December 2014 – Thought of the Day

December 31, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Wednesday

The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
G. K. Chesterton

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:5
The Revised Standard Version

Still upward be thine onward course;
For this I pray today;
Still upward as the years go by
And seasons pass away.
Still upward in this coming year,
Thy path is all untried
Still upward may’st thou journey on,
Close by Thy Savior’s side.
Unknown

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December 30, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Tuesday

Honesty has a beautiful and refreshing simplicity about it. No ulterior motives. No hidden meanings. An absence of hypocrisy, duplicity, political games, and verbal superficiality. As honesty and real integrity characterize our lives, there will be no need to manipulate others.
Charles Swindoll

Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Psalm 40:11
The King James Version

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December 29, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Monday

As a reminder, if you’d like to make a year-end donation to The Ranch, please make it by Wednesday, December 31st to count it towards your 2014 taxes. Just visit this link to make a donation. Thanks, and Happy New Year!

When the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing Him with all his might, so that he passed his life in continual joy.
Brother Lawrence

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
The English Standard Version

My coat and I live comfortably together. It has assumed all my wrinkles, does not hurt me anywhere, has molded itself on my deformities, and is complacent to all my movements, and I only feel its presence because it keeps me warm. Old coats and old friends are the same thing.
Victor Hugo

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December 28, 2014

This Week’s Sermon- 15 Minutes A Day That Will Change Your Life Forever

Note from Eric: No book has impacted my life more than the Bible. If you’ve ever tried, or wanted to try, reading through the Bible in a year (or even if you’ve read it many times before, but have gotten bogged down lately) you might try the approach my friend Bill Allison suggests below. With the New Year starting on Thursday, why not gather some friends and start this week? (Also, as a reminder, if you’d like to make a year-end donation to The Ranch, please make it by Wednesday, December 31st to count it towards your 2014 taxes. Just visit this link to make a donation. Thanks, and Happy New Year!)

15 Minutes A Day That Will Change Your Life Forever
by Bill Allison
www.cupojoewithbill.com

By far the single most important thing I did in 2014 that helped my relationship with God was reading through the Bible–with some friends.
In the words of Nacho Libre, “It’s fantastic.”
I’d like you join me in creating your own study-and-share group (face-to-face and/or online) to read through the Bible–together–this year.
But first, let’s talk about your big BUT.
I know. You’ve tried to read the Bible in a year before, BUT about the time you got to Leviticus you ran out of gas. (Pun intended.) Then you felt guilty about it. (I feel your pain.) You felt like such loser! (I may be projecting my own feelings onto you now.) Well, let me help you get over your big BUT by introducing you to…

Did you get that? This year is the guilt free–not the guil-ty–read through the Bible.
So what happens when you miss a day? A few days? A week? A month? Three months? Six months? A year? (Again, I might be projecting my own past failed experiences in reading through the Bible in a year onto you… sorry.) If you miss a day, week, or month or whatever, I invite you to simply start reading the Bible–not where you left off–but on whatever day it is that day. No Bible-reading mafia types will show up at your house to confiscate your Bible and break your legs. Seriously. No guilt. Say those words slowly right now out loud: “No. Guilt.”
Why this approach? I suspect if you take this no guilt approach, you will actually read the Bible more this year than any other year in your life. Next year, we can work on reading the WHOLEly Bible : )
Here’s the kicker: Reading through the Bible in a year takes only about 15 minutes a day, but it’s 15 minutes a day that will change your life forever.
Don’t believe me? Here’s a true story.
I dirty-double-dog-dare-you to try to read the Bible for 15 minutes day… and regularly share with some friends how God is changing your lives.
Following Jesus Together…
The best way to take this Bible reading adventure is to invite some friends you see and interact with often to take it with you. It was my wife who got me to do this in back in 2011. So I encourage you to invite your face-to-face friends to join you on this adventure. You could use the “study and share method” (not to be confused with the Sonny and Cher method): Each person studies the daily readings at home, and then you gather weekly, twice a month, or whatever–to share what you’re learning with each other. I know of one church that decided to read through the Bible together in a year–so they actually started a study-and-share Sunday school class that met weekly. The whole class was simply sharing with each other what God was stirring and teaching in the previous seven days of readings.
BUT Who?
Not sure who you can invite to take this adventure with you? What about your spouse? Your mom or dad? Your kids? Friends from church? Small group? Neighbors? Coworkers? (I hope you’re getting the idea that it’s the people all around you everyday.)
While I prefer face-to-face gatherings for study and share, I also enjoy the study and share that happens via Skype, texting, and Facebook. You could start a no-guilt-read-through-the-Bible-together Facebook group right now. Such a group will make it possible for you to leave comments and share what your learning with each other. Most important, it will enable you to share how God is working in our lives as you read and apply his Word.
Why all this reading the Bible together with friends? Friends don’t let friends read the Bible alone. To quote Barney: “Everything is better with a friend.”
So, are you in?
If yes, then here are your next steps in starting a group right now…

Download the two-page PDF plan for reading the Bible through in 2015. Please pass the PDF on to your friends and invite them to join you in this guilt-free adventure!

