Ps. 145:18 "The Lord
is close to all who call on Him."
Prov. 30:5 "Every
word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection." NLT
January 2006 Devotionals
February 2006 Devotionals
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.
REJOICE.
March 1 Isaiah
40:3
Listen! I
hear the voice of someone shouting, "Make a highway for the LORD through the
wilderness. Make a straight, smooth road through the desert for our God.
CHRIST
Christ came as predicted. He came for each one of us and all of us. His
sacrifice is sufficient for any of us and powerful enough for all of us.
His death on the cross and rising from the grave is an historical event with
current application for you and me. He is alive and in Him we live.
March 2 Matthew
3:3
Isaiah had
spoken of John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness:
'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a straight road for him!'"
JESUS
Jesus changed everything. He came and conquered death and provides abundant
life for us. His work is complete and current. His forgiveness equips us
to receive all of the promises of the Word of God.
March 3 Psalm
24:7
Open up,
ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.
GLORY
His glory is a high honor worthy of all recognition and praise. His
radiance and aura is majestic and indescribable but certainly descriptive of
His glory. He is the mighty God worthy of all my adoration and praise.
March 4 Psalm
24:10
Who is the
King of glory? The LORD Almighty – he is the King of glory.
GLORY
Our God is a God of great magnificence and beauty. His majesty, brilliance
and depth are beyond description. And yet in the revelation of Jesus Christ
the Lord of Glory shows us great love and compassion. Jesus meets each one
of us at the foot of the cross. The Lord is worthy of all our praise for
His glory is great.
March
5 Jeremiah 23:5-6
"For the
time is coming," says the LORD, "when I will place a righteous Branch on
King David's throne. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do
what is just and right throughout the land. And this is his name: 'The LORD
Is Our Righteousness.' In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will
live in safety.
JESUS
Christ has come. He brings forgiveness of sin and a relationship with the
Father to anyone that will accept His gift. Messiah has come and He is
Jesus.
March 6 1
Corinthians 1:30
God alone
made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made
Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He
made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom.
RIGHTEOUSNESS
I want to be right and do right and yet try as hard as I might I still do
wrong. My conscience convicts me. The Word of God points a finger at my
shortcomings. Jesus Christ cleanses me. It is His gift of righteousness
that enables me to come into the presence of the Living Lord.
March 7
Isaiah 44:6
"This is
what the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the
First and the Last; there is no other God.
LORD
I don’t make Jesus Lord, He already is Lord. I can surrender and give Him
control of my life. I can obey Him and live with wisdom and strength. The
choice is mine. Love the Lord or live without the Lord. Jesus is always
Lord.
March 8 Isaiah
48:12
"Listen to
me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and
the Last.
LORD
Jesus knows me. He knows my need. He will not forsake me. He will not
fail me. I am called to obey. I am called to serve. The Lord is my
shepherd and I shall not want.
March 9 Psalm
97:9
For you, O
LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
PRAISE
Praise the Lord. Praise Him with great joy and exuberance. Praise Him with
faithfulness. Praise Him with obedience. Praise Him with right living.
The Lord is able. His greatness creates in each one of us great value.
Praise Him for your life and worth. Praise Him for you plans. With every
fiber of your being, praise the Lord.
March 10 John
3:31
"He has
come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my
understanding is limited to the things of earth, but he has come from
heaven.
JESUS
Jesus is God. He is Lord of all and His love creates Good News for each one
of us. Jesus paid the price for our sin and we can ask Him to forgive us
and save us. We are given spiritual life. We are able to be what the Lord
created us to be and have fellowship with Jesus all the days of our life.
March 11 Zechariah
13:7
"Awake, O
sword, against my shepherd, the man who is my partner, says the LORD
Almighty. Strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I
will turn against the lambs.
JESUS
What the world meant for bad the Lord used for good. Jesus died on the
cross and paid the price for my sin. It was a personal event in which the
Lord of the universe stepped into the limitations of life on earth and paid
the price for me to become a part of His family.
March 12
Revelation 1:17
When I saw him,
I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said,
"Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last.
JESUS
Do not fear. Your life is of great value and worth to the Jesus the Lord.
He will use you and will not desert you. Jesus will be standing, waiting
when you go from this life into eternity. Now will last only a short time
and then will last forever.
March 13 Revelation
22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End."
JESUS
I will never be out of the view of Jesus. He is not surprised by anything
that happens in my life. I am special to Him just as you are special to
Him. I love the Lord and He loves me and you.
March 14 Mark
4:19
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.
GROWTH
Spiritual growth comes from the Lord. It is not based on how much I can do
for Him. It is based on how much time I spend with Him. Am I taking all
that I know and making it a part of all that I do? Growth happens as a
result of time with Jesus and obedience. Do what Jesus says and you can say
what Christ has done. Peoples lives are changed when they see that our life
is changed.
March 15
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in
the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
TRUST
Trust is doing what Jesus says when the world says do differently. Turn the
other cheek. Forgive your enemies. Do for those that mistreat you. Do
this and you will discover the secret of trust. Trust is what we do not
what we think.
March 16 Genesis
3:14
So the
LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you will be
punished. You are singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the
whole earth to be cursed. You will grovel in the dust as long as you live,
crawling along on your belly.
ACTION
Sin is real and it really has a hold on mankind. Even when you come into
the family of Jesus you will still struggle with sin. Sin should keep us on
our knees before Jesus so that we can stand in the face of evil. First I am
and then I can.
