All Entries Tagged With: "encourage"

John 15:12-14 (MSG)

Welcome to Online Bible Studies

Today’s Bible verse is
John 15:12-14 (MSG)
12 This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. 13 This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. 14 You are my friends when you do the things I command you.

Let’s read the verse in context:
John 15:1-17 (MSG)
1 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. 2 He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. 3 You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. 4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. 5 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. 6 Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. 7 But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. 8 This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. 9 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love. 11 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. 12 This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. 13 This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. 14 You are my friends when you do the things I command you. 15 I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father. 16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you. 17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.

Today’s Quiet Time with God

First, let me say that I am sorry that I haven’t been posting to God’s Daytimer regularly for the last month or two. I have just hit one of those busy patches and sometimes I would miss the deadline to get a post out onto the web. I will attempt to be more timely this week. Today at our church I began a new series on love. Today’s verse carries the thought forward, we are to love one another. Jesus says we are to love each other as He has loved us. How much does Jesus love us. The answer is found at the Cross. Amazing love, the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, the Son of God died for us. To make it more personal, the Son of God died for you, the Son of God died for me. In John Chapter 13 Jesus connects love with service. Here, Jesus connects love with sacrifice. A love that is willing to put aside our “selfishness” in order to love well. We struggle with the concept. What about my needs, my wants, me, me, me. If I were to love like that I would get taken advantage of. If I don’t watch out for me who will? Who will? He will. It’s all about losing our life in order to find it. It is realizing that only in service and sacrifice will we ever experience the full extent of His love. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Spend some time today thinking about the amazing love of God. You will be blessed as you do!

Have You Joined the Church Online?

I have an idea that I want to run by all of you who are so faithful in reading God’s Daytimer. I am planning on starting a “Church Online“. This church online will not simply be an extension of the church I currently Pastor, it will be a “new thing”. I envision it as more than just a place to come and watch or listen to sermons and Bible studies. I see it as people from all over the world connecting to encourage and pray for each other, as well as a vehicle for providing all types of ministry opportunities for everyone involved, in order to reach out to people every where with the Good News. I hope over time to have thousands of believers and non-believers from all over the world coming to see what is happening at the Church Online.

Before I jump headlong into the the project, I am asking for 100 people that will join up to pray for and be a part of the initial core group of believers what will serve as the foundation for the Church Online. I am hoping that many of you will be a part of this initial group. If this is something that you can do, just go to the new Church Online website. It is still very plain and simple with no bells and whistles. I don’t want to add all that stuff until we have the first 100 people involved. Once you are at the new site, you will see a place to “join” by subscribing to the free RSS or email feed. The counter of how many people have signed up is displayed as well. So far it is just me. Once we reach 100, we will start moving on really getting the Church Online started. If you can take a few minutes, please go check out the site by clicking here Church Online, or, the web address is www.internetchurchonline.com. Read the short article there and then sign up for the free email subscription. I look forward to partnering with all of you to advance the Kingdom of God!

Check out Fifteen Minutes With God

Check out our latest feature on God’s Daytimer, Fifteen Minutes With God. This is an opportunity for you to spend fifteen minutes with God by following the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Click here to go to the Fifteen Minutes With God page. This will help you to develop a consistent daily prayer time.

Check out Christian World News

As you end your quiet time don’t forget to check out what’s happening in the world. Click here to go to the Christian World News stories page. This will help you to direct your prayers more effectively.

Get a Free Subscription to God’s Daytimer

Come back tomorrow for another edition of Online Bible Studies. You should also sign up for either the Free RSS subscription or if you aren’t familiar with RSS, sign up for the free email subscription. That way whenever a new Bible Study is posted you will be notified. You can sign up at the top right of the page.

Check out the Christian Book Club

The Christian Book Club is a great site where you can get involved in an online Christian Book Club. A new book and discussion are started the 1st of every month. Come and join us for this month’s book. Click here to go to the Christian Book Club site.

Check out Internet Pastor Online

Internet Pastor Online is an interesting site where you can find answers to questions about the Bible and some advice for Christian living.

Check out Church Growth Consulting

Church Growth Consulting is a site for Pastors and Ministry Leaders about ways to advance the Kingdom of God and help to grow the Church.

