My Inbox of Daily Inspirations: 01/31/09

Today's Verse : 1 John 4:7

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February 1, 2009

VERSE:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

-- 1 John 4:7
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+John+4:7

THOUGHT:
The old song says, "Where oh where is love?" Love is with God.
Love comes from God. Love is defined by God. Love has its origin in
God. You want to be more loving? If we want to be more loving -- to
find greater intensity in our love and want to know how to love
others who are hard to love -- look to God. But, where do we see
God most clearly? Jesus! Let's look at how God has demonstrated his
love through Jesus and do likewise!

PRAYER:
Holy God, I want to show that you are my Father by loving others
more perfectly. Please bless me as I seek to follow Jesus' example
in treating others with love. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray.
Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20090201

Today's Verse is also available in:
PORTUGUESE - http://www.iluminalma.com.br/dph/4/0201.html
SPANISH - http://www.laluzdelalma.com/vdh/4/0201.html

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RESURRECTION MORNING, by Max Lucado
Best-selling author Lucado brings to life the story of a Roman soldier
assigned to watch the garden tomb. What he sees pierces his soul!
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?254

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Today's Verse is written by Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org> and is
part of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, the leading Christian living e-zine
on the Web. Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles,
plus music, devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
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Today's KJV Verse : 1 John 4:7

February 1, 2009

VERSE:
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every
one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

-- 1 John 4:7
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+John+4:7&translation=kjv

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20090201&ver=kjv

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SIMPLY CHRISTIAN: WHY CHRISTIANITY MAKES SENSE, by N. T. Wright
Destined to become a classic alongside Lewis's Mere Christianity - a
fascinating and accessible apologetic for modern seekers.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?252

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Daily Wisdom NIV : Proverbs 14:15

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A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought
to his steps.

Proverbs 14:15, New International Version
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Proverbs+14:15

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Daily Wisdom KJV : Proverbs 14:15

The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh
well to his going.

Proverbs 14:15, King James Version
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Proverbs+14:15&translation=kjv

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Quotemeal: "Every creature is a divine ..."

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Every creature is a divine word because it proclaims God.

-- Bonaventure

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BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE, by Liz Higgs
A beloved humorist offers a unique and clear-sighted approach to
understanding those "other women" in the Scripture, combining a
contemporary retelling of their stories with a study of their mistakes
and what lessons can be learned from them.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?250

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Daily Heartlight -- January 31, 2009

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January 31, 2009

=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================

Can't Keep Your Mouth Shut?, by Alan Smith

"The Arizona Republic" reported this story (so I'm assuming this story
really is true!):

As Terry Mikel was speeding toward Tucson, he passed a car, an
unmarked Arizona Highway Patrol car. The officer pulled Terry over.
When Terry explained that he was late for a class he was teaching
at the University of Arizona, the officer took pity on him and let
him off with a warning. Before he went back to his car he said,
"Slow down and drive safe."

Terry felt obligated to correct him. "Excuse me, Sir, but it should
be 'Slow down and drive safely.' You said, 'Drive safe.'"

The officer walked back to his car and wrote him a $72 speeding
ticket.

That's not an excuse!

We can't do it, can we? We just can't seem to keep our mouths shut!
Looking back, we know we shouldn't have said a word, but at the time we
felt so compelled to speak.

Maybe you didn't get a ticket as a result, but you've done something
just as foolish, haven't you? Maybe even this morning, before reading
this message. Maybe even before leaving your house! James was so right
when he wrote:

If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also
to bridle the whole body ... For every kind of beast and bird, of
reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by
mankind. But no man can tame the tongue (James 3:2-8 NKJV).

That's not an excuse, incidentally, to let our tongues run wild.
Rather, it's a challenge. As hard as it may be to control our tongues,
it is essential that we as Christians strive to do just that. We stand
to lose more than $72 if we fail to do so. As Solomon said:

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide
his lips shall have destruction (Proverbs 13:3).

Lord, we truly want to use our tongues to Your glory this day. As
difficult as it may be, help us to guard our mouths as we resist the
temptation to speak at those times when we ought to keep quiet. In
Jesus' name, amen.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

We apologize for listing Tom Norvell as the author of yesterday's
article, "Air Traffic Controller" which was actually written by Mike
Barres.

