"Word of God Speak"

April 9, 2012 (1 Samuel 6-7; Psalm 72; 2 Corinthians 9)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “For God is the One who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.” 2 Corinthians 9:10 NLT

Observation: Paul is encouraging the believers to give generously with a cheerful heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, because God loves a cheerful giver. He provides the seed for the sower to plant and He provides the harvest that comes forth. He provides all that we need for ourselves and enough so that we may have to cheerfully give to others. As a result of our giving to others, glory should be given to God.

Application: Prosperity effects people in many ways. Sometimes the effects are good, other times not so good. For some people they just can’t save enough, a million dollar retirement just seems like too little to live on. For others they just can’t spend enough, credit cards are at the maximum limit and they are applying for more! Yet a godly person remembers that it all belongs to God, not just 10% but the whole 100% is His. We are called to be faithful stewards of what God has placed in our control. A faithful steward is a cheerful giver. A faithful steward gives God the glory and praise for the priviliage of giving. A faithful steward will invest worldly goods into the eternal works of God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day! Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Thank You for all that You have placed within my stewardship, help me be faithful and pleasing to You. Make my heart glad by providing a gift for me to give to others. Increase my resources and cause the seeds planted to produce a bountiful harvest. I praise You Lord and give all the glory to You for all that You have done and will do. You are the awesome God of the universe and above You there is no other. O how faithful You are to honor Your word, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 8, 2012 (1 Samuel 3-5; Psalm 77; 2 Corinthians 8 )

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Whatever you give is acceptable if your give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality.” 2 Corinthians 8:12-13 NLT

Observation: The Macedonia church was very generous. They gave financial support to help churches/ministries in other towns. They gave willfully and eagerly. Paul is commending the Macedonia church and using their faithfulness to encourage the Corinthian church to follow the same example. He did not ask them to “give until it hurts”; he was very clear in his expectation. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to give eagerly and according to what they had. It was not a competition to see who could give the most; it was an encouragement to be faithful over what they each had. He encouraged those that had plenty now to give to help those that were in need. Why? Because one day the tables would turn. The one that receives today will be blessed with the opportunity to give later.

Application: Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” He really knew what He was talking about! I have received many blessings and gifts throughout my lifetime, but few of the gifts I’ve received have ever made me feel as good as the opportunity to give to others does. Giving is a privilege and honor given to us by God Himself. Yes! The opportunity to give is a gift! Give according to what you have, and give it eagerly. Not so others can live high on the hog, but so that all will have what they really need. If the modern church could ever learn this lesson, what a difference the church could make in this present world.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for all the blessings You have given me! Thank You, and I praise You, for all the opportunities You have given me to give to others. Help me ever be faithful in giving from what I have. Help me be a good steward over all that is Yours. Give me wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right at all times. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day! In Jesus name, Amen!

April 7, 2012 (1 Samuel 1-2; Psalm 66; 2 Corinthians 7)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT

Observation: Sometimes the truth hurts, but it must be proclaimed anyway. Paul sent a letter of rebuke to the Corinthians that made even him feel bad. He said, “I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways.” The purpose of all preaching is to bring people to repentance and therefore restore their relationship to God through Christ. Repentance is not an option, that can be chosen or not, it is a requirement. Seldom does one come to repentance without first being presented with a stern truthful message of the gospel.

Application: There’s a big difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Unfortunately the majority of people in church today don’t know the difference. I’m really beginning to wonder if most preachers know the difference. A letter like the one Paul sent to the Corinthians would be thrown in the trash without a second thought by the church of today. That’s how arrogant and bold we have become. That’s how little fear, and respect, we have for God’s holiness. But the church needs bold men and women, that will stand up for God’s holiness and His righteousness. People that are willing to stand up and suffer the taunts of ridicule from the religious pansies that have taken over the pulpits. People that are willing to destroy the idols that have been raised by the church and return to the paths of righteousness through repentance. Though repentance may bring pain for a season, it yields a harvest of holiness and favor from God above.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day, bless it and make it prosperous! Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me daily. Thank You for sorrow that brings forth repentance and causes me to change my ways. I have no regret for any of this type sorrow. You are my God and I am Your child. Teach me Your ways and write Your word upon my heart. May You bring to my remembrance Your word on a continual basis, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 6, 2012 (Ruth 3-4; Psalm 64-65; 2 Corinthians 6)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:10 NLT

Observation: Paul said, “we serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” These are the defining traits of a true “Christian”. Perseverance and endurance are necessary in the life of every believer and every believer must remain faithful until the very end.

