Wednesday, March 31, 2010

3/31 Manna

DYSMAS CONDUIT

FREE FOOD

(Isa 55:1)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010

Question for the day:

What can we pray with YOU about today?

Good morning,

This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.

God’s blessings, our love,

George & Sidney Granger

CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer. Sandy’s mother passed away suddenly on 3/26. May the Lord guide both Mike and Sandy through the grieving process, and soothe the entire family with His love and compassion as they face one of the most difficult of all trials in any of our lives.

Sandy Brommer

EVERYONE: Please keep my sisters and me in your thoughts and prayers over the next several days. Our Mother passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly this evening. She went out to dinner with my sister, and had a sudden heart attack (we think) and died very quickly........doctor says she didn't even have chance to feel it.

We will be Celebrating the Life and eternal life of Lida Marie Peasley in a special memorial service at Messiah this Thursday, April 1, at 11am. Luncheon to follow in Family Life Center . There will also be a visitation with the family from 10 am til the time of the service. Pastor Kurt will officiate.

Please lift the Family of Marie up in prayer. Lord grant them your comfort and strength at this time. --Pastor Kurt

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY

March 31, 2010

The Satisfaction of the Cross

Rachel Olsen

"When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,

he will be satisfied."

Isaiah 53:11a (NLT)

Devotion:

Approximately 600 years before Jesus was sentenced to the cross, the prophet Isaiah foretold of the event. Invite Isaiah's ancient words of prophecy to penetrate your soul today, and prepare your heart for Easter:

"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. Many were amazed when they saw him beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about.

Who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.

“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave.

“But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners." Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 (NLT)

Approximately 2,000 years after Jesus died on the cross, the passion of our Christ is still the power and path of God to salvation. Jesus' suffering accomplished righteousness for us—and through it both He and we are satisfied.

Dear Lord, may I realize afresh today what Your death and resurrection mean for me. Forgiveness … Freedom … And the ability to walk with You through this fallen world into eternity. May I always find my satisfaction in You and Your willingness to offer Yourself to me.

Application Steps:

Take satisfaction in the love and power of God today - it is given for, and directed at you!

Reflections:

What sins do I need to confess and release under the power of the cross?

Am I walking in the freedom Christ accomplished for me?

Power Verses:

Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (ESV)

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence." (GWT)

YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY

Were You There?

Selah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPt8X565tY4

…and…

Back to the Bible

Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert

Thomas: Hope for the Doubting Heart

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

It's easy to be skeptical, to doubt things that seem unlikely or impossible.

But Jesus has a knack for turning doubt to confidence as you'll learn today...

Series: Finding Hope in Jesus' Resurrection

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/

Please send your prayer requests to

dysmasconduit.@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

3/30 Manna

DYSMAS CONDUIT

FREE FOOD

(Isa 55:1)

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010

Question for the day:

How do you handle disappointment?

What can we pray with YOU about today?

Good morning,

This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.

God’s blessings, our love,

George & Sidney Granger

CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer. Sandy’s mother passed away suddenly on 3/26. May the Lord guide both Mike and Sandy through the grieving process, and soothe the entire family with His love and compassion as they face one of the most difficult of all trials in any of our lives.

Sandy Brommer

EVERYONE: Please keep my sisters and me in your thoughts and prayers over the next several days. Our Mother passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly this evening. She went out to dinner with my sister, and had a sudden heart attack (we think) and died very quickly........doctor says she didn't even have chance to feel it.

We will be Celebrating the Life and eternal life of Lida Marie Peasley in a special memorial service at Messiah this Thursday, April 1, at 11am. Luncheon to follow in Family Life Center . There will also be a visitation with the family from 10 am til the time of the service. Pastor Kurt will officiate.

Please lift the Family of Marie up in prayer. Lord grant them your comfort and strength at this time. --Pastor Kurt

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY

March 30, 2010

Here is the Way

Lynn Cowell

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

'This is the way; walk in it.'"

Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Devotion:

Should we say yes? It is seems like such a great opportunity. Besides, we deserve it, don't we? I mean, we never do anything for ourselves …

Once again, my mind is swirling with the pros and cons of the decision my husband and I face. I hear the things my mind is telling me…or is that my heart? Whether it is my mind or my heart, the real question is should I listen to it? Can I trust it?

Like most of you, I have been at this place before. The places of crossroads where choices are clear, but direction is not. The columns of "good" and "bad" on the paper don't seem to give us the answer we need. That is how logical people make decisions, isn't it? But it isn't working; so which way do we go?

