if you want to provide your family with the good things in life, be

HAVING ALL THINGS ADDED TO YOU

By Joseph Prince – Posted February 22, 2017

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

You are probably a responsible person who is concerned about providing well for your family—making sure that there is food on the table, money for the children’s needs, comfort and education, and so on.

What does God have to say to us about these legitimate concerns? According to Matthew 6:31, He tells us, “Do not worry.” Now, He is not saying that we don’t need all these things because in the same portion of scripture He says, “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Matthew 6:32)

So God cares about us having these things. He wants us to have all these things. In fact, He wants all these things added to us. And He tells us that the way these things are added to us is by us seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Therefore, our number one priority every day is to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is not to seek to add these things to ourselves.

But what is righteousness? Righteousness is not right behavior. It is right standing with the Father. It is the clearance of all your guilt, which makes you able to stand before God. It is not something you get through right behavior. It is a gift from God. Paul calls it “the gift of righteousness”. (Romans 5:17) And to “seek” this gift is to be conscious of the fact that you have it, to confess that you are righteous in Christ.

So this righteousness we are told to seek is not right behavior, but right standing before God, which comes to us as a gift when we receive salvation. At the cross, Jesus didn’t just remove our sins, He also gave us His righteousness so that today, we can come boldly before the throne of God and receive freely everything that He died to give us!

Today, if you want to provide your family with the good things in life, be assured that your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. Just seek His righteousness, not your own righteousness, and “all these things shall be added to you”!

Thought For The Day

Jesus gave us His righteousness so that we can come boldly before the throne of God and receive freely everything that He died to give us!

 He Laughs in the Heavens

By Joel Osteen – Posted February 22, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"He Who sits in the heavens laughs..."
Psalm 2:4, AMPC

TODAY'S WORD:

Have you ever thought about God laughing in the heavens? Right now, God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about the economy. He’s not upset with you and me. God is full of joy and laughing on the throne. It goes on to tell us in Psalm 37 that He’s laughing because “He can see the destruction of the enemy coming.” In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is that you and I win. God always causes us to triumph! 

Imagine watching the Super Bowl when you already know the outcome. You already know who is going to win. No matter how far behind the winning team falls, no matter how bad it looks for them, you wouldn’t get upset. You wouldn’t be worried. Why? You’ve got inside information. You know the final outcome. That’s what God is saying to us today. When it gets tough and things don’t look like they’re going to work out, we know that with God, we are on the winning team! Today, you can laugh with Him knowing that He has favor, strength and victory in store for your future!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, I choose to rest and trust in You. Thank You for bringing victory in every area of my life. Give me opportunities today to share Your joy and love with the people around me in Jesus’ name. Amen."

Realistic Expectations

By Joyce Meyer - Posted February 22, 2017

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
—2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT 

How we treat ourselves is often how we treat others. For example, if you receive God’s mercy, then you will be able to give mercy to others, but if you are demanding and never satisfied with yourself, you will be the same way with others. 

We need to learn to be good to ourselves and yet not be self-centered. You should respect and value yourself; you should know what you are good at and what you are not good at and realize God’s strength is perfected in your weaknesses. We stress over our faults and yet everyone has them. If you had no faults, you would not need Jesus, and that is never going to happen! 

Power Thought: I have realistic expectations of myself and others. 

 

Mansions in Glory

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted February 22, 2017

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2

Recommended Reading: John 14:1-6

The older translations of John 14:2 tell us that heaven is filled with many mansions; but many of the newer translations say “rooms” or “chambers” or “dwelling places.” It’s true the concept of “rooms” fits with the idea of the Father’s “house”; and the English word mansion originally meant “a dwelling place.” But on the other hand, even the smallest hut in heaven will be a thousand times better and greater than any house that’s ever been built on earth.

Everyone occasionally imagines living in a mansion. Maybe you’ve toured castles or palaces or regal estates. Haven’t you wondered what it’d be like to throw open the door and holler, “Honey, I’m home!” Perhaps you’ve take a tour of exclusive communities or looked at magazine photographs of celebrities’ homes.

No earthly palace comes close to the homesteads Jesus is preparing for us in heaven. We won’t be disappointed. Take Jesus at His word when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.”¹

A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there; / Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing: All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.

Harriet Buell, in her hymn “A Child of the King”

 Read-Thru-the-Bible: Deuteronomy 3 - 4