One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple. {Ps. 16:11; 18:6; 65:4; Luke 2:37.]
(Psalm 27:4)
If you could ask for only one thing, what would it be? in Psalm 27:4, David said there was only one thing that he sought after-to dwell in God's presence. More than anything else, David wanted to know God, to see God as He really is and to be with Him. Truly, to know God is the highest calling we have.
Unfortunately, we can get so distracted with the busy details of our lives that we neglect the most important thing-spending time with God. Luke 10:38-42 illustrates this point well as it relates the story of busy Martha. When Jesus visited her home, she became preoccupied with serving, but her sister Mary stopped all work and sat at His feet. Jesus told Martha that only one thing was really important, and Mary had chosen it. Mary had decided she was not going to miss the opportunity to visit with the Master. I suppose Martha intended to work Jesus into her schedule somewhere, but Mary was willing to stop what she was doing and work her schedule around Him.
How foolish we are to spend our lives seeking those things that cannot satisfy while we ignore God, the "One Thing" Who can give us great joy, peace, satisfaction, and contentment. The world is filled with empty people who are trying to satisfy the void in their lives with the latest-model car, a promotion at work, a human relationship, a vacation, or some other thing. Their efforts to find fulfillment in those things never work. I t is sad that so many people waste their entire lives and never realize it. They never know the joy of seeking the "One Thing" they really need. Each one of us has a God-shaped hole inside, and nothing can fill it except God Himself. No matter what else we try to fill it with, we will remain empty and frustrated.
If God is on your list of things to seek, but not at the top, I encourage you to move everything around and put it all after Him. If you will put Him first in everything you do, you will be so blessed. Investing your life in God is the very best thing you can do.
Page 839
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God's Word for Everyday Living
Amplified Version
FEATURING NOTES AND COMMENTARY BY: Joyce Meyer
Please all ways remember God loves you.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
With God, Nothing Is Wasted
Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted.
(-John 6:12)
No experience in you life is ever wasted or in vain if you give all your cares to the Lord. Even if your fragmented life looks like an abandoned battlefield, Jesus can reshape all the pieces of your past into something beautiful.
After Jesus had fed five thousand people with just a few loaves of bread and two small fish, He told His disciples, "Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted." (John 6:12) The disciples gathered up twelve baskets of food from the leftovers, still much more than the small offering of loaves and fishes that was made to Jesus in the first place.
God set me free from fear, insecurity, emotional addictions, and the bondage of a deep-rooted sense of rejection. Then He reshaped my fragmented life and gave me the glorious privilege of teaching His people how they can be whole; how they can have fruitful, happy lives and ministries; and how they can enjoy healthy, loving relationships.
We need inner strength to keep from being overwhelmed by outward circumstances. We must allow God to gather up our fragmented dreams and remold us into the image of Christ. To do that, He may have to crush the few pieces we have left into fine clay, water us with His Word, reshape our lumpy mass of leftovers, and put us back on His potter's wheel. But He is more than capable of designing something miraculous from whatever we have left to give Him.
Page 364
New Day New You
By: Joyce Meyer
#1 New York times Bestselling author
Please remember that God loves you.
(-John 6:12)
No experience in you life is ever wasted or in vain if you give all your cares to the Lord. Even if your fragmented life looks like an abandoned battlefield, Jesus can reshape all the pieces of your past into something beautiful.
After Jesus had fed five thousand people with just a few loaves of bread and two small fish, He told His disciples, "Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted." (John 6:12) The disciples gathered up twelve baskets of food from the leftovers, still much more than the small offering of loaves and fishes that was made to Jesus in the first place.
God set me free from fear, insecurity, emotional addictions, and the bondage of a deep-rooted sense of rejection. Then He reshaped my fragmented life and gave me the glorious privilege of teaching His people how they can be whole; how they can have fruitful, happy lives and ministries; and how they can enjoy healthy, loving relationships.
We need inner strength to keep from being overwhelmed by outward circumstances. We must allow God to gather up our fragmented dreams and remold us into the image of Christ. To do that, He may have to crush the few pieces we have left into fine clay, water us with His Word, reshape our lumpy mass of leftovers, and put us back on His potter's wheel. But He is more than capable of designing something miraculous from whatever we have left to give Him.