---------
(c) 2009 Alan Smith <alansmith.servant@gmail.com>. Used by
permission. This devotional was reprinted from Thought for the
Day <http://www.TFTD-online.com>.

RELATED LINKS:
* Wildfires!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200604/20060406_wildfires.html
* Keep Your Mouth Shut
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200404/20040430_mouthshut.html
* The Staying Power of Our Words
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200709/20070901_wordstayingpower.html
* Thought for the Day
http://www.TFTD-online.com

This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200901/20090131_mouthshut.html

=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================

TOTAL FORGIVENESS, REVISED AND UPDATED, by R.T. Kendall
Holding a grudge? Experience all of God's blessings when you pardon
others completely! Using examples from the life of Joseph and new
testimonies from those whose lives have been transformed, Kendall helps
you understand the consequences not forgiving.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260

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Morning & Evening -- Jeremiah 23:6 and 2 Samuel 18:23

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Saturday, January 31, 2009

MORNING:

"The Lord our Righteousness."
-- Jeremiah 23:6

It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and
peace, to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are
the saints of God downcast and sad! I do not think they ought to be. I
do not think they would if they could always see their perfection in
Christ. There are some who are always talking about corruption, and the
depravity of the heart, and the innate evil of the soul. This is quite
true, but why not go a little further, and remember that we are
"perfect in Christ Jesus." It is no wonder that those who are dwelling
upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but surely
if we call to mind that "Christ is made unto us righteousness," we
shall be of good cheer. What though distresses afflict me, though Satan
assault me, though there may be many things to be experienced before I
get to heaven, those are done for me in the covenant of divine grace;
there is nothing wanting in my Lord, Christ hath done it all. On the
cross he said, "It is finished!" and if it be finished, then am I
complete in him, and can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glory, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is
of God by faith." You will not find on this side heaven a holier people
than those who receive into their hearts the doctrine of Christ's
righteousness. When the believer says, "I live on Christ alone; I rest
on him solely for salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy, I am
still saved in Jesus;" then there rises up as a motive of gratitude
this thought-"Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love him and
serve him, seeing that I am saved by his merits?" "The love of Christ
constraineth us," "that they which live should not henceforth live unto
themselves but unto him which died for them." If saved by imputed
righteousness, we shall greatly value imparted righteousness.

EVENING:

"Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi."
-- 2 Samuel 18:23

Running is not everything, there is much in the way which we select: a
swift foot over hill and down dale will not keep pace with a slower
traveller upon level ground. How is it with my spiritual journey, am I
labouring up the hill of my own works and down into the ravines of my
own humiliations and resolutions, or do I run by the plain way of
"Believe and live"? How blessed is it to wait upon the Lord by faith!
The soul runs without weariness, and walks without fainting, in the way
of believing. Christ Jesus is the way of life, and he is a plain way, a
pleasant way, a way suitable for the tottering feet and feeble knees of
trembling sinners: am I found in this way, or am I hunting after
another track such as priestcraft or metaphysics may promise me? I read
of the way of holiness, that the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall
not err therein: have I been delivered from proud reason and been
brought as a little child to rest in Jesus' love and blood? If so, by
God's grace I shall outrun the strongest runner who chooses any other
path. This truth I may remember to my profit in my daily cares and
needs. It will be my wisest course to go at once to my God, and not to
wander in a roundabout manner to this friend and that. He knows my
wants and can relieve them, to whom should I repair but to himself by
the direct appeal of prayer, and the plain argument of the promise.
"Straightforward makes the best runner." I will not parlay with the
servants, but hasten to their master.

In reading this passage, it strikes me that if men vie with each other
in common matters, and one outruns the other, I ought to be in solemn
earnestness so to run that I may obtain. Lord, help me to gird up the
loins of my mind, and may I press forward towards the mark for the
prize of my high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================

THE GIFT FOR ALL PEOPLE, by Max Lucado
A celebration of God's gift of salvation wrapped in a collection of
inspirational stories.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222

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MORNING & EVENING from HEARTLIGHT /\/\
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Morning & Evening is the classic devotional by 19th-century writer
and preacher Charles Spurgeon. It's part of HEARTLIGHT Magazine,
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My Utmost For His Highest : "Do You See Your Calling?"

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January 31, 2009

DO YOU SEE YOUR CALLING?

Separated unto the Gospel.

