Fri, Nov 10th - 4:06AM

Have mercy

 

 

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
A clean heart create for me,
O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your holy spirit take not from me.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop,
that I may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
the bones you have crushed shall rejoice. Psalm 51

Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things people need to hear, things that will really help them. do nothing that will sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ. Ephesians 4:29-32

We give you thanks, Lord, for you are rich in mercy,
--for the great love with which you have loved us.
You are acting always in the world by the power of your Spirit,
--making all things new.
Open our eyes today, and those of our brothers and sisters
--that we may see your wonders.

Wed, Mar 8th - 6:27AM

Dancing Birds

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:23-33

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." —1 Chronicles 16:31

Straight ahead of me, against a clear blue sky on a warm fall day, a small gray cloud was hanging above a busy intersection. I wondered, What was that lonely cloud doing there on such a perfect afternoon?

As if hearing my thoughts, the cloud suddenly shimmered like silver and disappeared. Then, just as suddenly, it reappeared, darker this time and in a new shape—a smile. Then I realized the "cloud" was a flock of birds. They stretched across the road like a wavy banner announcing the song that I was hearing on my radio. As the music of "This Is My Father's World" filled my car, the flock of dancing birds seemed to soar with each majestic phrase—dipping with each downbeat and swelling with each crescendo.

I wondered if the other drivers realized that they were in the audience of the Almighty. It seemed to me that all creation was rejoicing in His goodness (1 Chronicles 16:23-33).

With my eyes open, I prayed, "Thank You, heavenly Father, for allowing me to watch You conduct this remarkable ballet of birds. Thank You for reminding me that all creation, myself included, is part of Your song and that You are conducting every verse. May my praise and worship be as beautiful to You as Your creation is to me. Amen." —JAL

Tue, Mar 7th - 3:48AM

LIVING WITH SIN'S CONSEQUENCES

Neil Anderson's Daily in Christ

LIVING WITH SIN'S CONSEQUENCES


Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave
room for the wrath of
God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I
will repay," says the
Lord (Romans 12:19).


Forgiveness does not mean that you must tolerate
sin. Isabel, a young
wife and mother attending one of my conferences,
told me of her
decision to forgive her mother for continually
manipulating her for
attention. But Isabel tearfully continued, "She
is no different. Am I
supposed to let her keep ruining my life?"

No, forgiving someone doesn't mean that you must
be a doormat to their
continual sin. I encouraged Isabel to confront
her mother lovingly but
firmly, and tell her that she would no longer
tolerate destructive
manipulation. It's okay to forgive another's past
sins and, at the same
time, take a stand against future sins. Forgiving
is not a co-dependent
activity.

Forgiveness does not demand revenge or repayment
for offenses suffered.
"You mean I'm just supposed to let them off the
hook?" you may argue.
Yes, you let them off your hook, realizing that
they are not off God's
hook. You may feel like exacting justice, but you
are not an impartial
judge. God is the just Judge who will make
everything right (Romans
12:19). Your job is to extend the mercy of
forgiveness and leave
judgment up to God.

Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the
consequences of another
person's sin. Suppose that someone in your church
says, "I have
gossiped about you. Will you forgiven me?" You
can't retract gossip any
easier than you can put toothpaste back into the
tube. You're going to
live with the gossip this person spread about you
no matter how you
respond to the gossiper.

We are all living with the consequences of
another person's sin:
Adam's. The only real choice we have in the
matter is to live in the
bondage of bitterness or in the freedom of
forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, I give up my right to seek
revenge or harbor
resentment. I want to enjoy the freedom which
comes from forgiving
others.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and
distributed by Crosswalk.com. It
is written by Neil Anderson at

http://www.ficm.org

Sun, Mar 5th - 8:19AM

Exercise Your Right

 

http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/jesusmyjoy/

Do you know Him?

http://photobucket.com/albums/e238/jesusmyjoy/

God is the Light that shines in our hearts and lives, let's live and speak for Him whom is our refuge and shelter.

http://blogs.christiansunite.com/jesusismyjoy

Wed, Mar 1st - 7:37AM

A silent wave