Who Will Receive the Blessing?

Who Will Receive the Blessing? TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: " Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation" (Psalm 24:3-5, NKJV). TODAY'S WORD: God wants you to receive every blessing that He has in store for you. In His Word, He tells you about His wonderful blessings, but He also tells you how to receive His blessings—by having clean hands and a pure heart. We are made pure and clean by the precious blood of Jesus when we make Him our Lord and Savior and turn away from anything that displeases Him. I’ve found that most of the time, it’s not the big things that keep us from God’s best; it’s the small things—maybe it starts with an offense that turns into unforgiveness. Maybe you watch something on TV or the internet that you know you shouldn’t, and it becomes a bad habit that steals your time and pollutes your mind. Today, make the decision to let go of anything that would keep you from His blessings. Make the decision to be a person of excellence and integrity. Treat others with respect and kindness and look for ways to be a blessing. Be determined to live a life that pleases God so that you can receive the abundance He has in store for you! PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father in heaven, thank You for the blood of Jesus that cleanses and renews me. I choose to turn away from anything that displeases You so that I can live righteously before You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

PS...

God Has a Plan for 2014. Shouldn’t You?   by Rick Warren “[God] planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.” Ephesians 1:10 (GWT) Goal setting isn’t just a good idea for productivity. It’s a spiritual discipline, like prayer, fasting, giving, and reading your Bible. In fact, goal setting can be an act of stewardship as you attempt to make the most of all God has given you. You can waste your life. Plenty of people do it. To make the most of your life and invest it in a way that outlasts you, you’ll need goals. You’re either someone who makes things happen or watches things happen — or maybe you have no idea what’s happening! Those who make things happen are the people who change the world. Even God sets goals. The Bible says, “[God] planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.” Ephesians 1:10 (GWT). God didn’t sit around and let the history of the world unfold in a way he found appropriate. He planned history. God has goals for the Church. God has goals for every facet of the universe. History is moving to a climax. There will be a judgment day, when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. History is moving toward that goal — because God planned it that way. If God plans, so should we. God wants us to be like him in all facets of our lives, including goal setting. I’ve heard people say, “I’m not going to plan. I’m just going to trust God and go with the flow.” That’s not spiritual; it’s stupid! You shouldn’t go one more day without making plans for this year. Otherwise, you’ll drift through 2014 as you’ve likely done in previous years. If God has a plan for the next year, shouldn’t you? Talk It Over How does goal-setting make you a better steward of the life you’ve been given? What are some goals you plan on setting for 2014? How does your eternal perspective affect the kind of goals you set?