JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to remember the deeds of the LORD.

In Psalm 77, Asaph was in a place of distress. In his time of trouble, he turned to God and said to himself in verse 11, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

When he did this, he started to see that God was greater than his troubles. He said, “Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?” His decision to remember God’s deeds became a turning point in Psalm 77.

We have even more history in our rearview mirror to see God’s miracles at work. Jesus died and rose again from the dead to show the world the miracle of His unfailing love.

Take the daily challenge to remember the mighty deeds of the LORD on the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Kristi Leigh, WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

Happy November!!
It’s time to start a Season of Thanksgiving Sunday mornings on WJTL. Each week, we’ll have a special focus to stir gratitude in our hearts. This week’s playlist is themed around remembering God’s faithfulness.

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “How can I celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way this year?”

The noise, shopping lists, and busy schedules can cause us to lose the joy during the Holiday season. Here are some words to add meaning to our celebration of Christ’s birth.

The most important action word is to “Receive” the gift that God has offered. Jesus is God’s greatest gift to the world. Being receptive to this gift makes all the difference in having a meaningful celebration.

Another word to bring focus into the Holiday season is “Remember.” Take time to read about Christ’s birth in the Bible. Reflect on why Jesus came, and the miracle of His love.

The third word is “Recognize.” This involves coming to terms with the worth of Jesus’ birth. Ephesians 1:7 says about Jesus, “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

If we receive, remember and recognize God’s greatest gift, our hearts will be filled with praise for God who provided what we need most in the Year of Exploration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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JOHN SHIRK – The importance of remembering God.

In Deuteronomy 8:10, Moses highlights the importance of remembering God in the midst of our blessings.

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you today.”

In remembering God as the source of our blessings, we become thankful for the generous hand of God to provide for our needs. We praise Him for His goodness toward us. We have reverence for His name and have regard for His commands.

The result of forgetting God in the midst of our blessings is identified in verse 14: “Then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

So, today, we can think of some of the ways that God has blessed our lives and freed us by His grace and truth. In response, we can give Him credit for every good and perfect gift that He has graciously poured out on us.

The importance of remembering God is a lesson of faith worth remembering.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Here is all the information on the songs in today’s program.  If you have any questions — or if you’d just like to get in touch — I’d love to hear from you!

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

JOHN SHIRK – We are coming toward the end of 2012, the Year of Transformation at WJTL, with an emphasis on life change from the inside out. I sincerely hope that the devotionals and the stories of changed lives that we have been sharing have left an impression on your life in terms of how Jesus is able to transform you to be more like Christ and to prepare you for doing God’s will with a sincere heart of devotion.

When we talk of transformation, I often think of Second Corinthians 3:18 which says, “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

So, for the disciple of Jesus, God’s Spirit is working in our lives constantly. It’s a process of transformation, where we are learning who Jesus is more thoroughly, seeing Him for clearly, and reflecting Him more accurately.  So, there is in the Christian life two types of transformation taking place. One type of transformation is when we first acknowledge our need for Jesus to be our Savior and Lord and are converted to becoming a Christ follower. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. And then the second type of transformation is a process called sanctification, where Jesus is shaping us on a daily basis to grow in godly character and maturity.  So, even though we are moving into a new focus next year, let’s never forget that Jesus touches lives in ways that transform our hearts. Up and coming in 2013 will be the Year to Remember. We will remember highlights in church history, and lessons of faith from the Bible, because faith remembers God in the midst of daily life and learns from past experiences.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com