Daily Devotional

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“[The] Master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV).

Money is the acid test of your faithfulness. God uses it more than any other thing in your life to test your faith. Why? Because it’s the thing we have the hardest time with.

Look at the rewards God gives for wise money management: “[The] Master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV).

The law of compensation is this: God will reward you for good money management. There are three steps to this reward based on Matthew 25:21: affirmation, promotion, and celebration.

God affirms you by saying, “Good job! I was testing you to see if you could be trusted with what I gave you, and you passed the test. Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The second step is promotion. As you show faithfulness with a few things, God will give you greater responsibility.

And as you show your responsibility, God will celebrate with you. You will share in God’s happiness!

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24 NIV).

Notice he doesn’t say you shouldn’t serve God and money. He says you can’t. It’s impossible. Nobody can serve two masters. So you’re going to have to decide what will be number one in your life: God or making money.

Money is a terrific servant, but it is a terrible master. When it masters you, you’re always under stress. You’re always worried. You’re always uptight about it. When you master your money, when it is your servant, it serves you. When money works for you instead of you working for your money, then you have peace.

Talk About It

If God audited your finances, what grade would he give you, and why?
Why would you want God to give you greater responsibility?
How can you manage your money more wisely so that it works for you instead of controlling you?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Psalms 91: 5
Fear nothing-not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day. (Message)

Thoughts
In the movie, 300, the enemy, the Persian Empire, tries to provoke fear into the outnumbered 300 by saying, "Our archers are so many, our arrows will block out the sun."

I love the response of one of the 300, with laughter he responds, "Then today we fight in the shade!"

What a manly, fear nothing attitude. I want to always have a quick fear nothing response that honors my God, a response that makes HIM bigger and provokes courage into those around me.
(Wes W)

Action Point
I can more readily relate to wolves and arrows as an outdoorsman. But God is promising so much more in this story. Not just harm from the outside, but also the inside, pestilence, disease, plague and disaster. Psalms 91:7 reminds us, "Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you," (Message). Verse 10 declares, "Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door," (Message).
I'm choosing to believe God's promises and speak them out over my wife and grandchildren, even my tent. Verse 10 "Harm can't get through the door," (Message). It's just a choice. I'm making to speak faith building words of strength and encouragement.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am” (Matthew 16:24 The Message).

How do you let go and let God? First, you have to make Jesus the manager of your life.

The problem is, we usually want to be the manager of our own lives, and so we argue and disagree with God. We think we know what’s best. The reason you’re under a lot of stress is that you’re constantly fighting God in your mind — “I know God says to do this, but I want to do that instead!”

Every morning when you wake up, you have a decision to make: Who’s going to be in charge of your life? Who’s going to be in control — you or God? Who’s going to call the shots — you or God? Every day, moment-by-moment, you are making that decision. When you choose to make yourself the manager of your own life, it causes conflict, confusion, and stress.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am” (The Message). Here’s what Christians tend to do: When we become believers in Christ, we give him the driver’s seat and then promptly hop into the backseat and become backseat drivers. We’re constantly giving him “advice,” like, “No, turn this way. Stop. Wait. Faster! I want to go that way. I want to see that sight.”

Many years ago Kay and I took dancing lessons from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. The instructor told us that one of the biggest problems couples have is letting the other lead. When they’re both trying to lead, they’re stepping on each other’s feet all the time, and it doesn’t look very pretty.

Your life doesn’t look very pretty when you’re trying to lead with God at the same time. You just need to let God be God and make Jesus the manager of your life.

Talk About It

What details of your life are most difficult for you to surrender to God?
How have you been quarreling with God without saying a word? What do your actions reveal about who is managing your life?
Determine today to give God control of the areas of your life where you have concerns and stress. What will that look like? What difference will that make in your life?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Proverbs 25:28
A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down.(HCSB)

Thoughts
For a couple years in a row, my family and I had searched an area for an old military fort. It was located where there was a good population of quail and javelina. Whenever we were hunting around there, we would always take time to look for it. I think each of us had conjured up in our mind's eye great images of all the treasure the fort might hold.

It was rather surprising when we finally located it; but all that remained were some crumbled old rock walls and much debris. You could see that at one point it had been a large establishment that housed two companies of the 14th Infantry. Now it is nothing but a few ruins.
(Brett M)

Action Point
These walls were constructed in the late 1800's to protect the military from Indians, most presumably Tonto Apaches. However, without constant attention, they now have fallen into decline and are no longer able to fulfill their mission.

King Solomon tells us in the book of Proverbs that a life without self-control will not be able to complete its mission. If we do not establish and maintain spiritual boundaries in our life, we leave ourselves open to attack from the enemy.

Our personal boundaries, walls of self-control, need constant maintenance. Seek that maintenance by reading God's Word, praying, and through other committed Christians.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NIV).

