As I read today's Daily Bread, I felt the need to offer the Lord a prayer of repentance for my dependence on "self." If you struggle at times in this area, as I do, I would ask that you embrace this prayer for yourself.
"Father, your Word tells me that if I confess my sins, then you are faithful and just to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I confess to you now that there are areas of my life that have not been totally given over to you...areas where I have relied on my own intellect or my own talents and abilities. Please forgive me for that weakness and open my eyes to the pride of self deception that allows me to believe that I can do anything apart from You.
I admit that I am weak in this area and pray for sensitivity to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when I fall short. Help me to embrace my weakness knowing that where I am weak Lord, You are strong."
Tuesday, October 26
Wednesday, October 20
Code Breaker
John 1:1-5
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Even people that don't read the Bible have probably heard this at one time or another and it's a verse that I have heard quite a few times and as I go back to my earliest memory of hearing this I recall it sounding like a bunch of double talk. It was code for something but I didn't have the code breaking tool then one day in a Bible study the teacher said replace "word" with "Jesus". WOW now that makes sense but why not say that from the beginning, well that's a rabbit trail that I leave for another chapter.
Today in my time with God I was nudged back to these verses and I know now that when God nudges me I need to move and then be still because he will reveal another code breaking secret.
"God, I'm ready for that"... I'm always ready for that... and He revealed it and now I'm saying Thank you Lord ... Thank you for loving me so much that you knew I needed another angle on a truth that you have and I need to plant it deep in my heart. Do you want to know what that truth is? Today's truth to the "Living Word" for Jimmy Thomas is this, God is the beginning, the beginning of everything, He created everything, the hills, the ocean, the light, the creatures and you and me. That's the power that He has.
Satan tells lies and deceives, that the power that he has. He can't stop the tide from coming in and going out, he can't stop the sun from irising in the morning and setting in the evening, he can't make the mountain go into the sea. And yet we give him more focus that we do the One that created it all.
All that to say this ... God wants me to focus on and share what He, the creator of the universe, lover of my soul and someone that wants to call me friend, has done and wants to do. Yes there are bad and unfortunate things that happen and it lays heavy on our hearts but we serve a God that's bigger that all the trouble and wants to hold our hand and get us through the storm to the shores of his blessings.
Go out today, stop, take a deep breathe and spend a few minutes taking in the beauty of what our God has created, be still and bask in His goodness.
If you got this far, let me say thanks for taking the time to read this and I pray that in some way this touches you.
Be Blessed,
Jimmy
Tuesday, October 19
Understanding What is His
Today's ODB, "Hoarding or Helping", helped reaffirm in me the concept of God's economy, something it took me a long time and some painful lessons to learn.
Once guided by worldly wisdom, I lived life as an endless quest to accumulate things. The aim of my life was to pursue and possess as much of the things I thought were important - money, status, rank, acclaim, security - as I could get my hands on. I might still be on that quest had I not experienced a sudden, unforseen loss of just about everything I had considered important.
It took the loss of those things to help me learn that everything I once had wasn't really mine to begin with. Learning to live without those things wasn't pleasant at first, but helped me understand I could live without them and realize I had overestimated their importance. God used this experience to humble me and to give me a greater understanding of His grace through which all worthwhile things come. My circumstances for a time were such that I could only count on His grace, for His grace was all I had. It turned out to be more than sufficient.
I have since experienced restoration of material blessings, but know my good fortune is not attributable to anything other than the grace of God. As such, I have come to view nothing as my own. I live my life quite differently than before - not perfectly, but determined to use the things He has given me to glorify Him. I've learned that I cannot outgive God, and the more time, talent, and treasures I give back to Him, the more of Him I get. That's a lopsided trade if there ever was one!
I don't give because I get, but I get because I give. I don't understand why it works this way, but I know that it does. Thanks be to God!!
Once guided by worldly wisdom, I lived life as an endless quest to accumulate things. The aim of my life was to pursue and possess as much of the things I thought were important - money, status, rank, acclaim, security - as I could get my hands on. I might still be on that quest had I not experienced a sudden, unforseen loss of just about everything I had considered important.
