+Dev+ Michael D. Inman

Date: February 27, 2011 6:25 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Holiness

Promise of Holiness

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:1-2, KJV).
Scripture Focus: John 17:6-19

I found this verse quite daunting when I first came to Christ. The standard of being holy as God is holy seemed to be far beyond my capacity. Then I came to see it as a promise as much as it is a command. It is precisely because God is holy that we will be holy.

In Jesus' prayer in our reading, He sets Himself apart, dedicates Himself to one goal: the saving of His people so that we might be set apart, holy, to Him.

The Father delights to answer Jesus' prayer. Jesus living in us by His Holy Spirit will be holy in and through us. Think not of being a haloed, statue of a saint, but rather of being, as one man has described, "the glory of God, a man fully alive." This holiness is authoritative, powerful and active, engaging the world and loving people without reserve.

This is the holiness of Jesus which He will exercise in us to defeat all the enemy's attempts to drag us down into sin and despair. Take heart, as I have!

Insight: Jesus has promised to make us holy. He lives in us as our new self. Are we strengthening our old self with unholy influences?

Date: February 24, 2011 7:38 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Resurrection Power

Promise of Resurrection Power

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Philippians 3:10).
Scripture Focus: Philippians 3:1-14, Ephesians 1:15-23

After he was raised, Jesus promised His disciples power - power to witness for Him and power to exercise His authority in the fellowship.

This power also is available to us as believers in our personal lives; power not to sin, power through prayer to pull down strongholds (centers of besetting sin in our lives and in the lives of others).

It is not at all dependent on our own strength. In fact, the opposite is true. Paul says that he will actually boast about his weakness "so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9). This power is not something we can muster up; it is totally supernatural. As Paul explains, it is the power of the resurrection of Christ.

In Ephesians Paul prays for the disciples to experience the incredible greatness of the power (a Greek word similar to "dynamite") of Christ's resurrection. He prays they would know the energy of God's infinite strength and explosive force exercised in that event. We can ourselves know this incredible power to overcome sin and difficulties.

Insight: God's guidance in times of trouble is very clear, so start listening for His voice.

Date: February 24, 2011 12:02 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Peace

Promise of Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever" (Isaiah 26:3-4, KJV).
Scripture Focus: John 14:23-27

According to the world, peace is simply the absence of war. In Hebrew "peace" (shalom) means complete well-being. It is resting in the shelter of the Almighty. When Jesus promises peace to His disciples, it is the peace in the soul that only He can give through the Holy Spirit. This is quite distinct from any peace the world offers - a mere absence of conflict or the removal of irksome difficulties. The Lord's peace can be experienced even in suffering and cannot be taken away.

The Amplified Bible translates Colossians 3:15 this way: "And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds]..." God's peace does not allow us to constantly be in turmoil of indecision, or an agony of regret, or to wallow in guilt.

Evan Roberts, evangelist of the 1905 Welsh revival, would often cry out to congregations, "Is there anything here too hard for the cross of Christ?"

Insight: Is there anything troubling you today? Do you think your problem is too great for the cross of Christ? Find peace in Him.

Date: February 22, 2011 11:29 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Potential

Promise of Potential

"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior'" (Judges 6:12).
Scripture Focus: Judges 6:11-40

The angel addresses Gideon as "you mighty hero." We could not have foreseen that description because we first encounter Gideon (vs. 11) in the winepress, threshing wheat there to hide it from the Midianites. The angel then says to Gideon, "Go in this thy might and thou shall save Israel..." What "might" is this? you may well ask. Gideon has just complained that the Lord deserted Israel. Later we see he doesn't wholly trust God. He thinks God will kill him because he has seen the angel's face. He asks God to prove Himself with the fleece. Later (8:27) after his astounding feats against the Midianites, Gideon fails God and Israel by setting up an idol.

