JANUARY 2007
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January 1, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
Daniel 2:19b-22, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
We are in the Lord’s hands, and He loves us, and I can trust Him with everything.
Hannah Whitall Smith
A prayer to strengthen your day
O God . . . Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
Abraham Lincoln
January 2, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
“But I am the lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
no Savior except me.
I cared for you in the desert,
in the land of burning heat.
Hosea 13:4-5, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
May we remember that no life is complete regardless of affluence, intellect, or culture unless Christ has absolute control.
Mendell Taylor
A prayer to strengthen your day
Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, “Speak, for thy servant heareth.” Amen.
A. W. Tozer
January 3, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Steady my steps with your Word of promise
so nothing malign gets the better of me.
Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women
so I can live life your way.
Smile on me, your servant;
teach me the right way to live.
Psalm 119: 133-135, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The proof that I have been through crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a decided likeness to Him. The incoming of the Spirit of Jesus into me readjusts my personal life to God.
Oswald Chambers
A prayer to strengthen your day
O for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any earthly woe!
William H. Bathurst
January 4, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Colossians 2:9-10, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
[Holiness is] . . . nothing else but the habitual and predominant devotion and dedication of soul, and body, and life, and all that we have to God; and esteeming, and loving, and serving, and seeking Him, before all the pleasures and prosperity of the flesh.
Richard Baxter
A prayer to strengthen your day
I give thanks, dear Father, for that great majority in the Christian community who work faithfully and devotedly behind the scenes, never flagging in their devotion, as witnesses to your resurrection. Amen.
Eugene H. Peterson
January 5, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
All you priests on duty in God’s temple,
serving in the sacred halls of our God,
Shout “Hallelujah!” because God’s so good,
sing anthems to his beautiful name.
Psalm 135: 2-3, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the might of the Spirit of God.
Blaise Pascal
A prayer to strengthen your day
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
Seventeenth-Century Nun
January 8, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
There is nothing destroyed by sanctification but that which would destroy us.
William Jenkyn
A prayer to strengthen your day
Control me, O my God,
gently, pervasively, irresistibly, increasingly;
so that I walk my pilgrim way
steadily and in a sure light.
Eric Milner-White
January 9, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.
Ephesians 2:19, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.
Robert Murray McCheyne
A prayer to strengthen your day
O God, you are our refuge.
When we are exhausted by life’s efforts;
When we are bewildered by life’s problems;
When we are wounded by life’s sorrows:
We come for refuge to you. Amen.
William Barclay
January 10, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 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 3:16-17, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Faith and holiness are inextricably linked. Obeying the commands of God usually involves believing the promises of God.
Jerry Bridges
A prayer to strengthen your day
Plenteous grace with thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin,
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Charles Wesley
January 11, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2a, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Revival is always marked by an overwhelming sense of Christ’s presence in the church. For example, if Jesus were to physically make His presence known, Sunday after Sunday there would be . . . A heightened awareness of Holiness with confession, repentance, and restitution.
Duncan Campbell
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord, I need the riches of your gifts in the serious spiritual battle of this time. Thank you that I am living after Pentecost. Hallelujah!
Corrie ten Boom
January 12, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Lovely landscapes may wither, but a new earth looms ahead. Strong bodies may fail, but they only make way for new ones infinitely stronger. Loved ones go, but all who are in Christ are headed for a better reunion. Christians never meet for the last time.
Vance Havner
A prayer to strengthen your day
O Lord of Light. May I see clearly through this shadow that has fallen across my life. Remind me that just as the darkness of night only hides the day for a few hours, your light shines on behind the darkness of my difficulties and disappointments. Amen.
Author Unknown
January 15, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
“I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Psalm 91:14, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
We are alive in eternity now. Death is not an ending, but a triumphant transition. If we know, love and serve the Lord now, we will be given a taste of heaven now. Whatever trials we have faced, whatever difficulties we are going through, they are “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Lloyd John Ogilvie
A prayer to strengthen your day
O let your almighty arm so establish, strengthen, and settle me that you may ever be the ground and pillar of all my love.
John Wesley
January 16, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Love holds the field when all else dies.
Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
A prayer to strengthen your day
Make me wise to see all things today under the form of eternity, and make me brave to face all the changes in my life which such a vision may entail: through the grace of Christ my Savior. Amen.
Everyday Prayers for Teachers
January 17, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
1 Corinthians 2:6-7, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The Word has power to enlighten our darkness; in our hearts it will bring the light of God, the sense of His love, and the knowledge of His will. The Word can fill us with strength and courage to conquer every enemy, and to do whatever God asks us to do. The Word can cleanse, sanctify, develop faith and obedience, and become in us the seed of every character-trait of our Lord.
