Do Not Worry

After sharing my testimony yesterday I was reminded of one of my favoritest verses of all time. I PROBABLY threw this verse out before, but still, this is a good one.

Matthew 6:25
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Thoughts?

The Delimma of Obedience

"Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision" (1 Samuel 3:15)

God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. The we say, "I wonder if that is God's voice?" Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him "with a strong hand," that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?

Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, Lord," and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, "speak, Lord," and make time to listen. Chastening is more then a means of discipline-it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, "Speak,Lord." Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember waht He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus we hear God all the time.

Should i tell my "Eli" what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, "I must shield 'Eli'," who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli-he had to decide that for himself. God's message to you may hurt your "Eli," but trying to prevent suffering in another's life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone's right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Mathew 5:29-30)

Never ask another person's advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. ".... I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood ... " (Galatians 1:16)

Devo take from My Utmost for His Highest

Saying Goodbye

There has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. —Matthew 11:11

read Matthew 11:7-19

If you’ve ever been asked to say a few words at a memorial service, you know how difficult, yet important, it can be. Cyrus M. Copeland, compiler of two books of tributes to famous people, said: “A great eulogy is both art and architecture—a bridge between the living and the dead, memory and eternity.”

The Bible contains little that corresponds to our modern eulogy. Yet Jesus paid a great tribute to John the Baptist when he faced the looming threat of execution by Herod. From prison, John sent his disciples to confirm the identity of Jesus the Messiah (Matt. 11:2-6). Jesus talked with them, then told the listening crowd, “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (v.11).

Jesus’ tribute captured the essence of the desert-dwelling, straight-preaching John, who was maligned and misunderstood as he prepared the way for the Son of God. John’s greatness was more than personal; it was wrapped up in the kingdom of God. He wrote his own eulogy by his actions.

As we ponder what we might say about others at their passing, it’s also good to ask, “What will people say about me when it’s time to say goodbye?” —David C. McCasland

The way we live our lives each day
Makes up our eulogy;
So ask yourself, “When I pass on,
What will be said of me?” —Sper

Living for the Lord today leaves a lasting legacy when we’re gone.

devo from Our Daily Bread, January 29,2008

Genealogy of Jesus

Matthew 1

In the genealogy of Jesus, there were only 4 women mentioned: “Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah's Wife (Bethsheba)”.

Tamar. Genesis 38

In Gen 38, Tamar's husband, Er, was evil in the eyes of the Lord. So God killed him. Now by tradition, the wife must marry the second brother and have a child for the dead first husband. However, the brother refused to fufill his duty by producing an offspring for his older brother. So God killed him too. So at this point, Judah (Er's father) sent Tamar back home in fear of her getting his last son killed. However, Tamar wanted to give her first husband a child so badly, that she resorted to trickery and tricked her father in law by pretending to be a prostitute. Judah pretty much slept with Tamar, thinking she was just a prostitute and gave her his seal and his staff as a pledge. In the end, when Judah found out Tamar was pregnant, he realized she was more righteous than him since he wouldn’t give her his son Shelah. (Gen 39:26)

Tamar's desire to fulfill Jewish law, resembles Jesus fulfilling the law. The salvation of Christ includes fufilling the laws of the OT

Rahab Joshua 2

Rahab was a gentile in Jericho. She only heard about God's name, and through faith of God, she saved the two spies even if it risked her life.

Her actions represents our acceptance of Christ by faith. The salvation of Christ is acceptance by faith

Ruth – Ruth

Ruth was a daughter in law of Naomi and was a Moabite. She was also another Gentile married to a Jew and accepted the laws of Jews. Because of her submission to her mother in law, she married Boaz and was able to be part of the ancestry of Jesus.

The salvation of Christ applies not only to Jews, but to everyone. Everyone who believe (and baptised) will be saved. Mark 16:16

Bethsheba – 2 Samuel 12

David and Bethsheba committed adultery and murder. Yet even though they broke two commandments of the 10 commandments, through true repentance (Psalms 51), God's mercy and grace, extended to forgiveness and acceptance.

