DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

Below are daily devotions for each day of the month. They include a quote from a famous individual with my personal comment and a scripture passage with my personal comment. I hope you find these quotations, scripture passages and my personal comments helpful in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

September 1

 

“May Christ settle down and be at home as Lord of your heart.”

Robert Boyd Munger (My Heart Christ’s Home)

 

One of the key phrases in this quote is “settle down.” The reason I say this is that do many of us let Jesus settle down in our heart? Is He a welcome guest that we allow to sit and live in our heart, mind and soul? Or, do we treat Him only as an occasional guest that we allow to visit at times. If Jesus is to really be our Lord and Master, He must be allowed to roam the rooms of our mind, the nooks and crannies of our heart and settle down in the living room of our very soul. He must feel welcome to live in the home of our being, otherwise we are compromising our witness and very likely our commitment to Him can be called into question.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Mark 10:25

 

Riches do not keep you from Heaven, but your love of riches do. There is something about material possessions and the comforts of this life that are very appealing to our fleshly nature. They give us instant gratification many times and they are enjoyable. They are, in and of themselves, not sinful or harmful to the Christian. But when they become our idol, a god we seek to acquire and worship by spending more time with them than our Lord, or by placing them on the pedestal of our life. We have exchanged the mortal blessings for the immortal blessings and have jeopardized our standing as an inheritor of eternal life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 2

 

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

John Wooden

 

We often are hard on ourselves as we strive to serve our Lord. We’re only human and as imperfect beings we make mistakes at times. The Lord is quick to forgive us and we should model His behavior and be quick to forgive ourselves as long as we are truly repentant. The Lord knows when we are truly repentant and if we are honest with ourselves we know when we are really repentant as well. So go about doing the business of the gospel and if you stumble in a mistake at times, forgive yourself as the Lord has and continue on with even more fervor and determination.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Teach me to do your will.”

Psalms 143:10

 

This should be the cry of any child of God. We do not know the will of God by instinct because our flesh corrupts and distorts our thoughts. But as our hearts, minds and souls are transformed by God’s Word and guided by the Holy Spirit we can be taught the will of God. May we seek to be willing to know God’s will and have a teachable spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 3

 

“Christianity provides a unified answer for the whole of life.”

Francis Schaeffer

 

The world has many questions, dilemmas and quandaries, but the Living Word, Jesus Christ who is the foundation of Christianity provides the one and only answer to all of them. Let us not seek answers in the minds of men and women or in the philosophies of the world. Let us seek the one Truth, Jesus Christ the Lord God.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“He is the image of the invisible God.”

Colossians 1:15

 

We know the main reason Christ came to earth was to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. But another reason was to give us a taste of who God is in the flesh. Jesus was both fully God and fully man. He served as an example of what a godly person should and could be. He was the image of the invisible God and people could see with their own eyes an exact representation of God.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 4

 

“A good conscience and a good confidence go together.”

Thomas Brooks

 

When we are clean before the Lord in mind, soul and spirit our heart is pure and our conscience is good and clear. From this power of confessed sin and submission to the Lord we are a vessel through which He can work. In this anointed state our confidence becomes mighty, not in ourselves, but in the might, power and holiness of the God we serve.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Colossians 2:6-7

 

When we receive Christ as Savior we are convicted of our sin, see the judgment of God we are under and accept the fact the only way to be absolved and forgiven for this sin is to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. Once we become a new child of His, a Christian, we continue to live our lives knowing any sin we commit can quickly be confessed and forgiven, that we are no longer under the judgment of God and that we are in a process of spiritual growth to become like Christ. We proceed in our lives as Believers rooting ourselves in Christ as He builds us up in our faith and strengthens it. The instructions from our Heavenly Father’s Living Word that we are taught grow us in our spiritual life in Christ. In this process an overflowing thankfulness flows from our being towards our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our Comforter and Guide, the Holy Spirit. Why would anyone choose to refuse such a life?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 5

 

“If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble; for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, so it is beloved of none but itself.”

