2 Corinthians 5:16

" ... we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view." 

       This is something we as current day believers must stop doing. I can make a complete assessment of someone; their financial status, their maturity level, their monetary value, all based on the way they dress, talk, act and react without hesitation. That's sad and I'm happy to say I am getting much better at NOT doing that. I have been praying on and off about seeing people the way God sees them. It's starting to work. May God help me to succeed in this way.

                                                                                                                                                      rlkeller

AN INVITE TO MEET ST NICHOLAS & READ THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE

https://rlkeller4291.wixsite.com/mysite ... go to my ministry website for a history of St. Nicholas & of the Christmas Tree. Once on the website, you can simply click on the web address to the right of the colorful St. Nicholas banner and click on the menu tab titled History of the Christmas Tree to go to page 2 of my website to read the tree's history courtesy of DeLong's Farm of Nova Scotia.

Don't wait because it will be taken down once the new year comes.

Prayer of Confession

Eternal God, in every age you have raised up men & women to live in faith. We confess that our faith has been lacking. You call us to proclaim your gospel in all of our associations, but we are silent. You call us to do what is just, but we are unfair instead.You call us to live faithfully, but too often we doubt your power & trust in our own reason alone. In your mercy, forgive us. Give us courage to trust the path that you have established for us that we may inherit the heavenly kingdom you promised in Jesus Christ. Amen 

Prayer of Confession

     "Merciful God, you call us to turn away from behaviors and attitudes that belong to the darkness and to live honest and transparent lives as your children. We confess there are times when we've failed you, giving in to our darker thoughts and desires and acting in ways that did not bring honor to your name. Lord, in your mercy, forgive us. Teach us how to live as children of light. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen."

[ as read during the Westminster Presbyterian Church service of Sunday, Sept 17, 2017 ]

OBEDIENCE

"We are to obey God & his standards in order to 

fulfill his purpose for our lives."

rlkeller

I AM DEEPLY HUMBLED ...

United States	52385
Russia	6336
France	3339
Germany	2809
United Kingdom	1918
Ukraine	1607
Australia	1141
Poland	996
India	955
Philippines	914

 

The above numbers represent page views for my devotional blog over the years.

I am floored that people from all those countries tap into what I am writing.

I am over 90,000 total page views ... over 90,000 people have read my devos since March of 2011.

And all the praise, glory and honor goes to Almighty God. Without him I'd have nothing of any eternal value to say (or write). Praise the Lord. Amen!!

rlkeller

Words To Live By ...

Live your life in such a way that if anyone spoke badly about you 

no one would believe it.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"Forgive us, Lord, for we know our guilt; our sin is before us. In our hearts seeds of darkness grow fear, anger, greed, violence of spirit. Merciful God, teach us obedience and faith. Help us to see your mighty hand at work in the world. Guide us to peace, joy and the shining hope of life beyond death. Amen." [ from the service at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Middletown, NJ ]

TO SEE THE UNSEEN

"He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak." - Isaiah 40:29
     An example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words:

I believe in the sun, even though it doesn't shine,
I believe in love, even when it isn't shown.
I believe in God, even when he doesn't speak.

     I try to imagine the person who etched those words. I try to envision his skeletal hand gripping the broken glass or stone that cut into the wall. I try to imagine the eyes squinting through the darkness as he carved each letter. What hand could have cut such a conviction? What eyes could have seen good in such horror?

     There is only one answer: Eyes that chose to see the unseen."

[ The August 11th writing by Max Lucado from his inspirational book Grace for the Moment. ]

C.S. LEWIS Quote ...

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"Lord, you have searched us & know us. Even when we want to do what is good, we often fail to do it; instead we do what we hate. Sin & warring impulses struggle within us. Forgive us, gracious God. Enable us to surrender our burdens to you & find rest in your forgiveness & grace. Teach us to take up our cross & walk with you on the path that leads to happiness & peace. Amen."

Taken from the Westminster Presbyterian Church service.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"O God, many things scream for attention in our lives. They distract us and lead us away from you. Forgive us, Lord, for allowing lesser things interrupt our life of prayer and discipleship. Help us pursue you and your Kingdom above all else. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, to whom we belong. Amen." - from service at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Middletown, NJ.

