Archive for the ‘Christianity’ Category
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Obedience, February 8
“Please, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night,
Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in Your ordinances.
So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.
Nehemiah 1:6-8; 10-11, www.solascriptura.com
Father, our prayer that You listen and be fully observant of us is accompanied by the reality that is exactly what You do. You hear us and see us, constantly. We do not understand how that can be true, given our finite capabilities, but we have faith that You know when a bird falls from the sky or when a hair falls from our head.
We “reach” for ways to understand, knowing that every living thing is Yours, including the air we breath and the water we drink. You had a dove descend and say, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased”. You tell us the trees clap their hands, the clouds collide, the earth trembles and the stars are beyond counting. God we simply confess that Your declarations are true and we do not have to explain the phenomena that we observe and experience.
We now possess the Living Word, Your Scriptures and we look back on what the Old Testament prophets proclaimed. Your word enriches, encourages and illuminates. What a marvelous resource You have given us.
You say, we walk in liberty because we seek Your precepts. Father, is the opposite also true, that if we walk in darkness, there is no true liberty? Father, we want to keep Your law forever and forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: day, ear, forever, law, liberty, mouth, obedience, ordinances, Prayer, precepts, servant, truth
Posted in Christianity, Courage, Providence of God, faith | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Temptation, February 7
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
”Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
”Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
”He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
I John 4:1; 4, Revelation 3:10-12, www.solascriptura.com
Father, such words as recorded by the beloved apostle John, are too wonderful to fully grasp. Thank you for Your Spirit in us that enable us to “overcome” the evil that surrounds us. You tell us there are false prophets, people who claim to know You. Give us discerment, we pray, to resist the teaching of such people.
Father, for promising to protect us from the coming trial that will bring complete fear upon those who have not trusted You and obeyed You, we are grateful. Thank You Jesus for cleansing us and preparing us to enter into the presence of the Father.
We yearn for Your name to be upon us, marked for eternity in New Jerusalem, heaven. Give us a witness this day to a soul that seeks You and bring Your peace to each of us this day. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: believe, children, crown, God, New Jerusalem, overcome, persevere, pillar, prophets, Spirit, temptation, test, trial, world
Posted in Christianity, Courage, Perseverance, faith | 5 Comments »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Providence of God, February 5
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. …If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;
So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 4:23; 24:10-14, www.solascriptura.com
Father, Solomon, according to Your word, was the wisest man who ever lived. We know his wisdom was a gift from You. He tells us that “from our heart” all the issues of life come forward. He says that we must warn others and that You notice when we do not.
We read that if we faint when we encounter adversity, something You promise will persist, then we are weak. We pray that as we face challenges this day, and is there ever a day that we do not face challenges, that we will remember that it is Your strength in us and available to us that will carry the moment.
Father, the wisdom from You, freely given to those who ask, makes witnessing of Your love, a sweet experience. We read of our individual accountability and ask You to help us O’God to seek and to do Your will every day. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: adversity, death, diligence, heart, hearts, honey, issues, Proverbs 4:23; 24:10-14, soul, strength, stumbling, sweet, weighs, wisdom
Posted in Christianity, Law of God, Providence of God, faith | 15 Comments »
Sunday, February 5th, 2012
Humility, February 5
… God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
…”God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Galatians 6:14; 5:26, Philippians 4:5, James 4:6; 10, www.solascriptura.com
Father, we know that to be like Jesus is our goal and we also know that our lower nature, our flesh, often causes us to act more like a goof ball than a saint. Give us the humility we pray to allow You to overcome that which is present in all of us. You promised to do so if we but ask.
Boasting is such a natural instinct. We all want to do well but we sometimes get carried away in telling others how well we are doing. In the process, we become entrapped in a practice that You have warned us about. We know some of the disciples boasted now and then but we notice that You, Jesus, did not.
Jesus, we should ask less and less for forgiveness of sins, such as bragging; it makes us look immature in our Spiritual journey. If we repeatedly make the same mistakes help us examine our hearts and make the changes we need to make. Remind us all that we should not even try to make corrections without the power of the Holy Spirit being our guiding Light. Our strength is in You and if we are inclined to boast, let it be of You and Your leadership in our lives. In Your Holy name we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: boast, Christ, conceited, cross, crucified, envying, gentleness, God, Humility, Jesus, Lord, Philippians 4:5, proud, provoking, world
Posted in Christianity, Conscience, Humility, Providence of God, faith | 375 Comments »
Saturday, February 4th, 2012
Fidelity, February 4
…if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
… we know that … there is no other God but one.
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
1 Corinthians 8:2-6, www.solascriptura.com
Father, We know nothing of what we will yet know. We see things dimly now that You will yet fully reveal. Help us O’God to gain better and better insight from Your Holy word. You have just told us that if we love You, we are known by You. It is You alone we worship.
