Category Archives: Morning Glory!
Our Daily Bread – Planted In The House Of The Lord
READ: Psalm 92
They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. —Psalm 92:14
After conducting a series of interviews with elderly people, author Don Gold published the book Until the Singing Stops: A Celebration of Life and Old Age in America.
Gold loved and admired his grandmother, and it was the memory of her that moved him to meet and learn from other elderly people. He recalls that on the way to one of his interviews, he got lost on a dusty country road in Missouri. When he pulled into a farm to ask for directions, a teenager came up, listened, shrugged his shoulders, and then replied, “Don’t know.” So he drove on. A few miles farther down the road, he stopped again at a farmhouse. The farmer, who was an old man, graciously gave him flawless directions.
Perhaps, Gold mused, that experience sums up what he was searching for when the memory of his grandmother sent him out to find people like her. He was looking for someone to guide him in his life journey.
If you’re “young,” seek out older people who have been drinking deeply from God’s love and goodness throughout their life. They have wisdom to share that will help you so that you also might flourish and grow in your faith (Ps. 92:12-14). —David Roper
Dear Jesus, take my heart and hand,
And grant me this, I pray:
That I through Your sweet love may grow
More like You day by day. —Garrison
Fellowship with Christ is the secret of fruitfulness for Him.
Copyright © 2012, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA.
Be Thankful
by Joyce Meyer – posted July 24, 2012
Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad hearted continually (always); be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit. —1 Thessalonians 5:16–19
Be thankful for everything, and be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit by complaining, or you will lose your joy. You can be glad hearted no matter what your circumstances are.
Renew your mind to God’s ideals and attitude (See Romans 12:2). If you spend time in God’s presence, you will think differently about yourself, and about the people around you. You will have the mind of Christ, and be full of His love.
From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2003 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Need Some Help?
by Joyce Meyer – posted July 23, 2012
Behold, God is my helper and ally; the Lord is my upholder and is with them who uphold my life. —Psalm 54:4
There are many people who have received Jesus as their Savior and Lord who will live their Christian lives and go to heaven without ever drawing on the power of the Holy Spirit available to them, never experiencing the true success God intends for them. People can be on their way to heaven, yet not enjoying the trip.
We often look at people who have wealth, position, power, fame and consider them to be totally successful. But many people who are viewed as successful still lack good relationships, peace, joy, contentment, and other true blessings that are available only in the context of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Self-sufficient people often think it is a sign of weakness to depend on God. But by drawing on the ability of the Holy Spirit, they could accomplish more in their lives than they could by working in their own strength.
There are countless things we struggle with when we could be receiving help from the Holy Spirit. Many people never find the right answers to their problems because they seek out the wrong sources for advice and counsel instead of asking the Divine Counselor who lives within them for guidance.
I encourage you to lean on God for everything, and that means little things as well as big things.
Love God Today: The only way to experience the success God intends for you is to become totally dependent on the Holy Spirit.
From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Praying Bold Prayers
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’ ” (Matthew 9:29, NIV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Osteen
A recent study showed that 90% of people believe in the power of prayer. People typically pray over their food, their kids, or they ask God for wisdom, strength and health. But oftentimes, people pray what I call “get by” prayers. They pray, “God, help me get by this year. God, help me endure this sickness. God, keep my child out of trouble.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t limit what God can do. If you ask small, you’re going to receive small. But when you learn the Word, your faith grows, your confidence grows, and you’ll learn to pray bold prayers that honor God!
