Our Living Hope

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you."
1Peter 3-4

-- We were born into a Living Hope. This hope that we have in the Lord Jesus is real and vibrant. We also know that we have an inheritance awaiting that is also real and alive, it is not myth or fantasy, but truth and reality. It is waiting for us and will be revealed.

Let us rest in this assurance, knowing that our hope is not in this present world or circumstances, but in the Lord and the glories that await. Amen.

prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus I praise You for Your Holy Word. I thank You that I can trust You in all things. I pray that You will comfort me now with a heart of expectancy for what is in store for me. I praise You Lord. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

The Sacrifices of God

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."


Psalms 51:16-17


-- In this Psalm David cries out in repentance to God for his sin with Bathsheba. He acknowledges that God does not take pleasure in burnt offerings or animal sacrifices, but in a contrite heart and a broken spirit. Humility and contrition before God is not a sign of weakness, it is what He desires, He is pleased with those whose hearts are soft and tender.

May we develop hearts that are yielded to the Lord.


prayer:
Dear Lord, I ask that my heart will be soft and pliable to You and Your Word. You delight in a broken heart and a contrite spirit. I pray that I will be continually yielded to You. I love You Lord. Amen.


In His service,
Philip

Psalm 1:1-3

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."

-- In these verses we see the keys to living a successful Christian life. The keys are: staying separate from the ways of wickedness and delighting in the Word of God. May we be strong in the Lord and keep our hearts free from pollution and may we develop a love for the Word of God. This is living a life that is blessed and prosperous.

In His service,
Philip

Imature Christian vs Mature Christian

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."
Hebrews 1:22-25

-- How important it is for us as Believers to obey the Word of God. We are no different from an unsaved person if we read our Bibles and don't obey what is says. One who listens to the Word and puts it into practice will spiritually mature rapidly.

We will be blessed in all we do if we obey and abide in the Word of God. May yield today and be strong in His Word.

prayer:
Dear heavenly Father I pray that You will help me obey Your Word. That I will not take it for granted, but I will honor what You have said and live by it. I know that there is no other way, but Your way. I praise You, in Jesus name. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

Offering a Sacrifice of Praise

"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name."
Hebrews 13:15

-- How do we offer up to God a sacrifice that He is pleased with? Clearly, the Scripture says through what comes out of our lips. You see, out of our heart we speak, what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. When we praise the Lord and worship Him with our lips it is a sacrifice from our hearts that He is pleased with.

May we consciously be thankful to the Lord in all circumstances. We may not feel thankful, but let us learn to worship Him and praise Him in all circumstances.

prayer:
Dear Jesus I thank You for Your Word, that is so powerful. I pray that You will help me to be thankful and praise You in spite of my circumstances. I thank You right now for Your goodness and mercy. I praise You, Lord. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

Contenment is great

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'"

-- As Christians we should learn to be content. May we allow the Lord to be our satisfaction everyday, seeking to please Him. May we be content with our lives knowing that pleasing the Lord is our main focus and joy.

He promised that to be with us at all times. His Presence is our contentment. Amen.

prayer:
Dear Jesus I thank You that You are with me all the time. I pray that I will learn to be content, because that is what You desire. I praise You and love You. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

Matthew 24:14

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

-- The Gospel is being preached to the nations. God is moving amongst the unreached peoples of the world. I have seen it first hand in Tanzania. The Lord is getting ready to return soon, may we begin to cry out for those who have never heard the Gospel.

May we pray that God will send forth laborers, and may we be part of reaching those who have never heard. Allow God to place a burden on your hearts today for lost souls.

prayer:
Dear heavenly Father I thank You for what You are doing around the world. I pray for workers to be sent into the harvest field. I ask that You will give me a burden for souls and give me opportunities to reach people. I love You Lord, in Jesus name. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

The Eternal Kingdom of God

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"

Hebrews 12:28

-- The Kingdom of God lasts forever. This world is passing away, but how good it is to know that as Believers we are part of a lasting Kingdom. Who's King is eternal and glorious, Jesus Christ. This Kingdom cannot be shaken or torn down, it is secure.

