Sola Scriptura Daily Devotions

Joy, May 12, 2008

2008-05-12T00:01:00.001-07:00

Joy, May 12, 2008

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance...
And you became followers ... of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,

You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of joy in Your presence.

1Thessalonians 1:5-6, Acts 2:28, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Your words to us are unlike the words of the world. Your words enable us to change our lives and our eternal destination. Your words have life changing power. Even if we receive Your words while we are suffering, we know that afflictions are going to be replaced with eternal joy.

You have revealed the secrets and mysteries of life to us if we but read Your word. You would not have us remain as children, understanding only the milk of the word. Help us to come to You daily and to joyfully receive Your light into our hearts. We pray these things in Jesus' Holy name. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Prayer, May 11, 2008

2008-05-11T00:01:00.001-07:00

Prayer, May 11, 2008

God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us.
That Your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
Let the people praise You, O God; let all the people praise You.

…pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalms 67:3, 1Thessalonians 5:17-18, www.solascriptura.com

Father, when You shine upon us You illuminate our hearts and You are a light unto our path. Help us never to go forward in darkness, without You, Your counsel, and Your love. Father, You give us light that Your word might go throughout all of the world. We praise You for equipping us to serve You.

We are asked to pray without ceasing. Teach us this day how to implement that teaching. Help us to include You in everything we do and think. It is Your will that we enjoy the fruits of Your Holy presence (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control), constantly. Our fleshly instincts take us in the opposite direction, too often. We seek to be like You, more and more. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Revenge, May 10, 2008

2008-05-10T00:01:00.001-07:00

Revenge, May 10, 2008

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:17-21

Jesus, we know that You personally taught Paul the wisdom that he brings to us. What a reassuring thing it is to find complete consistency between his words and Yours.

Here we learn that when we are kind and gentle in the face of someone who is angry with us, it confounds them and our kindness, undeserved, actually disarms them. We take no credit for the fruits of the Spirit manifested in our relationships and we do not seek praise from men for being patient and full of self-control.

Teach us today what it means to say, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me". Help us this day to overcome evil with good. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Mind of Christ, May 9, 2008

2008-05-09T00:01:00.001-07:00

Mind of Christ, May 9, 2008

... "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
"None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 8:8-13, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we see that the old covenant, based upon the promises to Israel if they obeyed the law, was replaced by the new covenant. Why? You tell us that Israel did not continue in Your covenant. They sinned and You disregarded them. But thank you Father that was not the end, it was the beginning. You sent Your only Son, Jesus, to live for us and teach us and He died for our sins.

Now every person lives under the new covenant, one in which You have placed Your truth upon our hearts. We no longer need to be taught by man, You are our teacher. We have equal status before You. If we but acknowledge our sin to Jesus and ask for His Light to shine upon our hearts, You have promised to remember our sins no more.

Help us this day to rejoice over the new covenant, one which permits us to have the mind of Christ, in us. In His precious and Holy name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Law of God, May 8, 2008

2008-05-08T00:01:00.001-07:00

Law of God, May 8, 2008

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Romans 13:1-4, www.solascriptura.com

Father, these words of Paul lead us to know that nothing that goes on in this universe is outside of Your control. An evil person would not draw his first breath if You did not allow it to be so and a king is not a king unless You have allowed it to be so. You have taught us that those in authority, who You have permitted to be in authority, are those we must respect and to the extent that we obey the laws of the land we will not be subject to the penalties of enforcement.

We also know Father, that if the governing authority asks us to deny You and to follow them that we are authorized to resist, even unto death.

Help us to be good and to do good because we know we will be seldom punished for being obedient to those You have allowed to be in power. They, if they err in their leadership, can sometimes be voted against but more importantly, they answer to You.

Give us a trusting spirit in knowing You are ultimately in charge and that You will love and protect Your children from evil consequences. Trials will come but we know You are the final authority. We pray for wisdom in this matter. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Prayer, Part 2, May 7, 2008

2008-05-07T00:01:00.001-07:00

Prayer, Part 2, May 7, 2008

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

Psalms 5:1-3, 116:1-2, www.solascriptura.com

Father, when we pray, we know that if we seek Your will for our lives, You listen. Help us understand that You desire to lead us and love us and that Your response to prayers for leadership in our lives is positive and our requests are welcomed. You know our needs better than we do!

