Ps. 145:18 "The Lord
is close to all who call on Him." NLT
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January 2005 Daily Devotionals
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Today's Good News
2/01 Eph 1:1-2
This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ
Jesus. It is written to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful
followers of Christ Jesus. 2 May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from
God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
PEACE
Today, peace is a rare commodity. One of the things so many people face is
the chaos of the world that robs their peace. In Jesus we can claim peace.
We know who we belong to, how He feels towards us and how we are going to
wind up.
2/02 Ephesians 1:3
How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to
Christ.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. We start with Jesus and we will wind up standing
face to face with Christ in Glory. The Lord is good and Jesus equips and
enables you and me to live a Godly life.
2/03 Galatians 1:3-5
May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus
Christ. He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to
rescue us from this evil world in which we live. That is why all glory
belongs to God through all the ages of eternity. Amen.
PEACE
Peace is an important commodity. Life wants to run away from us. The Lord
is in control and will not let our life get away from us. As we face the
reality of our life this is a truth we can live by, the Lord will not let us
be destroyed. Jesus gives us peace.
2/04 Galatians
2:19-20
For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's
approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been
crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So
I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me.
FAITH
We seek to serve the Lord and be like Jesus. Sometimes we fall short. We
don’t do it on purpose but we are simply human. Our humanity pulls on us
everyday. Jesus knows this and will equip us to follow Him. The Lord will
not turn His back on us. Therefore, I can have faith that the Lord will be
faithful.
2/05 Galatians
2:21
I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if
we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to
die.
SALVATION
Salvation is a work of grace that the Lord has done so that you and I might
have the opportunity to be saved. It is a gift of God. We can accept that
gift and live our lives with the full confidence that what the Lord gives He
will not take away.
2/06 Galatians 3:6
In the same way, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him righteous
because of his faith."
FAITH
Faith is based on trust. We can trust the Lord to do what He says. Our
faith is reflected by our actions. The more we act like Jesus the greater
our faith in the Lord.
2/07 Galatians 3:9
And so it is: All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing
Abraham received because of his faith.
FAITH
We believe and we receive. It is a simple truth from the Word of God. What
the Lord says we internalize and live our lives based upon it. The Lord is
God and He is worthy of our faithful living.
2/08 Galatians
3:13-14
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he
was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.
For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a
tree." Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with
the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the
promised Holy Spirit through faith.
FORGIVENESS
The
Father has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus has paid the
price for our sin and we are now at peace with God. The Lord lives in each
one of us that asks Him into our heart.
2/09 Galatians
3:22
But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the
only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.
SIN
Sin is real and really is evil. It is aggressively seeking to condemn man
to eternal separation from the Father. Jesus brings us into the family of
God and cleanses us from our sin.
2/10 Galatians 3:26-27
So you are all
children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united
with Christ in baptism have been made like him.
CHRIST-LIKENESS
We come to the Father through Jesus. We do not have to worry about whether
we are becoming like Jesus or not because the Father shapes us into the
image of Jesus when we come into His family. It is a gift of God and is the
result of our daily following Christ.
2/11 Galatians 4:4-5
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject
to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,
so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
SALVATION
Jesus dying on the cross was not a plan B in the Lord’s creation process.
Before anything began, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost knew that for man to
be saved Jesus would have to pay the price for man’s sin. Yes this is a
complex idea. I cannot explain it beyond what John tells us in his account
but I do believe and appropriate this gift for me into my life. Jesus died
that each one of us might have an opportunity to receive His free gift of
life.
2/12 Galatians
4:6-7
And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear
Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you
are his child, everything he has belongs to you.
FAMILY
You and I are part of the family of God when we accept Christ as our Lord
and Savior. It is a work that Christ has done and is an amazing thing. The
Lord loves us so much that He wants us to be in His family.
2/13 Galatians 5:1
So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and
don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.
FREEDOM
Freedom is a gift. When I accept that gift I am no longer in bondage to
sin. I can by the power of God in me refuse to be bound by sin any longer.
Freedom is a gift. Sin is a choice.
2/14 Galatians 5:5
But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised
to us who are right with God through faith.