If you want to make healthy choices to be well and whole again, you have to learn to be meek. Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (NIV).

The Bible lists many benefits of meekness: The meek will be satisfied (Psalm 22:26); God will guide them (Psalm 25:9); they will become wise (Proverbs 11:2); they will be filled with fresh joy (Isaiah 29:19).

There are many, many other benefits. The problem is, we misunderstand this term. We don’t really know what meekness is. In fact, we often confuse it with another term that sounds like it — “meek” sounds like “weak.” Nobody wants to be weak, so nobody wants to be meek.

But the truth is that meekness and weakness are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Meekness is in no way weakness. In fact, the Greek word for meekness literally means “strength under control.” To be meek is not to be weak. It’s used to describe a wild stallion that has been tamed. That stallion still has all the strength it had when it was wild, but now its strength is under control. It is strength bottled up for the master’s use. God doesn’t want you to be weak, but he does want you to be meek. The Bible teaches that it’s one of the keys to stress reduction in your life.

Here’s a simple definition of the word meek: Let go, and let God. That is the essence of meekness. It is surrendering, submitting, and agreeing to what God wants to do in your life. It’s letting God be God in your life. Let go, and let God.

I don’t know a phrase that will do more for your health physically or emotionally than this phrase. If you’ll begin to practice it in your life, it will relieve stress and eliminate worry. If you’ll let go and let God, it will defuse anger and end your hurt and resentment.

Talk About It

Where in your life do you especially need to surrender so that God can take control?
What can keep you from practicing meekness and submitting your life to God?
How does giving God control defuse anger and resentment?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).

Change requires new thinking. In order to change, we must learn the truth and start making good choices, but we also must change the way we think.

The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change the way you act, start by changing the way you think. In addition, if you want to change the way you feel, you must start with the way you think.

For instance, you can say, “I need to love my spouse more,” but that isn’t going to work. You can’t fight your way into a feeling. You must change the way you think about your spouse, about your kids, about the rest of your family. That will change the way you feel, which will then change the way you act. The Bible says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).

The battle for sin, the battle to deal with those defects in your life that you don’t like, starts in your mind. If you want to change anything in your behavior or anything in your emotions, you start with your thoughts and your attitude.

The renewal of your mind is related to the word “repentance.” I know repentance is a dirty word for a lot of people. They think it means something bad, something they don’t really want to do, something painful. They think of a guy standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Repent! The world’s about to end!”

Repentance is about more than changing your behavior. It is about changing your mind and learning to think differently. “Repent” simply means to make a mental U-turn.

You turn from guilt to forgiveness. You turn from frustration to freedom, from darkness to light, from hatred and bitterness to love.

You may also need to change the way you think about God. He’s not mad at you; he’s mad about you! You’re deeply flawed, but you’re deeply loved.

Start with your mind, and change the way you think about your relationships, the economy, the world, and your past, present, and future. Changing the way you think will then affect your emotions and your behavior.

Talk About It

Where can you get the power to make changes that you don’t think you can make on your own?
Why do you think repentance is required for the renewal of your mind?
How do you need to change the way you think about your most important relationships?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).

Change requires new thinking. In order to change, we must learn the truth and start making good choices, but we also must change the way we think.

The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change the way you act, start by changing the way you think. In addition, if you want to change the way you feel, you must start with the way you think.

For instance, you can say, “I need to love my spouse more,” but that isn’t going to work. You can’t fight your way into a feeling. You must change the way you think about your spouse, about your kids, about the rest of your family. That will change the way you feel, which will then change the way you act. The Bible says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).

The battle for sin, the battle to deal with those defects in your life that you don’t like, starts in your mind. If you want to change anything in your behavior or anything in your emotions, you start with your thoughts and your attitude.

The renewal of your mind is related to the word “repentance.” I know repentance is a dirty word for a lot of people. They think it means something bad, something they don’t really want to do, something painful. They think of a guy standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Repent! The world’s about to end!”

Repentance is about more than changing your behavior. It is about changing your mind and learning to think differently. “Repent” simply means to make a mental U-turn.

You turn from guilt to forgiveness. You turn from frustration to freedom, from darkness to light, from hatred and bitterness to love.

You may also need to change the way you think about God. He’s not mad at you; he’s mad about you! You’re deeply flawed, but you’re deeply loved.

Start with your mind, and change the way you think about your relationships, the economy, the world, and your past, present, and future. Changing the way you think will then affect your emotions and your behavior.

Talk About It

Where can you get the power to make changes that you don’t think you can make on your own?
Why do you think repentance is required for the renewal of your mind?
How do you need to change the way you think about your most important relationships?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Psalm 107:23-25; 28-30
Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea.

Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. (NKJV)

Thoughts
Most avid fishermen, like myself, have experienced rough weather while out fishing in a small boat. When that has happened to me, I have usually been prepared and able to reach safety before things got too rough. However, one time was a little different.