We are encouraged to pray early, Father, just as Jesus did so many times in the Scriptures. Praying about everything all day is Your stated will, but setting aside time with You each morning gives us an opportunity to start the day right, seeking Your blessings and direction.

Father, we give so much time to activities that do not include You. Help us today to resolve to seek Your will, early each day, and to look up and know You are waiting for us to call to You. To whom else can we turn? In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Peace, May 6, 2008

2008-05-06T00:01:00.001-07:00

Peace, May 6, 2008

Flee... youthful lusts... pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

2 Timothy 2:22, Hebrews 12:14, www.solascriptura.com

Father, some of us are far too old to still be pursuing youthful lusts. Will Satan ever stop tempting us? We know the answer. Not only will he persist and we also know that You permit the temptations to come. But, at the same time You promise to get us through the temptations of life, if we will but turn to You and trust You (Go to I Corinthians 10:13 and memorize it!).

There will come a day when Satan is restrained and Your joy will reign in the hearts of men (The Millennium) and there will be an even better day when Satan and his allies are destroyed forever. Then, in heaven, we will find out what is like to enjoy Your peace, happiness and joy eternal.

We seek Your Holiness here, today, knowing that if we are unholy, we will never stand in Your presence. Lord, bestow upon us Your gifts today that we may be like You, now and forever. We pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Courage, May 5, 2008

2008-05-05T00:01:00.001-07:00

Courage, May 5, 2008

... let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Philippians 1:27-28, Romans 10:11, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, as Paul toured the area and preached he appealed to his listeners to be diligent, whether he was present with them or not. We know many did faithfully follow his teaching concerning You and some lost hope.

Unlike Paul, who could only be in one city at a time, Your Spirit, Jesus, is everywhere. You are always present, always aware of our thoughts, actions and words. May we bravely proclaim You when we might be inclined to keep silent. Jesus, help us to be Your good and faithful servants, constantly.

Empower, us this day, to access the depth of Your presence, Your support and Your love. You are, at the same moment, our Friend, our Lord and our Protector. Bless us as we seek to serve You this day. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Gods Children, May 4, 2008

2008-05-04T00:01:00.001-07:00

God's Children, May 4, 2008

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:5-7 www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, Peter, who was one of the most outspoken of the disciples, after he had received the gift of the Holy Spirit, became one of Your most effective ministers. He says that young people should be humble in the presence of their elders.

Peter goes on to say that pride, the opposite of humility, is resisted by God. It is "under Your hand" that we are to be humble, not some self-imposed portrayal of humility. You promise to exalt the humble in due time, to lift us up.

God, help us today to show our children that our humility, to the extent we have any, is simply a by-product of our commitment to You. Your concern for even our smallest needs humbles us before You. Bless us and our children and grandchildren this day, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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The Narrow Gate, May 3, 2008

2008-05-03T00:01:00.001-07:00

The Narrow Gate, May 3, 2008

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6 www.solascriptura.com

Father, You tell us that You chose us and that You choose to bless us with every spiritual blessing. You have adopted us. We are heirs to Your Kingdom.

Here, Paul teaches us that we were predestined to be adopted as Your sons, by Jesus Christ, and that His will to do so gave Him pleasure. His grace to us brings glory to His name and He has made us acceptable in His sight.

First, Father, we know that You and Jesus are as one and that our election, our predestination was known by You. You would not be omniscient if You did not know that we would respond to Your love for us, personally. You knew we would accept Your invitation, Your grace and mercy.

