Written by TWFYT
Wednesday September 30

"Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." Luke 12:15 NIV

Few people have undergone that trails and tribulations of Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn. He suffered decades of horrendous hardship as a political exile in the Siberian prison system known as the Gulag, and through faith in God, he survived and impacted the world. We can learn from him not only because he is a survivor, but also because he had been in a situation that few of us have ever known—an existence of near total deprivation. He not only lived without luxuries, but he also lived without necessities. Note carefully what he wrote in The Gulag Archipelago: "Don't be afraid of misfortune and do not yearn for happiness; it is, after all, all the same: the bitter doesn't last forever and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don't freeze in the cold and if hunger and thirst don't claw at your insides. If your back isn't broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms bend, if both eyes can see, and if both ears can hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify your heart—and prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well." Now there's a man who had figured out what really matters in life: not material things, but your relationship with God and with your loved ones. Jesus said, "Watch out! be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life doesn't consist in an abundance of possessions."

Written by TWFYT
Tuesday September 29

"The things you have heard me say...entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2 NIV

The writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn exposed the horrors that multitudes of innocent people suffered under the old Russian prison system. And here's how he became a Christian. Jewish physician Boris Kornfeld was imprisoned in Siberia. There he worked in surgery, belong both the staff and prisoners. He met a Christian whose name is unknown, but whose quiet faith and frequent reciting of the Lord's Prayer moved Dr. Kornfeld. One day, while repairing the slashed artery of a prison guard, Dr. Kornfeld seriously considered suturing the artery on such a way that the guard would bleed to death internally over time. The violence he recognized in his own heart appalled him, and he found himself saying, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Afterward, he began to refuse to obey various humane prison camp rules, knowing it would put his life in danger. One afternoon, he examined a patient who had undergone a caner operations. He saw in the man's eyes a depth of spiritual misery that moved him, and he told him his own story, including his secret faith in Christ. That night, Dr. Kormfeld was murdered as he slept. But his testimony was not in vain. The patient who had heard  his confession became a Christian. And the name of that Christians? The 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Don't keep it to yourself; share with others what Christ has done fore you. "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."

Written by TWFYT
Monday September 28

"Full of grace and truth." John 1:14 NKJV

The faith the disciples put in Jesus isn't that remarkable—after all, they were eyewitnesses to His miracles. What's remarkable is the faith Jesus put in them—and the faith He puts in us! It's not easy to see past people's problems, much less their personalities. But that's what Jesus does and it's how we should treat others too. Jesus certainly put the disciples in their place when the occasion called for it. When Jesus told His disciples He would die and be raised in the third day, "Peter...began to rebuke him...'This shall never happen to you'" (Mt 16:22 NIV). Whereupon Jesus said to him: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me" (v. 23 NIV). But in the same chapter, Peter identified Jesus as "the Son of the living God" and Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (see Mt 16:16-19 NIV). Healthy relationships require both "grace and truth." Grace means, "I'll love you no matter what," and truth means, "I'll be honest with you no matter what." No one was more graceful and truthful than Jesus. And when these two elements combine in your life, you're loving peep the way Jesus did.

Written by TWFYT
Sunday September 27

"The works that I do he will do also; and greater world than these." John 14:12 NKJV

A school district picked three teachers to pilot a special program. They were told, "You are the best teachers we have. We want you to teach ninety high-IQ students and see how much they can learn in a year." By the end of the school year, after having heard how special they were and what great potential they had, these students had achieved 20 to 30 percent more than the rest of the school district. That's when the principal called the three teachers into his office and told them: "I have a confession to make. You did not have ninety  high-IQ students. They were run-of-the-mill students randomly selected." The teachers felt pretty good about what they pulled off. Then the principal said, "I have another confession. You are not the best teachers we have. Your names were the first three out of the hat." So if they were average students taught by average teachers, how did they achieve above-average results? Because someone  believed in them and told them so! The German poet Goethe said, "Treat a man as he ism and will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be." No one modeled this better than Jesus: "The works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do." We need someone who believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. That's who Jesus is. That's what Jesus does. That's why you need to feed in His Word each day.

