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
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.
REJOICE.
November 2008 devotionals
12/01 Ephesians 5:1-2
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear
children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He
loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to
God.
EXAMPLE
We are an example. When we claim the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior,
we testify to the world what kind of Savior we have by the way the live. We
can live a victorious life because our Lord is victorious.
12/02 Ephesians 5:3-5
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such
sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and
coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to
God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit
the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater,
worshiping the things of this world.
ATTITUDE
Let your attitude be gratitude. Remember what He has done for you.
Remember the wonderful miracles He has worked in your life. Remember and be
grateful for to Him belongs all glory and honor and praise. Praise ye the
Lord.
12/03 Ephesians 5:6-9
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of
God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these
people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from
the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces
only what is good and right and true.
LIGHT
Christ has come in our life. No longer are we to be caught
up in worldly things. Set aside those former times of self-pity and doubt.
Live a victorious life because Jesus lives in you. Let Him know your needs
then go and walk in the truth. In His time He is always faithful. Remember
that and live the life. Jesus is Lord.
12/04
Ephesians 5:10-12
Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless
deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to
talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
RESPONSIBILITY
It is our responsibility to conduct ourselves in a Godly fashion. It takes
time to understand the Word of God and put it to work in our daily lives.
Today take time to consider what the Lord would have you to do.
12/05
Ephesians 5:13-14
But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,
for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O
sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
ACTIONS
Our actions will have consequences. Even the mighty will be properly
judged. The thing for us to remember is that what we are doing is known by
God. He is with us and walking with us every moment of every day. The Lord
is active in His creation and we are the recipients of His love.
12/06
Ephesians 5:15-16
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are
wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
WISDOM
Wisdom comes from God. As we spend time with Him we discover anew how much
He loves us. He will give us what we need. We need wisdom for living an
abundant, joyous life. Ask the Lord for wisdom and He will give it to you.
12/07
Ephesians 5:17-19
Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be
filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
ACTIONS
Pay attention to what you are doing. When you are down seek the Lord. Read
the Word out loud. Sing some Psalms. Pray with the full knowledge that the
Lord is standing with you and will hear you. You are not alone. Pay
attention to what you are doing.
12/08
Ephesians 5:20
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
ATTITUDE
The Lord will change you if you will let Him. He will open our eyes so that
we can see the wonderful and complete resource we have in Jesus. He is
God’s everything. When He becomes our everything it will help us to
maintain a positive attitude and will equip us to give thanks for what we
have. Jesus is the reason that our life is abundant.
12/09
Ephesians 5:21-30
And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For
wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is
the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior
of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives
should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love
your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to
make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this
to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or
any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same
way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a
man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his
own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
And we are members of his body.
SACRIFICE
The significant teaching is that the Christian life involves sacrifice. We
are not on our own. We will face serious opposition in living a Christian
life. Jesus will equip us to face it and live victoriously.
12/10
Ephesians 5:31-33
As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined
to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery,
but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So
again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife
must respect her husband.
LOVE
Christ loves the church. He gave us the church so that we would be better
equipped to face life. When we marry the two become one and together are
better equipped to face the daily trials of life. An abundant life is
possible if we will model our self after Christ’s example. Die to self.
12/11
Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,[a] for this
is the right thing to do.
RIGHT
Obedience is something that is important in our Christian walk. The Lord
loves obedience more than sacrifice. Obedience is critical because it
equips us to properly deal with our egotism. Think about what you are doing
and do the next right thing.
12/12
Ephesians 6:2-3
“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a
promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you,
and you will have a long life on the earth.”
HONOR
It is easy to honor those who love us and have our best good at heart.
Today when so many homes are broken and parents are acting like children we
think that we can get away with dishonoring them. This isn’t an optional
verse. There is no if. Think carefully about how you treat your parents
and what it does to you. Do the next right thing.
12/13
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.
Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from
the Lord.
EASY
Today our society is often self-centered. What I want is most important.
Parents too often deal with their children by expediency. They either don’t
discipline their children or deal with them harshly. Children take time and
they deserve our time. Carefully discipline your children under the
leadership of the Lord. Gentleness and consistency is always important.
12/14
Ephesians 6:5
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them
sincerely as you would serve Christ.
SERVICE
The quality of our service is the key to a growing relationship with Jesus.
Are we listening to Christ? Am I living the way that I say I am living? If
I am trying to squeak by on subpar performance, I will be the only one that
I am fooling. I must do what I do to the best of my ability. The quality
of my life is a spiritual issue.
12/15
Ephesians 6:6-8
Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As
slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with
enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do,
whether we are slaves or free.
CARING
I want the Lord to care about me and what I do. Do I care about those I
serve? Am I concerned about whether or not I am doing my best? If I am I
will do everything I do to the best of my ability. If I don’t then I will
simply be getting over on myself. Poor service hurts me most of all.
12/16
Ephesians 6:9
Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them;
remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
LEVEL
The ground at the cross is level. Salvation is a grace gift. The only way
that any one will experience new life is in Jesus Christ and He is no
respecter of persons. All of us have the same Father. All of us struggle
and strive to grow in Christ. All of us have the same access to the Father
and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord and He is God’s
everything.
12/17
Ephesians 6:10
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
STRENGTH
We will need to learn to surrender our will to His will to experience His
strength. In our weakness He is strong. We come to Jesus with our time and
talents and give them to Him for His use and we will find real strength.