We had taken our nineteen-foot, open-bow runabout into the Gulf of California. This was a new experience for me, even though I had spent four years in the Navy. Those years, however, were aboard the battleship, New Jersey, not in a small craft.

The weather was calm when we started out and the fishing good--we were filling the ice chests with trigger fish. We decided to change position and go for some rock bass; so we made our way up shore about two miles to a rocky ledge. The fishing was good there too, and I forgot to pay attention to the weather or the position of the boat.

Suddenly, water began to break over our bow. The wind had come up and we were dangerously close to the rocks. I began to crank the motor, but it would not start. The closer we got to the rocks, the higher my heart was in my throat. Finally, the motor started and we moved away from the rocks. The trip back to the dock was long due to the wind and waves; but we finally made it to safety.
(Byron S)

Action Point
As I reread these verses this morning, I noted that I had underlined them some time ago. Always keep in mind that God is sovereign. Learn to lean on Him and trust Him; not only in the bad times, during stormy weather, but also in the good, fair-weather times. Bring all things to Him in prayer, ask for His wise counsel; and He will truly guide your way.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT).

Change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing. It’s not enough to desire change. In order for you to change, you will need to make a decision. You must choose to change.

Change is intentional. Are you going to be any different in six months? Are you going to be better a year from now? Are you going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Are you going to be happier? Are you going to be less in debt? Are you going to be more like God wants you to be?

I can tell you the answer right now: It will only happen if you choose to change, because it isn’t going to happen accidentally.

It requires a choice.

A lot of times we think we’re waiting on God to change us. No! God is waiting on you. He’s waiting on you to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.”

We have to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If you are going to grow, you will have to change, and change means you let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things.

It’s like swinging on a trapeze. The trapeze artist swings out on one bar and then has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he’s got to let go of one to grab on to the other, or he’s not going to make it to the other side. If he thinks he can hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and he’s going to fall.

Some of you are stuck in the middle, and you’re falling because you haven’t let go of the old patterns, the old habits, and the old ways of thinking. You have to let go of your old ways.

The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in your life — let them go. The Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is working in you “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).

Talk About It

What change have you been waiting on God to make in you? What do you think your responsibility is to make that change happen?
How is accountability with other believers helpful in making the choice to change and then following through on it?
What do you need to do once you make the choice to change? What steps will help you move forward?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. (NKJV)

Thoughts
It was my son's first elk hunt. His grandfather, a couple of friends and I were working our way back to our trucks when I stopped to take a break and was separated for just a moment from the rest of the group. In that split second (okay, maybe a minute or two), he spotted an elk. I suddenly heard a cow call just in time to look up and see him take a shot. At age 13, he had taken his first elk.

Have you ever considered how important first's are:
First time you fell in love.
First kiss.
First time your child said "Dada" or "Mama."
First day of the new year--a favorite for new resolutions.
Your first big game draw and first big game success.
Your first car.
God made first's to be special in our lives because they are special to Him. When speaking of giving to God, King Solomon instructs us to "give Him the first and the best."
(Brett M)

Action Point
In all parts of your life, give God your first's:
The first part of your day through prayer and devotions.
The first part of your week by going to church.
The first part of your paycheck.
Just to name just a few.

Remember how important first's are to you and know that they are just that special to God. Give God your firsts and see if He doesn't "burst your barn."

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip” (Matthew 25:14-15 GNT).

Jesus says in Matthew 25:14-15, “Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip” (GNT).

In those days there weren’t any banks, so when this rich man left for his long trip, he entrusted his property to his servants. When he returned, he asked for an account from the servants; he wanted to know what they had done with his money.

This is called stewardship — it is related to the old English word for “manager.” The first law of financial freedom is the law of possession: Everything you have belongs to God. You are only a manager!

We are called to be stewards of our time. We are called to be stewards of our influence. We are called to be stewards of our health, our relationships, and our opportunities. God calls you to be steward or manager of everything you have.

You may say, “But wait a minute! I worked for my money, and now you want to tell me it isn’t mine?” Where do you think you got your body to work for your money? Where do you think you got your mind to work for it? Where do you think you got the energy to work for it? Where do you think you got the intelligence to work for it? Everything you have is a gift from God. You don’t really own anything in life; it’s all on loan.

You only get to use God’s money while you’re here on Earth. He’s loaned it to you for a few decades. He loaned it to somebody before you, and he’s going to loan it to somebody else after you die. You don’t own it; the Master owns it all. It’s all under management.

Do you know what the sign is that you’ve forgotten the law of possession? When you think your money is yours, you worry about it. You feel a pressure and stress that you weren’t meant to have.

Money management is a spiritual discipline. God is actually watching how you handle his money to see what spiritual riches he can trust you with in heaven. This might make you feel pressure, but there is actually freedom in the law of possession.

