Conversation with God

After the Apostles delegated the day-to-day responsibilities of ministry to Stephen and others, they devoted themselves to the most important part of their remaining responsibilities - talking with God and seeking His direction. This passage helps us understand how they did it. The apostles's conversations with God were two way. First one is "They SPOKE to GOD through PRAYER", and the second one is "They LISTENED to GOD through the WORD." Initially, they were fortunate enough to have heard from the Word directly, but as the eye witnesses to Christ died, believers were able to turn to the written Word to hear God speak. That same source is available to us today in the written and inspired BIBLE.

"WHEN WE MEDITATE ON THE WORD, 

THE FATHER SPEAKS TO US, AND WHEN WE PRAY, 

WE SPEAK TO THE FATHER".

Let's teach our kids this skill of "conversing" with God.

Promise of God #119

Isaiah 51:11 WEB

The ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and come with singing to Zion;
and everlasting joy shall be on their heads.
They shall obtain gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
  

The Bible says in Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the Lord is our strength. In John 17:13, in His high priestly prayer to His Father, Jesus tells His Dad that He wants us to have the full measure of His joy. In Romans 14:17, Paul the Apostle writes... For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (NIV) 

There is no question that the joy of the Lord is our inheritance and today's promise tells us that God's everlasting joy will be upon our heads! While we know the culmination of this promise will be in heaven, my prayer today is that we would experience a measure of the joy of the Lord here on earth. In Isaiah 61 we read that weeping lasts for the night, but joy comes in the morning! Hallelujah for that promise!

Psalm 16:11 says... You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.(ESV) There is no question in my mind that God is filled with joy and He wants us to be filled with joy too! May you and I experience an increased outpouring of the joy of the Lord today, and may His joy drive all sorrow and mourning away!

Photo by Barry Adams

God's Plan not ours

Promise of God #118

Revelation 21:4 WEB

He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more.
The first things have passed away.”
  

Today's promise tells us of a day that is coming when God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eye. On that great and glorious day, there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more reason for tears and no more pain.

All of the memories of the suffering of this world will vanish in the light and love of our Father's embrace. God Himself will wipe away every tear that we have cried and He promises to take away all the pain that we have suffered on this earth.

May this promise bring hope to those who are in the midst of difficult circumstances. May this promise bring comfort to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. One day, we will see Jesus face to face and we will be taken up on the lap our heavenly Father. May this promise bring much joy to our hearts and anticipation to living forever in the embrace of the One who loves us with an everlasting love.

Photo by Eric Boldt

Promise of God #116

Luke 12:31 WEB

But seek God’s Kingdom,
and all these things will be added to you.
 

Today's Bible verse is an excerpt from a larger text found in Luke 12:22-34 where Jesus is talking about some of the major things we worry about... Food, clothing, shelter. He encourages us to not to worry about these things because we have a loving Father who has promised to provide for us. Jesus uses illustrations of the birds of the air and the lilies in the field to get His point across, that God provides for all that He created. 

The premise of today's promise is this... Your Father in heaven knows what you need and He will be faithful to provide because that is what good fathers do for their kids. Since we do not have to carry the burden of looking after ourselves, we can be free to focus on our heavenly Father's kingdom and be about His business.

Personally I have found this text of Scripture to be very challenging at times in my life. Jesus actually says that we do not need to give any thought for our life. I don't know about you, but I find that difficult to comprehend. Yet, Jesus told us that it is possible to live such a care-free life that we can actually live without worry. 

My prayer today for all of us is that we would take God at His Word. I know if we can truly do this, the end result will be a life free from worry and anxiety to the degree which we can trust Him with our lives. When we seek Him with all our heart, He looks after all of the other details in our lives!

Photo by Barry Adams

Right from the Heart - Purpose for Living

Purpose for Living

What is your purpose for living? Have you ever taken time to pursue in the rat race of life and figure out why you're in it?

