7/1/03 Matthew 20:17-20
As Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “When we get to Jerusalem,” he said, “the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, whipped, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
SACRIFICE
Jesus died for me. His power is alive in me. Because of His death and resurrection I have an eternal relationship with the Lord.
7/2/03 Matthew 26:39
39(Jesus) went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”
SERVICE
I want to do what Jesus says. This will cost me. My prayer is that I will always remember that Jesus paid the price and will enable me to serve Him. I am not alone.
7/3/03 Matthew 27:50-54
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus’ resurrection. They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
LORD
Jesus is God. When I come to Jesus He gives me total and complete access to the Father.
7/4/03 Matthew 28: 5-6
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.”
NEW LIFE
I have new life in Jesus. When I come to Christ I get life. Life is real. New life changes me. New life destroys the old fears, the old failures and leads me into a new relationship.
7/5/03 Philippians 3:9-11
I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!
TRUST
I can change. I can have a good life. I can be free. Today may be overwhelming and I may be facing catastrophe. But in Christ I can survive because Jesus lives in me.
7/6/03 1 Corinthians 15: 22-23
Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised.
NEW LIFE
Sin destroys. It destroys me and everyone around me. New life in Christ rebuilds. It rebuilds me. It gives others a chance to see what God has done in me and gives them an opportunity to have what I have. People count with God.
7/7/03 1 Corinthians 15:24-26
After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
DEATH
All of mankind faces death. Death does not have a hold on me. Jesus destroys death. I can live my life with full confidence that when my life is over Christ will stand with me. I will pass from this life to a life with God. This is a joyous thought.
7/8/03 1 Corinthians 15:42-43
Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power.
HEALTH
The things of this world are passing away. I am a new creature in Christ and as a result of this have eternal life. I will not pass away. When I face physical death I will be transformed in a split second from the physical world to the spiritual world. My heavenly body will be a perfect body.
7/9/03 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
VICTORY
There is victory in Jesus. He has conquered all things and delivers to me His power, guidance, love and joy. When I turn to Jesus I am victorious. Jesus is Lord.
7/10/03 Romans 6: 7-10
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God.
CHOICE
I can choose the power of Jesus to live my life. Sin does not have a hold on me but it can defeat me. When I look to self for wisdom, joy or peace I will always lose. When I turn to Jesus and let Him have control of me and trust Christ to have the right timing, I will always win.
7/11/03 Romans 8:1-2
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.
LIFE
I am struggling but I have life. My life is safe in the hands of Jesus. It may get bad and it may be disappointing at times but the victory has been won. I am not fighting a losing battle. I am serving the resurrected Savior Jesus Christ.
7/12/03 1 Corinthians 3:11-13
For no one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value.
WORK
It is easier for people to evaluate their Christian lives based on the good deeds or bad deeds they do. The Bible tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sin and Jesus gave us new life. He did. What I do now is the result of Jesus saving me. I am a new creature in Christ. I am saved to serve.
7/13/03 1 Corinthians 3: 14-15
If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.
SALVATION
Salvation depends completely on Jesus. My good works will be rewarded. Your circumstances or situation are not an indicator of your favor or disfavor with God. God does not play favorites. You are the beloved of the Lord. Jesus saves.
7/14/03 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.
PROBATION
My probation ends with death. No longer will I wonder what will be I will know. I will know Jesus face to face. I will know eternity with a real sense of surety. Time will not plague me. I will make no more mistakes, have no more tears, and have no more fears. This encourages me to be busy at the master’s work today. All are called but few respond. I want to be a responder.
7/15/03 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
TROUBLE
My life will be plagued with many trials and tribulations and so will yours. But I have an eternal relationship with Jesus. I have a sure standing with God. Christ will stand with me in all my suffering and deliver me one day whole and perfect to the Father. Eternity will be great. Today is great because of the bright future ahead and my relationship with Jesus now.
7/16/03 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
TIME
I must not let time fool me. It is oppressive and demanding. It tells me I will never win. And yet in the Word of God every promise of God is yes. Yes God loves me. Yes God has saved me. Yes God will be with me no matter what happens. All of my relationship with the Lord is YES!