Francis Quarles

 

The key point in this quote is that we have a choice to love ourselves or love God and others. Whenever we love ourselves more than God, we can’t love others as they should be loved. When we can’t love others as they should be loved, we become introverted selfish unbearable people. We were created in the image of God and part of that image is loving in an “agape” fashion, without expecting love in return. This sacrificial love places the needs of others above our own. This love does not mean we do not respect ourselves nor hate our heart, just the opposite is true. We can only truly love ourselves properly when we love God first and seek to love others in a Christ-like manner. There is godly contentment in putting God first, others second and ourselves last.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Foolish people are always fighting, but avoiding quarrels will bring you honor.”

Proverbs 20:3

 

It is a consistent observation that foolish and unwise people always seem to be fighting or looking for a fight. They feed on contention, disagreements, gossip and turmoil. We see such temptations in ourselves at times and we have a choice to avoid this sin by not walking down the path of quarreling that only leads to unrest, confusion and discontent. Let us live holy and in peace with all people if possible and we do this by letting the Holy Spirit guide our heart, mind and soul. If we do this, our words will be loving, our actions be appropriate and whenever we must confront it will be done tactfully, truthfully and in love.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 6

 

“God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”

Billy Graham

 

Many people feel that God gave us two hands so we can grab more or that we can push people away with one while we’re grabbing with the other. But the gospel does tell us that God does bless us and we are to accept His blessings, but it also instructs us to share with and minister to others. Let’s not be greedy and live by the flesh, lets live by the Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.”

Psalms 107:1

 

Have you ever thought about this verse. We do have a GOOD God. He is perfect and holy. He is loving and kind. He judges perfectly and righteously all the time. He provides for us. He disciplines when He has to. He is never nervous or fearful because of what is happening in the world. He has a good plan for us and the world. Let us give thanks that we have such a good God. Remember He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay for our sins. He is truly GOOD!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 7

 

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

Mother Teresa

 

We often wait or others to lead us, to guide us, to push us into service when we really need to listen to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word and live the example Christ set for us. Each of us need to be led by God to do acts of service and kindness to others. We look with our eyes for those we could follow when we need to let our heart, mind and soul that are dedicated to God let God lead us.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 1:20

 

The Son of God loved you. He gave Himself for you. Therefore live by faith in Him. If you do this simple act of obedience you will be amazed by the life you live. You will experience blessings and joy beyond imagination. You will accomplish great acts of ministry that will bring God glory. You will be who you were meant to be, who God destined you to be.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 8

 

“An ongoing relationship with God through His Word is essential to the Christian’s consistent victory!”

Beth Moore

 

We often lose spiritual battles because we have neglected our relationship with the Lord. It is also true that sometimes we place ourselves in harm’s way because we have walked casually away from our Heavenly Father. Relationships take hard work and continuous commitment and our relationship with God is no different. Work hard to know the Lord, His will, His Spirit and His Word. Then you will achieve consistent victory in all situations.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

 

Our lives are filled with hope much of the time, but it is truly a blessing to be SURE of what you hope for and that comes by having faith. When you allow God to grow this type of faith in you, you can be CERTAIN of those things that cannot be seen with human eyes. You will see them with spiritual eyes that become focused because your faith was perfected in your weakness through God’s strength.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 9

 

“God’s commands are designed to guide you to life’s very best. You will not obey Him, if you do not believe Him and trust Him. You cannot believe Him if you do not love Him. You cannot love Him unless you know Him.”

Henry Blackaby

 

Mr. Blackaby makes a very astute observation. We must know Christ so we can respond to Him in love. Once we love Him we believe what He tells us in the Word. Once we believe Him we trust He knows what He is talking about and is reliable. Once we trust Him we will strive to consistently obey Him. All of this comes from understanding that god’s commands were given to us to guide us to the best things in life and the best thing of them all is knowing and loving Christ.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Go and humble yourself.”

