January 26, 2011 - James 2

S - 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

O - James mentions the obvious here that a person is dead when there is no spirit in the body. He compares this to faith and too says faith without works is dead.

A - Am I living a life of faith that is apparent from the outside? When people see me do they say "Something is different about him because he shows such acts of love and servanthood"? This should be the case as the faith that is inside of me should be so strong that it can not be contained and automatically flows out of me. I will look for opportunities to expand my works of faith so that it becomes a part of my being and comes out without effort. There will still be times that effort is required to do certain acts but as these works increase this effort required will decrease. The love of Jesus is inside of me and I need to let this flow out of me regardless of what others around me think because what He thinks of me is truly the only one that matters.

P - Lord God, give me opportunity to display my faith in works that help and serve you and others. Be with me today and always and let me hear your voice continually and be guided by you. You and you alone are worthy of praise. Thank you for being with me and my family continually.

January 25 - James 1

S - 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 27 to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
O - James is talking about doing what is the word of God and not just hearer of the word. Hearing is easy but to put what is heard to use takes more effort and therefore we tend to lack at times in following all of the words.
A - Many times I will judge others by their actions but will judge myself on my intentions. I will look at myself and know what things are bad or evil and will most of the time stay away from these actions or thoughts. However, the second verse really stands out as the things we ought to do. The second verse is talking about serving others and doing things to help those in need. That is an area which I need to focus more of my time on as this was a very large part of Jesus' ministry and should be part of mine too. Acts of service may be more evangelistic than all the words of the Bible to those that are truly hurting and need my help.
P - Lord give me opportunities to serve people especially those that are in need and outside of my family. Help me to focus on others and serve as your son Jesus served. Let your light shine through not only my thoughts but also my actions.

Jaunary 24, 2011 - Luke 24

S - Luke 24:5 - Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

O - The words of the angels are so clear to the women visiting the tomb. Why in the world would they be looking for someone in a cemetery when clearly the person was alive. It's almost a ridiculous idea. The women didn't understand that Jesus was going to rise from the dead so to them it made sense to go to the tomb.

A - I need to understand who Jesus is and know his voice and his word. In doing so, I'll be able to know what is of him and what is of this world or of the devil. Just like it was ridiculous of the women to go to the tomb in search of Jesus it is ridiculous of me to search for Jesus in this world. Jesus is above this world and cannot be found in it. I need to focus my eyes on him and in doing so I'll be able to hear his voice constantly.