Quality and excellence go hand in hand. If we want to have excellence in building, we use quality materials. We want to make sure the foundation and structure are firm and strong and constructed with the best quality materials available. Let’s look at that on the human level. What are the “quality materials” needed to build a strong foundation in our lives? The basics include – starting with a true relationship with Christ, reading, studying and meditating on His Word, spending time in prayer and praise and worship, and fellowshipping with other believers around His Word. Those are elementary. It really does surprise me how many “long term” Christians don’t do those foundational things even one time a week. I’m sure I’d be surprised at how many people even in in my circle who haven’t cracked open a Bible on their own in a long time. If we ignore the foundational principles, things begin to crumble around us. We are representing Christ – the living Word, the Bread of Heaven, and often we haven’t had a “bite” of His Word on our own in a long time. We’ll be spoon fed at church, but to break it open and feed ourselves just takes too much time and effort. This should not be! If we want excellence on the outside, we have to have quality on the inside. That means getting the Word inside our heart.
Thank God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. There is hope for change, and all it takes is a decision. My hope and prayer is that we can say, “I’m putting quality materials into my inner man, so that my outer man represent Christ excellently”. New mercies are available for you today!
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Treasure in Clay Pots II Cor 4:6-7
As important as it is to make things look good on the outside, that certainly isn’t the heart of the issue. The heart is the most important issue. Inside change is the most lasting kind. We all know that just changing outward circumstances doesn’t make a change on the inside. Real, lasting, effective change happens from the inside out. That usually means making some adjustments, changing our thinking, staying in control of our thought life, and making the decision to live and serve others with excellence. What happens on the inside, will dramatically change what people see on the outside.
If we want quality on the highest level – the treasure on the inside of us needs to be expressed. We do hold a treasure in an earthen vessel. That’s the Bible way for saying that Christ lives in people, who are simply cracked pots! It doesn’t sound very flattering, but when you think that a King would want to take up residency in you, it makes you feel like royalty. It makes me want to clean up the earthen vessel, make it as beautiful for the King as possible. It also makes want me want to use the gifts and talents He gave specifically to me to the best of my ability and more, because they are the stamp of God in my life.
Are you willing to step up a notch? Are you ready to get bigger and expand on the inside so God’s glory can show up on the outside. I hope you are ready, because we’re moving on up! Let’s be our best for the King of Majesty.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Glorify God in Body and Spirit I Cor 6:12-20
It’s a brand new day! In fact, each day in God is a brand new day. We get the opportunity to start out fresh each morning, because His mercies are always new, and we can put the past behind us and move forward. What an incredible God we serve! Hi, This is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. This week is Rejoice 2014, our annual ladies conference, and our theme is More than Enough. God is big enough to be your more than enough! Here is your dailyeword.
Anything worth doing is worth doing right. I’m not sure where that quote is from, but my Dad gets credit for saying it millions of times while I was growing up. Whether it was cleaning my room, arranging some flowers, or mowing a lawn, you do it right the first time, and do it with excellence, because Dad said so!
I’ve been thinking a lot about excellence lately, and how important it is for believers to realize that we represent Christ on the earth. We are his ambassadors, or representatives, and when the world (those who don’t know Christ yet) looks at us, they should see a good facsimile of who Jesus is. That kind of puts the pressure on – but in this case, it is good pressure! We should be much more than mediocre. We should be much more committed than average. We should be people of impeccable integrity and character. We should be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, not only when people are watching, but every moment of every day. If you need new mercy for walking in excellence today, it is available for you! God has more than enough mercy for you!