May we be comforted today to know that our future is secure, for we are part of an everlasting Kingdom.

In His service,
Philip

Psalm 27:1

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

-- Whom shall we fear as Believers? Only God. The Amplified Bible describes the fear of the God as the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord. We are not to yield our worship to anyone or anything else only to the Lord. We are not to be afraid of anyone. We are to honor and respect people, but not fear them.

May we be comforted today to know that God is our help and He gives us strength for for everything that we need.

prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that You are my strength and refuge. I pray that You will give me the strength to trust in You at all times. Fill me with Your strength today. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

In His service,

Philip

Nourished in the Word 1Peter 2:1-2

"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."

-- As Believers we can never stop growing in the Word of God. It is vital to our Christian walk to continually be increasing in the Word of God. When John Wesley was in college he was part of a club and as a group they lived by several questions each day. One of the questions was, "Did the Word of God live in me today?" As Children of God we can never afford to slack our time in the Word.

May we be healthy spiritually by consistently feeding on the Word of God.

prayer:

Dear heavenly Father I thank You for Your Word. I thank You that it is alive and powerful, I pray that You will give me strength to be consistent in reading and meditating on Your Word. Speak to me daily through it I ask. In Jesus name, Amen.

In His service,

Philip

Coming Boldly before the Throne of God

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."

-- Jesus is our High Priest, He gave Himself as our sacrifice and opened the way for us to come to God. Now we can come to God with confidence and assurance, knowing that He hears us and receives us, because of the blood of Jesus.

Let us come before the throne of God today with faith and boldness knowing that we are clean and accepted by God.

prayer:
Lord Jesus I thank You for the sacrifice You gave on the cross. I thank You that You opened the way for me to come before God. I pray that You will help me be confident in knowing that I can come to God boldly. I love You Lord. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

Matthew 5:17-18

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

-- It is comforting to know that the Word of God and the commandments of God stand forever. God's Word stands alone, no one can change it or make it void, His promises are forever and His Word unchanging.

May we be confident today and know that what God has said in His word is eternal.

prayer:
Dear heavenly Father I thank You that Your Word lasts forever and that I can be confident in it. I praise You for Your promises to me in Your Word and I ask that I may be strong to trust in all that You have said. I love You, in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

James 4:7

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."


-- When one submits to the Lord it brings incredible blessing to their life. Submitting to God is not something we should fear, submitting to God may make us feel uncomfortable and it may shake us at times, but in the end it brings freedom and blessing.


May we learn to yield and submit to the Lord everyday.


prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus I pray that You will give me the strength to yield to You everyday. That I may learn to submit and give You everything. I love You Lord. Amen.


In His service,
Philip

10-12-09 2Timothy 2:1

"You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

-- Mercy has been defined as: unmerited favor. Grace can be defined as: unmerited strength. God's grace is wonderful, it is His strength being poured out in our lives. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ. May we be strong and partake of the grace that is in Jesus today.

As Jesus was able to live in this world, so He also provides strength for us to live. Receive His grace today. Amen.

prayer:
Lord I thank You for Your grace that is so wonderful. I ask that You impart Your grace to me today as I go about my day. I thank You and I love You. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

10-11-09 Colossians 1:9-11

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

-- The Apostle Paul in these verses, prays that the Believers might be filled with the knowledge of the will of God, so that they can walk worthy of the Lord.

As 21st century Christians we are also exhorted in these verses to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all. May we too be filled with the knowledge of the Lord and His specific will for our lives.

prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus I pray that You will fill my heart with Your knowledge. That I may know what is Your specific will for my life so that I can please You in everything I do. I praise Jesus. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

10-10-09 Philippians 3:7-10

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, through righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being confirmed to His death."

-- What the Apostle Paul once saw as important to him he now viewed as worthless compared to Christ.

The greatest accomplishment in a Christian's life is to know Jesus on a deeper level. There is no greater thing than to know our Saviour intimately. Today, He calls out to you and me, "Will you give everything to spend time with Me, getting to know Me.