Romans 1:1
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=ro+1:1&sr=1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be
proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important
is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality.
Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell;
but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need
of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the
revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is
an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness,
in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but - "when it pleased God who
separated me. . ." Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own
character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we
shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down
because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God.
"Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of
Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; wbat I want
is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own
eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel
of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to
God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own
character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly
abandoned, separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the Gospel
of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)

=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================

HOLINESS, by Henry Blackaby
Discover why a healthy, holy fear of God must come first if we are to
experience true revival.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?256

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Praying with Paul : "Christ Living in Me"

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CHRIST LIVING IN ME

Romans 8:9-15
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Romans+8:9-15

Dear Father, who indwells me,

Show me that I do not really live in the flesh, since your Spirit
really dwells in me, else I would not belong to you. So with Christ
living in me, my spirit is alive because of righteousness, even
though my body is dead (doomed for decay!) because of sin.

May the same Spirit which dwelled in Jesus continue to dwell in me
and give life to my mortal body. Enable me by the Spirit to put to
death the deeds of the sinful body, and thus find life. Help me
cast off the spirit of slavery, and be a true son of yours.

Thank you that I can call you "Abba, Father," as a fearless
testimony of my sonship. Thank you, God, for condescending to be my
Father and for making me an heir of your glory.

It is in the name of Jesus and by his authority that I have such
boldness to come to you, asking these things according to his will.
Amen.

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=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================

THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE, by Eugene H. Peterson
Many have awaited the day Eugene Peterson would complete the entire
Bible in his unique translational-paraphrase. Well, the wait is over!
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222

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WJD! -- The Dawning Light -- Matthew 4:14-16

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Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Dawning Light

Jesus did this to make happen what the prophet Isaiah said:
"{Look at} the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the
lands by the road that goes to the sea, the area past the
Jordan River-- Galilee, the land where non-Jewish people
live. Those people live in darkness, but they have seen a
great light; the light has come for those people that live in
the land that is dark like a grave."

-- Matthew 4:14-16 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Few, if any, symbols are more widely known than light and darkness.
While our modern ability to light up darkness with a flick of a switch
has changed the intensity of our existential understanding of darkness,
it still persists. Most crimes occur during darkness. Many children
intuitively fear the darkness. We are often uneasy walking the streets
in darkness. When Jesus came to earth, the world was trapped in
spiritual darkness. His people's hopes lay shattered in the darkness of
their own failure and inability to throw off the yoke of hundreds of
years of dominating nations. Religiously, God's people had sunk into
deep darkness. God's people were led by corrupt priests -- the
Sadducees, who had sold out to the Romans; and strict Pharisees, who
were too demanding, who were often hypocritical, and who had lifestyles
out of the reach for most commoners. Vibrant personal faith among the
common people was a distant memory. No voice of a true prophet could be
heard. When John was arrested, Jesus went to a land in darkness to
bring light. He went to the most racially diverse area of Israelite
influence, Galilee, to sow the seed of a ministry to all nations. More
than just the start of Jesus' ministry, we are to hear in these few
short words in today's scripture the hope of the prophet Isaiah
realized:

To our darkness present so long,
God has sent his glorious dawn.
To our bitter, dreamless night,
Has dawned heaven's most glorious light (Isaiah 9:2 paraphrased).

TODAY'S PRAYER:
O Great Redeemer and glorious God, may I see in the dawn of each new
day a reminder of your glorious gift of Jesus. Please convict my heart
that only Jesus can cast away the darkness in my heart, in our land,
and in our world. Give me passion to share this hope with those I meet
who need Jesus' light to shine in their darkness. In the name of Jesus,
the Light of the world I pray. Amen.

>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
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>> The WJD! web page has related scriptures and the
>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:
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>> For further study of today's passage, use our
>> online Bible study site: SearchGodsWord.org!
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Matthew+4:14-16&sr=1&t=erv

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Today's Verse : 1 John 4:7

Today's KJV Verse : 1 John 4:7

Daily Wisdom NIV : Proverbs 14:15

Daily Wisdom KJV : Proverbs 14:15

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Daily Heartlight -- January 31, 2009

Morning & Evening -- Jeremiah 23:6 and 2 Samuel 18:23

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WJD! -- The Dawning Light -- Matthew 4:14-16