Daily Bread

Lord, grant me the common sense to profit by my yesterday...the wisdom to love to the utmost today... and the vision to cope with my tomorrow.




FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK TOWARD YOU, SAITH THE LORD, THOUGHTS OF PEACE, AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU AN EXPECTED END. JEREMIAH 29:11

Word of Wisdom

It is easier

to leave angry words

unspoken,

than to mend a heart

those words have broken.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

Word of Wisdom

Before you go to bed,

give your troubles to God;

He'll be up all night anyway.

He who keeps you will not slumber. Psalm 121:3

Jacob's Ladder (awesome message)

Today's WordSaturday, September 27, 2008
Jacob's Ladder
And He said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, from now on you will see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:51
On – Jesus knew Jacob. He also knew that the preposition “on” in Hebrew can mean “because of.” That’s something we must know if we are going to understand what Jesus tells Nathaniel. When we translate only the Greek text, we don’t see what Jesus really says. But once we realize what Jesus is saying in Hebrew, everything makes sense. Suddenly Jacob’s ladder isn’t about Jacob anymore.Jacob’s ladder is a well-known story. But there are elements of the story that we don’t normally see. The first of these is the idea that the ladder stretches from heaven to earth. This isn’t Man’s attempt to reach up to God. That would be like the tower of Babel. This is God’s extension of a bridge from heaven to earth. And who goes up and down on this bridge? God’s angels, carrying out His purposes. Only those who originate in heaven can travel up and down this ladder. Why are they able to do this? Because first they are citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom.Jesus uses this understanding when He tells His followers that no one can ascend to heaven who has not first descended from heaven. There is no way for men to reach up to God. God must reach down to men. And the paradigm example of the One Who descends to the realm of men is the Son of Man, a true citizen of heaven, who comes to those who are unable to ascend without His help.How will Nathaniel see angels ascending and descending because of the Son of Man? He will see the invisible angels in the works that the Son of Man commands them to do. In other words, Jesus tells Nathaniel that if he sticks around, he is going to see God’s angels carry out assignments that will reveal the intrusion of the divine in the normal course of life. He will see miracles. He will see signs. Then he will know who commands the army of angels – Yeshua, the Messiah. Jesus’ commentary on the story of Jacob’s remarkable vision teaches us something that even Jacob did not understand. Jacob’s ladder is not about angels coming down from heaven to bless Jacob. The ladder is an ancient picture of the way that God will rescue mankind – through the One Who descends. The ladder is about the Messiah, not Jacob. Jesus’ commentary confirms this. This is one more example of the need to see the New Testament as an authorized commentary on the Old Testament. One without the other just isn’t clear to us.What are the implications of Jesus’ commentary? They are fairly severe. Only one has descended to rescue those who cannot ascend. In other words, there is no other pathway back to heaven. There is only one means of salvation, and it must come through the One Who has descended. Without Him, you are just building a tower of Babel.Long before the Messiah arrived, God was giving glimpses of His plan. Jacob’s dream was just one of the Messianic images in the stories of the Torah. God shows us that there is one way, and only one way. God’s Son must come down to rescue us or we are lost. You can thank God for Jacob’s ladder. It’s your ladder too.Topical Index: Salvation
From Skip Moen www.atgodstable.com
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Word of Wisdom

The secret for my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."
-George Washington Carver

I Love My Job

I love my job, I love the pay,

I love it more and more each day.

I love my boss and she's the best.

I love her boss and all the rest.

I love my office and its location.

I hate to have to take vacation.

I love my desk so drab and gray,

And love those paper piles each day.

I love my chair in my padded cell;

There's nothing else I love so well.

I love to work among my peers.

I love their leers and jeers and sneers.

I love my computer and all its ware;

I hug it often to show I care.

I love each program and every file;

I even try using it once in a while.

I'm happy to be here, I am, I am...

I'm the happiest slave to my Uncle Sam.

I love this work; I love these chores;

I love the meetings with deadly bores.

I love my job and I'll say it again,

I even love those friendly men;

These men who've come to visit today,

In lovely white coats to take me away!