Written by TWFYT
Saturday September 26

"Keep to the paths of the righteous." Proverbs 2:20 NIV

In his book The Mind of Watergate, psychologist Leo Rangell, M.D., related what he called a "compromise of integrity" as he analyzed the relationship between former President Richard M. Nixon and several of his closet confidants in the White House. He recorded a conversation between investigative committee member Senator Howard Baker and young Nixon aid Herbert L. Porter. Baker: "Did you ever have any qualms about what you were doing? Did you ever think of saying, 'I do not think this is quite right'...did you ever think of that?' Porter: "Yes, I did." Baer: "What did you do about it?" Porter: "I did not do anything about it." Baker: "Why didn't you?" Porter: "In all honesty, probably because of the fear of group pressure that would ensue, and of not being considered a team player." There's nothing wring with being a team player as long as you are careful about choosing your team! The old saying is true: "You become like the company you keep." The Psalmist David said, "I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts" (Ps 119:63 NIV). Solomon has a lot to say on this subject: "Walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous" (Pr 2:20 NIVI). "He who walks with the wise men will be wise, but the comparison of fools will be destroyed" (Pr 13:20 NKJV). "Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil" (Pr 4:14 NKJV). The friends you choose will profoundly influence the direction your life goes, so choose your friends wisely.

Written by TWFYT
Friday September 25

"Surely He has borne our griefs (sickness, weaknesses, and distresses)". Isaiah 53:4 AMPC

If you're dealing with sickness and believing God for healing, here's the most important thing you can do: get into God's Word and get His Word into you. "He sent his words and healed them" (Ps 107:20 KJV), There's healing in the Word of God, so soak your mind on it. You may want long-term health and strength for your body. One of the most powerful verses in Scripture that reveals the purpose of Jesus' suffering as it relates to healing is Isaiah 53L4 (AMPC): "Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)." The word borne means to take or to carry. He took and carried every form of sickness on Himself. That doesn't mean we won't experience sickness. But it doesn't mean that when sickness shows up, we can take Jesus and believe Him for our healing. Clearly God cannot be the source of sickness in your life, for Jesus carried all sickness, weakness,  and distress for you on the cross. He is the source of your healing! Sickness is the result of Satan's work and of living in a fallen world. But as a believer, you have the right to stand boldly on God's promises for your healing and continued strength. When sickness rears its head and press you with symptoms of any kind, remind yourself that Jesus carried that affliction for you, so you don't have to carry it. The same back the bore the cross that takes away all our sins also bore the stripes that take away all our sickness: "By whose stripes you were healed" (1Pe 2:24 NKJV).

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Thursday September 24

"If anyone serves, they should do so...so that in all things God may be praised." 1 Peter 4:11 NIV

Someone nay hav hired you to do your job, but they didn't call you. Only God can call you. You may have been elected to your position, but your constituents didn't call you. Only God can do that. No matter where you work or what you do, you were called by God. In a sense, your job is your sermon, and your colleagues are your congregation. And that sense of calling means Monday morning begins another week of fulfilling your God-given assignment. Perhaps you're just starting out and working in a lower-profile job. "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin" (Zec 4:10 NLT). While you are working on your job, God is working in you. Get the right perspective here. It's not your job; it's His. It's not your cause, it's His. It's not your business; it's His. It's not your vision; it's His. It doesn't matter what domain of society you work in or where you are on the org chart. You are called by God. You are where He wants you to be—even if you're not where you want to be. Sometimes the greatest sermon is doing a good job at a bad job or doing a thankless job with a grateful heart. And here's a promise you can stand on every day as you do your job: "The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens...my ear to listen like one being instructed" (Isa 50:4 NIV). So, see your job as your calling.

