The Reading Plan Daily Devotions

All of us appreciate a good accounting system, even if we are not the ones administering it. You are grateful when you go to a store, that they will only charge you what is advertised. In business, you want to know how things will be recorded and have a clear understanding of what will be done, particularly when it’s your money that is involved. God has an accounting system and Paul, when finally enlightened, realized that it was completely opposite of what he had operated under for years. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8) GAIN AND LOSS Every accounting system operates on the principle of gain or loss, assets, and liabilities. For years Paul had lived to gain things for himself--self-glory, att

Paul was writing to the Philippians from a Roman prison cell. Yet, it is one of the most joyful books he wrote. He speaks, in Chapter 4, of the secret of contentment he had discovered.    And, in Chapter 1, he speaks of his sure deliverance. He wasn't talking about physical deliverance. It was something more glorious.   Real deliverance is the ability to live fruitfully and joyfully in ANY circumstance! And this is how Paul lived.   The key to this deliverance Paul knew is found in Chapter 1.    A SETTLED PURPOSE   Paul had settled the issue of why he existed. His goal was for God to be glorified in Him and the gospel to go out through Him. Therefore, look at how he explains his circumstances.   "Now, I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel ... according to my earnest expectation and hope... that Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ an

As a leader, the greatest way to help others to a revived life is to live there yourself. This does not happen automatically. In fact, the pull of the world, flesh, and the devil is so strong that we can easily slide into sin and find ourselves in deep need of personal reviving. Paul, in Ephesians, reminds us of our incredible blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1-3), and then calls us to walk worthy of that high calling (Ephesians 4-6). He sums some of this up in Ephesians 5:15-21 with some direct admonitions. To walk with Christ in these areas is to walk in personal revival. And, if you’re not there, you cannot lead others there. Examine yourself prayerfully in light of these 10 areas and 30 questions. 1. Be   CAREFUL "Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but wise" (Ephesians 5:15) Do I see life with clarity?  Do I see evil and avoid it? Do I recognize where I’m really walking, or walk right into the wrong path? 2. Be   INTENTIONAL "Make the most of your time because

Our home is our first church. It's the anvil where life and faith are hammered out. If we are to be warriors, the battlefront is first and foremost in the battle for our families. But we better know the enemy.   If we are not careful—very, very careful—we can open up doors in our home for his advance. We can let him take advantage of us and gain access to the place we least expect it and do not want it. Paul reminds us of three areas that must be vigilantly watched to guard against Satan's advantage in our homes.   DECEPTION Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25 )   Many homes are filled with deceit. It is not just what we say that may be deceptive, but what we do NOT say. The silence that is intended to deceive by not letting our family in on areas of need or concern or sin in our lives.    WARFARE QUESTION:  Is there any area of deceit in your life or your home?   ANGER Be angry, an

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) Do you realize what God has done for you in Christ? Notice the three uses of "bless" in the verse above. Paul blesses God because he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. The next fourteen verses are one long sentence where he lists those incredible blessings that are true (whether you realize it or not) if you are a child of God.  1.  He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before Him. (Vs. 4). 2. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself (vs. 5) 3. He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved, His grace. (vs. 5-6) 4. In Him we have redemption through His blood (vs. 7 5. In Him we have the forgiveness of our trespasses (vs. 7) 6. He lavished on us the riches of His grace. (vs. 7) 7. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mys

  "Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them." ( Colossians 3:19 )   It is repeated enough in the Bible that we should get the picture. Our main task as husbands is to love our wives. Not to be confused about the nature of that love, Paul adds a qualifier in the Ephesian account of this command: "as Christ loved the Church."   Once I had a group of men whiteboard this thought with me:  How did Christ love the church on earth and how is He loving her still?  Very quickly we came up with 30-40 ways. He spent time with His disciples, pursued them, taught them, listened deeply, understood them even in their immaturity, sacrificed for them, prayed for them, fed them, protected them from the evil one, calmed their fears, constantly pointed them to the Father and His Word, manifested the Father in front of their eyes, and (most important) died and rose again for them ... the list could go on and on.   ONE MORE QUALIFIER   But now Paul adds one more de

There are thousands of breathtaking statements in the Bible. These are definitive statements which, if dealt with properly, should be the end of the discussion. These statements define what really IS, whether we agree or not. And, they demand a response. We can ignore them if we choose, but there are sad and destructive consequences if we try to live counter to what is true. It simply won't work right.   One of the greatest such passages is Colossians 1:13-20 . It is perhaps the highest statement in Scripture about Christ's fullness and authority.  Take one statement in this magnificent passage: "He is also head of the body, the church" ( Colossians 1:18a ). Pause and meditate on the implications of this simple truth.   As Christ is the head, it means ... Everything flows from Christ in the church. He is the "MIND" of the church and should be treated so. No one in the church has the ability to lead, except under HIS leadership and authority. Man's ideas

How would you summarize your life in a sentence? How would God summarize it? One day it will happen to each of us. For the apostle Paul, his summary is found in the last verse of the book of Acts.   And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered. (Acts 28:30-31)   WELCOMING ... all who came to him.   Of all the apostles, Paul is the man God used to open the door to the Gentiles (which is us!) There was no one on earth that was seen as "lesser" by Paul. Everyone was a fearfully and wonderfully made creation and was worthy of his time, and ministry. People were not objects to him, but those that God loved, and Paul loved. He welcomed them all.   PREACHING ... the kingdom of God.   Like his Master, Paul was a proclaimer of good news. Everywhere he was he told people of the new kingdom. The kingdom that was different from this

How do you do in a time of difficulty? Do you crater or rise to the occasion? Do you lead or wait for someone else?   The Apostle Paul was on a boat of 276 people in the midst of a horrific sea storm. It was so bad that the crew had given up all hope of being saved.   Paul was the one man on the boat that saw things differently. He was a prisoner, of all things. But the determining difference about this man was that he was connected to the God who oversees storms and the lives and fortunes of men.   HEARING GOD   An "angel of the Lord" appeared to Paul and told him that God had a mission for him to stand before Caesar and give a witness. And that not one person would perish but that they would all come safely to land.   The storm was so intense, that no LOGICAL man who looked at the physical evidence would believe this. Suddenly, the prisoner became the leader. "Keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told," he said.

In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. (Acts 24:16)   Your conscience is your "self-knower." It is that intangible part of you that helps you know where you are spiritually, both before God and others.   If we violate what is right, our conscience tells us. As a believer, this is the Holy Spirit’s work in us called “conviction.” This is a wonderful provision by God unless we have so violated over the years that our conscience is "seared" i.e., it has become hardened and scarred and unable to function properly.   TWO DIRECTIONS   Paul worked hard (he “exercised himself”) at making sure there was nothing between him and God nor between him and others. He had a good conscience in two directions, both vertically and horizontally.   This meant that as he realized there was something he had done that was wrong, he would get honest and confess those issues to God (see Psalm 51 for David’s confession aft