Proverbs 6:3

 

I wonder how many times this is said to us by the Holy Spirit? He says it when we boast of an accomplishment. He says it to us when we laugh at a mistake someone made innocently. He whispers it in our ear when we ignore the will of God and try to run our own life the way we want. He confronts us with these words when we gossip about others behind their back. He shouts it to us when we are contemplating sin.  Often, no continually I would say, we need to humble ourselves.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 10

 

“True intimacy with God always brings humility.”

Beth Moore

 

When we become close and intimate with the Lord we perceive His holy nature. We begin to recognize that we are the created and He is the Creator. We become humble in spirit because we understand not only how powerful and wise our Heavenly Father is, we also experience how great His love and grace is as well. We are overwhelmed with His righteous character and realize the quality of His perfect judgment. Yes, to be truly intimate with the Lord is to be bowed low in humility.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“I will give you thanks, for you answered me;”

Psalms 118:21

 

This passage tells us what is a natural response to an answered prayer from the Lord. I do hope that we do thank the Lord when He answers prayers. We are quick to bend our knees in prayer and pour out our heart to God when we are in desperate need, but do we bend our knees as quickly and as low when we receive our answer? Do we pour our heart out in thanks with as much passionate thanks as when we petitioned God for what we were requesting. Are we as desperate to bless and worship our Heavenly Father for His answers to our prayers as we were desperate to ask for an answer to our trial?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 11

 

“As sure as God puts His children in the furnace he will be in the furnace with them.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

What a truth we can grab and place in our heart when trials come our way. God never lets a struggle descend upon us without being available with all His power, strength, love, compassion and empowerment to overcome it. He never lets us face any storm of life without offering us assistance and help. We often forget this and focus on the trial when we should be focusing on how God can and will help us.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

“Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

Psalms 119:165

 

The world is full of unrest and lack of peace. Even many Christians are in turmoil and living in fear because they fail to love the law of God. If we love the Word of God, and by loving I mean feed on it daily, live it out in our lives and dwell upon its truth, then we will not only have GREAT peace we will never stumble in our walk with the Lord.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 12

 

“I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.”

Thomas Jefferson

 

Am I a true Christian? Are you a true Christian? The mark of a true Christian is that they are a committed disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ. The doctrines of Jesus are all that is contained in the Word of God. If you attempt to walk by the parts of the Bible you like and ignore the parts you do not care for, you are not a true disciple of Christ and therefore not a true Christian. We must accept the Bible as a whole or we have not fully committed ourselves to Jesus Christ. Being a real Christian is more than accepting Christ as Savior in word only – true acceptance of Christ as your Savior and Lord is accepting His doctrines.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.”

1 Timothy 6:20-21

 

We have much knowledge in our world but very little wisdom to be had. Knowledge puffs up our ego and man’s knowledge has a limit to its usefulness in eternal matters. Only the wisdom contained in the Word o God is truthful knowledge that is eternal. To keep from wandering from the faith you must turn away from the knowledge of the world and cling to the knowledge, wisdom and truth in God’s Word.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 13

 

“Others think it’s a choice between doing what we want to do and being happy, and doing what God wants us to do and being miserable.”

Paul Little

 

This is the lie that Satan would like for us to believe. There is some fleshly philosophy and reasoning that states that if we do what God wants we will be sad, unfulfilled, miserable and unhappy and so we must do what we want to do. The truth really is if we do what God wants us to do we will be joyful, fulfilled, at peace, content, strengthened, complete and satisfied. When we do what we want without listening to the Lord we may obtain instant gratification but then discover there is a payment that is due later of guilt, regret, conviction and remorse. Let us seek to do what God wants us to do in the first place which comes from observing His Word, modeling ourselves after the Lord Jesus Christ and listening to the our constant companion the Holy Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“A kindhearted woman gains respect…A kindhearted man benefits himself.”