In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. IThes. 5:18

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

-Joshua 1:8

God's Grace and Mercy

God's grace - God gives us what we don't deserve

God's mercy - God doesn't give us what we deserve.

We want mercy for ourselves but we want justice for others.

Jesus Christ knows the things you've done wrong, but He did not come to rub them in. He came to rub them out. Rick Warren

Blessed is he whose trangressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Oh God, when I have food

help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work, help me

to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home,

help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain;

help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering, help me

to destroy my complacency

and bestir my compassion.

Make me concerned enough

to help, by word and deed,

those who cry out

for what we take for granted.

"For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed Me.....

-Matthew 25:35

The Invisible Woman (very powerful)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0

Consecration

Consecration - To set apart as holy; make or declare sacred for religious use. 2. to devote entirely too-dedicate. -Webster's Dictionary

Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. IIChronicles 29:31

Read Exodus 29:38-41

Exodus 29:39 - The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb shalt offer at even.

The morning and evening burnt offering symbolized the daily consecration of the chosen people to the Lord.

Do you see where I am going with this? Are you among the chosen of God? Are you in that number in the congregation? If so, it is a daily thing. Not just a Sunday thing. He should be the first thing you think about in the morning, and the last thing you should think about at night.

One writer has said: "It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.

Thought for the Day

One of the first things which a physician says to his patient is, "Let me see your tongue." A spiritual adviser might ask the same thing. N.Adams

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin; but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
Proverbs 10:19


I regret often that I have spoken; never that I have been silent.

In an Instant

In this day of instant grits, instant coffee, and microwave popcorn, we must remember that spiritual worship does not come without prayer, fasting, and agonizing before God.

We say microwave prayers but we serve a crockpot God!

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Genesis 32:26

Word of Wisdom

One of the greatest accomplishments of life is to have both

patience and wisdom!

If any of you lack wisdom, let him

ask of God...James 1:5

My Value

My value in life comes in God's affirmation of me.
So if people reject me, I still have worth.
So if my mate rejects me, I still have worth.
So if my child rejects me, I still have worth.
So if my employer rejects me, I still have worth.
My worth is not in what I do or say.
My worth is not in what I acquire or own.
My worth is not in what I invent or create.
My worth is in me-a unique person, created by God.

Psalm 139

Blueprint for Achievement

BELIEVE while others are doubting.
PLAN while others are playing.
STUDY while others are sleeping.
DECIDE while others are delaying.
PREPARE while others are daydreaming.
BEGIN while others are procrastinating.
WORK while others are wishing.
SAVE while others are wasting.
LISTEN while others are talking.
SMILE while others are pouting.
COMMEND while others are criticizing.
PERSIST while others are quitting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

For The Women (very powerful)