Check out My Newbie Blog

If you would like to learn how to create a blog of your own then this would be a good site for you.

Numbers 6:24-26

Welcome to Online Bible Studies

Today’s Bible verse is
Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)
24 “‘ “The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”‘

Let’s read the verse in context:
Numbers 6:22-27 (NIV)
22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “‘ “The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”‘ 27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Today’s Quiet Time with God

I had a few people ask me about the prayer I always pray at the end of the services. It is from these verses in Numbers 6 which are known as the “Priestly Blessing”. Of course, I have added to it a little bit, but each time I pray this prayer my hope is that you will be blessed. Let me pray it over you now;

“May the Lord bless and keep you, may His face shine upon you, may He be gracious to you and give you peace. Go today in the peace, the power and the love of God. God bless you all”!

Check out Fifteen Minutes With God

Check out our latest feature on God’s Daytimer, Fifteen Minutes With God. This is an opportunity for you to spend fifteen minutes with God by following the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Click here to go to the Fifteen Minutes With God page. This will help you to develop a consistent daily prayer time.

Check out Christian World News

As you end your quiet time don’t forget to check out what’s happening in the world. Click here to go to the Christian World News stories page. This will help you to direct your prayers more effectively.

Get a Free Subscription to God’s Daytimer

Come back tomorrow for another edition of Online Bible Studies. You should also sign up for either the Free RSS subscription or if you aren’t familiar with RSS, sign up for the free email subscription. That way whenever a new Bible Study is posted you will be notified. You can sign up at the top right of the page.

Check out the Christian Book Club

The Christian Book Club is a great site where you can get involved in an online Christian Book Club. A new book and discussion are started the 1st of every month. Come and join us for this month’s book. Click here to go to the Christian Book Club site.

Check out Internet Pastor Online

Internet Pastor Online is an interesting site where you can find answers to questions about the Bible and some advice for Christian living.

Check out Church Growth Consulting

Church Growth Consulting is a site for Pastors and Ministry Leaders about ways to advance the Kingdom of God and help to grow the Church.

Check out My Newbie Blog

If you would like to learn how to create a blog of your own then this would be a good site for you.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Welcome to Online Bible Studies

Today’s Bible verse is
1 Thessalonians 4:16 (NIV)
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Let’s read the verse in context:
1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 (NIV)
1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. 11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Today’s Quiet Time with God

Today’s verse is a verse of encouragement, in fact verse 18 tells us that we are to encourage each other “with these words”. Jesus is coming back! When you are having one of those days, or weeks, or seasons, when it seems like nothing is going right, just thinking about the Lord’s coming will help you to put things in perspective. The Apostle Paul said that in light of eternity, whatever we might go through is really nothing in comparison, (I just paraphrased, what he actually said was: Romans 8:18 – “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”.) Ponder these verses today and you will be blessed! Come, Lord Jesus!

Check out Fifteen Minutes With God

Check out our latest feature on God’s Daytimer, Fifteen Minutes With God. This is an opportunity for you to spend fifteen minutes with God by following the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Click here to go to the Fifteen Minutes With God page. This will help you to develop a consistent daily prayer time.

Check out Christian World News

As you end your quiet time don’t forget to check out what’s happening in the world. Click here to go to the Christian World News stories page. This will help you to direct your prayers more effectively.

Get a Free Subscription to God’s Daytimer

Come back tomorrow for another edition of Online Bible Studies. You should also sign up for either the Free RSS subscription or if you aren’t familiar with RSS, sign up for the free email subscription. That way whenever a new Bible Study is posted you will be notified. You can sign up at the top right of the page.

Check out the Christian Book Club

The Christian Book Club is a great site where you can get involved in an online Christian Book Club. A new book and discussion are started the 1st of every month. Come and join us for this month’s book. Click here to go to the Christian Book Club site.

Check out Internet Pastor Online

Internet Pastor Online is an interesting site where you can find answers to questions about the Bible and some advice for Christian living.

Check out Church Growth Consulting

Church Growth Consulting is a site for Pastors and Ministry Leaders about ways to advance the Kingdom of God and help to grow the Church.

Check out My Newbie Blog

If you would like to learn how to create a blog of your own then this would be a good site for you.