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In the message “Remember The Basics” we saw the importance of returning often to the fundamental truths of our faith. We are called to grow and mature, but never to “grow” such that we are led away from the simple and unchanging truth: God loves us so much that He provided a way to restore a right relationship with Him through faith in His Son. Jesus died so we could live! Does this awesome act of love still amaze us, or have we “matured” to more “important” matters?

Matthew 18:3
“And He said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'”

When my daughter was four years old, we read the Bible story about young Samuel. While discussing this story, my daughter showed me the excited faith God calls us to maintain. Perhaps her faith could teach us all…

As a young boy, Samuel was ministering with an old priest named Eli. One night God called to Samuel, but Samuel thought it was Eli’s voice. Eli said he had not called and told Samuel to go back to bed. After God called a few more times, Samuel realized who was calling and answered: “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). God then gave Samuel a message – but the message was all about Eli.

My daughter asked, “Why did God speak to Samuel if the message was really to Eli?” We talked about how we must be ready and willing to hear God. I said Eli may have had some problems or distractions in his life which kept him from hearing God, so God spoke His message through a child. I said little kids (like her) can often hear God better than older people (like me).

“But, I don’t hear God talk to me,” she said, with a little disappointment in her voice. I explained how God doesn’t usually speak so we can hear Him with our ears; rather, His Spirit speaks to our heart and we hear Him as we listen to our heart. Her little eyes widened, “Like today when I was going to sit on one of the baby toys – Jesus told my heart I was too big and shouldn’t do it so I listened to what He said.”

I encouraged her that this is exactly how God speaks to us, we just need to learn how to listen and then obey. My daughter thought for a moment and then slowly shook her head in amazement: “Wow! That’s sooooo cool!!”

Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Word never becomes just an interesting collection of stories. You created us, loved us, and will one day call us Home to be with You for all eternity – and Father, that’s sooooo cool!! Help us to come into Your presence with a thankful and loving heart. Strengthen our faith every day and allow us to continually look on You and Your wonders with a childlike amazement.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

**** Reading Plan ****

Nov 2 Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:25-35; Proverbs 26:27

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As we continue down God’s path of sanctification, “being transformed into His likeness” (2 Corinthians 3:18), moving from milk to solid food (Hebrews 5:12), and growing in grace and “all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9), it’s wise to return often to the basics of our faith. As we learn more of our Heavenly Father and ponder His “deeper truths,” we must never forget that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The truth of all scripture is that God loves us and is inviting us to join Him, to know Him and enjoy Him, for all eternity.

The Apostle Peter understood the importance of fundamentals. He wrote his second letter to warn us against false teaching and to remind us that, as we step out in faith, we have been given all the necessary tools to accomplish what God desires for our life; “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Peter taught that when we place our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, we receive everything we need to live a victorious life; “so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4). The real challenge of our Christian walk is not in acquiring new and “greater” gifts, but in learning how to best utilize what we have already received.

Peter also wanted us to remember that Salvation is not the end of our journey; rather, it is the beginning of a long and wonderful walk which begins in faith and continues by growing ever closer to Christ. Since we have been given such a wonderful gift, we should “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). We must continue to grow such that the end result – the highest quality of our Christian life – is love!

Peter believed these to be fundamental truths, but truths which were necessary to often repeat!

2 Peter 1:12-13
“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live.”

To ensure we don’t wander down side paths filled with self-effort and self-importance, or stumble in the world’s temptation of corruption and evil desires, we must continually return to the starting point of our faith. We must never forget that God loves us and desires to walk with us each and every day. All that we do must be directed by God and accomplished with the tools He has provided. Let’s dig deep at every opportunity, but let’s remain lovingly close to His side and always remember the basics.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

**** Reading Plan ****

Oct 29 Lamentations 1:1-2:19; Philemon 1:1-25; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 26:20
Oct 30 Lamentations 2:20-3:66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22
Oct 31 Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23
Nov 1 Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-24; Proverbs 26:24-26

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When we become a Child of God, through faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, He loves us in spite of our failures – in spite of the way we stumble and sometimes fall. But what type of love do we give in return? Do we have a continual love which remains through good and bad, or do we love only during our “scheduled” times and only when the conditions of our life are favorable for worship?