Page 364
New Day New You
By: Joyce Meyer
#1 New York times Bestselling author
Please remember that God loves you.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Be Yourself
Now you [collectively] are Christ's body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].
-1 Corinthians 12:27
Being satisfied and happy with yourself is a very important key to enjoying your life. Because of my background, I had many weaknesses in the area of accepting myself and being me. I was always comparing myself with others, jealous of them and their possessions and abilities. I wasn't being myself; I was trying to keep up with everyone else.
I often felt pressured and frustrated because I was operating outside my gifts and calling. When I finally realized I could not do anything unless God had ordained it and anointed me to do it, I started relaxing and saying, "I am what I am. I cannot be anything unless God helps me. I am just going to concentrate on being the best me I can be."
God has made every one of us unique. He personally made you and gave you gifts, talents, and abilities. Just think about it: Nobody else in the world is exactly like you. That means what is best for someone else may not be best for you. So, when you are tempted to say to God, "I wish I looked like somebody else," or "I wish I could do this or that like them," don't say it. Be satisfied with whom God made you to be. Remember that He made you exactly the way He wants you to be. If you try to be like someone else, you will miss the beautiful life God has planned specially for you.
Page 363
New Day New You
366 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life
By: Joyce Meyer
#1 New York Times Bestselling author
Please all ways remember God loves you so much, He give up His only begotten Son for you and all of us.
-1 Corinthians 12:27
Being satisfied and happy with yourself is a very important key to enjoying your life. Because of my background, I had many weaknesses in the area of accepting myself and being me. I was always comparing myself with others, jealous of them and their possessions and abilities. I wasn't being myself; I was trying to keep up with everyone else.
I often felt pressured and frustrated because I was operating outside my gifts and calling. When I finally realized I could not do anything unless God had ordained it and anointed me to do it, I started relaxing and saying, "I am what I am. I cannot be anything unless God helps me. I am just going to concentrate on being the best me I can be."
God has made every one of us unique. He personally made you and gave you gifts, talents, and abilities. Just think about it: Nobody else in the world is exactly like you. That means what is best for someone else may not be best for you. So, when you are tempted to say to God, "I wish I looked like somebody else," or "I wish I could do this or that like them," don't say it. Be satisfied with whom God made you to be. Remember that He made you exactly the way He wants you to be. If you try to be like someone else, you will miss the beautiful life God has planned specially for you.
Page 363
New Day New You
366 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life
By: Joyce Meyer
#1 New York Times Bestselling author
Please all ways remember God loves you so much, He give up His only begotten Son for you and all of us.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Nothing Else Satisfies
My soul yearns for You [O Lord] in the night, yes, my spirit within me seeks You earnestly.
(Isaiah 26:9)
The world makes it easy for us to fill our ears with all kinds of things that drown out the voice of God and push Him far, far into the background of our lives. However, the day comes for every person when only God remains. Everything else in life eventually passes away; when it does, God will still be there.
The Bible teaches that what is known about god is evident to all because He has made Himself known in the inner consciousness of humankind (see Romans 1:19-21). Each person will someday stand before Him and give an account of his or her life (see Romans 14:12). When people don't want to serve God with their lives, when they want to go their own way, they find ways to hide from and ignore this instinctive knowledge of their Creator, Who wants to talk to them and guide them in the way they should go.
The truth is, whether people try to hide from God or not, nothing can satisfy our longing for Him except communion and fellowship with Him. Even when people try to ignore Him, deep down they would love to hear His voice.
I encourage you to satisfy your longing for God by spending time with Him, sitting in His presence, and listening to His voice.
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Live your life in such a way that you have no fear or dread of standing before God when your life on Earth is over.
Page 355
hearing from God Each Morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
Please remember God loves you more then any one else in the world, and He is there for you any time you want to spend time with Him and talk to Him.
(Isaiah 26:9)
The world makes it easy for us to fill our ears with all kinds of things that drown out the voice of God and push Him far, far into the background of our lives. However, the day comes for every person when only God remains. Everything else in life eventually passes away; when it does, God will still be there.
The Bible teaches that what is known about god is evident to all because He has made Himself known in the inner consciousness of humankind (see Romans 1:19-21). Each person will someday stand before Him and give an account of his or her life (see Romans 14:12). When people don't want to serve God with their lives, when they want to go their own way, they find ways to hide from and ignore this instinctive knowledge of their Creator, Who wants to talk to them and guide them in the way they should go.