Keep us from valuing anything or anyone more than our relationship with You. We pray for time alone with You this day. Help us focus on Your presence in all that was created. The water, birds, flowers, trees and rocks testify of Your love. You are the constant, unchanging Presence. Jesus, You alone are our Judge and our Redeemer. Strengthen our fidelity to You. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: earth, fidelity, God, Heaven, Jesus, know, loves
Posted in Christianity, Fidelity, Religion, faith | 14 Comments »
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Industriousness, February 3
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
… he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
… a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
1 Peter 1:17, James 1:25;27; 2:24-26 , www.solascriptura.com
Father, we do fear not being in the center of Your will for our lives and we seek diligently to please you. Help us O’God to know that we never stand before You in our perfection, since we are indeed imperfect. We come to you in all humility and contrition, cloaked in the righteousness of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer with thankful hearts.
Father, Your law reveals Your will for us. When we stand within Your law we stand in liberty. Forgive us O’God when we sin. Deliver us from temptation, constantly, because it is ever upon us. As we proclaim our faith, help us to do good works that verify our words. In the name and power of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: blessed, body, conduct, faith, Father, fear, God, harlot, Industriousness, James 1:25;27; 2:24-26, judges, law, liberty, orphans, partiality, perfect, pure, Spirit, undefiled, widows, work
Posted in Christianity, God's Children, Holy Spirit, Industriousness, Law of God, Religion, faith | 2 Comments »
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Conscience, February 2
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar
off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my
ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it
altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold,
You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of
them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I
awake, I am still with You.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting.
Psalm 139:1-10;17-18;23-24, www.solascriptura.com
Father, Your omnipresence in our lives and world is beyond our
comprehension. We know you have none of the boundaries of the flesh and
that You created each of us. Now You teach us that You search us, You know
when we arise and lay down, You know the words on our tongues and the
thoughts of our hearts. You encompass us, Your thoughts toward us are
greater than the sand, a quantity we can not count.
Father, if we could but respond to You in the same way and give the same
consideration, attention and time back to You that You give to us, that
would keep our focus on our source of strength. We have access, all day
long, to Your wisdom and presence. Help us respond, constantly. In Jesus
Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: anxieties, Conscience, count, Heaven, hedged, hell, knowledge, known, Lord, presence, Psalm 139:1-10;17-18;23-24, rising, sand, sea, searched, Spirit, thought, tongue, wicked, wings
Posted in Christianity, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, Prayer, Providence of God | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
Joy, February 1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life–
the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us–
that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
I John 1:1-4, www.solascriptura.com
Father, The beloved apostle John was a disciple, witness and friend of Jesus. John saw Jesus, listened to Him speak and touched Him. Here we learn again that Jesus was with You in the beginning and that He was a manifestation of You to us. Father, we know that Jesus said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father”. Thank You Father for providing us with a tangible reality, Your living Son.
Father, we pray that this quotation from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity is helpful to us all.
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. … Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.
Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: beginning, C.S.Lewis, eternal, Father, joy, witness, word
Posted in Christianity, Inspirtation, Religion, joy, peace | 18 Comments »
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Prayer, Part I, January 31
…there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked
and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:13-16, www.solascriptura.com
Father, we stand before You all day, every day, completely exposed. We
have no secret thoughts or actions and You tell us here that we must give
an account for our decisions.
Sending Jesus to us, to be tempted as we are, and then raising Him up as
our eternal High Priest, gives us an advocate unlike any other. Our Jesus
knows what we are encountering and is there for us, all the time. We come
boldly to You Jesus, seeking Your love and guidance that the grace of God
may prevail in our lives. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: confession, creature, God, grace, heavens, hidden, Jesus, naked, Prayer, Priest, Son, sympathize
Posted in Christianity, God's Children, Inspirtation, Perseverance, Prayer, faith | 12 Comments »
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Revenge, January 30
For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
”Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:20-24,www.solascriptura.com
Jesus, our objective is to be like You. We will need a lot of help not to return evil for evil. If people are critical of us, to take such criticism without angrily giving it back to them, doubly for some of us, requires Your Spirit in us.
We read that when You suffered, You did not threaten those who were punishing You, unto death. Jesus, we can not relate, easily, to that circumstance. Your patient endurance of undeserved punishment resulted in each of us now being able to not receive the punishment for our transgressions that we truly deserve. Your suffering set the stage for eternal life for all those You have cleansed.
You suffered for our sins that we might live righteously. Our flesh wants to retaliate; our spirit wants to be like You. Help us reflect Your countenance and heart as we experience persecution.
In the Holy name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: Christ, deceit, example, faults, God, patiently, Revenge, sin, suffered
Posted in Christianity, Courage, Fidelity, Perseverance, Revenge, faith | 8 Comments »