GLADNESS OF HEART

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

GLADNESS OF HEART
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. Psalm 4:5-7

God wants us to trust him fully, with gladness of heart for the abundance of blessing.  It is so good to trust in the LORD.  For He has done great things.  His love is better than wine.

Today, thanking God for gladness of heart.

WARRING PASSIONS

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

WARRING PASSIONS

Genesis:
And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.  And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? Genesis 25:21-32

Hebrews:

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Hebrews 12:12-17

Malachi:
 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.  I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.   Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?   Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts. Malachin1:1-8

Warring Passions

Do you find yourself with warring passions?.  Are you  loving two things so much that you could divide your day in two, and there still would never be enough time for both.  But with God, there is always one choice that honors Him-- and you must choose the one.  God often puts this into a love/hate relationship. "I loved Jacob , And I hated Esau" (Malachi 1:2-1:3).  He pursues one and turns His back on the other.  He embraces one, and despises the other.  He cleaves to one, and forsakes the other.  This is God's way.  

Are you indirectly despising God by pursing things outside of His will?  Are you the double minded man or woman who is unstable in all your ways?  Let us ask God for the strength and power to put those things in subjection that get in the way of the desire and work of God.  Let us not be like Esau, profane, carnal, getting nowhere.  Instead, let us follow peace and choose God's directives. 

Today, let us follow peace and pursue it!

DEDICATED TO THE LORD

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

DEDICATED TO THE LORD

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
 I Samuel 1:11

Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.  And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. I Samuel 1:20-22

The blessed dedicate the gifts of God to the LORD.  What has God gifted you with?  Use your gift for the glory and purposes of God, but first dedicate them.  Purpose in your heart that God will be honored in every way.
Today, to God be the glory!

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
  For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Romans 1:7-9

Have you ever thought of your calling to be a saint?  What does that mean to you?  A saint is one whose life is dedicated to God--set apart for His work and His glory.  We are not of the world, though we are in it.  We are sojourners in the earth, passing through--good for salt and light.
Yes, we are called to be saints!  What a blessed calling.

Today, let us walk worthy!

KEEPING THE WORD

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

KEEPING THE WORD

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:10,11

God's Word has power and purpose.  He tells the prophet Jeremiah, "... I keep watch over my word to give effect to it" (Jeremiah 1:12) BBE.  God's words are not idle.  In fact, Jesus tells his followers that  because of our relationship with God, we will give account for every idle word that we speak:  "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned " (Matthew 12:36,37).

  

As God's children, our word is to have power and purpose-- "fitly spoken" and "in due season." "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:11). "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it" (Proverbs 15:23)!  God is training us to so value our word that we shall at once move in the creative realm by faith:  And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you (Luke 17:6). 

  Today, Keep your word, watch over it and perform it.

THE MAKER

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 16. 2013

THE MAKER

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 1:7

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. Genesis 1:16

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:25,26

Today, may we live up to our creative potential as we consider the creative power of God!

LET THERE BE LIGHT

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

LET THERE BE LIGHT

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3

Jesus came to cast out darkness.  Where Jesus is, darkness must go.  Let there be Light in your soul so that you give no place to the devil.  Let there be Light in your relationships, so that love rules and flows from breast to breast.  Let there be Light in your home, so that strife and wickedness have no place to dwell.

Today, let there be Light!

THOU ART FAIRER

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

THOU ART FAIRER

 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Psalm 45:2

If we take on the ways of the world, we shall be overcome by them.  As children of God, we are to be like Christ Jesus, who is fairer than the children of men.  He is far more beautiful than the worldly man.  If you look on Him, he has peace and pleasure in his countenance.  He is unafraid of the future, so he is covered in glory and assurance.  His nature is gentle instead of antagonistic.  He does not seek His own but the desire of the Father.

Grace is poured into His lips: " And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" (Luke 4:22).  Jesus  was not cantankerous, or loud, or boastful. He didn't have guile or folly come out of his tongue.  He was, and is, blessed for ever.

Today, be fairer, be gracious, be blessed.

RULE

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

RULE
 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Psalm 45:4

GOD FILLS

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

GOD FILLS

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. Exodus 31:1-5

God fills his vessels for His use and His anointing.  Let us pray that He will fill us, and use us for His glory and purposes.

Today, pray that God will fill you for His glory and purposes.

BE FILLED

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

BE FILLED

 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.  EPHESIANS 5:18

Why settle for just a little of God's Spirit, when you can be filled?  We run on empty at times, without taking the time to fill up. The new wine of the Spirit is such a glorious drink.  We must tarry in the presence of God, praying in the Spirit, and wait...to be filled.  This may mean you have to get up early or slow down your pace a bit.  This may mean that you have to pause in the middle of your day to pray, but the filled life is what we must seek.  We want the Spirit to take control of our vessels so that He can use us. He must live in us and move in us and have His being in us.

Today, be filled!