Honor God With Your Body

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.


Romans 14:7 – For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

Revelation 5:9-10 - And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 - So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Application:

· Do I value my body as a sacred place where God dwells? Do I realize that I am helped against sin by the Spirit’s presence and power?
· Do I live to please myself or the Lord? Do I realize that even when I die, the important thing is my relationship with the Lord?
· Do I honor God with my body?
· Do I realize that my ultimate allegiance is not to men but to Christ?
· Christ purchased me for God with His blood.
· Do I glorify God in everything I do?

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Christ Is Of God

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 – So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.


1 Corinthians 15:23 - But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

John 10:30 - I and the Father are one.”

2 Corinthians 13:14 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Application:

· I am united with and belong to Christ. I am in union with the church’s leaders and with Christ
· I will be raised at His second coming
· Jesus and the Father are one in essence or nature, but they are not identical persons
· I know firsthand the grace, the love, and the fellowship that freely flow to me from the three persons of the one Lord God.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

God Is Faithful

1 Corinthians 1:9 - God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.


1 John 1:1-3 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 - He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Application:

· Can I trust God to do what He has promised? Will He keep me strong to the end?
· Do I have spiritual union with Christ? Do I have communion with the Father? Do I have communion with fellow believers?
· God is faithful. He will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear.
· Can I rely on God to complete what He begins?

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

He Trusted In His God

Daniel 6:19-26 - Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.


Genesis 32:1 - Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

Psalm 99:3 - Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!

Jeremiah 10:10 - But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

Daniel 2:44-45 - And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

Application:

· God was with Jacob, as He had promised
· That the lions were ravenously hungry was no obstacle to the Lord’s rewarding Daniel’s faith by saving his life
· As the Great King, the Lord ought to be shown the fear and honor that are His due
· Everything that idols are not, the Lord is
· The eternal kingdom of God will be built on the ruins or the sinful empires of man

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Law Of His God

Daniel 6:4-11 – Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.


Acts 24:14-15 - But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

Psalm 95:6 - Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Application:

· I share the same hope as the Jews—resurrection and judgment
· Worship to God includes humility before my majestic God
· Do I have a mental attitude of prayerfulness? Do I have continual personal fellowship with God? Am I conscious of being in His presence throughout each day?
· Am I marked by thanksgiving?

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

god

Daniel 1:1-2 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.


Zechariah 5:8-9,11 - And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven…He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.”

Application:

· Judah was exiled to Babylonia because she disobeyed God’s Word regarding covenant-keeping, the Sabbath years and idolatry. How am I doing at obeying God’s Word?
· Wickedness exists under the power and authority of God
· The removal of wickedness would be the work of God alone
· Only after purging it of its evil would the promised land truly be the holy land

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Leaders Who Spoke The Word Of God

Hebrews 13:6-7,17 - So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith…Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.


Hebrews 6:11-12 - And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 2:2-4 - For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Ephesians 5:1 - Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 – And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Application:

· Obedience to my leaders will benefit me since my soul will be cared for and it will create joy for my leaders
· Do I imitate the faith of my leaders?
· If the Mosaic law came with retribution for failure to obey, then surely the Lord’s salvation comes with more dangerous retribution if I neglect it
· Do I have a forgiving spirit? Do I act just as my Lord did?
· Suffering affliction is normal for those destined to be saved at the end.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

God Had Planned Something Better

Hebrews 11:36-12:2 - Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.


Hebrews 2:10 - For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Application:

· I am made God’s child through God’s only Son
· Jesus not only is life but conveys life to me so that death will never triumph over me
· My life is a long distance race rather than a short sprint
· Am I fighting the good fight? Am I keeping the faith? Will I finish well?

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

God Could Raise The Dead

Hebrews 11:17-19 - By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.


Genesis 21:12 - But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.

Genesis 22:13 - And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Application:

· Am I willing to sacrifice the things God has promised to me if called to do so?
· Is my faith so strong that I believe God can raise the dead?
· As the ram died in Isaac’s place, so also Christ gave His life as a ransom for me.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Word of God

Hebrews 4:11-12 - Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


Mark 4:14 - The sower sows the word.

John 10:35-36 - If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

1 Peter 1:22-25 - Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Jeremiah 23:29 - Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Isaiah 40:8 - The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Application:

· In spite of many obstacles, God’s Word will accomplish His purpose
· Every single word in Scripture is completely true and reliable
· I am born anew through the whole of written Scripture, especially the saving message of the gospel
· God’s Word shatters the sinful heart
· The opposite of perseverance is disobedience
· The one true God consists of more than one person, they relate to each other and they have always existed
· The plans and purposes of the nations will not prevail, but the word of God will

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

A Building From God, An Eternal House In Heaven

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 - For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.


2 Corinthians 4:18 - So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see only a 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.