RELUCTANCE

"Reluctance is the product of our selfish nature."

"If obedience is the product of a selfless heart, 

then reluctance or hesitation is the product of a selfish heart." 

rlkeller

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"God of grace, your Spirit dwells within us guiding us 
in the ways that lead to life and happiness. We confess that 
in many ways we turn our backs on you and 
the beautiful path that leads to life. 
O God, forgive us, renew us and inspire us 

that our hearts may burn with desire to love you more 

than we love this world of shadows and dust. Amen." 

from Westminster Presbyterian Church service - Middletown, NJ 

website - http://wpcmiddletown.org

QUOTABLE QUOTES

"Life is the result of your choices." - Albert Camus

"Success is what you do for others." - Danny Thomas

WORLDLY LOVE

"Worldly love is selfish, egotistical and self-serving and as a result doesn't last!"

RLKeller  

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"Lord of heaven and earth, hear our prayer. Temptation and sin lies close at hand. Empower us to cast our sin and worldly burdens upon you. Restore to us the right relationship that we enjoy with you, O God, source of grace and truth. 

Teach us to walk in your ways thru your Son, 

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"Dear God, so many things scream for attention in our lives. It's tough to carve out time for you & maintain a quiet heart & spiritual life. Forgive us, Lord, for allowing lesser things to interrupt our life of prayer & discipleship. Help us to pursue you & your Kingdom above all else. Amen"

[Taken from the bulletin of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Middletown, NJ]

YOU R A GIFT

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"O God, you do not look on our outward appearance but on our hearts. You see the truth within us as well as the evil that we try to hide. Have mercy upon us, O God. Change our hearts & restore within us a burning desire to live lives of integrity & holiness, so that our consciences may be relieved & our outward living may express our inner devotion to you, our Lord & King. We ask this in the name of the One to whom we belong, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

NEW WEBSITE

I have a new website up and running. I plan to add a lot more to it over time, but for now check it out to see how it looks. 

Hope you like what you see. 

May God richly bless you!! 

rlkeller

website link:  http://rlkeller4291.wixsite.com/mysite

THINK ABOUT IT ...

"To turn away wrath & seek peace, 

choose gentle words."

Footnote for Proverbs 15:1 in the Life Application Study Bible.

THINK ABOUT IT ...

"Even if God never answered another prayer, 

what was done on the cross would be enough."

- RL Keller -

THE BRIEF JOURNEY OF LIFE

"He who 'lives forever' has placed himself at the head of a band of pilgrims who mutter, 'How long, O Lord? How long?'" - 

                                                                                Psalm 89:46 NIV

     "How long must I endure this sickness?"

     "How long must I endure this spouse?"

     "How long must I endure this paycheck?"

     Do you really want God to answer? He could, you know. He could answer in terms of the here and now with time increments we know. "Two more years on the illness." "The rest of your life in the marriage." "Ten more years for the bills."

     But he seldom does that. He usually opts to measure the here and now against the there and then. And when you compare this life to that life, this life ain't long. - [May 22 entry from Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado.]

WHO IS GOOD?

"Who determines who is good and who is bad? Like the question of who is qualified to set a universal standard of living, who would be qualified to establish what is good and/or bad behavior? According to scripture no one is good enough. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. In Mark 10:18, Jesus tells the disciples that no one is good except Almighty God. We cannot work our way to heaven by doing good because we have no idea what being good is. Submit to God's will for you and find out what good truly is. God is good; he is righteous, holy, just, truthful, loving, merciful, gracious and kind. Man is not. Man flip flops emotionally based on his currant situation and vacillates as his situation changes. God remains the same, unchanged by the winds of change." rlkeller

Choices

We all make hundreds of choices each day. As followers of Christ we must imitate his life in thoughts, words and deeds. When you make a decision that impacts more than just yourself, do you consider what the Lord would do in that situation? You should, because non-believers are watching. They want to see what is so different about you. Keep that in mind when you start each day. The whole world is watching ... show them Jesus. rlkeller

AN OPPORTUNITY ...

