WELCOME TO RACHEL'S WORLD 3rd EDITION
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
| "Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Lord, open the door for us!' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' |
| Luke 13:24-25, NLT |
| Finding salvation requires more concentrated effort than most people are willing to put forth. Obviously we cannot save ourselves--there is no way we can work ourselves into God's favor. |
| The effort we must put out "to enter through the narrow door" is earnestly desiring to know Jesus and diligently striving to follow him whatever the cost. We dare not put off making this decision because the door will not stay open forever. |
Monday, 23 July 2012
| Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own." |
| Luke 12:15, NLT |
| Jesus says that the good life has nothing to do with being wealthy, so be on guard against greed (desire for what we don't have). This is the exact opposite of what society usually says. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to entice us to think that if we buy more and more of their products, we will be happier, more fulfilled, more comfortable. |
| How do you respond to the constant pressure to buy? Learn to tune out expensive enticements and concentrate instead on the truly good life--living in a relationship with God and doing his work. |
Friday, 20 July 2012
| "Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me." |
| Luke 11:23, NLT |
| How does this verse relate to Luke 9:50; "Whoever is not against you is for you"? In the earlier passage, Jesus was talking about a person who was driving out demons in Jesus' name. Those who fight evil, he was saying, are on the same side as one driving out demons in Jesus' name. Here, by contrast, he was talking about the conflict between God and the devil. In this battle, if a person is not on God's side, he or she is on Satan's. There is no neutral ground. Because God has already won the battle, why be on the losing side? |
| If you aren't actively for Christ, you are against him. |
Friday, 13 July 2012
| If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? |
| Luke 9:24-25, NLT |
| Nothing material can compensate for the loss of eternal life. Jesus' disciples are not to use their lives on earth for their own pleasure--they should spend their lives serving God and people. |
| If this present life is most important to you, you will do everything you can to protect it. You will not want to do anything that might endanger your safety, health, or comfort. By contrast, if following Jesus is most important, you may find yourself in unsafe, unhealthy, and uncomfortable places. You will risk death, but you will not fear it because you know that Jesus will raise you to eternal life. |
Friday, 6 July 2012
| "What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now." |
| Luke 6:24, NLT |
| If you are trying to find fulfillment only through riches, wealth may be the only reward you will ever get--and it does not last. |
| We should not seek comfort now at the expense of eternal life. |
| "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye* when you have a log in your own?" |
| Luke 6:41, NLT |
| Jesus doesn't mean we should ignore wrongdoing, but we should not be so worried about others' sins that we overlook our own. We often rationalize our sins by pointing out the same mistakes in others. |
| What kinds of specks in others' eyes are the easiest for you to criticize? Remember your own "planks" when you feel like criticizing, and you may find that you have less to say. |
Monday, 2 July 2012
| And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. |
| Luke 5:11, NLT |
| There are two requirements for coming to God. Like Peter, we must recognize our own sinfulness. Then, like these fishermen, we must realize that we can't save ourselves. |
| If we know that we need help, and if we know that Jesus is the only one who can help us, we will be ready to leave everything and follow him. |
Sunday, 1 July 2012
| When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. |
| Luke 4:13, NLT |
| Christ's defeat of the devil in the desert was decisive but not final. Throughout his ministry, Jesus would confront Satan in many forms. |
| Too often we see temptation as once and for all. In reality, we need to be constantly on guard against the devil's ongoing attacks. Where are you most susceptible to temptation right now? How are you preparing to withstand it? |
| One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.*" |
| Luke 3:21-22, NLT |
| Theologians have long been troubled by Jesus' allowing himself to be baptized by John. After all, this baptism was for sinners. Why, then, did Jesus do it? He did it because he is both God and human--he underwent baptism and even death as only a human could; he lived a sinless life and rose from the dead as only God could. This baptism by John in the Jordan River was another step in his identification with us sinful people; and the arrival of the dove signifies God's approval. Now Jesus would officially begin his ministry as God's beloved Son walking the dusty roads of Israel. |
| When you are hurting, depressed, broken, remember: You have a Savior who understands your humanity. When you sin, remember: He has paid the price for your disobedience. |
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Saturday, 16 June 2012
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
| Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd. |
| Zechariah 10:2, NLT |
| We often create idols of money, power, fame, or success, and then we expect them to give us happiness and security. But these idols can't supply what we need any more than a stone image can make it rain. |
| How foolish it is to trust in idols. Instead, trust God's promises for your future. |
