DEVOTION THUR 9-30-2010

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2010

“THERE’S POWER IN PRAYER”

BY

DR JACK GRAHAM

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

—Mark 9:28-29

Do you remember what happened when Christ, Peter, James, and John came down from the Mount of Transfiguration? They encountered a man whose son was possessed with an unclean spirit, which was wrecking his body and destroying his life.

Now, Jesus had several encounters with demoniacs, but there's something added that I want you to consider. Note what the father said to Jesus in Mark 9:18, he said, "I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able."

What a commentary this was on the disciples. Jesus had given them the power. They had cast out spirits in other circumstances. So the power was possible, but they were not able.

These very words could be said about many churches today… they were not able! We live in a world of spiritual devastation and the church seems powerless to help. Why is that?

Well, it's the same reason that Jesus gave the disciples when they asked why they couldn't help the boy—it's a lack of prayer. We are powerless because we are prayerless!

Listen! It's through times of prayer that your faith really begins to affect your life and to make an impact on those you encounter.

If you want the power to touch your world for Christ, you must spend time with the source of power, Jesus Christ!

WE ARE POWERLESS BECAUSE WE ARE PRAYERLESS!

DEVOTION WED 9-29-2010

DEVOTIONAL FOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2010

“THE VIRTUE OF MERCY”

BY

GREG LAURIE

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

—Matthew 5:7

Martin Lloyd Jones said, "We are something before we begin to act as something."

When we as believers see ourselves as we really are, when we have mourned over our condition, when we have walked in meekness before God and have hungered and thirsted for righteousness, then it will produce mercy in us. We will be more merciful, because we recognize how much mercy has been extended to us.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7). In the culture of Jesus' day, mercy was not held in high regard. In fact, the Romans did not care for mercy at all. They saw it as a weakness, not a virtue. One Roman philosopher called mercy "a disease of the soul." The Romans glorified justice and courage and discipline and power. They didn't value mercy in their culture, and we don't value it in ours, either.

Yet Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful. . . . " Mercy is something we do, not just something we feel. It means to help a person in need, to rescue the miserable. Mercy means a sense of pity, plus a desire to relieve the suffering. Simply saying, "I feel your pain" is not mercy. Mercy is meeting the need, not just feeling it. Real mercy is pity plus action.

The more righteous a person is, the more merciful he or she will be. And the more sinful a person is, the more harsh and critical he or she will be. Sometimes we think people who are quick to condemn are very spiritual. But it is actually quite the opposite. When you truly are a spiritual person, when you truly are a godly man or woman, then you will be a merciful person—not a critical or condemning one.

Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DEVOTION TUES 9-28-2010

DEVOTIONAL FOR

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2010

“HANDLING THE STING OF CRITICISM”

BY

A DRIAN ROGERS

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

God loves you so much that Jesus Christ hung in agony and blood for you.

• You are precious to God.

• You are the object of God's love.

• The blood of Jesus Christ was poured out on Calvary for you.

Friend, if you know all that, then you can stand up against any criticism. It won't bother you what others say about you. The cross sets you free.

He who died for you now lives in you. He gave Himself for you that He might give Himself to you.

When Jesus Christ died for you, He didn't just take away your sins, He took away yourself. You are crucified. So who can harm a dead man?

Have you felt the sting of criticism this week? Remove the stinger and bathe the wound with the balm of Jesus' love. Give your critic to the Lord. Then, ask God to teach you from what happened.

________________________________________

For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org

DEVOTION MON 9-27-2010

DEVOTIONAL FOR

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2010

“TRUSTING GOD WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN”

BY

DR JACK GRAHAM

Now we see through a mirror darkly, but then we shall know even as we are known!

—1 Corinthians 13:12

Throughout the years there have been many times when I've had to say to people, "I honestly don't know why this thing has happened in your life."

The fact is there are countless times when you and I will never know why certain things happen… not this side of eternity anyway.

Now, you could ask God to help you understand. The Scripture says if any of us want to know the wisdom of God, we can ask him. And in his wisdom, God will either answer you or he will not.

But listen, when we are facing a tragedy or sorrow… we don't need answers, we need God… we need his hand and strength! When there seems to be no way out, God says, "Way!" He makes a way when there seems to be none!

You see, just because it doesn't make sense to you now, doesn't mean it won't. God knows and will make sense of it. We just don't have the right perspective at this time, but one day we will say, "Aha, now I see!"

When you don't know why things have happened as they have, keep your eyes fixed on him and do what you know to do. Keep serving God. Keep showing up and being faithful in the church. Keep sharing your faith. And one day… perhaps even on the other side of glory… all things will become clear.

