Daily Bible Reading - Wednesday - Sept. 29th

My goodness, we are already in Philippians.  Seems like we just started to read in Ephesians.  The closer we get to the end of the year the faster the time seems to go, almost like we are picking up steam going down a big hill lol.  Again like in Ephesians Paul wrote Philippians while he was in prison.  In this letter Paul writes to the people at Philippi, he is wanting them to know how special they are to him and that they help him in a big way to be stronger in Christ while he is there in prison.  Christ obeyed God so completely that he died on our behalf. Paul wants the Christians at Philippi to obey God completely too. He wants them to be like Christ. Paul is afraid that they might listen to false teachers. The false teachers were teaching wrong ideas. Paul wants the Christians to do the things that make God happy. They must continue to believe God. They must continue to obey God, even when other people are not kind to them.

Also, Paul thanks the Christians at Philippi for the gifts that they had sent to him. He tells them that he will send Timothy and Epaphroditus to Philippi. These men will tell all the news about Paul to the Christians there.

I think we are going to find that Philippians will be some really interesting reading, as all the other books have been.  The devotional sort of ties in with what Paul has to say in our readings the next few days. It’s basically saying we need to keep our skills sharpened so that we can do the best we know how to do for God. I know I have some sharpening I need to do on myself.

Today’s Reading

Isaiah 57:15-59:21
Philippians 1:1-26
Psalm 71:1-24
Proverbs 24:9-10

Daily Devotional

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings…"
Proverbs 22:29, NIV

Too often, it's easy to get stuck in a rut, doing the same thing the same way over and over every day. But if we are going to live at our absolute best, we should constantly be growing and sharpening our skills. We should strive to learn and grow every single day because when you stop learning, you stop growing. When you stop growing, you stop living.

What are you doing to stretch yourself? What are you doing to improve your skills? Don't get trapped into thinking that "good enough" is good enough. You are created for more than just average. Today is a new day, and there are new heights for you to climb. Pursue what you love and keep developing that area of your life. Take a class or find a mentor that will help you live skillfully. As you do, you'll rise up higher and higher. You will stand before leaders and rulers, and you'll live the blessed life God has in store for you!

A Prayer for Today

"Father in heaven, today I choose to rise out of mediocrity. I choose to give my very best to everything I do. Teach me to live skillfully so that my life is a continual praise to you. In Jesus' Name. Amen."