Even Deeper
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3:20
Eve – God doesn’t make mistakes. So, when God chose to use the Hebrew language to reveal Himself, it wasn’t an accident. The Hebrew language is the perfect vehicle to communicate what God wants to share about Himself and His creation. What does this mean to us? It means that what God says in Hebrew is usually much deeper than we initially observe. Frank Seekins says, “Hebrew fulfills a role that no other language can” because it can be understood as both a picture language and a phonetic language. Our contemporary translations are based on the phonetic aspect of Hebrew, not the pictographs. Sometimes we need to look to the pictures to see what the language communicates. That leads us to ask a question about some crucial words for “woman.” What we find will truly amaze you.First, there is God’s chosen word for “woman.” It’s found in Genesis 2:18 (“I will make him a help-mate – an ‘ezer). This is God’s word, not Adam’s. The word consists of the consonants A-Z-R which display a picture of “first cut from a person”, “strength cut from the highest” or even “the first weapon (of defense) of the person.” Does this sound like the role of the ‘ezer? Remember that ‘ezer is the same word God applies to Himself in relation to Israel. The woman is certainly the first cut from the man. In fact, she is taken directly from him. And the role of the ‘ezer is to protect, help, provide and nourish. Certainly this is the biblical view of strength and defense. What God had in mind is not subservience or patriarchal hierarchy. His choice of ‘ezer indicates that the woman is a man’s first line of defense, an equal partner in the journey of life. The ‘ezer is God’s gift to the husband. She is built that way.‘ezer isn’t the only word for woman. There is Adam’s choice, ish-sha. Once before we noted that the doubled consonant paints a picture of the woman as consumer and destroyer, a very powerful combination. But there is another picture here. This pictograph also means “what comes out of the strong consumer.” Woman comes out of man. The second picture makes visible what the text confirms: “She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.” Adam recognizes her essential equality and unique similarity is his choice of word. He also acknowledges the dangerous bliss resident in this perfectly suited partner.So far, so good. God has a word picture that paints the divinely ordered role of woman. Man has a word picture that displays her vital connection to him. But there is still one more word. It occurs is Genesis 3:20 when Adam finally gives his wife a proper name. That name, as we now know, is Hawah, not Eve. This reveals an even more interesting picture. This picture is “what comes from the place of work.” What does this mean? It means that woman is the vehicle through which all “living” come – all those who work. Thus, her name literally means “the mother (source) of all living.” Once again the picture paints what the words say. This is her legacy. Since Hebrew views work and worship as one and the same, the name Hawah also means the woman brings to life all those who worship. There is hardly a more important role in human existence.Now don’t get concerned. This is not some kind of worship of Woman. It’s not pagan Mother Earth and it’s not the idolization of Mary. It is simply the biblical recognition that God chose women to be the way that every living human being becomes a member of the working-worshipping community. It’s not idolatry. It’s the recognition of vital importance. Mothers matter.What does the Scripture tell us about a woman? She is God’s chosen protector, provider and strength for a man. Secondly, she is from Man, equally a partner under the Lord and perfectly matched for re-union as one. Finally, she is the physical transporter of life for all Mankind. These three roles are all wrapped up in one person. They must be recognized as separate but united. When we confuse them, when we put all the emphasis on one of the pictures and ignore the other two, we end up with terrible distortions like pagan Mother Earth worship or the contemporary idea of woman as servants of men. The Scriptures reveal all three, intertwined. And a cord of three strands cannot easily be broken.If you are a woman, exult in how God made you. If you are a man, be gloriously grateful to God. He knew exactly what He was doing.
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This is from Skip Moen www.atgodstable.com

Spiritual Fruitfullness

Our spiritual fruitfullness is dependent on being attached to the vine.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

Mighty In God

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power

to us-ward who believe,

according to the working of

His mighty power...Ephesians 1:19

Evil Genius

At God's Table :: Today's Word

Today's Word from at God's table was awesome. If you are a student of God's Word, and desire to know His Word better, I recommend this site to you. Skip Moen has a way of explaining the very smallest details in the Word of God, and making it come alive in a way no one else can.
I subscribed to his daily email and it is always a blessing.

Check it out for yourself. Click on the above link.

God Bless

Sunday Service

Church was a blessing this morning. Selena sang "Never would have made it." As she was singing the words to the song, I thought to myself, "Man, that is the truth!" If it wasn't for the Lord on my side, I never would have made it. You can look at my profile and see a portion of what God has brought me through. Believe me, my profile only tells part of a story. It goes way beyond what is written there.

I know what it is to be a single mother. I know what it feels like for the Dr to tell you your baby is handicapped and mentally retarded. I know what it feels like for your child to stray. I worked for the police for years, but I know what it feels like to be on the other end and have the police call and tell you your son has just been arrested for trafficking drugs. I know what if feels like to be born with a physical handicap and go through your childhood with kids making fun of you because of the braces on your legs. Thank God for corrective surgery! I know what heartbreak feels like, sickness and addictions feels like, but I also know what healing and victory and deliverance feels like.

The list is very very long, I probably have only scratched the surface, but I can truly say, without Jesus, I never would have made it! That song speaks volumes.

Yes, I am more than a conqueror through Him that loved me! Praise God!