Andrew Murray
A prayer to strengthen your day
O Father, forgive me that my life is regulated more by the things of time than the things of eternity.
Selwyn Hughes
January 18, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
You made me so happy, God
I saw your work and I shouted for joy.
How magnificent your work, God!
How profound your thoughts!
Psalm 92: 4-5, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
In the Kingdom of God there is no competition or rivalry.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
A prayer to strengthen your day
Holy Spirit, lower barriers of defensiveness between me and my neighbors; eliminate suspicion that separates me from other Christians; include me in the company of those you are making into a whole and harmonious church. Amen.
Eugene H. Peterson
January 19, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy;
his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!
He made them a gift of the country they entered,
helped them seize the wealth of the nations
So they could do everything he told them—
could follow his instructions to the letter.
Psalm 105: 43-45, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Peace has come to mean the time when there aren’t any wars or even when there aren’t any major wars. Beggars can’t be choosers; we’d most of us settle for that. But in Hebrew peace, shalom, means fullness, means having everything you need to be wholly and happily yourself.
Frederick Buechner
A prayer to strengthen your day
God--Holy Director of Worship. The worship wars have me weary. Help me rediscover and communicate the awe, mystery, obedience, wonder, transcendence, sacrifice, submission, and satisfaction you have built into authentic worship. Amen.
Neil B. Wiseman
January 22, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
“For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Daniel 6:26-27, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world, and make that man holy and put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it.
Leonard Ravenhill
A prayer to strengthen your day
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10, NIV
January 23, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19b-20, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The focus of health in the soul is humility, while the root of inward corruption is pride. In the spiritual life, nothing stands still. If we are not constantly growing downward into humility, we shall be steadily swelling up and running to seed under the influence of pride.
J. I. Packer
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord, teach us to pray. Some of us are not skilled in the art of prayer. As we draw near to thee in thought, our spirits long for thy Spirit, and reach out for thee, longing to feel thee near.
Peter Marshall
January 24, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Thank God because he’s good,
because his love never quits.
Tell the world, Israel,
“His love never quits.”
Psalm 118:1-2, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The horse and wagon, the automobile, the bicycle, the locomotive, the speedboat, and the great battleship—all can come to a standstill without danger, and they can all reverse their engines, or their power, and go back. But there is no reverse about the engine of an airplane. It cannot back up. It dare not stand still. If it loses its momentum and forward-drives, then it crashes. The only safety for the airplane is in its forward and upward motion. The only safe direction for the Christian to take is forward and upward. If he stops, or if he begins to slip and go backward, that moment he is in danger.
C. E. McCartney
A prayer to strengthen your day
Today let me walk in the power and presence of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Unknown
January 25, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
There is nothing which my heart desires more than to see you, the members of this church, distinguished for holiness. It is the Christian's crown and glory. An unholy church! It is of no use to the world and of no esteem among men. And the larger the church, the more influential, the worse nuisance does it become when it becomes unholy. The worst evils which have ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy church
C. H. Spurgeon
A prayer to strengthen your day
Go forth now as God’s servant. Remember God’s presence often and draw strength from the knowledge that the One who calls and sends also sustains. Amen.
Shawchuck and Job
January 26, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
My life is well and whole, secure
in the middle of danger
Even while thousands
are lined up against me.
God hears it all, and from his judge’s bench
puts them in their place.
Psalm 55:18-19, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
"Holiness is the choice to march to the beat of a different drum . . . The desires which characterize the fallen world we live in once dominated us. These desires are themselves to be rejected and replaced by new desires. This is what holiness is all about—not just doing what God wants, but desiring those things in which He delights."
Bob Deffinbaugh
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord . . . Let me learn by paradox
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Arthur Bennett
January 29, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
This is what the lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’
2 Chronicles 20:15, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
You can follow the crowd or the Christ, but not both, for they go in opposite directions.
Vance Havner
A prayer to strengthen your day
Keep my vision fixed on you. Amen.
Eugene H. Peterson
January 30, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:17, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The responsibility for guidance is always His. The responsibility for obedience is always ours.
George Duncan
A prayer to strengthen your day
Suffering is odious and frightens me.
Why these people, Lord, and not others?
Why these, and not me?
Michel Quoist
January 31, 2007
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
(Love) is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13: 5-7, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
A man who lives right, and is right, has more power in his silence than another has by his words.
Phillips Brooks
A prayer to strengthen your day
Don’t let me be so afraid of aging, God. Let me rejoice and reach out to be replenished; I know that each day I can be reborn into strength and beauty through you.
Marjorie Holmes
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