It took the loss of those things to help me learn that everything I once had wasn't really mine to begin with. Learning to live without those things wasn't pleasant at first, but helped me understand I could live without them and realize I had overestimated their importance. God used this experience to humble me and to give me a greater understanding of His grace through which all worthwhile things come. My circumstances for a time were such that I could only count on His grace, for His grace was all I had. It turned out to be more than sufficient.
I have since experienced restoration of material blessings, but know my good fortune is not attributable to anything other than the grace of God. As such, I have come to view nothing as my own. I live my life quite differently than before - not perfectly, but determined to use the things He has given me to glorify Him. I've learned that I cannot outgive God, and the more time, talent, and treasures I give back to Him, the more of Him I get. That's a lopsided trade if there ever was one!
I don't give because I get, but I get because I give. I don't understand why it works this way, but I know that it does. Thanks be to God!!
Sunday, October 17
"Thy will", not "my will"
The author of Saturday's ODB piece, Julie Ackerman Link, writes about a very important subject - the misuse of the words of the Lord. To twist and bend the word of the Lord to achieve our own ends is sin unless somehow our selfish desires be in perfect alignment with those of the Lord.
We must rely on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and not our own wisdom to discern what God is saying to us through His written Word lest we stumble, or worse, cause another to stumble. As I dwelled on this matter a bit, I was reminded of a story told about Abraham Lincoln.
In 1864, portrait artist F.B. Carpenter spent considerable time with Lincoln, having been commissioned to paint a portrait of the President. He chronicled his time spent with Lincoln in an 1867 book, Six Months in the White House. Carpenter recalls an interesting encounter Lincoln had with a clergyman who visited the White House during that time:
We must rely on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and not our own wisdom to discern what God is saying to us through His written Word lest we stumble, or worse, cause another to stumble. As I dwelled on this matter a bit, I was reminded of a story told about Abraham Lincoln.
In 1864, portrait artist F.B. Carpenter spent considerable time with Lincoln, having been commissioned to paint a portrait of the President. He chronicled his time spent with Lincoln in an 1867 book, Six Months in the White House. Carpenter recalls an interesting encounter Lincoln had with a clergyman who visited the White House during that time:
No nobler reply ever fell from the lips of ruler, than that uttered by President Lincoln in response to the clergyman who ventured to say, in his presence, that he hoped " the LORD was on our side.". "I am not at all concerned about that," replied Mr. Lincoln, " for I know that the LORD is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the LORD'S side."Wise words from a wise man.
A Little Faith Made a Big Difference to Chilean Miners
I received this in my e-mail this morning and HAD to share. It is worth the read to see how a LITTLE FAITH MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE in the lives of the Chilean mine collapse survivors. It never ceases to amaze me that a God who can do anything gives His faithful servants the opportunity to play a role in His miracles.
Hi all,
I just received an update from a fellow staff member of Campus Crusade regarding some interesting things that have happened with the Chilean miner rescue:
You've probably been following the rescue of the Chilean miners. I want to tell you the story behind the story. Most of the world will not know this story until we're gathered around the banquet feast in heaven. I love it when true followers of Jesus embrace the opportunities he gives.
If you have watched the news, most of the miners are wearing a t-shirt with the logo from the Chilean flag. The t-shirts were a gift from Campus Crusade for Christ Chile. Over the last couple of weeks, they received MP3 players with the audio version of the JESUS Film and the Bible in audio format. Here is the note from our Campus Crusade national director, Christian Maureira:
Probably you are watching on TV the rescue of the miners and also maybe you noticed a T Shirt they are wearing. All those T Shirts are a gift from Campus Crusade for Christ Chile. In the front you can read “Gracias Señor, Thank You Lord” and on the back; the Psalm 95:4 "Porque en su mano están las profundidades de la tierra, y las alturas de los montes son suyas" “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.”
Also, on one sleeve we put The Jesus Film Project image, and on the other sleeve Cruzada Estudiantil y Profesional para Cristo (CCC) image.
The idea was to glorify our Lord with all this and also to express our love and concern for them by giving them the JESUS Film audio and portions of the Bible in audio through the MP3s.
They received many gifts but they decided to wear our T Shirts and we praise God for this.