WAITING
You may be impatient like I am. The unknown, will it be ten minutes or ten
days, is always a frustration for me. One of the Christian’s basic
responsibilities is to learn to wait on Jesus. The Lord knows the future
better than we know the past and is working things out for our best good.
Wait on the Lord.
2/15 Galatians 5:13-14
For you have been called to live in freedom – not freedom to satisfy your
sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law
can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
LOVE
Love requires us to act like Jesus. We represent the Lord here on earth.
We must learn to discipline ourselves and serve others whether we like them
or not.
2/16 Galatians 5:16-17
So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit.
Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful
nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit
wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the
sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other,
and your choices are never free from this conflict.
CHOICES
We always have choices. Spiritual growth is evident when we learn to make
right choices. Do the next right thing. Then you will be acting like
Jesus.
2/17 Galatians 5:19-21
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will
produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness
for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities,
hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own
little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let
me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life
will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
SIN
We cannot excuse sin. When we act like the devil we are not serving the
Lord. We must submit ourselves to Jesus, discipline our daily actions and
change from the way we used to do things before we were a child of God.
2/18 Galatians 5:22-24
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of
fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their
sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
CHANGED
When we become a child of God we are changed. We see life differently. We
have learned to review our actions with the Lord. We ask for wisdom, mercy
and grace to meet each day. We no longer have a void in our lives because
we are filled with Jesus.
2/19 Galatians 5:25-26
If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's
leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or
irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.
SERVICE
We are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not CEO’s nor are we in
charge. We follow Christ, forgive others and stop seeking to have our way.
We live our lives as a devoted servant.
2/20 Galatians 6:2
Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of
Christ.
PROBLEMS
Everyone has problems. You or I may have few problems this moment but just
wait because problems will find us. Listen to others as they share their
problems and remember that but for the grace of God there go you. Be kind
and of gentle spirit as you help others work through their problems and you
will receive the help you need when problems swamp your life.
2/21 Galatians 6:4-5
Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal
satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare
yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
WORK
Work is honorable. Each one of us has important responsibilities in God’s
economy. Do your work as unto the Lord. Remember who you represent. Don’t
forget how important you are and how important those around you are. Do the
next right thing.
2/22 Galatians 6:7
Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it.
You will always reap what you sow!
REWARDS
We live with a clouded vision that is obscured by time and place. We will
not escape God’s judgment if we live wasted lives. Do what you can. Do it
well. Be kind and forgiving. Pray for others. Right actions result in
good crops in life and in the life to come.
2/23 Galatians 6:8
Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the
consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit
will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
LIFE
Life is a treasure. Each one of us can approach that treasure with the full
knowledge that the Lord will see us through whatever we face. The presence
of Jesus brings value and worth to any life. Jesus reaches through the
limitations of time and equips us to see the value of this life and eternal
life to come.
2/24 Galatians 6:9-10
So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up,
for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we
have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our
Christian brothers and sisters.
ACTIONS
Our actions should be controlled by Jesus. We are His hands and feet.
Additionally, we should speak only those things that honor and glorify Him.
Doing good and being good require that I am in a growing relationship with
Jesus and that the Lord is in control of my life.
2/25 Galatians 6:18
My dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all.
GRACE
I need grace. Life is just too complex and my humanity is too adamant for
me to ignore my need for grace. The Lord giving me what I need and cannot
earn is a significant blessing and a reason for joy each day.
2/26 Col 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
PRAYER
Prayer is work. The spiritual forces of evil line themselves up and come
against anyone that is devoted to prayer. Prayer wears us out and puts many
otherwise devoted Christians to sleep. I must be earnest and passionate in
my prayer. I must discipline myself to pray every day.
2/27 Col 4:5
Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of
every opportunity.
EVANGELISM
People are more interested in our caring for them than they are in knowing
what we care about. When we love the lost and help them in their every day
life, they will listen to us tell them about what the Lord has done for us
and can do for them.
2/28 Ephesians 1:4
Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in
Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
CHOSEN
The Lord has chosen you and me to be in His family. It is our
responsibility to decide if we will accept the Father’s offer. Jesus died
for our sin and lives today so that we might be saved. When we accept the
Lord’s offer of life in Christ we are saved by God’s precious grace.
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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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