The truth is, whether people try to hide from God or not, nothing can satisfy our longing for Him except communion and fellowship with Him. Even when people try to ignore Him, deep down they would love to hear His voice.
I encourage you to satisfy your longing for God by spending time with Him, sitting in His presence, and listening to His voice.
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Live your life in such a way that you have no fear or dread of standing before God when your life on Earth is over.
Page 355
hearing from God Each Morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
Please remember God loves you more then any one else in the world, and He is there for you any time you want to spend time with Him and talk to Him.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
His Dwelling Place
Do you not discern and understand that you...are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you?
(1 Corinthians 3:16)
I am amazed and in awe as I think of the great blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He inspires us to do great things. He endues us with power for all our tasks. He stays in close communion with us, never leaving us or forsaking us.
Just think about it-if you and I are believers in Jesus Christ we are the home of the Holy Spirit of God! We should meditate on this truth over and over until it becomes a personal revelation in our lives. If we do, we will never be helpless, hopeless, or powerless, for He promises to be with us to speak to us, strengthen us, and empower us. We will never be without a friend or without direction, for He promises to lead us and go with us in everything we do.
Paul wrote to his young disciple Timothy, "Guard and keep [with the greatest care] the precious and excellently adapted [Truth] which has been entrusted [to you], by the [help of the] Holy Spirit Who makes His home in us" 92 Timothy 1:14).
The truths you know about the Holy Spirit are so precious; I encourage you to guard them and keep them in your heart. Don't allow them to slip away from you. Since you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is in you to help you not only maintain what you have learned about Him, but to help it grow and enable you to share it with others. Appreciate Him, honor Him, love and adore Him. He is so good, so kind, so awesome. He is wonderful-and you are His dwelling place!
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Say out loud several times a day: "I am the dwelling place of God. He makes His home in me.
Page 353
hearing from GOD each morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
And please remember God loves you.
(1 Corinthians 3:16)
I am amazed and in awe as I think of the great blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He inspires us to do great things. He endues us with power for all our tasks. He stays in close communion with us, never leaving us or forsaking us.
Just think about it-if you and I are believers in Jesus Christ we are the home of the Holy Spirit of God! We should meditate on this truth over and over until it becomes a personal revelation in our lives. If we do, we will never be helpless, hopeless, or powerless, for He promises to be with us to speak to us, strengthen us, and empower us. We will never be without a friend or without direction, for He promises to lead us and go with us in everything we do.
Paul wrote to his young disciple Timothy, "Guard and keep [with the greatest care] the precious and excellently adapted [Truth] which has been entrusted [to you], by the [help of the] Holy Spirit Who makes His home in us" 92 Timothy 1:14).
The truths you know about the Holy Spirit are so precious; I encourage you to guard them and keep them in your heart. Don't allow them to slip away from you. Since you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is in you to help you not only maintain what you have learned about Him, but to help it grow and enable you to share it with others. Appreciate Him, honor Him, love and adore Him. He is so good, so kind, so awesome. He is wonderful-and you are His dwelling place!
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Say out loud several times a day: "I am the dwelling place of God. He makes His home in me.
Page 353
hearing from GOD each morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
And please remember God loves you.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Choose Life
I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.
(Deuteronomy 31:19)
Thousands of thoughts are presented to our minds every day, and we must allow our minds to be renewed after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Our carnal (worldly, fleshly) minds have had so much practice operating freely that we can think wrong thoughts without much effort at all. On the other hand, we have to purposely choose to think right thoughts. After we have finally decided to be like-minded with God, then we will need to choose and continue to choose right thoughts.
When we begin to feel that the battle of the mind is just too difficult and that we are not going to make it, we must cast down that negative kind of thinking. We must choose to think that we are going to make it and decide not to quit. when bombarded with doubts and fears, we need to take a stand and say: "I will never give up! God is on my side. He loves me, and He is helping me!"
You and I will have many choices to make throughout our lives. In Deuteronomy 30:19, the Lord told His people that He had set before them life and death and urged them to choose life. Proverbs 18:21 also tells us we can choose life of death. It says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]."