Proverbs 11:16-17

 

Here is a simple model for one aspect of our lives to follow as a man or a woman, be “kindhearted.” When women show kindness towards others, whether it be family, friend or stranger they will gain respect for this benevolence and ministry. A kind man will benefit himself, because it will remind him of Christ who lives within him and his reputation among all those he befriends will be honorable. While we would seek to be kindhearted because Christ was and not seek any glory for ourselves, we do gain respect. This kindness benefits us as well for you never know when the tables will be turned and you will need a hand of kindness to reach out to you.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 14

 

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

Charles Swindoll

 

We face all sorts of tiny and huge issues in life that seem impossible at the moment or overwhelming to deal with. What Charles Swindoll is saying here is these are opportunities for the power of God to be experienced in our lives. In such impossible situations there is an opportunity for the power of prayer to be proven, for the strength of the Lord to be granted to us and expressed by us, for our faith to grow by leaps and bounds, for our witness to the world to be proven, for our knowledge of the character of God to expand beyond what it was before, for our humility before God to be sensitively expressed. Let us look on impossible situations with the eyes of our Heavenly Father and respond accordingly.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.”

Psalm 144:3-4

 

It is really amazing that God would ever give us a single second of His time. We are so fragile and frail, so imperfect and tainted, so confused and misled at times. It’s a wonder God bothers with us at all. But this just magnifies the immense love He has for us. For some reason, known only to Him, He places us in the center of His desires. He created the universe so that He could make us. He was hurt by our rebellion in the Garden of Eden and is wounded each day by any one of us when we sin. But He sent His Son to die for us because for some reason He passionately wants to have a relationship with us. What else can any of us do but respond to His overwhelming desire to know each of us intimately?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 15

 

“You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey.”

Oswald Chambers

 

We are often confused in our decisions of life because we seek to comprehend answers based on our own limited knowledge and understanding. Oswald Chambers is telling us to obey, obey, obey. When you spend your time obeying the Lord, His will becomes evident, His wisdom becomes apparent, His Truth becomes clear and your answer to confusion has arrived. There is a revelation that appears at the right time to clarify your clouded life when focus is placed on simply obeying the Lord and drawing close to Him. We are often too impatient to obey and wish to waste our time trying to figure things out for ourselves. Obedience is the answer.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood and sin as if with cart ropes.”

Isaiah 5:18

 

This verse sounds rather strange at first, but as you meditate on it the meaning becomes clearer. It is a dire warning to those who would drag their wickedness with cords of lies along their path of life. Their heart, mind and soul are so bound to their rebellious behavior that they are cursed with having to pull it, with great effort, as they go about their daily business. It is also apparent that these individuals must use strong ropes to pull the cart of their life, because it is so full of horrible sin. Very likely they are unaware of the burden of sin they carry, even though they seem dedicated slaves to the evil they do. What a contrast to those who have been set free by the Truth of God and live unburdened by the curse of sin because they are forgiven. They live empowered and confident because they fly on the wings of eagles due to the work of Jesus Christ.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 16

 

“Jesus is the solution for your pollution!”

James Martin

 

People try many detergents (religions) and soaps (philosophies) to clean their life of sin and corruption but there is only ONE solution for the pollution of sin in your life. The Lord King Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection paid the price for the sin of mankind and by seeking Him as Savior and Lord of your life you are instantly cleansed of all that stinky, smelly, horrible, polluting sin. Praise God He was willing to give His Son to save us from our pollution!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Jesus knew their hypocrisy.”