WHEN THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY, GOD SAYS, "WAY!"

DEVOTION SAT 9-25-10

DEVOTIONAL FOR

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2010

“JESUS OUR EXAMPLE”

FROM

THE BAPTIST BIBLE HOUR

Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God - Mark 10:18

While some have misunderstood this passage to teach that Jesus did not claim to be God, it is actually one of the brightest displays of his divinity. By demonstrating an unyielding passion for the glory of God, Jesus showed himself to be more than human and exactly like God.

If there is one root cause behind every sin, it is pride. Every human being is by nature self-centered and self-exalting. We always want people to speak well and think well of us. We hunger for the compliments and admiration of others.

Yet Jesus was the only person who has ever lived who actually deserved the praise and accolades of everyone else. Being the God-man, Jesus rightly deserves the praise and worship that should only be given to the triune God.

But we find a consistent thread throughout the life and teaching of Jesus — it was his great concern, not to garner glory and honor for himself, but to give it to his heavenly Father (and point others to do the same). This divine humility and unbending insistence on God-exaltation is one of the clearest indicators of Jesus' deity.

Jesus, in effect, is saying to the man who called him good: "if you understood just how good God is, then you would not flippantly call any man good without a much more thorough investigation into his teaching and life."

Have you learned this unabated lesson from Jesus' life, that all glory belongs to God? Do you point others constantly to him as the source of perfect goodness and all truth? Do you insist on His fame, rather than your own?

DEVOTION FRI 9-24-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2010

“A HUNGER FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS”

BY

GREG LAURIE

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

—Matthew 5:6

Have you ever been really hungry? My stomach is like a clock. By 10:00 a.m., I am hungry for lunch. By 11:00, I know we are closing in. At 11:30, I am thinking that we will hopefully be eating any time now. And at 12:01, I will say to my wife, "I am starving to death." In reality, I am not starving to death at all. But I am hungry. Thanksgiving is an even greater challenge. After all the preparation, when it is finally time to sit down and eat, I am really hungry.

Are you hungry for God? Are you thirsty for spiritual things? Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). A happy person passionately desires a righteous life. It is a thirst for God himself. That is what the psalmist was describing when he said, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God (Psalm 42:1).

Our hunger for God could be determined by the way we see spiritual things. As you get ready for work, school, or whatever it is you are planning to do, will you make time for the Word of God? Do you hunger for what God has to say to you as you start your day? How about prayer? Is that something you make time for as well?

Happy people are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They want to be right with God. They want to walk with God. They long for these things. That is where happiness will come from—not from the things of this world.

Do you starve for a holy life? Do you hunger for God's best for you? If you do, then you will take practical steps to get it.

Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries.

DEVOTION THURS 9-23-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2010

“NEW THOUGHTS”

FROM

LIVINGFREE.ORG

Today's Scripture

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2 NLT

Thoughts for Today

The New Testament ties our ability to make personal change to a change in our thought life. This change is described as the renewing of our minds.

Those who have been trapped in sexual sin have valued things that are against God's will, maybe for years. They have engaged in sinful behavior like having immoral sexual relations or fantasized about such things. They have allowed pornography and other sexual sins to encourage them to place great value on sexual fulfillment. They have raised up their sexual fulfillment as an idol. These thoughts and desires have been "burned" into their neural pathways. Now they may sin out of habit and without much forethought.

Consider this…

If you find yourself in this kind of trap, it should be clear that to change your behavior, God must first change your values. In order to change your values, He must change your mind and heart. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in you. Today's scripture tells us that when we let God transform us into a new person by renewing our minds, we will learn to know His will for us--and His will is good and pleasing and perfect.

So first, you must get your mind off the world's standards. "What I'm doing isn't so bad. Lots of other people do it. It's just a normal way of life these days." And then get your mind on what God has to say about it. Read those scriptures you have been avoiding. Ask God to change the way you think.

Prayer

Father, help me turn my eyes away from the world's standards and back to You. Help me stop being ruled by my sinful desires and commit my ways to You. Forgive me for my sin. Change the way I think so I can know your will for me. In Jesus' name …

DEVOTION WED 9-22-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

WESNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2010

“FROM SORROW TO JOY”

BY

GREG LAURIE

I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the ‘good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?"

—Ecclesiastes 2:1-2

Solomon, who went on a binge and experimented on an epic scale with pretty much everything this world has to offer, came to this conclusion: "I said to myself, ‘Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the ‘good things' in life.' But I found that this, too, was meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 2:1). Then he added, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?" (verse 2).