I am writing you in order you can be informed because the Chilean TV says that 1,000,000,000 of people in this moment are watching the rescue. Blessings from Chile, Jesus is my inspiration.
-Christian Maureira, National Director, CCC Chile
Hi all,
I just received an update from a fellow staff member of Campus Crusade regarding some interesting things that have happened with the Chilean miner rescue:
You've probably been following the rescue of the Chilean miners. I want to tell you the story behind the story. Most of the world will not know this story until we're gathered around the banquet feast in heaven. I love it when true followers of Jesus embrace the opportunities he gives.
If you have watched the news, most of the miners are wearing a t-shirt with the logo from the Chilean flag. The t-shirts were a gift from Campus Crusade for Christ Chile. Over the last couple of weeks, they received MP3 players with the audio version of the JESUS Film and the Bible in audio format. Here is the note from our Campus Crusade national director, Christian Maureira:
Probably you are watching on TV the rescue of the miners and also maybe you noticed a T Shirt they are wearing. All those T Shirts are a gift from Campus Crusade for Christ Chile. In the front you can read “Gracias Señor, Thank You Lord” and on the back; the Psalm 95:4 "Porque en su mano están las profundidades de la tierra, y las alturas de los montes son suyas" “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.”
Also, on one sleeve we put The Jesus Film Project image, and on the other sleeve Cruzada Estudiantil y Profesional para Cristo (CCC) image.
The idea was to glorify our Lord with all this and also to express our love and concern for them by giving them the JESUS Film audio and portions of the Bible in audio through the MP3s.
They received many gifts but they decided to wear our T Shirts and we praise God for this.
I am writing you in order you can be informed because the Chilean TV says that 1,000,000,000 of people in this moment are watching the rescue. Blessings from Chile, Jesus is my inspiration.
-Christian Maureira, National Director, CCC Chile
And there is even more to the story. From a previous message from our National Director Christian Maureira. It is a bit long, but oh so glorifying to God who planted an idea into Christian's soul and a plan unfolded that brings glory to God in front of the eyes of 1 billion people.
Hello team and friends!
I want to share with you about the last two very intense weeks as we have worked on the project to take the Word of God and the JESUS audio version to the mine, but it has really be worth the effort as it is food for the soul. This long history of the miners that is now passing 2 months has been without doubt the longest survival experience for people trapped underground.
This all started on the 5th of August when the San Jose mine collapsed because of the exploration in the mine. The news was not good as it was only 6 months after we had experience the very large earthquake and tsunami. With a population less than other countries in the world problems like this seem much closer to you and much more like it is part of your own family.
After two weeks without news from the miners we could only think the worst. The government had made every effort, but it was reasonable to think that the miners were lost, above all considering the distance where they were located, some 700 meters (2014 feet) deep with a difficult future to be rescued. But God had other plans and 2 days later (the 17th day), contact with them was made. Obviously we were all very happy and we celebrated the miracle that all were alive.
As Campus Crusade, God guided us to think about how we could help these men and this was how we took the initiative to contact some churches in the North, leaders and authorities about sending the JESUS audio into the mine. It wasn’t easy in the beginning because of some apathy in the Christian leadership and a lack of a sense of urgency, together with the restrictive control of the rescue team but, God in His sovereignty provided that we were able to gain contact with the daughter and the brother of one of the three Christians that were trapped there.
During several weeks, I was in contact with them, and I explored the possibility of sending them audio material. Finally, I traveled to the mine with 33 MP3’s containing the JESUS audio version and an ample portion of the Bible. I was there for 2 days and we sent the MP3’s through each family members that were there.
Jose Samuel, my contact in the mine (father of Hettiz and brother of Gaston) is an extraordinary man who has really surprised me. The psychologists that are giving help from the surface have recognized that he has been a tremendous emotional and spiritual support for the rest of his co-workers.
He sent me a letter that grabbed my attention for his incredible clarity of thought. For example, some parts of the letter are:
· “I want to express my appreciation for this great blessing for me and my co-workers, it will be very good our edification” (He is talking about the MP3’s)
· “I am well because Christ lives in me”
· “We have prayer services at 12 a.m. and 6 p.m.”
