Think of it … male and female animals being drawn by God’s Spirit to the ark built by Noah.  And they did it without GPS.

We are told that adult salmon return like clockwork to the spawning streams where their lives began after swimming around in a big ocean for thousands of miles.  No GPS!

God has a plan for our lives, and He is great enough to direct us by His Spirit.  Listen for His voice.

DAILY PRAYER:  Father, I marvel at Your greatness as displayed in nature and in the story of Noah and the ark.  Reveal Your greatness in my life.

DAILY READING:  Gen. 7-10

After Cain had slain Abel, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?”

Cain’s reply was, “I don’t know.  Is it my job to take care of my brother?”

It IS OUR JOB to take care of our brothers and sisters in God’s family.  God did not intend for us to cope with this life alone.  If you have a Christian friend who is in need, immediately do what you can to show them care.  A visit, a flower, a meal, a phone call of encouragement … these are the care packages we all need.

DAILY PRAYER:  Father, forgive us for being so self-centered.  Grace us to reach out in care to someone today.

[One of the Trinity dads had an accident yesterday and is hospitalized.  Please pray for him.)

DAILY READING:  Gen. 4-6

I’ve lived long enough to verify that teaching God’s Word to your children is one of the most beneficial things you can do to insure that their lives will be successful. (Josh. 1:8)  As parents, God instructs us to discuss His words and ways with them “over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you’re at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning.”  (Deut. 6:7)

Join me for another year of reading through the Bible.  This helps us as parents, teachers and leaders to fill our hearts and minds with God’s principles.  He speaks to us through His Word.

“Blessed is the person who hears Me,watching at My door every day … wanting to be with Me.” (Prov. 8:34)

DAILY PRAYER:  Father, wake us up early each day to hear You.  We are desperate for Your direction in our lives.

DAILY READING:  Gen. 1-3

Peter declares that “God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven” … and that “God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you get there safely to receive it because you are trusting him.  So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here.”  [1 Pet. 1:4-6]

God is using His power and resources to see to it that we get to heaven.  We don’t have to tough it out alone.  Our constant faith and trust are a big key.  Also, a fixed focus on our prize makes the tough times of this life seem minor compared to the rewards of living for Christ.

Hold on!

DAILY PRAYER:  Father, thank You for Your grace that fuels our ability to live this life successfully.

DAILY READING:  1 Pet. 1

It’s easy to say you’ll always do the right thing, but your metal will be tested when doing the right thing opposes your will … or the way you’ve always done it … or if it means loss to you.

The journey of life is a series of choices your will must make.  It really all boils down to whose will wins; yours or God’s.  God has clarified His Will in His Word.  Knowing the Lord and His Word is the biggest step to living a life that pleases Him.  Then, receive His grace to do His will in every little decision of life, especially when you want to do it your way.  His Spirit and His Word will be talkin’ to you.

… is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  2 Tim. 3:16

Many seem to live on “Survival Bible” ie. squeaking by with a minimum of scripture reading, or randomly opening the Bible and dropping your finger on a verse, or relying solely on the key scriptures from your pastor’s Sunday sermon.

Gotcha!

To quote Joshua, “This book of the law SHALL NOT depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate THEREIN day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to ALL that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”  Josh. 1:8  (KJ)

This Thursday, August 13th, you can begin reading or listening through the entire Bible in a year with me.  We will begin with Genesis chapter one.  Please join me.

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT.”

So goes a song I learned in Sunday School in the 1950s.

Luke records Jesus to have said that we are worth more than a flock of sparrows, each one of which God watches closely. Peter describes us as God’s purchased possession. Zechariah declares that God protects us as the “apple of His eye.”

Christ gave the greatest indication of your worth when He gave His life to redeem you from your sin.

Take care, you are VALUABLE.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, grace me today to give my life to You in ways that please You.  You paid the greatest price for my salvation.

DAILY READING:  Luke 12

John, to whom the Revelation was given, described the New Jerusalem as needing no light because the Lord God will shine so brightly that there will be no night, and no need for a candle or the light of the sun.

Jesus declared in His ministry that He was the light of the world, and that His followers were likewise lights that shine in darkness.  In fact, we are known as “Children of the Light.”

In contrast, His enemies love darkness, the absence of light.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, grace us to work daily to build Your Kingdom while we still have light.

DAILY READING:  Phil. 2

Jesus instructed His disciples, when they prayed, to say, “Hallowed be Thy name.”  God would not let Moses into the promised land because he did not “Sanctify the Lord’s name.”  At the waters of Meribah, he struck the rock instead of speaking to it for water to come out. To hallow the Lord’s name means to sanctify His name.  If Moses would have only spoken to the rock, God would have caused water to come out.  For us to hallow His name, we merely need to remove the “h” of hallow (the “h” for human) and simply “allow” God to do it.

When we allow Him to do it, He gets the glory.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, we want to sanctify Your name today.  Show Your power through us.

DAILY READING:  Matt. 6

All the compaound names of God in the Old Testament described what He would do or be to His peole.  We hallow His name when we “allow” Him to do it, through prayerfully asking Him.

A verse that changed my life is Prov. 8:34 … “Blessed is the man that hears Me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”  Some key elements to this verse are watching and waiting daily.  The walk of faith can only get stronger when we feed our spirit man on a daily basis.  Whomever you feed daily will get stronger, and whomever you starve will get weaker.

I encourage you to try listening to God’s Word on a daily basis by using the audio Bibles available on Biblegateway.com … I have done this for nearly the past year. It has been so refreshing and helpful.

Paul said we truly receive God’s Spirit as we hear with faith, responding and believing what we hear from His Word.  [Gal. 3:2]

Get some headphones and plug in!

DAILY PRAYER:  Father in heaven, wake me up early every day to hear more of Your voice.

DAILY READING:  Prov. 8, Gal. 3