How does all of that add up to "great hero"? Well, like us, Gideon was flawed, but God was with him and God had sent him. This will make Gideon into a hero and be his strength. God provided him with new potential, and he became the hero of the many exploits we read about in Judges because the real hero, the Lord, was behind him all the way.

Insight: God sees, not who I am, but who He is going to make me. Do you trust His promise of your potential?

Date: February 21, 2011 8:53 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Meaning

Promise of Meaning

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 45:5-19
God would not have us seek Him in vain, meaning in emptiness. He is a God of order. His first act in creation was to speak into the chaos and say, "Let there be light." Because He is a God of order, we do not live meaningless lives. He plans and gives meaning to the events of our lives even if we feel that they do not make sense at times. We are not at the mercy of some random and cruel destiny. Love's hand is on the tiller whatever the buffeting.

A submarine commander wrote to his mother just before he was lost at sea: "If I should die, just consider I have drowned in a pool in the hand of Jesus."

The God who made the greatest evil - the cruel death of the perfect man on a Roman cross - into the greatest good can give meaning even to the worst things in our lives, though they be painful or misunderstood at present.

A tapestry, which, when seen from behind, is a mere jumble of threads, presents a beautiful picture when seen from the front.

Insight: God is love and in charge of your life. Can you come to any ultimate harm? Commit to Him your life and all that happens.

Date: February 17, 2011 8:23 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Significance

Promise of Significance

"'They will be mine,' says the Lord Almighty, 'in that day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them...'" (Malachi 3:17).
Scripture Focus: Song of Solomon 4:1-15

Am I fully aware that God delights in me? He does, just as a bridegroom delights in his bride! Zephaniah 3:17 tells us, "He will rejoice over you with singing."

It is this love which led Jesus to the cross. "God was in Christ" shouldering the blame, taking the shame. While we were still spurning His love, He took our separation from God and suffered an eternity of pain for us. He did this because He delights in us. Through this He has given us our significance and our worth.

In verse 16 Malachi says, "Those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name" (Malachi 3:16). I shared these verses with a friend who hadn't heard them before. But when he considered Malachi's words, an amazed smile spread over his face as it dawned on him that God delighted in him. It is truly marvelous that God considers us His treasure. Dare we value ourselves less?
Insight: Do I look anywhere else for significance? Do I look to others, abilities, qualifications, or occupations? Our true significance does not lie there.

Date: February 16, 2011 9:03 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Guidance
Promise of Guidance
"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, 'This is the
way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn
to the left'" (Isaiah 30:21, KJV).
Scripture Focus: Psalm 23
I once knew someone who would wait for guidance before buying any
particular brand of cornflakes in the supermarket. It must have taken
an age to get around the store!
When we were youth leaders, sincere youngsters would sometimes get
themselves into a paralysis of indecision about choices they faced.
God guides us often by our prayerful weighing up of pros and cons and
by opening some doors or closing others.
Our verse says that we receive guidance "when" we turn to the left or
right. There is no merit in standing indecisively at the crossroads.
The Lord does not guide by magical means. A man came to a fork in the
road and threw a stick into the air. It landed, pointing up one road.
He threw it again. When it landed, it pointed up the other road, so
he went. An observer asked him why he threw the stick in the air. He
replied, "I go the way the stick points." When he asked why he didn't
go the way it pointed the first time, he replied, "Oh, I didn't want
to go that way."
Insight: Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, said, "God gave
us a lot of guidance when he gave us a head!"
--
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My Bunnies!
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(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o
Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: February 16, 2011 12:55 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Steadfastness
Promise of Steadfastness
"Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered for ever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord" (Psalm 112:6-7).
Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
The King James Version of this passage says "his heart is fixed." Similarly, Isaiah 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is fixed on you." This "fixing" of our hearts is the essence of steadfastness.
Job was unwavering in heart when he cried out, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job13:15). To be fixed is to be like Abraham of whom it is said that when all hope was gone, he still hoped, knowing that God would never let His word fail. God's promises will always be kept.
A story goes that a man walking along a cliff slips over the edge. He clings to a sapling and is hanging over a sheer drop, hundreds of feet. He yells, "Is there anyone up there? Help! Help!" He hears a voice saying, "This is God. Just let go! I will catch you and set you safely on the ground." There is silence and then an even louder, frantic cry: "Is there anyone else up there?"
There is no one else up there and no one else anywhere as steadfast as He!
Insight: Perhaps our hearts are not as fixed as they should be? Let us ask God today to fix our hearts fully on Him.

