Day 17: Gift

If a man works, his pay is not a gift. It is something he has earned.  If a man has not worked to be saved, but has put his trust in God Who saves men from the punishment of their sins, that man is made right with God because of his trust in God. 

Romans 4:4-5 

SCRIPTURE: "If a man has not worked to be saved, but has put his trust in God Who saves men"

OBSERVATIONS: Continuation of Day 16: Vindication

APPLICATION: Continuation of Day 16: Vindication

 PRAYER: Continuation of Day 16: Vindication

Day 16: Vindicated

“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.  Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. Acts 13:38-39

SCRIPTURE:"Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do."

OBSERVATION: Following laws and rules (and breaking them) don't give us a righteous relationship with God or a ticket into heaven. But just through our belief in and relationship with Jesus we get to be on first name terms with God, as well as a one-way golden ticket through the Pearly gates.

APPLICATION: As far as what we can "do" (the law of Moses), that won't get us anywhere so our focus shouldn't be there. But believing in Jesus and getting to know Him does it all. I need to focus more on the time I spend with Jesus getting to know Him.

PRAYER: Jesus,

Please help me to be more diligent in setting up regular "coffee dates" with you. 

You are the most incredible person I know, so I should be searching for time to spend with you!

Amen.

 

Day 15: Believe

 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6:28-29

SCRIPTURE:“This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

OBSERVATION: So what does God want from us? 

To follow the 10 commandments? No. 

To end world poverty? no. 

To bring about world peace? no.

Memorize the bible? no.

Preach the Gospel? no.

Tithe 45% of our income? no.

He just wants us to Believe in Jesus.

but when we truly believe in Him - in the fullest sense of the world - we will naturally do these things (and many more) for Him, but because we want to, not because He told us too.

APPLICATION: Love Jesus, believe in Him, search for as much information about him as possible. grow into deeper relationship with Him.

PRAYER: 

God, 

thank you for setting the bar low for us - making it possible to serve God. 

Please help me to take full advantage of this amazing opportunity.

Amen.

Day 14: Hidden

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:3 NIV

SCRIPTURE:"your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

OBSERVATION: The closer we get to God, the more we become "hidden" - when people look at us, they shouldn't be seeing us, but God's Son in whom God is reflected.

APPLICATION: Continually "die to self"- make choices for God not for myself). The more I do this the more others will see Jesus instead of me.

PRAYER: 

Jesus, 

please help me to become more like you, and make less selfish and sinful choices, 

Amen.  

Day 13: Connected

But this is the new covenant I will make
    with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
    and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people. 

 And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
    nor will they need to teach their relatives,
    saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
    will know me already. 

 And I will forgive their wickedness,
    and I will never again remember their sins.”

 Hebrews 8:10-12

SCRIPTURE: "I will be their God, and they will be my people."

OBSERVATION: God's covenant is simply to be connected to us, "plugged in".  This has two implications:

• When we are unsure about God's laws (or God's laws specifically for us), we need only turn to Him as: "[He] put [His] laws in [our] minds, and [He wrote] them on [our] hearts." We just need to turn to Him for understanding.
• We play a secondary role in evangelism. True evangelism isn't based on logic or persuasion, but it is a heart-response. as The Arrows' song, 'Next Time' states: "You never know where the Spirit has been whispering at night / You never know where the angels have been putting up a fight." God is the primary force at hand in winning souls, we're just secondary partners that are to be used in the process. This doesn't mean that we don't need to take part in this - as we serve God, we need to respond to His prompting.

APPLICATION:

• First, we must regularly tap into this connection with the Creator. This is a muscle that needs to be stretched and built.
• Secondly, we need to check in with Him as to whether we are living a life that brings God Pride not shame.
• And lastly, we need to respond to His prompting as to who we need to speak to and what to say when we spread the Gospel.

PRAYER: 

 God,

 Thank you that you are a God that cares enough about us to be constantly connected to us, guiding us. help me to grow that channel of communication so that I can better serve your will.

Amen.

Day 12: Undercover Boss

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins! 

 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed. 

 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 

 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins. 

 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-12 NLT

SCRIPTURE:"He was counted among the rebels."

OBSERVATION:We've heard so many times about Jesus suffered for our sins, but what I think is even more amazing is that He came in disguise! He came as one of us, and experienced our pains, and troubles. He knows and understands how sucky life can be. Now, when we pray, He knows what we're talking about, and stands up for us trying to change the problems, or at least (most often) help us get through them.

 

APPLICATION:  We are reassured that He understands, and is doing what everything He can for us.

this should permeate our prayers.

PRAYER:  Jesus,

thank you so much that you cared enough about us to give up your divinity and become like us so that you can truly understand our human experience.

Amen.

Day 11: Transformation

 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”  For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

SCRIPTURE: "...anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

OBSERVATION: He has given us a new life! I life in partnership with Him, and no longer bound to our sins! We are able to take up the sword (of the spirit, which is the word of God Ephesians 6:10-18) and say, "Not Today! I will not serve my sinful desires today, I am God's son (or daughter), created anew!

APPLICATION: We are sent "on assignment" to bring others to Him. because those before us did this for us. This is a very small ask from God who rebuilds us from scratch!

PRAYER:
Lord,
thank you for this new life!
Help me to remember that I have the choice to serve you over sin.
and please help me to remember my duty to serve you and those you are calling to you, by bringing them to You.
Amen.