Day 346: Phil 1:1 - 4:23

The book of Philippians is hands down one of the most encouraging books in the entire Bible. I would venture to say that if you can read through the entire book of Philippians and not even feel a little bit encouraged, there's clearly something wrong with you. I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and opened up this book feeling like the most worthless person in the world and by the time I'm done reading chapter 4, I'm ready to go out and do something for the Lord! In this entire book, Paul reminds us and encourages us in the fact that no matter what we're going through or are about to go through, God is bigger and stronger than any of it. We see that the key to making it through difficult circumstances has nothing to do with our strength or determination, but has everything to do with lifting up our hearts in thanksgiving and allowing God to work through our problems, through our thanksgiving, and through His power to propel us to new heights in Him. God is always faithful to pull us out of any negative situation. We just have to be faithful to rely on Him first.

- Lord, thank You for books like Philippians that we can read to be reminded of Your providential grace and favor in our lives. We know that nothing is impossible through You and all we have to do is set our eyes on You and on Your providence and we can never be let down! -

Day 345: Eph 4:1 - 6:24

Interestingly enough, whereas the first half of the book of Ephesians is all about who we are in Christ, the second half deals with how we should behave in Christ. Sadly, there are alot of believers today who seem to think that because we live under the grace of God, we are allowed to act any way we want and do anything we want because we can just say that we live by grace and then ask God to forgive us and we'll be just fine. But if there's one phrase that clarifies everything, it's 5:1 - "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children. . ." Our job as believers is not to see how close we can get to the line before crossing it or even figuring out where the line is. Our job is to be imitators of Christ and follow God's example. And, yes, as humans we will inevitably slip and fall, but God knows our hearts and if we will set our hearts towards living a life after His example, He will honor that and give us the strength to do it right.

- Lord, I want to spend the rest of my life following Your example. I know that it's not a task I can complete on my own, but with Your help and Your strength, I know I can accomplish anything. -

Day 344: Eph 1:1 - 3:20

The book of Ephesians is the perfect place for someone to look who has not yet discovered their identity in Christ. It's always interesting reading through the book of Ephesians and being reminded that a large number of encouraging verses of scripture that I learned as a little boy can be found in this book of the Bible. I would venture to say that the average believer today has some sort of identity crisis that is holding them back from where and who they need to be in Christ. But when we open up this book and begin learning exactly what God has done for and promised us, we begin to see that God has ". . . blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3)," "in Him we have the redemption through His blood (1:7)," and that "it is by grace that you have been saved (2:8)!" God hasn't made this relationship with Him complicated. It's not some sort of cryptic, enigmatic puzzle that we are bound to try to piece together for the rest of our lives. God lays it all out on the table for anyone who wants it. We all have a very specific identity in Christ and if we will take the time to learn exactly what that is, we can finally starting living who we are in Christ.

- Lord, thank You for revealing to me exactly who I am in You. Help me to never forget who and what You've called me to be. I know that Your Word is the blueprint to my life and if I will know and follow what You have said, I cannot fail. -

Day 343: Gal 4:1 - 6:18

I love this passage because it reminds us and encourages us in the fact that we are not just followers or slaves of the Most High. We're not even just his children, we are the heirs of God and heirs to the promises and covenants that He has offered. It's so easy to look at God and think of Him as some sort of big, omnipresent, being that orchestrates everything according to how He feels, but never really pays attention to us as individuals. But we are reminded in this passage that in being in Christ, we don't just have access to His provision, we are guaranteed through His covenant to receive the full inheritance. We as believers need to understand that all we have to do is know and understand what God has promised us, and step up and accept it and we can have it. There's a big difference between blindly demanding something simply because we think we deserve it and boldly standing before the throne and accepting what has already been promised. If we will stand before the throne with a bold understanding of what God has already promised us, we too can live in the abundant inheritance that God is offering us.

- Father, help me to stay in Your Word so that I can fully know and understand the inheritance that You have promised me. I don't want to to be guilty of ignorantly demanding something just because I think I somehow deserve it, but rather I want to be able to come boldly into the throne of grace knowing exactly what You have promised me. -

Day 342: Gal 1:1 - 3:29

In this passage, we see a very common principle throughout this part of the New Testament - faith vs. works. I have to say, I love how one can read the New Testament and pick out so many places where the writer could have just as easily been writing to the church today. At the beginning of this passage, Paul discusses the fact that the church in Galatia had forsaken the Gospel that they had originally heard and decided to follow a newer more palatable "gospel." What other "gospels" have we been exposed to and possibly found ourselves listening to? As we've discussed before, every lie has a seed of truth, and the Devil knows that the best way to deceive believers is to feed them a little bit of truth along with a huge helping of lies. We need to remember that no matter what we hear or who we hear it from (even if an angel says it to you - Gal 1:8) if it can't be backed by God's Word, it's not the truth and we risk more than we could ever imagine by making that "gospel."

- Father, help me to remember to weigh everything I hear by Your Word. I've seen firsthand what can happen when believers are deceived by a fake "gospel," and I won't allow that to happen to myself or those around me. Give me the wisdom and foresight to never present a gospel other than the true Gospel in Your Word so that I will always find myself strengthening the body of Christ rather than pulling it down. -

Day 341: II Cor 10:1 - 13:14

I think this passage is incredibly important for believers to read regularly in order to keep themselves in check. It's sad to say, but it seems like oftentimes Christians especially in the ministry tend to find lots of opportunities to brag and boast about who they are are what they've done for Christ. They make sure to let everyone know as often as possible that they not only know how to hear God's voice, but that they also possess the amazing skill of being able to follow His every command. Paul reminds us in these verses that compared to the Father and everything He's done for us, we have absolutely no reason to brag. Without God, we're absolutely useless and the sooner we can learn that, the sooner we can begin to truly appreciate the Father for Who He really is and not just for what He can do for us. Without God, our accomplishments and our accolades and our achievements mean absolutely nothing, but with God, there's no end to the things that we can accomplish.

- Lord, help me not to boast in myself or in the things that I've done. Help me to remember that there's nothing I could do that would ever compare to things that You have done and can do. You are the only thing that I can brag about and I vow to continually brag about You. -

Day 340: II Cor 5:1 - 9:15

After spending time in I Corinthians reading about Paul getting onto the Christians in Corinth, it's relieving to see in the second book that they actually did turn things around to live right. It's very easy to read the Bible and find yourself feeling like maybe there's nothing that you can actually do to actually get to the point where you're living in obedience to God's Word, but we can see in this passage that when we are in God, we are new creatures and we no longer have to live by the same old rules and find ourselves beaten down by the same old failures. Being eternally minded is a theme that Paul visits quite often in his writings and it's encouraging to see that this church in Corinth has finally grasped hold of the fact that if we will commit ourselves to being eternally minded, all of the seemingly small things in our lives that are keeping us from achieving what God wants will just crumble under our feet.

- Lord, help me to remember that all things are possible to those of us who love You and are called according to Your purpose. Help me to continue on with my focus not on what I've done wrong or how short I've fallen, but on what I can accomplish if I will trust in You. -