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Wednesday September 23

"Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again." Proverbs 24:16 NIV

The difference between success and failure is often the ability to get up one more time than you were knocked down! Moses could easily have given up. He had an "interrupted" childhood, lived with a foster family, had a criminal record, a stammering tongue, and a temper that would eventually keep him out of the Promised Land. But when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt, he said "yes." Joshua had been to the Promised Land, but then, through no fault of his own, he was forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years. He could have given up in discouragement, but he was willing to go when God said to go. Peter sank while trying to walk on water, was rebuked by Jesus for trying to tell Him what to do, and even denied knowing the Lord. He could easily have seen himself as a hopeless failure. But after he'd been to the upper room and was filled with the Holy Spirit, he preached, and three thousand people. were won to Christ in a day. Eventually he became a leader in the church, wrote two books of the New Testament, and ended as a martyr for there cause of Christ. Have you fallen and feel like you can't get up? These Scriptures  are for you: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...Though he fail, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand" (Ps 37:23-24 NKJV). "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, when I fall, I will arise" (Mic 7:8 NKJV). 

Written by TWFYT
Tuesday September 22

"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power...and he sent them out." Luke 9:1-2 NIV

Secure people seek to empower others. Jesus was a master at it. By empowering His disciples. He ensured that His mission on earth would continue to be accomplished long after He was gone. To empower means to fill with power. Power is energy. When we make a habit of empowering others, we energize them to reach their goals. Jesus practiced this principle: "The works that I do shall [you] do also" (Jn 14:12 KJV). There's practiced nothing more demoralizing than being kept out of the loop in information that impacts you. As difficult as it must have been to get His disciples to understand, Jesus knew he had to inform them of events to come that would affect them. "He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed...He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead'" (Mk 9:31 NLT). Later he told them, "I am going there to prepare a place for you. And...I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am" (Jn 14:2-3 NIV), Empowerment occurs when you trust people with a task or responsibility without micromanaging them. Empowering is simply loosening the reins over how something is going to be done while retaining control over what should be done. Good leaders empower others. They know people perform better when they're given the freedom to complete their jobs with some level of independence. When this happens, people "take ownership" of a project, job, or function, and things are complete with a better result. This is a win for everyone.

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Monday September 21

"Plead my cause, O Lord...fight against those who fight against me." Psalm 35:1 NKJV

Israel conquered the Promised Land not because of their skill, but God's skill. In his call to battle, Joshua told his men, "Go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Jos 1:11 NKJV). On the eve of the Jordan crossing, Joshua declared: "The Lord will do wonders among you" (Jos 3:5 NKJV).  As they stood on the western side of the river, Joshua deducted, "The Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan" (Jos 4:23 NKJV). On the outside of Jericho, "Joshua said to the people: 'Shout, for the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you' (Jos 23:9-10 NKJV). Envision a single Hebrew soldier with drawn sword racing after an entire battalion of enemies. He is outnumbers a thousand to one, but since God fights for him, they scatter like sacred pigeons. Now picture the same for yourself. Fears, dread, hated, and hurt come at you, and you unsheathe the sword of God's Word and drive them back with "It is written." Here's a great promise: "God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you when you leave and when you return, he guard you now, he guards you always" (Ps 121:7-8 MSG).

Written by TWFYT
Sunday September 20

"The Lord your God...has fought for you." Joshua 23:3 NKJV

Here's one of the truly great promises in the Bible: "For he has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?'" (Heb 13:5-6 NRSV). The Greek word for helper has two meanings: "a shout," and "to run." When you need help, God runs with a shout "I'm coming!" Are you struggling to find a job? God is your helper. Your blood cell count is down? The One who made you is with you. The world is rife with conflict. Still, the Almighty will never leave you or forsake you. Consequently, everything changes! Since God is strong, you will be strong. Since He is able, you will be able. Since He has no limits, you have no limits. "We can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'" And God also fights for you! Joshua testified to this—the walls of Jericho had fallen. Thirty-one different kings had been defeated. God had made the sun stand still to give Joshua time to overcome five hostile armies. Now Israel had taken possession of the Promised Land, and in his farewell armies, Joshua told the people: "The Lord your God is He who has fought for you." Did you know that God is fighting for you? "With us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles" (2Ch 32:8 NKJV). And "Our God will fight for us" (New 4:20 NKJV). And the Lord will "Fight against those who fought against [you]" (Ps 35:1 NKJV).

