Today's Good News Devotionals

Ps. 145:18 "The Lord is close to all who call on Him." NLT

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February Devotionals

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3/1/04 Matthew 6:27
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.

WORRY
I must confess that I am a worrier. This is a habit that I slip into and must constantly take before the Lord. Worry is an indication of my lack of faith and often times is me simply trying to control my world instead of trusting the Lord to control it. Don’t worry. God is in control.

3/2/04 Matthew 4:4
But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.' "

WORD
Jesus loves me. I am in the most intimate contact with Christ when I am reading the Word of God. I must come to the point where the Bible is a key element in my everyday life. In the Word of God I find the instructions I need for daily life.

3/3/04 Matthew 6:25
"So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?

WORRY
I must work hard but not worry. I must live with joy and not be constantly evaluating what I don’t have. Life is passing quickly. It is most important that I trust the Lord, obey Him and live life.

3/4/04 1John 2:9
If anyone says, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.

OBEDIENCE
I will not naturally love everyone. When I find I am having trouble loving a brother or sister in Christ I take it to the Lord. One of the significant steps in maturing as a Christian is to function in obedience. Everyday I go with my problem to the Lord and trust that what the Lord commands, the Lord will facilitate.

3/5/04 Matthew 7:14
But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

OBEDIENCE
Life is always pulling me to be undisciplined. The self is always seeking to be first, served and most important. Obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ dictates that I learn to discipline myself. I must make that initial commitment to Jesus. I am the only one that can ask for salvation for me. I am responsible to develop a daily life with Jesus.

3/6/04 Luke 9:24
If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.

SURRENDER
Jesus is Lord. When I believe that and live my life with that as a basic commitment, I will grow. Spiritual growth is developed in the everyday mundane activities of life. My life is a gift from the Lord. I can rejoice in my gift from the Lord!

3/7/04 Luke 10:25
One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?"

ETERNAL LIFE
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Belief results in change. I belong to the Lord and I will live like a child of God. Jesus loves me. This impacts everything I do, and say and think.

3/8/04 Luke 11:36
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you."

LIGHT
When I let Jesus have control of my life I will change. I will become more like Christ. It will change the things I do and say. What I have done spiritually will radically change the actions I take in daily life. I belong to the Lord.

3/9/04 Luke 12:15
Then he said, "Beware! Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."

VALUE
It is important that I understand how much Jesus values me. When I see how important I am to the Lord I will begin to understand how critical it is for me to see how valuable and worthwhile every person I meet is. God loves people most of all.

3/10/04 Luke 12:22
Then turning to his disciples, Jesus said, "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear.

WORRY
When am I to stop worrying? When I get what I ask from the Lord or after? The intent is that I not worry before or after. I am to submit myself to the Lordship of Jesus. When my daily life is God focused I can trust the Lord to deal with any concerns I might have in the appropriate way. Sometimes I may not like the way the Lord deals with my daily concerns but I can still trust Him. Jesus loves me.

3/11/04 Luke 12:23
For life consists of far more than food and clothing.

LIFE
The physical realm is an important part of our life. It is not to be the overriding emphasis of our life. This life will soon end and we will spend eternity with the Lord. Tomorrow may never come but eternity will. My life is purposeful and important. I need to develop to the point that I understand this. Help me Lord.

3/12/04 Mark 3:4
Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him.

LIFE
Jesus loves people. Christ died for people. His focus is on you and me. If I love Jesus with all my heart and am intent on serving Him I will learn to love people. God loves people most of all.

3/13/04 Mark 4:18-19
The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced.

LIFE
God made you and me for a purpose. He did not make me to be someone else. Where I am with the gifts and skills I have is where Jesus wants me to grow, mature and succeed. I am equipped to do what the Lord called me to do. I am not equipped to do what the Lord called you to do. When I try to be someone else I will only live a life of failure and frustration.

3/14/04 John 1:4
Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone.

LIFE
When I am with Jesus I will have life. The more I know Jesus the more life I will have. Life comes from Christ. If I am not connected to Jesus I will live a frustrating and futile existence.

3/15/04 John 3:6
Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.

LIFE
Real life is what Jesus gives. Anything else is simply marking time until death. If I want to find joy and fulfillment I will spend time with Jesus. I will learn what the Lord has for me and will get guidance from Christ for each day.

3/16/04 John 3:14-15
And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life.

LIFE
Jesus brings life. He connects us with eternity. In Christ I have access to the Father, wisdom for daily living and power to accomplish what the Lord created me to do. Jesus is Lord of life and is Lord in my life.

3/17/04 John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

LIFE
Jesus has saved me and given me eternal life. Not a promise of pie in the sky bye and bye but real life right now. Jesus has won the victory and will equip me to lead an abundant life right now. The catch, I must surrender my heart and my life to him and live my life in obedience to Christ. Jesus is Lord.