In Psalms 51, it is David's cry out to the Lord for forgiveness and it showed how much David really regretted sinning against God.

The salvation of Christ includes forgiveness of sins through true repentance because our God is a gracious and merciful God who delights in our coming home.

Summary:
Despite the lowliness of these women, and how condemnable their actions were, God saw the hearts and the motivations of them and they found acceptance in God's eyes.

News from Men's Group @ Jan 28th, 2:30pm

Hi guys. Just a couple updates for those that are still keeping up or are determined to keep up with this starting this instant.

If you've noticed that your name has been removed from the "posting" duties, it's only because we're starting a fresh, clean slate. We're trying to see who's going to be committed to posting, so if you want in, please respond or get to Jacky, Jono, Allan or the Chong or heck, add yourself back to the roster if you know how. The key is to get a dedicated group to post without forcing anyone to do so against their will. Again, if you're in for posting and getting back to what we had, speak up or forever hold your peace!

Also at the Men's Group Meetings, we're reading through Book of Ecclesiastes, one chapter per week. Come out if you can, Monday @ 1:00pm. We miss you.

With that said... hope your RBK's are starting up again. Let's finish off this term strong guys.

Where are all Gideon's Men? (Part 2)

14 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"
15 "But Lord ," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
~Judges 6:14-15

When we pray to God about our pressing issues, we hope God will solve our problems for us. We want God to just remove these problems from our lives A.S.A.P, and when they don't come timely enough, we wonder where are the wonders God promised. We put questions like, "God why isn't there change?", "God why aren't there any new Christians?", "God why isnt't there anything happening?" yet for some of you, Have you consider that God is answering you by saying: "Go in the strength you have, am I not sending you"

Then suddenly, it hits us, "OMG God is sending me!!!!WHY ME, I'M NOT READY!!!! I HAVE NO/THAT GIFT(S)!!!"
We begin to feel woried, doubtful, we think right away about all the ways we may fail. Never, do we consider that God has already been preparing us for the task. Even if we feel ill-equipped, how often do we pray for the power and guidance to really make change at a post we're called to do. If God is calling us to do a task, Do you think God will call someone to fail?

The problem with the lack of real Christian Men, is not that they are weaker then prior generations, rather we fail to act.

Recap:
Things Men Need:
1)Trust in God
2)Prayer for guidance and power
3)Courage to act

Your brother in Christ,
Allan

Vengeance will be His!

Hebrews 10:26-31 (New International Version)

26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"^[a] and again, "The Lord will judge his people."^[b] 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

"From the Inside" - Hillsong
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace...

----

Hi everyone,

I love that song by Hillsong, definitely one of my favourites. I put it up there, because it's true God is a merciful God. He is a loving God. He is compassionate, pouring mercies upon mercies on us when we are so unfaithful and undeserving.

But, God is also a perfect God. He gave us His son, Jesus Christ, for us...that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life! Anyone who turns down that free gift (v29), is subject to RIGHTLY deserved judgment. And when I say judgment, it is LEGAL. It is the just act of the judge. Raging fire will consume the enemies of God. Consider this a motivation by punishment >=P, to go alongside the encouragements through reward.

So what does this mean to you?
1. For those of us that are sinning, we do get punished for it. The punishment will manifest itself over time. No, it doesn't mean you get robbed of salvation. Yes, it means God disciplines His children so that they grow closer to Him.
2. I know the verses don't talk about evangelism, but people do have a general knowledge of who Jesus Christ is today. We often talk about loving God, and loving others. Well, how loving is it....knowing that your friends or family members are going to hell, because they don't have the free gift of salvation?

I know it's rough to talk about the harsher "reality" of this life, and this is definitely not a dig at any specific person. But, we are fighting a spiritual war. My brothers, I hope you hear the call.

Richard Chong

something to keep in mind

this is the transition in Spiritual Growth:

Thinking (our thoughts) --> actions (behavior) --> habits (both good and bad) --> Character -->Life

if you don't get it then ask me


--Richard Chan

Absolute Needs

John 4:7 - 15

From our first breath until our last, we have few truly essential needs. Without oxygen, we would perish in minutes. We must have food and water. Our bodies, when exhausted, require rest. And in harsh weather, we must seek shelter. So, while we are needy creatures, our basic needs are few.

