datethewordtest

Author: admin

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 16 (9/16) is 1 Corinthians 9:16

    “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. 
    Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” – 1 Corinthians 9:16
    A PASSIONATE PASSION TO PREACH THE GOSPEL

    As the Apostle Paul defends his apostleship to the Corinthians he tells them that he does not look at preaching the gospel as something to brag or boast about to them.  Rather he felt an overwhelming compulsion to preach the precious message that would rescue a lost sinner from a burning hell.  Before he himself was saved the last thing he would have ever done was preach the gospel but now that he has been saved it is the first thing and the most important thing he believes he must do. One might say he had a PASSIONATE PASSION TO PREACH the GOSPEL.  Talk about a changed life!  

    What about you?  Since Jesus came into your wicked heart and changed you do you have a passion to preach the gospel?  I do not speak about being a “preacher” but being one who makes known through daily witnessing the gospel to those who are in your sphere of influence.  Is there a feeling, a burden, a passion, yes, a compulsion where you MUST TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS?  

    In our verse to consider Paul added that for him it was painful not to share.  He said, “WOE IS ME” or tremendous grief comes to me, a pain comes to me, if I do not preach and proclaim to others the gospel.  I wonder if we feel any pain for not sharing the gospel when opportunities cross our paths.

    May we ponder and consider from 1 Corinthians 9:16 how important it is now that we have heard and believed the gospel to make sure others hear so that they might believe!  May you be passionate this day to proclaim, yes, preach the gospel.

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 16 (9/16) is 1 Corinthians 9:16. It says, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

    While sharing the gospel may have been the last thing you ever thought of doing may it now be the first thing you think of doing!

    Continue Strong preaching the gospel,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 15 (9/15) is 2 Corinthians 9:15

    “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” – 2 Corinthians 9:15
    Trying to DESCRIBE the INDESCRIBABLE

    Occasionally I get the opportunity to watch a sunrise over a beach in south Florida.  As the morning broke one particular morning the sky was filled with such brilliant color that I found myself at a loss for the exact words to describe what I was seeing.  It was so incredible that I found myself saying this handiwork of God is INDESCRIBABLE.   

    Have you ever found yourself looking at something that you found INDESCRIBABLE? The Apostle Paul was a wonderful and gifted wordsmith who could give us very descriptive words to define what love does in 1 Corinthians 13 but when he sought to describe God’s gift of Jesus Christ as our SAVIOR and the gift of salvation that He and He alone provides he found the best he could do to describe this gift was to say it was INDESCRIBABLE – too extraordinary for description.  

    Ponder what God did for us in GIVING His Son (think John 3:16!) and what Jesus GAVE (think Galatians 1:4 “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father).  Is it not beyond description?  Can any words truly express properly the greatness of the gift? I don’t know about you, but it is so very hard for my mind to comprehend such love, such a free gift!!

    Yet while the gift of salvation from our gracious Savior is so hard to describe and comprehend it is not a gift that cannot be understood by a young child.  A child can hear the glorious gospel and be saved. 

    I challenge you to ponder the gift of salvation that you received from our Heavenly Father.  As you ponder consider just how truly indescribable His gift is as you seek to fully express how meaningful and grateful you are for God’s gift of salvation. I suspect the exercise will be very humbling as to consider His gift of salvation is to consider what it took for our Savior to provide such a gift.  He loved us and washed our sins away by dying on the cross.  He restored us to a relationship with God that comes with a promise of an eternal home in heaven when we die.  WHAT A GIFT!  What an undeserving gift.   

    No wonder the Apostle Paul described it as INDESCRIBABLE.

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 15 (9/15) is 2 Corinthians 9:15. It says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

    Continue strong with gratitude for God’s indescribable gift of salvation,
    And remember to DATE THE Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 14 (9/14) is Joshua 9:14

    “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, 
    but they did not ask counsel of the LORD.” – Joshua 9:14
    Running Ahead of the Lord, acting like an Atheist

    Are you a practicing atheist? You may be a little taken aback by the question.  I won’t apologize though for asking as I am concerned (even for myself) that there are times we live life as if there is no God.  We find ourselves facing decisions and while we have an available Advisor to acknowledge and to ask for His guidance we make the decision without any consultation with the One who is supposed to be in charge of our lives.  In other words, we are living life as if there were no God.  In reality, when we live this way we are practicing atheists.   

    This idea of living life as if there is no God is the central theme of Joshua 9:14   They were facing a situation in which God needed to be involved.  Going from one battle to another in order to take possession of the Promised Land they encounter the Gibeonites who are seeking to deceive the men of Israel.  The men of Israel should have been acknowledging and asking God for His take on the situation. Joshua  9:14 makes this very indicting analysis as we read, “BUT they did not ask counsel of the LORD.”   

