Devotions for Dieters
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Once we decide for ourselves that being overweight is wrong, then it is vital that we put ourselves in God's hands. Though being overweight is not a sin, few people would say it is good. We should avoid everything that is not good. God will help us whenever we turn from things that are bad. Prayer is an important part of our attempts to lose weight. We can trust God to bless all our efforts to do what we feel is right. There is no reason to feel guilty for being overweight, for God forgives us our weakness and offers His own strength as our own. We can start our diets with a clear conscience and an assurance that God is with us every step of the way.
Today's thought: We have nothing to feel guilty about!
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BIBLE STUDY
Title: Losing Reward
Date: Jan 5, 2009
Topic(s): Heaven
Scripture: 2 John, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
A lot of Christians have a hard time understanding heavenly rewards. These are rewards graciously given to believers by Jesus after the Rapture of the Church. They are given to commend a life well-lived. Some Christians will earn rewards; others will not.
Here's what the Bible has to say.
What Does God Say?
Paul and John often mention rewards in their letters. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "Each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:13-15, ESV).
And in 2 John, John writes, "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward" (2 John 8, ESV).
Each of these passages speaks of gain and loss. But this isn't loss in the sense of rewards being taken away from you. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul compares the Christian life to a race and encourages us as runners to run so as not to be disqualified (See vv. 24-27). In other words, Paul wants us to live up to our full potential as believers and not forfeit potential opportunities for rewards.
Does this mean that our time in front of the Judgment Seat of Christ will be a sorrowful occasion? Only a little as we realize that we could have done more. Samuel Hoyt sums it up nicely when he says:
"To overdo the sorrow aspect of the Judgment Seat of Christ is to make heaven hell. To underdo the sorrow aspect is to make faithfulness inconsequential" (Samuel Hoyt, quoted in Basic Theology by Charles C. Ryrie © 1999, p. 598).
We will all leave the Judgment Seat of Christ rejoicing in our gracious God. So, let's stand faithful today in the service of our heavenly Father and make our joy all the greater.
My Thoughts
As you read today's verses, think about the following questions:
1. How are you preparing today for your appearance before the Judgment Seat of Christ?
2. What does "revealed by fire" in 1 Corinthians 3:13 mean to you?
3. What will happen to anyone whose work survives?
4. How is someone affected if his or her work is burned up?
5. What does John mean by "watch yourselves"? How can you watch yourself today?
My Part
Have you ever approached your day with the Judgment Seat of Christ in mind? Try going through your daily activities thinking about how you might appear in Jesus' eyes. Are the things you're doing worthy of reward?

DEVOTIONALS
Author: Woodrow Kroll, Tony Beckett
Source: FaithWalk
Scripture Reference: Genesis 13-15 Matthew 5:1-26
Trust and Obey
Genesis 13-15, Matthew 5:1-26
Key Verse: Genesis 15:6
In Romans 4:3, Paul cites Genesis 15:6, which says, "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Abram's life of belief is evident. When God told him to move, he moved. That was an act of obedience coupled with remarkable trust. God did not tell him where but that He would later show him the place. Without the course clearly marked, Abram believed and did what God wanted.
Abram's belief was commemorated in altars. He built altars in Shechem, Bethel and Hebron. The first was at the place where God promised that the land would be given to Abram's descendants. That altar served as a reminder of that promise. At the other locations Abram "called on the name of the Lord." Those altars were places of prayer.
When returning from the rescue of Lot, Abram met Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High. To him Abram gave a tenth of everything, an act of worship recounted in Hebrews. Abram believed, and it showed. He remembered God's promise, prayed and worshiped. His belief was not a one-time decision but a lifetime dedication.
Believe! And then live what you believe.
"God, help me not to forget the blessings that come from You. May my worship of You be constant because You are the God of every day and every place."

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living from Job
Scripture Reference: Job 1:14-19 Job 2:7-9 Job 1:20
Job 1:20
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
Rubble Reaction
A Sunday school teacher was giving an object lesson on reactions. She placed a glass on a small table and carefully filled it to the brim with water. Then she gave the table a slight shake and some of the water sloshed out. "Oh, my," she said, "I spilled some grape juice." A hand shot up. "But that’s water," said a little boy. "That’s right," she replied. "That’s like our reactions. We might want to react a certain way to the things that shake our lives, but only what we’ve put in can come out."
Job’s life was severely shaken. He first lost his wealth and his servants (Job 1:14�?7). If that were not enough, he then lost his children (vv. 18�?9). He later lost his health (2:7�?) and, finally, even his wife seemed to turn against him (v. 9). This series of blows caused two reactions to spill out of him. One was grief. He tore his robe and shaved his head. But the other was total submission to God. He fell to the ground and worshiped. It was obvious that what filled him most was love for and trust in the God of heaven.
Life is full of events that shake us. What spills out of us depends on what we’ve put in us. If you’ve been prone to harbor grudges and bitterness, you can guess what will gush out—anger and hatred. If you’ve sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the things of God, that also will be obvious by your reactions. No matter how you might wish otherwise, only those things that are in you can spill out.
If your life were reduced to a rubble heap and all that you hold dear were gone, how would you respond? Seek now to fill yourself with God’s peace and love so you won’t be ashamed at what comes spilling out of your life in hard times.
What we put in our lives will surely one day come out.

