JANUARY 8, 2014. LAZARUS

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 8

'...If you would believe you would see the glory of God.' John 11:40 NKJV

Lazarus

In the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, you'll notice three important principles: (1) Mary and Martha had a close relationship with Jesus before the crisis arose. When Jesus came to town, He stayed at their home and ate at their table. They were givers, not takers. You can't refuse to give God a minute of your time, an ounce of your energy or a cent of your money, then when trouble comes, say, 'Lord, why did You let this happen?' Jesus said, 'If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.' (John 15:7 NKJV) (2) Having a relationship with Jesus doesn't mean you won't have trouble But it does mean that you can go to Him with confidence in times of trouble. Yes, you must pay attention to your career and your family, but you must also pay attention to the most important relationship of all - the one you have with the Lord. '...If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him.' (1 John 3:2122 NIV) (3) When you bring Jesus into the situation, He will change it Lazarus was already dead and buried by the time Jesus got there. Humanly speaking, it was hopeless. But in moments like these God asks you, '...Is there anything too hard for Me?' (Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV) If your answer is 'No, Lord,' then your problem becomes an opportunity for Him to demonstrate His love and care for you.

Taken from The Word for You Today Devotional

JANUARY 7, 2014. BE COMMITTED TO OTHERS

TUESDAY JANUARY 7

“Let us love one another, for love comes from God.”  1 Jn 4:7 NIV

BE COMMITTED TO OTHERS

While the bible clearly teaches self-worth, it also denounces self-interest. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He said that we were to love God with all our hearts, and love others with the same concern that we show for ourselves (See Mk 12:30-31). When we obsess over ourselves, we lose the meaning of life, which is to love and serve God, and love and serve our neighbors. In a 2003 report, Hardwired to Connect, thirty-three research scientists discovered that we are biologically primed to find meaning through relationships. Chuck Colson said: “After nearly eight decades of living, I can vouch for this. My single greatest joy is giving myself to others and seeing them grow in return. You cannot discover that without commitment. I first learned it by watching my parents care for my dying grandparents in our home… I later saw it in the Marine Corps. You cannot command forty-five men to go into combat, as I was trained to do, if you aren’t committed to one another. You are going to die if the man next to you does not cover your back…By abandoning commitment, our narcissistic culture has lost the one thing it desperately seeks: happiness. Without commitment, our individual lives will be barren and sterile. Without commitment, our lives will lack meaning and purpose. After all, if nothing is worth dying for, the nothing is worth living for. Jesus taught that the only way to live abundantly is to die to self-interest and give yourselves fully to God, and those who need what God has given you.

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

JANUARY 6, 2014. OPERATING IN YOUR GOD-GIVEN STRENGHT

MONDAY JANUARY 6

“There are diversities of gifts.” 1 Co 12:4 NKJV

OPERATING IN YOUR GOD-GIVEN STRENGHT

Paul writes, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit.” Successful people invest their time, energy and resources into their core strengths. Why? Because that is where they get their highest return! And when they occasionally depart from that approach, as Michael Jordan did when he quit basketball to play baseball, the result is mediocrity. Basketball was Jordan’s sweet spot—the thing that would always give him the biggest return—and most people agree that he was one of the best to ever play the game. However, as a baseball player, he lasted one year, never progressed higher than AA ball, batted .202, and finished with 11 fielding errors. That’s probably not what he would like to be remembered for God gave you gifts that make you unique, gifts that hold great possibilities. But you have to discover them and develop them. A sign on a hardware store says it all: “We’ve got it, if you can find it.” Nobody was ever born without a talent, including you, but you’ve got to find it.” Nobody was ever born without it, including you, but you’ve got to find it. What keeps us from doing that? (1) The company we keep. The old saying goes, “If you run around with turkeys, you’ll never fly with eagles.” The Scripture says, “He who walks with wise men, will be wise” (Pr 13:20 NKJV). (2) Failing to spend time in prayer and God’s word. God is not only the giver of your gift; He supplies the strength to function successfully in it. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” So if you want to succeed consult God, and operate in your God given strength.