    Being honest with yourself, I ask if “BUT THEY (YOU) DID NOT ASK COUNSEL OF THE LORD” is a true evaluation of how you are making your life decisions.  Are you running ahead of the Lord in making decisions as you are relying on your own understanding?  

    As believers, we are always to be acknowledging God and asking for direction from Him. Pastor James rebukes his readers in James 4:13-16 with this challenge about running ahead of God.  These verse says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas, you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

    For the believer, we are to be putting Proverbs 3:5-6 into daily, yes, even hourly practice.  In case you need a reminder it says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

    Friends, Acknowledge the best ADVISOR in ALL your WAYS/decisions!!!

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 14 (9/14) is Joshua 9:14. It says, “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not ask counsel of the LORD.”

    It is not good to be out of step with the Lord.  You don’t want to be falling behind and you don’t want to be running ahead.  To be in step with the Lord is to WALK WITH THE LORD after WAITING ON THE LORD!   

    Continue Strong acknowledging the Lord in ALL your ways/decisions!  
    And remember to DATE the Word!

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 13 (9/13) is 1 Chronicles 9:13

     “And their brethren, heads of their fathers’ houses—1,760. They were very able 
    men for the work of the service of the house of God.” – 1 Chronicles 9:13
    VERY ABLE, yes CAPABLE for the Work of God

    1 Chronicles is one of the books we pass over as we seek to read through our Bibles.  It is full of genealogies and lists and names that are hard to pronounce.  It tells of people doing things that we don’t relate to and tells of how many are with this group and how many are with that family.  And we pass over the chapters and verses rather quickly.  However, there is within this very vital book some real nuggets of spiritual insight.  1 Chronicles 9:13 begins with the FACTS about a group of priests and tells us there were 1760 that were heads of homes who would be involved in the work that was to be done at the House of God or the temple.  Along with the FACTS comes a description of these men that catch our attention for these men were VERY ABLE MEN for the work that they would be assigned.  They were VERY ABLE or as one version states THEY WERE CAPABLE.  

    Not everyone can do everything and not everyone is qualified to do some specific things.  Some tasks demand that those doing them are ABLE or CAPABLE.  Think of a brain surgeon or air traffic controller, for instance.  The writer here in 1 Chronicles says definitely that these men were ABLE for the work  They had what it took to do the job.  

    As I read and re-read this verse I could not help but think of what Jethro told his son-in-law Moses as he instructed Moses to select helpers.  In Exodus 18:21 one reads of the qualifications to be a helper and it reads “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”  The first characteristic was ABLE men.  They had to be CAPABLE.  

    Having been a part of the process of selecting literally thousands of student leaders a year to serve in various roles we worked hard to help determine what we were looking for in the candidate.  The list included a review of their character.  We wanted to review their concern for people.  We wanted to review their commitment, which included their work ethic.  We then reviewed their competence, which was the question of being capable of doing the job. Along with being capable was the question of their capacity.  We wanted to probe to see if they could handle more responsibilities.   Then we asked the question if they were coachable.  Almost all have to grow into a new position so while being capable we were looking to expand their capabilities and that only happened with being coachable.  We also wanted to review if they were living a Christ-like life in order to be faithful to Him and an example to others.  The last question we wanted to ask was about their calling to this particular service.   With these questions and maybe a few others, we felt we could determine if a student was ABLE to serve in the desired role.  Guided by Exodus 18:21 and 1 Chronicles 9:13 we wanted to find ABLE student leaders. 

    As you look at the last part of 1 Chronicles 9:13 how does it help you in being a servant for the Lord and how does it help you that are selecting others for various roles? 

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 13 (9/13) is 1 Chronicles 9:13.  It says,  “and their brethren, heads of their fathers’ houses—1,760. They were very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.”

    Continue Strong being a CAPABLE servant for the Lord
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 12 (9/12) is Nehemiah 9:12

    “Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, 
    to give them light on the road which they should travel.” – Nehemiah 9:12
    The Gracious Guidance of The Lord

    When we ponder the great and GRACIOUS work of God on our behalf, we find that He is not just with us but that He leads and guides us. Here Ezra points out in his sermon how God LED the Israelites as they came out of Egypt to make their way to the Promised Land. It was a journey they had never been on and they needed someone to SHOW them the way.  Ezra proclaimed that God LED them. He led them during the day time and He led them by night.  He gave them LIGHT so they would know the road to travel.  