Second, when Jesus came here, His life, His death and His resurrection became a pivotal event in history. Where men had been unable to fulfill the Law of the Old Covenant, You taught us, Jesus, that the New Covenant had replaced the Old. We now stand in the presence of the Father, not based on our obedience, but based upon our acceptance of You as savior. We can now stand in the presence of the Father, cleansed of our sin, as sons; sons that He knew would choose to have faith in You Jesus. Perfect! Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Gods Gifts, May 2, 2008

2008-05-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

God's Gifts, May 2, 2008

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;…

James 1:5-7 www.solascriptura.com

Father, James, the half-brother of Jesus, in the beginning, doubted who Jesus was in terms of His being the Son of God and so did the other half- brothers of Jesus. We know Peter denied Jesus three times. In all cases, these men brought the same sort of weakness to the table as we do. We were not always committed to receiving Your grace and we have not always loved Jesus and acknowledged Him as our Savior.

But now, we have the opportunity to ask You to lead us by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can, in all humility and contrition, ask You for wisdom, for comfort, for forgiveness and for perfect fidelity to You and those You have placed in our lives.

You offer us a stern warning that we "must believe and not doubt". Father, please help us with the doubts that sometimes come upon us. We feel so imperfect and at times very uninformed. Help us today to realize that is not our perfection that encompasses us when we approach You. We come to You in the righteousness of Jesus, cleansed by Him, led by Him.

Help our belief in You to lead to higher levels of trust in You. Forgive us when we think You have abandoned one of us. You never leave our side. Help us not to doubt that fact! We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Temple of God, May 1, 2008

2008-05-01T00:01:00.001-07:00

Temple of God, May 1, 2008

...do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 5:17-20 www.solascriptura.com

O' God, we do pray for wisdom and discernment, we do pray for Your word to penetrate our hearts and minds. We do seek to fulfill your will for our lives.

Here we are taught that being out of control, whether it is from alcohol or drugs, leads to dissipation. Most of us have seen the ugly effects being drunk or spaced out. What we need Father, is to learn from what we see and then to rely on Your Spirit within us to overcome temptation and to present our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.

Your admonition is completely positive when You tell us to speak to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in our heart, to You and to the world. When that happens, we simply give thanks to You, in the name of Jesus. What a perfectly natural response to joy, sent to us as a gift.

When disappointments come, and they will not cease to come until we are with You, we do not have joy for the pain, but we are able to have joy as we endure the pain by accessing Your peace and comfort. We are Your temple, You will deliver us; of that we are certain. We pray for Your counsel in our lives in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Prayer, April 30, 2008

2008-04-30T00:01:00.001-07:00

Prayer, April 30, 2008

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

James 5:13-16 www.solascriptura.com

Father, James, the half-brother of Jesus, seems to be one of the more direct persons in proclaiming Your will for us. He speaks clearly and bluntly and always with a sense of urgency concerning our salvation. May we listen intently to the words You gave him.

Here we are reminded of the power of prayer. Father, we sometimes keep our needs, both spiritual and physical, to ourselves. We know that is not recommended although personal and private time with You is still very important.

When we share our concerns and needs with each other You tell us that is good. How Father can we be blessed if we do not ask? Help us, today, to ask for Your intervention and help us to ask our family and friends for prayer, especially when there is a specific need. In asking, we declare our hope in You. We pray that we will be alert to the needs of others, intervening with sincerity and optimism, believing in the power of Your grace and mercy to us all. Heal the sick and broken-hearted. We pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Forgiven, April 29, 2008

2008-04-29T00:01:00.001-07:00

Forgiven, April 29, 2008

Now early in the morning (Jesus) came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
"Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

John 8:2-11, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You teach us much in these verses. We pray for wisdom and discernment in understanding. You, again, cite, "early in the morning" as the time You went to the Temple to pray and teach. Prime time with the Father seems to be "early in the morning".

Then You teach us that the scribes (lawyers) and Pharisees (religious leaders) are in the role of accusers. You did not say they accused falsely, Jesus, You said they too commit sins of various kinds and if any of them thought they were without sin, then step up and cast the first stone in the killing process.

You then teach us that everyone has a conscience that either accuses them or excuses them and that we personally know when we have sinned whether other people know it or not.

