God Is Able To Keep You From Stumbling, And To Make You Stand In the Presence Of His Glory Blameless With Great Joy

Today's Focus Scripture: Jude

Jude
1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;
13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”
19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting;
23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.
Amen.

Save Us In Your Lovingkindness O Lord, Hide Us In the Secret Place of Your Presence

Today's Focus Scripture: Psalm 31:13-24

Psalm 31:13-24

13 For I have heard the slander of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they took counsel together against me,
They schemed to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon You;
Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
Which speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.
19 How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.
22 As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.
23 O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord.

God's Law Requires, Demands Justice Be Served and Jesus Died To Fulfill That Requirement, What the Law Demanded. Now We Have This Hope, That Justice Will Not Seek Us Out, Salvation Because of Christ.

Today's Focus Scripture: Micah 7:1-9

Micah 7:1-9

1 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a first-ripe fig which I crave.
2 The godly person has perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a net.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a briar,
The most upright like a thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your punishment will come.
Then their confusion will occur.
5 Do not trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard your lips.
6 For son treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.
8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the light,
And I will see His righteousness.

QUOTES:
Dr. Richard Hanner - "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed."

Pastor Eric Hulet - "Life affords us constant opportunities to see both the best and worst in humanity, and privileges us to see that without the grace of God we would be the worst."

What God Has Put His Hand To, What God Has Ordained, These Things Cannot Be Overthrown by Human Effort or Interference

Today's Focus Scripture: Acts 5:30-42 

Acts 5:30-42

(The time of the arraignment of the apostles before the Sanhedrin)

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.
31 He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
33 But when they [the Sanhedrin] heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them.
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.
35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.
36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.
38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

What We All Have In Common Is the Need For the Remission Of Our Sins

Today's Focus Scripture: Acts 2:38-47

Acts 2:38-47
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness [remission] of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.


LAGNIAPPE:

verse 38 - FORGIVENESS

απηεσισ Strong's G859

Pronunciation: af'-es-is
Definition: 
1) release from bondage or imprisonment
2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty

from 863; freedom; (figuratively) pardon:-deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission. see GREEK for 863

Being Sons of Light, Darkness Cannot Overtake Us Completely By Surprise as a Thief In the Night; Live Together In Peace

Today's Focus Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-13

1 Thessalonians 5:1-13
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.
8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,
13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.


J.B. Phillips (PHILLIPS)
1 Thessalonians 5:1-13
But as far as times and seasons go, my brothers, you don’t need written instructions. You are well aware that the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a burglary to a householder. When men are saying “Peace and security” catastrophe will sweep down upon them as suddenly and inescapably as birth-pangs to a pregnant woman. But because you, my brothers, are not living in darkness the day cannot take you completely by surprise. After all, burglary only takes place at night! You are all sons of light, sons of the day, and none of us belongs to darkness or the night. Let us then never fall into the sleep that stupefies the rest of the world: let us keep awake, with our wits about us. Night is the time for sleep and the time when men get drunk, but we men of the daylight should be alert, with faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of our salvation as our helmet. For God did not choose us to condemn us, but that we might secure his salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. He died for us, so that whether we are “awake” or “asleep” we share his life. So go on cheering and strengthening each other with thoughts like these, as I have no doubt you have been doing. We ask you too, my brothers, to get to know those who work so hard among you. They are your spiritual leaders to keep you on the right path. Because of this high task of theirs, hold them in highest honour. Live together in peace.

Do You Think That the Scripture Speaks To No Purpose?

Today's Focus Scripture:  James 4:1-10

James 4:1-10

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 

2 You lust and do not have;so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “The spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?" 

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.


LANGIAPPE:
The writer of this blog today has come across the word "ENVY" quite a bit in the past weeks. The understanding of envy has always been equal to jealousy as far as I could tell. However, these 2 words, envy and jealousy are not at all similar words in definition and meaning. On the one hand, jealously desires something for self, whereas envy desires to deprive others of what they have.