    As you read in Nehemiah 9:12 about the LIGHT to know which road to travel you might recall a time when you were driving at night and it was really dark, dark, and dangerous.  I am old enough to recall driving unlighted roads which now have lights to show the way.  Driving is so much easier when the road and the signs are brightly lit. The next time you are driving at night and the road has one light pole after another to light up the road think about how God led His people and HOW He is available to lead you.   Think about how from Psalm 23 we learn He is your Shepherd that leads you to green pastures and beside the quiet waters.  Think about how He leads you in paths of righteousness.  Think about how from 2 Corinthians 2:14 Christ always leads us in triumphal procession. 

    Our God is so involved in our lives that He is active in leading us. 

    There is a question that must be asked.  Are you following His leading? Personally, I don’t want to be getting in front of Him and I surely don’t want to be lagging behind. More than anything I don’t want to be going in my own direction.  May each of us commit a fresh and new to following Him as He leads!  May our ears be open to hear Him say, “This is the way, walk in it,” (Isaiah 30:21)

    And just a quick reminder: God’s Word is one of God’s great lights for direction. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
    Proverbs 6:23 says, “For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,”

    Our verse to DATE the Word on September 12 (9/12) is Nehemiah 9:12. Nehemiah 9:12 says, “Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the road which they should travel.”

    LET GOD GUIDE

    Continue Strong with God as the Life Guide,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 11 (9/11) is Psalm 9:11

    “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His
    deeds among the people.” – Psalm 9:11

    SINGING TO the Lord and TALKING ABOUT the Lord

    What do you like to sing?  Who do you like to sing to?  Who and what do you like to talk about with others?  David gives some great instructions for our singing and our talking in Psalm 9:11.  

    We are to be singing with worship to the Lord and sharing about the work of the Lord with everyone!! 

    So let us sing to the Lord in heaven above and share about the Lord on earth below!

    Let us consider a couple of practical questions for applying Psalm 9:11.
    How has God been working in your life that causes you to sing to Him?
    For instance:
    After crossing through the Red Sea on dry land we find in Exodus 15:1 that “Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
    Psalm 13:6  I will sing to the LORD because He has dealt bountifully with me.
    Psalm 89:1  I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

    With those examples how has God been working in your life that causes you to want to sing to Him?  Be sure and sing to Him today!

    How has God been working in your life that causes you to want to share about Him?
    For instance:
    Psalm 66:16  Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.
    Psalm 71:17  O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
    Psalm 145:6  Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.

    With those examples how has God been working in your life that causes you to want to share with others what He has been doing in you and for you?  Be sure and share with someone today!

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 11 (9/11) is Psalms 9:11. It says, “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.”

    Sing songs to the Savior!   Share stories about the Savior!

    Continue Strong singing to and sharing about our great God,
    And remember to DATE the Word!

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 10 (9/10) is Psalm 9:10

    “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You,
    LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” – Psalm 9:10
    Names you can TRUST

    Psalm 9:10 has become one of my favorite go-to verses as it tells me WHO I can trust and HOW by KNOWING the NAMES OF GOD my trust in God can be stronger, as well as, yes, sustained.  Every day we face the challenges of doubting God as we face disappointments, diseases, and, yes even facing a coming death.  The trials of life bring a test of our trust in God.  While we can easily quote the famous quote from Charles Spurgeon where he said, “When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart,” there is a very real battle of the mind and heart of CAN I TRULY TRUST GOD.  I have a feeling you have been here, and I have a very good feeling you will be here again.  Thus, there is a need to know and apply Psalm 9:10.

    As you consider Psalm 9:10 it does call for some work on our part for it says THOSE WHO KNOW YOUR NAME.  To KNOW means to learn.  Learning calls for studying.  Studying takes time and effort. God has graciously revealed Himself to us throughout His Word.  And one of the ways He uses to reveal Himself is by revealing His names.  A Google search of the names of God found in the Bible will reveal nearly 1000 names.  This tells me God wants us to KNOW a lot about Him SO THAT no matter what we are facing we can KNOW that HE can be TRUSTED. 

    One example from one verse that tells us of God’s names and how He is everything we need is found in Isaiah 9:6. Isaiah 9:6 is more than a Christmas verse as it is one of the most complete descriptions of our God we will ever get in just one verse. Isaiah 9:6 says “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

    Think about this from the names found in Isaiah 9:6.  In a world of confusion, He is the wonderful counselor! He is the smartest in the world! In a world of chaos, He is the mighty God! He is the strongest in the world! In a world of complexity, He is the everlasting Father (speaks for being the Founder who understands how it was made). He is superior! In a world of conflict, He is the Prince of peace! He is the Savior for all as the greatest conflict of all is with God. From and through the Prince of Peace we can have peace with God because of what He did at the cross and at the tomb!

