May 2, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:12-16, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The faith is indeed an anvil that has worn out many hammers. The faith that could survive in spite of the condescension of the Greek thinkers, the fierce opposition of Roman emperors, the blight of the Dark Ages, and all the challenge of the modern world, is not likely to disappear in our time.
Elton Trueblood
A prayer to strengthen your day
Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.
Mother Teresa
May 3, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
No one is like you, O LORD; you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not revere you, O King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
Jeremiah 10:6,7, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Forward! Thy orders are given in secret. May I always hear them—and obey.
Forward! Whatever distance I have covered, it does not give me the right to halt.
Forward! It is the attention given to the last steps, before the summit which decides the value of all that went before.
Dag Hammarskjöld
A prayer to strengthen your day
Lord, here is my life. Take me, fill me, use me.
Corrie ten Boom
May 4, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:5-6, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The one principle of hell is—“I am my own!”
George Macdonald
A prayer to strengthen your day
Holy Father,
Thank you for the opportunities of satisfying relationship
in my family, in Your church, and in my community.
Forgive me for the times I have been impatient with people.
Give me freedom from spending my energy
on what used to be or what is to be.
Help me do my service for You today so it will be satisfying in the present
and sweet to remember forever. Amen.
Neil B. Wiseman
May 5, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
Psalm 139:23-24, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Suspicion makes a man a torment to himself and a spy toward others. . . . Many a friend has been turned into an enemy by being suspected.
Charles Spurgeon
A prayer to strengthen your day
Omnipresent One, beneath whose all-seeing eye our mortal lives are passed, grant that in all my deeds and purposes today I may behave with true courtesy and honor. Let me be just and true in all my dealings. . . . Let my motives be transparent to all. . . . Let me be generous in my judgment of others. Let me be disinterested in my opinions. Let me be loyal to my friends and magnanimous to my opponents. Let me face adversity with courage. Let me not ask or expect too much for myself.
John Baillie
May 6, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
God is all mercy and grace—
not quick to anger, is rich in love.
GOD is good to one and all;
everything he does is suffused with grace.
Creation and creatures applaud you, God;
your holy people bless you.
Psalm 145:8-10, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Happiness is what a lot of unhappy people want by changing everything but themselves; blessedness is what nobody can have unless he is put right at the center.
Paul S. Rees
A prayer to strengthen your day
Ah, Lord! Square me till I am fit for a place in Thy temple; prune me till I yield my utmost fruit. I know not what this prayer may involve; but if I did, I would pray to be helped to pray it, and I would entreat Thee to fulfill it to the letter. Amen.
Charles Spurgeon
May 9, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
Joel 2:28-29, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
If the precious doctrine of entire sanctification is to be kept vital and virile, the Holy Spirit must be honored in our thought and experience. “Beliefs seldom become doubts; they become rituals.” They die, and we safely embalm them in creed and ritual.
William Greathouse
Pray together with us
Breathe on me breath of God; Fill me with life anew
That I may love what Thou dost love and do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me breath of God; until my heart is pure.
Until with Thee I will one will, to do and to endure.
Breathe on me breath of God; Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me Glows with Thy fire divine.
Edwin Hatch (Hymn #302, Sing to the Lord)
May 10, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:3, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The radical optimism of grace of Wesleyan spirituality is possible because of the energizing presence of the Holy Spirit.
Wesley Tracy
Pray together with us
O God, You are teaching us that the only way to find life is to lose it—to lose it in something beyond ourselves. Teach us the supreme lesson of losing our individual and our national selves in your Kingdom. Then we shall find ourselves—fulfilled. Amen.
E. Stanley Jones
May 11, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:15-17, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Simply accepting doctrinal statements with all of their orthodoxy is not enough. It is not enough to know God with your head; you have to feel Him in your heart. The latter can be done only in the context of living in service to people.
Tony Campolo
Pray together with us
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days—Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my will and make it Thine—
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart-it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.
Frances Havergal
May 12, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:4-5, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Perfection is integrity at any point along the line of maturation. It is the process of ripening of Christian Character. It begins in the genesis of Christian life and continues so long as integrity is essential to love.
Mildred Bangs Wynkoop
Pray together with us
O to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer—
This is my constant longing and prayer.
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee! O, to be like Thee,
Blessed redeemer, pure as Thou art!
Come in Thy sweetness; come in Thy fullness.
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Thomas Chisolm
May 13, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2:37ff, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
For those who take this whole thing seriously (holiness) I have a suggestion: Go to God and have an understanding. Tell Him that it is your desire to be holy at any cost, and then ask Him never to give you more happiness than holiness. When your holiness becomes tarnished, let your joy become dim. And ask Him to make you holy whether you are happy or not.
A. W. Tozer
Pray together with us
Not my will, but Thine; Not my will, but Thine;
Not my will, but Thy will be done, Lord, in me.
May Thy Spirit divine fill this being of mine.
Not my will, but Thy will be done, Lord, in me.
Hugh C. Benner
May 16, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
For the LORD takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.
Let the saints rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
Psalm 149:4-5, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Half-heartedness is no heartedness.
