“Do As I Say, Not As I Do!”

April 12 & 13, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Philippians 4:9
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

   

    “Do as I say, not as I do!” Have you ever heard those words? Many people today who work in factories and the businesses of this world have. If those exact words were not said, they are surely implied by what is seen and lived out.

 

    As parents, we are sometimes guilty of giving our children the same misguided ideas of what is to be understood as right and wrong. We tell our children, “You will do so because I said so. It does not matter what I do, you do as I say.”

 

    The truth is, it does matter what we do. In fact, it matters a great deal. People will do what they see being done by others much quicker than simply doing what they are told to do. In our verse, Paul says Those things which I have taught you, which you understood, or you heard me saying and saw me doing; those are the things you should do. He was simply saying, “Watch me, listen to me, follow me, copy me; I’ll be your example of a Christian.”

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     Can you tell people to watch you, and you will show them what it means to be a Christian? Follow me, and I will show you where you should and should not go. Listen to me, and you will hear what Christians should sound like. Let me share a little secret with you today. It really does not matter if you tell people to watch you or not. When they heard you were a Christian, they began to watch. 

 

Where might you be leading them?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage and today’s Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 12, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1,/NT & PS-2,/Prov-Monthly)}
Joshua 4-7 – Psalm 88
Proverbs 12-13  –  Philippians 3, 4

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Judges 1-2 – Luke 10:25-42

 

WHAT TO DO ON SUNDAY:

    There will not be a Daily Devotion sent out on Sundays. Instead, we encourage you to attend your church and listen intently to what God has prepared in the heart of your Pastor. Write down all the scriptures he uses in that message, then when you get home re-read those passages for today’s reading. God has given to your Pastor exactly what He desires for you on that day.  

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 13, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1,/NT & PS-2,/Prov-Monthly)}
NO READINGS ON SUNDAY

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
NO READINGS ON SUNDAY

Just Who Are You?

April 11, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 11:22
As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

   

    I was walking down the street the other day when I saw a woman walking her dog. This was not so strange, except for the fact that the dog had on a sweater. Now, it may have just been me, but it seemed like the dog was moving fast and kept looking left to right, right to left, as if to say, “I sure hope none of my dog friends see me dressed this way.”

    Now I know, some of you dress your dogs this way, and I guess if it makes you happy to dress up your dog as children do their dolls, it never hurts anything. There actually might be some good to it if it is cold out or something. However, there is one thing we need to remember: under that sweet little cardigan, there is still a dog. You can paint their toenails a rainbow of colors, give them a cute haircut, which often costs more than your haircut did, and put ribbons in their hair. However, at the end of the day, they are still dogs.

    What is the point of all this? People are very much the same way. You can dress up the outside and clean up nicely. You might say all the right things and even go to all the right places. Nevertheless, if you have never accepted Jesus as your Saviour, under all that, you are still lost.
     

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    

    Our verse today speaks of people with no discretion. It is about the inside and the outside of our lives matching. It is not only a verbal testimony of what has happened inside our life but a visible one as well. Do you look like the world and claim Jesus? How do they know you are saved then if they never get close enough for you to tell them? Do you look like the others at church and still not know Jesus as your Saviour? Cleanliness does not get you into heaven, my friend. It is time for the insides and outsides to match!

 

What is your non-verbal testimony for the Lord?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and today’s Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 11, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
Joshua 1-3 – Psalm 87
Proverbs 11 – Philippines 1, 2

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Joshua 23-24 – Luke 10:1-24

What A Friend!
April 10, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 86:7
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

    Some people say they do not need friends. They have the “I can do it on my own” attitude. Well, either these people are a lot stronger than I am, or they are putting on a front. I could not imagine living life every day with no friends. Friends are there to comfort me in times of sorrow. They encourage me when I get depressed. They are the ones I run to when I have a funny story to tell. They are the ones to whom I tell my greatest accomplishments and share my deepest cares with. These are my Friends, and I thank God for them.

    However, sometimes, in the dark of the night, when you do not wish to wake a friend, my closest friend is always there. Not only does He walk with me through the joys of my life, but also in my deepest troubles. I can call on God twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and twelve months a year, all my life. Better yet, not only does He listen to my heart, but He also calms my soul. He is a good enough friend to tell me when I am about to make a mistake in life and encourages me with His Holy Spirit when I do what is best. What better friend could a person have? 

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     A hymn we sing in the church comes to mind. “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear…” What a friend indeed.

Can you think of a better or closer friend than Jesus?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and today’s Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 10, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
Deuteronomy 33, 34 – Psalm 86
Proverbs 10 – Acts 16

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Joshua 21-22 – Luke 9:28-62

 

What A Friend!
April 10, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 86:7
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

    Some people say they do not need friends. They have the “I can do it on my own” attitude. Well, either these people are a lot stronger than I am, or they are putting on a front. I could not imagine living life every day with no friends. Friends are there to comfort me in times of sorrow. They encourage me when I get depressed. They are the ones I run to when I have a funny story to tell. They are the ones to whom I tell my greatest accomplishments and share my deepest cares with. These are my Friends, and I thank God for them.

    However, sometimes, in the dark of the night, when you do not wish to wake a friend, my closest friend is always there. Not only does He walk with me through the joys of my life, but also in my deepest troubles. I can call on God twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and twelve months a year, all my life. Better yet, not only does He listen to my heart, but He also calms my soul. He is a good enough friend to tell me when I am about to make a mistake in life and encourages me with His Holy Spirit when I do what is best. What better friend could a person have? 

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     A hymn we sing in the church comes to mind. “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear…” What a friend indeed.

Can you think of a better or closer friend than Jesus?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and today’s Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 10, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
Deuteronomy 33, 34 – Psalm 86
Proverbs 10 – Acts 16

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Joshua 21-22 – Luke 9:28-62