Strike It Rich

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)

One of the problems that hung around me for years was poverty. But I remember the day I decided I wasn't going to be poor anymore. I was reading in the Word where it says that the blessing of Abraham has come upon the Gentiles by Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:14). Then I got down to the twenty-ninth verse where it says, "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE." 

Suddenly the truth hit me. I got so excited I could hardly stand myself.

I turned back over to Deuteronomy 28 and--line by line--I read those promised blessings. "Blessed in the city, blessed in the country. Blessed going out, blessed coming in. Blessed in your barns, blessed in your fields, blessed in all the works of your hands." Man, I had struck it rich!

Why We Work

by Bill Crowder

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Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: Ephesians 6:5-9

Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. —Ephesians 6:6

Bible in a Year:
Lamentations 1-5

In the late 1660s, Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to re-design St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. According to legend, one day he visited the construction site of this great edifice and was unrecognized by the workers. Wren walked about the site, asking several of the men what they were doing. One worker replied, “I am cutting a piece of stone.” A second worker responded, “I’m earning five shillings two pence a day.” A third, however, had a different perspective: “I am helping Christopher Wren build a magnificent cathedral to the glory of God.” What a contrast in the attitude and motivation of that worker!

Why we do what we do is extremely important, particularly when it comes to our working lives and careers. That’s why Paul challenged the Ephesians to do their work, “not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Eph. 6:6-7).

If we do our work merely to earn a paycheck or satisfy a supervisor, we will fall short of the highest motivation—doing our best as evidence of our devotion to God. So, why do we work? As that laborer told Wren, we work “to the glory of God.”

Be not always wanting
Some other work to do,
But gratefully perform the task
The Lord has given you. —Anon.

No matter who signs your paycheck, you are really working for God.

http://odb.org/2012/09/03/why-we-work/

Glimpses of Glory

Blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.   Psalm 72:19, NKJV

As our plane began its approach to the runway, I marveled at the way the lowering sun reflected off everything wet and metallic-streams became ribbons of molten silver, car windows flashed like golden shields, and puddles shone like shiny pennies. As a cemetery rushed toward me on the left side, I briefly noted that there were no headstones-only plates of brass, marking each grave. But I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

As we flew over, suddenly the sun exploded off the tops of hundreds of the brass markers in quick-fire succession. Bam! Bam! Bam! As the plane tilted, each marker ignited with a flash bright as a diamond. And then it was over, and our plane touched down. It happened so fast, as if in a twinkling of an eye. I had been looking out the window, dreaming about heaven, and the Lord opened the eyes of my heart to glimpse heaven's glory. I got a bird's-eye view of I Corinthians 15:51-52 when "we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash-in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

Sticks and Stones

Written by Barbara Alpert

It’s been said that we are all the walking wounded. You can help come alongside wounded people by applying to be a mentor. Your prayer and kind words can make a difference. Apply today!

“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4)

Many have heard or even recited, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”. How false the second part of this old time saying is! Cruel words spoken to or about us do hurt. In fact, many people, regardless of age, remain wounded for years because of hurtful words tossed at them. The power of just one unkind word can crush a person’s spirit for a very long time.

God Wants To Do A New Thing In Your Life

Wayne Searls

Isaiah 43:18,19

TEXT: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

PROPOSITION: To motivate the hearer to seek a new vision and a new in-terest in the things of God.

INTRODUCTION: Isaiah’s writings to the children of Israel came at a bleak period of their history. They are in captivity, they have lost everything they thought they would keep forever, and they were home sick for the land and the blessing God had promised them.

The 1st step to embracing the new thing what God wants to do in your life is to
I. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS -- QUIT LOOKING BEHIND START LOOKING HEAD v.18
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

The Teacher's Hand

Bruce Howell

A SCHOOL TEACHER asked her first graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. She reasoned that most of them would no doubt draw pictures of turkeys on tables with lots of other food.

She was surprised with the picture that Douglas handed in. It was the picture of a human hand, poorly drawn. But whose hand? The other children tried to guess. One said it was the hand of God because He brings the food to us. Another said it was the hand of a farmer because he raises and grows the food.

Finally, when the others were back at their work, the teacher bent over Douglas’ desk and asked whose hand it was. "Why, its your hand, teacher," he mumbled.

Perseverance Gets Results

"I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs." (Luke 11:8, The Amplified Bible)

If, as God tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4, it's His will for all men to be saved, why aren't we seeing more of the masses of lost people born again every day? Have you ever wondered that?

I have...and as I've sought the Lord about it, I've come to realize that, for the most part, it's because those of us who are already saved don't pray persistently for those who aren't. Instead of persevering--staying before the Father, praying for them to receive the bread of salvation--like the man in Luke 11:8 did for his friend, when we don't see immediate results, we simply give up and go home.

What we don't realize is this: Perseverance is the key to success in intercession!