October 2

God's ceiling is unlimited. It requires only need and welcome on our part; the windows of heaven are wide open.

When all things seem against us
to drive us to despair
We know one gate is open
one ear will hear our prayer

"...with God all things are possible." Matthew 19: 26 KJV

Lord, we know You have the victory in hand. We know everything is possible for You.

October 1

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness implies a teachable spirit. The world thinks in terms of strength and power, of ability, self-assurance, and possession. A Christian is different from the world. He belongs to an entirely different Kingdom. Martyrs were meek but they were never weak.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11: 29 KJV

Holy Spirit, make me meek so that I can be used as Your tool through Your fruit and Your gifts.

September 30

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." said Jesus in Matthew 5: 4. How can sorrow do you harm if it is God's way of blessing you? Paul was so grief stricken that he cried out:

"Oh, what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free." Romans 7:24, 25 LB

Lord Jesus, thank You that there is an ocean of love and comfort for me.

The Living Bible (LB)—© Copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. All rights reserved.

September 29

The Bible says God has laid the burden of the sin of the whole world on Jesus. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will lose your burden.

"I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me need remain in the dark." John 12: 46 Phillips

Lord Jesus, thank You that You came into the world in obedience to Your Father. Thank You that You finished at the cross all that had to be done for the salvation of my soul, the cleansing of my heart, and the filling of Your love in my body, soul, and mind.

JB Phillips New Testament in Modern English (JBP)—Copyright © 1958 The Macmillan Company

September 28

Although we continue to sin, and sometimes find it hard to live the victorious life, we must not dwell on our sins, or the devil will lead us into defeatism.

"I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand." Romans 7:21 RSV

"Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." Matthew 9:2 RSV

Father, the devil sounds so truthful when he tells us how bad we are! On days when his voice is strong, whisper in my ear, "You are forgiven."

RSV - The Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 and 1973

September 27

Faith is the hand of a beggar reaching out to accept the gifts of the King. Eternal life is a free gift. It is given through grace; it is not something earned or deserved.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8 RSV

Father, we know we could never earn eternal life. The fact that you have given it to us freely makes it even more precious to us.

RSV - The Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 and 1973

September 26

Sometimes I am a thermometer - with all the needs around me, I go down. But we must be thermostats, not thermometers. A thermostat feels coldness and immediately restores the missing heat by bringing the room in contact with the heater. That is what we must do.

Said the Robin to the Sparrow: "I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so." Said the Sparrow to the Robin, "Friend, I think that it must be, that they have no heavenly Father, such as cares for you and me." - Elizabeth Cheney

...Your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Matthew 6:32 KJV

Father, keep us so close to Your heart that although we are alert to the needs around us, we will not be depressed by what we see, for You make us able to act and help.