Envy is distinctly evil, compared to Admiration.  Envy is the supposed sin of Cain, and lead to murder.

Job 5:2
For wrath kills a foolish man,
And envy slays a simple one. 

(Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)
ENVY: 
The distinction lies in this, that "envy" desires to deprive another of what he has, "jealousy" desires to have the same or the same sort of thing for itself. 


Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

(NOAH WEBSTER'S 1828 DICTONARY of AMERICAN ENGLISH)

ENVY:
v.t. [L. invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.]

1. To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another's prosperity; to fret or 
grieve one's self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.

2. To grudge; to withhold maliciously.

ENVY:
n. 
Pain, uneasiness, mortification or discontent excited by the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed. 
Envy springs from pride, ambition or love, mortified that another has obtained what one has a strong desire to possess. 

(Emulation differs from envy, in not being accompanied with hatred and a desire to depress a more fortunate person.)

Though We Were Slaves (To Sin) and May Have Been Useless, Onesimus Is An Example of Being Restored To Freedom In Christ

Today's Focus Scripture: Philemon 1:1-12

Philemon 1:1-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, 2 to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ — 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart... 

A Correct Response: Forgive and Give Grace To Others, Then You Will Receive More Love and More Grace

Today's Focus Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:10

2 Corinthians 10:10 (From today's "Cross the Bridge" Daily Evoltional with Pastor David McGee)


A Right Response 

2 Corinthians 10:10

"For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."
NKJV

It's hard to imagine that there were ever people who spoke evil of the apostle Paul, but that's exactly what was happening. Obviously, someone should have been shutting these people down, but I don't think people were. People that were rebellious and had bad intentions were being critical of Paul. People were critical of Jesus, and Jesus was perfect. Paul was a great leader, one of the greatest, but still people talked bad about him. People will be critical of me or of you. I've often wondered how those who gossiped, criticized and tried to convince others that Paul was fake felt when they got to heaven and Paul was recognized and rewarded for being who he was called to be?

Yes, there are going to be times where people disappoint us or even hurt us, but the Bible does not give us license to respond with gossip or hatred. The world lives that way, but the church should not. Instead, we should respond in love, forgiveness and grace. We should think the best of others, including our leaders. The more we do this the more God will begin bringing more love, joy and grace into our own lives. So if you desire to experience more love and grace from others, begin showing more love and grace towards other today!

Life Lesson: Sow good things into the lives of others. Love others. Encourage others. Forgive and give grace to others, then you will receive more love, more grace, and more encouragement from others.

Dear God,
I know there have been times that I have withheld love or grace because of my attitude towards someone else. Help me to overcome that bitterness so that I can be like Christ and show love even when someone has hurt me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Cross the Bridge
crossthebridge.com

The Perfect Law of Liberty Has Been Engrafted Into Our Hearts; So Be Not Forgetful Hearers, But Doers

Today's Focus Scripture: James 1:17-25

James 1:17-25

(NKJV)

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 
¹⁸ Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
¹⁹ So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 
²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 
²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 
²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 
²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:17-25

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

^17-18 But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By his own wish he made us his own sons through the Word of truth that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of his new creation.

^19-20 In view of what he has made us then, dear brothers, let every man be quick to listen but slow to use his tongue, and slow to lose his temper. For man’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness.

^21-25 Have done, then, with impurity and every other evil which touches the lives of others, and humbly accept the message that God has sown in your hearts, and which can save your souls. Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.