Instead of praying, “God, help me pay my bills,” pray, “God, help me pay my bills and have plenty left over so I can be a blessing to someone else.” Instead of praying, “God, keep my child out of trouble,” pray, “God, let my child become a leader and fulfill his destiny.” Instead of praying, “God, help me endure this sickness,” pray a bold prayer, “Father, I want to thank You that I’m coming through this sickness better off than I was before!” As you continue studying His Word, your faith will grow. You will know Him more, and you’ll be empowered by your union with Him to pray bold prayers and see those prayers come to pass!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, today I open my mind and heart to You. I receive Your Word which directs my steps and builds my faith. Help me to hear Your voice clearly so that I can pray bold prayers in line with Your will in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
© 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
Our Daily Bread – Troubled Times
READ: John 16:25-33
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. — John 16:33
If you’ve never heard of Murphy’s Law, you’ve probably experienced it: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
Murphy’s maxim reminds me of the principle Jesus shared with His disciples when He told them, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). In other words, we can count on it—sooner or later we will hit troubled times. It’s not the way God originally intended life to be, but when the human race first succumbed to Satan’s seduction in the garden, everything on this planet fell into the grip of sin. And the result has been disorder and dysfunction ever since.
The reality of trouble in life is obvious. It’s the reality of peace that often eludes us. Interestingly, when Jesus warned His followers about trouble, in the same breath He also promised peace. He even told them to “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (v.33). The word overcome indicates a past event that has a continuing effect. Not only did Jesus conquer the fallen world through His death and resurrection, but He continues to provide victory, no matter how much trouble we may face.
So, although we can expect some trouble in this fallen world, the good news is that we can count on Jesus for peace in troubled times. —Joe Stowell
Dear Lord, thank You for always being with us.
We ask that when troubles invariably come,
You would renew in us once again the blessed
peace of Your presence. Amen.
In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.
Copyright © 2012, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA
Our Daily Bread – Surrounded By Prayer
READ: Romans 15:22-33
Now I beg you, brethren, . . . that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me. — Romans 15:30
My friend Melissa’s 9-year-old daughter Sydnie was in the hospital for chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant when I had a dream about her. I dreamed she was staying in a central room at the hospital with her parents. Surrounding her room was a block of other rooms where family and friends were staying and continually praying for her during her times of treatment.
In real life, Sydnie wasn’t physically surrounded by family and friends in adjacent rooms. But spiritually speaking, she was and is surrounded by prayer and love.
The apostle Paul seemed to have a desire to be surrounded by prayer. In most of his letters to churches, he requested to be remembered in prayer to the Lord (2 Cor. 1:11; Eph. 6:18-20; Col. 4:2-4; Philem. 1:22). To the believers in Rome, he wrote, “Now I beg you, brethren, . . . that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me” (Rom. 15:30). He knew that he could not be effective in his service for God without His power.
The Bible tells us that Jesus also prays for us (John 17:20; Heb. 7:25), as does the Holy Spirit, whose prayers are according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27). What a comfort to be surrounded by prayer! —Anne Cetas
We give to those we hold most dear
No greater help and care
Than when we give them to the Lord,
Surrounding them with prayer. —D. De Haan
Prayer prompted by the Holy Spirit is powerful.
Copyright © 2012, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA
Our Daily Bread – Abide With Me
READ: Hebrews 13:1-8
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5
One of the highlights of English football (soccer) each year is the final match of the annual FA Cup Final. For more than a hundred years, the day has been marked by excitement, festivity, and competition. But what fascinates me is how the game begins. It starts with the singing of the traditional hymn “Abide With Me.”
At first that struck me as odd. What does that hymn have to do with football? As I thought about it, though, I realized that for the follower of Christ it has everything to do with sports, shopping, working, going to school, or anything else we do. Since there is no corner of our lives that should not be affected by the presence of God, the longing that He would abide with us is actually the most reasonable thing we could desire. Of course, the presence of our heavenly Father is not something we need to plead for—it is promised to us. In Hebrews 13:5, we read, “For [God] Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
Not only is God’s presence the key to our contentment, but it is also the promise that can give us wisdom, peace, comfort, and strength—no matter where we are or what we are doing. —Bill Crowder
Thank You, Lord, for walking with us every day.
You are our guardian, friend, and guide.
May we sense Your loving presence and always
know that You are close by our side. Amen.
Our greatest privilege is to enjoy Christ’s presence.