Dear faithful followers of Christ,

I feel impressed to extend an opportunity to all those who have been an important part of Bread of Life Ministries. The opportunity is to be a part of the publishing of my 4th book, STARK RAVING OBEDIENCE, which I am in the midst of writing at this time. I have 6 chapters complete but have much more to say on the topic so I don’t have a clear idea when it will be finished. Once completed, I will be confronted with a financial obstacle I know the Lord will remedy when the time is right.

My offer to you is that you become partners in this endeavor by making donations to Bread of Life Ministries. Any monies I receive as donations will be placed in this simple interest bearing savings account. When the time comes to publish my book I trust that enough money will have been accrued to pay for the publishing of my book. At that point it will not be my book alone, but our book and most importantly, God's book. 

All I am asking is that you lay this before the Lord and ask if you should be involved. If you feel the answer is yes, then ask him how much and how often. Any size donation is humbly and gratefully received and appreciated. When I am putting the finishing touches on the manuscript I will have on a separate page the names of all those who contributed to the publication of this work. This would be a collaborative effort that we can all be very proud of. 

So think about it, pray about it and if you don't wish to be involved then that's perfectly fine. I don't know anyone’s personal situation and only offer this as an opportunity to be a part of this ministry endeavor.  

You will notice on top of the upper right hand column on my devotional blog, ministry blog and author’s blog a PayPal button so your donation can be done quickly and easily.

Thank you for your time and may God continue to bless you and your family so that you might be a blessing!

RL Keller

Author & Founder of Bread of Life Ministries

http://pandevidamin.blogspot.com

http://minidevos.blogspot.com

http://rlkeller-christianauthor.blogspot.com

GOD LOOKS AT OUR HEARTS

"Man prejudges based on externals, but God looks into the deepest recesses of our hearts and shows us mercy and grace."

RL Keller

from his sermon "The Standard" 

UNDESERVING

FOCUS ...

Zig Ziglar

The door has closed on your past. You no longer live there. Focus on what is ahead of you. The Holy Spirit will take you there (if you let him) and God will provide untold blessings! rlk

TOMORROW

     Do you realize that God is in absolute control over everything that transpires in this life? Do you also realize that his power is such that with one word from the mouth of God your entire situation can change for the better. The key is to have patience while waiting for God to act on your behave. It's coming. Hang on and never stop trusting God.

Prayer of Confession

"Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direst what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. We pray this thru Christ, our Lord. Amen."

GOD, OUR FOCAL POINT

Psalm 73:25-26 New Living Translation

“Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

            The writer of this Psalm observed what took place in the world and struggled with the prosperity of the wicked. Why would those who do evil in the sight of the Lord prosper? Worldly people will never realize that fixing their eyes on the temporal will never bring them satisfaction and that is essentially the conclusion the author comes to. It’s not too much different than Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes. He had tasted and seen that all was “vanity, a chasing after the wind.” In the end, (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) Solomon says, “That is the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.”

            The author of Psalm 73 reveals his reliance and unwavering trust in the Lord and this is healthy outlook; one that believers today should adopt. No matter what happens to us in our life we must always look to the Lord as our sole provider and comforter, for he is the only one who never fails to provide and comfort. His love for us is without condition and never ending.

            At the end of the day, though our thoughts and moods change like shifting sand, God remains the same. He is the one truth that all else should be measured by. If your heart is divided between God and anything else, then you are making a tragic mistake. God alone should be our all in all. As we enter into the Lenten season, focus on the Lord and not anything else and strive all the more to be like Christ in all your thoughts, words and actions. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible.

WHEN THINGS GET ROUGH ...

... when things get rough and money is tight or some other calamity befalls me I lean on the following verse to bolster my faith and give me hope:

"I was young & now I am old yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

Psalm 37:25 NIV

OUR PRAYERS ...

"Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference."

Max Lucado, 

out of his book He Still Moves Stones

GOD'S FORGIVENESS

"God does not forgive all people indiscriminately; He waits until they turn to Him with 

prayers of repentance."

Note re: Psalm 86:5 from The Life Application Study Bible.