My friend was recently running before sun-up. She was alone as her partner had run on ahead. She came across a patch of sidewalk where there were no street lights. It was dark and hard to see where to go ahead, and she began to feel afraid. "Lord, You are going to have to help me." she prayed. Then a car approached from behind, casting light onto her path. The closer it got, the clearer she could see. She sensed the Lord wanted her to know that just as He was with her when she was running, so in life He is behind her, shining light on her path and protecting her back.

Our key verse in Isaiah causes me to reflect on the whole decision-making process when trying to discern the right path. "…Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" But what about the voice we frequently hear, saying, "Follow your heart, it will never steer you wrong!" That voice is the voice from within, not the voice from behind.

Maybe some of you grew up memorizing verses like I did. Back then, so many of the verses didn't make sense to me. One in particular was Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (NIV). That seemed like a depressing verse! Yet now as an adult I am finally beginning to unpack the wisdom.

You see, we can't in fact follow our heart. Our heart can't be trusted. Our heart will lie to us and tell us things we want to hear instead of the truth we need to hear. It will convince us that what we want is the right way, even if that way is not God's way. I know; I've listened to it before.

When we find ourselves at the crossroads, the first place to turn is God's Word. So many of the questions we ask can be answered there if we are willing to hear the wisdom the Bible provides.

Open our ears, Lord, so we can hear Your voice behind us!

Dear Lord, I've grown so used to trusting my heart. In fact, it is all I've known to do most times. Please help me discern Your voice behind me and give me the discipline to read the wisdom You have already provided in Your Word, in Jesus' Name, amen.

Application Steps:

Are there decisions in your life you are in the process of making and haven't yet consulted the Lord? Take some time to talk with Him and use a concordance or BibleGateway to study and see what the Bible has to say about your dilemma.

Ask another person who is further along in their faith if they are aware of any verses that have to do with the decision you need to make.

Reflections:

Have you made some decisions in the past you regret? Try to identify the emotion or motivation behind that decision.

What types of questions could you ask yourself in the future to help you prevent making the wrong decision? Some might be: Does this pathway glorify God? Would I be comfortable sharing this decision with others such as my parents, my children or my spouse? Will this decision take me in the direction I want to go?

Power Verses:

1 Kings 22:5, "But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, 'First seek the counsel of the LORD.'" (NIV)

Psalm 119:24, "Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors." (NIV)

YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY

Hosanna

Hillsong United

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeGA8iMw49c

…and…

Back to the Bible

Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert

Cleopas: Hope for the Disappointed Heart

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

How do you handle disappointment?

What solutions does Jesus offer?

Woodrow Kroll considers the experience of Cleopas today...

Series: Finding Hope in Jesus' Resurrection

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/

Please send your prayer requests to

dysmasconduit.@gmail.com

Monday, March 29, 2010

3/29 Manna

DYSMAS CONDUIT

FREE FOOD

(Isa 55:1)

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

Question for the day:

How do you define success?

What can we pray with YOU about today?

Good morning,

This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.

God’s blessings, our love,

George & Sidney Granger

CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer. Sandy’s mother passed away suddenly on 3/26. May the Lord guide both Mike and Sandy through the grieving process, and soothe the entire family with His love and compassion as they face one of the most difficult of all trials in any of our lives.

Sandy Brommer

EVERYONE; Please keep my sisters and me in your thoughts and prayers over the next several days. Our Mother passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly this evening. She went out to dinner with my sister, and had a sudden heart attack (we think) and died very quickly........doctor says she didn't even have chance to feel it.

We will be Celebrating the Life and eternal life of Lida Marie Peasley in a special memorial service at Messiah this Thursday, April 1, at 11am. Luncheon to follow in Family Life Center . There will also be a visitation with the family from 10 am til the time of the service. Pastor Kurt will officiate.

Please lift the Family of Marie up in prayer. Lord grant them your comfort and strength at this time. --Pastor Kurt

Please hold up before the Lord a dear friend, Ann Long, who is to undergo cancer surgery today. Also please ask for strength for her family, especially her husband, Dennis.

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY

March 29, 2010

Backwards Bumper-Stickers

Karen Ehman

"But the LORD said to Samuel,

‘Do not look on his appearance

or on the height of his stature,

because I have rejected him.

For the LORD sees not as man sees:

man looks on the outward appearance,

but the LORD looks on the heart.'"

I Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

Devotion:

Yesterday, when I was finished running—okay, so it was more of a slow trot—anyway, as I was leaving the gym where I work out, I ran into an old friend. She is a woman who attended the church where my husband was on staff twenty years ago when we were first married. She was raising her kids when he was the youth pastor and she saw us begin our family with the birth of our daughter Mackenzie, who is soon to turn 19.

Naturally, the conversation turned to where her children are now—marriage, kids, careers, location, etc. She asked what the future held for our three kids. Where would they go to college? What career path would they choose? She has offspring who all ended up in high-paying, prestigious careers, including one who is a prominent surgeon.

That afternoon encounter made me think about what we say ‘success' is, especially when it comes to our sons and daughters. Is it having kids who grow up to do a job that society deems important? How do we measure success in our kids when they are still young and in our homes? Is it by having ones who are outwardly obedient, saying ‘yes ma‘am' and ‘no sir' and ‘pleased to meet you' on cue?

The more seasoned I become as a mom, the more I find this to be true: obedience, while it manifests itself in outward actions, begins in the heart. While I want to teach my kids to behave—sometimes not an easy lesson to instill—more importantly, I want to teach them to have their hearts right with God.

I used to want kids who did no wrong. Now, I have a different goal. When theydo do wrong—as all kids and adults sometimes do—I want them to correct it rather than hide it. To be sensitive to the times they hurt someone's feelings or disobey God and His wishes. Then to listen to the Spirit's prompting, admit their fault, and right the wrong. I want the very same thing for myself.

As today's verse asserts, so often we humans look at what we can see on the outside—beauty, talents, smarts and such. God sees straight to the heart—motives, intent and character. His measuring stick is far more accurate and important than ours. So many spend countless hours and dollars perfecting the former while completely ignoring the latter. God's Word to us is clear. Who we are inside is really who we are.

One year, our daughter proudly brought home a bumper sticker we could display on our aging mini-van. Having completed seven years of scripture memory at our church's children's program, her sticker read, "My child earned a Timothy Award in AWANA." She had worked diligently and were we ever proud of her!

However, her younger siblings did not have the same knack for memorization nor the academic leanings she had. They too plugged away at their verses and assignments in the same program but just couldn't quite finish all the requirements for earning that high award and its accompanying bumper sticker.

It made me think, should we only be proud of outward skills and academic outcomes? Perhaps we should be just as pleased with character qualities and whole-hearted attempts that, on the outside, seem to fall short. Maybe we should be just as thrilled to display the following bumper sticker prominently on our family vehicle:

"Proud parent of a kid who nearly flunked math,

but whose heart is tender toward the Lord."

Dear Lord, help me strive to please You most with my inward self—my motives, intent and character— and to model for those in my life the importance of doing just that. I want who I am at the core to accurately reflect who You are to the world, in Jesus' Name, amen.

Application Steps:

Name two or three people whom you feel display truly beautiful character. What about their personality makes them stand out?

Reflections:

What inward, God-honoring qualities do you most wish you possessed?

Patience? Peace? Self-control? Kindness? Faith? Perseverance? Pick one. Then, search BibleGateway for verses about this quality to memorize.

Power Verses:

I Peter 3:3-4, "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." (ESV)

YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY

How Great Is Our God

Chris Tomlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfKli_4LQ0

…and…

Back to the Bible

Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert

Mary Magdalene:

Hope for the Troubled Heart

Monday, March 29, 2010

Troubled and grieving one moment,

rejoicing with the greatest news the next.

Woodrow Kroll looks at Mary Magdalene on Back to the Bible...

Series: Finding Hope in Jesus' Resurrection

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/

Please send your prayer requests to

dysmasconduit.@gmail.com

Sunday, March 28, 2010

3/28 Manna

DYSMAS CONDUIT

FREE FOOD

(Isa 55:1)

SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010

Question for the day:

What can we pray with YOU about today?

Good morning,

This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.

God’s blessings, our love,

George & Sidney Granger

CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

Sandy Brommer

EVERYONE: Please keep my sisters and me in your thoughts and prayers over the next several days. Our Mother passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly this evening. She went out to dinner with my sister, and had a sudden heart attack (we think) and died very quickly........doctor says she didn't even have chance to feel it.

Please hold up before the Lord a dear friend, Ann Long, who is to undergo cancer surgery on March 29. Also please ask for strength for her family, especially her husband, Dennis.

Devotional message from Adrian Rogers

Redeeming Love

http://www.lightsource.com/ministry/love-worth-finding/

YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY

Amazing Love

Hillsong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUO0NhsaGKc

…and…


Please join Sidney and me at Messiah Live
Get a (Better) Life!
9:30 EST
http://messiahondemand.org/

Please send your prayer requests to

dysmasconduit.@gmail.com