Then, in Your mercy, you teach us that adultery is not a sin unto death if one confesses and repents (changes direction). You forgive the woman and you encourage her. O' God, if we could but have that kind of mercy and hope when we see sin in action. Help us today to be part of the healing process, not one of those who accuse. In Jesus' Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Salvation, April 28, 2008

2008-04-28T00:01:00.001-07:00

Salvation, April 28, 2008

... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 www.solascriptura.com

Father, You continually teach us that we each bear our own responsibilities in relation to You. Our relationship is personal. It is not a relationship we are able to inherit or claim as a member of an organization or as a member of a Christian family. We come to You as individuals, seeking to do Your will, knowing that it pleases You immensely when we do so.

What things would you have us do to "work out" our salvation? We know the answer. We must look to Your words, Your heartfelt guidance and Your unending resources, which are readily available to us. Help us today to be part of the solution in bringing words of reassurance to those we meet.

Bless us this day as we draw near to You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

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Hope, April 27, 2008

2008-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hope, April 27, 2008

... we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:3-7, www.solascriptura.com

We thank you Father for sending the Holy Spirit, a constant source of Your Holy presence in us. O'God, Your thoughts toward us exceed number. That is a reality we have a hard time grasping. Can we do any less but to look to You, all day, in every circumstance. We truly never need to walk alone.

You came that we might have abundant life. Thank You Father for helping us understand that it is Your desire that we experience goodness and mercy, at Your hand, even if others try to discourage us. Help us to be an encourager to such people, we pray.

May we draw near to you, constantly? We know that we can! In Jesus' Holy name, we pray, amen

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Temptation, April 26, 2008

2008-04-26T00:01:00.001-07:00

Temptation, April 26, 2008

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
"but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
"For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Genesis 3:1-7, www.solascriptura.com

Father, thank You for sharing this account of "original sin". Some blame Eve for enticing her husband Adam to eat and some say Adam was responsible for being obedient, enticement or not.

You have taught us that it is from this point forward that all men are guilty of sin, born of the flesh; none, no not one, is perfect. You have taught us that it is only in Jesus' perfect atonement that our sins are forgiven and our spirit is witnessed to by Your Spirit. Yes Father, we are no longer in the Garden of Eden, but You have told us of Your plan to restore the Garden of Eden, in heaven.

We now realize our sinful state and our need for redemption from our sin; that is, provided that we have confessed our sin with a humble and contrite heart, and have asked You for forgiveness and cleansing. By Your grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved. Due to the presence of the Holy Spirit, we need never lose the battle to sin again although perfection remains ahead of us. We seek to apprehend perfection but we find it is a race, all the way to the end. We pray for Your strength in us, constantly. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Family Bible Study, April 25, 2008

2008-04-25T00:01:00.001-07:00

Family Bible Study, April 25, 2008

Grace, Faith and Works…In That Order, www.solascriptura.com

What is Grace? Grace is a word that describes God's love toward you. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:8-9 "But don't forget this, dear friends that a day or a thousand years from now is like tomorrow to the Lord." He isn't really being slow about his promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent. TLB

That means that God is very serious about His promises and very patient with His children. God does not want one single person to perish, that is, for their spirit to be separated from God and His people, forever. God wants us to repent, that is, to turn away from sin and to love Him, to turn towards Him. But sin did come into the world when Adam was disobedient (with Eve's encouragement). Adam's sin did not surprise God. Nothing ever surprises God. Our God in omniscient, that is, He knows the beginning from the end and He knows what choices man will make.

Since God will not let sin come into His presence, He provided a way for each of us, as well as any person who ever sinned, to be cleansed, to be washed as white as snow so that we could stand in His presence, just as if we had never sinned.

He sent His Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life among men. Jesus, as a result of being hung on a cross by an angry crowd who did not believe He was the Son of God, died. He died that we might, by believing He is the Son of God, be forgiven and cleansed of our sins. All we have to do, to have eternal life, is to humbly and with sorrow confess our sins, to turn away from sin in the future and to rely upon the power of the risen Christ in us so that we can, by faith, experience on a daily basis, God's protective love. Then God expects us to love Him and obey Him.

Some people call the obedience part "works". That just means doing things that God has commanded, such as loving other people, being Baptized, praying to Him about every decision and about our needs and hopes and the needs of others. Works that are rooted in faith please God. Works, simply intended to earn points with God, do not please Him. Faith in Jesus makes your works noticed by God.