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Saturday September 19

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18 KJV

Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs. But instead of getting angry with God about the things he can't do, Nick made a defining decision as a teenager to be grateful for the things he can do. And he's done some amazing things. Nick's life is a standing rebuke against self-pity. He refuses to be defined by his disabilities. Instead, he has leveraged his limitations and turned them into a testimony. And it's the suffering Nick has endured that people identify with most. Simply put, God has turned Nick's pain into eternal gain for thousands of people. And Nick has come to terms with that fact, "I'd rather have no arms and no legs in earth," he says, "and spend eternity with those who come to faith through my testimony!" Paul wrote, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Paul was comparing present-tense suffering with future-tense glory. It's an accounting term, logizomal. Think spreadsheet or balance sheet—it's a record of debits and deposits. Almost like your checking account, your suffering will one day be reconciled. And while we mat view suffering as a liability now, on the eternal ledger, it's an appreciating asset. Peter wrote: "When you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called" (1 Pe 2:20-21 NKJV). 

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Friday September 18

"The Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it." Joshua 21:43 NKJV

Three times in three verses, Joshua  told the people that God did what He said He would do: (1) "The Lord gave...all...He had sworn to give" (v. 43 NKJV). (2) "The Lord gave...rest...according to all that He had sworn to their fathers" (v. 44 NKJV); (3) "Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord has spoken...All came to pass" (v. 45 NKJV). Six hundred years before this, God made a promise to Abraham: "To your descendants I will give this land" (Ge 12:7 NKJV). When Abraham died, the only land he owned was Sarah's cemetery plot. His descendants were sharecroppers at best, slaves at worst, in Egypt for four centuries. Moses led them near but never in Canaan. God promised Abraham, "I will bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Ge 12:2-3 NKJV). The promise was partially fulfilled Joshua and completely fulfilled in Jesus. In Him all nations are blessed. In Him all nations are blessed. In Him every person has hope and the possibility of redemption. No wonder the apostle Paul wrote, 'All the promises of God find their Yes in him [Jesus]" (2Co 1:20 ESV). Our God is a promise-making and promise-keeping God. Others may make a promise and forget it. But when our God makes a promise, you can count on it: "He who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23 NIV). 

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Thursday September 17

"They made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept." Song of Solomon 1:6 NKJV

Bill Galston was at the peak of his career when he resigned as a domestic policy advisor to President Bill Clinton to return to teaching at the University of Maryland. His reason was "to strike a new balance" between work and family. Galston had worked more than a decade on the ideas he hoped to see come to pass. At the White House, he helped from the National Campaign against Teen Pregnancy, planned the National Service Program, and worked on Education Reform and Head Start Legislation. He consulted widely with administration officials, had an excellent reputation, and loved his job. He tried integrating time with his son, Ezra, into his schedule—even bringing him to his White House office in the evening. However, Galston was continually hounded by the fact that he often came home too tired to spend quality time with the boy. He struggled with the contradiction between his "Putting Children First" theme for welfare and the practical implementation of this ideal in his own home. What triggered his resignation? His son Ezra sent him a note that said: "Baseball is not fun when there's no one there to applaud you." Was that a hard choice for Bill Galston to make? Yes, but it's one he never regretted. Question: Are you giving your family the time they need and the time they deserve? Do these words describe your struggle to balance the demands of work and family? "They. made me the keeper of the vineyards. but my own vineyard I have not kept." If this Scripture speaks to you as a parent, it's time to rearrange your priorities at home.

