Daily Meditations

 Proverbs 22:1, says that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor than silver and gold.  KJV  How do you have a good name?  Our reputation (name) depends on our actions, our words, and our ways.  If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, your life should reflect His life. To be like Jesus should be our number one goal, not how to get rich.  Being rich is not bad, but it must be our god.  Loving favor is the favor of God in all that you do.  Walking in the favor of God is greater than anything in this world.  His favor is abundant and always present. Those who choose God to be their Father are daily blessed with His abundant favor.  

When we receive answers to our prayers, we should be joyful.  The joy of the Lord should be overflowing inside of us.  We should let it flow out so that others will be encouraged to pray.  The man that was healed at the gate of the Temple in Acts 3, ran and jumped, and leaped through the temple grounds.  His joy was overflowing and he didn’t try to stop the display.  Sometimes we are so “proper” that we refuse to let the joy of the Lord flow out of us.  When God answers our prayers, we should let the joy of the Lord inside us, flow outside of us so others can be encouraged.  

 Are you a disciple? What is a disciple? Someone that is disciplined. Don't say "OH NO"! Without discipline there will be failure! A disciple of Christ is someone one who first of all has made Jesus the Lord of their life. What does Lord mean? Boss! In the natural world, if your boss says do this or do that (and you want to keep your job) you will follow his directions, provided that his requests are reasonable. We should give our Lord Jesus at least the same respect! He says to spend time in His presence; to abide in Him. We all know that in today's world, we have to TAKE TIME to do that, because there will not be time for Him unless we take it! Take the time. It will pay huge dividends in your life, This requires discipline, but you can do it!  

 Are we thankful for the goodness of God in our lives?  Sometimes we are not as thankful as we should be.  If we have a roof over our heads, shoes on our feet, clothes on our back, food in our stomach, and we are blessed with a job, BE THANKFUL.  Why do we complain about our houses, our clothes, our food, and our lives?  We must be thankful to God for His great blessings on us.  If we have lack in any of these areas, we need to remember that in the book of Philippians we find that God says He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We must thank Him that His Word is true and receive with thanksgiving our needs met even before they appear!

 Living in peace is a choice.  It has nothing to do with what goes on around us although we often allow circumstances to steal our peace.  Our peace comes from God and we are to let the peace of God rule our thoughts, our will and our emotions.  When we are upset, angry, or discouraged we will probably not be able to hear what God is saying to us.  If the peace of God rules us, we will be able to make wise decisions in our daily lives.  God’s peace ruling in our lives is directly related to how often we give thanks and praise to Him.  Continual gratitude to our Father, brings great peace in our lives.

How to live in God’s peace: Philippians 4:6-7 (Amp.)   Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving continue to make your wants known to God.  And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  

 The book of Jude urges us to build up ourselves on our most holy faith by praying in the in Holy Spirit and to keep ourselves in the love of God.  Then he closes this book with these encouraging words: Jude 24-25 (KJV) Now unto to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God and Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.  Amen.

 As Christians we are to love one another in the body of Christ.  What are we supposed to do when someone is hard to deal with and hard to bear?  We are to be forgiving and kind.  We are to live our lives with the love of God ruling in our actions, in our words, and in our ways.  We have to always remember that Jesus forgave us, so we are to do the same.  Jesus said if we walk in love with one another, the world will see that we are different from them.  We are to be like Jesus in everything in our lives.

 We are to give thanks in everything.  You may say, “How can I give thanks when the car won’t start, the washing machine is broken, the children are fighting, there’s no money in the bank, and I have a headache?!”  That is when you must know that you know, that God has the answers to all your problems.  You must put your faith in His Word and believe that He is not only able, but He is also willing to move on your behalf.  He can cause the car to start, the children to be at peace with one another, prosper you financially, and heal your body! God is our supply!  Give Him praise and thanksgiving for being Almighty God!

 Do you ever “wish” that you had more faith?  According to Galatians we live by the faith of the Son of God, Jesus, and we have the measure of faith that comes from Him.  The problem is that we must plant faith like we would plant a tomato seed.  How do we plant faith?  Faith comes by continually hearing, speaking, thinking and doing the Word of God.   We must be doers of what God has said in His Word.  Without doing what the Word of God says, our faith is dead! Therefore we must know, believe, and do what God has said in His Word.  Sorry to say, we are vessels that are leaky and forgetful, therefore we must continually meditate on God’s Word if our faith is going to become strong!  Meditate! Speak! Do! What God says in His Word. You will be blessed day by day in His Word.