A Good Thing – December 26

 

Day 26 Theme: Youth and Old Age
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart– 2 Timothy 2:22

Youthful lusts are not limited to physical attraction. They include excessive desires for popularity, acceptance, worldly success, or academic achievement.

The lusts that Paul warns us against are any of the short-sighted cravings of youth for personal pleasure or gain, rather than for personal godliness. Youthful lusts include any hunger or ambition that distracts from our pursuit of true righteousness, faith, charity, and peace.

Interestingly, Paul is not content with our fleeing youthful lusts; he commands us, alternatively, to pursue hard after (the word follow is very strong in the original language) a pure-hearted devotion to God. We will not experience the vibrant, joyful, fulfilling Christian life until we are not only trying to avoid sin but are also seeking after Christ.

And one of the greatest encouragements for people as they pursue Christ is to follow after Him with those that call on the Lord themselves out of a pure heart. Good friends are a great help to the Christian life, and are especially crucial when you are young.

So, young people, remember to flee away from sinful temptations, follow after Christ as your Lord, and look for good friends who will pursue Christ with you.

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Daily Disciples – December 26

December 26, 2019

December 26

Today’s Reading: Haggai 1; Revelation 17

Today’s Thoughts: Consider Your Ways

Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!” You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” – Haggai 1:3-6

The prophet Haggai was sent to speak to the group who had come back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of the Lord. The Book of Ezra explains how the first group came back to begin the rebuilding process. Due to great opposition, the work came to a stop over the course of time. Haggai was sent by the Lord to re-start the work and get the people going again. The Lord was telling them to get their priorities straight. They had settled into their lives and homes but the temple was still not finished. They lived in paneled houses while God’s house lay in ruins (Haggai 1:4). If they took a close look at their lives, they would see how their efforts had produced little.

Do you ever feel as though you work really hard, try to do the right things, yet nothing seems to come from it? Are you blessed? Do you see the Lord’s hand in your work? If you feel as though you work to put your wages in a bag with holes, then maybe you need to “consider your ways.” Check your priorities. Are you giving your first fruits unto the Lord? It is not just about your work for God that matters, it is about your heart before the Lord. Is He truly first in your life? Do you do things for Him because you love Him, or is it for other reasons?

These are the questions that we all must ask ourselves. Sometimes we get so focused on our own lives that we lose God’s perspective. When that happens, we often begin to sense that things are not quite right. We do not see the blessings as we would expect or hope to see. As the Lord continued to tell His people through the prophets, “Repent and Return.” The message is the same for us today. Maybe it is time to put some new priorities in your life. Pray about what the Lord wants you to re-prioritize and ask Him to help you to make the changes He wants. Instead of pockets with holes, you will see storehouses that overflow with His blessings.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God’s Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
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God’s Christmas Tree – Connect with Skip Heitzig – Week of December 20, 2019

December 20, 2019

December 20, 2019

God’s Christmas Tree

By Skip Heitzig

One of the most cherished, iconic traditions of the season is a Christmas tree. Growing up, we used to have a white plastic Christmas tree that we would put together every single year in our house.

But what does a Christmas tree have to do with a baby who was born 2,000 years ago? I think believers ought to let the Christmas tree point us to God’s Christmas tree: the cross of Jesus Christ (see Acts 5:30; 13:29; 1 Peter 2:24).

On God’s Christmas tree, there’s only one color: red from the blood that His Son shed for our sins to redeem us back to Him.God’s Christmas tree doesn’t have many branches, just two: one extending to the right and one extending to the left, where the Savior hung and embraced the whole world. This tree isn’t flocked with snow, but it is flocked with a Savior whose sacrifice can make our souls whiter than snow. And the best Christmas gift isn’t found under the tree—it’s found on the tree, and that is the Savior who was given for us so that we can live forever.

The little baby in the manger was born for one purpose: to live the perfect life we never could and die on the cross to save us from our sin.As Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s the heart of the gospel, and that’s the heart of Christmas. I pray the Lord would remind you of that truth and His great love for you today.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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Inheritance: Generational Impact – Alternative View – December 26

December 26, 2019

Inheritance: Generational Impact

You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me. – (Exodus 20:5)

As we have seen so far, covenants are comprised of five elements: transcendence, hierarchy, ethics, sanctions, and inheritance. Today, we are looking at this last element of inheritance.

God’s covenants have continuity and long-term generational impact. What you do affects not only you—it affects those in contact with you and those who follow you. It has to do with inheritance.

Just ask Adam and Eve.Their sin spilled over into the next generation when Cain killed Abel, ultimately leading to worldwide judgment (see Genesis 6). Many people today are undergoing things that they didn’t have anything to do with personally. Their parents had everything to do with the problem, and the kids are suffering the repercussions of it.

A baby who is born addicted to alcohol or suffering from drug withdrawal needs medical treatment from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb because someone else broke God’s law.

Like all of God’s principles, this one operates on the personal, familial, church, and civil levels. I’m convinced that the reason the blood of violence is flowing in our streets is that we are shedding innocent blood in America’s abortion rooms (Proverbs 6:17). You cannot escape the repercussions of breaking God’s law and inheriting the built-in consequences.

One reason you and I must fight to stay in God’s will—and when we leave it, fight to get back in as quickly as possible—is that life is not just about you and me. It includes many other people who will come after us. In the Ten Commandments, God said He would pass the iniquity on to “the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Exodus 20:5). Even if you don’t care for yourself, care for others because there are long-term consequences attached to the covenant.

Reflection: What are some examples of the natural consequences of sin? Where have you seen sin bring harm in your life, your family, or your community? Are there areas in your life where you need to repent and ask forgiveness of God and others?

May I always remember that the choices I make today affect more than me. Help me, Lord, to make choices that those who come after me will benefit from in many ways.

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