Written by TWFYT
Wednesday September 16

"Why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?" Galatians 3:3 NLT

Do you beat yourself up when you fall short of your expectations? Or do you feel that what you accomplish is never good enough? Are you slow to make a decision because you must make sure it is just right? Is your quest to be blameless really an attempt to protect yourself from criticism and disapproval? You'll never experience peace and emotional security if everything associated with you has to be perfect. Perfectionism is a mindset of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors aimed at reaching unrealistic goals. Psychologists Dr. David Viscott explained it this way: "A controlling adult's wish to be perfect stems from the childhood wish to be blameless. Since real growth means embracing your faults and examining your weaknesses, controlling people run the greatest risk of becoming rigid and failing because of their insistence on always being right. They need to feel they are beyond criticism so that no one will ever have a good reason for withholding what they need or rejecting them. They believe they need to be perfect just to be safe, so admitting even small imperfections makes them uneasy and self-doubting." In today's society, many people believe that being a perfectionist is desirable and necessary for success. Therefore, they wear their perfectionism like a badge of honor. The truth is that by being a perfectionist, you set yourself up to fail each day. But you don't have to live that way. Why? Because when you accept Christ as your Savior, God accepts you with all your imperfections. And His unconditional love and acceptance set you free to love and accept yourself. 

Written by TWFYT
Tuesday September 15

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse." Malachi 3:10 NIV

Picture yourself receiving ten one-dollar bills from God. Remember, God is the owner and you are merely a steward of what He entrusts to you. Looking at the bills in your hand, you say, "God what do You want to do with them?" God says, "I want just one of them back." You reply, "Just one? Are you sure?" "Yep.  Just give me one." He says, "Well, what do you want me to d with the other nine?" you inquire. "Whatever you want," He replies, "You mean You're giving me ten dollars, and You want only one back—and I get to keep the other nine?" you exclaim in disbelief. You get the idea, right? Can you imagine hiring a money manager to handle your investments and telling him that he can keep 99 percent of it? That's basically what God does with you. All He asks for His investment is one-tenth of the principal. It's almost laughable. And to think sometimes we struggle to give Him ant of it! If you truly approach your finances as if God were the owner of it all, giving a percentage back to Him is only appropriate. When it came to giving in the Old Testament, God decided that 10 percent was appropriate. You say, "Should I tithe off the gross or off the net?" What kind of harvest do you want, net or gross? God told His people, "Bring the whole tithe [before any eductions] into the storehouse...Test me in this...see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

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Monday September 14

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man." 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

You should deal with temptation in the same way you would deal with weeds in a garden. You can't just cut off the tops of the weeds, because in a few days, they'll be back. Similarly, saying, "I'll just stop sinning" addresses only the externals. Another option is owing the weeds all the way down to the ground, cutting off the shoots. Now the garden looks good and weed-free for a while, but it doesn't stay weed-free. The only effective way to deal with temptations is at its root. The Bible says: "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 a way of escape." What is God's "way of escape" for you? Living in His Word and allowing His Word to live in you. Satan tempted Jesus three different times in the wilderness, but Jesus overcame him. How? Three times he answered, "It is written." You need to know and use the Word of God in your encounters with temptation. The battlefield is in your mind. This is why Paul said, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col 3:2 NKJV). It's why he wrote this to the Philistine Christians: Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things" (Php 4:8 NKJV).

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Sunday September 13

"Pay close attention to yourself." 1 Timothy 4:16 NAS

Paul told Timothy, "Pay close attention to yourself." Preachers often preach to others the very things they themselves need most! If you want to know which battle they're fighting, just listen to what they're preaching. When God talks to them they give it "an introduction, three points and a conclusion," then pass it on to others. Sometimes they're the first folks to resist a new move of God because of their position or concern for their financial security. When God begins to rock the boat, it brings both joy and conflict. It wasn't easy for Moses to leave the comfort of a palace and spent forty years  in the wilderness being trained. Imagine trying to explain that to your family and friends. Abraham left everything to follow God and become the father of a nation. It makes exciting reading, but would you like to have made the trip with him? It has been said that some people make things happen, other people watch things happen, and other people don't know what's happening. If you're tired of getting nowhere with God and you'd like to break out, then get into His presence today and stay there until you've heard from Him. He may tell you to get ready for something new, and if He does, He will equip you to handle it. If you've spent most of your life telling others what to do, the word for you today is, "Pay close attention to yourself."