LAGNIAPPE:

Verse 21: Implanted – Engrafted – Sown

Strong's G1721 – emphytos (a derivative of Strong’s G5453)

1) inborn, implanted by nature, implanted by others instruction

Strong's G5453 - phyō

1) to beget, bring forth, produce

2) to be born, to spring up, to grow

3) to shoot forth, spring up

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

James 1:21 Implanted, Engrafted, Sown

(KJV) Engrafted:

Note: This is the AV rendering of emphutos, Jam 1:21, an adjective derived from emphuo, "to implant;" the RV has "implanted." The metaphor is that of a seed rooting itself in the heart; cp. Mat 13:21; 15:13; 1Cr 3:6, and the kindred word sumphutos, Rom 6:5, "planted together" (sun, "with"). The AV "engrafted" would translate the word emphuteuton (from emphuteuo, "to graft"), which is not found in the NT; it uses enkentrizo in Rom. 11. Cp. ekphuo, "to cause to grow out, put forth" (leaves), Mat 24:32; Mar 13:28.

The Least, the Humblest In Everything Need Dignity and Hope For Their Futures - As We Do To These Least We Do To Jesus

Today's Focus Scripture: Matthew 25:34-46

Matthew 25:34-46

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 
³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 

³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 

³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 
³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 

⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 

⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him,saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 

⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 

⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:34-46

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

^34-36 “Then the king will say to those on his right ‘Come, you who have won my Father’s blessing! Take your inheritance—the kingdom reserved for you since the foundation of the world! For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was lonely and you made me welcome. I was naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you came and looked after me. I was in prison and you came to see me there.”

^37-39 “Then the true men will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you lonely and make you welcome, or see you naked and clothe you, or see you ill or in prison and go to see you?’

⁴⁰ “And the king will reply, ‘I assure you that whatever you did for the humblest of my brothers you did for me.’

^41-43 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Out of my presence, cursed as you are, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was lonely and you never made me welcome. When I was naked you did nothing to clothe me; when I was sick and in prison you never cared about me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they too will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry, or thirsty, or lonely, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and fail to look after you?’

⁴⁵ “Then the king will answer them with these words, ‘I assure you that whatever you failed to do to the humblest of my brothers you failed to do to me.’

⁴⁶ “And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the true men to eternal life.”

Do Not Be Mistaken - Mercy Is Victorious Over Judgment - Mercy Leads to Forgiveness - Which Enables Us To Do Good Works Because of Our Faith - Freely We Can Give Now

Today's Focus Scripture: James 2:12-22

James 2:12-22

(NKJV)

12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 

13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 

15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 

16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 

19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 

20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 

22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

James 2:12-23

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

^12-13 Anyway, you should speak and act as men who will be judged by the law of freedom. The man who makes no allowances for others will find none made for him. It is still true that “mercy smiles in the face of judgment.”

^14-18a Now what use is it, my brothers, for a man to say he “has faith” if his actions do not correspond with it? Could that sort of faith save anyone’s soul? If a fellow man or woman has no clothes to wear and nothing to eat, and one of you say, “Good luck to you I hope you’ll keep warm and find enough to eat”, and yet give them nothing to meet their physical needs, what on earth is the good of that? Yet that is exactly what a bare faith without a corresponding life is like—useless and dead. If we only “have faith” a man could easily challenge us by saying, “you say that you have faith and I have merely good actions. Well, all you can do is to show me a faith without corresponding actions, but I can show you by my actions that I have faith as well.”

^18b-23 To the man who thinks that faith by itself is enough I feel inclined to say, “So you believe that there is one God? That’s fine. So do all the devils in hell and shudder in terror!” For, my dear short-sighted man, can’t you see far enough to realise that faith without the right actions is dead and useless? Think of Abraham, our ancestor. Wasn’t it his action which really justified him in God’s sight when his faith led him to offer his son Isaac on the altar? Can’t you see that his faith and his actions were, so to speak, partners—that his faith was implemented by his deed? That is what the scripture means when it says: ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.’

