Daily Devotion 1 2 2015

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, the sun lights the opening of this new day. Give us your Spirit, we pray, that we may learn to understand what we are and what tasks you have set for us. We thank you for all the light you give us. Grant that we and many others may come closer to knowledge of the truth and be at peace about all that belongs in your hands, our Father in heaven. Keep us now and forevermore in your almighty hand. May we know your goodness and the blessing it brings. For through your goodness we can endure even the hardest days and be victorious in the battle of life. Be with us and strengthen us to go forth and serve you. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, sanctify us in your truth. Your Word is truth. We come before your presence and ask you to touch us with your Spirit on this new day. Shape our lives in the truth and in the joy of your name. Touch us with your Spirit, that we may carry out our tasks in your service. May your face shine on us and on all needy people who turn to you. May your power be given ever more fully, and may your cause become great in the world until at last it brings new life to all nations. Be with us and guide our every step. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

When We Lose Heart

“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” - Luke 7:22-23

When John the Baptist sat in prison, most likely knowing that his execution was imminent, he battled a dark season of discouragement and doubt. According to Jesus, John was one of the greatest men who ever lived, and yet his heart and soul were weary and in need assurance that Jesus was who He said He was. John sent word to Jesus’s disciples, asking if He indeed was the Messiah, or if they should keep looking for someone else. Jesus answered this way:

“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” Luke 7:22-23

[Suzuki Johnny]

Morning Prayer
Lord God, I am brought to the sunrise of a new day alive and breathing. I thank you this morning for all that I have. I have clothes to wear, a roof to protect me, and air to breathe and food to eat.
Let me never take for granted these gifts of life, oh Lord, but always remember that they come from you; without you, no man could make the sun shine or the tree bear its fruit. I pray to live this day in joy and thankfulness for what I have, remembering always who made me and who keeps me. In the name of Christ I pray,
Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

The Power of Yet

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength” - Habakkuk 3:17-19b)

Have you experienced times in your life where you can’t feel God’s presence? When the worst happens in our lives, while we do our best to cling to our faith, it’s easy to question God. Where is He when a loved one dies far too young? Where is God in divorce, disease and death? Where is He when war rages? These are age-old questions humans have struggled with for centuries, and questions we can easily ask today. It seems as if the world is on the brink of disaster, so we are left searching for God through all of it.
Habakkuk wrote his prophecy at time when he and God’s people were asking the same questions. The Babylonians were preparing to invade Judah where the remnant of God’s people remained. This was a direct judgment from the Lord, for they had experienced rapid moral and spiritually decline. Habakkuk complains against God, not understanding how he could use a downright wicked nation in Babylon to judge a less wicked one in Judah. But, we know that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

The Lord answers Habakkuk and reminds him that He is a God of justice and mercy and that the righteous have to live by faith (2:4) and trust Him. Habakkuk’s ultimate summary is that no matter what comes, he will choose joy and trust God. Though the world seems to crumble, YET he will rejoice in the Lord.

[Suzuki Johnny]

How to Use a Personal Journal for Spiritual Growth

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.” - Lamentations 3:40
How do we do actually set time aside to do the work that Lamentations 3:40 asks of us? How do we examine our ways and test them? One great way to examine ourselves and make sure we’re walking in step with the Lord is to keep a personal journal.