The prophet Habakkuk ministered during the same general time as Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel. This was a time when the southern kingdom of Judah was being invaded by Babylon and eventually taken into captivity. There was great wickedness, sorrow, and fear in the land. Habakkuk asked God many of the same questions we might ask today: “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but You do not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2).

Habakkuk was frustrated that God appeared slow in answering his prayers and was allowing so much evil to go unpunished. Yet through these many trials, Habakkuk developed a deep and unwavering love.

Habakkuk 3:17-18
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Habakkuk presented his heart-felt and anguished concerns; but regardless of the outcome, his love for God would remain unchanged. Even if every one of his prayers seemed to go unanswered, he was determined to love God with all his heart. This same love was expressed by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before they were thrown into the furnace. They knew God could save them, but their love did not depend on being rescued: “But even if He does not {save us}, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:18). They loved God simply because He was God!

We know there will be times when the world around us seems to fall apart – times when our life begins to crumble and the heat of the furnace seems very real. There will also be many times when we just don’t understand God’s plan or timing. Our path may seem unclear and His timing painfully slow. When this occurs, we must strive for a love that doesn’t fade or waver; a love which isn’t weakened by heat or torn by the force of the wind; a love which is pure and not conditioned by external circumstances.

Our Heavenly Father is our only true source of comfort and strength; “He alone is my rock and my salvation: He is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2). He has given His very best, and we ought to return our very best with a life of unbroken worship. Let’s truly rejoice that He is God and faithfully give Him our unconditional love.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

**** Reading Plan ****

Oct 27 Jeremiah 51:1-53; Titus 2:1-15; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 26:17

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A few years ago I visited a planetarium and remember coming away with a renewed wonder of God’s creation. I saw many pictures taken from large telescopes and even many taken from space. The stars are fascinating! I’ve often looked into the night sky and wondered about God’s promise to Abraham: “‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be'” (Genesis 15:5). When Abraham looked into that dark clear sky, you can be sure he saw a LOT of stars.

But as incredible as our night sky appears, the facts of our universe quickly become staggering. During the day we see the sun – which is really just the closest of all the stars. Our sun, though it appears large, is a relatively small star located 93 million miles from Earth. This distance is about the same as traveling around the world 4,000 times. And though this distance is hard to comprehend, the next nearest star is 270,000 time farther away. But that’s only two of the 200 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy – a galaxy which takes light 100,000 years to travel from one end to the other!!

But as incredible as our galaxy appears, the Milky Way is but one of billions of other galaxies within the Universe. There are estimated to be as many galaxies in the Universe as there are stars in the Milky Way.

But as incredible as our Universe appears…

Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Just like that, it was done…and it was good. The Creator spoke and the Universe appeared. He then selected one of the billions of galaxies, one of the billions of stars within the galaxy, and one of the many planets around this star to create a people to call His own. God’s plan from before the foundations of the world was to create a family who is adopted “as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:5-6).

We who believe that Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of our sin have become a testimony of praise to God’s glory and grace. In the same way, the immensity of the stars give testimony; “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). I can barely understand the distance to our sun, let alone the size of our galaxy or the size of the Universe, and I’ll spend a lifetime trying to comprehend the “size” of our God; “The heavens proclaim His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory” (Psalm 97:6).

If we would look up on a clear night we might see that our perceived status, as well as our varied problems, are all quite small. And we might begin to understand our God to be much, much bigger than we thought. We might even just shake our head, as we try to understand His love, and realize this is all for His glory.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

**** Reading Plan ****

Oct 22 Jeremiah 39:1-41:18; 2 Timothy 1:1-18; Psalm 90:1-91:16; Proverbs 26:1-2
Oct 23 Jeremiah 42:1-44:23; 2 Timothy 2:1-21; Psalm 92:1-93:5; Proverbs 26:3-5
Oct 24 Jeremiah 44:24-47:7; 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17; Psalm 94:1-23; Proverbs 26:6-8
Oct 25 Jeremiah 48:1-49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 26:9-12

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In the message “Stay Off The Roof” we saw how seemingly innocent beginnings can have disastrous results when we entertain even the slightest area of temptation. This becomes even more critical in marriage when the result of temptation can cause great pain to the one who has been given to us as a gift from God.