3/18/04 John 3:36
And all who believe in God's Son have eternal life. Those who don't obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them."

LIFE
Human existence without Jesus is a walking death. If I do not have Christ I do not have life. Those who do not know Jesus are dead in their trespasses and sin and blind to all the things of God. I have life and am called to share this life with everyone I meet. I am not responsible for what they do but I am responsible for telling everyone about the life of Christ in me.

3/19/04 John 4:14
But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life."

LIFE
Without Jesus I have no hope. All of the dreadful things that confront me day by day are in control. My life has no meaning. In Christ life makes sense. Christ gives to each one of us those things that life seeks to rip away from us. Jesus provides for each one of us wisdom, mercy and grace in a world that is always seeking to rob our joy. Jesus is Lord.

3/20/01 Matthew 9:18
As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt down before him. "My daughter has just died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand upon her."

LIFE
Jesus cares for me. He knows the miracles that I need to accomplish His purpose. When I am surrendered to the Lord and living to serve Him I will have those things that are necessary for my service. Jesus loves me and is willing for me to have an abundant life.

3/21/04 Matthew 10:39
If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.

LIFE
Life without Jesus is simply an illusion. The Bible says that those without Jesus are dead in their trespasses and sin. Life in Christ is a gift that I can receive if I will ask for it. Their must be a surrendering of my will to the will of the Lord. When I do this I have life. Life in Christ is real life. Eternity begins now.

3/22/04 Matthew 11:5-6
Jesus told them, "Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen – the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.

LIFE
Jesus is life. In Christ we are loved and valued. Jesus knows everything about us and still loves us. Jesus has a plan for our life. His plan is for us to be joyous servants, properly equipped to serve Him and care for those we life together with in life.

3/23/04 Matthew13:22
The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life and the lure of wealth, so no crop is produced.

MESSAGE
Jesus is Lord. He is in control. He offers us the free gift of reconciliation with God and eternal life. This gift is something that we put to use now. If I go back to depending on myself and living for myself I will not grow in the Lord. When I come to Jesus I give Him control of my life.

3/24/04 Matthew 14:2
When Herod Antipas heard about Jesus, he said to his advisers, "This must be John the Baptist come back to life again! That is why he can do such miracles."

WORLD
The world is only interested in getting God to be a showman. The world only wants God to do things for it. The Lord is in control. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He cares for each one of us and is looking out for our best good.

3/25/04 Matthew 16:25
If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.

SACRIFICE
I cannot see the spiritual world. I believe by faith that there is a Lord and that He is in control. Our world is passing away. We are deteriorating day by day. When I ask the Lord to take control of my life I come under attack from this world’s spiritual realm. Jesus gives me life and will deal with that. Jesus is Lord and I can give Him Lordship in my life.

3/26/04 Matthew 19:16
Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?"

ETERNAL LIFE
Man always wants to be in control. Man’s idea of doing good puts him in control of God. There is no surrender in self-righteousness. Eternal life is a gift. I either accept God’s gift by faith or refuse it.

3/27/04 Matthew 19:17
"Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "Only God is good. But to answer your question, you can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments."

ETERNAL LIFE
God is good. Man wants to control God. God has provided His way for eternal life in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. There is no other way to the Father. Jesus is the only way.

3/28/04 Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life.

ETERNAL LIFE
I am just passing through this world. I am a sojourner. Eternity with the Lord is my goal. As I pass through this life the Lord has some things He wants me to accomplish. I am His hands and feet and when I am doing His will I am speaking for Him. The Lord wants to use me as His servant.

3/29/04 Matthew 20:28
For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."

LIFE
This world is a place of service. When I come into the family of God I come to serve. The Lord has a plan for my life and there are things that He wants me to do that only I can do. I am the only person that can talk with some folks about Jesus. I need to be about the Lord’s work. This life is short and the work is important. I must be about the Lord’s work now.

3/30/04 Matthew 21:32
For John the Baptist came and showed you the way to life, and you didn't believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to turn from your sins and believe him.

HARD HEARTEDNESS
Be careful. Our relationship with the Lord is based on what we do not on what others say and do. You and I are responsible for our decisions. Jesus is Lord. Hard-hearted people are dead in their trespasses and sin. Be careful. Don’t let anyone else speak for you.

3/31/04 Matthew 25:46
And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life."

LIFE
Jesus is our righteousness. When I ask Christ into my heart I have life. I have eternal life right now. It is a reality. I have everything I need for an abundant life in the Lord Jesus Christ. Right now.

Jesus loves you.

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I send out the devotionals by e-mail and on an irregular basis observations from a Christian perspective.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. NASB Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible, copyright 1975. All rights reserved by the Lockman Foundation.

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