Date: February 15, 2011 12:58 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise to Blot Out Our Sins
Promise to Blot Out Our Sins
"...Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us
which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
His cross" (Colossians 2:14, KJV).
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 43:16-25
I am no computer whiz, but apparently experts have ways of retrieving
old memory which has been cancelled on the computer. Some trace is
always left behind.
It is not like that for us. The Lord says in Isaiah 1:18, "Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." We might
suspect that these days forensics might be able to reveal some
staining! Not so, however, because the Lord removes all possible
suspicion of that. The Greek word for "blotting out" means wiping a
slate, totally obliterating what was there before. Our sins do not
belong to us anymore. Our slate is clean. God took them on Himself,
nailing them to the cross.
Always ready to beat ourselves up, we then say what about our
on-going sinfulness? Martin Luther said, "The remnant of sin is not
laid to our charge but freely pardoned. Sometimes we fall into sin,
yet we are not discouraged and must not think that our state of life
displeases God lest we despair, but we raise ourselves up through
faith!"
Insight: Luther does not excuse flying in the face of the known will
of God. He is addressing our weaknesses as Christians trying to obey
God.
--
Date: February 13, 2011 8:19 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Valuing the Promises
Valuing the Promises
"He [Moses] regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures in Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward" (Hebrews 11:26).
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 11:1-40
The 17th Century Scottish pastor, Samuel Rutherford said, "I know not a thing worth the buying but heaven." Heaven was such a reality to him that it was the only thing worth investing in.
Perhaps it is because we don't like to think about hell or that we value heaven less than we should. As believers, heaven is the reward. Jesus spoke of it as entering into the joy of the Master. Jesus himself endured the cross for the joy set before Him.
Often the faith of some believers in God's promises is eroded by short-term thinking. When a dear one is ill, they cling to the promise that the Lord is Healer. They pray, but sometimes death prevails. It seems God's promise has failed. If told that sometimes God's promise of full healing is fulfilled only in heaven, they think that this is a cop-out and wonder whether they can trust His promises. Verse 39 points out that none of the heroes of faith listed received on earth what had been promised. But in heaven they did receive the promise and the reward.
Insight: Jesus so valued heaven that He suffered hell for us on the cross. Does this not give us profound respect for the reward of heaven?
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(='.'=)
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My Bunnies!
(\(\ /)/)
(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o
Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: February 11, 2011 12:21 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Promises Fulfilled in Jesus
Promises Fulfilled in Jesus
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 1:12-22
All God's promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He lived them, implements them at the right hand of God (the place of power), and brings them to fruition through the indwelling Spirit. So how can any of His promises ever fail or not capture our hearts with authority and power?
Richard Sibbes, the 16th Century Puritan, said "For any good I hope from God, I must have a promise." That is why it is important we ask the Lord to show us His promises, both general and personal, in His Word. Otherwise our experience of God will not reach its full potential, and our trust in Him will not grow. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." 1 Thessalonians 5:24 reminds us, "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
Sibbes also said that the promise is the plate on which the Bread of Life is found: It carries Christ who is the meal. The promise is the menu, but Jesus is the meal itself.
Insight: We gain no sustenance by eating the plate or the menu. Let us feast on the Bread of Life in the Word and in prayer.

