All Entries Tagged With: "good news"

1 Peter 1:13

I am still spending time thinking through these first couple of chapters of 1 Peter here on God’s Daytimer. Today, I would like for you to consider this verse:

1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

In regards to living good lives, being “holy” how does this verse apply to you? What are some ways we can prepare our minds for action? I would say that the best way to prepare our minds is to spend some time everyday with God’s Word, reading the Bible. It seems pretty east to find time to occupy our minds with things that don’t necessarily prepare them, so we need to have a little discipline in making time for God’s word. Perhaps, that is where we need to be a little better self-controlled. Try putting your Bible time higher on your priority list. Spending time with Him and His word will help us to set our hope fully on the Lord.

Be blessed and kept!

1 Peter 2:12

Welcome to a New Year on God’s Daytimer. The end of 2009 managed to keep me very busy and as a result I was not able to keep up with God’s Daytimer. However, with 2010 upon us, I am looking forward to getting the devotionals back up on a fairly regular basis (they might not be every day, but hopefully four or five a week). I hope to change up the format a little this year and try some new things as well a long the way.

To kick off 2010, I want to share with you a verse that I have been contemplating for the last couple of weeks:

1 Peter 2:12
12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

To get some context here are the verses around that verse:

1 Peter 2:9-17
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.Submission to Rulers and Masters 13Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

It is the idea of “living good lives” that I keep thinking about. I am doing a series on it at our church right now (you can check it out at Internet Pastor Online). I like the idea of living life in such a way that not only does it impact us, it impacts the world around us. Start thinking about what “good lives” look like to you and I will add my two cents worth in over the next few days. If you are able, why not take a few minutes and use the Comment area to share what you think a good life means to you.

Be blessed and kept!

Proverbs 10:12 (MSG)

Welcome to Online Bible Studies

Today’s Bible verse is:
Proverbs 10:12 (MSG)
12 Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.

Let’s read the verse in context:
Proverbs 10:1-21 (MSG)
1 Wise son, glad father; stupid son, sad mother. 2 Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere; an honest life is immortal. 3 God won’t starve an honest soul, but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked. 4 Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth. 5 Make hay while the sun shines—that’s smart; go fishing during harvest—that’s stupid. 6 Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse. 7 A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench. 8 A wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued. 9 Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed. 10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead, but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace. 11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse. 12 Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering. 13 You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight, but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face. 14 The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure; know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste. 15 The wealth of the rich is their bastion; the poverty of the indigent is their ruin. 16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life; an evil person ends up with nothing but sin. 17 The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you’re lost for good. 18 Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander. 19 The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. 20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless. 21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

Today’s Quiet Time with God

I have been preparing for a new sermon series on love and as I was studying I came across this verse in the Message paraphrase and I wanted to share it with you. “Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.” I think that is a great picture of love. Tucking someone under a quilt is often a sign of love and affection. To incorporate in this concept is a powerful example of what real love looks like. Love is not selfish, it looks out for others. My prayer is that you will know God’s love and will experience it today as He pulls His quilt up over you and tucks you in! Be blessed.

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.