I recommend developing a life purpose statement. A man once told me his purpose statement was to "Get all you can; can all you get; and sit on the can!" I hope that when you develop your purpose statement, It'll be more than that.  Don't be shortsighted, focusing on this life alone. Keep eternity in mind. God created all of us for a purpose. What's yours?

Here's a hint. Knowing God has put you on this earth for a purpose becomes clear when you get to know the person of Jesus Christ. With Him, it's amazing how all things become clear. Otherwise, you end up like the masses, too busy to take time to know why you're here and too lost to know where you're going.

Are you racing through life going nowhere fast? Stop for a second. Look to God in Christ and discover the purpose of your life.

"Whoever has the Son has life;

whoever does not have God's Son does not have life."

1 John 5:12

Right from the Heart - Friends

Friends


What is your definition of true friendship?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Happy is the house the shelters a friend," and "A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere and before him I may think aloud. The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one."

Walter Winchell defines a friend as "one who walks in when others walk out." Someone else has said a friend is "a man who laughs at your funny stories, even when they ain't so good, and sympathizes with your misfortunes, even when they ain't so bad."

As for me, a friend is the "one who always be there for you no matter what, who will stand before you and fight for you till the end."

Do you have a friend? Do you know true friendship?

Many, I'm sad to say, have to answer no. The good news is this: you can have a best friend forever. That friend is Jesus Christ. I encourage you to get to know Him. You'll never be disappointed. He'll always be there with you.

"A friend is always loyal, and a brother or a sister 

is born to help in time of need."

Proverbs 17:17

Right from the Heart - Use it or Lose it

Use it or Lose it

I have friends who are learning to speak Spanish. They are struggling with different sounds, different words. Acquiring a new skill takes practice and patience. You have heard the cliche, "Use it of lose it." My friends realize that they have to use the few Spanish words they know or they will quickly forget them. We must use what we know, or we don't retain knowledge.

The principle applies in the spiritual dimensions as well. Faith in God is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. The manual for getting this muscle in shape is the Bible, and the personal trainer is Jesus Christ. If you submit yourself to His leadership and His guidance, you will discover how to use the faith muscle every day. It's either use it or lose it.

"You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus."

2 Timothy 3:15

Promise of God #115

2 Timothy 2:13 WEB

  If we are faithless, he remains faithful.
He can’t deny himself.”
 

This is an absolutely wonderful promise! What a picture of the love and kindness of God! Even when we struggle in our faith, He will remain faithful to us because we are part of Him and He can't deny himself. The New Living Translation says ... If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. (NLT)

The Bible says in 1 John 4:16 that God is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes the attributes of love. God will remain faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him because that is who He is. Love believes all things, hopes for the best, never gives up.  If you are struggling today with your faith, don't give up because God won't give up on you! He loves you with all His heart and He has promised to be faithful even in the times when you are not. 

My prayer for each one of us today is that we would see our God and Father for who He really is. He is the complete expression of love and His desire is that we would yield to His relentless pursuit of our hearts and simply let Him love us more today than He did yesterday. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Proverbs 3:3-4

Promise of God #114

Psalm 40:1 WEB

I waited patiently for Yahweh. 
He turned to me, and heard my cry.
 

It was King David who wrote this psalm. He was a man who knew a lot about learning to be patient in the midst of extreme hardship. As a teenage boy, he was anointed king of Israel by the prophet Samuel, only to then wait many years to see it come to pass. In between the promise and the fulfillment there was much heartache and suffering.

Not long after the promise, things were looking good for David. He slayed a giant named Goliath, married the king's daughter and was a national hero in Israel. Then for reasons outside of David's control, his father-in-law, King Saul, became jealous and decided to hunt David down to kill him. 

For many years, David was on the run, hiding in caves and hanging out with some of the most disreputable men of the day. But then a series of events happened that made him king of all Israel. After much heartache and disappointment, David finally saw the fulfillment of God's promise that he would one day become king. 

