Psalm 23 Great Adventure Devotional

Devotional Passages for the Week of January 23-30

Monday: Genesis 46:1-47:31, Matthew 15:1-28, Psalm 19:1-14, Proverbs 4:14-19

Tuesday: Genesis 48:1-49:33, Matthew 15:29-16:12, Psalm 20:1-9, Proverbs 4:20-27

Wednesday:  Genesis 50:1 - Exodus 2:10, Matthew 16:13-17:9, Psalm 21:1-13, Proverbs 5:1-6

Is Life Good?

 I have to believe that most, if not all of you, have seen these great t-shirts with the above logo.  I own one that pictures a fella going kayaking.  I genuinely enjoy wearing it because it reminds me of great times I've had boating various rivers & creeks.  Indeed life is good...or is it?

You may or may not be familiar with the competing brand of t-shirt that highlights the fact that indeed life can just plain stink sometimes.  So which is it?  Which t-shirt would you be wearing today?

• Is the answer to that question merely a matter of your life's circumstances in any given moment?  Any honest reflection would indicate that some people life's circumstances are good, while for others, life's circumstances stink.  
  
• Is your choice of wearing either t-shirt merely a matter of your life's circumstances? 

Devotional Passages for January 16-23

Monday:  Genesis 32:13-34:31, Matthew 11:7-30, Psalm 14:1-7, Proverbs 3:19-20

Tuesday:  Genesis 35:1-36:43, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 15:1-5, Proverbs 3:21-26

 Wednesday:  Genesis 37:1-38:30, Matthew 12:22-45, Psalm 16:1-11, Proverbs 3:27-32

A Day at Sea

I have a friend who enjoys sailing. On one of his adventures at sea, he found himself amidst a storm. Listening to him describe the unpredictability of the wind and waves made me very thankful that I was not on board this boat. Picture an epic battle on the waterfront between man and nature. Huge hands of water slapping the sides of the boat while rain blinds the crew and thunder claps on the storm with encouragement. I can only imagine the terror that would swell up inside me, in sync perfectly with the swell of the waves.

A Word for Those Who Have Forsaken Jesus

by John Piper | December 31, 2011 | Desiring God Blog www.desiringgod.org

How eager Jesus was to restore broken fellowship with his apostles after the resurrection! Surely this is a sign of how eager he is to restore us when we have drifted (or bolted) away.

All the apostles had forsaken him. In the garden, at his most sorrowful hour, "They all left him and fled” (Mark 14:50).

Now he was raised. What would he say to those who had abandoned him? Three healing things:
To Mary at the tomb: “Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)

“Brothers!” “Your Father!” “Your God!” I am going now. You will come later. We are, and we will be, together. I forgive you. Our Father forgives you.

He finds the apostles, stands among them, and says, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hands and his side — horrible reminders of what it cost him when they forsook him. And he says again...

God is God of every inch of your body and every ounce of your soul

If you did not have an opportunity to read Oswald Chamber's My Utmost For His Highest yesterday (Jan. 9th), it is a great devotional entry.

He expounds on a verse from I Thessalonians 5:23, "May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless."

Chamber's writes:  "'Your whole spirit....' The great mystical work of the Holy Spirit is in the dim regions of our personality which we cannot get at.  Read the 139th Psalm; the Psalmist implies,
'Thou art the God of the early mornings, the God of the late at nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea, but, my God, my soul has further horizons than the early mornings, deeper darkness than...

Devotional Passages for the Week of Jan. 8-15

Sunday: Genesis 18:16-19:38, Matthew 6:25-7:14, Psalm 8:1-9, Proverbs 2:6-15

Monday: Genesis 20:1-22:24, Matthew 7:15-29, Psalm 9:1-12, Proverbs 2:16-22

Tuesday: Genesis 23:1-24:51, Matthew 8:1-17, Psalm 9:13-20, Proverbs 3:1-6

Defeating Loneliness

"You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalm 4:7

I was recently visiting at a Christian college and struck up a conversation with one of the professional counselors on campus.  I asked him, "What are the most common issues for which students seek out your help?"  One of the first things he mentioned was loneliness.  I was surprised by this answer, especially at a campus where there are so many opportunities for Christian fellowship.  He told me his belief that many students are not pursuing an authentic relationship with Jesus, which is always the first place to point those struggling with loneliness.  Secondly, another problem he pointed to was...

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

What are you relying on to fulfill your needs?  How are you thoughts, time, and energy spent pursuing that which fulfills you? Psalm 127:2 warns us about “eating the bread of anxious toil.”  Perhaps you find yourself frequently anxious about the future of your pursuits and relationships.  Maybe you are rising early and going to bed late, frantically pursuing the fulfillment of one goal or another, relying on your own strength to meet those goals.  Or maybe at times you are in the opposite camp – what Proverbs 31:27 calls, “eating the bread of idleness.”  You find yourself lacking proper diligence and passively letting life go by, hoping that taking it easy is the best means to fulfillment. 

Some of us tend to be more prone to one of these extremes, others of us are people of extremes and so we find ourselves often at both ends of this spectrum.  In the middle we find...

Devotional Passages for the Week of January 3-9

Tuesday:  Genesis 5:1-7:24, Matthew 3:7-4:11, Psalm 3:1-8, Proverbs 1:10-19

Wednesday:  Genesis 8:1-10:32, Matthew 4:12-25, Psalm 4:1-8, Proverbs 1:20-23

Thursday:  Genesis 11:1-13:4, Matthew 5:1-26, Psalm 5:1-12, Proverbs 1:24-28