First Christian Church (DOC)
2200 Bland Road
Bluefield, West Virginia
Disciples of Christ
Devotionals
Calendar
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Vision to see
Faith to believe
Courage to achieve
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Only GOD can turn MESS into...
a MESSage
a TEST into...
a TESTimony
a TRIal into...
a TRIumph
a VICTim into...
a VICTory
GOD is GOOD... all the time
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God’s will doesn’t say
we’ll have all we want
Rather, he promises what we have will be all we’ll need.
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God does not prepare a place for us until he’s prepared us for the place.
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The best a man can do is award. Only God can truly reward. Our reward is in the Lord!
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If you were to ask me if I'm a leader or a follower, I would tell you I'm both because I follow God by leading others to him.
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The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace. - Mother Teresa
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Each one of us is born most free; And we alone can choose to do what God would have us do; To use what God would use. Or, we are also free to seek the proud and selfish way– A life where other gods come first ; To reign and hold full sway. But when we follow where Christ leads, we find that freedom’s place is really in God’s Will for us; And we have chosen GRACE!
-Peggy Ferrell
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“Stepping Stones”
It is just a step to the Father’s love– No farther than the heart, No farther than a faith that knows God sets each life apart.
It is just a step to the Father’s work-No farther than a door, No farther than the lonely soul so easy to ignore. It is just a step to eternity—No farther than the spring, No farther than the laws of life that govern everything.
—Peggy Ferrell
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When we look at what we want, and then compare that with what we have, we shall be unhappy. When we think about what we deserve, and then compare that with what we actually have, we shall thank God.
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Quotes
October 1, 2008
Reading
Philippians 3:4b-14
PRAYER:
God of Abraham and Sarah, Rahab and Obed, Mary and Jesus, thank you for the gift of your unfailing love that never gives up on us, no matter what walls we build or what sins we commit. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
October 2, 2008
Reading
Exodus 20:8
PRAYER:
O God, help us surrender to you for twenty-four hours the mantle of our busyness. Amen.
THURSDAY
October 3, 2008
Reading
Philippians 3:4-14
PRAYER:
O God, thank you for what you have done for us in Christ. Thank you for saving us. Amen.
FRIDAY
October 4, 2008
Reading
Matthew 21:33- 41
PRAYER:
O God, forgive us for living as if we are in charge. Show us how to honor you with our substance in what we do every day. Amen.
SATURDAY
October 5, 2008
Reading
Psalm 19
PRAYER:
O God, thank you for reaching out to us continually, until we realize that you are there and turn to you. Thank you for responding to our hunger to know you. Amen.
SUNDAY
October 6, 2008
Reading
Exodus 32:1-14
PRAYER:
Lord, in the aftermath of my panicked fears, your love remains steadfast. In times when I give up on you, I am grateful that you do not give up on me. Amen.
MONDAY
October 7, 2008
Reading
Psalm 106:1-6,19-23
PRAYER:
Gracious God, give me grace to confess my sins without fear of condemnation and with a desire to be transformed through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
TUESDAY
October 8, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:1-6
PRAYER:
Loving God, amid all the opportunities and obligations of my life, enable me to see clearly that nothing matters more than your gracious acceptance of me and of every other person in this world. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
October 9, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:7-10
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the ways you bring me to yourself-even for judgment that prompts me to turn from sin and depend upon you. Amen.
THURSDAY
October 10, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:11-14
PRAYER:
Almighty God, by the patient working of your grace, enable me to become a person who truly belongs in your kingdom. Amen.
FRIDAY
October 11, 2008
Reading
Philippians 4:1-3
PRAYER:
O Christ, beyond all else that defines me, I belong to you. May I be so at peace with you that I can be at peace with others. Amen.
SATURDAY
October 12, 2008
Reading
Philippians 4:4-9
PRAYER:
God, of all goodness, enable me to rejoice in your goodness wherever it occurs. Amen.