Christ is King. He is Lord. In Him we find the wisdom, mercy, grace and
understanding that we need for real kingdom service.
12/18
Ephesians 6:11
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against
all strategies of the devil.
STAND
The Lord is able to equip us for service. He will see us through all of the
evil schemes of the devil. We cannot stand in our own power. Equip
yourself for living. Only by the power of the Lord Jesus can we stand in
the face of evil.
12/19 Luke
2:1-2
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be
taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when
Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
REALITY
We live in a real world. Our world is just like the world in the time of
Christ. We can only stand by the power of Christ. Only Jesus can overcome
the sin that entangles everyone’s life. Today is the day that you need
Jesus. Now is the time that you need Jesus. Ask Him and He will help you.
12/20 Luke
2:3-5
All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to
Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village
of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now
obviously pregnant.
TRUTH
The world creates myths to tell their story of a relationship with the
creator. Our creator is our Lord and Savior. This is truth told by real
people at a specific time in a specific location. There were many who could
verify the facts of this story. The Bible presents the facts and the people
and the situation. This is how it happened. Jesus is Lord.
12/21 Luke
2:6-7
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She
gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of
cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for
them.
BIRTH
Jesus was born in a cattle trough in as rough a situation as we could
experience. The Lord chose to come as the least of us so that He could
provide salvation for each one of us. His mother provided for Him as best
she could. The Lord has come to earth to save us.
12/22 Luke
2:8-10
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding
their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them,
and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good
news that will bring great joy to all people.
FEAR
All of
us have things that cause us to be afraid. Fear is debilitating. Fear
destroys us. The angel said to the shepherds and to you and me-DO NOT BE
AFRAID. The Good News is that Jesus did come and He came for you and for
me. He died for us and arose from the dead by the power of God and is alive
for us now. Do not be afraid because Jesus lives.
12/23 Luke
2:11-14
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem,
the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a
baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the
angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God
and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those
with whom God is pleased.”
CALVARY ROAD
Christ’s journey begins here in a cave in Bethlehem smoky, stinky, lots of
germs and not very warm. The King of Glory was born in an animal feeding
trough. This road leads directly to the cross and His sacrifice. His whole
life was a sacrifice. Christ lived and died for us. Can we do any less?
God loves people most of all.
12/24 Luke
2:15-20
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other,
“Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the
Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and
Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the
shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to
them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for
all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
WITNESSING
Telling about Jesus is a natural thing for us to do. Witnessing is just
that, telling folks about Jesus, what He has done for us and the difference
He has made in our life. When you are walking with Jesus it is easy to
share what He is doing in your life with everyone you meet.
12/25
Matthew 2:1-11
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.
About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem,
asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,
and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he
heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the
leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the
Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this
is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are
not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” Then Herod called for a
private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when
the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search
carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so
that I can go and worship him, too!” After this interview the wise men went
their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.
It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When
they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and
saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.
BIRTH
Jesus is alive and He lives in you and me. What a joyous time to live. We
have the opportunity to share the life of Christ in us with others.
Remember what Jesus has done for you. Be faithful in living a Christ like
life.
12/26
Ephesians 6:12
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil
rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this
dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
ENEMY
We face
a real, powerful enemy but Jesus is Lord of all. He is able to stand with
us. He is able to defeat any enemy that we face. Surrender your life to
Jesus and He will give you real life. He has already won the victory when
you are asking Him to intercede.
12/27
Ephesians 6:13-15
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to
resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still
be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the
body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes
from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
STAND
We are required to stand. To stand takes faith. The more I know Jesus the
stronger my faith grows. Spend time with Jesus. It is a spiritual circle.
Spend time with Jesus, grow, stand, spend time with Jesus, grow, stand and
on and on it goes until that day we stand face to face with Christ. Our
journey is long and short, strong and weak and the Lord is all we need.
12/28
Ephesians 6:16-17
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the
fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
WORD
The Word of God is alive. It is written in His Bible and we let Him write
it on our hearts. When it is written on our hearts it lives in us to give
us life. Jesus is Lord of all and in all things He is victorious.
12/29
Ephesians 6:18
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be
persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
PRAY
Prayer is hard work. We are called to pray at all times. Be on the alert.
Pray every day and in every way. Spend time with Him and pray. As you work
hard pray. When you are at ease pray and in all things pray. If we will be
faithful to pray we will change the world. Jesus is Lord.
12/30
Ephesians 6:19-20
And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly
explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles
alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s
ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I
should.
PRAY
Pray for one another. Pray for our pastors and other Christian workers.
Pray for our leaders. Pray for wisdom, mercy and grace. Pray for revival.
Pray that all might be saved.
12/31
Ephesians 6:21-24
To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what
I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful
helper in the Lord’s work. I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to
let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. Peace be with you, dear
brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give
you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love
our Lord Jesus Christ.
GRACE
Grace
is the Lord giving us what we need and cannot earn. We need His grace every
day. We need to learn how to give grace to others just as our heavenly
Father gives grace to us. Pray that not only will you receive grace but
that you will learn how to be a grace giving person. Love your enemies and
pray for those that hate you. Jesus is Lord.
November 2008 Devotionals
October 2008 Devotionals
September 2008 Devotionals
August 2008 Devotionals
July 2008 Devotionals
June 2008 Devotionals
May 2008 Devotionals
April 2008 Devotionals
March
2008 Devotionals
February 2008 Devotionals
January 2008
Devotionals
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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