When it comes to our wants, however, there seems to be no limit. Indeed, the entire advertising industry is devoted to expanding our “needs.”

But what about those basic needs we overlook? What about our need for the Bread of Life and the living water of God’s truth? What about our need for spiritual fellowship that gives strength, hope, peace, and comfort? The vague dissatisfaction so many people experience is really spiritual malnutrition and thirst.

Jesus told a Samaritan woman about water that would become “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). He had what she truly needed—what Peter later called “the words of eternal life” (6:68).

Have we been ignoring the words of Jesus: “Man shall not live by bread alone”? (Luke 4:4). Have we been failing to nourish our souls while pursuing our wants? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). —Vernon C Grounds

Taken from Our Daily Bread

rbk..

Hey everyone,

Sooo.. let's get back on track and start back up rbk. A new semester... a new beginning. We're gonna start back from scratch (0,0). So let's continue from where we were last sem and push each other. Continue to encourage one another and let's set a passion for Him.

The Power of the Word

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture. (1 Timothy 4:13, New International Version)

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:11-16
Song: "Give Me the Bible"

Ed and Sharon looked for ways to involve the entire congregation in the Sunday services. The senior minister carried a heavy load with teaching the adult class as well as preaching during the Sunday morning serivce. However, although faithful, the memebrs did not seem to take an active role. With no personal investment, they took little away to strengthen them for the coming week.

Ed and Sharon had an idea. First, they approached the minister and asked if a few minutes each Sunday could be used for the public reading of the Bible. He agreed, so they asked people form the congregation to volunteer to read a few verses of Scripture on selected Sundays during the coming months.

As the weeks passed, a transformation occurred. The Word became alive. Each time someone rose to read the Bible, that person became God's oracle to the congregration. God was stirring hearts. Even those who were timid seemed to speak with strength and boldness. It brought confirmation to the minitster's words, and blessed the congregation. A spritual refreshing swept through them all.

Prayer: Lord, remind me of the power that Your Word holds when read aloud-the power to build my faith as I hear it, and the power to change my life as I remember it throughout my day. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

Today...

Today instead of putting a devo here, i'm challenging everyone else to do something different. Today, spend 20 minutes meditating on a passage. Doesn't matter how long, or how short, just spend 20 minutes meditating on it.

Once that's done, spend just 2 minutes in silence and listen to what God is telling you. Spend the full 2 minutes in silence and REALLY listen. It's okay if nothing happens, but try it.

After that, tell me about your experience. What did you read, and how did it go? How did the 2 minutes go?

Begin.

Blessing

"but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because The Lord your God loves you". Deuteronomy 23:5

Blessing - This word is barak. To receive a blessing in the Old Testament is to receive something favorable from someone greater. The paradigm of this action is the transmission a of blessing from God to Man. Throughout the Old Testament, the central idea of God's blessing is that bountiful life depends solely upon the goodness and faithfulness of God. God is the only source of blessing to the extent that God gives life itself. No man, no ritual, no religion, no other power is capable of giving and sustaining life. Amazingly, God is not stingy with His desire to offer this blessing. He does not have to be talked into giving it. He is anxious and willing to provide blessing to all who trust Him. This verse speaks most eloquently to those of us in recovery. We know the curse of our addiction. Yet God promises to turn that curse into a blessing for no other reason than that He loves us. Our addiction can become the sacred curse, the one thing in our lives that brought us to our knees, forced us to admit powerlessness and find God's grace. A blessing in disguise. By the way, this word also means "to kneel". Isn't that exactly what we had to do when we finally came to the end of ourselves?

A priest once told me that were it not for the numbing effects of our addictions, we would probably all have committed suicide. The temporary anesthetic enabled us to finally face our powerlessness and seek help. The purpose of the addiction, from God's perspective, was to get us to the place where we were used up and ready for His blessing. But addictions have no power to give life. They are lies of the highest magnitude, disguising death as something worth having. God offers us a complete turn around, taking what was a curse to us and turning it into the doorway to His grace. Maybe that's why James says that we should count it a blessing when we fall into temptation. Each temptation is a reminder that God took our personal hell and made heavenly joy from it.