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
He Is Risen Mark 16:16-20
He is alive, He is risen! Death has been defeated! Jesus has won the victory. He had you and me on His mind through it all. What happened when Jesus blew out of the grave was that death was defeated. Jesus bought the victory over the enemy for us. He wants you and me to experience abundant life, and a living, active, vital relationship with Him. How wonderful! Little did the world know that history forever would be changed. Now the veil in the temple was torn, we can enter right in to live in the presence of God. When you think about the magnitude of the moments from the cross, to the grave, to resurrection morning, we realize that history really did change forever. God now had a way to have a relationship with His creation once again. Through the blood of Jesus, we can now accept Him as our Lord and Savior, and begin to live life abundantly, as His very own family. As part of the family of God, we have some very amazing privileges, and one fabulous one is that we get to talk to God any time we want. We get to enter into His presence boldly. We get to have intimate fellowship and relationship with the very creator of the universe, who is also our abba father, our daddy God. As you remember the power of the resurrection on Easter morning, remember the power of the cross, bridging the great divide that once separated us. Now we are near. He came near, so we could be near to Him. That is powerful
Mark 16
He Is Risen
16 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
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Into the Tomb John 19:31-42
Jesus rescued us on the cross! How amazing! It didn’t look amazing to the ones who witnessed the crucifixion. As his body was taken from the cross and placed in a tomb, everyone was so sad. It seemed that all was lost. All the good that Jesus came to do was over. He was dead. They buried him in a tomb. Little did His friends know what would happen in a short time. Jesus would come busting out of the tomb, alive and well. His Father God would raise him from the dead. That is why we celebrate Easter. He made a way for us to have a relationship with God. And that is why we can be part of the family of God! The world may celebrate Easter with bunnies and eggs, but we get to celebrate Easter with new life in Christ and being part of God’s family. One of the best benefits of what Jesus did for us is that we can have total and complete relationship and friendship with God. We become friends and family! Framily! Jesus circle of friends got bigger when Jesus came out of the grave. His family keeps getting bigger as we tell our friends about the wonderful relationship with Jesus that we have, and they accept Him as their Lord and Savior. There is no more need to be sad anymore either. Jesus can bring them joy!
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
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It Is Finished John 19:17-30
This is the day of destiny. The day that Jesus was born for was the day He would die on a cross. It’s hard to see the sweet baby Jesus and realize that He was born to die. In most all of the world, this is a sad day. As Christians we take this day to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. It is Good Friday, but it is also destiny Friday. When we think about having an intimate relationship with Jesus, the reason we can is because Jesus was willing to take on the weight of the world, through the stripes across his back, and through the crucifixion. The proof of His love for us was the scars that he bore on his body. They were also proof of the resurrection. He bore the marks of death, but was dead no longer! Maybe you can use today to think about the hurting people around you. They have scars and wounds. God put you in their world to be his mouthpiece. Tell them about his love, and his healing power. Usually the very thing you have overcome in your life can be an avenue of blessing in someone else’s. One of my favorite verses is in II Cor 1:3 where it says that the very areas you have received comfort from the Lord, He will use you to comfort someone else. You really do become a minister of reconciliation to your world. That’s the power of the cross. That’s the power of knowing the love of God. That’s the power of obedience!
7 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:
“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”[d]
Therefore the soldiers did these things.
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
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Not My Will Luke 22:41-43
How can we make what Jesus went through be effective for us? When we see His struggle in the garden of Gethsemane we see what we might call the flushing out of the flesh . We all would rather take an easy path. It is the path of least resistance that we prefer. Discipline, self control, and patience are all part of walking the path God has for us. The path Jesus took wasn’t easy. His flesh wanted another option. I think we have all been there on a much smaller scale. We may want to do one thing, when we know that something else is the plan of God for us. Jesus wanted to redeem the world, He just wanted to make sure that this really was the only way to do it. When He said, “not my will, but Thine be done,” he was saying, I won’t choose the selfish path. I choose the path of righteousness. That can be our response as well, when we are faced with decisions. Often our decisions to follow God really are just an act of self denial. To think that Jesus was willing to sacrifice it all demonstrates the kind of love that He had. “Amazing Love, how can it be, that my king would die for me.” So our encouragement today is that whatever decisions we need to make to have intimacy with Jesus Christ is well worth the effort. Take time today to meditate on His word, to look introspectively, and then to celebrate all that He has done for you so that we can have complete communion with Him.
