Stop It! - December 19, 2010

Daily Reading

Titus 1-3

Daily Verse

It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions,

and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:12

Daily Thought

Bob Newhart plays the therapist,
Dr. Switzer.
Katherine plays... Katherine.

DR. SWITZER: "I charge $5 for the first five minutes. And then absolutely nothing after that. How does that sound?"

KATHERINE: "That sounds great. Too good to be true, as a matter of fact."

DR. SWITZER: "I can almost guarantee you that our session won't last the full five minutes."

So, she explained her problems.

DR. SWITZER: "I'm going to say two words to you right now. I want you to listen to them very carefully and then I want you to take them out of the office with you and incorporate them into your life. You ready?"

She nodded.

DR. SWITZER: "Stop It!"

KATHERINE: "Stop It?"

DR. SWITZER: "S. T. O. P. New word. I. T. Stop It!"

KATHERINE: "So, what are you saying?"

DR. SWITZER: "You know, it's funny, I say two simple words and I cannot tell you the amount of people who say exactly the same thing you are saying. This is not Yiddish, Katherine. This is English. Stop It."

KATHERINE: "So, I should just stop it?"

"Then neither do I condemn you," declared Jesus. "Go and sin no more."
~John 8:11

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

(If you'd like to see the skit, click here)

Daily Prayer

Father God, it is so clear what is good and what is evil. Our eyes were open when we ate the fruit in the garden, and we knew that we had done wrong. I need to stop, but I can't. Or won't. I not only sin, but I like my sin. God, change me from the inside out.

Thank You for salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am made righteous. Thank You, as well, for the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me. May I always keep in step with Your Spirit. May I stop sinning and walk rightly in this world.

Amen

I Hate Spiders - December 5, 2010

Daily Reading

2Corinthians 5-9

Daily Verse

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

2Corinthians 5:17

Daily Thought

She came with her mom to the Wednesday night prayer meeting. Every week.

She was twelve, the youngest in the room, but she liked to pray and she liked the prayers of the people who came.

Except one man. He prayed long every week, and every week finished with, "And now, Lord, clean all the cobwebs out of our lives."

At long last, she could take no more. The man, as always, prayed what he always prayed.

But before he said "Amen," she jumped to her feet and shouted, "Don't do it, Lord! Kill the spider!"

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to the earthly nature.
~Colossians 3:5

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are holy and good. Your Son has taken the penalty of my sin and given me his righteousness. Thank You so much!

May I rid myself of the desires, the thoughts, the habits of old. May I put them to death. Help me kill them. I don't want to think and act the way I used to, but rather, to live the life You created me to live. A life of service and love, of goodness and peace, that gives You glory and pleasure.

Amen

Guilty For Jesus - September 15, 2010

Daily Reading

Daniel 4-6

Daily Verse

Finally these men said,

"We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel

unless it has something to do with the law of his God."

Daniel 6:5

Daily Thought

"Accomplishments were too small to fill the void, constantly reminding me there was something more to living, something more to what I did with my life."

And, boy, did she have accomplishments. Valedictorian of the Class of 2006, Brittany McComb graduated with a 4.7 grade point average.

"This hole," Brittany continued her speech, "gapes like a wide open trench when filled with friends, with family, with swimming, with drinking, with shopping, with partying, with anything but God. But His love fits. It's unprejudiced, it's merciful, it's free, it's real, it's huge, and it's everlasting."

Cheers from the student body.

"God's love is so great that He gave up His only Son that..."

Silence. They pulled the plug. Her speech was over.

Brittany earned the right to speak, but not the freedom to speak.

You can't say "Jesus" at Brittany's high school graduation.

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

My Savior, my God, my Friend. Yes, You called me friend. I love You so much. How can I not speak of You?

I thank You so much for Your care for me. You gave me parents and friends, a neighborhood and teachers, many people have had an incredible influence on me. But You, most of all. If I talk of my friends and family, how much more shall I shout Your Name. You are the One who gives meaning and purpose, who fills me with love and compassion, who teaches me about life. You are my God.

Amen.

Some Stand, She Sat For Righteousness - September 3, 2010

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 22-23

Daily Verse

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall

and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land

so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Ezekiel 22:30

Daily Thought

"I looked for a man among them who would stand."
--Ezekiel 22:30

December 1, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks rode the bus, as usual. She sat in the front row of the section reserved for blacks. A white man got on and there were no more seats in the white section, so the bus driver told Parks to move back. She refused to move.

Instead, God used a woman who sat.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
--Ephesians 6:14-15

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

My God, You created this world and called it good. We chose to do things our way, and it has gone bad ever since. We have lost the ability to do good unless we are brought back into a relationship with You, our great God and Savior.