· “I ask all of you for pray not only for us here, but for all the lost people in the world”
· At the end of the letter he signed off with Psalm 95:4 “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and mountain peaks belong to him”
This all started on the 5th of August when the San Jose mine collapsed because of the exploration in the mine. The news was not good as it was only 6 months after we had experience the very large earthquake and tsunami. With a population less than other countries in the world problems like this seem much closer to you and much more like it is part of your own family.
After two weeks without news from the miners we could only think the worst. The government had made every effort, but it was reasonable to think that the miners were lost, above all considering the distance where they were located, some 700 meters (2014 feet) deep with a difficult future to be rescued. But God had other plans and 2 days later (the 17th day), contact with them was made. Obviously we were all very happy and we celebrated the miracle that all were alive.
As Campus Crusade, God guided us to think about how we could help these men and this was how we took the initiative to contact some churches in the North, leaders and authorities about sending the JESUS audio into the mine. It wasn’t easy in the beginning because of some apathy in the Christian leadership and a lack of a sense of urgency, together with the restrictive control of the rescue team but, God in His sovereignty provided that we were able to gain contact with the daughter and the brother of one of the three Christians that were trapped there.
During several weeks, I was in contact with them, and I explored the possibility of sending them audio material. Finally, I traveled to the mine with 33 MP3’s containing the JESUS audio version and an ample portion of the Bible. I was there for 2 days and we sent the MP3’s through each family members that were there.
Jose Samuel, my contact in the mine (father of Hettiz and brother of Gaston) is an extraordinary man who has really surprised me. The psychologists that are giving help from the surface have recognized that he has been a tremendous emotional and spiritual support for the rest of his co-workers.
He sent me a letter that grabbed my attention for his incredible clarity of thought. For example, some parts of the letter are:
· “I want to express my appreciation for this great blessing for me and my co-workers, it will be very good our edification” (He is talking about the MP3’s)
· “I am well because Christ lives in me”
· “We have prayer services at 12 a.m. and 6 p.m.”
· “I ask all of you for pray not only for us here, but for all the lost people in the world”
· At the end of the letter he signed off with Psalm 95:4 “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and mountain peaks belong to him”
This is a very motivating story, lets continue to pray for the salvation of these souls. Thanks for being part of this. Christian Maureira, ND CCC CHILE
What a story! What a God!
Patti Culver
Faculty Commons Ministry
"But through love, serve one another" - Galatians 5:13
Thursday, October 14
A Helping Hand
Oh, the value of a virtuous woman! The Proverb tells us her worth is far above jewels.
It goes on to tell us that her husband will have no lack of gain. In other words, his life is richly blessed because of the godly character of his wife. But don't miss that little phrase in the middle...the heart of her husband trusts in her.
This godly woman is released to completely fulfill HER role because her husband has fulfilled HIS role! This husband has obviously covered her, blessed her, nurtured her, and encouraged her to be all that god has called her to be. I am so thankful for my godly wife, but I must constantly ask myself...am I doing my part?
Have you told your wife lately how important she is to you? Have you encouraged her? Have you let her know how much of a blessing she is to you?
I would like to encourage all of us that are married to speak words of life and encouragement over our wives. Do it continually and watch her blossom!
It goes on to tell us that her husband will have no lack of gain. In other words, his life is richly blessed because of the godly character of his wife. But don't miss that little phrase in the middle...the heart of her husband trusts in her.
This godly woman is released to completely fulfill HER role because her husband has fulfilled HIS role! This husband has obviously covered her, blessed her, nurtured her, and encouraged her to be all that god has called her to be. I am so thankful for my godly wife, but I must constantly ask myself...am I doing my part?
Have you told your wife lately how important she is to you? Have you encouraged her? Have you let her know how much of a blessing she is to you?
I would like to encourage all of us that are married to speak words of life and encouragement over our wives. Do it continually and watch her blossom!
Monday, October 11
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
One of baseball’s all-time greatest hitters, Ted Williams, said one of the keys to his success was his ability to visually track the ball all the way to the bat. It makes sense that if you want to hit the ball squarely you have to see it.