Victory in Jesus

You are not a sinner because you sin. You sin because you are a sinner.
It is in our nature to try to eliminate sin by works, but that won't give you the victory. All the willpower in the world will not overcome sin. Jesus death on the cross is the only way to victory. We try to lose weight by dieting, we try to fix our finances by cutting up our credit cards. Cutting up your credit cards will no more free you than an alcoholic pouring his alcohol down the drain will free them. Diets are a proven failure because eventually you will go back to your old eating habits. Gluttony is sin, and diet pills & diets are man made, nothing man made will ever free you from sin. It must be dealt with at the cross. Fill in the blank on what your sin is you are trying to get free from and your victory will only come through the cross.

Victory is found in God, and the only way to God is through His Son Jesus.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
The only way to Jesus is through the cross. Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23
The only way to the cross is through a denial of self. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27

The cross is a place of suffering, a place of death.

Try as you may, you can not maintain a right relationship with God by self effort and good works.

I have been doing a lot of studying on the Cross of Christ lately, and you can't exhaust it. It is where every trial and temptation in our life is overcome. It is the only place to get victory.

Sad to say, the church world has all but eliminated the cross in our Sunday services. We don't hear about it in sermons. We no longer sing about the Blood of Jesus. We go to church or turn on some religious broadcast and all we get is some formula to victory, but they all fail. There are not 2, 3, or 4 steps to victory, there is only one step to victory. That is why most churches today are full of people in bondage.

The truth is, people don't want to face the truth. Jesus said it is the truth that will set you free. But you have to be willing to face the truth about yourself. Quit trying all of these steps to get set free, admit your problem is a sin problem. Jesus paid a dear price for our victory, and though we had no problem accepting his death for means of our salvation, we have a hard time going to the cross for victory. Why? Because the cross is a place of death and suffering and we don't want to suffer, we would rather hear 3 easy steps to victory. It is like the person wanting to lose weight, they don't want to hear eat right and exercise, they want to try everything else that sounds easy because nothing sounds good about eating right and exercising.

It almost sounds like a contradiction, you can't get free by willpower but then you say to deny yourself. The difference is, you deny yourself through the power of the Holy Spirit, not your own willpower. You can't do it on your own. In fact, I can't do anything without God's help. Jesus said take up your cross daily. It is a daily battle, but with the Lord's help you can be set free from anything.

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9

Shout To The Lord

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGhr68iq7ck

The Value of Time

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask the student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask the person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask the person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who just won an olympic medal.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Stewardship

Stewardship is a complete lifestyle, a life of total accountability and responsibility acknowledging God as creator and owner of all.
Stewardship is responsible management of our God-given resources of time, talent, and treasure.
Stewardship is living out a commitment to be Christ-centered rather that self centered and involves a conversion of the heart.
Stewardship is a life long journey with each person at a different place on the path.

I would testify that Jesus was Lord of all, and I would go to the mall in a vehicle I could not afford, I was so overweight I didn't have the energy to walk around the mall, and spend and charge things I had no business buying. I would get home and my house would be a mess. The day would be a total waste of the time God had so graciously given me. I was in debt from not managing my money properly. I gave no thought to what I was eating. If I was hungry I ate, and I ate whatever I wanted, giving no thought to taking care of God's temple.

Discipline yourself to change, then your life will change.

If you are overweight, you have to eat right and exercise. There are no miracle diets or pills. If you are in debt you have to stop overspending and charging things on a credit card. If your house is a mess, clean it on a regular basis. Get in a routine of regular exercise, cleaning, and budgeting your money.
At the end of the day know that your day was spent Christ-centered, not self-centered. Make Jesus Lord of all.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. IICor 5:10

Thought For The Day

God made you as you are in order to use you as He planned.
S.C. McAuley


I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

Thought For The Day

Children learn best from example; the trouble is, they don't know a good example from a bad one.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Thought For The Day

The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.-Thomas Watson

Call unto Me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Monday

Today is Monday, so here is my list of things to do today:

Get Up

-

Survive

-

Go To Bed!