Thank You for the righteousness of Your Son Jesus Christ, which becomes our righteousness when we give our lives to Him. By Your grace, through faith, we can live again displaying Your goodness, serving one another with the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. May we, at all times, stand for Your Kingdom and Your righteousness.

Amen.

Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire - August 22, 2010

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 46-48

Daily Verse

"On all the roofs in Moab

and in the public squares

there is nothing but mourning,

for I have broken Moab

like a jar that no one wants,"

declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 48:38

Daily Thought

"Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,

and those who escape the trap will step into a snare.
I will see to it that you do not get away,
for the time of your judgment has come,"
says the Lord.
--Jeremiah 48:44

Don't mess with God.

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

Righteous God of Justice, You are holy. Thank You for salvation, because I deserve Your wrath. My righteousness does not measure up - it is as filthy rags. And my unrighteousness, well, I'm good at that. You have covered my sin by the blood of Your Son. There is, therefore, now no condemnation because the righteousness of Your Son is now mine. Praise God.

Amen.

The Bride Adorns Herself With Jewels - July 31, 2010

Daily Reading

Isaiah 59-63

Daily Verse

I delight greatly in the LORD;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:10

Daily Thought

Our wedding had been her dream since little girls begin dreaming.

Debbie can tell you every detail of our wedding. I can tell you one.

8,500 pearls.

A friend made her gown. It was white silk, long train, all that stuff. Ask Debbie. The detail I remember is the 8,500 little pearls she sewed one at a time on that dress. That's a lot of pearls and a lot of sewing.

Debbie was dazzling and heavenly and beautiful. This was her dream, to look her best for the man she loved.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
--Revelation 19:7-8

And I was that man.

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

My God, When you are betrothed to the King, when you are engaged to our Savior, when you are promised to Jesus Christ, then the flirting ends. How many times do we still smile and wink at the world, the flesh, and the devil?

Our acts, what we do, these are the fine silk linen, the pearls sown on the bridal gown of the bride of Jesus Christ. May all of our lives be preparation for a wedding.

Amen

A Peaceful Easy Feeling - July 30, 2010

Daily Reading

Isaiah 54-58

Daily Verse

"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

Isaiah 57:21

Daily Thought

He drives fast, whips around a gentleman in a little red car, who is not in a hurry, and speeds ahead. The next light is red. Brake. Accelerate. Brake again.

"Speed checked by radar," means business on this street. Eyes dart from the rear view mirror to searching ahead, then back to the mirror. He will see the cop before the cop sees him.

Switching lanes for the 7th time in 12 miles, the last turn is ahead. He checks his watch. Fifteen minutes. Not bad.

"Why am I so tense?" He rubs his shoulder.

"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
--Isaiah 57:21

He turns the corner and glances at the mirror one last time, spying the little red car coasting through the intersection, 30 seconds behind.

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

God of Peace, when I follow You, when I walk on the path You lay before me, when I pursue righteousness, I live confidently and I enjoy peace. What a wonderful feeling it is, Father, to think back on my day without shame. To smile because I made You smile. To know that I do not fear getting caught because I have nothing to hide. To simply remember what is true because I told no lies.

God, when I do what is right, I find rest. And it's a lot easier to talk with You.

Amen

Nothing Can Be Politically Right That Is Morally Wrong - July 10, 2010

Daily Reading

Isaiah 5-8

Daily Verse

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

and clever in their own sight.

Isaiah 5:21

Daily Thought

Pilate said to the Jews, "I find no basis for a charge against him. It is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
--John 18:38-39

"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
--John 19:15-16

Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil,

who put darkness for light

and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet

and sweet for bitter.

--Isaiah 5:20

Pilate took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood."
--Matthew 27:24

Nothing can be politically right that is morally wrong.
--Benjamin Rush, 1793 (a signer of the Declaration of Independence)

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

Daily Prayer

Righteous God, You are good and Your Words bring life. May I be one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. May I live in peace, in so far as I am able. But, if something is wrong, may I be a defender of right, a defender of justice. May I be one who speaks up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of the poor and the needy.

May I never wash my hands of what is right and just and good.

Amen

Except For Adultery And Murder - June 26, 2010

Daily Reading

1Kings 15:25-16:34, 2Chronicles 17

Daily Verse

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years

he walked in the ways his father David had followed.

2Chronicles 17:3

Daily Thought

For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD
...except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
--1Kings 15:5

I remember Uriah. David had sex with Uriah's wife, then David murdered Uriah.

For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD
...except for that time he committed adultery and murder.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
--Romans 7:24

Too big to be covered up by murder,
David's sin could only be covered by grace.

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
--John Newton (former slave-ship captain)

David's sin was big. God's grace is bigger. You can't sin too big for God's grace.

To God's Glory,
Dave Price

P.S., Don't try.

Daily Prayer

My God, Blessed is he

whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Thank You, God, for Your grace.

Amen