So when David says, I waited patiently for the Lord and He heard my cry, he knew what he was talking about. No matter what trials you are facing today, God is faithful. As we continue to look to Him to fulfill all the promises He has made to us, may we find strength and encouragement in today's promise... Wait patiently for Me and I will hear your cry. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #113

Ephesians 3:17-19 WEB

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love
which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
  

Today's promise is part of the amazing prayer that the Apostle Paul prays for the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 3:14-21. In this prayer, Paul makes his requests known to the Father from whom His family in heaven and earth is named after (v 14 & 15) that He might strengthen our inner man by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

The whole point of this prayer is that the Holy Spirit would root us deeply in the love of God so that we would have power to be able to know (grasp, understand) the vastness of His immeasureable love that has been given to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The love that God has for us cannot be comprehended any other way. It is far too great for us to be able to grasp in our human understanding. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to make God's love a reality to us. In Romans 5:5, Paul says that God has poured out His love into our hearts by His Spirit. 

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would have a love encounter with God through the personal working of His Holy Spirit. I pray that the Spirit of God would give us power to grasp how deep, how wide, how long and how high His love is for us and that we would be filled to the full measure of God's fullness with His everlasting, unending love!

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #112

James 1:5 WEB

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.
   

God loves it when we ask Him for things we need. In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus encourages us to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking and our heavenly Father will give us what we need. In today's promise, we read that we can ask God for wisdom and He is glad to give it to us. 

We all need wisdom to navigate through this life. So what wisdom do you need today that you do not yet have? The New International Version Bible says James 1:5 this way... If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (NIV) 

Simply ask your heavenly Papa for the wisdom you need and He will generously give it to you without finding fault in your asking. God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children. As a matter of fact, every good and perfect gift comes from Him because He is the Father of Lights (James 1:17). 

My prayer is that we would all live our lives looking to our Dad for heavenly wisdom, knowing that He is ready, willing and able to generously pour out all the wisdom that we need when we need it. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Jeremiah 29:11

Sing Praises to the LORD

Promise of God #111

James 2:5 WEB

Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world
to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
   

The gospel is good news for the poor. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 that blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3). In today's Scripture, James is reminding us that God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs to the glorious kingdom that He promised to all who loved Him.

May this promise give strength to the weak, hope to the hopeless and encouragement to every person who feels like they are not living 'on top of the food chain' in the system of the world. God is for the underdog. He has always been for the lowly heart because He Himself is lowly in heart. 

The kingdom of God is a kingdom where the weak will be made strong, the poor will be made rich, and the foolish will be made wise (1 Corinthians 1:36-30). The more that we see that the gospel is about God doing for us what we could not do for ourselves, the more we will rejoice in His promise to make us rich in faith and heirs to His glorious kingdom. For me, this really is good news! ...That means I qualify! 

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #110

Ephesians 6:9 WEB

You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening,
knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,
and there is no partiality with him.
  

In today's Scripture verse, Paul the Apostle is giving instruction to the Church on how masters should treat their servants. He reminds them that they also have a Master in heaven who doesn't show favoritism so we should be careful not to mistreat those who are under our own supervision either. 

Ephesians 6:9 in the New International Version Bible says it this way... And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (NIV) 

God does not play favorites! Every son and daughter is equal at His table. Of course we are called to submit to every authority that God has instituted in heaven and on earth, but it is clear that God does not favor one of His kids over the other. The truth of the matter is that we are ALL His favorites!

There is only one speed in which our God and Father can love... and that is with ALL His heart. In John 17:23, Jesus while praying to His Father says... I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (ESV) 

The Father loves you and I with the same love that He loves Jesus! It is a wonderful thought to think that we are loved that much, but it is true. God does not show favortism in His family. He loves ALL of us with ALL His heart.

Photo by Barry Adams

God's Love

The one who comes from above is above all.

The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.

But the one who comes from heaven is above all.

He testifies to what He has seen and heard,

but no one accepts His testimony.

Whoever does accept His testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.

For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.

He does not ration His gift of the Spirit.

The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to Him.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,

but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,

but wrath of God remains upon him.

John 3:31-36

What earthly pleasures hinders me from seeking the pleasures of heaven?