Too often the use of a journal has been dismissed as feminine, “something you do when you need counseling,” or too time-consuming. But with a bit of reflection (which is all journaling is) we might come to a different conclusion. Many of the great figures in church history have kept a journal, and the church has benefited greatly from this window into their daily life. And while not a theologian, the great Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, we thank you for the blessings of this new day. We thank you for wanting to give us happiness and for holding our earthly life firmly in your hands. May we have the confidence that we are in your hands. Grant us the light of faith. Let this light of faith guide us in material things and help us to wait in patience until the doors open for us to pass through according to your pleasure. So bless us all and bless our lives. May we grow joyful and free our heart through all that you give. On the foundation you established for us may your divine working, your fatherly love, lift and support us throughout our lives. Be with us as we go forth today. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, we come before you to thank you for this day. We ask that You guide our path today and, more specifically, our thoughts, words and actions. Please be with us throughout the day and help us to navigate whatever comes our way. Most importantly, help us to reflect and live out our life in a way that is honoring and pleasing to You. Hold us in the palm of Your hand. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, as we prepare for this new day, we thank you that we may lay aside our own nature and be lifted in spirit above all that is temporal and human and have joy in you. In spite of all the evil surrounding us, in spite of the thousandfold misery of humankind, we may still rejoice in you, in all you do and will yet do for us. Grant that we may go on rejoicing, having joy together, helping instead of burdening each other, until this earth is filled with the jubilation of those you have so richly blessed. Forgive us all our sins. Heal us in mind and body. Deliver us from all the corruption that tries to take hold of our souls. Be with us as we go forth today. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, it is a new day we rise to. Help us to find our joy in you and in all your promises to us. For you have promised that in the midst of all the pain and sorrow, you are preparing what pleases you and serves your honor in every heart. May we experience in our lives the fulfillment of many of your promises, so that again and again we can go forward joyfully, rising above difficult times and situations. Have mercy on us and bless and protect us in your strength as we go forth today. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Names of God and What They Mean
By Allyson Holland

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in you.” (Psalm 9:10)

How well do you know God? His character? His heart?
It’s not enough to know about God. It’s through His biblical names that you can become intimately acquainted with Him. When you understand the meanings of God’s names then you will understand His character and His heart. He wants you to know Him. He wants to be in close personal relationship with you.

[Suzuki Johnny]

he Standards That Matter (2 Corinthians 10:12)
By Meg Bucher
“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” 2 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV)
2 Corinthians 10:12 is aimed at the false teachers of Paul’s day. They thought so highly of themselves that they failed to see that their measure of righteousness was a faulty one. Paul is reminding his readers that the standard above all standards is Jesus. And God’s standards on our lives mean more than anyone else’s … even our own. It’s in our human nature to seek confirmation for a job well-done and a path well-traveled. We look for evidence that we’ve done the best we can do with what we’ve been given, but our measure of righteousness is focused on man, not God.

No human standard that will ever fulfill us. Only Christ’s approval will provide the peace we are seeking in this life. The world’s standards will tell us that we need to achieve certain benchmarks to be happy. One after another we will reach, pass, and move on to the next one… never feeling fully satisfied.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, in your Word we trust and in your Word we have eternal life, given us in Jesus Christ. We build on this Word of life in these days when it seems that everything is losing strength and value, and yet there is so much longing in our hearts. We know you will not let our hope be disappointed. What you have spoken must be fulfilled. What is promised in Jesus Christ must come into being, not only for a few but for the whole world. Be with us. Keep us so fully alive that our lives reflect all the goodness we are allowed to experience and we overcome all the evil which tries to attack us. We thank you for calling us to life and for renewing us again and again. May your name be praised among us on this day and forever.
In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, your unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all we have, and so in him we put our hope.
We thank you for guiding us, your children, here on earth. We thank you that whatever happens to us, we can again and again find joy because you give us what is good even when times are evil and when we go through sorrow. We thank you that your goodness and your faithfulness penetrate everything, and that at last, at long last, they penetrate our hearts. Then we can know and be glad that your Spirit guides us. We can know we are never alone but can receive strength to help us in the struggle and toil of our life. Through your help everything becomes fruitful – good and evil, life and death, health and suffering. Everything must serve you through the working of your Spirit. Be with us on this new day. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, who is our salvation; we will trust and not be afraid, as you are our strength and our salvation. This new day we thank you that you are so near us and that we may be near you. We thank you that throughout our days we may be people who listen to you with all our hearts and minds, a listening people who can receive what is good and true for our lives and who can witness to the power you give us through the Savior. Protect us in all things. Look into our hearts and into the situation of each one of us, where many things are still faulty and unclear. Deliver us from evil, for the kingdom shall be yours. From you the power shall come. Your glory shall radiate from our lives, and we shall praise and thank you forevermore. Be with us today and guide us. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, gather us together on this new day so we can praise and honor you with all our heart. Let this praise ring out on earth in the midst of all the evils that still confront us. We thank you for your protection, for all the help and deliverance you give us. We thank you for the hope you put into our hearts. We thank you for the hope that we may yet see great things done through the working of your Spirit, for us your children and for all peoples and nations. For your love will not rest until life on earth has come into your hands and all may rejoice. Let us go forth and do your will. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For This Day
Lord God, you are our refuge and savior. Bless us who have gathered in your presence and who turn to you in all distress, not only in our personal need but also in the distress of the nations and peoples of the whole world. Grant that we may be your children, with a simple faith that gives us strength to go on working even when life is bitterly hard. We thank you for giving us grace, for helping us and never forsaking us, so that again and again we can find joy and can glorify and praise you. In Christ we pray, Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Prayer For Purpose
Lord God, we arise this morning rested and fresh to go forth to serve you. You have placed us on this earth for your own divine purpose. Father, open our eyes to see it, let us walk in your plans you have for us. Show us this purpose, oh Lord, and let us daily live in it. Just as a stone does not see the ripples it makes when it is cast into a pond, we may not see the fruit of our devotion in our lifetime; so do not let me wallow in the illusion of despair, mighty God, for to believe that my life is without purpose is to doubt Your wisdom. I pray this all in Christ's name,
Amen.