We Have Been Rescued, We Have Been Restored. We Are Well Equipped, Well Protected, and Well Armed to Withstand the Enemy

Today's Focus Scripture: Romans 7:14-25

(NOTE: Please scroll down past the devotional we read today for much, much more)


Cross The Bridge Daily Evotional by Pastor David McGee

It's God

Romans 7:15

"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."
(NKJV)

If you think you cannot identify with this statement, then you need to look in a mirror. The Apostle Paul, who wrote Romans and much of the New Testament, is being open and honest with his struggles... and we can also. We all struggle with doing wrong things. In fact, if it was not for God working through us, every attempt of our hands would be blameworthy. We all want to do well, but many times we give in to our flesh and end up doing wrong. The only way we can transact righteousness is by consequence of God in us. It is not just the 'doing'. Your appetite to affect virtue is an indication that God is working.

Philippians 2:13 "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (NKJV)

Your reading this devotion is affirmation. You are hungry for something more. Every time you do something good, you can know and believe that God is working in you. My Christian friend, take heart and be encouraged. The Creator of all the universe sees Jesus reflected in you.

Life Lesson: The fact that we want to do good is God.

LAGNIAPPE:

We read the passage Romans 7:14-25 from the New King James Version, however, the version below is the J.B. Phillips version, copyright 1962.

^{Romans 7:14-25}

^{J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)}

^14-20 After all, the Law itself is really concerned with the spiritual—it is I who am carnal, and have sold my soul to sin. In practice, what happens? My own behaviour baffles me. For I find myself not doing what I really want to do but doing what I really loathe. Yet surely if I do things that I really don’t want to do, I am admitting that I really agree with the Law. But it cannot be said that “I” am doing them at all—it must be sin that has made its home in my nature. (And indeed, I know from experience that the carnal side of my being can scarcely be called the home of good!) I often find that I have the will to do good, but not the power. That is, I don’t accomplish the good I set out to do, and the evil I don’t really want to do I find I am always doing. Yet if I do things that I don’t really want to do then it is not, I repeat, “I” who do them, but the sin which has made its home within me.

^21-25 When I come up against the Law I want to do good, but in practice I do evil. My conscious mind whole-heartedly endorses the Law, yet I observe an entirely different principle at work in my nature. This is in continual conflict with my conscious attitude, and makes me an unwilling prisoner to the law of sin and death. In my mind I am God’s willing servant, but in my own nature I am bound fast, as I say, to the law of sin and death. It is an agonising situation, and who on earth can set me free from the clutches of my sinful nature? I thank God there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 6:10-20

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

^10-18 In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.

^19-20 And pray for me, too, that I may be able to speak freely here to make known the secret of that Gospel for which I am, so to speak, an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak out about it as my plain and obvious duty.

"We Often Forget What We Should Remember and Remember What We Should Forget." - The Lord Remembers We Are Dust

Today's Focus Scripture: Any and all of them, The Word of God, His Daily Bread To Us


We read the "Daily Evotional" - Cross The Bridge by Pastor David McGee

Remember

Romans 15:15

"Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God" (NKJV)

Satan loves to remind us of our past sins and failures. He finds great pleasure in bringing up things that God has long forgiven us of. Revelation 12:10 refers to Satan as the "accuser of our brethren." That's what he does, but not because he's really got anything on us. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us that your sins have been separated from you as far as the east is from the west Psalm 103:12. So, what does it profit the enemy to bring up what you've been forgiven of? He wants to distract you from following Jesus. If he can get you to listen to his accusations, maybe he can shame you into believing that you've crossed some line of forgiveness that doesn't exist. That is his game and he is betting that he can pull you into it. Remember the words of 1 John 1:9...

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV)

Has Satan distracted you from following Jesus? Don't believe his lies, and friend, in love, you need to quit listening to your enemy. You have got a great future ahead of you. Satan, on the other hand... well... his future is not so good because he will be thrown into the lake of fire. He will be destroyed. He knows it. So, the next time the enemy tries to remind you of your past, remind him of his future.

Life Lesson: We often forget what we should remember and remember what we should forget.

Revelation 12:10-11 ~  10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Psalm 103:10-14 ~ 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.