There you have it! First God's grace to you, second your faith in Jesus Christ and third, your works, those things you do to respond to His love. We need to know that the order cannot be reversed.

Discuss why works alone will not bring you eternal life. For instance, if someone is doing a lot of good things, even going to church and tithing and being good to their neighbor, have they yet done the one thing that makes their works lead to eternal life?

Why do you think God's grace must precede faith in Jesus? A way to think about that question is to ask yourselves, "what if God had not sent His only Son to take our sin upon Himself." Could enter into God's presence if our sin was still with us? First, it was God's grace. That means, God's riches at Christ's expense, are ours.

Are your good works earning you favor with Jesus or do you do good works because you love Jesus and have faith that He is the Son of God? Do you think good works that are not particularly motivated by your faith in Christ are as meaningful as good works based on your love for Jesus? What do you think it means when the Bible says, "do all things as unto the Lord?"

Core Christian Value: First God's grace to you, second your faith in Jesus Christ and third, your works, those things you do to respond to His love. We need to know that the order cannot be reversed.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Perseverance, April 24, 2008

2008-04-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Perseverance, April 24, 2008

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.
"Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'
"And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
'yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"
Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.
"And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
"I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

Luke 18:1-9, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, Again, You tell us to persevere and show us that even the unbelieving judge yielded to the continual pleas of the widow. Then Jesus, You teach us that if an unbelieving judge can be influenced by persistence, we can depend upon our God to listen to our cry day and night. We see that we can not despise others and say we trust in You. Our trust is in Your righteousness, not ours.

Jesus, You are the judge of all mankind and You ask the question, "Will You really find faith on earth?" Thank You for teaching us that positive responses are reserved for those who diligently seek You. Help us Jesus to persistently seek the will of the Father, every moment of the day. We are only able to do so because we approach our Father, wrapped in Your righteousness. We know He will not hear us if we persist in sin and then expect blessings. We pray for discernment. In Your Holy name, lead us we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Humility, April 23, 2008

2008-04-23T00:01:00.001-07:00

Humility, April 23, 2008

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.

2 Corinthians 6:1-11, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul is an example to us of one who has been severely tested, yet faithful in every way. Father, we also know that he persecuted Christians before his life-changing encounter with Jesus. Now here he tells us that "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Father, the contrast between pride and humility is always before us. We have such an inclination to allow our ego to overcome us. Help us, today, to know that it is You we seek to please and that even when we do please You, it is due to the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, not our fleshly spirit.

O' God, we know that serving You requires the death of our "old nature". Help us to be what You desire us to be, this day. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Fidelity, April 22, 2008

2008-04-22T00:01:00.001-07:00

Fidelity, April 22, 2008

...no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

James 3:8-13, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we know that to be faithful to You, we should not be inconsistent in our approach to others. You have taught us that all people are created in Your image. Help us look upon people as Your potential servants, some of whom are called early in life and some later.

We see, Father, that a fig tree does not bear olives. Are there times, Father, that we claim to be Your children and then openly sin against You and others? Father, we pray for fidelity, for consistency in our daily walk. Help us to never be hypocritical, bringing shame to ourselves, when we deeply want to be as You, Jesus.

Help us to be an encourager, not saying in one breath that we love You and in the next breath, to speak despairingly of men. Give us the gift of fidelity, one in which our love for You isn't mixed with unloving actions towards others. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Industriousness, April 21, 2008

2008-04-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Industriousness, April 21, 2008

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

John 15:12-16, www.solascriptura.com

Father, You have taught us that the two greatest commandments are to love You with all our heart, mind and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves. It seems Father, that all Christians find the first commandment completely clear and that the command to love our neighbors, though clear, is much more challenging. Help us to understand that the kind of love we should have for each other is as the love You have for us.

Father, not many of us have the depth of love for others that we have for You. Help us to see that our own imperfections make it difficult at times for others to love us. Then help us to see that the imperfections in our acquaintances and friends are not only to be expected but they are to be forgiven as You have forgiven us.