May we yield all to know Him more and more.

prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank You for saving me and changing my life, but I pray that You will help me to seek Your face more and more. That I can know You in a more intimate way. That I will give up what hinders me from getting close to You. I love You Lord. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

10-9-09 Proverbs 9:10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

-- Joseph knew the fear of the Lord, because he stayed pure and trustworthy in the midst of incredible circumstances. May we cultivate a heart that fears the Lord. One that honors, reverences and worships Him.

A heart like this is critical in our Christian walk. May we honor God in all that we do.

prayer:
Dear Lord I pray that You will help me cultivate a heart that honors and reverences You. That I will be strong and not compromising in any area of my life. That I will love You beyond anything else. I thank You Jesus. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

10-8-09 Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

-- We are exhorted in these verses to look to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith. We are to look unto Him as our example, in the same way that He endured the cross by looking to the future joy of providing salvation to all and being with His Father; so we must endure the Christian walk looking to the future reward.

The reward of being eternally with Him. The reward of a blessed eternity, living and abiding in the very presence of Jesus. May this be our joy as we press on in our Christian walk. Amen

prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus I thank You that You set an example for me. You endured the cross, looking to the joy of the future reward. I pray that You will give me the strength to look to You and press forward as good soldier in You. I love you Lord. Amen.

In His service,
Philip

10-7-09 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

-- May we look to Jesus as our source. He is the source of our lives.

In these verses we are reminded of the Lord's body and blood that were given for for us. For our healing and salvation. Not only do we remember the Lord through taking communion, but we can have fellowship with Him daily. May we endeavor to be in fellowship with Him every moment of every day, remembering His sacrifice for us.

prayer:
Dear Lord I ask You to give me a heart that desires to be with You daily. Not only on Sunday but always connected and in communion with You. You are the source of my life may I never forget that. I love You Lord. Amen

In His service,
Philip

10-6-09 Philippians 4:6-8

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

-- How comforting it is to know that we can come before God at any time in prayer. We are commanded not to be worried about anything, but to come to the Lord, with thankful hearts, and present our requests before Him.

May we rejoice and come before God today with our petitions knowing that He hears us, and may we allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts. We do this by being thankful.

prayer:
Lord I ask you today to rule in my heart, that I will come before You with a thankful heart and a submitted heart. I pray that You will give me the grace to be strong in You and allow Your peace to rule in my heart. I love you Lord. Amen

In His service,
Philip

10-5-09 Jeremiah 18:3-4

"Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it."

-- May we rejoice knowing that we are in the Potter's hand. God is working in our lives, molding us and shaping us into the vessels that He desires.

May we yield to Him everyday as He perfects us, it may seem painful at the present, but in the end it will be well worth the process. - Amen

prayer:
Dear Jesus help me to submit to You as you work in my life. I know that You love me and desire the best for me so I surrender all over again toYou today. I love You Lord, amen.

In His service,
Philip

10-4-09 Hebrews 4:14-16

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

-- Praise God that we have a High Priest who understands us. Jesus knows what we are going through, He is not distant and unattached from our lives.

He is our High Priest, and may we come to Him with confidence knowing that He hears and answers our prayers.

In His service,
Philip

10-3-09 Hebrews 6:19

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

-- The hope we have as a Christian - the glories of the world to come, to know where and Who is our destination is an anchor to our souls. We can live every day with assurance that if we patiently endure we have such a great Hope awaiting us.

May we be strong, knowing that we shall receive an inheritance that will never fade away.

In his service,
Philip

10-2-09 Hebrews 3:12-14

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the confidence we had at first."

-- May we be exhorted today to hold fast the faith that we've received from the Lord. Let us not waiver in times if difficulty but be strong in Him. - Amen.

He is our strength and fortress and we can trust Him.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

In His service,
Philip

10-1-09 Hebrews 1:1-2

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe."

-- Isn't it wonderful to know that God speaks. Many times we are waiting for a voice from heaven to speak to us when God has already spoken.

May we take the promises that Jesus spoke and know that God is speaking today to us.

In His service,
Philip