Phineas F. Bresee
Pray together with us
O Holy Spirit, as the sun is full of light, the ocean full of water, Heaven full of glory, so may my heart be full of Thee. Give me Thyself without measure as an unimpaired fountain, as inexhaustible riches.
May 17, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Those who try to keep their lives will lose them. But those who give up their lives will save them.
Luke 17:33, NCV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in—that we do it for God, for Christ, and that’s why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.
Mother Teresa
Pray together with us
Heavenly Father, as the day dawns and calls me to my labors, I ask you to enable me to gladly do the work to which you beckon me. May I do it as a servant of Christ doing the will of God from my heart.
Bob Benson
May 18, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Jesus Christ did not come to tell men they ought to be holy—there is an “ought” in every man that tells him that, and whenever he sees a holy character he may bluster and excuse himself as he likes, but he knows that is what he ought to be: He came to put us in the place where we can be holy, that is, He came to make us what He teaches we should be, that is the difference.
Oswald Chambers
Pray together with us
Dear God and Father, I see it clearly now that only as You did come to me could I find You and know You. Now I know You and find You in available form—find You in the God-man. And what a find! Our hearts sing with gratitude. Amen.
E. Stanley Jones
May 19, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them.
Romans 8:14, NCV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Don’t let your thought life become a kind of gossip shop. There are some Christians who, even if they don’t gossip to one another, gossip to themselves. They allow all the unkind and sometimes the untrue, the unfair, the impure, and the unclean to circulate in their minds. The thought life is tremendously important, not just in this context but in every aspect of Christian work.
George Duncan
Pray together with us
Lord, help me to wait expectantly,
to act purposefully,
and to trust You to see me through to the end. Amen.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
May 20, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4, NCV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. But also sufficient unto the day is the strength thereof with which to meet the evil. Believe Him for today’s strength today!
Vance Havner
Pray together with us
Father in heaven, quickly show me Your face in every hour of temptation. At an altar of consecration I once said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” That is still my consecration today. Give me courage to do the right. Let me know that You are near. Make me a stronger Christian when you have brought me past my hour of anguish.
A. F. Harper
May 23, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
God made my life complete
I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
He gave me a fresh start.
Psalm 18:20, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
Every true prayer is a variation on the theme, “Your will be done.” Our Master taught us to say this in the pattern prayer he gave us, and added the supreme example of it in Gethsemane.
John Stott
Pray together with us
Lay any burden on me,
only sustain me;
Send me anywhere,
only go with me;
Sever any tie but the
one that bids me to
Thy service and Thy heart.
Harmon Schmelzenbach, written on the flyleaf of his Bible
May 24, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
God wrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
Psalm 18:24, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
There will be more real development and advance in one week after being wholly sanctified than there is previous to sanctification in a month. Sanctification is essential to real growth.
C. W. Ruth
Pray together with us
Almighty Father, who has given your only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Quoted by John Wesley
May 25, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.
Matthew 18:3, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The blessings of God in my life is a testimony to everyone who looks on. I praise Him by living a life of solved problems.
Bertha Munro
Pray together with us
O grant that nothing in my soul
may dwell, but thy pure love alone!
O may thy love possess me whole,
may joy, my treasure, and my crown;
Strange fire far from my heart remove:
may every act, word, thought be love.
John Wesley’s translation of a hymn by Paul Gerhardt
May 26, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
For Jesus doesn’t change–yesterday, today, tomorrow, He’s always totally Himself.
Hebrews 13:8, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.
Jimmy Carter
Pray together with us
Father, lead me–once more I pray–
through doubt, faith, bliss
or stark dismay,
through sunshine, wind, or snow,
or fog, or shower
draw me to yourself–Amen
adapted from George MacDonald
May 27, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.
James 5:7-8, TM
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
It is not what the pastor is out there doing that finally counts, but what is Christ doing through the pastor.
Thomas Oden
Pray together with us
Our Father, humbly and gratefully we open our hearts to receive that great miracle of grace. We thank Thee for the fresh, strong wind of your Spirit which comes to bring us refreshment, cleansing, and perfect peace. Amen
Peter Marshall
May 30, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
“Do not come any closer . . . Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 3:5-6, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
There is no small gospel, no small Christian ministry, and no small pulpits . . . the people in the smaller church need just as big sermon and lofty services as the people in the largest congregation.
Milo Arnold
Pray together with us
Lord Jesus Great Head of the Church
Give me wisdom, valor, grace, and steadfastness so I may faithfully exercise the ministry to which you called me. Open my eyes, energize my will, and stretch my soul for the good of the people and for the glory of your kingdom. Amen.
Neil B. Wiseman
May 31, 2005
Good morning, ministry partner . . .
Be encouraged from the Word
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
Revelation 5:13, NIV
Wisdom from fellow pilgrims
The church does not engage in mission, the church is mission, or it ceases to be the church.
Leonard Griffith
Pray together with us
Thank you, Lord, that because you are with us, we will have power and strength in the battles ahead. With our weak hand in your strong hand we stand on victory ground. Hallelujah!
Corrie ten Boom
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