There is a place for laughter. And there is also a place for sorrow. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3), those who see themselves as they are and then take action. The Bible says, "For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). True sorrow will lead to joy, because you see your true state, decide to do something about it, and repent. But without that sorrow, there will be no joy.

Sometimes we are sorry for the repercussions of what we have done. If you are speeding and see the highway patrol in the rearview mirror, with lights flashing, you are sorry. But it is probably not because you broke the speed limit, but because you didn't look more carefully for the highway patrol. You are also sorry because your insurance rates will go up. The question is, next time will you slow down, or will you continue to speed? Sometimes we are sorry for the repercussions, but we are not sorry for the act. We are not sorry enough to stop doing it.

Happy are the poor in spirit, the people who see themselves as they really are. Happy are those who mourn; they want to do something about that condition. They sorrow over it. They repent of it. As Romans 4:8 says, "Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin." Thus, our sorrow leads to joy.

DEVOTION TUES 9-21-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21TH, 2010

“GOD NEVER MAKES MISTAKES”

BY

TONY EVANS

Everyone makes mistakes, right? Be assured that God, our Creator, has never made a mistake. Deuteronomy 32:4 says His work is perfect, and you and I are some of His greatest works. Believe me, there are no failures or flaws in His plan for you.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Those who believe that the Earth and everything on it evolved by chance or luck into what they are today are incorrect. God purposefully and supernaturally created each and every one of us and continues to sustain us.

There is no room for chance or luck if you believe God is the Creator and Sustainer. God's power allows all things to happen in our lives for His purpose. We are not the coming together of random forces in the universe. We are the creation of God's power and perfect work... never a mistake.

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 32:4; Matthew 5:48

DEVOTION MON 9-20-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2010

“GOD LIVES IN HIS CHURCH”

FROM BAPTIST BIBLE HOUR

…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth - 1 Timothy 3:15b

Paul makes three astonishing claims for the church, in rapid-fire succession, which we would do well to remember. First, the church is the house of God. Don't let the wonder of that statement be robbed by your possible familiarity with it.

God lives in His church! Just as He set up residence in the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament, God now resides in His church in a special and glorious way. Nowhere else on earth—mountaintops, golf courses, or beaches—can claim the same.

Second, this is the church of the living God. Each word is important here: "of" because it is His church, not yours or anyone else's; "the" because there is only one true God; "living" because He is eternal and powerful and vital; "God" because that's who He is.

Third, the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul is not implying that the church's traditions are on the same par with Scripture, as some teach. Rather, he is affirming Jesus' own promise concerning the perpetuity (continuation) of the gospel-affirming, Christ-proclaiming body of Christ. The gates of hell itself cannot prevail against this God-inhabited, Christ-empowered organism.

How does Paul's three-fold assertion affect you? Does it inspire you to know that God lives in His church, that He is just as unique and energetic as ever on our behalf, and that the truth of the gospel will be perpetuated until He returns?

If so, then let your labors in, and faithfulness toward, the kingdom of Christ reflect the greatness of these guarantees

DEVOTION SAT 9-18-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2010

“WHEN TROUBLE COMES”

BY

GREG LAURIE

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."

—Psalm 91:15-16

Are you facing an emergency today? Dial 911—Psalm 91:1, that is. God can use adversity in the life of the Christian. None of us wants adversity in our lives, but God can be glorified through it. It might be a sickness that looks life-threatening, and then God heals you. Or it might be a sickness that He allows you to experience, but He is glorified in the midst of it.

Psalm 91 does not say you will never die. But it is saying that you won't die before your time. It is saying that until God is done with you, His angels will keep you in all your ways . . . in your ups and downs, when you are awake and asleep, in the sunshine and the rain.

What is your part? It is to dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. It is to live in quiet and resting and enduring and remaining, with consistency.

Your objective as a Christian should be to stay as close to the Lord as you possibly can. Because this all-powerful, all-knowing God possesses heaven and earth, has made a covenant with you, loves you, and offers to protect and provide for you, you should make it your objective to get closer to Him, asking, How can I walk so closely with Him that I will be in His very shadow?

You should periodically ask yourself whether you are meeting the criteria of this great psalm, whether you are living up to the conditions that have been set forth. If your answer is yes, then you have God's word that these promises will be activated in your life.

Copyright 2010 Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

DEVOTION FRI 9-17-2010

“FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS”

BY

ELIZABETH COLE

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… —Hebrews 10:24-25

One of 1991's highest grossing films, with six Academy Award nominations, was Thelma and Louise. Billed as a female road movie, the story follows the liberation of two repressed women who begin the movie going on a fishing trip, but end up on the lam.