Promise of God #108

Isaiah 12:2 WEB

Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.”
    

God loves it when we trust Him. Trusting God is truly committing our lives into His care and not trying to manage life all on our own. In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are encouraged to trust in the Lord with all our heart and to not lean to our own understanding. God wants us to lean into His care today and not depend upon our own ability to manage life. 

When we realize that our God and Father is indeed trustworthy, then we will not be afraid of anything that comes our way. We will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the LORD is our strength and our song and our very salvation. However, before we can truly enjoy the benefits of living a fearless life filled with God's strength and His song, we need to deal with the trust issue. 

God wants to restore childlike trust to each one of us. The trust that was broken when we were little children can be restored in our relationship with our heavenly Dad because He is indeed trustworthy in every way. My prayer is that we would all would trust in our Abba more today than we did yesterday and that our ability to trust in God would increase every day for the rest of our lives. 

God is our salvation. We will trust in His goodness and not be afraid. He is our strength and the song that we sing every day. Hallelujah for such a wonderful salvation!

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #109

2 Samuel 22:36 WEB

You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
Your gentleness has made me great.
     

In today's Scripture verse, King David is making a declaration that God's gentleness has made him great. The Hebrew word for 'great' is pronounced 'rabah' and means to increase, excel, abundance, enlarge, etc. David acknowledged that it was the kindness and gentleness of God that was the reason for the expansion in his life which led to his greatness.

It is God's love for us that makes us great. Not our own ability to manage life. A friend of mine says that we can never be worthy enough for love, but it is love that makes us worthy. David knew that this was the secret to his own success. It wasn't his own ability that made him great, but the kindness of a God who loved to show him mercy.

The gentleness of our God makes us great too. Jesus told us that we would do greater things than He did because He was going to the Father (John 14:12). My prayer today is that faith would rise up in our hearts because of the kindness of God and Father. It is the love that He has for us that will make us great. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Right from the Heart - WHAT A MAN AND A WOMAN MOST NEEDS FROM HIS/HER WIFE/HUSBAND

WHAT A MAN MOST NEEDS FROM HIS WIFE

So many wives are clueless about what their husbands need the most. They often make the mistake of thinking his greatest need is like hers - the need for romantic love. But the husband's greatest need is for respect. This is how God has wired him. So, wives, how can you live this out?

Praise him. Build him up, in a world where he often gets beaten down. Just think how much you like to hear the words, "I love you," and praise him just that much and more.

Seek to be his best friend. With his wife, he needs support, not competition. For the most part, men are not as relational and verbal as women. 

Have a willingness to follow his lead. You're kidding! In the 21st century you want me to follow his lead? Try it. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

If this makes you mad, argue with God, not me. It's from His Book. This is how you really respect your husband. When he senses these thing,. it's amazing how much he will strive to please you and respect what you have to say.

"As the church submits to Christ, 

so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything"

Ephesians 5:24

WHAT A WIFE MOST NEEDS FROM HER HUSBAND

Dr. James Dobson was asked, "Why are men so insensitive to women's needs  today?"

He answered, "I question whether men have really changed all that much. I doubt if men ever responded as women preferred. Did the farmer of a century ago came in from the fields to say, 'Tell me how it went with the kids today? No. He was as oblivious to his wife's nature then as husbands are today."

So men, if you're struggling to meet your wife's needs, the Bible gives a few tips:

1)Physical affection. Not just sex, but a tender touch which may include a few hugs through this day.

2)Security. Physical, financial and emotional ..... a wife desires security in all its forms.

3)Understanding. Listening more than telling her what to do.

4)Reassurance. Knowing you think she's beautiful, in a society of constant comparison.

5)Spiritual leadership. Not dictatorship, but servant leadership, like Christ for His church.

These are what a wife needs from her husband.

"For husbands, this means love your wives, 

just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her."

Ephesians 5:25

Right from the Heart - TIME

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.