Copyright © 2012, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA
Our Daily Bread: Blunders To Wonders
READ: John 21:15-19
Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored. — Lamentations 5:21
Artist James Hubbell says, “Mistakes are gifts.” Whenever he’s working on a project and something goes wrong, he doesn’t start over. He looks for a way to use the mistake to make something better. None of us can avoid making blunders, and all of us have favorite ways of dealing with them. We may try to hide them or to correct them or to apologize for them.
We do that with our sin sometimes too. But God doesn’t throw us away and start over. He redeems us and makes us better.
The apostle Peter tended to do and say whatever seemed best at the moment. He has been referred to as an “impetuous blunderer.” In his fear after Jesus was arrested, Peter claimed three times that he didn’t know Jesus! Yet later, on the basis of Peter’s three declarations of love, Jesus turned Peter’s humiliating denial into a wonderful occasion of restoration (John 21). Despite Peter’s flawed past, Jesus restored him to ministry with these words: “Feed My sheep” (v.17).
If you have made a “blunder” so big that it seems irreversible, the most important matter is whether you love Jesus. When we love Him, Jesus can turn our most serious blunders into awesome wonders. —Julie Ackerman Link
Lord, I’m so human and make foolish mistakes.
And worse yet, I willfully sin against You.
Please forgive me, change me, restore me,
and use me for Your name’s sake. Amen.
God can change our blunders into wonders.
Copyright © 2012, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA
God Can Restore Whatever You Lost
Dear Friend,
Have you ever lost something of importance only to find it again later? –a wedding band, a watch, a photograph, an heirloom?
If you have, you know the jubilation that floods your heart when what was lost is restored to you.
Today, I want to share this good guarantee:
God wants to restore the thing you thought was lost in your life.
I’m not just talking about objects and possessions. God wants to restore the everlasting: your relationships, dreams, career, even your faith.
This happened to Jacob; day after day, he felt the sting of loss due to his own deceptive ways, and he thought like many of us that those things would never be restored. Jacob is cemented in scripture among the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But he got there through deception and manipulation.
If you’ve ever experienced broken relationships, disappointing outcomes, moral failures, an identity crisis, the loss of a dream, or a divided family, I want you to LOOK UP!
Jacob dealt with all this and more, and God restored him.
Now it’s time for your Jacob moment . . .
If you need something restored today,
I want you to let these words sink into your spirit:
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord . . .” (Psalm 121:1-2)
Twenty years went by after Jacob ran from his family to avoid the wrath of his twin brother. He was no longer the young trickster, and now he wrestled his own conscience. He wrestled the what-ifs of life. And ultimately, he wrestled God.
Some of you are wrestling with God right now, “Lord, when is my past going to stop influencing my present? Are you big enough to give me back what I’ve lost? Because I’ve tried it in my own strength, and it’s not working!”
One touch from God in your life can change everything. He can do more in one moment than you can do in 20 years.
One touch from God will bring healing.
One touch from God will repair broken places.
One touch from God will restore dreams.
One touch from God will reach your child.
One touch from God is all it takes. LOOK UP . . .
Free From Shame
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Let my heart be sound (sincere and wholehearted and blameless) in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame” (Psalm 119:80 AMP)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Osteen
Did you know the Word of God will protect you from shame and embarrassment? God’s laws, or statutes, were established for your good. God sent His Word to guide and protect you. When you follow His commands, you can be sure that you are making clear, sound choices. You can have confidence knowing that you are making the very best decisions.
When negative, accusing thoughts come, you have to know that those are not from God. They are from the enemy. In fact, the Bible calls him the “accuser of the brethren.” That means he’s trying to make you feel guilty, shameful and condemned. He’s trying to make you second guess yourself. But remember, the enemy is already defeated! Because of what Jesus did on the cross, you are free from shame! The enemy has no legal power over you unless you open a spiritual door to him. Keep the doors closed by submitting yourself to God and His Word. Ask the Lord to give you a whole and blameless heart to follow His commands. As you do, you will walk in His protection and guidance and live free from shame today and all the days of your life!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for Your Word which guides and protects me. Thank You for giving me the ability to make right choices according to Your Word. Give me a sincere and blameless heart that I may serve You all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
© 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
I Am Lady Fab 