The Daily Word: Saturday, March 31^st, 2018
Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20
Luke 9:7-27
Psalm 72:1-20
Proverbs 12:8-9
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. – Lk 9:17

Our God is an abundant God! “About five thousand men” (v 14) followed Jesus into the wilderness to hear Him preach. As the day came to an end, the people were hungry. That means, including women and children, anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 people needed a meal. Jesus didn’t turn them away. He didn’t send His disciples to buy everyone food (v 13)! He made provision.

When God provides, He doesn’t give just enough; He gives more than enough. Jesus fed the multitudes, they all “ate and were filled” (v 17), and there was so much left over that the disciples took up twelve baskets of extra food! Jesus didn’t miscalculate; after all, this is the God who has the hairs on your head numbered (Lk 12:7). He purposely overprovided to demonstrate His abundance.

God wants to bless you with more than enough, so you can go out and bless others. He wants to give you more than enough so you not only fulfill the calling on your life, but also go out and bless others in their calling! When we learn to bless other people the way God has blessed us – overabundantly – the world will start to change!

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. – Prov 10:22

Prayer:

Father, thank You for being an abundant God! You have given me everything I need and more. I thank You and I praise You for Your abundant provision, in Jesus’ name! 

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Friday, March 30^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23
Luke 8:40-9:6
Psalm 71:1-24
Proverbs 12:5-7
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
… for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deut 13:3

God tests us. In my own experience, these moments don’t happen often; but there will be definitive moments where God wants to test our faith. So what does it mean to be tested, and what is God trying to prove?

To “test” is the Greek word nacah (Strong’s #5254). It means to tempt, but also to prove. God “tests” you to make choices that demonstrate you love Him more than anything or anyone else. However, He is not testing you because He hopes you will fail; He is testing you to prove you: to show you what you are made of!

When airplane manufacturers build new planes, they test them. They make sure they are strong enough to carry heavy cargo. They make sure they are ready to fly high! They make sure they can pass through any storm without losing altitude. The hope is not that they will fail; the hope is that they will pass, and be proved trustworthy, so they can start to fly!

God tests you to declare you approved. Are you ready to fly?

Prayer:

Father, thank You for testing me. Test me, and show me I am approved. Prove to me just how strong I am, in Jesus’ name! Help me to rely on You like never before.

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, March 29^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32
Luke 8:22-39
Psalm 70:1-5
Proverbs 12:4
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
…but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. – Deut 11:11-12

Whatever you are going through, God cares. He cares about your dreams more than you do! He cares about your future more than you do. He cares about your life – and everything that happens in it – more than you do!

If you try to build your own life – to find a Promised Land of your own creation – you will have to care for it. You will not only have to build it; you will also have to maintain it. You can build the perfect career, cultivate the perfect home, or even grow the perfect family; but at some point your resources – your time, energy, and effort –will be exhausted.

But when you step into God’s promise for your life, He will not only build it; He will also maintain it! His eyes are “always on it.” He will care for it every single day of His life; and His resources never run out!

Let God care for you. Don’t go though life alone, building your own dreams; simply receive the dreams He has for you, and step into your Promised Land!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for caring for my dreams! Thank You that no matter what I am hoping and praying for: You care about it even more than I do. Thank You for being the God who keeps His promises!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Wednesday, March 28^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Luke 8:4-21
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 12:2-3
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven…” – Deut 9:1

Are you ready to cross over? Here was God’s promise to His people: if they would simply cross over the Jordan River into new territory, God would give them the land. He would fight every battle for them. He would go before them as a “consuming fire,” to “destroy [their enemies] and bring them down” (v 3).

What battles are you facing in your life? Stop fighting, and just cross over! Stop walking around in circles by doing the same things and expecting different results, and just cross over. For God’s people, crossing over dealt with a physical boundary; but for us, we cross over when we move from fear into faith. We cross over when we make the decision to trust God like never before: with all our heart, and all our soul. We cross over when we declare that we don’t have to fight our battles anymore, because we trust God to fight them for us!

All God’s people had to do was cross over, and God would do the rest! And He will do the same for you.

Prayer:

Father, help me to cross over from fear into faith. I’m facing battles in my life; but I know I don’t have to fight them, because You will fight for me! I thank you for Your faithfulness, in Jesus’ name!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, March 27^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20
Luke 7:36-8:3
Psalm 69:1-18
Proverbs 12:1
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. – Deut 8:2

God didn’t cause the wilderness; but He did refuse to let it go to waste.

The people of Israel were in the wilderness because of their own disobedience. The journey to the Promised Land was supposed to take eleven days; but instead it took forty years! But the good news is that God refused to let that time go to waste.