In the end, cornered at the Grand Canyon and wanting to avoid capture, "they make a final decision to drive off the cliff into the canyon. The film ends with a freeze frame of the car in midair and the credits begin over a montage of their happiest moments together during the weekend." The movie has become an iconic classic celebrating friendship between women. My response? You've got to be kidding…give me a break!

As we read Paul's letters in the New Testament, we learn a lot about how to build real friendships and godly relationships. To the Thessalonian believers, he writes, "Encourage one another and build each other up." To the Colossian church: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…" As he addresses the Ephesians, he writes "Be kind and compassionate to one another..."

The kind of relationships God calls us to develop includes extending "kindness with a backbone." True kindness in friendship means we wouldn't dream of looking the other way while a precious friend heads down a path guaranteed to cause him or her heartache. True kindness means being willing to gently ask the "hard question." True kindness prays diligently for a friend's heart-change. True kindness risks being misunderstood, and sacrifices being "nice" for being loving.

A real friend models his or her kindness after God Himself: It's the kindness of God that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). Real friends humbly evaluate their friendships on the basis of whether their actions and words help their friends move closer toward the Lord Jesus.

Listen, according to Scripture, friends don't let friends drive over cliffs!

DEVOTION THUR 9-16-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2010

“DON’T PUSH THE RIVER”

BY

SELWYN HUGHES

For reading & meditation - Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven ..." (v. 1)

Refuse to be obsessed with time. It is right to be concerned about time, but it is not right to be obsessed with it. Do you live life by the clock? Then you are a candidate for stress. When filmmakers want to create tension, they show a clock relentlessly ticking away. Such tactics are pointless when applied to the ordinary issues of everyday life. Nervous glances at a watch will generate tension when you are caught in traffic, but they will not make the traffic move any faster. Fretting will do nothing to alter the situation. So learn to relax, and do not become intimidated by time. Some people live life as if they are on a racing track, and set themselves rigid lap times for the things they want to accomplish during the day. Two motorists were given the task of driving for 1,700 miles. One was asked to drive as fast as he could without breaking any speed limits; the other was told to drive at any comfortable pace. At the end of their journeys, it was found that the faster driver had consumed ten gallons more gas and doubled the wear on his tires; by driving at a speed which, in the end, proved to be only two miles per hour faster than the other driver! A man said to me in a counseling session when I advised him to slow down: "The trouble is that I'm in a hurry - but God isn't!" Learn the wisdom of letting things develop at their own pace, and follow the maxim that says: "Don't push the river - let it flow."

Prayer: O Father, save me from being obsessed by time. Help me to see that I have all the time in the world to do what You want me to do. And when I am overconcerned, I am overwrought! Help me, dear Father. Amen.

DEVOTION WED 9-15-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2010

“EXPOSING THE PERMISSIVE WILL OF GOD”

BY

DR R C SPROUL

The distinction between the sovereign will of God and the permissive will of God is fraught with peril and tends to generate untold confusion.

In ordinary language, the term permission suggests some sort of positive sanction. To say that God "allows" or "permits" evil does not mean that He sanctions it in the sense that He approves of it. It is easy to discern that God never permits sin in the sense that He sanctions it in His creatures.

What is usually meant by divine permission is that God simply lets it happen. That is, He does not directly intervene to prevent its happening. Here is where grave dangers lurk. Some theologies view this drama as if God were impotent to do anything about human sin.

This view makes man sovereign, not God. God is reduced to the role of spectator or cheerleader, by which God's exercise in providence is that of a helpless Father who, having done all He can do, must now sit back and simply hope for the best. He permits what He cannot help but permit because He has no sovereign power over it. This ghastly view is not merely a defective view of theism; it is unvarnished atheism.

Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God

How has a false view of God's permissive will affected your Christian walk in the past? Do you have a different view of His permissive will now? How will it affect your walk in the future?

For Further Study

John 7:17: "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority."

Psalm 37:23: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."

Psalm 27:11: "Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies."

DEVOTION TUES 9-14-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2010

“YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR: A GIFT FROM GOD”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." Psalm 32:11

A merry heart has the ability to capture and enjoy those wonderful times of life and let them turn to laughter.

Your sense of humor is a gift from God.

Research studies have shown that laughter, along with a well-rounded sense of humor, is one of the sure signs of intelligence. It is also known to produce endorphins in your body that generate feelings of well-being.

Good, wholesome laughter is a gift from God. Abraham Lincoln said, "God must have meant for us to laugh, or else he would not have made so many mules, parrots, monkeys and human beings. God wants us to laugh."

