Daily Bible Reading - Wed. Jan 7th

What a day yesterday was for reading the Word.  We’ve now gone from “Discipline" to “Faithfulness" to “Perfection" and yet they all come together.  We need faithfulness and perfection in order to have good discipline, we need discipline and perfection in order to be faithful and we need discipline and faithfulness in order to have perfection, its almost like one will not work without the other.  This is where I have lacked for years in my life having all three working together.  I’d have discipline for awhile but would not have faithfulness or perfection so the discipline would fall away and etc.  Wow for me the light really shined bright reading the Word then reading your posts,  I can’t thank you all enough for having input,  I know its blessed you all a lot but it really has blessed my socks off seeing what each of you get out of the same scriptures.  Having the surgery two years ago I can look back and see where I have messed up and therefore not lost as much weight as I could of.  Praise God He is faithful oh so faithful to forgive me, pick me up and even help me brush off the dust from laying in the dirt, point me in the right direction and say “Now go" how awesome is that?

Today as I was reading the passages in Genesis it really stuck out to me how God was so eager to bless Abraham and at such an old age to bless Abraham with many nations.  As I think back of how even Abraham made mistakes but God was always there and ready to forgive him and bless him even more.  How much more does our Father in Heaven want to bless us.  Makes me see there really is hope for me yet, that in itself is so encouraging. 

Then in Matthew is what really hit me this morning is The Lords Prayer.  I don’t know how many times I’ve read that and heard it preached on it never really hit me as hard as it has this morning.  God gave us an outline on how to pray.  He tells us “this is how you should pray", actually instructions on how to talk to our Heavenly Father, wow.  Yeah I’ve prayed many times and ready the Lords Prayer many times but it just never popped out at me like it has this morning?  And yet its so simple a child could get it.  I think in all the Lord is trying to teach me the importance of praying.  In order to keep the discipline and faithfulness and perfection we HAVE to pray and talk to God everyday, giving Him all the Praise and Honor and Glory, how so real is that? 

Then to bring it all together when I read the Psalms it just put the finishing touches on what God was showing me for my life.  When we accept His words and store them in our hearts,  when we turn to Him for wisdom and call out to Him for understanding and search for it as if we were searching for silver as a hidden treasure then will we understand the fear of the Lord and find His knowledge.  That just makes me sit here and cry, God is so understanding towards me that its taken me years and years to finally understand His word.  Then in reading Sugars post again about what the new Pastor preached on about having the passion for the Word, wow. Simply wow!

***Karen*** Thank you for  being faithful in reading His word with us,  it means a lot that we can all do this together, hold each other up in prayer because we really need it.  In order for us to follow out the commitment we’ve made to read the Word we need the prayers of each other.  I hope and prayer you are as blessed as I am by reading the Bible everyday.  And I do pray that others come to know Him, how wonderful would that be,  if just one person came to know our Lord or if one person just simply made commitment to Him it makes it all worth it.

***Peggy*** Isn’t it amazing how really real the bible is? When I’ve read the bible in the past I knew it was a true story with real people but its never jumped out at me that these people ARE real, like you’ve said,  Abraham, Sarah, Issac, David, even goliath were all REAL living people.  The Word has never jumped out at me like it has since I’ve started reading it this year,  its amazing how when you make the commitment to God to read His Word how He follows through and blesses us with His knowledge and understanding.  Thank you for your commitment!!

***Cassie*** I know how it is to struggle sometimes,  my wife and I have been married for almost 22 years and in those years there have been some real struggles but as you said, we always come through each struggle with a smile on our face knowing God has brought us through each one victoriously.  For me it seems each struggle only made us stronger and the stronger we get the better we can get through each struggle.  How wonderful is our Lord to be faithful to always deliver us from the struggles of life.

***Sugar*** Wow, Thank you so much for sharing what the new Pastor preached about having passion for the word.  I pray each and every one reading the posts reads your post again and again, I’ve copied what you said onto notepad so I can read it over and over on how to develop passion for the Word.  I needed that so bad, thank you!!!!  That has so helped me in making my commitment to read the bible even stronger,  I never really looked at it quite the way as you told us.  This has really fired up the passion I need to have with His word.  Thank you thank you!

Today’s Readings

Genesis 16:1-18:15
Matthew 6:1-24
Psalm 7:1-17
Proverbs 2:1-5

Daily Devotional for Dieters 

Psalm 92:12
"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…"

Have you ever seen a palm tree in the midst of a great storm or hurricane? That tree may be bent so far over that it’s almost touching the ground, but when the wind finally stops, that palm tree bounces right back up. And do you know that while that palm tree is hunched over under the pressure of the storm, it is actually growing stronger?

The reason God said we’d flourish like a palm tree is because He knew there would be difficult times. He knew things would come against us to try to steal our joy and victory. God said, “You’re going to be like a palm tree because the storms of life will come, the winds will blow, but you are going to come right back up again stronger than before." Nothing can hold you back! No weapon formed against you will ever prosper. No matter what’s happening in the world around you, keep standing. Keep praying. Keep believing. Your brightest days are right out in front of you, and God’s plan is to bring you blessing and victory all the days of your life.

Today's thought: We ARE as palm tree’s…

Is our GOD not a wonderful caring God? He wants us to know that "NOTHING is too hard for HIM to do!" How great is that to know. And I mean really know! If we strive for perfection in HIM, he is faithful to work in our lives. He wants us to be perfect but at the same time knows were not, but does that keep us from trying? NO! We as Christians should try our hardest.

And how and what is our biggest goal as believers? Laying up treasures in heaven. What is the only treasure to be had in heaven??? Souls of other believers that are there because of us...WOW! Talk about real WOW moments! 

Then in Proverbs...another WOW! If we seek HIS wisdom and do HIS will, He will give us the wisdom we need and desire....I personally want more and more of HIS wisdom.

Man do I ever LOVE the LORD!!!! And I love all of you too!

GOD bless you all and happy reading.