WHEN AND HOW DO YOU PRAY?

Today's promise: Blessings come from obeying God

When and how do you pray?

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the harp and lute and the harmony of the lyre. You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.

Psalm 92:1-4 NLT

Giving thanks morning and night

What a way to start the day! The verses in Psalm 92 represent one of the first prayers on the priests' lips on the Sabbath day: "You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!"

What if before you read your morning paper, before you head out the door, before you start the countless tasks you have to do for each day, you determine that you're going to start your day with praise for how God has "thrilled" you? Right now, you have the chance to start afresh. A new day is before you. Why not start things off right with a regimen of praise instead of the old routine? In prayer today, proclaim his unfailing love, and tonight, before going to bed, praise him again for his faithfulness.

Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House) entry for May 15

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

SOMEONE TO COUNT ON

Today's promise: Blessings come from obeying God

Someone to count on

Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love him and obey his commands.

Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT

The love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments.

Psalm 103:17-18 NLT

The Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 NLT

About this week's promise

"You can count on me — I will never let you down." That is faithfulness. Husbands and wives vow on their wedding day to be faithful to one another, devoted and committed to one another in all area of marriage. It is a vow to be with one's mate, to stay with one's mate, and to build up one's mate. Again and again throughout the Bible, God holds faithfulness up as one of his foundational qualities and a foundation quality he expects from his people. There is nothing like the faithfulness of a mate, friends and family, and God to build our sense of security.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOMESICK FOR GOD

Today's promise: The whole earth will hear

Homesick for God

The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, "Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?" So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

John 4:28-30 NLT

How many people have you made homesick for God?

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

Spread the good news

The Samaritan woman was so amazed by Jesus and his revelations about who he was and about the secrets of her heart and life that she forgot her water jar — the very reason she'd come to the well — and rushed back to the village to tell others about the "man" she had met. Up and down the streets she shared the good news about Jesus, for she had seen the Lord, the Messiah! Having received the living water, a perpetual spring within her that gave her eternal life (v. 14), she wanted others to know him too. So the people began streaming from the village to see him, eager to meet this incredible man who told people the secrets of their hearts.

Sharing with others what Jesus had done in us and for us stirs up interest in those who don't know him. His revelation in our lives draws to him people who desire to have him work in their lives as he does in ours. With whom could you share the Good News today? Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to his working in the lives of others, and be ready to share the hope that's within you.

LORD, forgive me for times when my excitement over knowing you has waned. I want others to know you and experience your work in their lives. Use me to spread the Good News. I pray that I will be so amazed by what you reveal to me today that I won't hesitate to share my hope with those who don't yet know you.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 5.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

TEACHING BY EXAMPLE

TEACHING BY EXAMPLE

READ: 

Ephesians 6:1-11

Bring [your children] up in

the training and admonition

of the Lord.  –Ephesians 6:4

While waiting for an eye examination, I was struck by a statement I saw in the optometrist’s office:  “Eighty percent of everything children learn in their first 12 years is through their eyes.”  I began thinking of all that children visually process through reading, television, film, events, surroundings, and observing the behavior of others, especially their families.  On this Father’s Day, we often think about the powerful influence of a dad.

Paul urged fathers not to frustrate their children to the point of anger, but to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord: (Ephesians 6:4).  Think of the powerful example of a dad whose behavior and consistency inspire admiration from his children.  He’s not perfect, but he’s moving in the right direction.  A great power for good is at work when our actions reflect the character of God, rather than distort it.

That’s challenging for any parent, so it’s no coincidence that Paul urges us to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (v.10).  Only through His strength can we reflect the love and patience of our heavenly Father.

We teach our children far more from how we live than by what we say. –David McCasland

Heavenly Father, I need to know Your love

in order to love others.  I want to experience

and share Your patience and kindness with

those I care about.  Fill me and use me.

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We honor fathers who not only gave us life,

But who also show us how to live.

INSIGHT

In today’s reading, Paul writes of two of the most basic human relationships:  parent-child (6:1-4) and employer-employee (6:5-9).  The parent-child relations hip is particularly sacred.  The fifth commandment to honor parents is the only one of the Ten Commandments with a special blessing attached for those who observe it (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2-3).  On the other hand, ancient Israelites who physically or verbally abused their parents were put to death (Exodus 21:15, 17; Leviticus 20:9).

Have a blessed day and week ahead.

God Our Creator’s Love Always

Unity & Peace

WE'RE SAFE

WE’RE SAFE

READ:

1 Peter 1:3-5

[God] has begotten us…to an

inheritance incorruptible and

undefiled and that does not

fade away, reserved in heaven

for you.  -1 Peter 1:3-4

The United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky, is a fortified building that stores 5,000 tons of gold bullion and other precious items entrusted to the federal government.  Fort Knox is protected by a 22-ton door and layers of physical security:  alarms, video cameras, minefields, barbed razor wire, electric fences, armed guards, and unmarked Apache helicopters.  Based on the level of security, Fort Knox is considered one of the safest places on earth.

As safe as Fort Knox is, there’s another place that’s safer, and it’s filled with something more precious than gold:  Heaven holds our gift of eternal life.  The apostle Peter encouraged believers in Christ to praise God because we have “a living hope” –a confident expectation that grows and gains strength the more we learn about Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).  And our hope is based on the resurrected Christ.  His gift of eternal life will never come to ruin as a result of hostile forces.  It will never lose its glory or freshness, because God has been keeping and will continue to keep it safe in heaven.  No matter what harm may come to us in our life on earth, God is guarding our souls.  Our inheritance is safe.

Like a safe within a safe, our salvation is protected by God and we’re secure.  -Marvin Williams.

FOR FURTHER THOUGHT

What about your salvation brings you the greatest joy?