He did this, not because we deserved it,

But because that was His plan from before

The beginning of time,

To show us His grace through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:9

Do you hear the clock ticking? Time keeps moving on. It never stops for anyone - no matter how important are. We just can't find enough of that stuff. The late Jim Croce sang about bottling time. But one thing's for sure - God wants us to be good stewards of our time, but we'll never be able to until we're clear about our purpose for living. The starting point is knowing why we're here.

First, ask God to help you develop a life-purpose statement. It will take some time, but it's the best time you'll ever invest. Know why you're here. Second, decide each day what's most important for you to do that day, and do it. By having a clear purpose, and doing the most important thing each day, God can revolutionize your life and help you make the most of your time.

Promise of God #107

James 4:8 WEB

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
   

I love this promise from God in today's Scripture verse. God is waiting for you and I to come close to Him. Through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, He has made the first move and has come as close to us as possible. All we have to do is simply acknowledge His willingness to come close to us and take a step towards Him.

Just like the father in the Prodigal Son story in Luke 15, God is waiting and watching for us to turn to Him in order that He might take us up in His arms and embrace us for the rest of our lives. He is not expecting us to jump through all kinds of hoops to get to Him, He just wants us to turn our hearts toward Him today.

My prayer is that we will all realize the truth that God is waiting for us to come close. May each one of us have the courage just to take one baby step towards our heavenly Dad and watch how He responds. When we come close to our Father, He is ready, willing and able to come close to us!

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #106

Deuteronomy 33:12 WEB

Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of Yahweh shall dwell in safety by him.
He covers him all the day long. He dwells between his shoulders.”
   

Today's Scripture verse comes from Deuteronomy 33 where Moses is pronouncing a blessing on all of the tribes of Israel before he dies. The New International Version Bible says Deuteronomy 33:12 this way...  About Benjamin he said: “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” (NIV)

What an amazing picture of intimacy is painted between God and Benjamin. Moses calls Benjamin the beloved of the LORD who will enjoy the Lord's covering all day long as he rests between God's shoulders. I believe that every promise that God has made to the beloved of the LORD is a promise that we too can claim as our own because we too are God's loved ones. 

Our God and Father invites us to rest between His shoulders today and live in a place of complete safety in Him. He is our covering and truly a place where we can 'let down our hair' and relax. My prayer today is that this promise would become real to each one of us so that we might truly be able to rest in the arms of our heavenly Father. 

Photo by Carl Dyck

Prayer Request - Please pray for the Soul of Topeng Igga

O Almighty God, Who by the love which You have for men, 

have willed to take our humanity, to live a life of hard work,

 to suffer a most cruel Passion, and finally to die on the Cross, 

I beseech You, 

by the infinite merits purchased for us with Your Precious Blood, 

look mercifully on the suffering 

which is endured by the holy souls in Purgatory. 

Accept, O merciful God, the prayers which I offer for them, 

and call them to the glory of heaven. 

I recommend to You the souls of my relatives, 

friends, and benefactors, and in a special manner 

of those to whom I may have been 

an occasion of sin by my bad example.

Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Comforter of the Afflicted,

 intercede for those souls, that, by your powerful intercession, 

they may be admitted to enjoy that kingdom which is prepared for them. 
Amen.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Promise of God #105

Psalm 1:1-3 WEB

1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
   

Today's promise contains the first three verses of the first chapter in the book of Psalms. What a way to start this wonderful book. These precious verses tells us that we will live a blessed life when we choose not to take counsel from the world system but to delight in the Word of the living God. 

We are told that if we delight in the Lord and in His Word, we will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, always bearing fruit in the appropriate season, all the while living a prosperous life. I don't know about you, but when I read Psalm 1:1-3, my heart cries out, I want to be that man! I want to live a life that is pleasing to my God and to delight, meditate and be a manifestation of His Word to every one around me. 

Simply put, God loves us and He wants to bless us in every way. When we listen to Him, when we delight in what He delights in, we have His promise of being fruitful. My prayer today is that we would all say yes and amen to this promise and claim it as our very own. May each one of us love what our Father loves, and choose to live a life of delighting in His ways. 

Photo by Barry Adams