Includes...
Here is today's communion meditation.
In the book of Ezra, the Jewish people are working to restore the temple of God. And in Ezra 6:14 it says, "So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah."
So if the people continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah... what did they preach?
The book of Haggai is all about putting God first. The people were working on their own houses instead of God's and all of their work wasn't amounting to much. Haggai 1:9-10 says, "“Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops."
We are told in the New Testament that when we seek first the kingdom of Heaven, all of the things we need will be added to us.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us prioritize his things ahead of our own, and to show ...
Here is today's communion meditation.
This year our message is "God's Saved the Best Until Now," and this comes from when Jesus turned water into wine. Turning water into wine is amazing, because wine takes a long time to make, but God can collapse time frames.
Amos 9:13 MSG says, "“Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us shorten time frames and have blessings pouring like wine off the mountains and hills.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Something I have seen over and over is that if we give the body what it needs, the body responds very quickly. Timeframes can also be shortened.
Daniel
Here is today's communion meditation.
Yesterday we talked about blessing our spouses, and recently I came across a saying that it's the intangible things in relationships that really matter. Things like energy, connection, presence, honor, peace, and gratitude are much bigger factors in our relationships than the tangible things.
I once heard someone say that spiritual things are things that cannot be measured, and even though they can't be measured, their forces can be felt.
Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
This verse tells us that the invisible or intangible things can be seen and felt.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us understand the importance of intangible things in our relationships, and to help us become masters of the intangibles.
Today's Health ...
Here is today's communion meditation.
In my book, " The Miracle Year," the second half of the book walks week by week through a year and details how God's timing typically unfolds during each week. It seems that during August, God always reminds us to be a blessing in all of our relationships, especially to our spouse.
The other day, I was talking with some of our partners and we started on a challenge to be a blessing to our spouses. Here is what we are doing...
In today's communion we are asking God to help us be...
Here is this week's Yearly Cycle update.
During August, it is hot, and a time of increased pressure. We are approaching the Day of Atonement( Yom Kippur on Sept 24/25), which is the deadline for the year on God's calendar. As we move toward the deadline pressure increases, but time also seems to slow down, which allows us to get more done.
During this time of the year, there is often a passing of leadership, and during the passing of leadership there can be pressure.
If the pressure is on keep your eyes up and focused on God. In sports, when an opponent applies pressure, it opens up the ability to pass to a wide-open teammate.
Here is our filter for this week... Handle Pressure.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
Here is today's communion meditation.
In 2 Chronicles chapter 32 King Hezekiah was healed by God and then in 2 Chronicles 32:31 it says, "But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart."
I came across this verse the other day and asked God why he left Hezekiah to test him, because God has promised to never leave or forsake us.
After asking God about this my answer came pretty quickly. I was listening to a guy talking about being training to be a fighter pilot. He said that every time he was ready for the next level his trainer would leave him alone to do a solo flight, to prove that he was ready.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, "On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts."
A theme all throughout the Bible is that God te...
Here is today's communion meditation.
In 2 Chronicles chapter 32 King Hezekiah and Jerusalem are being attacked by the King of Assyria, but God miraculously delivers them and in 2 Chronicles 32:22 it says, "So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side."
Our lives have a lot of sides... Family, friends, work, health, fitness, finances, time, etc.
And God can take care of us on every side so that we have peace and rest on every side.
In today's communion we are asking God to take care of us on every side
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Health and fitness also has a lot of sides... Nutrition, fitness, sleep, energy, joint health, body composition, etc. And God can also take care of us on every side in our health and fitness.
Daniel
Here is the Message for August.
Our message for 2023 is, " God Saved the Best Until Now," and our message for August is " The Best Never Expires."
The Promised Land in the Bible is described as a land of milk and honey, and an interesting thing about honey is that if it's cared for properly it never expires.
1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.…"
What God has for us never expires, it is reserved in heaven for us, and we can lay hold of it by faith.
Our monthly filter for August is... The Best Never Expires
I am praying for you.
Daniel
Here is today's communion meditation.
Our message for this year of 2023 is "God Saved the Best Until Now."
And our message for August is, " The Best Never Expires."
Luke 6:27-28 MSG says, "“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more payback. Live generously."
Part of walking in God's best is learning to walk in love all the time, even when people push our buttons or do something unfair. This is supposed to bring out the best in us. We can do this because we trust that God will take of us, which frees us to live generously and walk in love all the time.
In tod...
Here is today's communion meditation.
The other day I had an address plugged into my GPS, but then decided to stop at a different location first. Since I was going in the wrong direction, every time I passed an opportunity to stop my GPS would recalculate and tell me to turn around. This happened over and over.
As this was happening I felt like God was showing me that when we get off track, he constantly speaks to us, telling us to turn around, but we often override his leading.
Jesus said that his sheep know his voice.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that God is constantly helping us stay on track and turn things around, and we are asking him to help us know his voice and be responsive to his leading.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
A great skill set we can develop is making quick adjustments and turning things around whenever we get off track.
Daniel
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