Luke 22:41-43
New King James Version (NKJV)
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
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Accepted in the Beloved Eph 1:5-7
Chosen, accepted, established. What a wonderful place to be in Christ. We become chosen, accepted and established, not by our works, but by His work in us. It is time to just receive the love that God has for us. When we are in His Presence, we benefit the most when we take time to just receive the love of God. Love was manifested in a manger. Love was crucified on a cross. Love was raised from the dead to bring resurrection life to us. Jesus is love personified. Through Him we are accepted, forgiven, and received into the family of Go d. His love is placed in our heart, and that heart to heart connection is what breathes life into us. We get to experience intimacy with God all because of Jesus’ willingness to pay the price for our sin. Once we are where God wants us to be, we can begin to love like Jesus. The people in our lives get to experience the love of God manifested through us. We get to let them know they are chosen, accepted and totally loved. We then get to see the power of God at work in the lives of those who we come in contact with. Let’s be aware, and have our spiritual senses fully awake and alert. Someone you know needs to know they are loved and accepted. Jesus made the way for them, and He wants to use you to be his hands to them on earth!
Eph 1:5-7
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
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My Words Remain in You John 15:1-8
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing. Jesus spoke these words in John 15:5. Have you ever noticed that a tree or vine that has no life in it, bearing fruit? If there is no life, there is no fruit. If we want to be fruitful, life must be flowing from the vine into the branches.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
As Christ’s followers we have been grafted into the vine. Our life flow as a “branch” is now connected to the source. Our source of life came because of Calvary. Because of what was accomplished on the cross, we can spend time in the presence of God. We develop that heart to heart connection when we are joined together, intimately connected through fellowship on a daily basis. His life is indwelling in us! We are a branch firmly fastened to the vine. It is a heart to heart connection. Just like with the flow of blood in our veins, life continues. With the vital connection to the vine, life flows through us to produce godliness with power! (2 Tim 3:5!)
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For the Joy Set Before Him Heb 12:1-3
This week we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection! Before Jesus’ victory over the grave, the garden of Gethsemane, the hill of Golgotha, and the cross of Calvary stood before Him. This week was the final battle for Him. Hi, This is Dorette Schaal with your daily eword. Before Jesus could come out of the grave, some sobering things took place to our Lord. Let’s not only remember, let’s value what He did for us! Because of the cross we can live in victory! Because of the cross, we are now family! God’s family. What a privilege! Here is your encouraging word for Easter week:
On this resurrection week, we celebrate the victory that Jesus paid for with his blood. What a week of rejoicing for all mankind. God’s love was spilled for us. It was actually his blood that was spilled, but it demonstrated his love for us. His desire to make a way for us to be part of his family was the greatest act of love ever demonstrated. Because of upcoming Resurrection morning, we are now part of a family, a family with the greatest favor, passion and purpose on the earth, God’s own family. We definitely got the best end of this arrangement! This final week of Jesus life was what His life was meant for. He came to fulfill purpose and that is exactly what He did. There would no longer be anything that came between God and us. The veil would be gone, and the bridge would be opened. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so that we could be totally forgiven and accepted. God made a way for family, for connectedness and togetherness. Now mankind could not only be just God’s creation, now we were God’s family, one of God’s own children with all the benefits and privileges of being family. The bloodied body of Christ, His sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection made provision for the body of Christ to be beautiful. We, as Christ’s body on the earth, are His representatives, and we display His beauty as we fulfill our primary purpose on the earth to go and make disciples of all people. As we love God whole heartedly, and love people fervently, the beauty of Christ’s body is revealed. How beautiful is the body of Christ. Jesus’ eyes were set on the prize, you and me. Let’s be committed to the purpose Jesus gave His life for. It was for people who were, and who are, worth the cost. It was a purpose worth dying for.
Heb 12:1-3 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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