By the middle of the sixth day, God had created the sun, moon and stars; the land, sky, and water; the fish, birds, plants and animals. And when He looked at His creation, “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25). But God’s creation was not yet complete; “Then God said, ‘let us make man in our image'” (Genesis 1:26). Out of the dust of the ground God breathed life into man and put him in the Garden of Eden, “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).

As God watched man go about his work, He saw that something was not right. Some have suggested that man looked a little sad; others have joked that man was making a big mess and kept wandering around, lost and confused. Whatever the cause, God looked at His latest creation and said:

Genesis 2:18
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Adam needed more than someone to help him with his chores; he needed someone to make him complete! So God formed woman, not from the ground but from a rib taken from Adam’s side; “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23).

If God gives us someone as a special gift to make us whole, they ought to be cherished and protected for a lifetime; “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Like pieces of a puzzle that fit neatly together, a God-ordained marriage joins and completes by making two become one.

It’s sad how quickly we forget these basic truths as we continue to place our individual desires ahead of the union created by God. We walk on the roof of temptation without regard to the potential devastation. The result is often a bitter war with years of spiritual bloodshed and an eventual ripping apart of what God has joined. We must stop this downward spiral before it even begins.

To those who have suffered the painful end of a marriage, I pray that you would see the love and forgiveness found in the arms of God. To the MANY singles, I pray that God would give you encouragement and strength; I pray He would be the true and faithful Helper. To those who are married or planning to marry, I pray we would now and forevermore see our spouse as a true gift from God given to make us whole. I pray we would forever thank Him for joining us together and commit to the protection of the union. I pray we would always remember that when God provides our most suitable helper (and completer), the two become one flesh.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

**** Reading Plan ****

Oct 20 Jeremiah 35:1-36:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-25; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 25:25-27

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When Isaac was sixty years old, his wife Rebecca gave birth to twin sons. Esau was born first, followed immediately by Jacob; “with his hand grasping Esau’s heal” (Genesis 25:26). Esau grew to be a skillful hunter while Jacob stayed more around the tents with his mother.

In the days of Esau and Jacob, the firstborn son was given a special honor called the birthright. The child having the birthright received a double portion of the family inheritance as well as the eventual privilege of family leadership. The birthright could be traded, but all future birthright blessings were then lost.

Genesis 25:29-32
“Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ ‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?'”

Esau was a young man who lived “in the moment” and traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. He placed much greater value on immediate gratification than on future blessings, and he exaggerated his immediate need in order to justify the future loss. The mighty hunter may have been hungry – maybe even VERY hungry – but he certainly was not about to die.

Esau’s decision to let go of his birthright was based on the temporary needs he could see and feel. His focus on the immediate caused him to lose the blessings which were greater and long lasting, but unseen. Jacob would later steal Esau’s final blessing from their father, but Easu freely gave away his birthright blessing because he never understood its true value.

Similar trades are being made today. We just don’t understand (or believe) the value of blessings. When a child leaves home in rebellion, they trade the blessing of an honoring relationship with their parents for perceived pleasures of immediate freedom. When a spouse pursues a relationship outside of marriage, they trade the blessing of a God-honoring union for perceived pleasures of the flesh. And when we fail to “wait upon the Lord” with decisions, we have allowed our impatience to trade away the blessing of walking in God’s perfect will. We may spend a lifetime understanding the value of this blessing!

So what bowl of stew are we trading for today? God has promised a blessing for those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, for those who trust in Him for the forgiveness of sin and walk daily in His light. He has promised to set us free to live a life of true peace, purpose, and contentment, and an eternal glory in His presence when we die. ALL worldly pleasures will one day fade away; “For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Let’s devote our lives to worship and obediently follow wherever He leads. Let’s keep our eyes on the eternal and NEVER trade the blessing.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

**** Reading Plan ****

Oct 14 Jeremiah 23:21-25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 25:15
Oct 15 Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16
Oct 16 Jeremiah 28:1-29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 25:17
Oct 17 Jeremiah 30:1-31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19
Oct 18 Jeremiah 31:27-32:44; 1 Timothy 3:1-16; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 25:20-22

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