Similarly, if we aim to be like Jesus we have to keep our eyes on Him. Just as a random swat at a moving object like a baseball is unlikely to result in a foul tip let alone a home run, random thought and self-generated behavior are unlikely to result in anything remarkable happening in our lives. In Matthew 14:28-29, seeing Jesus standing on the shore beckoning him to “Come,” Peter defied the physical laws of physics and walked on water. But as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus he found himself under water.
What is possible if we learn to keep our eyes on Jesus? I must admit that I haven’t kept Him in view long enough to be able to answer that question. But, with respect to the scripture reference of today’s piece (Colossians 3:1-10) I’m dying to find out.
Similarly, if we aim to be like Jesus we have to keep our eyes on Him. Just as a random swat at a moving object like a baseball is unlikely to result in a foul tip let alone a home run, random thought and self-generated behavior are unlikely to result in anything remarkable happening in our lives. In Matthew 14:28-29, seeing Jesus standing on the shore beckoning him to “Come,” Peter defied the physical laws of physics and walked on water. But as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus he found himself under water.
What is possible if we learn to keep our eyes on Jesus? I must admit that I haven’t kept Him in view long enough to be able to answer that question. But, with respect to the scripture reference of today’s piece (Colossians 3:1-10) I’m dying to find out.
Sunday, October 10
Here or There
Today’s ODB piece, Popularity, brought me back to a discussion that took place in a small group meeting last week about how difficult it can be to walk in continual faith. Among the things that make it difficult are the opinions and responses of others who do not share our faith. Having strong convictions about anything, let alone Christianity, is something that makes many people uncomfortable.
Jesus was undaunted by what others said or thought of Him. He was guided by the spirit rather than by the words, desires, and reactions of others, and tells us that living our faith will lead to interpersonal strife: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).
As followers of Christ, we will often be regarded as different and even unpopular by those who do not share our understanding and beliefs. But our faith has its rewards: “everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven” (v 32). I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to be honored in heaven than on earth.
Jesus was undaunted by what others said or thought of Him. He was guided by the spirit rather than by the words, desires, and reactions of others, and tells us that living our faith will lead to interpersonal strife: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).
As followers of Christ, we will often be regarded as different and even unpopular by those who do not share our understanding and beliefs. But our faith has its rewards: “everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven” (v 32). I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to be honored in heaven than on earth.
Thursday, October 7
October Men's Meeting
What a great time of food and fellowship at our October Men's Meeting! A huge Thank You goes out to the cooking team for preparing such a wonderful meal. It is my understanding they cooked 135 steaks for this event...along with baked potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, and brownies.
A special thanks to Jimmy Thomas for unselfishly stepping up and facilitating the Cornhole Tournament. We had 50 teams participate in this event and and it was no easy task to oversee and announce all of the pairings. I don't think anyone anticipated the tournament lasting quite as long as it did...but at 10:30pm Josh Sanders and Don Genco defeated Guy Stuckey and Iler Stoe for the title. I believe everyone who participated had an absolute blast.
Our plans are to have another one of these fellowship events in January (an Oyster Roast). I received a lot of positive feedback and would like to encourage our leaders to follow up with new men they may have met at the event. Thank you, men, for being faithful to the call of Jesus Christ on your lives!
Tuesday, October 5
The Right Help
But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. (Psalm 18:6)
Think about that for a moment…the God of the universe hears our cry for help. What a blessing to know that we are not traveling through this world alone…the Lord is watching over us, ready and waiting to respond in our time of need.
Verse 16 tells us, He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.
Guys, if you have a need in your life or a situation that seems too much for you…lift up your voice and petition your heavenly Father. He loves you and is ready and willing to rescue you from that trouble.
Think about that for a moment…the God of the universe hears our cry for help. What a blessing to know that we are not traveling through this world alone…the Lord is watching over us, ready and waiting to respond in our time of need.
Verse 16 tells us, He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.
Guys, if you have a need in your life or a situation that seems too much for you…lift up your voice and petition your heavenly Father. He loves you and is ready and willing to rescue you from that trouble.
Friday, October 1
Amazing Testimony
Take the time to listen to this woman's testimony. You won't be the same after you do. It comes in 2 parts.
Gianna Jassen - Part 1
Gianna Jassen - Part 2
Gianna Jassen - Part 1
Gianna Jassen - Part 2
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