Mark 12:15

 

Jesus knew the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees and He knows ours as well. We can hide our sinful thoughts and our ungodly thoughts from men while we portray ourselves as righteous people, but God knows our hearts and mind. We cannot hide anything from Him, so we might as well own up to what is true, confess and repent and get on with living for our Savior. Living a lie of hypocrisy will make us a most miserable creature and questions the validity of the salvation we claim to have.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 17

 

“He has no holiness who thinks that he is holy enough…”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

We can develop spiritual pride as we grow in Christ. We look back on where we have been and see how far God has brought us and we can tend to think, “How holy I have become.” This is a grave mistake. While we obeyed God to arrive where we presently are, the glory belongs to God for He worked through us to bring us to this point. But the biggest mistake is not realizing how far we have yet to go. The inches we have moved forward in our spiritual maturity and holiness cannot compare to the miles that have yet to be covered. Let us be encouraged by our growth, but never sink into the pit of religious pride, but continue on the straight and narrow path – the highway of holiness.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“So let your words be few.”

Ecclesiastes 5:2

 

Why is it we have to use so many words to say so little. We often spend too much energy spouting our thoughts when we should be listening to others or especially to the Lord. We need to listen more, think more often and speak less as we guard our words. James talks about how man cannot tame the tongue and it can waggle and flop about in all sorts of ways to cause much damage often because it is allowed to have a mind of its own. Let us let God tame our tongue and let our words be few and may these few words be of praise for God, encouragement to others, recitation of His Word or with fun laughter in which God delights.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 18

 

“A rule I have had for years is: to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. His is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have.”

D. L. Moody

 

We must remember as Christians we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. When we live by doctrine or a creed alone we depersonalize our God and the life has gone out of our relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit indwells us, we have Christ in us and the Lord wishes to speak and listen to us as His loving Father. This is the difference between a dead religion and a true saving relationship with the Lord.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things.”

Psalms 119:37

 

There is much glitter and polish to what surrounds us in this world. It is as if we are surrounded by piles, mounds and mountains of things that scream for us to possess them. But God can turn our eyes from these worthless things if we let Him. It is not that “things” are in and of themselves evil, but the flesh has a way of taking these things and placing them as more important than the Lord, relationships with others, service to the needy and quiet times in prayer and the Word. If we can’t handle “worthless things” in our life we need to ask the Lord to turn our eyes away from them.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 19

 

“So let the Holy Spirit deal with anything that’s keeping you from obeying Christ.”

Henry Blackaby

 

Let the Holy Spirit do what He does best, deal with our obedience. This takes submission on our part. The Holy Spirit will not force Himself upon us and we must be willing for Him to take control or to speak to us with instruction. Usually the words of the Spirit are soft and if we are not listening with a humble and contrite heart we won’t hear Him. Once we hear Him the next thing required is to let Him deal with the problem. We can hear His instruction but can grieve Him when we ignore His advice. The Holy Spirit is very good at discerning sinful thoughts or actions, but we must let Him do this work. Submission to Him is the key.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil.”

Psalms 141:4

 

While this is ultimately our choice, the Psalmist is asking for help to accomplish this task, as we should as well. This is the first sign of wisdom and submission to God, to ask for help. Sometimes we are drawn to evil because we have not grown sufficiently in our faith or in our holiness. Sometimes we are attracted to evil because of a past that was involved with such things. Sometimes we are tired, exhausted, stressed or emotional and in this weakened state we can be attracted to evil. Whatever the case, we must realize our temptation and ask for God to change our heart and to let us be drawn to Him rather than to evil. God will provide the strength, encouragement from another believer or will intervene in some way to prevent the temptation. This gives a new light on the scripture in 1 Thessalonians that states, “Pray without ceasing.”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 20

 

“Prayer is the evidence that I am spiritually concentrated on God.”