How does it make you feel knowing that

Your salvation is kept safe with God?

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An inheritance in heaven is the safest possible place.

INSIGHT

Peter begins his first letter with a complex greeting.  After addressing God’s “elect” who are strangers in the world and scattered throughout different areas (v.1), Peter uses the struggles of this life to highlight the glory and security of heaven.  He speaks of the permanence of their home and inheritance in heaven-it is “kept” (v.5) and can never spoil or “fade” (v.4).  Peter reminds them that they are shielded by God’s own power.  He reiterates the confidence Jesus gave His followers in John 10:27-29:  Those who belong to God, the elect, are held safe and secure in His hand.

Have a blessed day and weekend.

God Our Creator’s Love Always

Unity & Peace

A RELIABLE MESSENGER

Today's promise: The whole earth will hear

A reliable messenger

An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing.

Proverbs 13:17 NLT

A credible message needs a credible messenger because charisma without character is catastrophe.

Peter Kuzmic

Letters from God

A U.S. ambassador resides in a foreign country and yet lives on U.S.-owned property. Though the laws of that land may differ from ours, the ambassador is still responsible to uphold the laws and rules of his own government. His words and actions can never be wholly his for he does not act in his own capacity. When he speaks, he is a messenger for his government. When he acts, his deeds reflect on the country he represents. We are Christ's ambassadors and therefore his messengers. Too often we think that the message we preach reflects our faith. However, on a much deeper level it is the message of our everyday words and actions that are influential. We are the letter from God that people read. We become unreliable messengers when we speak crudely, gossip about a neighbor, or act dishonest y.

Our words and actions reflect God, who lives inside us, to people who never open a Bible or enter a church. Never forget that you are an ambassador for Christ and a messenger of hope. Ask his Spirit to empower you to deliver the Good News with your life and words.

LORD, thank you for allowing me to be your ambassador. Let my message be honest and true. Help me to encourage others and to go out of my way to speak a kind word. Forgive me for times when I have spoken without thinking. Let me live in such a way that my words and actions represent you so that my message may be one of love and hope.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for April 21.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HINDI: एक ईमानदार दिल

एक ईमानदार दिल

पढ़ें:

भजन 15

मैं भी, मेरे भगवान, पता है कि आप

दिल का परीक्षण और सुख है

सच्चाई में। -1 इतिहास 29:17

मैं दूसरे दिन एक कब्रिस्तान में एक पुराने gravestone पर एक epitaph भर में आया। इसे पढ़ा, "जे Holgate: एक ईमानदार आदमी"

मैं Holgate के जीवन के कुछ भी नहीं पता है, लेकिन क्योंकि उसकी मार्कर असामान्य रूप से अलंकृत है, वह यह अमीर है मारा चाहिए। लेकिन जो कुछ भी वह अपने जीवनकाल में, पूरा किया वह सिर्फ एक ही बात के लिए याद किया जाता है: वह "एक ईमानदार आदमी" था.

डायोजनीज, यूनानी दार्शनिक, ईमानदारी की खोज में एक जीवन बिताया और अंत में निष्कर्ष निकाला है कि एक ईमानदार आदमी नहीं पाया जा सकता है। ईमानदार लोगों को किसी भी उम्र में खोजने के लिए कड़ी मेहनत कर रहे हैं, लेकिन एक बहुत मायने रखती है कि विशेषता है। ईमानदारी सबसे अच्छी नीति नहीं है; यह केवल नीति है, और एक आदमी या औरत जो भगवान की उपस्थिति में जीवन के निशान है में से एक है। दाऊद लिखता है, "जो अपने पवित्र पहाड़ी में ध्यान केन्द्रित करना हो सकता प्रभु...? वह जो चलता है uprightly" (भजन 15:1-2).

मैं अपने आप से पूछना: मैं भरोसेमंद और मेरे सभी मामलों में सम्माननीय रहा हूँ? मेरे शब्द सच अंगूठी करते हैं? मैं प्यार में सच बात करते हैं या क्या मैं हेराफेरी और तथ्यों और अब तो फीका, या जोर देने के लिए अतिरंजना? यदि हां, तो मैं भगवान से पूर्ण विश्वास के साथ बारी और माफी माँगने के लिए मई और मेरी प्रकृति का एक अभिन्न हिस्सा सत्यवादिता बनाने के एक अच्छे और ईमानदार दिल-करने के लिए। जो मुझ में एक अच्छा काम शुरू हो गया है एक वफादार है। वह ऐसा करेंगे। –डेविड नट

हे प्रभु, मुझे ईमानदार होना करने के लिए मदद

सभी मैं करना और कहना,

और मुझे अनुदान अनुग्रह और बिजली

आप के लिए प्रत्येक दिन जीने के लिए। –Fitzhugh

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इस तरह जीना कि जब लोगों को लगता है कि ईमानदारी का

और अखंडता, वे आप के सोचना होगा।

इनसाइट

दाऊद ने भगवान के लोगों को ईमानदारी और शुद्धता (15:2 भजन) के एक जीवन जीने के लिए कॉल करता है। वह ईमानदार का वर्णन के रूप में जो कि क्या सही है और जो सच्चाई से और ईमानदारी से बोलते हैं। वे नहीं ईमानदार, खुले और पारदर्शी, बदनामी, बदनाम, या अपने दोस्तों (v.3) को नुकसान पहुँचा। वे जो परमेश्वर का भय और उनके वादों रखने के जब भी इसे इतने (v.4) कर लाभप्रद नहीं है सम्मान। वे दूसरों का लाभ नहीं ले, लेकिन उचित रूप और काफी अधिनियम (v.5)।

एक दिन धन्य हो।

भगवान हमारे निर्माता हमेशा प्यार

एकता और शांति