Outside of the Bible, how can you know if God is trying to tell you something?
What is ObviousThe most obvious place to start with knowing what God is trying to tell you is the Bible, because in the Word of God He reveals His will to you and to me in plain words. We don’t have to guess because we can know. We’re to be giving “thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1st Thess 5:18), and we should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the..

Sunday, January 1, 2017
Feast of the Naming & Circumcision of Jesus
Meditation:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
—Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
Quotation:
I am disposed to say grace upon twenty other occasions in the course of the day besides my dinner. I want a form for setting out upon a pleasant walk, for a moonlight ramble, for a friendly meeting, or a solved problem. Why have we none for books, th..

Verse”They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” — jos 5:12
ThoughtIsrael's weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in active exercise, it will yield unalloy..

Key PassageThis is the family history of Jesus Christ. He came from the family of David and Abraham.
— Matthew 1:1 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key ThoughtJesus is God keeping his promises. This will be one of Matthew’s continuing themes—Matthew writes his Gospel to stress the fulfillment of God's promises to his people. Matthew begins the good news of Jesus by reminding us that Jesus is not only Jewish, but he also has a family line that can be traced back to King David and to Father Abraham. Matt..

PassageRomans 1:1-4
PrayerDear Father, who commissioned the Good News to earth,Thank you for the Good News for planet Earth which you promised through your prophets in the Holy Scriptures.We love you for giving us this Good News about your Son, who, though he was descended from King David according to the flesh, was designated your Son, the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead. We exult in thanksgiving for Jesus Christ, holder of all authorit..

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.— John 1:1-2 (NIV)
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Verse”We will be glad and rejoice in thee.” — so 1:4
ThoughtWe will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.” We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lam..

There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.— Proverbs 21:30 (KJV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse…
No matter how fresh the start nor how great the plans we have made, if we do not walk with God, the coming year will not be a spiritual success. As we receive this gift of a new year, let's commit to serve the Lord. As we make plans for the coming days ahead, let's make sure that those plans are made based on the LORD's revealed will in Scripture, the ..

As the new year approaches and many people think about new years resolutions, I would like to suggest one: reading written prayers.
I am not suggesting that one replace his whole prayer time with reading prayers or that he give up spontaneous praying in favor of reading prayers, but that he add to those disciplines the practice of reading prayers written by others. I suggest this resolution for the following reasons.
First, written prayers play a significant part in Scripture, for example, the w..

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1, NKJVThe glorious dawn of God’s story begins with the stunning yet profoundly simple statement that in the beginning He created everything (Gen. 1:1) – which means that in the beginning, He was already there. He is eternal.

It is impossible to comprehend eternity. It’s been defined as three stages of time: everything before Creation, everything that has taken place or will take place from Creation until the end of the world, an..