7/17/03 Philippians 3:20-21
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere.
CITIZENSHIP
This earth is not my home. I am just passing through. My citizenship and my home is in heaven with Christ. I am a new creature in Christ. I have access to the Father in Christ. I can serve by the power of Christ. Jesus is my everything.
7/18/03 1 John 3:2
Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
GOD’S CHILD
I know what it is like to grow up in a broken home. Now that I have come to Jesus I know what it is like to be in a good home. Christ will listen to me and help me to live a Godly life. Jesus will not turn His back on me and He will not desert me.
7/19/03 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
PRIZE
I live for Jesus. I am learning to evaluate myself in light of what Jesus thinks. I am striving to encourage myself with an intense awareness of my standing in Christ. I belong to God. What I do I do for the Lord.
7/20/03 2 Timothy 4:8
And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.
PRIZE
I can rejoice whether I am in poverty, pain, sickness, or the agonies of death. I can rejoice because Christ paid the price for me to have eternal life. But I can also rejoice because Christ will stand with me in whatever circumstance life delivers. I am precious to God. I am the beloved of the Creator of all things. Jesus is indeed Lord.
7/21/03 1 Peter 5:2-4
Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor.
VALUE
I am a steward of God. I am responsible for the way I live. I have a responsibility to you. God loves you. If I love God I will love you and treat you with respect and kindness. Each one of us has real value and worth.
7/22/03 Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do.
LOVE
We live in a day when people think of themselves first. It is me, me me, with little consideration of the needs of others. People need love. God has chosen to love mankind. He uses you and me as His hands and feet. If I love God I will love the brethren and willingly put my personal wants second. This kind of lifestyle will revolutionize a family and a community.
7/23/03 Matthew 6:1
“Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.”
SERVICE
My service is a part of my worship. As I spend time with Jesus I become better equipped to serve those I am with. As I serve I am reminded by the Lord that I am serving Him by helping people.
7/24/03 Matthew 6:3-4
But when you give to someone, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
GIVING
If I am living under the Lordship of Jesus I will give. I will make sure I tithe. I will make sure that I give beyond the tithe. I will give of my money, time and other resources. The Word of God says that if I am not a giver I am missing a blessing. Giving is part of a Christian lifestyle.
7/25/03 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.
WITNESS
Everyone I meet has value. I am investing in eternal things when I spend time with people. If I look at a person with the realization that they have value the differences between me and them disappear. Jesus loves people most of all.
7/26/03 Psalm 37:16-17
It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and possess much. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly.
WEALTH
Real wealth is elusive. I must guard against being enamored with the world and the things of this world. If I have Jesus I have everything. If I don’t have Christ in my life I am simply waiting to die.
7/27/03 Psalm 40:17
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the LORD is thinking about me right now. You are my helper and my savior. Do no delay, O my God.
HELP
I always need help. There is never a time when I can get it right without the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am ahead of the game when I recognize my great need. The powers and principalities of the air always have me on their hit list. The Lord always has me on His mind. I always need help.
7/28/03 Psalm 41:1
Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble.
KINDNESS
People need the Lord. But for the grace of God there go I. I am a product of the Lord. Everything I have belongs to the Lord. Jesus expects me to be His hands and feet in this world. I am most like Jesus when I am helping those in need.
7/29/03 Psalm 51: 16-17
You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.
SACRAFICE
God is looking for me to depend upon Him. I am sinful and wicked and in need of forgiveness, guidance and direction every day. If I ignore Christ I will fail. When I turn to the Lord I see myself as I really am and discover what I need to succeed that day.
7/30/03 Psalm 62:1-2
I wait patiently before God, for my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.
TRUST
I can trust the Lord. I can trust Him to be on-time, and adequate to deal with whatever problem I have. Oh yes I have problems and only the Lord can solve them.
7/31/03 John 1:1
In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God.
JESUS
Jesus has always been God. There was never a time when Christ wasn’t God. I can serve the Lord because Jesus died for my sin. In Christ I have everything I need for this life and the life to come.