- Taken from Today's Word

The Call of the Natural Life

"When it pleased God to reveal His Son in me...." (Galatians 1:15-16)

The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of god is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of natural life was stated by the apostle Paul- "when it pleased God... to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles...."

Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God's call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when i receive His nature and hear his call, His divine voice resounds throughout his nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals himself in me, and out of devotion to him service becomes my everyday way of life

devo from My Utmost For His Highest

What On Earth Are We Doing

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31

“What on earth are you doing?!” You may have heard that phrase when your mom told you to clean your room and found you playing with your toys instead, or maybe when your teacher caught you passing notes in class.

But if God were to ask you this question, how would you respond?

Paul tells us that as followers of Jesus we have been put on this earth to bring glory to God in everything we do. So what should that look like?

God’s glory is the manifestation of all that He is in His unsurpassed, stunning perfection. It is His amazing love, His wide mercy, His deep grace. His glory is seen in His truth, justice, wisdom, and power. To glorify Him means that we have the high privilege of showing Him off in a world that is totally unaware of what He is really like. Acts of mercy to the undeserving, grace to the needy, forgiveness to an offender, living wisely according to His will—all give glorious visibility to the character and quality of our God.

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around about God. It’s our job to let others see what He is really like. And, when they like what they see, let’s be sure to let them know who taught us to live like that. It’s not a good idea to steal God’s glory! —Joe Stowell

Devotion from Our Daily Bread January 16, 2008

Where are all Gideon's Men? (Part 1)

14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
~Joshua 24:14-15
Amen

I am going to list 14 things, and I would like you to put these in order of how much time you spend thinking about each item in an ordinary day (please be as honest with yourself as possible), let’s begin:

Girls
The Guys
Cars
Games
School
Career
God
Family & Friends
Drugs & Alcohol & Porn
Daily Problems
Make up, hair product etc.
Shopping
Clothes & Accessories
Other

(god=Idea of God and God = Our Triune Creator)

god is the thing we do most; the very thing we focus on; the thing that we invest our lives in. We tell the World about our god, in the way we spend our time. We show them Christian ideas, by the way we live our lives. Our god is the headship of our lives.

When you put the 14 items in Order, which item was number 1? Which item, took up the most time in your day. For I propose that (at least the 1st reason) why many of Gideon's men are missing is because of this very problem: God is not at the Head.

In the movie called, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Ricky's father said something to Ricky like this "If your not first, your last". Though at the time it seeme quite funny, this has a very Christian ring to it. If God is not first, he is last.

Therefore my brothers, I ask you to come back to Christ. Put Jesus Christ at the head of you life and see for yourself the difference he makes in your life. A life with Christ has a dramatic transformation, that you begin to see actual fruits and change.

Israel stood against thousands of men, and God called Gideon to prepare 300 men to fight. Gideon that day was victorious because of God. I ask you to listen to God now, and hear God's call again, to prepare another 300 men. Not to fight this time, but to help create A God fearing nation, ready to do his Work. Will you take up the Call?

~Allan

Take His Commands to Heart!

1 Peter 6:5-11

This is pretty much at the end of Peter's letter. What I'm trying to do more is to actually read and take to heart each of the verses that I read. I encourage you to do the same.

Examples,
v6 - Humble yourself - God will exalt you at the proper time
v7 - Any worries - cast them on Him, for He cares for you.
v8 - Be alert - the devil seeks to devour you LIKE A LION! And everyone knows that Daniel killed a lion...and A BEAR....
v9 - Resist temptation - your brothers are doing the same. How's everyone's rbk?
v10 - For after suffering a little while, God PERFECT, CONFORM, STRENGTHEN, and ESTABLISH you!

Bah! There's much more to talk about! But let's do it in person!

-Richard

No Barriers

They might bring us into bondage; to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:4,5).