[Suzuki Johnny]

Growing up, I had a healthy respect or as some might describe “fear” of my parents. Not that I grew up fearing them but rather knew they deeply loved me and had certain guidelines they wanted me to follow.

As a kid, I didn’t really understand how their standards were for my good, and in my best interest to keep me safe and help me grow up healthy. In my childish thinking, it just seemed like they were trying to keep me from having fun and getting my own way.
Likewise, it’s difficult for many individuals to understand what it means to “fear the Lord.” Scripture may seem like it’s contradicting itself by telling you to fear God ( Proverbs 24:21), yet assuring you that God has not given you a spirit of fear ( 2 Timothy 1:7).

So what does it mean to fear the Lord and how is it different from being fearful of Him? Proverbs 8:13 describes it this way, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil.”
Hating evil means you detest and stay away from the things God hates, and choose to love and follow after the things He loves.
So how is it possible to distinguish between what God hates and what He loves? Begin by studying Scripture. Through reading it you’ll gain understanding to help you differentiate between the two because if you don’t know what is true, you won’t be able to tell what isn’t true.

Knowing God’s Word is foundational in being able to recognize what is false. Proverbs 16:6 states, ”Through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.”

Do you know Christians who have seemed to be led astray? If so, it’s probably because they haven’t grown in their knowledge of God’s Word and aren’t able to distinguish between good and evil.
Romans 1:21 states how easy it is for individuals to be led astray stating, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Hebrews 5:12 explains how many by now ought to be able to teach the Word to others, but instead they need someone to teach the elementary truths of it all over again to them. To grow in understanding, Hebrews 5:14 describes how “solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

If you’re looking to grow in your knowledge and relationship with God, don’t be afraid of the Lord but fear Him. When you do, you will bring wisdom and understanding to your life ( Proverbs 9:10).

[Suzuki Johnny]

Lord God, as this new day opens before us, we turn our hearts and minds to you. Be with us and grant us your Spirit. May your Word be a blessing for us. We pray that you stretch out your hand over the whole world. Let your Spirit bring a new age, an age of truth, righteousness, and love, an age of peace that comes from you. O Lord, we are your children, and as your children we pray to you in the name of Jesus Christ. You will hear us, and we look forward with joy to the time when all promises will be fulfilled, the time spoken about by the prophets, and especially by your Son, Jesus Christ. Be with us and gather us in your Spirit as we go forth today. In Christ we pray, Amen.