| "But the LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him." |
| Habakkuk 2:20, NLT |
| Idols have no life, no personhood, no power; they are empty chunks of wood or stone. Temples built to idols are equally empty; no one lives there. But the Lord is in his temple. He is real, alive, and powerful. He is truly and fully God. Idolaters command their idols to save them, but we who worship the living God come to him in silent awe, great respect, and reverence. |
| We acknowledge that God is in control and knows what he is doing. Idols remain silent, because they cannot answer. The living God, by contrast, speaks through his Word. Approach God reverently and wait silently to hear what he has to say. |
| "What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation--a god that can't even talk!" |
| Habakkuk 2:18, NLT |
| Idolatry may seem like a sin that modern people need not fear. But idolatry is not just bowing down to idols; it is trusting in what one has made, and therefore, in one's own power as creator and sustainer. |
| If we say we worship God but put our trust in bank accounts, homes, businesses, and organizations, then we are idolaters. Do you trust God more than you trust what your hands have made? |
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
| "Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you.* |
| Hosea 4:4, NLT |
| We often blame others if we fear punishment for wrong-doing. Hosea warned the priests not to blame anyone else; the nation's sins were largely their fault. Israel's priests pointed out the people's sins, but God would not allow them to overlook their own irresponsible actions. Instead of instructing the nation in religion and morality, they had led the way toward idolatry and immorality. Their failure to lead the people in God's ways placed most of the blame for Israel's destruction on them. |
| Knowing that God will not allow us to blame others for our sinfulness should cause us to admit our own sins. We are responsible for our own sinful actions. Beware of the tendency to blame others because it can keep you from feeling the need to repent. |
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| May 23, 2012 |
| Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall. |
| Hosea 14:9, NLT |
| God's concern for justice that requires faithfulness and love that offers forgiveness can be seen in his dealings with Hosea. We can err by forgetting God's love and feeling that our sins are hopeless, but we can also err by forgetting his wrath against our sins and thinking he will continue to accept us no matter how we act. Forgiveness is a key word: when God forgives us, he judges the sin but shows mercy to the sinner. |
| We should never be afraid to come to God for a clean slate and a renewed life. |
| May 22, 2012 |
| No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy. |
| Hosea 11:9, NLT |
| "I am God, and not a mere mortal." It is easy for us to define God in terms of our own expectations and behavior. In so doing, we make him just slightly larger than ourselves. In reality, God is infinitely greater than we are. |
| We should seek to become like him rather than attempting to remake him in our image. |
Sunday, 20 May 2012
| May 20, 2012 |
| Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. |
| Daniel 12:3, NLT |
| Many people try to be stars in the world of entertainment, only to find their stardom temporary. God tells us how we can be eternal "stars"--by being wise and leading many to God's righteousness. |
| If we share our Lord with others, we can be true stars--radiantly beautiful in God's sight! |
| May 19, 2012 |
| And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come. |
| Daniel 11:35, NLT |
| God's messenger described a time of trial when even wise believers may stumble. This could mean (1) falling into sin, (2) being fearful and losing faith, (3) mistakenly following wrong teaching, or (4) experiencing severe suffering and martyrdom. |
| If we persevere in our faith, any such experience will only refine us and make us stronger. Are you facing trials? Recognize them as opportunities to strengthen your faith. If we remain steadfast in these experiences, we will be stronger in our faith and closer to God. |
Friday, 18 May 2012
| May 18, 2012 |
| But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. |
| Daniel 6:10, NLT |
| Daniel stood alone. Although he knew about the law against praying to anyone except the king, he continued to pray three times a day as he always had. Daniel had a disciplined prayer life. |
| Our prayers are usually interrupted not by threats, but simply by the pressure of our schedules. Don't let threats or pressures cut into your prayer time. Pray regularly, no matter what, for prayer is your lifeline to God. |
Thursday, 17 May 2012
| I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. |
| Jeremiah 10:23-24, NLT |
| God's ability to direct our lives well is infinitely beyond our ability. Sometimes we are afraid of God's power and God's plans because we know his power would easily crush us if he used it against us. |
| Don't be afraid to let God correct your plans. He will give you wisdom if you are willing. |
| May 17, 2012 |
| "Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live." |
| Ezekiel 18:23, NLT |
| God is a God of love, but he is also a God of perfect justice. His perfect love causes him to be merciful to those who recognize their sin and turn back to him, but he cannot wink at those who willfully sin. Wicked people die both physically and spiritually. God takes no joy in their deaths; he would prefer that they turn to him and have eternal life. |
| Likewise, we should not rejoice in the misfortunes of nonbelievers. Instead, we should do all in our power to bring them to faith. |
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