God led His people through the wilderness. God fed His people in the wilderness. God taught His people He was faithful, even when they were faithless! He tested them – i.e. He refined and strengthened them – to know what was in their heart, and to make them into the people He knew they could be!

God didn’t cause your wilderness; but He will refuse to let it go to waste. He will use it for your good, and you will come out better on the other side.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness! I trust You in my wilderness. I will continue to look to You for hope and for joy: no matter what. I love You, and You are my God!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, March 26^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25
Luke 7:11-35
Psalm 68:19-35
Proverbs 11:29-31
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” – Lk 7:13

Jesus entered a city called Nain, and encountered a woman who had just lost her only son. When He saw her, He gave her so much more than a shoulder to cry on. He gave her a God to believe in. He gave her hope in the midst of her despair. He gave her the promise that no matter how dead her son seemed, He would bring him back to life!

Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. – Lk 7:14-15

Jesus offers hope for the hopeless. He exchanges death for life! The Christian faith is so much more than just a vague hope that things will get better. It is a specific promise that even when we die, we will live again: that when we leave this world, we will meet God face to face, and be with Him for all eternity.

Through Jesus, we have Resurrection life!

Prayer:

Father, thank You that I have Resurrection life! Help me to remember that no matter what I go through, You have given me a future and a hope. I thank You for that, in Jesus name!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Sunday, March 25^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 4:1-49
Luke 6:39-7:10
Psalm 68:1-18
Proverbs 11:28
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deut 4:29

Moses didn’t sugarcoat his farewell address to the people of Israel. He told them that no matter how much God loved them, they would “do evil” and “provoke Him to anger” (v 25). They would, “serve [idols], the work of men’s hands” (v 28), and fall into sin. But from there they would seek the Lord, and everything would change:

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deut 4:29

If you seek Him – with all your heart and with all your soul – you will find Him. There is no such thing as “too far gone” for God! No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done: there is forgiveness when you cry out to God!

Don’t waste one more day apart from God. Are you in a place of victory? Seek Him from there. Are you in a place of misery and despair? Seek Him from there. When you seek Him, He will be found.

Prayer:

Father, thank You that You are always available! I want to seek You: with all my heart, and with all my soul, for the rest of my life, in Jesus’ name!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Saturday, March 24^th, 2018
Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29
Luke 6:12-38
Psalm 67:1-7
Proverbs 11:27
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” – Deut 2:7

The people of Israel had been in the wilderness a long time! It had taken them forty years to make a trip that should have taken eleven days (Deut 1:2). But even when they were in the wilderness, God provided for them every step of the way.

Don’t focus on the delays; focus on God’s faithfulness. Don’t focus on all the things that seem to be going wrong in your life; focus all the times God provided for you, even when it didn’t seem like He could! Yes, Israel’s journey took a lot longer than expected. But God’s people weren’t dead; they were alive! They weren’t hungry; they were full! When you’re tempted to look at all the things God has yet to do, turn your attention to everything He’s already done!

Perspective brings hope: when you work to develop the former, God will supply the latter.

Prayer:

Father, give me healthy perspective! Help me to evaluate Your faithfulness in terms of what I have, and not what I’m missing. Help me to remember all You’ve done for me!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Friday, March 23^rd, 2018
Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46
Luke 5:29-6:11
Psalm 66:1-20
Proverbs 11:24-26
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” – Lk 5:31-32

Are you spending time with sinners? Are you leading the lost to Jesus? Winning the lost and making disciples is an unavoidable part of our mission on earth:

And Jesus came and spoke to [His disciples], saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. – Matt 28:18-20

You can’t win the lost if you don’t talk to sinners. You can’t make disciples if the only people you hang out with are from church!

We must reach the lost. If we don’t, who will?

Prayer:

Father, make me bold as a lion. I want to reach the lost at any cost. I am unwilling to compromise my faith in You; but equally unwilling to sit on my hands in a pew. Send me out, in Jesus’ name!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, March 22^nd, 2018
Numbers 33:40-35:34
Luke 5:12-28
Psalm 65:1-13
Proverbs 11:23
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. – Num 33:55

God’s instructions to Israel were clear: get rid of distractions. The inhabitants of Canaan – the Promised Land – would distract God’s people from what they should be focused on: His presence. God warned them that if they didn’t nip the problem in the bud, it would painfully persist: they would be “irritants” in their eyes and “thorns” in their sides.

What distractions are you permitting in your life? What tough decisions are you refraining from making? What tough conversations are you afraid to have? The longer you permit them, the more painful they will become. Drive them out! And get back to the main thing: allowing God to occupy all of your attention.

Prayer:

Father, help me to boldly drive out anything that is distracting me from Your presence. I don’t want to permit anything that You don’t want me to have. Strengthen me to make bold decisions, in Jesus’ name!

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© Michael D. White, 2018. All rights reserved.