The Gospel

I had every intention of doing a nice sized post today, but after staring at my computer screen all day long for work, I just need to get up, turn off the computer and go something constructive with myself!  However, I will leave you this to chew on.  And, trust me, it's a full on meal packed into it's 11 minute size!

Have an awe-filled rest of your day remembering what He came to do for you and how you are going to share that with the world!

Blessings in Christ,

Rejoice in the Lord

This week is going to be very sporadic on posts because I start my new responsibilities at work this week!  (Exciting, but crazy!)  However, I came across this powerful verse today and wanted to share it.  


Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—  Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s  feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills. 


Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV (for the record, I love the old King James version of the Bible and that's what I do my daily reading out of.  However, when I memorize scripture, I do it in the New King James because when I want to quote it to someone [especially an unbeliever] down the road they are most likely going to appreciate it more if they can understand it and it's not in archaic English!)


How powerful is that?  No matter what happens, Habakkuk has realized (yes, realized; just read chapter one if you want to know what Habakkuk thought of God shortly before writing this powerful passage!) God is his joy and his strength.  No matter what happens in this life, the stock market crashes, abortion stays legal, the value of the dollar continues to plummet, droughts, pestilence, floods, food supplies dwindle, you get tossed in a jail and tortured, we can still rejoice in our Lord because He is our God of our salvation!  He is our strength and He will give us the strength, wisdom and whatever else we may need to navigate the high, steep, 'insurmountable' hills in our lives.  What a mighty God we serve!!


Blessings in Christ,
 

Closet: Bible Reading

Today being Sunday, I thought it would be fitting to post what I try to do for my morning devotion time.  I'm not always successful, but ideally, this is what I would like to do:

• Morning devotion from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening (if you don't have it - get it!  I try to make it a point to read the Morning selection before I get out of bed.)
• One chapter from Great Women of the Christian Faith by Edith Deen (I really like to read about and be inspired by Christian women over the years.  This book is far from perfect as it praises some of the women who did things that I completely disagree with - put their children in boarding school so they could ride around the English countryside preaching (they were the ones preaching, they weren't going around with their husband who was preaching), for instance...  But, on the whole, it is a very inspiring book.)
• A prayer from Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett
• Ten 1 chapter segments from the Bible (thank you Mrs. Beaver for the idea!  I don't know why it is, but sometimes I would struggle with keeping my mind focused to read half that amount of chapters.  Now that I started reading the shorter segments, I find I am staying focused and am totally blessed by reading all over the Bible!  For instance, today I read a chapter from Genesis, Joshua, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Matthew, Acts, Romans and 1 Timothy!  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for your first time through the Bible, but if reading through the Bible in a year was part of your home school curriculum for years, so you know your way around the Bible and what's going on at all times, it's great!)

Before going to bed:

• One chapter (or more if I can't put it down!) of whatever biography or theology book I am reading
• Evening selection of Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

Other books I have read/used in the past and liked:

• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
• Daily Light on the Daily Path by the Samuel Bagster Family (a collection of related scriptures for morning and evening readings)
• Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper (I had the idea to read one reason every day between Easter and Pentecost, but it didn't happen this year - I think I made it to Reason #15 because I kept forgetting or wasn't able to do my devotion.  Here's hoping for next year!)
• The Narrated Bible by F. LaGard Smith (this is what my mom used to read us every day to begin our school day.  The entire Bible is put into daily readings for a year in chronological order with Psalms and Proverbs organized by subject, the books of the law also organized by subject and the gospels harmonized.  There is also occasional introduction and history.  For instance, there is a whole daily reading that is comprised of the history of the inter-testament period that is great!  It's really a great way to start reading the Bible or to just read the Bible in one year!)

What do you use for your devotions??  Post up! :)

Blessings in Christ,