Date: February 9, 2011 5:38 PM
Topic: +DEV+ God's Promises Doubly Sure
God's Promises Doubly Sure
"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very
clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an
oath" (Hebrews 6:17).
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 6:13-20
God shows His graciousness in giving His promise twice to Abraham: "I
will bless you and multiply you," and He adds before it "surely" to
double up on His promise.
Recently, in a moment of trial, I read God's promise for my need in
Isaiah 41:10: "I will uphold you with the right hand of my
righteousness" (KJV). What a relief to me that it wasn't my
righteousness that was going to win the day; it was His. Through
Jesus, who lives in us and is the right hand of God, we can conquer.
Later I came across the same promise, the same verse in my daily
reading. Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India in the early 20th
Century said, "When a word comes to us twice about the same time, it
is for some special purpose. It helps and challenges us. What makes
the help so vital is the belief that it did not just 'happen', but
was planned by our tender Lord, who knows all about us. It is very
comforting to know that He is actually thinking about me."
Insight: She goes on "let us look for words which will be doubled for
us, perhaps today." Watch for these doubled-up promises.
--
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(='.'=)
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My Bunnies!
(\(\ /)/)
(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o
Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: February 8, 2011 12:29 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Poor Promises, Good Promises
Poor Promises, Good Promises
"Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he" (Isaiah 2:22)?
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 2:5-22
The essence of trusting God's promises is trusting the God who makes them. In the rather philosophical film "Revolutionary Road," someone says to the principal character, "You have put your trust in a promise no one ever made to you." That is a broken reed indeed!
Many put their trust in human promises. For instance, the remedies from self-help literature promise the earth and do not deliver. The thing about God is that He is the only one who can always deliver. He has the will, and He has the power to perform His promises. The 18th Century English writer, William Romaine, wrote to a friend, "As I was going along the road, I heard a voice saying, 'CEASE YE FROM MAN, from yourself, from others: put no confidence in them. Put not your trust in princes, not in any child of man, be he wise, or great, or good. Nay, look not at them, but with a single eye, look unto Jesus.'"
He set out on a new path of not heeding other promises but only the promises of God.
Insight: In difficulties do we look first to our own understanding or to others' advice? Put your fundamental trust in the Lord Jesus.
<><

Date: February 6, 2011 8:39 PM
Topic: +DEV+ God's Gracious Promises
God's Gracious Promises
"For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless...Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace..." (Romans 4:14, 16).
Scripture Focus: Romans 4:1-16
Human promises are fallible. All denominations of English pound notes bear the caption "The Bank of England promises to pay the bearer on demand the sum of __ pounds." Especially in the current economic climate, they are unlikely to be of the same value in the future as they are today.
God's promises are gracious. That is, there is nothing we can do to earn them. God's gift of eternal life in His Son is all of grace (Great Riches At Christ's Expense).
The new covenant with us is not a contract: God does something for us if we do something reciprocal for Him. I spent a large part of my career in a business based on contractual relationships. No, Christ loved us and died for us when we were still sinners. That is the graciousness of God's dealing.
The Christian life is all about God's promises to us, not about our promises to Him. He is the Promise Keeper while our New Year resolutions fade before January is out! "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful" (2 Timothy 2:13).
Insight: Nothing devalues God's promises. They are free and infinitely valuable. We can confidently cash them right now at the Bank of Faith by prayer!

Date: February 1, 2011 11:43 PM
Topic: +DEV+ He Works Through My Weakness

He Works Through My Weakness

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father
of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your
offspring be'" (Romans 4:18).
Scripture Focus: Genesis 22:1-18, Hebrews 11:17-19

God promised Abraham that He'd bless him and make his descendants a
great nation which would be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:2).

Then Abraham had to wait until he and his wife were very old before
the promised heir, Isaac was born. Imagine Abraham's feelings when he
was then asked by God to sacrifice Isaac as an offering to God. How
could that be? Was God breaking His promise that his descendants
would bless the world?

