Thought for the day...

FOR YOU

In the jam-packed chapter Romans 8, we can very easily overlook this simple statement — “God is for us” — at the beginning of Paul’s “response to these things.” Paul is saying that because of all the evidence he has just laid out, we can clearly see that God is for us. Unpacking the statement one word at a time, here is what it means:
God — he is the all-powerful, all-knowing, limitless, eternal One, Creator of the universe.
God is — he exists, has always been, and forever will be — he lives.
God is for — he is good, all-loving, personal, involved in his creation, and always seeking the best; he is not “against,” a foe or someone we should avoid.
God is for us — he is on our side, cheering for us, working for us, transforming us into the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). He is ahead of us, leading the way. He is alongside us, standing with us in every situation. He is behind us, our greatest fan. He is under us, providing a sure foundation. He is above us, watching over every move. He is inside us, empowering us to live for him.
God has us surrounded! His love is personal.
And, Paul confidently asserts, because God is for us, no person, no power, and no problem can stand against us. You want proof? God sent his Son to die for us.
God is for you! Live confidently and courageously in the light of that truth.

My awesome Creator, knowing you are for me enables me to . . .

 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:31‭-‬32 NKJV
Romans 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all th | New King James Version (NKJV) | Download The Bible App Now

 

I just finished day 7 of the @YouVersion plan 'NIV Once-A-Day Bible for Men'. Check it out here:
NIV Once-A-Day Bible for Men

 

May 17, 2019
Verse of the Day
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Proverbs 3:7

 

TEMPTATION NATION

Temptation comes in various forms — obvious enticements to break the law, cheat, or forsake a commitment; subtle pressure to flirt with wrong, bend the rules, or delay doing right; nearly invisible urgings to gratify self, shift values, or take the easy way. Through the constant pull of our sinful nature and the consistent attacks of our enemy, Satan, we find ourselves tempted all day, daily. Facing such powerful and continual influences, we may consider giving up and giving in.
When we give in and then are confronted with what we have done, we tend to rationalize, excusing our sinful behavior — just as when Adam and Eve succumbed to the first temptation and blamed someone else. “He made me!” “I wasn’t hurting anyone.” “I’m only human.” “I had needs.” “Everyone’s doing it.”
Instead, we need to resist temptation, rejecting anything that would keep us from doing what is right or push us to do what is wrong.
God is more powerful than any temptation, and he is “faithful,” promising to keep temptation from overwhelming us and to provide an alternative course of action, a way of escape, a “way out.”
So when you are tempted, thank God for trusting you that much — he knows you can bear it. Then ask him what you should do next — look for his way out and take it.
Take God’s way through temptation.

I’m so weak, Lord, but you . . .

 

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
I Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

 

I just finished day 8 of the @YouVersion plan 'NIV Once-A-Day Bible for Men'. Check it out here:
NIV Once-A-Day Bible for Men

 

Very well spoken. Thank you, sir.

 

May 18, 2019
Verse of the Day
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ephesians 6:10

 

Almighty Father, we honor our men and women of the Armed Forces and are thankful for their sacrifice. We give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy and are mindful of the cost. Grant all Armed Forces your protection, encouragement and divine guidance, In Jesus’ name, Amen.
-Armed Forces Day
http://www.if714.org/?p=25263

 

God’s Grace Is for Everybody
By Rick Warren — May 16, 2019


“The promise is not only for those people that live under the law of Moses. It is for anyone who lives with faith like Abraham” (Romans 4:16 ICB).

No matter who you are and no matter what you’ve done, God loves you and wants you to come home to him. He wants to shower his grace on you. He wants to throw a party for you when you return.

The Bible says in Romans 4:16, “The promise is not only for those people that live under the law of Moses. It is for anyone who lives with faith like Abraham” (ICB).

The Jewish people, the nation of Israel, lived under the Law of Moses in the Old Testament. This verse is saying that God’s grace is available not just to Jews who lived under the Law of Moses. It is available to everybody with faith.

That’s amazing news! God’s grace is not just for Jewish people. It’s for all of us. All of us can come to God in the same way: through faith in the grace of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Does “everybody” include short people? Yes. Does it mean rich people and poor people? Yes. Does it include politicians and blue-collar workers? Yes. Does it include people from every ethnic background? Yes. Does it mean people from every country in the world? Yes!

It means everybody. Everybody! God’s grace is available to you.

You can’t understand what it means to have a relationship with God without understanding grace. Without grace, you don’t have any relationship with God. It is the heart of Christianity. It is the heart of following Christ and being a believer. Remember, no matter what you’ve done and no matter who you are, God’s grace is available to you

 

GOOD WORK!

Soon after creating the first man and woman, God put them in the garden and gave them a job to do. Adam was told to “work it and take care of it.” We don’t know what that entailed, exactly, but it was “work.”
Notice that this happened before the fall, that is, before Eve and Adam disobeyed God and sin entered the world. In fact, a chapter later we read, “To Adam [God] said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field” (Genesis 3:17 – 18). Suddenly garden work became much tougher.
Often we can see a job as a necessary evil. We need the money to support ourselves and the family, so we go to work. Or we might see it as merely a means to an end — a paycheck that allows us to buy what we need and want. And when considering our career paths, we often envision a time when we can finally (whew!) retire and enjoy a life of leisure. All these thoughts reveal an antiwork attitude. But God created the world, including Adam and Eve, gave them important tasks to do, and pronounced it “good.”
Instead of dreading Monday when you have to head back to the office, shop, school, or other employment venue, thank God for giving you the opportunity to work. Try to see your job as a gift and as a calling.

Thank you, Lord, for my good job . . .

 

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
Genesis 2:15 NKJV

 

May 19, 2019
Verse of the Day
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

 

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
-Deuteronomy 6:4-5
http://www.if714.org/?p=25139

 

ULTIMATE TRANSFORMER

These qualities are priceless; they can’t be bought or earned. We can’t work them up emotionally by wishing, hoping, visualizing, or gritting our teeth with determination. And they certainly cannot be legislated. But they are available — free — to all who name Christ as Savior.
These qualities are by-products, not goals — “fruit” of the Holy Spirit as he changes us on the inside. That is, they happen naturally as he does his work in us. He gives us love for neighbor and enemy, joy despite circumstances and in sorrow, peace in turmoil and conflict, patient forbearance during daily aggravations and persecutions, kindness in a violent society, goodness when surrounded by corruption, faithfulness though commitment is scarce, gentleness when the prevailing mood is pushy self-centeredness, and self-control in a world of wild hedonism.
These qualities stand in direct opposition to what comes naturally to sinful human beings (as evidenced in daily news reports and entertainment offerings — check out verses 19 – 21) and come directly from God himself.
Do you want overflowing love, ebullient joy, deep peace, strong forbearance, tender kindness, contagious goodness, enduring faithfulness, consistent gentleness, and steady self-control? Yield your will to God and allow him to work in and through you.
God transforms lives!

I submit to you, Holy Spirit . . .