SUNDAY
October 13, 2008
Reading
Exodus 33:12-17
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for knowing my name and for giving purpose to my life. Thank you for the prayers of all those who have made intercession on my behalf. Amen.
MONDAY
October 14, 2008
Reading
Exodus 33:18-23
PRAYER:
God, protect me from myself when I ask too much of you. Satisfy my soul in your gracious presence. Amen.
TUESDAY
October 15, 2008
Reading
Psalm 99
PRAYER:
Holy are you, Almighty God. From places of lowliness, your people praise you and your holy name. Thank you for hearing our cries and forgiving our sins. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
October 16, 2008
Reading
1 Thessalonians 1:1-3
PRAYER:
God, make me an encourager this day. May my life be one of building your people up. May I be steadfast as you are steadfast. Amen.
THURSDAY
October 17, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:19-21
SUGGESTION FOR MEDITATION:
Make a plan for today to live your Christian witness in your deeds and not just your words. Meditate on how your life bears witness to the world that everything is the Lord’s.
FRIDAY
October 18, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:15-18,22
PRAYER:
O God, help me not be afraid to speak truth in the face of injustice. Hel me stand in small ways and large to promote peace and righteousness at every turn. Though I live contained in time and space, help me be of your kingdom. Amen.
SATURDAY
October 19, 2008
Reading
1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
PRAYER:
Dear God, may our witness be joy, our lives thanksgiving, our hands praise, our hearts love, our strength peace, and our daily walk hope. May you be known because of the way we live our lives. Amen.
SUNDAY
October 20, 2008
Reading
Psalm 90:1-6,13-17
PRAYER:
Lord, allow me to be mindful today of life’s brevity and of your willingness to establish the work of my hands for your kingdom. Amen.
MONDAY
October 21, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:34-40
PRAYER:
Ask God to reveal God’s desires for you to carry out this day.
TUESDAY
October 22, 2008
Reading
Matthew 22:34-36,41-46
SUGGESTION FOR REFLECTION:
Consider the questions that block you from participating fully in God’s love. Try to release those questions that bolster your false sense of security and strength.
WEDNESDAY
October 23, 2008
Reading
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
PRAYER:
Lord, when I next encounter someone who might be blessed by a simple kindness, I pray that my reservations about what the recipient (or anyone else) might think of me won’t stop me. Rather, remind me of this simple question: how might I please you by doing something kind for my neighbor today?
THURSDAY
October 24, 2008
Reading
Psalm 90:3-6,13-7
SUGGESTION FOR PRAYER:
Ask God for the ability to recognize the divine presence, even during life’s challenging experiences.
FRIDAY
October 25, 2008
Reading
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
SUGGESTION FOR PRAYER:
Thank God for divine tenderness toward us, even when we fail.
SATURDAY
October 26, 2008
Reading
Psalm 90:1-2
SUGGESTION FOR PRAYER:
Thank God for being your dwelling place, despite the nature of your physical surroundings.
SUNDAY
DAILY DEVOTIONS
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.—James Thurber
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A Christian is a keyhole through which other folk see God. -- Robert E. Gibson
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Prayer is asking for rain and faith is carrying an
umbrella.- Barbara Johnson
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Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it. Attitude is the single most significant decision I make each day.
- C. Swindoll
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When times are hard and you can not see the light. Remember what He said, Walk by faith, not by sight.
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Not Truth, but Faith, it is that keeps the world alive. - Edna St. Vincent Millay
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Wishing will never be a substitute for prayer.
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The Gospel is neither a discussion nor a debate.
It is an announcement.
- P.S. Rees
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Its not doing the things we like to do, but liking the things we have to do, that makes life blessed .
· J.W. von Goethe
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Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us. –John Scott
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To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. -Martin Luther
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Security is having the Word of God in your own language. Peace is having the Word of God in your heart. - Corrie Ten Boom
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Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. - Carl Sandburg
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The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon divine grace –Brother Lawrence
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God Gave us life. What we do with it reveals our attitude toward the giver.-Charles Ferrell
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Quotes