But Abraham trusted in God. He didn't know how, but one way or
another God was going to honor His promise. And God did just that.
This faith, credited to him as righteousness, is the saving faith of
Galatians 3:6-9.

The blessing is ours when we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior; we
believe He is whom God's Word declares Him to be, and we receive Him
into our hearts and are born again. His is the foundation promise,
the gateway for us to become heirs of the promise of eternal life
(see 1 John 2:25).

Insight: The faith that justifies us is the faith that trusts His
promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Have you trusted in that
promise?

--
Date: February 2, 2011 10:57 PM
Topic: +DEV+ God's First Promise

God's First Promise

"...a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which
God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time" (Titus
1:2).
Scripture Focus: Proverbs 8:22-31

This is Wondrous! God promised before the world began to give his
people (not yet created) eternal life - everlasting joy in His
presence! This was His purpose in creating us. And this was given us
in Christ before all time.

This promise makes me keenly aware that my future is not dependent on
my past or my present. Nor does it rest on any aspect of my life - my
shortcomings and misdeeds, any virtues I may have. My future is
founded entirely and securely on God's promise eons before I ever
was. My eternal being is rooted in God's ageless plan. What security
that gives us!

My destiny, therefore, is founded on God's character not on mine, on
His promise, not on any I might make. And our aim in sharing this
good news is that others might also become heirs of this promise,
made before time began, in Christ.

As our hearts are warmed to Him for His tremendous love, we say with
Paul, "O, the depth of the riches of wisdom and knowledge of God!"

Insight: Do we grasp that God's promise of eternal life is not based
on our doing? It was made in God's heart before we were created.
---
Date: February 3, 2011 11:48 PM
Topic: +DEV+ God Gives Good Promises

God Gives Good Promises

"'Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just
as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he
gave through his servant Moses'" (1 Kings 8:56).
Scripture Focus: 2 Peter 1:3-21

"Promises, promises," we say when we know there is little hope of
their fulfillment. That is the world's cynicism and perhaps our
thinking, too, since people do often break promises. Likely, those
were bad promises to begin with.

But God deals with us by good promises. He means us to fasten on to
His promises, and He loves to have us claim them from Him in prayer.
He loves to hear us ask for what He longs to give.

Solomon blesses God because God has kept the promise that He made to
Israel through Moses "that he will love you and bless you and
increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the
crops...and your flocks...You will be blessed more than any other
people" (Deuteronomy 7:13-14).

Solomon was dedicating the Temple, which itself had been promised,
and saw that all God's promises to Moses had been kept. How humbling
it must have been for God's often-grumbling people to hear these
words. Their God - your God! - never fails.

Insight: Have we based our lives once and for all on the God who
cannot lie? Will we stake everything on the promises of His Word?
--





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(='.'=)
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My Bunnies!
(\(\ /)/)
(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: February 1, 2011 1:42 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Unexpected Answer
Unexpected Answer
"Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door...she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it..." (Acts 12:13).
Scripture Focus: Acts 12:1-17
Do you sometimes pray with a degree of skepticism? Even while you're asking God to show the way out of your financial ruin or to take the cancer away or to grant comfort in the recent loss of a loved one, you don't actually expect to see "an answer" from God.
In today's reading, an angel miraculously freed Peter from jail. The fervent prayers of Peter's friends had been answered just as they'd hoped! Rhoda quickly recognized Peter's voice and God's answer to prayer. The other friends' cynical response when Rhoda told them he was at the door indicates their lack of faith.
How often do we pray for others, only to lose faith the longer we wait? The beauty of this story isn't just God sparing Peter's life; it's also God's willingness to allow skeptics to recognize His hand and share in the joy of God's answer.
Rejoice when God provides finances, healing, or comfort. Realize He may choose not to provide those. But above all trust Him and rest in His care.
Insight: You can believe in God's answers to prayer! Rejoice in His miracles, and tell others of His faithfulness.
<><

Date: January 30, 2011 8:36 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Bearing Fruit

Bearing Fruit

"We pray this in order that you may live a life, growing in the
knowledge of God, being strengthened with...his glorious might"
(Colossians 1:10-11).
Scripture Focus: Colossians 1:3-14

Along with waiting comes growth. The fruit maturing on the trees, the
development of an unborn child, the love between a man and a woman
all take time to grow. Paul identifies spiritual growth by the
"fruit" that becomes evident in those who follow Jesus.

Getting to know God better is the first step in spiritual growth.
Learning more about Him comes from reading the Bible. We learn to
trust Him for strength when we endure difficulty.

Allowing God to strengthen us is the second requirement for spiritual
growth. Perhaps we endure a situation we'd rather not deal with, a
person we'd rather not cross paths with, or a limitation we'd rather
overcome. God's strength gives us patience and thanksgiving. We see
that we are not going through any of our trials alone.

It takes time to know God more deeply, to display patience, and to be
thankful. As the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to mold us, He makes
us worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way.

Insight: Take time to learn more about God. Ask for His strength to
help you endure with patience and thankfulness.

--

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(='.'=)
(")_(")
My Bunnies!
(\(\ /)/)
(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: January 27, 2011 9:16 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Always in Style
Always in Style
"They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts" (Ephesians 4:18).
Scripture Focus: Ephesians 4:17-32
Each season retailers advertise new lines of clothing, promoting new styles and latest trends. It's hard to keep up with the changes!
Paul's encouragement "to put off your old self... and to put on the new self" relates to the clothing of our mind. The purpose isn't to make ourselves, our church, or our God reflect a fashionable image. The purpose is for us to reflect the very image of God.
When the routine of life turns into a season of heartache, we usually don't understand God's ways. Bitterness clothes us. After all, a darkened understanding coordinates well with distancing ourselves from God and hardening our hearts. But we "did not come to know Christ that way" (Ephesians 4:20).
Even while we wait for a difficult situation to end, we remember we're clothed in righteousness. Because Christ has redeemed us, we wear the clothing that displays truthfulness, self-control, and encouragement, attributes reflecting our magnificent Designer. Such apparel, purchased for us with Christ's own blood, will never go out of style.
Insight: Dress for the day from God's wardrobe. Put on truth, sharing, uplifting conversations, self-control, kindness and forgiveness.

Date: January 26, 2011 9:28 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Joy in the Daily Grind

Joy in the Daily Grind

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus" (Romans 15:5).
Scripture Focus: Romans 15:1-13

Leave it to human nature to look forward to the wedding, but to hardly joy in the engagement; to take pleasure in the game, not the week of practice; to long for Memorial Day, not the first day of school. Achieving, accomplishing, arriving - we yearn for those. Words like waiting, delaying, and pausing stir up negative emotions.

We expect feelings of joy and peace once we attain a goal and the waiting is over. Yet Paul shows us that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, joy and peace can be experienced in the midst of waiting.

When a journey becomes a struggle, we often revert to critical comments, judgmental demands, and defensive responses. But Romans 15 challenges us to keep a spirit of unity during "the daily grind." When we're tempted to think about self rather than others, we are to "accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you" (15:7).

Show love and forgiveness to others as God has to us. He fills us with joy and peace, and our lives can overflow with His power (15:13).

Insight: When you need endurance and encouragement, continue to love and forgive others. This will bring unity and will glorify God

