Tag: Gospel

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: October 17, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is Hebrews chapter 3

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

In chapter two the book of Hebrews warns us about the danger of drifting away, but in chapter three it warns us about the danger of turning away. Verse 12 says, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.” (NLT) The children of Israel went all the way to the borders of Canaan, but refused to obey God and enter the land. After refusing to believe God, a group of Israelites tried to go into the land but they were defeated. The Bible illustrates that delayed obedience is disobedience. Some people think they can be saved anytime they want to, but that isn’t true. Isaiah taught us to, “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.” The Bible says we must hear and obey God’s voice “Today.” Nowhere in the Bible does it instruct us to be saved “Tomorrow.” If we don’t trust Christ “today” we may never trust Christ at all, because we may not have another “today.” Also, if we don’t trust Christ “today” we may never trust Christ at all, because our hearts could become hard. Sin will harden your heart. The more often we reject God the easier it becomes until finally our hearts become hard. Visit with inmates in prison and you will meet many people whose heart’s have become hard because of life’s choices. If you do not trust Christ today, you may never trust Christ because you may not hear God’s voice again. God speaks to us through Scripture. One of the saddest moments in Scripture is when Jesus stopped speaking to Pilate. The text says, “Jesus answered him not a word.” The worse thing that could happen to us is for God to stop speaking, but hearing the Gospel isn’t enough, we must believe God and enter into Christ.

Prayer: “Lord, we come to You today hearing and believing and clinging to Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: October 13, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is Titus chapter 3

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

The Gospel changes lives. When God saves, it is not because of any good that we have done, but it’s because of the goodness and mercy of God. When God saves, He forgives our sins and they are washed away. We are given a new birth. Why do we need a second birth? Because our first birth messed us up. The new birth is a spiritual birth. It is a work of God’s grace and a work of God’s Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the evidence of our salvation. The fact that the Holy Spirit lives in us is an affirmation that we belong to God. Through the Spirit we become new creatures in Christ Jesus. The Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God. He gives us assurance of our inheritance, and He transforms our lives. Because of the Spirit’s Presence in our lives, we will never be the same again.

Prayer: “Dear God, thank You for Your great kindness and love in providing forgiveness of our sins, thank You for generously pouring out Your Spirit in our lives. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: October 8, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is 2 Timothy chapter 4

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

The letter of 2 Timothy is believed to be the last book written by Paul before his martyrdom. Paul’s last words are some of the most powerful in all the Bible. At the end of his life Paul’s main concern was that Timothy stand firm in the faith and preach the Word! Consider Paul’s last words to Timothy, “Preach the Word.” “Be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:2,5 NKJV) These words weigh heavy on us, and reflect the heart of a man who loved God deeply. Are we concerned with that which concerns the heart of God? Are we passionate about the Gospel, or distracted by that which is temporary? Lottie Moon gave up the prospects of marriage, the comforts of home, and any notion of accumulating worldly possessions to carry the Gospel to China. She gave her life to the Gospel. She so loved the Chinese people that her life was fully devoted to sharing the love of Christ with them, but it was her love of the Savior that drove her to give all. When Lottie Moon died she weighed less than fifty pounds. All her earthly possessions could be contained in a trunk. Her estate, when settled was worth a little more than $200. Consider Paul’s life. He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV) Paul was faithful to the fight, he was faithful to the faith, and he was faithful to the finish!

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, break our hearts with what breaks Yours. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: October 7, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is 2 Timothy chapter 3

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Standing on the Word of God is even more important today than ever. As the world grows more wicked and embraces more and more falsehood, we need more cable pastors and churches to preach and teach God’s truth! First, we must expect the influences of godlessness to grow and more and more of society to be impacted by it. Paul forewarned that, “In the last days perilous times shall come.” (2 Timothy 3:1) As time moves forward man will plunge further into the depths of sin. We can expect it. As we live in these unholy times we must realize that evangelism can be messy. We must be willing to face a culture steeped in sinful living and false teaching. Brian Combs has challenged the church today, “If we are going to reach people who we are not reaching, then we must be willing to do some things we are not doing.” The Gospel never changes, but our methods for reaching those who are becoming more hostile toward the Gospel may need to change. Evil is growing, we must expect it, but also we must be able to detect it. Paul was fully invested in the Gospel. His teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with his suffering was fully known to Timothy. It was not an oddity that Paul suffered persecution, but all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer. In these devilish and deceitful days we must devour God’s Word, which is “inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 HCSB)

Prayer: “Lord, raise up missionaries, pastors, and evangelists who will faithfully stand and preach Your Word. Give us churches that will stand on the Word of God. Reveal to us how best to lay the claims of Christ upon this growingly wicked generation. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: October 2, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is 1 Timothy chapter 6

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Paul’s words to Timothy were, “But godliness with contentment is a great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6 HCSB) One of the blessings of being a growing disciple of Jesus Christ is that we can experience contentment. The lust for wealth and material things is a deadly trap. Our insatiable desire for more can never be satisfied. The love of money leads to all kinds of sin, bad choices, and pain. The love of money has even led some people away from the faith. God’s people are taught to be content with having our basic needs met. God promises to meet our needs and we can trust Him to do so. We can also rejoice that He does meet our needs. It is not a sin to be wealthy, but we should not place our hope in riches. God is our supply. Our hope is in Him. Those seeking godly contentment are humble, generous, and use their resources to accomplish God’s will. Instead of seeking earthly riches, people of contentment seek to store up treasures in glory!