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

JANUARY 5, 2014. TOUCHING JESUS

SUNDAY JANUARY 5

“If I can just touch [Him], I will be healed.” Mk 5:28 NLT

TOUCHING JESUS

Mark records the story of a woman who’d hemorrhaged for twelve years and spent every penny she had on doctors, but to no avail. What western culture discreetly refers to as “a female condition” had devastated this Jewish lady’s life. Sexually, she couldn’t touch her husband. Maternally, she couldn’t have children. Domestically, whatever she touched was considered “unclean.” Spiritually, she couldn’t enter the temple. So, physically exhausted, socially ostracized, and spiritually depleted, she thought, “If I can just touch Jesus, I’ll be made whole.” Her miracle started when she thought about Jesus. But first she had to get through the crowd that stood between her and Him. And so will you! The crowd has its arguments and reasons, but not one of them is worth missing Jesus for. When this woman finally got to Him, two wonderful things happened: (1) She discovered that our faith gets Jesus’ attention every time. Many people in the crowd must have brushed up against Jesus that day, yet Mark records, “Knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, [He] turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched My clothes?” (v. 30 NKJV). Understand this: Jesus can tell the difference between casual churchgoer and a truly hungry heart that pushes through pain, problems, and pressures, and touches Him by faith. (2) She’s the only woman Jesus ever called “daughter (See v. 34 NKJV). Imagine how she felt. She probably couldn’t remember when she’d last heard a kind word. You’re not just a face in the crowd, and your problem is not too big for Jesus. Today reach out in faith, touch Him, and be made whole!

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

JANUARY 4, 2014. BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT (3)

SATURDAY JANUARY 4

“Press toward the goal for the prize.’’ Php 3:14NKJV

BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT (3)

Albert Schweitzer said, “Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” When you feel passionate about something and allow yourself to pursue it, you position yourself to succeed in life. The majority of people in the world don’t follow their passion; as a result, they’re frustrated and unhappy. And you can see it in how they live their lives. Publisher Malcom Forbes said, “The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at what they enjoy.” As a result, they simply endure their working lives instead of making the most of them. They live for the weekends. They try to hang on until retirement. That’s a shame, because your chance of success is directly proportional to the degree of pleasure you derive from what you do. Tommy Lasorda, manager of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, said, “The best day of my life is when I manage in a losing game.” In other words, every day he was involved in the game was a day he was living his dream. Are you? Dreams come true when gifts are set on fire with passion. The best career advice you will ever receive is to discover your God-given passion and follow it. Logan Pearsall Smith said, “There are two things to aim at in life; first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.” So ‘press toward the goal for the prize.”

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

JANUARY 3, 2014. BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT (2)

FRIDAY JANUARY 3

“As an eagle stirs up its nest…so the Lord…led him.” Dt 32:11-12 NKJV

BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT (2)

A mother eagle knows that if she waits for her young to get out of the nest and fly on their own initiative, it’ll never happen. So she pushes them out! That’s radical, but they learn to fly and they fulfill their destiny. John Maxwell says: “To succeed in life we must stay within our strength zone, but continually move outside our comfort zone. Have you ever accomplished anything of significance while you were in your comfort zone? We resist it. WE like to feel safe and secure. We don’t want to look foolish or fall flat on our faces. And as we get older we naturally tend to become more and more complacent. That’s a problem because complacency kills passion. It reduces us to average. It clips our wings and keeps us from soaring, no matter how much we want to. It takes initiative to succeed at anything in life. It requires us to take risks. Playwright George Bernard Shaw said, ‘I’m sick of all the reasonable people: they all see the reasons for doing nothing.’ Passion prompt us to leave our comfort zone and cross the threshold of our doubt. It pushes us out the door, so that we can get going on the journey in life that God designed for us. It's ’aid that when you get to the door of opportunity you’re not supposed to knock—you’re supposed to push!” So step out in faith, take the initiative, and believe that God is with you (See Dt 31:6).

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

JANUARY 2, 2014. BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT (1)

THURSDAY JANUARY 2

“I am doing great work.” Ne 6:3NKJV

BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT (1)

Nehemiah was passionate about rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. So when his enemies tried to sidetrack and discourage him, he answered, “I am doing great work, so that I cannot come down.” Passion is the starting point for all achievement. There has never been anyone who achieved anything of value, who wasn’t passionate about it. It’s the energy that fuels your dream. The road to success is cluttered with detours, problems, and disappointments. And if you don’t have the right mindset, your dreams can die there. Indeed, there are days when the needle on your passion meter will be on empty. On those days you need to remember that God gave you your dream to begin with; go back to Him and ask for the strength to keep moving toward it. The Psalmist wrote, “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will lighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall” (Ps 18:28-29 NKJV). Who gives you the power to run and leap? God! But you can’t sit back, fold your arms and think that He will do it all for you. Between your dream’s inspiration and it’s manifestation, there’s going to be a lot of perspiration. As every new parent’ finds out—it’s much harder having and raising a baby than conceiving one. But if you have a passion for your dream, the price tag won’t stop you. You’ll get up every morning, draw on God’s grace and take one more step in the direction of the thing you know God put you on this earth to do.

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional