Quiet Times Search

Search Quiet Times via a keyword or string
Keyword(s):
Number of Studies:


Searching for "save" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "0" to "25". (122 found)

2008-02-26 - Power of Gratitude - Uncommon Peace
What enables us to have such uncommon peace? - Commonality

  • Relationship with God
  • Decision to make Jesus Lord of our lives
  • Basic mission - to seek and save the lost
If we in a battle together, we are unlikely to attack one another

Stay committed to God with the mission and discipling firmly in place, our unity will remain

Three warning signs, if not doing:

A. Daily diet
  • Time in the Word daily - Acts 17:11
  • Daily prayer - Luke 11:1-4
  • Share our faith daily - Acts 17:17
  • Open with our lives daily with one another - Hebrews 3:12
B. Lack of commitment
C. Lack of discipling

2008-02-27 - Power of Gratitude - Free at Last

MLK - as bad as slavery was - there a slavery that last for eternity

2 Corinthians 5:21 - Jesus might become sin for us

As existence of righteousness does not ensure we receive it

Satan tries everything to help us miss this opportunity

Jews after saw their failures in the past - created many regulations so they would not sin

  • Not the content of their character
  • Basis of conformity to rules
  • Majored in the minors and minored in the majors

Religion that is performance based is doomed

  • what must we do to please God
  • Condemn others outwardly
  • Condemn ourselves inwardly
  • Everything becomes a matter of right and wrong
  • Hearts focused if we have done enough and have done it right
1 Corinthians 15:10 - I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me
Romans 7-8 - Focus is not on themselves but on him who died for them; Because they are saved
James 1:23-25 - Law points out their sin clearly / making them feel more indebted to God

Motivation to last a lifetime - Our love responding to his grace

Other motivations:
  • Fear - only for a while
  • Christian fellowship - until other's disappointments and failures
  • Ambition - until our disappointments and failures
NOT: Measure up and I will accept you
YES: I'll accept you, now let's walk together in my strength

2008-03-01 - Power of Gratitude - Don't waste your sin
Use the past to encourage others
Paul did - chief of sinners - 1 Timothy 1:15-16

Joseph did:
  • Told his brothers to not be distressed or angry with themselves for selling him to slavery
  • Purpose was to save the lives of his family - Genesis 45:5
  • He saved himself a lifetime of bitterness and self-pity
Until and unless we see God's presence in our challenges, we are going to sin
Rejection leads to rebellion, which in turn led to failure

We must become thankful rather than resentful or hurt - give the benefit of the doubt
Key to a life of acceptance is develop a deep gratitude for what God has done through our challenges
  • We must come to peace with the past
  • Develop his perspective on the matters at hand
  • Be gracious is your evaluation of others' roles
  • Forgive yourself and others
  • Never waste the impact that your past can have on others
  • Be thankful


2008-03-26 - Be Still My Soul - Pointed

We can not be close to God in prayer if we deal only in generalities
God indeed wants to answer our prayers - how will we know what God is doing if we pray in generalities?

Abraham - Genesis 18 - prayed to save the city if there were 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, even 10 righteous people

Our lack of specific praying reveals a distance in our relationship with God

  • More specific in your gratitude - become more grateful
  • More specific in confession - understand the sin you are commiting
  • More specific in your requests for friends and family - see how God will work


2008-05-19 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Sentimentality

Can easily become sentimental when talking about salvation:

  • Family, people you are emotionally connected with
  • Thinking about people in remote parts of the world
    • It would be cruel to share the gospel with someone who hadn't heard it and was saved
    • Like not throwing a life jacket because you think they will be alright
  • Religous people - would you be willing to stand before God with - infant baptism or non-disciple life?

All have sin and have fallen short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23

Being "broader" than the Bible puts you on the wrong road

God will be the judge and he has given us the basis of his judgement - John 12:48

Extremes:

  • We become judgmental and reason like Pharisee; we are policeman, God is the judge
  • Lose our conviction religious doesn't equal salvation

 



2008-06-06 - Purpose Driven Life - When God Seems Distant
Easy to worship God when things are going great

God matures relationship by times of separation - Job, David, Jesus
God promises to never leave you or forsake you

Sin separates - Friendships are tested by separation and silence

Sometimes distance from God is not because of sin - feelings may be off
It is not a feeling,  God will remove your dependence of feelings
 
Tell God how you feel
God can handle your doubt, fear, anger, grief, confusion, and questions
 
Remember: God is unchanging:
 
Job praised God in these ways:
  • Good and loving - Job 10:12
  • All powerful - Job 42:2; 37:5, 23
  • Every detail of his life - Job 23:10, 31:4
  • He is in control - Job 34:14
  • Has a plan for my life - Job 23:14
  • He will save me - Job 19:25
Trust God to keep his promises
His promises do not change despite circumstances
 
Remember what God has already done for you
Even if God will not do anything else for you (very unlikely) He gave his son

2008-06-24 - Purpose Driven Life - Accepting Your Assignment
You were put on earth to make a contribution

Not what we get out of life, it what you give

You were created to server God

God created us for a life of good deeds - Ephesians 2:10
Set apart for a special work - Jeremiah 1:5

You were saved to server God

Saved us and chose us for his holy work - 2 Timothy 1:9
We are not saved by service but you are saved for service
Offer yourself as living sacrifices to God - Romans 12:1
Our love for each other proves we have gone from death to life - 1 John 3:14

A saved heart is one that wants to server
He leaves us here to fulfill his purpose

2008-06-26 - Purpose Driven Life - No Excuse for Not Serving
The Bible warns against living only for ourselves - Romans 2:8
Trying to save our life; we will lose it - Mark 8:35

What excuse have you been using to not serve?
  • Abraham was old
  • Jacob was insecure
  • Leah was unattractive
  • Joseph was abused
  • Moses stuttered
  • Gideon was poor
  • Samson was codependent
  • Rahab was immoral
  • David has an affair and many family problems
  • Elijah was suicidal
  • Jeremiah was depressed
  • Jonah was reluctant
  • Nomi was a widow
  • John the Baptist was eccentric
  • Martha worried a lot
  • Samaritan women had several failed marriages
  • Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered
  • Zacchaeus was unpopular
  • Thomas had doubt
  • Paul had poor heath
  • Timothy was timid


2008-06-29 - Purpose Driven Life - Using Personality and Experiences

Personality

You are very unique 102,400,000,000 in DNA terms
All the particles in the universe is less than 1076

It is obvious that God loves variety
God works through different people in different ways; achieves his purpose through all - 1 Corinthians 12:6
So many personality conflicts between just the 12 disciples

It is easier to  work with the grain than against it
Mimicking someone else exactly does not work

Experiences

  • Family experiences
  • Education experiences
  • Vocational experiences
  • Spiritual experiences
  • Ministry experiences
  • Painful experiences

Greatest ministry comes from our most likely come from your greatest pain
God allows you to go through painful experiences for ministry of others

When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the comfort God has given us - 2 Corinthians 1:4

Paual was honest with his bouts of depression
He eventually put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us - 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

If Paul kept his experience to himslef, millions of people would have never benefitted from it

Don't waste your pain, us it to help others

 



2008-07-15 - Purpose Driven Life - Becoming a World-Class Christian (part 1)
Your choice:

Worldly
  • Personal fulfillment
  • Self-centered
  • Goes to enrichment seminars
  • Avoids missions conferences
  • Prayers focused on our needs
World class
  • Saved to serve
  • Eager for personal assignment
  • Only one who is truly alive
  • Makes a difference
Great Commission is for "every race, tribe, nation, and language" - Revelation 7:9
Go everywhere in the world and tell the good news - Acts 14:15
Experience is a little piece of what heaven might be like

Many opportunities today: missions, easy travel, and "e-vangelism" (email, facebook, chatting, etc)

2008-07-21 - 30 Days at the Cross - Unconditional Love

Feels good to feel loved - insecurities come from not being sure or for some reason other than unconditional love

In our worst shape, God demonstrated his love for us - Romans 5:8
Love that surpasses knowledge - Ephesians 3:19
The is not of higher value than unconditional love
Not a testimony to God's softness on sin
We will be changed if we understand God's love

Love you enough to have his son killed for you - while you (and me) were enemies of God
How much is his love toward you now that you his child?
Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and live a life of love - Ephesians 5:1-2

If God loves us this much, we should as love this way - 1 John 4:11
Do you only love God when perform as you think he should? He doesn't!

Paul - Christ came to save sinners and I am the worst - 1 Timothy 1:15

 



2008-08-14 - 30 Days at the Cross - Not for Adults Only
Even when Jesus was on the cross he had concern for his mother

Why didn't he protect her from the experience?
She needed to understand how far we must go to save the lost

Being a Christian parent does not mean you try to spare your children the cross: show them how to get on it
As parents, it is often harder to teach or to call our children to sacrifice than it is to call ourselves to sacrifice

Are you teaching?
  • Love for enemies and pray for them - Luke 6:27-28
  • Sacrifice of sleep for someone
  • Be flexible and inconvenienced for others
We are entrusted to be an example for the very souls of our children

2008-08-17 - 30 Days at the Cross - Do not Come Down!
Jesus was tempted with the words, "save yourself, come down from the cross
If they understood the eternal significance of the moment, they would have cried "No, Jesus! Do not come down!"

Jesus was tempted:
  • Simply save himself and let everyone fend for themselves
  • Come down in hope that they would believe
  • Settle on improving their lives but not saving them
What kept him up there?
  • Jesus also loved the world that he gave his only life - Love
  • He cared deeply for others
  • He knew he could bring salvation to many

Our mission is the same (Luke 9:23) - must deny self and lose our life for others
We must quit looking for some new,easy approach and decide to love

The world is screaming out: "Save yourself! Come down from the cross!"
Jesus cries: "Do not come down!"

2008-08-19 - 30 Days at the Cross - Prayer and Purpose
Because of the cross we are able to pray
Looking at Christ's humble submission to the cross that we can learn we can learn how to pray

Thank God for the incredible opportunity that we have to talk to him because of his grace
He shows us the attitude we must have as we follow Christ in prayer - right perspective on suffering

After praying, he was able to face the mock trial, jeering, and the beatings
Disciples, who failed to pray, fled and desperation - they were powerless

Jesus purpose of praying was to make sure that we could be saved
Our main purpose to pray is not complaining but for others

2008-08-27 - Teach Us To Pray - Savior and Redeemer

The Cross is enough, then, now, and always

Hebrews 7:25-27

  • He is able to completely save
    • Never too short
    • Never too weak
    • Never worn out
  • He always lives - Prepared to recuse me until the day I die
  • Once for all - One death sufficient for all my sins, for all time

God wants his children to be abolutely confident that we can draw near to him with freedom and assurance

Without seeing the cross, David understood his Savior and Redeemer - Psalms 69:13

 



2008-10-28 - Man of Prayer - Experiencing Forgiveness
Being a Christian is a no-lose proposition

Athlete - performance dictated opportunity to participate
Student - achievement is based off of grades and advanced degrees
Every area in which we perform we are eventually bound to fail

We become a Christian on the basis of my failure and Jesus' performance
By grace we have been saved - Ephesians 2:8

Much more than just an initial experience of grace but a transformation of justification - we need daily bread (grace)
Jesus taught his disciples to confess their sins - Luke 11:4



2008-12-10 - Raising Awesome Kids - Honesty (part 1)

We must love the truth, accept the truth, live by the truth, and tell the truth
Truth will set you free - John 8:32

Will perish if we refuse to love the truth and be saved - 2 Thessalonians 2:10

If children learn to accept the truth as children - they will be able to face their sins, repent of them, and be saved when they are older

Satan is a liar and the father of lies - John 8:44

 

 



2009-01-04 - Raising Awesome Kids - Prayer
We should pray for our children continually
To protect them, guide them, save them, and one day take them to heaven

Paul - Prayed day and night to Timothy - 2 Timothy 1:3
Most powerful weapon available in their spiritual defense and offense

We must pray with our children as well
Regular times such as bedtime and mealtime to start
Praying while going to place like church are also helpful
In times of difficulty and great challenge - we can do nothing without his blessing

What if they do not want to pray?
Talk about how God wants to be close to them
Do not do other activities are bedtime either, too tired for prayer than to tired for _______





2009-01-19 - Jesus with People - Through the Roof

When the paralyzed man came down through the roof - damaged the house of Peter and Andrew - how would you respond?

Jesus demonstrated his love for people in the way he deals with the crowds

Everywhere he went, Jesus drew a crowd
He spoke with authority, conviction because he deeply cared about people

We need to care enough to gather a crowd - People need to be our focus
They need to be in our homes, in our Saturday plans, and focus of our lunch hour

Jesus with the Religious
Their slavery to legalistic minutiae angered him - Matthew 23:23-24
Their stubborn hearts distressed him - Mark 3:1-5
Jesus desire was for them to be saved

Jesus with the Faithful
Jesus gets the greatest joy from interacting with people who believe
Centurion - the faith he was looking for - Luke 18:8
What fires Jesus up? Faith

If we follow Jesus, the smallest seed of faith that we see in others should encourage and excite us.

Who big is your crowd?
Do you see the faith of others?
Is Jesus amazed by your faith or your lack of it?



2009-01-22 - Jesus with People - Finding Faith

Jesus was in ahuge crowd and suddenly a Roman centurion walks up to Jesus - Matthew 8:5-10

NT centurions are often mentioned with honor:

  • Cornelius was the first Gentile to become a Christian - Acts 10:22
  • A centurion rescued Paul from the Mob - Acts 23:27
  • A centurion saved Paul's life in the shipwreck - Acts 27:43

Lord, my servant lays paralyzed and in terrible suffering - Matthew 8:5-6
To many Romans, a slave was defined as nothing more than a tool

Jesus was moved by the man's heart - I will go and heal him
When Jesus saw a need, he met it
He lived to serve and meet needs directly and continuously
He loved a man many hated

Lord, I don't deserve to have you under my roof - Matthew 8:8
He was a Gentile, Jewish law - a Jew could not enter the house of a Gentile - Acts 10:28
In spite of his desperate need, he respected Jewish law

Say the word and he will be healed - Matthew 8:8
His authority produced results, how much more would the authority of Jesus do?

Jesus did not find anyone in Israel with such faith



2009-03-08 - Promises of God - Lord of Physical Challenges
Psalms 91:9-11 - God will protect us and guard you in all your ways

We do not see the refuge that God is or the trouble from which he has saved us - we can become bitter

He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us

In what areas of your life are you most thankful for this promise?

2009-03-09 - Promises of God - The Problem is Me
Deuteronomy 4:29 - Find God when we seek him with all of our heart

Repentance must be proven by our deeds - Acts 26:20
Praise God for his faithful correction - Proverbs 3:11-12

God hates sin, takes sin of idolatry, personally - Deuteronomy 6:15

Sin comes when we lower the standard of commitment in our lives and allow ourselves to become lazy, selfish and self-indulgent

Being idolatrous and lukewarm is a serious sin against God - Revelation 3:16
Against God, his church, and the souls that are not saved as a result

2009-04-08 - Promises of God - Tireless Labor
Satan works quickly to wear us down

Fatigue and discouragement are his greatest tools

Do you realize God can give you energy?

Luke 17:7-10 and Galatians 6:9 -> gives energy to never quit

Focusing on how hard something is will never product the desired fruit
Focusing on God and letting others help us product tireless labor

Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his hands
Ester needed Mordecai to carry out the plan to save the Israelities
Jesus needed Simon to carry his cross

God provides helps when we labor tirelessly for him

2009-04-16 - Promises of God - Never Give Up
Never give up - Hebrews 10:35-39

Why?

  • God has pledged to save us for all eternity - Revelation 21:1-7
  • Forgive our sins - 1 John 1:5-2:2
  • Provide us with all we need for life and godliness - 2 Peter 1:3-4
  • Give us great friends and huge spiritual family - Mark 10:29-31
  • Show us a way out when tempted - 1 Corinthians 10:13
  • Comfort us in our troubles - 1 Corinthians 1:3-7
  • Equip us for any challenge, any work, any time - 2 Timothy 2:20-21


2009-04-23 - Why We Need The Bible - Salvation By Faith from the Word
Salvation By Faith from the Word
  1. Without faith it is impossible to please God - Hebrews 11:6
  2. Without faith in Jesus we cannot be saved - John 8:24
  3. It is the Word of God that produces such faith - Romans 10:17
  4. The gospels were written to produce faith - John 20:30-31


Next 25 >>