Pass along the gift of laughter today to someone. Tell a good, wholesome joke. Send an email of a funny story to a friend that you haven't talked to in a while.

DEVOTION MON 9-13-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2010

“QUALIFIED TO JUDGE”

BY

DR ED YOUNG

Have you ever asked the question, "Why does God allow tragedy to happen?" Or, "Why do good people suffer?" "Why cancer?" "Why murder?" "Why deceit and brokenheartedness?" God is the recipient of so many of our "Why?" questions. But the heavens declare the righteousness of God as our judge. He cannot rule wrongly. He is completely just.

There's an old story in which God is accused of living a very sheltered life. All the people of the world are standing before Him awaiting

judgment, and they are complaining. "You're not qualified to judge us," they claim. A German Jew pulls up her sleeve and says, "I was in a Nazi concentration camp where we were beaten and tortured and killed. What could you know about that?" Another man, an African, spoke up. "Do you see these rope burns? I was hanged for my black skin, and my brothers suffocated on slave traders' ships. What could you know about that?" Soon all the suffering people of the world began to murmur against the judgment of God. "You don't know what it's like," they cried. "You've never been where we've been. You live in Heaven, where you sit upon your throne. You're not qualified to judge those of us who have suffered, because you have lived a sheltered life." Then they described the kind of God who would be qualified to judge them: "He would be an ordinary man with no special power to help himself; the legitimacy of his birth would be questioned. He would advocate an unpopular cause, one so radical that he would be hated and condemned by worldly authorities. He would be asked to communicate something that no man had seen, heard, tasted or touched. He would be betrayed by his friends, indicted by a crooked jury, tortured and put to death, feeling absolutely forsaken by all."

When all the requirements for a God who might judge were read and agreed upon, the masses grew silent. No one moved. No one spoke. They realized that God had already served the sentence they had prescribed. God's credentials to be our judge are impeccable. His ways are perfect. His justice is pure. And when we can see Him face to face and ask Him every "why?" we've ever wondered, the answers won't matter anymore.

MEMORY VERSE

PSALMS 50:4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge His people.

DEVOTION SAT 9-11- 2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2010

“TURNING TRAGEDY INTO TRIUMPH”

BY

OS HILLMAN

"So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you" (2 Cor 4:12).

On 9/11/01, New York City firefighter Stephen Siller had just completed his shift when he heard on his truck's scanner that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Siller quickly turned his truck around and attempted to drive back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel but found the entrance blocked by abandoned vehicles. Desperate to join his elite Squad One brothers, Siller donned 75 pounds of fire gear and ran a mile-and-a-half through the tunnel, before an emergency vehicle picked him up and dropped him off at Tower Two.

Siller had been orphaned at the age of 10 and raised by his much older brothers and sisters. Siller died that day trying to save others. He left behind a wife and five children.

His story proved so inspirational that it became a legend in the newsrooms and firehouses of New York City. His six siblings - who in many ways viewed Siller as a son, as well as a brother - found themselves grappling with a dilemma: should they allow the tragic circumstances of their brother's death to paralyze and embitter them or use it as a catalyst to help others and preserve his memory?

The Siller family chose the latter.

Once they made that decision, and armed with no extraordinary wealth or political clout, the siblings combined forces to convince New York officials to close down the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel the last Sunday morning of each September and stage the "Tunnel to Towers Run" to commemorate their brother's heroic last run.

Each year since 9/11 tens of thousands of runners have retraced the steps of a hero. As part of the event 343 New York City firefighters, each representing a fallen comrade and holding an American flag, stand throughout the length of the tunnel. They are joined by firefighters from across the United States, each holding a poster-size picture of a firefighter who perished on 9/11.

The Siller family has raised more than $1 million and donated the money to charities that benefit families of those affected by the 9/11 attacks.

This is a tribute to one heartbroken family who opted to channel its energy into triumph out of tragedy.

Contact Os Hillman at www.marketplaceleaders.org.

DEVOTION FRI 9-10-2010

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2010

“THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33

We must guard ourselves against lowering the standard of God's Word to our level of understanding or political correctness. And we must guard ourselves against raising our standard of tradition above the standard of His Word.

The Bible is not meant to be paraded past the judgment bar of your mind.

You can argue with it, but why?

You can pick up and read any other book, but this is the book that reads you. It pulsates with life and power. It cuts, burns, crushes, and wields mountain-moving power. His Word has a life of its own. It is the voice of God to you.

You cannot refuse it, deny it, distort it, or dilute it. You can only bow before it.

When was the last time you studied the history behind the Word of God? Search the Internet or go to a bookstore or your church's library and study how the translations were discovered and passed on