Oswald Chambers

 

Very likely the reason we do not pray as much as we should is because we fail to concentrate on the Lord. We are distracted by life’s demands and our own internal desires most of the time. If we focused more on our relationship with the Lord prayer would be second nature and we would probably do it more often. If we seek to be more like Christ, to listen intently for the Holy Spirit during the busy day and to know our Heavenly Father more intimately, our prayer life would change dramatically.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

Luke 6:12

 

Can you imagine spending an entire night praying to God? I doubt any of us would. We might even say that it would be impossible. But I wonder how many times we have spent an entire night doing something that we enjoyed but we refuse to consider praying all night through. What an example Christ set for us. If we can’t pray for a whole night, possibly we should at least consider praying more often than we currently do. We would definitely be amazed by the effect this would have on us and the lives of others.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 21

 

“As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in this. The promise of the old covenant was prosperity, but the promise of the new covenant is adversity.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

Christians are true realists. They understand that life can be cruel, hard and difficult because the sins of men twisted God’s perfect creation. Christians understand that while life can be a struggle at times, there is the sure hope of reward in Heaven because God’s Word can be trusted. We are promised a Heavenly home where no tear will be shed, no pain be felt, no regret be spoken. There is much to enjoy in this life, but the Christian knows it cannot hold a candle to the eternal life we will spend with the Lord and His family of saints. May we understand the promise of adversity in this life God has laid before us, as we think of His other promise of blessings in the next life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.”

Lamentations 3:1

 

What an experience to speak such words because of living under the wrath of God for disobedience and a life of sin. It is one thing to experience affliction in life because of the cruelty of the world or of the sin of others, it is quite another to experience affliction that comes from the hand of a holy God who is seeking to discipline you. This verse should prick our heart with a warning that “obedience is better than sacrifice.” It is better to obey in love, than seek to offer ourselves in repentant sacrifice for sins we have committed against the Lord. Let us seek to love the Lord by living by His Word and not experience the rod of His wrath because we have rebelled against Him, wounded His Spirit and disgraced His Son with our actions.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 22

 

“Peace comes in situations completely surrendered to the sovereign authority of Christ.”

Beth Moore

 

This is a special place that is peaceful in the midst of stress, hardship, trial, toil or struggle. When we bow to the sovereign authority of Christ in whatever we are going through we gain a perspective that God is overseeing the situation no matter how tragic or cruel it might be. We may not understand the “why” of it taking place nor the “how” of when God will resolve or remove it, but we must trust in the Lord and surrender to His authority over our life and there will come a peace that passes all human understanding and comprehension. It is the only safe place to be in a storm of life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” 

Ephesians 4:30-31

 

As Christians we often forget that when we received Christ as our Savior God took up residence in our heart, mind and soul in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God lives within each one of us and He goes with us wherever we go. He hears whatever we speak. He sees whatever we see. He knows whatever we think. So if we go places we shouldn’t, speak things that are wrong, look at things we should not look at or think thoughts of sin or evil we grieve His tenderness. This is how we can actually hurt our God by grieving His Spirit. I doubt we comprehend how deep this hurt is for Him. His love for us is so great He gave His Son as a sacrifice and when we grieve the Holy Spirit the depth of His grief matches His love for us. Let us avoid grieving the Holy Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 23

 

“If you have become bitter and sour, it is because when God gave you a blessing you hoarded it.”

Oswald Chambers

 

There are many foods that must be served soon or they will spoil in the kitchen. Such is the case with many blessings that the Lord gives us. If we attempt to hide them away in the kitchen of our heart and do not give such blessings away for the enjoyment of others they will make our heart bitter and sour. God’s love to us is not to be hoarded within ourselves, it is meant to be given away, time and again. As God blesses you, bless others, as God ministers to you, minister to others, as God loves you, love others. This is the way of the Christian.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”

Proverbs 21:30

 

Man often takes pride in himself for his cleverness, wisdom and insight, but not the most intelligent man or woman, the most wise person, the most insightful and intelligent individual can formulate a plan that will succeed if it is against the Lord or His will. We would do well to include God in all our plans and let His wisdom, insight and truth form the base for any decision we might make or action we might take.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 24

 

“Forgiveness is God’s invention for coming to terms with a world in which, despite their best intentions, people are unfair to each other and hurt each other deeply. He began by forgiving us. And he invites us all to forgive each other.”