Here’s the exact same plan as found in the PDF above as found on Youversion. Youversion makes it possible to not only read the Bible online via your smart phone, iPad, or computer, but you also can read it in whatever translation you choose. Another bonus is that you can also listen to an audio of each day’s readings for FREE!
Is your big BUT still getting in your way?
If yes, then watch this video.
P.S. If you like today’s message from Bill Allison, you can get more blog posts from Cup O’ Joe with Bill in your email inbox! You’ll hear from him about 2x a week. Email addresses are never shared with anyone and you can unsubscribe at anytime. Subscribe to Cup O’ Joe with Bill by Email. Be sure to check your email and confirm your subscription from Feedburner.

If you’d like to make a year-end donation to The Ranch, we’d be glad to send you a book or CD from our bookstore as our way of saying thanks! Just click The Ranch Bookstore to make a donation and get a gift, or click Make A Donation to make a donation without receiving a gift. Your gifts will help us share the good news of Jesus Christ with even more people in 2015!

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December 26, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Friday

Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it.
Oswald Chambers

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 2:19-23
The New International Version

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
Unknown

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December 25, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Thursday

Wishing you a most joyous Christmas celebration!
Greg and Eric

When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating that amazing time when the Word that shouted all the galaxies into being, limited all power, and for love of us came to us in the powerless body of a human baby.
Madeline L’Engle

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:8-14
The New King James Version

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December 24, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Wednesday

There was a man who lived in a small farming community. The man did not believe in the Christmas story. He thought the whole idea strange and illogical. But one wintery night, birds and church bells changed the man’s life forever. On a snowy Christmas Eve, this man observed birds thumping into his window apparently seeking refuge from the winter storm. He felt compassion for the birds and decided to help. The man knew his barn would be a safe refuge for his cold, feathered friends, but enlisting the birds’ cooperation became quite a challenge. With the barn doors wide open and lights burning, he first tried to lead the birds to safety. No luck. Then, he tried shooing them toward the door. Still, no luck. Finally, he placed breadcrumbs along the path to the barn, but he birds still refused to cooperate. He thought, “If only I could lead these lost creatures to safety.” At that very moment the church bells rang…and the man understood. He knew why God came to earth, and he understood the truth of the Christmas story. God became man so that He might lead us to salvation.
Louis Cassels

These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her fiancé, being a man of stern principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn’t want to publicly disgrace her. As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “don’t hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Savior’), for he will save his people from their sins. This will fulfill God’s message through his prophets ‘Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God is with us”).’” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded and brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her Son was born; and Joseph named him “Jesus.”
Matthew 1:18-25
The Living Bible

The boy was nine, but a big husky kid. The director of the church’s annual Christmas pageant knew he would be the right one to play the innkeeper’s part. With a harsh voice, his job would be to send Mary and Joseph away from the inn. He practiced his one and only line, “There is no room in the inn.” But the youngster had a flaw- his tender heart. As the night of the performance came he rehearsed his line again and again with his parents. Finally his turn came. With his gruffest voice he brushed the holy couple away from the door, saying, “There is no room in the inn!” Joseph looked so sad and Mary so helpless. They began to exit when suddenly the nine-year-old innkeeper blurted out to everyone’s surprise, “Wait, come back here! You can have my room!” The director thought the play was ruined! Some of the kids rolled their eyes. But the majority of people there that night at the local church thought it the best pageant ever. Many left with tears, recapturing the real meaning of Christmas. This season is always so rushed, isn’t it? And what suffers most? Shopping days? Parties? Gift exchanges? No, not usually. Time alone with God? That’s often the first thing to go, right? No time, no room, for Jesus. Our lives are crowding Him out with too many things to do. Don’t you see our Lord slowly drawing away from the door of your heart with downcast eyes? “Wait, come back, I do have room for you.”
Daylight Devotional Bible

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December 23, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Tuesday

There are some of us who think to ourselves, “If I had only been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby. I would have washed His linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!” Yes, we would say that because we know how great Christ is, but if we had been there at that time, we would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem…Why don’t we do it now? We have Christ in our neighbor.
Martin Luther

About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation. (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration. And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient home- journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth. He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
Luke 2:1-5
The Living Bible

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December 22, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Monday

How many observe Christ’s Birthday! How few, his Precepts! ‘Tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.
Benjamin Franklin

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Luke 1:26-33
The New Living Translation

Each year after Thanksgiving, Bonnie DeArmond and her family planned their annual Christmas “Ring and Run” celebration. First, the DeArmonds gathered together and began making a large assortment of homemade gifts. Then, when presents filled the dining room table to overflowing, each family member chose friends who would be the recipients of these gifts. Then, the fun began. On one special evening, the normally mild-mannered DeArmonds carried out a covert operation. With gifts in hand, they climbed into their family van. As they approached the targeted home, the van lights went dark and the side door quietly opened to let Sterling, Meagan, or Schaeffer sneak to the house. A gift was placed at the front door, the bell was rung, and the child raced back to the waiting van. Ring and run. Bonnie and family were far down the road before the friends discovered their gifts. After completing the drop-offs, the DeArmonds returned home to await the inevitable calls from delighted friends. Bonnie and her family made Christmas memories as they shared the gift of friendship.
Bonnie DeArmonds

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December 19, 2014

This Day’s Thought from The Ranch- Friday

To speak painful truth through loving words- that is friendship.
Henry Ward Beecher

But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Matthew 19:30
The King James Version

God knows what’s in our hearts. We might as well get right to the point.
Bruce Bickel

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