    Isaiah 9:6 is just one example of how when we KNOW the names of God, we realize we can TRUST GOD! 

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 10 (9/10) is Psalms 9:10. It says, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” 

    One of God’s ways of revealing Himself to us is through His names.  Get to know them and watch your trust in Him increase.  They are NAMES YOU CAN TRUST!

    Continue Strong Learning and KNOWING His names,  
    And remember to DATE THE WORD!

    BTW – 9/10 has a few other really good verses to DATE
    Ecclesiastes 9:10  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
    Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
    Matthew 9:10  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 9 (9/9) is Proverbs 9:9

    “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a 
    righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” – Proverbs 9:9
    NEVER STOP BEING COACHABLE

    The wise person understands they DON’T know all they need to know! They are wise because they know that they don’t know!  From the beginning of the Book of Proverbs, the WISE are LOOKING to LEARN and to KEEP LEARNING.  Proverbs 1:5 says, “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”

    Opposite of the WISE is the FOOL and the fool is a “know it all” and they literally resist the thought of continually learning.  While you (and even the best teachers) can’t teach a fool anything the wise are teachable and have a hunger to learn as much as they can! While we describe them as a LEARNER, maybe a great word to describe the WISE is they are COACHABLE!  Being coachable means one can learn and improve!
     
    As you read over Proverbs 9:9 “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning,” how do you access yourself?  Would you say you have the mindset of being teachable and desirous of learning more??!!! What might teachers and/or preachers/or and coaches or even parents answer?  

    Question:  When was the last time you learned something for the first time?

    Question: Does God see a COACHABLE person when He is working with/on you? 

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 9 (9/9) is Proverbs 9:9. It says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”

    Bonus – from John Wooden – “Always be learning, acquiring knowledge, and seeking wisdom with a sense that you are immortal and that you will need much knowledge and wisdom for that long journey ahead. Know that when you are through learning, you are through.”

    Continue strong learning by being Teachable.  
    And remember to DATE THE WORD!

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 8 (9/8) is Ecclesiastes 9:8

    “Let your garments always be white, and
    let your head lack no oil.” – Ecclesiastes 9:8
    Carpe diem – SEIZE the day!!! 

    Ecclesiastes 9:8 is a very interesting verse with intriguing instructions.  It encourages us to dress daily as if one is going to a wedding celebration.  A wedding celebration is a most exciting and wonderful time.  It is filled with much joy and hope.  From the bride and the groom to the youngest child everyone dresses up and looks their best!  Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 9:8 comes along and gives us the challenge to approach each day this way as we should see each day being the very best day of our lives. 

    Listen, yesterday is in the tomb and is gone forever.  Tomorrow is in the womb and is not promised.  Today – TODAY i- is the present – a gift!! Thus, we want to fully embrace this present – this gift – this new day.   We will want to be fully engaged in it – and yes, fully enjoy it!!! 

    Carpe diem – SEIZE the day!!! 

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 8 (9/8) is Ecclesiastes 9:8. It says, “Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil.”

    Today is the best day of the rest of your life!

    Continue Strong enjoying every moment!   
    And remember to DATE the Word!

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 7 (9/7) is 2 Corinthians 9:7

    “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly 
    or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7
    The CHEERFUL Giver

    Every now and then we get a glimpse into what EXCITES God – what He loves! Here in 2 Cor. 9:7, we learn God loves a CHEERFUL giver. This description of God’s feelings regarding giving comes from the Apostle Paul who is encouraging a group of believers in Corinth to contribute to some suffering saints back in Jerusalem.  He wants them to be ready to present their contribution when he arrives.  However, he does not want them to give GRUDGINGLY or because of ARM TWISTING.  When one gives this way both resentment toward the one asking grows and regret within the giver grows. The Apostle Paul wants their giving to be genuine.  He tells them to PURPOSE in their hearts or MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION as to what they will give.  Rather than giving because of PRESSURE, they will be giving based on PURPOSE. He does not want grumbling, or complaining, and he definitely does not want them feeling like THEY HAVE TO BE a part of sharing with others in need.  For Paul, there should be joy in giving and helping others!  

    So, what is your attitude toward giving? Do you grumble as you give or is there cheerfulness as you contribute? Are you a purposeful, cheerful contributor to charities, the church, and other causes? 

    As well I would ask what is your plan for being a giver to God’s Work?  Have you prayerfully purposed in your heart to willingly and cheerfully give a portion of your income to the Lord and His work?   

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 7 (9/7) is 2 Corinthians 9:7. It says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

    What changes need to take place based on the teaching of 2 Corinthians 9:7?

    Continue Strong cheerfully contributing to God’s work!   
    And remember to DATE THE WORD!