Our thoughts become our words. Therefore, it is vitally important that we choose life-giving thoughts.
Page 324
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God's Word for Everyday Living
Amplified version
FEATURING NOTES AND COMMENTARY BY
Joyce Meyer
Please all ways remember God loves you and want to be involved in your whole life.
(Deuteronomy 31:19)
Thousands of thoughts are presented to our minds every day, and we must allow our minds to be renewed after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Our carnal (worldly, fleshly) minds have had so much practice operating freely that we can think wrong thoughts without much effort at all. On the other hand, we have to purposely choose to think right thoughts. After we have finally decided to be like-minded with God, then we will need to choose and continue to choose right thoughts.
When we begin to feel that the battle of the mind is just too difficult and that we are not going to make it, we must cast down that negative kind of thinking. We must choose to think that we are going to make it and decide not to quit. when bombarded with doubts and fears, we need to take a stand and say: "I will never give up! God is on my side. He loves me, and He is helping me!"
You and I will have many choices to make throughout our lives. In Deuteronomy 30:19, the Lord told His people that He had set before them life and death and urged them to choose life. Proverbs 18:21 also tells us we can choose life of death. It says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]."
Our thoughts become our words. Therefore, it is vitally important that we choose life-giving thoughts.
Page 324
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God's Word for Everyday Living
Amplified version
FEATURING NOTES AND COMMENTARY BY
Joyce Meyer
Please all ways remember God loves you and want to be involved in your whole life.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Let God Lead You to Life
I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses, therefore choose life.
(Deuteronomy 30:19)
In John 16:8, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would "convict and convince" the world about sin and righteousness. He didn't say anything about the Holy Spirit bringing condemnation. He said He brings "demonstration... about sin and about righteousness."
The Holy Spirit reveals the results of sin and the results of righteousness so people may understand which path to follow. He makes clear distinction between right and wrong, between blessings and curses, and between life and death so people can ask God to help them choose life.
People who live in sin have wretched, miserable lives. I occasionally run into people I knew years ago and haven't seen in quite some time. Some of these people have not been living for God and the rough, rugged lifestyles they have chosen have taken a toll on them. The sour, sad, miserable choices they have made are visible because sin has left them looking sad and often older than they are. They are unhappy, negative, and discontented individuals often filled with bitterness because their life has not been a good one. they fail to realize that their life is the direct result of bad choices they made.
The result of sin may be observed everywhere. The line between those who love and serve God and those who don't is becoming quite clear. god pleads with us to make right choices, ones that will lead us into the life He desires for us to enjoy. There are two paths before each of us: a broad path that leads to sin and destruction and a narrow path that leads to life (see Matthew 7:13-14). I encourage you to choose life today and every day.
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Good choices become a good life.
Page 352
Hearing from God Each Morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
And please all ways remember God loves you. Say it to yourself everyday day, God loves me, God loves me, God loves me.
(Deuteronomy 30:19)
In John 16:8, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would "convict and convince" the world about sin and righteousness. He didn't say anything about the Holy Spirit bringing condemnation. He said He brings "demonstration... about sin and about righteousness."
The Holy Spirit reveals the results of sin and the results of righteousness so people may understand which path to follow. He makes clear distinction between right and wrong, between blessings and curses, and between life and death so people can ask God to help them choose life.
People who live in sin have wretched, miserable lives. I occasionally run into people I knew years ago and haven't seen in quite some time. Some of these people have not been living for God and the rough, rugged lifestyles they have chosen have taken a toll on them. The sour, sad, miserable choices they have made are visible because sin has left them looking sad and often older than they are. They are unhappy, negative, and discontented individuals often filled with bitterness because their life has not been a good one. they fail to realize that their life is the direct result of bad choices they made.
The result of sin may be observed everywhere. The line between those who love and serve God and those who don't is becoming quite clear. god pleads with us to make right choices, ones that will lead us into the life He desires for us to enjoy. There are two paths before each of us: a broad path that leads to sin and destruction and a narrow path that leads to life (see Matthew 7:13-14). I encourage you to choose life today and every day.
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Good choices become a good life.
Page 352
Hearing from God Each Morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
And please all ways remember God loves you. Say it to yourself everyday day, God loves me, God loves me, God loves me.
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