Scripture: Galatians 2:1-10
Song: “The Song of the Soul Set Free”

I walked through a wide archway into a spacious religious building far from my homeland. It was Sunday, and my tour group decided to attend a Christian service unlike any I had experienced. Gilded ornaments and jewel-like windows seemed to shout for attention. Yet my mind was focused on the focal point of the service, the partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

As we all stood up to sing a hymn in a language unknown to me, I glanced around at the smiling faces and listened with joy to the loud, happy voices. These people, I thought, were strangers to me and practiced many traditions unique to their culture. And yet they were also my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

This was the attitude of Paul with the Galatians. He stood against anyone who wanted to divide believers based on traditions such as dietary regulations or, in this case, rules about circumcision. He wrote that the saving work of Christ flowed out to all believers by grace-not according to what customs or traditions we many follow.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to treat out Christian brothers and sisters as You would have us do-unhindered in our love for each other and for You. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

- taken from 365 Devotions by Standard (Pocket Edition)

Exceedingly Abundantly

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." - Ephesians 3:20

At times we feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspirations (Psalms 8:3-4). You will never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater than He could do in and through your life. Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God's will for his life (Philemon 3:7-8)

Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore be pleased with us. Until we have heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become or all that God could accomplish through us.

We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the "big picture," that His power far exceeds our limited imagination. We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow God's direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful presence. How could we be satisfied with anything less?

Today's Word

Expedient - The Greek word (sunphero) is a combination word. It comes from sun (which means "together") and phero (which means "to bring"). We get the English word "sum" as in adding up things from this Greek prefix (sun). So, the idea is to bring things together in one place. The concept is to profit from some addition. Paul is saying that while everything is available for the Christian who is no longer a slave to the Law, not everything adds up to making life better. Some things that might seem acceptable or even unacceptable, we avoid just because they do not add to our lives.

Paul is making a great point about the freedom that comes under Christ. God no longer holds our sins against us. We have been forgiven. We are seen as though we have the holiness of Christ. The demands of the moral law have been met in Christ's atonement his death for us. Technically, this means that we no longer live under the law. But even though we have technical freedom, we realize that there are aspects of freedom that are not beneficial for us. As believers, we are called to grow into the character of Christ. Some things we don't do just because they don't take us on the growth path.

After we experience the release of guilt, after we know the joy of forgiveness, we sometimes discover that old patters and relationships interfere with our desire to become what God intends us to be. Some activities need to be set aside, not because they are technically "wrong" but because they don't add up for our new way of living. Paul tells us to keep careful track of the addition. Make sure you are getting the right totals. When you add up things in your life, bring the combination before God and let Him sort out the answers. He will tell you what to subtract. Let God do the math!

Luke 15: 11-32

The Parable of the Lost Son

11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.^[b]'

22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Taken from Biblegateway.com

Trembling at God's Word

Do you tremble when God speaks? When was the last time you were physically affected by the reality that almighty God just spoke directly to you? John lost all his physical strength when God spoke to him (Rev 1:17); Paul fell to the ground when Christ met him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4); Moses trembled when God spoke to him (Acts 7:32); and Peter, when he realized who Jesus was, "fell down at Jesus' knee, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'" (Luke 5:8).

Have you lost your sense of awe that the Creator still chooses to speak to you, His creation? Do you approach the reading of your bible with a holy expectation, listening for the life-changing words that God has for you that day? Scripture says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). There are things you will see and hear out of your fear and reverence for God that you will not experience in any other way.

As you study you bible, you may sense that God has something to say directly to you through the verses you are reading. Take a moment to consider the awesome reality that the God who spoke and created a universe is now speaking to you. If Jesus could speak and raise the dead, calm a storm, cast out demons, and heal the incurable, then what affect might a word from Him have upon your life? The possibilities should cause you to tremble! The next time you open God's Word, do so with a sense of holy expectations.

devo taken from January 4th : Experiencing God Day-By-Day

Pray.

1 Thessalonians 5:17: (NASB)

"Pray without ceasing;"

It doesn't get much clearer than that.

-Richard