Application:

· The experiences and circumstances of the present life, often painful and perplexing, are what is visible. They are temporary and fleeting.

· When I die, though my physical body will be buried here on earth, I expect that I will go immediately into the presence of Christ, and will be present with Christ until the day of resurrection

· When the Lord returns, I will fully know Him, similar to the way the Lord knows me

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

With The Spirit Of The Living God

2 Corinthians 3:1-3,6,14,18 - Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts…He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life…But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away…And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.


2 Corinthians 5:12 - We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 - “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 11:19 - I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Application:

· Do I take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart?
· Does the law govern my life?
· Is God transforming my mind and heart? Is God bringing about change? What God requires of His people He always provides
· The Spirit alone gives life because only the Spirit can change the heart, enabling me to keep His commands
· Do I have a single-minded commitment to the Lord and to His will?
· Has Christ removed the veil so that I can see the power of the new covenant?
· Do I partake of the glory of God and am I being gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

We Do Not Peddle The Word Of God For Profit

2 Corinthians 2:16-17 - To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.


John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

2 Corinthians 3:6 - He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

1 Corinthians 5:8 - Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 9:12 - If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

Application:

· God’s opposition to evil is both total and permanent
· Have I been provided with love for God’s law? Have I been provided with the power to keep it?
· Do I speak before God with sincerity?
· Do I live in holy dedication to God?
· Am I ready to surrender my rights?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Rely On God

2 Corinthians 1:6-9 - If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.


Romans 11:25-26 - I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Application:

· Does God’s merciful plan to include me in His great salvation plan humble me or fill me with arrogance?
· God’s grace is all-sufficient, and our weakness is precisely the opportunity for His power to be displayed
· God’s grace is sufficient for me. Do I boast gladly about my weaknesses?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

They Are My People...The Lord Is Our God

Zechariah 13:8-9 - In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”


Malachi 3:2 - But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.

Daniel 11:35 - Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Psalm 50:14-15 - “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 105:1 - Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Zechariah 8:8 - I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

Application:

· God is merciful in the midst of judgment.
· Have I been restored to proper covenant relationship to the Lord?
· Do I have clean hands and a pure heart?
· Do I stumble so that I can be refined, purified and made spotless?
· Do I honor God with praise and obedience to His covenant law?
· Do I seek the Lord in public worship?
· Do I live with God in faithfulness and in righteousness?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

We Have Heard That God Is With You

Zechariah 8:23 - This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”


Isaiah 45:14 - This is what the LORD says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.’”

Genesis 30:27 - But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

Genesis 39:6-7 - So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

Application:

· True godliness attracts others to the Lord
· Have I surrendered to the one true God?
· Have I been blessed because of other people?
· Can others trust me?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God, And Not Man

Hosea 11:1,7-9 - “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son…My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.


Hosea 6:4 - “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.

Lamentations 3:22,32 - Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail…Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.

Jeremiah 30:11 - I am with you and will save you,’ declares the LORD. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’

Malachi 3:6 - “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Numbers 23:19 - God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

1 Samuel 15:29 - He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

Application:

· Is my repentance superficial?
· The same God who judges also restores!!!
· Have I been unreliable? God will not be untrue to the love He has shown me!!!
· God is with me and will save me!!!
· Have I been unfaithful? Am I repentant? The Lord is faithful to His promises!!!
· God does not change!!!
· Am I constantly shifting and changing? God is not a man, thankfully!!!
· Am I one of God's elect because of His love?
· God has real emotions!!!

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God's Own People

Hosea 8:8 - Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants.


Exodus 19:5 - Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Amos 3:2 - “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Application:

· Am I chosen to be part of God's people? Have I conformed to others? Have I become worthless to God?
· Am I obedient and faithful? God is the Creator and Possessor of the earth and everything in it.
· Am I complacent about my privileged status as one of God's chosen? Do I recognize the responsibilities of being chosen?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Prayer To The God Of Heaven

Nehemiah 2:4 - The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Nehemiah 4:9 - But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Nehemiah 13:31 - I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, my God.

Application:

· Before answering others, do I utter brief, spontaneous prayers to God? Am I characterized by frequent recourse to prayer?
· Do I pray? Am I watchful?
· Is my motive in my ministries to please and to serve my Lord?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God of our Lord Jesus CHrist

Ephesians 1:3,7-8,13-17 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ…In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding…And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Romans 3:22-24 - This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 11:2-4 - The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Philippians 1:9-11 - And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1:9 - For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Application:

· Did Christ in His death pay the ransom for me?
· Does the Spirit endow me with the wisdom to undertake wise purposes?
· Is my love rooted in knowledge and understanding or just sentiment?
· Are my spiritual struggles against flesh and blood or against great spiritual forces that war against God in heaven?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV