DAY 1 – April 27, 2009
TITLE: “YOUR CONDUCT
MATTERS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.” II Corinthians 1:12
When I was a child, I was raised with clear guidelines on how I was to act. I was not allowed to speak in a group of adults unless spoken to. I was taught to be kind and polite and never was to disrupt or call attention to myself. Though there were many other rules, I believe you get the point that I was raised to conduct myself in a certain manner. The reason is clear, conduct matters.
The committed Apostle Paul knew that conduct matters. The way we conduct ourselves in a given situation says a lot about who we are and what we really believe. As a representative of Christ, we are to conduct ourselves in a way that always brings honor to the Lord. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…” Philippians 1:27. In other words, there is never a circumstance or situation where we are not to conduct ourselves in a way that does not honor God. Regardless of what others may say to us at work, we are always to conduct ourselves in a way that honors the Lord. Even when there is tremendous financial or time pressure at home, we are always to conduct ourselves in a way that honors the Lord. When life is going well this may be easy, but we are to conduct ourselves in a way that honors the Lord when we are sick, tired, pressured, mistreated, and busy.
Conduct really does matter. In our relationship with others in the world, our conduct matters. Whether you are at Wal-Mart, the gas station, Food 4 Less, church, or on the freeway, conduct matters. Whether you are at home, a neighbor’s house, walking down the street, at the hospital, or the mall, your conduct matters.
History records that when Queen
As followers of Jesus, you and I have a high calling. We are called to be salt and light wherever we go. We are called to lift up Jesus so all are drawn to follow Him. Through His power and the work of the Holy Spirit, conduct yourselves today and everyday in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your conduct matters.
DAY 2 – April 28, 2009
TITLE: “MAKING PLANS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same, breath I say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no?” II Corinthians 1:17
Are you a planner? Perhaps you are the type of person that likes to research and have all the details worked out when you are going on a trip or doing a project. Maybe, you are the opposite and like to be spontaneous and allow things to happen in the moment.
British sculptor, Sir Jacob Epstein, was once visited in his studio by the eminent author and fellow Briton, George Bernard Shaw. The visitor noticed a huge block of stone standing in one corner and asked what it was for. "I don't know yet. I'm still making plans." Shaw was astounded. "You mean you plan your work? Why, I change my mind several times a day!" "That's all very well with a four-ounce manuscript," replied the sculptor, "but not with a four-ton block."
Some things are worth the effort spent in planning. Paul deftly had made some plans, but he is clear to make the point that he does not make his plans in a worldly manner. In making plans, it is wise to remember that our plans are subject to the plans of the Master Planner. James stressed this when he wrote, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” James 4:13-15. Our plans are always subject to the authority of one far greater than we are.
Life is too important to leave God out of your plans. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Never have a planning session without inviting God to chair the meeting.
Ask God to show you His plans today. Don’t make your plans according to the wisdom of the world or leave God out of your plans today. Let the God who desires to guide you and direct you, show you His plans and direction. Submit and surrender your plans and dreams to Him today.
“Seek ye first the
And all these things
will be added unto you Alleu, alleuia.”
DAY 3 – April 29, 2009
TITLE: “GOD IS FAITHFUL” (Part I)
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” II Corinthians 1:18
God’s love for His people is an amazing mystery. God chose
to love
He was faithful to deliver His people from the
W. J Henry wrote those words that have been put into a hymn. “He never has failed me yet. He never has failed me yet. I have proven Him true; what He says He will do. He never has failed me yet.” God has always been and will always be our faithful God. He is faithful in all things, at all times. Without faithfulness, God would not be God, for to be unfaithful would be to act contrary to His nature. God is stable, dependable, and consistent. We have all been let down by people at one time or another. You can count on God not to let you down.
Regardless of where you go today and what you do, you will never be out of the reach of God’s faithfulness. The scriptures say, “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” Psalm 36:5. God’s actions reveal His faithfulness. Yes, God wants to be your faithful God.
It has been said, “If I wouldn’t have seen it with my own eyes I never would have believed it.” God’s faithfulness can be seen with our own eyes. Ask God to open your eyes to His faithfulness seen throughout the pages of scripture. Ask God to reveal the handprint of His faithfulness in your own life. God will be faithful to provide a way when you need a way. God will be faithful to provide strength when you need strength. God will be faithful to provide help when you need help. God will be faithful to provide peace when you need peace. God is our faithful God.
DAY 4 – April 30, 2009
TITLE: “GOD IS FAITHFUL” (Part II)
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” II Corinthians 1:18
It has been said that all good things come to an end. This is not true of God’s faithfulness. People come and go, but God is always the faithful one. The people of God pass on, but the promises and plans of God continue. Preachers come and go, but God is faithful.
People come and go, but God is faithful. As I reflect on the people who have influenced me most in the things of God, many of those have passed on. However, the faithful God they taught me about is with me everyday.
Have you ever watched a television show and at the end of the show it says to be continued? God’s faithfulness continues on from generation to generation. God has a big, “TO BE CONTINUED ON THE SCREENS OF OUR LIFE.” His faithfulness continues on and on and on and on. Scripture says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9
A parent’s faithfulness to love means a lot of things. It means loving in the good times and bad. It means celebrating the wins and standing with our children in the losses. It means drying tears, modeling joy, correction, admonishing, disciplining, protecting, and providing just to name a few. God’s faithfulness to us as His children means all of that and so much more. God is the faithful God, so He will be faithful to love at all times.
God is the faithful God, so He will always do what His faithfulness demands.
William King prayed, “O God, if in the day of battle I forget Thee; do not Thou forget me.” Paul said it this way in his letter to Timothy. “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” II Timothy 2:13. God’s faithfulness is unending, for He can never stop being who He is. People change, but God remains faithful. The prophet said, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
God’s faithfulness calls for a response. How will you respond to His faithfulness today? With the Psalmist, does your heart cry out, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” Psalm 89:1. It is one thing to declare God’s faithfulness, but it can be another to act upon it. The faithfulness of God calls for action. Will you act upon His faithfulness today and allow your actions to reveal that God is faithful?
“Great is Thy
Faithfulness, O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy
compassions, they fail not, as Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.” Thomas Chisholm
DAY 5 – May 1, 2009
TITLE: “GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE YOU STAND FIRM”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ…” II Corinthians 1:21
How can a young person stand firm in Christ when they are bombarded by worldly philosophies and teaching? God is able to make them stand. How can a person stand firm for Christ when peer-pressure is strong enough to push you away from the things of Christ? God is able to make them stand. How can you stand firm in Christ when the world in which we live seeks to have us stand the drifting sands of materialism and feelings? God is able to make you stand.
Regardless of what you are facing in your life today, God is able to make you stand firm in Christ. You can stand firm by faith in the one who is faithful. Jude understood the ability of God to help us stand firm when He wrote, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-” Jude 1:24
These are days when followers of Jesus must stand firm in the faith. Paul instructs us, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. “ I Corinthians 16:13. God can give you a firm place to stand today. The Psalmist said, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:2. It is a place found through faith in God and His word. God can make you stand firm in Christ today as you trust and depend upon Him.
“Standing on the promises of Christ my
King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot
fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear
assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of
God.
Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, Standing on the promises of
God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the
Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord, Overcoming daily with the
Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.” R. Kelso Carter