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Saturday September 12

"We...are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Our destiny has far less to do with what we do than it does with who we become. "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Ro 8:29 NIV). And it takes many different experiences to bring that to pass. Hence Paul writes: "Do everything without grumbling to arguing, so that you mat become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine...like stars in the sky" (Php 2:14-15 NIV). Paul likens us to shining stars, and then word shine means to reflect. The scientific term is albedo. It's a measurement of how much sunlight  a celestial body reflects. The planet Venus, for example, has the highest albedo at close to 0.7. In other words, nearly seventy percent of the light that hits Venus is reflected. On the other hand, the moon has an albedo of only 0.07. Only seven percent of sunlight is reflected, yet it lights our way  on cloudless nights. In a similar sense, each of us has a spiritual albedo. The goal? One hundred percent reflectivity. "We...who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." You cannot produce light; you can only reflect it. To be "conformed to his image" means we think like, talk like, feel like, and act like Him. It's the character of Christ being formed in you until you reflect His love, His power, His patience, and His joy.

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Friday September 11

"As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand." Jeremiah 18:6 NKJV

During a prayer meeting one night, an elderly woman pleaded with God, "it really doesn't matter what You do with us, Lord; just have Your way in our lives." Adelaide Pollard, a well-known itinerant Bible teacher, overheard her prayer. At the time, she was deeply discouraged because she had been unable to raise the support she needed to go to Africa for a missionary service. She was moved by this woman's sincere request of God, and when she went home that evening, she meditated on these words from Scripture: "Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying...'As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand'" (Jer 18:3-6 NKJV). Before retiring that night, Adelaide took pen in hand and wrote a prayer that has become a well-known hymn: "Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after They will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Search me and try me, Master, today! Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, as in Thy presence humbly I bow." Whatever you may belong through right now, remember that you are clay in the potter's hand.

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Thursday September 10

"Remember well what the Lord your God did." Deuteronomy 7:18 NIV

The ability to recall the past is one of the most powerful functions of your brain. And when you recall past victories, you rekindle the courage, joy, and sense of accomplishment associated with the victory. You can never underestimate the power of an experience to re-inspire faith. From the parting of the Red Sea to the fall of Jericho, the Israelites had numerous miracles God had performed on their behalf. And He had cautioned them about forgetting His mighty acts: "Remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear" (Dt 7:18-19 NIV). If you've allowed Satan to give you "experience amnesia" and have forgotten those times of divine intervention in your life, why not recall someone else's testimony? Faith can cone from more than one direction. Recall the good things God has done for your friends, acquaintances, and coworkers. Miracles are exciting, no matter who the recipient is. And if God did it before, He can certainly do it again. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Heb 13:8 NIV). When something in your future feels threatening, strop and remember God's goodness to you in the past. Recall a time or incident in which He brought you out of a difficult situation that you thought you'd never get through. The word for you today is—reach;; your past victories.

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Wednesday September 9

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

Shame and condemnation are two weapons Satan will use to torment you. They will steal your rest and sap the joy out of your life. What's the answer? Begin to see yourself as God sees you. "God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." When we are aware of our shortcomings, how is it possible to believe that God sees us as "righteous" and wants us to see ourselves that way too? Because when you became a Christian, God placed you "in Christ"; therefore, you are always accepted by Him. "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ro 5:1 NIV). The word justified means: "just-as-if-I'd never sinned." And that's how God sees you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year, all the way from the new birth to the New Jerusalem. Plus, Jesus understands your struggles since He dealt with them Himself. He "understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same struggles since He dealt with them Himself. He "understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Heb 4:15-16 NLT). Confession: "Jesus took all the shame and condemnation for my sin on the cross, and I am in right standing with God because I'm 'in Christ'!"

