takes all the parts to be able to stand against the evil day.
Walking in integrity, means dressing well in "God's armor" not ours.
Our lives are hid with Christ in God!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Day 268 The difference between night and day.

Here are two readings that go hand in hand with each other.
God will be our Light and we have given a description of the darkness we have been in and the present reality we enjoy in Christ.

Isaiah 60:
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your God will be your glory.

Made Alive in Christ -

Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

My take away for today is recognizing "the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus". Our God is a God of Grace and he uses kindness to draw us closer to him.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

267 The New Hope

Eph 3:6 "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus".

I don't seem to grasp just how lost I was without hope and without God in this world. When I read about people like Hagar (an Egyptian), Ruth (Moabitess), and Rahab (Cannanite) who were not Israelites and yet made decisions to become YHWH followers/believers, I can get a sense that these were strong women who were used to going against the accepted norms of their culture and break out for a better path. They stand out from the nations and the beliefs they were born into.

verse 14-21 "For this reason I kneel before the Father,...."

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Day 246 Weapons of Righteousness

2 cor 6:7 "weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left"

2 Cor 10: 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Strongholds are arguments and pretensions umm. does this translate to - what we rationalize in our lives against our better (godly) judgment; when we want to get our own way on an issue that takes the knowledge of God out of the picture.

I've heard many aspects of "strongholds" that we may have in our lives. This scripture says it begins with what and how we think.


2 Samuel 23:2-4 This is a good picture of what it looks like when we are being the stewards of the resources, supplies and support that we distribute in our lives.

2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:
'When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,

4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth.
'

Do I bring clarity of purpose, hope and the draw out the same faithfulness that God brings to us each morning. If I am dull of mind, my weapon of righteousness is blunt and I need to sharpen my mind and straighten up my backbone!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Day 245 One breath away from extinction

Isaiah 2:22 "Stop trusting in human beings,who have but a breath in their nostrils'.

6 They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.

7 Their land is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.

8 Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.

The only things truly produced by us humans are our
imaginings and mutual promises, and what we think of our life-work.
All air, nothing of substance.

God created the resources gold, silver, and the horses, we use them.
We are good at being religious, making sacrifices and prayer - lots of them.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.Your hands are full of blood;

16 wash and make yourselves clean.Take your evil deeds out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,17 learn to do right!
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

18 "Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;

Being a true friend, an advocate for the vulnerable is a venerable activity.
Our breath is our benediction to those around us, that is all we really have of worth. May blessings, peace and joy roll out of hearts with the aid of our lungs today. Amen

Take a deep breath and let the day begin!