When you remember that God is the owner and you are the manager, you’ll worry a whole lot less and focus more on managing God’s money well.

Talk About It

If you were the manager of a business, would you have as much pressure to succeed as the owner? Would you still want the business to succeed as much as the owner did? Why or why not?
How do you learn a spiritual discipline like money management?
What role does prayer play in your financial decisions? Why is prayer important in money management?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GNT).

God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances.

You want God to take away all of the problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But God wants to work on you first, because transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind, until your thoughts begin to change.

Why is it so important that you learn how to manage your mind? Let me give you three reasons.

Manage your mind, because your thoughts control your life.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). Your thoughts have tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad. For example, maybe you accept the thought someone told you when you were growing up, “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If you accepted that thought, even though it was wrong, it shaped your life.

Manage your mind, because the mind is the battleground for sin.
All temptation happens in the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).

One of the reasons why you get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in your brain 24 hours a day. It’s debilitating because it’s intense, and it’s intense because your mind is your greatest asset. Satan wants your greatest asset!

Manage your mind, because it’s the key to peace and happiness.
An unmanaged mind leads to tension. A managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict. A managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads to stress. When you don’t try to control your mind and the way you direct your thoughts, you will have an enormous amount of stress in your life. But a managed mind leads to strength and security and serenity.

“Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT).

Talk About It

What do you fill your mind with that pleases God? What do you fill your mind with that disappoints God?
How do you practice managing your mind?
What role does Scripture play in managing your mind?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Joshua 24:14-15
"Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (NIV)

Thoughts
Choices . . . We all have them to make, every day. When we're hunting, we have to make them moment-by-moment which path to take, which trail to follow, which mountain to climb, where to camp, still hunt, or spot and stalk, and which animal to kill? Choices are a part of the hunt.

Choices are also part of our spiritual life. Will we follow God, the one true God who has revealed Himself to us in the Bible and in His Son, Jesus or will we allow ourselves to be lured off the trail and follow false gods? Teachings that make us to be our own god, or teachings that worship the creation rather than the Creator are examples of false gods. As you make your choice, research the teachings of Jesus. When you learn more and more about Him, it will be easy to choose the right path!
(Cliff S)

Action Point
Make your choice. There's no in-betwee

[Ronnie W. Stark]

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV).

If you want to have lasting change in your life, you need to refocus your mind.

Specifically, you need to change your thought patterns away from what you don’t want to focus on and toward what you do want to focus on. Because whatever you focus on is what you move toward.

Today’s verse gives us the blueprint to change our thought patterns:

· “Do not conform.” How often do we let other people shape our lives? God doesn’t want you to be like someone else; he wants you to be the person he made you to be. So don’t copy, don’t conform, don’t try to be like anybody else.

· “The pattern of this world.” Pattern means the model of everything you’ve learned in life. If you want to change, you have to change your pattern or model of living that you learned in your life. You need to replace the old, unhealthy pattern with a new one modeled after the life of Christ.

· “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformed is the same as the word we use for metamorphosis, the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. In the same way, God wants to transform you into a completely new person by renewing your mind.

How does this happen? The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (NIV).

This means you are going to have to do some putting off and you are going to have to do some putting on — and the putting off has to happen before the putting on. It’s just like trying on clothes in a department store. Before you can try on the new stuff, you have to take off the old stuff.

You’re going to have to let go of the old attitudes, the old thought patterns, the old images that you’ve been living with so you can put on the new garments God has for you.

Talk About It

What does it mean practically to renew your mind?
How would you describe the pattern of living that you learned early in your life?
What “old stuff” do you need to take off so that God can renew your mind?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Mark 13:36-37
If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (NIV)

Thoughts
My son taught me the art of looking for game with binoculars. It is truly an important part of what we do as hunters. We scout for game ahead of the season; and during the hunt, we always look for our trophy. Watching and doing it right pays off.

In my reading this morning, I noticed how the word "watch" kept popping up. It appears three times in Mark 13 and 14. The Greek word for "watch" used in these verses is "vigilant", keep watch or stay awake. Webster's adds emphasis by saying: alertly watchful, especially to avoid danger. Jesus was making a point in this parable by using the word "watch" three times in the same manner for added emphasis.
(Byron S)

Action Point
We can see here that there is a difference in the kinds of "watching" that we do, simply by the use and meaning of the word. No problem in the Greek - they spell the words differently in order that the reader could discern the differences. The word "watch" as it is used in Mark is telling us to be vigilant in order to avoid danger. The Holy Spirit continues this theme in Acts, I Corinthians, Colossians, I Thessalonians, I Peter and Revelation - each time saying, be vigilant.

We can strengthen our vigil by staying in God's Word each day and applying the knowledge He gives us to world affairs. Stay current, keep watching; and remember what you learned as a child - practice makes perfect.