Date: January 26, 2011 12:14 AM
Topic: +DEV+ I'll Wait for Heaven
I'll Wait for Heaven
"...Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently" (Romans 8:18, 25).
Scripture Focus: Romans 8:18-28
"If you don't pick up your play dough, you won't be allowed to play with it for a very, very long time!" the young mother threatened.
Her toddler thought for a moment and asked, "Can I play with it when I get to heaven?"
Waiting wouldn't be so bad if we always thought of our delays with an eternal perspective. Instead we fret, wanting to know when our struggle will be over. Will my problem end in a week or in a month? Will the relationship be restored soon?
Paul reminds the Romans that allowing God's glory to shine through their struggle gives them strength to wait. Paul focuses attention on God being glorified through suffering, not on God ending it. Some people use this passage to justify that God is obligated to smooth out life's problems. God's eternal perspective does not limit the fulfillment of His promises to our timetable. Regardless of when He brings an answer, we can be as satisfied as the toddler who will once again play with his play dough - even if he waits until heaven.
Insight: Instead of focusing on your struggles, ask God to give you an eternal perspective of your problems. Allow His glory to shine through you.

Date: January 24, 2011 10:24 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Peaceful Parting

Peaceful Parting

"They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.
Barnabas took Mark...but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the
brothers to the grace of the Lord" (Acts 15:39-40).
Scripture Focus: Acts 15:36-41

Although we may idealize the lives and faith of Biblical characters,
Scripture shows their lives to be very human, filled with struggles.
For example, Paul wanted to return with Barnabas to the towns in
which they had previously preached. Barnabas wanted to take his
cousin, John Mark. Paul adamantly refused since Mark had previously
deserted them. A disagreement arose.

Paul saw Barnabas's decision as unwise; Barnabas saw Paul's decision
as unforgiving. Unable to reach a compromise, they parted ways. Yet
they remained committed to their mission of strengthening churches
and bringing unbelievers to faith. God blessed both of them.

Throughout history, successful partners have been effective and
memorable. Still sometimes partners reach an impasse. Ideally we
would compromise and continue working together since God delights in
unity.

Paul and Barnabas' experience illustrates, however, that at times God
blesses a peaceful parting.

Insight: When a disagreement affects your ministry, keep your focus
on serving God. He can still work through you.

--

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(='.'=)
(")_(")
My Bunnies!
(\(\ /)/)
(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: January 23, 2011 11:02 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Days of Darkness
Days of Darkness
"Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind" (Acts 9:8).
Scripture Focus: Acts 9:1-22
Saul's conversion happened while he traveled to Damascus to persecute Christians. Meeting Jesus changed his life. Instead of condemning the followers of Christ to their death, Saul desired to follow Christ with his life.
Once converted, he waited in blindness for three days. Through Ananias God healed Saul and filled him with the Holy Spirit. Saul was baptized and then began his ministry.
How long those three days must have seemed to Saul. Would it last forever? Yet those days of darkness never diminished his desire to serve Christ. While blind, he waited; once healed, he sprang up for the cause of Christ.
In our darkest days of worry, regret or failure, we may reach a standstill. The wait is not because God will not forgive us or because He doesn't have time to help. More likely, we're just unable to see how God brings the healing we need. He may send a friend with compassion and encouragement. Though we wait in the dark, God will not leave us there.
Insight: When you are stranded or do not know where God will lead, be faithful. He'll provide the healing, support and encouragement needed to serve Him.

Date: January 20, 2011 10:32 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Missed Opportunities
Missed Opportunities
"[Jesus] asked him, 'Do you want to get well?' 'Sir,' the invalid replied, 'I have no one to help me...While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me'" (John 5:6b-7).
Scripture Focus: John 5:1-9
Waiting is increasingly difficult when we've experienced missed opportunities. When there are logical reasons to keep hope, it's easier to maintain faith. But as hope wanes, disappointment erodes our faith.
The man Jesus addressed at the pool of Bethesda experienced the cruel cycle of missed opportunities. Perhaps he appeared to be waiting hopefully as he sat with the others in need of healing. But his reply to Jesus suggests that he was past the point of even trying. His hopes were shattered with every missed opportunity for healing when the water was stirred. Perhaps Jesus talked to that particular man precisely because he was hopeless.
If the man had been miraculously healed after being the first one in the stirred water, he might have felt some how responsible for, or entitled to, his healing. But his healing wasn't based on effort, desire or faith; it rested in Jesus' power.
Though we feel hopeless, Jesus is able to restore. In our powerlessness, He is all-powerful.
Insight: Even if you are past the point of waiting for a miracle, Jesus can bring healing. He's all-powerful.