Written by TWFYT
Tuesday September 8

"James...to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings." James 1:1 NKJV

James addressed "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad," those early Christians who had fled Jerusalem. The Greek word James used to describe this is "diaspora," from which we get the word "dispersed." The pictures is of someone scattering seeds. After the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts chapter seven, the Christians in Jerusalem came under increasing persecution from the Roman Empire. They refused the Romans' demand to confess "Caesar is Lord." Instead, they insisted that there was only one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the Bible informs us, "They were all scattered...except the apostles" (Ac 8:1 NKJV). James wrote to believers who had to leave their homes their jobs, their properties—everything. Talk about stress! Yet God permitted them to experience the scattering and the resulting stress for a purpose. Had these believers stayed in Jerusalem, chances are the gospel would not have spread so completely through the known world. Everywhere these early followers of Jesus were scattered, they shared the Good News of Christ's redemptive work, and in just one generation, the gospel had spread throughout the Roman Empire. That's why James wrote to the church that was "scattered abroad": "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (Jas 1:2 NKJV). Their uprooting from Jerusalem resulted in the planting of the church throughout the known world. "Our God turned the curse into a blessing" (Neh 13:2 NKJV). With God, short-term pain can lead to long-term gain. He uses setbacks we sometimes don't understand to fulfill His purposes. Is that what's happening in your life right now? Trust God; He knows what He's doing!

Written by TWFYT
Monday September 7

"A doer...will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25 NKJV

North of Israel and teeming with aquatic life of many kinds, the Sea of Galilee is a beautiful blue. South is Israel is the Dead Sea, and it's called "Dead" for a good reason: There's no life in its stagnant water. What makes these two bodies of water so different? First, the Sea of Galilee has an inlet: the Jordan River flows into it. On its southern shore, the Sea of Galilee also has an outlet; water flows through the Great Rift Valley. Like the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea has an inlet: the Jordan river flows into it. But the Dead Sea has no outlet; it takes but does not give out. This is the theme of the book of James. Vibrant believers not only take in, but they also give out. They put the word the receive (input) into action (output): "If anyone is a hearer of the words and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (has 1:23-25 NKJV). James warns us not to become to heavenly-minded that we are no earthly good; that it's not enough to read the Scriptures, but we must also look fro practical ways to put then into practice each day. His message could be summed up in the famous Nike slogan: "Just do it!"

Written by TWFYT
Sunday September 6

"Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22 NKJV

the book of James has 108 verses, and it outlines how we can put our faith into action. It was written by Jesus' half-brother, the natural-born son of Mary and Joseph. Apparently, James became a believer as a result of the resurrection. Paul said the after Jesus rose from the grave, "he appeared to James, then to all the apostles" (1Co 15:7 NIV). Somewhere, privately and personally, the risen Lord met with James, and His little brother's life was never the same. After His encounter with his older brother, who was the victorious-over-death Godman, James grew in faith and became the undisputed leader of the Jerusalem church. The apostle Paul referred to him as a pillar of the church (see Gal 2:9), and tradition tells us that James was so devoted to prayer that he was given the nickname "camel knees" because of the calluses resulting from the hours he spent on his knees. Today we are 2,000 years removed from James' writing, yet his letter remains as relevant to us as the internet's morning news. The central message of his book is contained in these words: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James addresses our biggest challenge: practicing with our lives what we proclaim with our lips. In every paragraph, he reminds us that when we are walking in step with the Holy Spirit, we will not be wearing out the seat of our pants, but the soles of our shoes. We will put shoes leather to what we say we believe and be "doers of the word."