Louis B. Smedes

 

Often people treat us unfairly or badly unintentionally and sometimes even intentionally because of selfish motives. We must seek to forgive as Christ forgave and love as our Heavenly Father does. This does not mean we put ourselves at risk or that we allow ourselves to become a doormat, but we must forgive for our own sake. To fail to forgive fertilizes bitterness and resentment that will grow the vine of anger that will choke our heart. We must also forgive to bring glory to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. We have a calling to forgive, so let us go about life with a forgiving spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

John 15:1

 

This short portion of scripture has a truckload of truth. Jesus is the vine and we need to be attached to Him in all we think and do. We must not do anything that would be contrary to this attachment. Blackberry vines do not grow from a grape vine and Christians, if they are truly attached to Christ, will not produce any other type of fruit than the fruits of the Spirit, because that is what comes from being attached to Christ. We must also understand that our Heavenly Father is the gardener and He will fertilize our life sometimes with blessings, knowledge of His Word, but also trials that will strengthen us. Being the gardener our Heavenly Father will also prune our life of dead limbs (habits) that do not bring Him glory. The gardener has complete control over the garden and the vine so we must humbly submit to His divine wisdom in how to tend the garden and therefore our lives.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 25

 

“God has only one intended destiny for mankind – holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity – He came to save us because He created us to be holy.”

Oswald Chambers

 

The scriptures tell us to be holy as God is holy and Oswald Chambers calls us to this obedience. Many “health and wealth prosperity” preachers seem to communicate through their preaching that the ultimate goal for us as Christians is to be healthy, wealthy and wise. But God desires to save us not to have a rich and easy life, but to be holy in His sight. God saves us because He wants us to be what He originally intended man to be, a holy creation that will not only serve Him, but have a deep and intimate relationship with Him. So lets get about the calling we have on our lives, to be holy as God is holy.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Maintain justice and do what is right.”

Isaiah 56:1

 

Why is this simple command so hard to obey? Maintaining justice is being fair with others and in your dealings with businesses and the government. This is the right thing to do. Doing right is perfectly clear but we tend to cloud the issue by letting our selfish desires cause a fog to form around what we know is the truth. How many times have you known the right thing do to, but have compromised because or either personal preferences, fear of not obtaining what you desire or wondering if it is in your best interest. Doing right is always in your best interest. It will always give you the best future, even though your present may seem to be rather uncomfortable. Doing right does often make you feel uneasy, because the flesh you carry within you is not friendly with doing right. Do right and maintain justice a simple yet challenging command – but we must obey it to fulfill our calling as a Christian.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 26

 

“An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.”

A.W. Tozer

 

Do your fully grasp this truth that A.W. Tozer speaks of? He is stating the fact that God can give Himself fully to you and all your concerns, hopes and fears as if you were the only person in the Universe! God is infinite and all powerful so He can fully give Himself to you, your Christian friend and to your pastor as if each of you were the only Christian He would desire to minister to. His power, majesty, wisdom, grace, empathy, concern, providence and love are just as fully available to you as any other Christian. That’s how personal our Heavenly Father is to each and every one of us!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 26:16

 

It is true we live under grace and not the law, but God’s grace does not void the truths and precepts that are contained in the law. The righteous commands contained in scripture are still valid guidelines to live by today. We should obey them because of our love for the Lord, not because we might falsely think we can obtain salvation in this manner. We obey because we love God, not because we are afraid of losing our salvation. Let us not dishonor God nor our love for Him by avoiding to live by the righteous instructions in Holy Scripture.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 27

 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Our self-image and value as a person rests in Christ who lives in us and to whom we have given our life. When we fail to establish this fact in our lives we may allow ourselves to feel inferior because we have consented to accept the lie that our worth lays in how other people view us rather than how our Heavenly Father views us. Yes we are weak and we make mistakes at times, but God places great value on us. He gave His ONLY Son to die for us because we are valuable to Him because He loves us. Never consent to feeling inferior to others when your Lord and King loves you not only as you are, but loves you so much He doesn’t want you to remain that way. You are a work in progress and He will complete it with your obedient assistance.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.”