Father, again You say, bear fruit! We thank you for defining the fruits of the Spirit that should characterize our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self control. Now help us to manifest our love for You by loving our neighbors in a way that is impossible without Your Spirit in us. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Conscience, April 20, 2008

2008-04-20T00:01:00.001-07:00

Conscience, April 20, 2008

"This is the covenant that I will make with them...says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,"
... brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
and having a High Priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:16, 19-23, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we are so grateful that we are no longer judged by the Law. If we were to choose to remain under the Law, our sins would still be with us. For the New Covenant, we are grateful. You not only cleansed us of our sins but You then inscribed the truth on our hearts and minds, forever, and the miracle of being born again with a new purpose in life is ours if we would but love and obey.

We no longer stand outside the Holy of Holies, but we are invited behind the veil, right into Your presence and there You call us friends. Such truth is too great for us to fully comprehend.

Let us draw near to You Jesus, our High Priest and more, for cleansing, strengthening, counseling, and comfort. No one on this earth can do for us what You have already done and what You are yet able to do if we but trust and obey. The refreshment of Your cleansing water in our lives daily is like none other. You are the Living Water. Fill us afresh. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Joy, April 19, 2008

2008-04-19T00:01:00.001-07:00

Joy, April 19, 2008

Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophecies.
Test all things; hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.

1Thes 5:16-22, www.solascriptura.com

Father, in 7 sentences, Paul teaches us the basics of our faith. We do rejoice always, in good times and in bad times because of Your Holy presence with us and in us. We often fail to pray unceasingly but here we see it is Your will that we never stop acknowledging Your presence in every small and every large event of our lives. Not a hair falls from our head that You do not notice. Help us to observe You with equal attention and to ask You into every circumstance of our lives.

We do not always give thanks when we are being challenged but again, it is Your will we do so because You are allowing us to be tested. We know that to quench the Spirit is to remove You from the situations we encounter. Father, we acknowledge that absent the presence of the Spirit, we are depending upon ourselves. In such cases we are going it alone. We pray that is never the case.

Father, despising teaching is the path of a self centered, self directed person. Help us learn from the prophets and from You Jesus.

Help us this day to abstain from evil, to flee from it, never to gaze upon that which is sinful. It feels so good to do the right thing and we feel so weak, so impotent when we allow sin to fill our mind and our eyes. We feel tricked by Satan, the great deceiver, when we entertain sin. We simply want to be as You Jesus. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Prayer, Part I, April 18, 2008

2008-04-18T00:01:00.001-07:00

Prayer, Part I, April 18, 2008

Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness, like those who have long been dead.
Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed.
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.
I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah
Answer me speedily, O LORD; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

Psalms 143:1-7, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we know that Kind David and others suffered as they sought to fulfill Your expectations. We seldom suffer as we seek to do Your will. Perhaps we are less overt in our efforts and we are spared suffering because we do not engage in the battle. Help us this day to run the risk of being persecuted as a result of our declared love for You.

We do not seek persecution Father, but if it comes as a result of our efforts to serve You, so be it. Strengthen our resolve to be Your person in the midst of a sinful world and allow Your enemies to become as was always intended, Your children.

Give us love and wisdom in our witness. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011

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Sola Scriptura Daily Devotions

Joy, May 12, 2008

Prayer, May 11, 2008

Revenge, May 10, 2008

Mind of Christ, May 9, 2008

Law of God, May 8, 2008

Prayer, Part 2, May 7, 2008

Peace, May 6, 2008

Courage, May 5, 2008

Gods Children, May 4, 2008

The Narrow Gate, May 3, 2008

Gods Gifts, May 2, 2008

Temple of God, May 1, 2008

Prayer, April 30, 2008

Forgiven, April 29, 2008

Salvation, April 28, 2008

Hope, April 27, 2008

Temptation, April 26, 2008

Family Bible Study, April 25, 2008

Perseverance, April 24, 2008

Humility, April 23, 2008

Fidelity, April 22, 2008

Industriousness, April 21, 2008

Conscience, April 20, 2008

Joy, April 19, 2008

Prayer, Part I, April 18, 2008

Gods Children, May 4, 2008

Gods Gifts, May 2, 2008