Application: The true Christian must realize God as the source of all blessings and strength. Nothing good is done under our own power or ability, for without Him we can do nothing. No matter what circumstance or situation you may find yourself in, God is still in control. He knows how to make a way of escape, or comfort you in the middle of the storm. We simply must put all of our hope and trust in Him alone and truly believe in our heart that He will provide what is best for us in all cases. Whatever happens, we must be determined to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. For the genuine follower of Christ the only thing that really matters is that He is pleased.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for another day to seek Your word for guidance and truth. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me daily. You are the awesome God of the universe and above You there is no other! Your strong right arm has no equal. Your justice is holy and righteous. You rise up and fight for those who belong to You, and You provide victory for them. I seek You for shelter from the storms that rage around me. All of my hope and trust is in You alone. I need You to fight for me and win, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 5, 2012 (Ruth 1-2; Psalm 53, 61; 2 Corinthians 5)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Observation: Anyone that has truly accepted Christ as savior, must also accept Him as Lord. One must realize that they have been purchased by the blood of Christ and no longer belong to their own lust and desires. Salvation is not simply turning over a new leaf, it’s beginning a new life. Salvation does not reform, rehabilitate or reeducate a person, it totally recreates a person from the inside out. The old life is gone and a brand new life filled with God’s Spirit begins! The old life must be nailed to the cross of Christ and crucified, so that the new life in Christ can come forth and thrive.

Application: Many want the benefits of salvation without the required commitment. They utter words from their mouth while their heart ignores what their mouth speaks. It is easy to spot these phonies. They are the ones who profess Christ with their lips, but their heart is far from Him. They go to church, listen and sing along with “christian” music, volunteer at the local soup kitchen and even put a twenty in the offering plate every now and then. But they are not saved. They are as lost as the sky is blue. Most likely they repeated a prayer after a pastor at a Easter service and believed that was all there was to it. Their lives never changed. Their old life was never nailed to the cross of Christ, and a new creature was never created. Anyone who truly belongs to Christ becomes a new person. The old life is crucified and a new Spirit filled life is revealed.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your grace and mercy that provide and protect me daily. Thank You for the new life in Christ You have given me. Thank You for the old rugged cross that I nailed and crucified my old life to. Thank You for Your Spirit that fills me, leads me, guides me, comforts me and teaches me Your ways. All of my hope and all of my trust, is in You alone. I love You Lord and need You everyday, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 4, 2012 (Judges 19-21; 2 Corinthians 4)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” 2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

Observation: It would have been easy for Paul to give up and quit if he focused on his problems. But Paul recognized the benefits of this life’s troubles. He said they’ll not last long and besides that they actually produce for us glory that last forever! He was encouraging the Corinthians to hold on to Christ whatever happens. Don’t just focus on the troubles of today but look beyond to a place that will be trouble free. God has great purpose in our suffering and when we are faithful it brings Him great glory.

Application: It’s easy to lose heart and give up under intense pressure. We get so focused on the storms in our life we fail to see any logical way of escape. Sometimes events in our lives appear to be so overwhelming and strong we can see only defeat, even before the battle has been fought. Yet God uses these moments to bring us to Him. When we realize that victory can only come through a mighty moving of God’s hand, we are forced to surrender ourselves completely and trust in Him alone to deliver us. All of our hope, all of our strength, all of our wisdom, all of our victories come from Him, and our troubles help us remember this.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me daily. God I praise You for the storms in my life, for without them I wouldn’t know You like I do. My trust and my hope are in You alone. I need You to move on my behalf, rise up and scatter my enemies from me. May they be captured by their own trap and suffer disgrace for wrongdoing. Father, I pray for Your will to be done no matter what, help me accept Your will and be content with it, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 3, 2012 (Judges 17-18; Psalm 89; 2 Corinthians 3)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5 NLT

Observation: Paul was making it clear to the Corinthians that a letter of recommendation is not what qualifies a person to be accepted as a spiritual leader. Although educational degrees and personal recommendations can be an asset in the ministry, these are not the things that qualify us. It takes the Spirit of God abiding in a person to mold them into an adequate messenger. The gospel message cannot be properly conveyed in human strength alone, for without the Spirit the message is dead. It’s the Spirit of God that qualifies us, for we can do nothing on our own.

Application: O how we have missed the message in this verse. In today’s time Peter, James and John would not even be considered for ministry. They were uneducated fishermen that had no Seminary degree or college education. They would be nothing more than second class Christians in our time today at best. Surly they would be told to sit down and shut up because they don’t know what their talking about! Yet, these are the very type men Jesus chose to entrust the gospel message with. I dare say Jesus did more with uneducated fishermen than we can do with a vast number with Masters of Divinity degrees. God help us realize the source of our understanding and strength!

Prayer: Dear Lord, I come to You this morning with no degree. I have no higher education other than what Your Spirit has provided for me. In the worlds eye, I am unqualified and merely second class at best, yet I know You have chosen men like me to carry the true gospel message to the ends of the earth. My qualification and strength come from You alone, I can do nothing on my own. Thank You for Your Spirit that fills me and qualifies me. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me daily. Thank You for the precious blood of Jesus that cleanses me and makes me whole. Thank You for the privilege of repentance, in Jesus name, Amen!