Prayer: “Dear Father, thank You for filling our life with good things. Thank You for our generous Savior. May we be more like Him. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: September 16, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is I Thessalonians chapter 2

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Making spiritual investments in the lives of others is far from a waste of time, but it is demanding and requires sacrifice. Paul understood this and that is why he taught the Gospel to the Thessalonians! After taking a beating in Philippi Paul was still determined to continue sharing Christ with others. God gives us the courage to declare His Gospel in spite of great opposition. To prevent discouragement and defeat, and to avoid failure we must make certain that we have the right motives. We are stewards of God’s truth and have been entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. We don’t use flattery, or seek human praise. Our goal isn’t money. When our motives are pure we will serve and sacrifice with a humble attitude. When we spiritually invest in others it sometimes leaves us physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent. The pay off is to see those we’ve prayed for, and ministered to, loving and serving Jesus!

Prayer: “Lord, make us more like Jesus today. Use us to make spiritual investments in the lives others. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: September 15, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is I Thessalonians chapter 1

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

The church at Thessalonica was a model church. They were examples to all the believers in Greece, Macedonia, and Achaia. They boldly received the Gospel and were willing to suffer for it. Paul said, “So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 1:6 NLT) Many were talking about the faith of the Thessalonians. They previously had been guilty of worshiping idols, but by God’s grace they turned from these idols to serve the living and true God. After turning to God these Christians began explaining the Gospel everywhere, and living their lives expecting Jesus to come again. It is wonderful when God gets hold of a church and people everywhere begin talking about all the good things that God is doing. We hear enough bad reports about the bad experiences some people have in church. It’s time that we emulate the church at Thessalonica, and become model saints so that others may hear of our faith and give their lives to the Lord.

Prayer: “Lord, help us to make known Your Gospel and to sound it forth to people everywhere. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: September 12, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is Colossians chapter 4

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Paul was a people person. All of his relationships were Christ- centered. In the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians he names at least eleven different people. Paul realized that he needed people if he was going to serve the Lord. It takes people working and serving together to build a church and to bless the world with the Gospel message. Paul needed people to pray for him. He said, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.” (Colossians 4:2-4 NLT) Paul needed people to partner with him. He referred to Tychicus as a “beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord.” (Colossians 1:7) He referred to others as “fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.” (Colossians 4:11) Paul needed people who were personal to him. His friends shared a closeness, and a passion to advance the kingdom and make known the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul’s friends were compatible. They each had the church’s best interest at heart. They each had the same convictions and believed the same truth. From those who loved Jesus, to those who labored for Jesus, to those who were locked up for Jesus, Paul’s list of friends proves that people need people.

Prayer: “Dear Father, we thank You for the people in our lives who are a special blessing to us. May we each be a friend and also have a friend in the Lord. Please send faithful people to minister along side of us. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: September 9, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is Colossians chapter 1

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

We learn a lot about a person by what makes them happy. Paul was most happy when the Gospel was being preached, and people were being saved, and the church was being blessed. Paul was a happy person because Paul was a thankful person. He said, “We give thanks to God… since we heard of your faith, and of the love which you have to all the saints.” (Colossians 1:4) Faith in Christ results in love for saints. Paul heard about the church at Colossae and he was was thankful for their faith and their love. He was also thankful for their hope. He said, “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.” (Colossians 1:5) Paul was happy because the Gospel was being preached and it was bringing forth fruit. His thankfulness led him to pray for the spiritual growth and development of the church at Colossae. What makes you happy? Is your joy and gratitude wrapped up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul said, “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14 NKJV)

Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, help us to love what You love and despise what You despise. May whatever rejoices Your heart rejoice ours as well. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron

Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions: September 5, 2014

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Today’s Bible reading is Philippians chapter 3

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Being right with God is the greatest joy any person could ever have. Paul knew this joy and he desired that the Philippian church know it too. Paul knew the source of his joy. The source of joy is faith in Jesus Christ. Paul did not rely on human effort. He placed his trust in what Jesus has done for us. Before Paul was saved he sought righteousness by human effort. All of his accomplishments only brought him misery. One day he met Jesus Christ and his life was never the same. After coming to faith in Christ and experiencing God’s joy, Paul looked over his past accomplishments and concluded, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Him depends on faith.” (Philippians 3:7-9 NLT)

Prayer: “Father, thank You for the joy that comes from knowing Jesus, and from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Jesus name. Amen”

Randy J. McPheron