March 17
2 Timothy 2:3
Endure
suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
SUFFERING
We will not escape suffering. It is a part of the “normal” Christian life.
We probably will not know the why of the suffering event but we can always
learn from it. Suffering moves us closer to the Father, enables us to
experience the very presence of Jesus and helps us to see in this world the
activity of the Lord in our life. Additionally, suffering reminds us that
this place is not our home, we are simply passing through.
March 18 Jeremiah
29:11
For I know
the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not
for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
GOODNESS
Every thought the Lord has for you is a thought for good. The Lord Jesus
has you on His heart and mind all the time. Nothing escapes him. We are
beloved of the Lord and He is actively involved in our lives.
March 19
Psalm 37:7
Be still
in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry
about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
RESPONSIBILITY
I am not responsible for that evil person that is harming me and others. I
am responsible for that lie I told or that person whose feelings I hurt or
the haste of the day that ignores the Lord Jesus. I am responsible for the
time I spend with Jesus and the way that I let Him change my life. I am
responsible to become more like Jesus in the way I live and act. The Lord
deal with the evil but I must learn to control myself.
March 20 1 Peter
5:7
Give all
your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.
WORRY
Worry is a waste of time. Instead spend time with Jesus. Lay out your
complaints before Him. Take time to listen. You will find that He has
wisdom, mercy, understanding and grace just for you.
March 21 Matthew
11:30
For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
WORRY
We are
complete in Jesus. He makes us perfectly suited for the life we live. If I
believe this and trust Him, I will stop whining about “poor me” and get on
with living. The Lord Jesus is alive and well and wants to use me in His
work.
March 22 Psalm
46:10
"Be
silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be
honored throughout the world."
OBSERVATION
Jesus is being honored and will be honored by all one day. My life must
honor Jesus. If it doesn’t I need to change. The things that honor Jesus
in my life are the things I think, say, and do that are the things that
Jesus would do. I must do what Jesus says for me to do.
March 23
Philippians 4:6
Don't
worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank him for all he has done.
PROSPERITY
Prosperity comes from the hand of God. Jesus says that He came to equip us
and enable us to do what the Father created us to do. The plan for my life
is the only plan that will create fulfillment in me. If I am following
Jesus I will know what the Lord wants me to do. If I am doing what Jesus
called me to do I do not need to worry about not having my needs met. Jesus
is the Lord of victory and He plants victory in my heart.
March 24 1 Peter
2:8
And the
Scriptures also say, "He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock
that will make them fall." They stumble because they do not listen to God's
word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them.
JESUS
Jesus is Lord. He gives life to mankind. He is not an idea or a
discussion, He is Lord. Jesus leaves no room for options. His gift to each
one of us is the opportunity for anyone of us to come into the family of
God. The ground at the foot of the cross is level because He died for our
sin.
March 25 Joel
2:32
And anyone
who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. There will be people on
Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be
among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
SALVATION
Ask the Lord to save you. He will. Then live as His child. Trust His Word
and obey Him. You will live with the confidence of one who is not alone and
is the beloved of the Lord.
March 26 Acts
2:21
And anyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
SALVATION
Where are you? What are you doing? If you asked Jesus to save you He did.
Believe that and talk with Him. He will give you wisdom, mercy, grace and
understanding. You will no longer be at the mercy of the world and an enemy
of God. You are in His family and are given an abundant life. Rejoice the
Lord is good.
March 27 1
Corinthians 1:2
We are
writing to the church of God in Corinth, you who have been called by God to
be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as
he did all Christians everywhere – whoever calls upon the name of Jesus
Christ, our Lord and theirs.
SALVATION
Do not despair. However difficult life may be the Lord loves you. When we
ask Him to save us it is a once and forever event. Asking Him for His
guidance so that we obey Him is a moment by moment event. We obey Him
because that is the thing that enables us to grow in Christ likeness.
Becoming more like Jesus honors Him but when we disobey Him it causes us to
struggle and sometimes experience real periods of distance from the Lord.
He doesn’t do that we do it ourselves. His yoke of obedience is easy and
our burden belongs to Him. Trust and obey.
March
28 Psalm 102:24-27
But I
cried to him, "My God, who lives forever, don't take my life while I am
still so young! In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the
heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain
forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a
garment, and they will fade away. But you are always the same; your years
never end.
PRAISE
Praise Him by our recognition of His graciousness. Praise Him by
submission. Praise Him with our works. In everything we do honor and
glorify Him. He is beautiful and worthy of all our praise. Praise the
Lord.
March 29
Isaiah 40:11
He will
feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding
them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their
young.
SUFFERING
When we suffer for doing right we experience the wonderful protection and
presence of the Lord Jesus. He will not desert us. Sometimes He has to
carry us. Jesus is in control and He loves you and me.
March 30
Hebrews 13:20
And now,
may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip
you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the
power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him. Jesus is the great
Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood. To
him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
OBEY
Victory is the next step after obedience. Victory is the result of our
obedience. Victory is our heritage. Victory comes from the hand of the
Lord Jesus and will belong to us all the days of our life and into
eternity. Victory is mine in the Lord.
March
31 Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will
rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
JESUS
Jesus is foretold and forthtold. You and I are partners together with the
Lord in sharing this prophecy. We share it by the way we live, by the way
we give and the way that we treat others. The Lord has come and He is alive
in you and me.
contact Clay:
clay@lifesongs.com
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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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