Ecclesiates 4:9-10

 

You cannot be a hermit Christian. You cannot isolate yourself from other believers and live a victorious and obedient life unto the Lord. Christ established His church early in His ministry for a reason and it was a pattern His Heavenly Father wished to establish. We need each other. We need a diversity of gifts that are possessed by other servants of Christ. We need to minister to others. We need to learn from others. We need to be discipled by someone and to disciple someone. Trials, storms and hardships come and we need the strong arm of a Christian friend to help us bear the weight of the burden. Never retreat from fellowshipping with other saints, it will lead to your downfall as a Christian.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 28

 

“Let your words be the genuine picture of your heart.”

John Wesley

 

If the words we spoke painted a “true” picture of what was in our heart, would we see truth and honesty, compassion and understanding as well as mercy and grace appear in the colors of the picture? Would the picture be uplifting and encouraging or depressing and dark? What is in our heart flows out in the thoughts we think, the words we speak and the actions we take. May we let the Lord change our heart as we obey Him and may we let Him flow from our heart out to others and paint a holy pure picture.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”

Proverbs 10:9

 

There is a stable foundation for the man or woman who walks along the path of holiness and obedience. This path is straight and secure. It is also safe and sane. When anyone takes an evil crooked path their life becomes unstable, they are walking in rebellion and their crooked path will eventually make them pay for their bad choices. Crooked paths are dangerous because little can be seen around the turns and curves and this leads to destruction. The straight paths of the Lord harbor no danger. There may be struggles and trials along the way, but God watches those who are on the highway of holiness.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 29

 

“Integrity is keeping my commitments even if the circumstances when I made those commitments have changed.”

David Jeremiah

 

It is easy to live up to our commitments when life goes our way. It is when events and circumstances take place that test our commitment that proves the validity of our integrity. If we have integrity we stand by our word and live our truth no matter what takes place. Unfortunately the world today is full of individuals who compromise their integrity by shifting their dedication to truth and the commitments they have made because it is uncomfortable or difficult. Adversity is the crucible that tests our integrity and the man or woman who lives close to the Lord will have a godly integrity.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.”

Psalms 32:10

 

Can you take ownership of this verse? If you trust the Lord in struggles and trials and even in the good times, God’s love encircles you like a fortress against harm. His love preserves our heart, mind and soul. It acts as a barrier against satanic attacks. It establishes our reputation. It guards us emotionally, psychologically and physically. Trust the Lord in all circumstances and rest assured you will be upheld by the abundance of the Love of God.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

September 30

 

“Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.”

Andrew Murray

 

We cannot say we love the Lord if our fellowship with others does not reflect it. To love our Heavenly Father is to love people, all people. It is easy to love the lovely, the popular, the beautiful, the intelligent, the fun people in the world. But we are called to love all people and especially the unlovely, the difficult, the unpopular, the handicapped, the mentally challenged and even the irritating people that frequent our lives. Jesus showed no partiality in His dealings with others and neither should we. Prove your love for God by your thoughts and actions for others.
 Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 
“The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

Psalms 116:5

 

We are called to be holy as God is holy and I believe this involves being gracious and righteous in our daily walk and full of compassion for others. As we grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord we become more like Him and this involves being gracious in our attitude about life, gracious in how we treat others, righteous in the integrity of our life and righteous in our thought life. If we are living as Christ would have us live, we have deep compassion for others and their life situation. We hurt with those who hurt, cry with those who cry and rejoice with those who rejoice. May we seek to be more like the Lord each and every day, anything else demonstrates a lack of determined commitment on our part and a deaf ear turned to the Holy Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D