Quote from Forum Archives on January 16, 2001, 9:17 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Whenever I get these verses in the mail I try to make them
available to you, knowing how much our LORD matters in our lives,
but also recognizing how the enemy seeks to devour all of our
time. For some of us, these short verses, thoughts, and prayers
might be useful to keep the ways of God before us during the
week.

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the truth of Your Word and the way that You have
revealed Yourself to us. Help each one of us to recognize Your
Presence among us each day. Help us establish (or reestablish)
the importance of knowing You, and spending time with You. Allow
us to present our bodies and minds to You every day, sacrificing
our own mindful ways to Your ways in order that Your Spirit may
shape who we are and conform us to Your likeness. Amen.

Brother Brian

Weekly Verses from Crosswalk.com
www.crosswalk.com
1/15/00

These verses are taken from TODAY'S VERSE, by Phil Ware
< devotionals.crosswalk.com/TodaysVerse >
We hope they're a blessing to your week!

~~~~~~~~~

MONDAY

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God
Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil,
love good; maintain justice in the courts.

--Amos 5:14-15 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... A whole bunch of folks claim
that God is on their side. In reality, that's not important at
all. The real question is whether we are on God's side! That's
determined more by what we seek and do rather than what we say
and believe. God longs to be with us, but he will not sacrifice
his character to extend us cheap grace, a grace that does not
call us to be like him. He's looking for believers who put their
character where their mouth is.

MY PRAYER... Most Holy God. Your righteousness and holiness are
beyond me and my ability to attain. Yet I long, dear Father, to
be more like you in every way humanly possible. Let me know of
your presence with me as I seek you and your character in my
life. Through Jesus the Righteous One I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

TUESDAY

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.

--Matthew 6:19-20 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... Where do you hide your heart?
What we most value is where we will find our heart. So it is an
important question. You see, we can treasure riches, control,
security, relationships, and even church. Jesus comes to remind
us that it is only by turning loose of the things that most of us
keep as our treasures that we find what is truly treasure.

MY PRAYER... Majestic Father, I pray that out of the riches of
your grace, you may help me find my treasure in you and nothing
else. Today, I want to offer you all that I am and have to your
glory. Through Jesus my example and Savior I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY

Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for
it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

--1 Peter 1:15-16 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... "Holy" is one of those words we
generally associate with the "stained glass ghetto" -- a word
only "church folks" use. That may be true, but it's still a
great concept. Every kid knows that you don't eat hot dogs and
potato chips on china. Mom's china is reserved for "special
company" or "special occasions." Hot dogs are for paper plates
and every day, china is for special events. When God is calling
us to be holy, he's calling us to be china -- something special
just for him, and as Peter emphasizes, just like him.

MY PRAYER... Holy Lord, God Almighty, I come before you knowing
how great the distance is between your holiness and my
commonness. I thank you for making me holy through the sacrifice
of Jesus and by sending your Holy Spirit to live inside of me.
Please receive my life today as a holy offering to you. Through
Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

THURSDAY

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me
free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man
do to me?

--Psalm 118:5-6 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... The beginning of the year has
been a trying time for people I care about. Maybe it's been that
way for you or those you love. My prayer for you, and for them,
is that they may know the comfort of God's presence. Whether
it's the popular little poem "Footprints" or the familiar "Yea
though I walk through the shadow of death, thou art with me," the
presence of the Lord is absolutely vital to standing up against
our anguish! The Lord does long to be with us, especially at
those moments when we feel most alone. He told us that by
experiencing it himself at the cross.

MY PRAYER... I am thankful, O God, that you refused to be God
from a safe distance. Because you came and felt what it was like
to be abandoned, forsaken, and alone, I know I can trust that I
will never be forsaken by you. Please give me a clearer sense of
your presence with me in my life today, I pray through Jesus.
Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

FRIDAY

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of
you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

--Galatians 3:26-29 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... One. Basic, simple, and easy to
understand. When we become Christians through faith and baptism
into Christ, we are made one with all other Christians around the
world. Race, gender, and social status are gone. All that's
left is One, the One, Jesus. Our lives are his and thus are
connected to each other. Our destination is the same, heaven.
Our family is the church. No barriers. No closed doors. We are
one.

MY PRAYER... Abba Father, thank you for adopting me into your
family. May we be one earth now, as we will be when we are all
together around your throne in heaven. I pray for unity among
all those who call upon your name and share your Spirit so the
world may know there is a solution to conflict, strife and
division. Through Jesus our Savior, I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY

God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are
therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be
reconciled to God.

--2 Corinthians 5:19-20 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... The price has been paid. The
ransom is provided. God's judgment was averted, not because of
anything we did to appease him, but by his own sacrifice of Jesus
for our sins. If God has gone to such great lengths to reconcile
us to himself and adopt us into his family, how can we refuse? We
must not! Father God, we offer you our hearts!

MY PRAYER... O Gracious God, I know my sin has broken your heart
and offended your holiness. Words, therefore, cannot communicate
my thankfulness to you. You were hurt by my sin and yet provided
a sacrifice to redeem me from it and reconcile me to you. I
praise you for your grace, thank you for your love, and promise
to share your mercy. Through Jesus my sacrifice I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

SUNDAY

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a
liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen,
cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this
command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

--1 John 4:20-21 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE... Love! The word can mean
anything. Many in the Christian community have tried to define it
by a dictionary or lexicon, not realizing the key word for love,
agape, is defined by action. Before Christians got a hold of
agape, it meant the same thing our word today does: just about
anything! But if you read 1 John, you see what love is by what
God does. God demonstrates his love. He asks us to do the same
for our brothers and sisters. Love must be more than talk, it
must be genuinely demonstrated in action!

MY PRAYER... Precious Father, you have so graciously shared your
love with me. I must confess, in my heart I intend to love others
as you do, but my intentions often get washed away with
"busy-ness" or timidity. Father, through your Spirit, prompt me
to show my love to others in actions rather than just thought and
talk. Through Jesus, your greatest demonstration of love I pray.
Amen.

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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