Date: January 19, 2011 9:13 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Compelling Temptation
Compelling Temptation
"After fasting forty days and forty nights, [Jesus] was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread'" (Matthew 4:2-3).
Scripture Focus: Matthew 4:1-11
Satan tempted Jesus to prove His deity and to enjoy instant gratification by turning stones into bread. After fasting 40 days, Jesus was hungry, so Satan appealed to His very human hunger pangs.
Many temptations lure us with the appeal of immediate gratification. When our senses are enticed or our desires are stirred, it's tempting to act without delay. In the book Get Off Your Knees and Pray, Shelia Walsh discusses our human tendency to avoid waiting. She has learned, "When I feel a compulsion to move quickly, I wait. God is a God of order and peace."
Jesus understands the lure of instant gratification. He was "tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He resisted every temptation because He knew the truth of Scripture. God's character has been revealed through Jesus. Why wouldn't I confidently trust in God's timing and His provision?
We can resist the lure of temptation by filling up with the nourishing truth of God's Word.
Insight: When tempted to satisfy a desire immediately, turn to God's Word. Through it, you'll receive the strength to wait for His provision.

Date: January 19, 2011 12:47 AM
Topic: +DEV+ The Need to Wait
The Need to Wait
"Jesus said, 'This sickness...is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.' Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days" (John 11:4, 6).
Scripture Focus: John 11:1-7, 11-15, 20-45
Waiting is part of life. We wait at the grocery store, the bank, and the doctor's office. Many are the times and years we have waited for God. Yet consider this: sometimes God waits for us. He waits to meet our need. He waits so He can work in ways that are beyond our expectations.
Jesus gave us a clear example. When told of Lazarus' illness, He waited before meeting needs. Healing Lazarus when his sisters asked would have placed the greatest importance on their faith in Jesus. Jesus didn't want to confirm their faith, He wanted to increase it. After Mary and Martha's brother died, their situation was beyond the point of their own faith in Jesus.
That's when He arrived.
When our needs are greater than our faith in God's intervention, He may be trying to increase our faith. He sees the need we bring to Him, but He also sees the need for our faith to grow. When God is not "showing up", or when we feel most desperate for His help, wait while your faith grows and God is glorified.
Insight: Consider God's delay an opportunity for your faith to grow and for Him to be glorified in the process.

Date: January 17, 2011 10:08 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Priorities and Peace
Priorities and Peace
"Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the
work by myself'" (Luke 10:40)?
Scripture Focus: Luke 10: 39-42
When Jesus and His disciples came to visit Mary, Martha, and Lazarus,
Martha was burdened with preparing the meal for over a dozen men. As
she toiled with her hands, she stewed in her mind. She expected her
sister's help, but Mary sat and listened to Jesus. Martha's
resentment simmered until she questioned Jesus' concern.
Jesus knew Mary was not the solution to Martha's problem. He didn't
give Martha advice about cutting her list or delegating her chores or
multi-tasking. Nor did Jesus trivialize the enormity of Martha's
responsibility. Rather, He advised her to reprioritize her list. She
longed for Mary's help; Jesus wanted Martha to long for Him.
Even today, peace is not proportional to the number of items we check
off our list. Like Martha, we are burdened with "too much to do." We
wish others would lighten our load. When we're weighed down with
responsibility, our efforts to find relief can drive us to
bitterness. We'll only experience peace if we listen to Jesus through
His Word.
Insight: When you're disappointed by others or burdened by your list,
take time with Jesus to find relief through His peace.
--
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
My Bunnies!
(\(\ /)/)
(='.') ('.'=)
o(_")") ("("_)o
Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do
Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."