Author: Warren Wiersbe
Source: Prayer, Praise and Promises
Scripture Reference: Psalm 2:1-6
Four Voices: Part 1
Read Psalm 2:1-6
The world is getting noisier. So many voices vie for our attention. The result is that many people are getting the wrong instructions. It is important that we have discernment in a noisy world filled with propaganda. We need the truth.
We need to distinguish the four voices of Psalm 2. The first is the voice of defiance--the nations of the world (vv. 1-3). It is amazing that the nations would defy Almighty God. He has provided for them (Acts 14:17), guided them (I Tim. 6:17) and determined their histories (Acts 17:26). Why do the nations rebel? They seek freedom without God. P. T. Forsythe said, "The purpose of life is not to find your freedom. The purpose of life is to find your Master." Authority demands submission (Matt. 11:29).
The world is a mess morally,intellectually, socially, politically, economically and ecologically because it has defied God. Man is made in God's image. The irony is that when man rebels against God, he rebels against himself.
Second, we have the voice of derision--the voice of God the Father (vv. 4-6). While there is tumult on earth, there is tranquillity in heaven. God laughs because the Kingdom is secure; the King has been established. Jesus is God's King. Though the nations rebel, we don't need to worry, for the King is already enthroned in heaven.
Listen to the voice of God. He is laughing at the world's rebellion, and you can laugh with Him if Jesus is your King.
The world often tries to drown out the truth. Its voice of defiance is clear. The world's corruption is a result of its defiance. Take inventory of the voices you listen to. Are you part of the voice of defiance, or can you laugh with God at the world's rebellion?

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference: Genesis 11:27-32 2 Corinthians 6:17
Fruitfulness Requires Separation
Genesis 11:27-32
The trip from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran was not exceedingly hard because they were able to travel northwest along the Euphrates River. Along the river there was grass for their livestock.
However, from Haran to the land of Canaan was quite a different type of trip. They would have to leave the Euphrates River and strike out across the desert. This was a real test and was too much for Terah and his family.
Besides, God was not going to take Abraham into the land until he separated from his father. The years Abraham spent at Haran were wasted years of waiting.
Many Christians today start off like Abraham. They launch out with great enthusiasm to follow the Lord, perhaps as a result of a crisis experience, but then later grind to a standstill in their Christian walk. Has this happened to you?
Remember, the key issue for Abraham was separation. It is the same for us. This age of materialism has gripped even the Christians. We cannot expect God to lead us into fruitfulness unless we become separated from the things of the world.
Each Christian must make the decision for himself, even as Abraham had to make the decision for himself. Once we break from the things of the world, we will see that the treasures of God far more than take the place of the things of this world.
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate" (2 Cor. 6:17).

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Early in the Morning
Scripture Reference: Matthew 16:1-28
Practical Religion
And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
Faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour transforms us from a shallow meaningless person into one filled with the Spirit of God. If we are born again and the Spirit resides within us, our religion ought to be as full of meaning as our lives are full of the Spirit. How terrible to see many religions in which there is absolute meaninglessness because of spiritual ritualism. Jesus encountered this very same thing in His day as well.
The Pharisees were always guilty of practicing an empty religion. This is why John the Baptist called them a "generation of vipers" (Matthew 3:7). The Pharisees were constantly interested in keeping the ceremonial law, but they had the wrong heart attitude toward God. When Jesus called Matthew to discipleship, the Pharisees were right there to question the Lord's disciples, "Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" (Matthew 9:11). When He cast a demon out of a man who was dumb, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out devils through the power of the prince of the devils (Matthew 9:34).
Always the Pharisees were seeking a sign from Jesus that He was the Messiah. Time and again He refused to give them such a sign saying that the sign of Jonah was all they would need. His resurrection after a death of three days would be the great sign to them that He was indeed the Messiah. If they would not believe that sign, neither would they believe any other.
At Magdala Jesus again encountered the Pharisees, this time in league with the Sadducees and Herodians, who again asked Him for a sign. As before, Jesus refused to give them such a sign but at the same time He taught them something about the emptiness and blindness of their spiritual ritualism. Jesus noted that the Pharisees and Sadducees could read the weather signs in the heavens. He said, "When it is evening you say, it will be fair weather for the sky is red." This is comparable to our axiom, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." But Jesus continued, "And in the morning it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring" (Matthew 16:3). Or, as we would say, "Red sky in morning, sailors take warning."
Jesus then concluded with the assessment, "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" These religious leaders could read the skies with the best astronomers and mariners, but could not recognize that Jesus was the Messiah. This was where their expertise should have been, but because they had been involved so long with empty formalism instead of meaningful activity in carrying God's love to the world, they did not have the eyes of faith with which to see Jesus as their Saviour.
An item from a church bulletin clearly points out the inconsistency of pious religion which does not follow through in meeting the needs of people. It is a satirical rephrasing of Matthew 25: "I was famished and you formed a humanitarian club to discuss my hunger...I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your church to pray for my release. I was naked and you debated the morality of my unseemly appearance. I was sick and you knew it, yet did nothing but thank God for your own health. I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely and you left me by myself while you went and prayed for me. You seemed so holy, so close to God; but I am still very hungry, desolate, and cold!"
While the Pharisees had all the trappings of religion, all the robes, all the religious paraphernalia, they had none of the heart, none of what true religion is all about. Yet today as well there are many churches and denominations that have all the trap-pings of religion but none of the heart of the Lord Jesus. It is up to each of us to make sure that we attend faithfully those churches which show the heart of the Lord Jesus and not the heart of the Pharisee. Is your church following Jesus or following the Pharisees? Is your religion practical? Make it a point to pray for your church today.
MORNING HYMN
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and Heav'n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.