Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The First Hundred Days: One Hundred Devotions for New Christians
    The First Hundred Days: One Hundred Devotions for New Christians
    The First Hundred Days: One Hundred Devotions for New Christians
    Ebook422 pages1 hour

    The First Hundred Days: One Hundred Devotions for New Christians

    By Edwin Ray Frazier

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Todays seedlings are tomorrows giants. A seedling however needs a good first few weeks. Were talking about people of course: new Christians seeking good first weeks with the Lord.

    The First 100 Days offers guidance and encouragement for new Christians who want their seedling faith to grow strong. Its a devotional approach with long meaning captured in short treatments of scripture, comments, and prayers. In spite of their brevity, these devotions are keys that open doors into great rooms of life truth. Weve printed suggested Bible texts for further study along with each days material.

    Seedlings reach upward, stretch outward, and grow new limbs and leaves. Were talking about people of course. The First 100 Days provides the kind of fertilizer and cultivation that can help a tender young faith reach upward. As the child of God begins to walk with Him over lifes hills and through the valleys, we claim His promise that the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day (Proverbs 4:18 New American Standard Bible).

    These pages and thoughts are offered in the prayer that todays seedling Christians will find that promise true in the future, just as todays giants in the faith have found it true in the past.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInspiring Voices
    Release dateMar 23, 2012
    ISBN9781462400959
    The First Hundred Days: One Hundred Devotions for New Christians
    Author

    Edwin Ray Frazier

    Edwin Ray Frazier lives with his wife, Sandy, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has been a pastor for thirty-five years and an intentional interim minister for thirteen years. He has written Bible study and devotional materials for various congregations, the Baptist Sunday School Board, and Smyth and Helwys publishers.

    Related to The First Hundred Days

    Related ebooks

    New Age & Spirituality For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Mar 18, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • Article

      Perfectly Simple

      Jan 15, 2022

      Perfectly Simple
      1 min read

    • Article

      Joy! News

      Sep 29, 2023

      Joy! News
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Abundance of His Provision

      Sep 16, 2023

      AS THE LEAVES change and the nights grow longer, reflect on God’s faithfulness in the changing cycles of life. Thank Him for the season’s harvest and for the abundance of His provision. Be mindful of the richness of this time of year, and use it to r

      1 min read

    • Article

      God Is with You

      Sep 16, 2023

      SOMETIMES, DESPITE CLOSE relationships and knowing that God is near, life can make you feel alone. When your heart is heavy with loneliness, remember that God is always by your side. Ask Him to give you the strength to be vulnerable to others and ope

      1 min read

    • Article

      Saturday, September 4

      Aug 14, 2021

      LAST NIGHT, WE GOT TOGETHER with our good friends the Couches. My husband, Scott, and I have known Shane and Marty since college. We couldn’t help remembering our early days of friendship. Those were formative days of growth and joy. In college, Shan

      1 min read

    • Article

      Get to Know God

      Sep 16, 2023

      WHEN YOU TRULY know God, you can trust Him completely, because He is always faithful and true to His word. God will never abandon those who seek Him. When you turn to Him wholeheartedly, you can be confident that He will guide you through whatever ch

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Note From The Editor

      Apr 16, 2022

      JESUS IS OUR MOST TRUSTED companion and friend, the One in whom we can always confide and find comfort. The writers in this issue of Mornings with Jesus explore how Jesus has guided and uplifted them through the challenges of life, providing them wit

      1 min read

    • Article

      Uncharted Cultural Waters

      Mar 18, 2022

      Uncharted Cultural Waters
      2 min read

    • Article

      From The EDITOR Let God’s Word Sustain And Direct You!

      Jul 21, 2023

      JOY! Magazine seeks to glorify God by educating and informing Christians of a biblical worldview and applying the Lordship of Jesus Christ to all areas of life. Strive for excellence and integrity in all things • Provide interesting, accurate, and

      1 min read

    • Article

      Wednesday, September 8

      Aug 14, 2021

      EACH TIME I JOIN A new Bible study, I hear similar comments as the ladies introduce themselves. The women express how much they enjoy the fellowship and how much they learn from the workbook and videos. Eventually someone will say that when she tries

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Note From The Editor

      Jun 16, 2022

      IN A LOT OF WAYS, the summer is a powerful reminder of the freedom and rest we can find in Jesus. Our children and grandchildren, who are on break from school, enliven our homes with laughter and joy. Packing for that long-awaited family vacation mak

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Perfect Prayer

      May 18, 2020

      The Perfect Prayer
      1 min read

    • Article

      A Matter of Trust

      Mar 27, 2020

      A Matter of Trust
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Mar 18, 2022

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Bible Fun

      Sep 29, 2023

      Bible Fun
      2 min read

    • Article

      Give It to God

      Jul 16, 2021

      Give It to God
      1 min read

    • Article

      Trust His Power and Goodness

      Sep 16, 2023

      FEEL THE POWER of this verse. Instead of relying on your own strength and abilities that can make you feel overwhelmed, turn to God and trust His goodness. He will deliver you from your struggles and trials. Know that He will fight for you as He did

      1 min read

    • Article

      One Word Can Say So Much

      Nov 26, 2022

      One Word Can Say So Much
      2 min read

    • Article

      Family Room®

      Oct 1, 2021

      Pastor and best-selling author Sarah Jakes Roberts (3 Questions, page 22) reflects on her incredible journey in her new book, Woman Evolve: Break Up With Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life. She shares the in securities she had as a teen mom and h

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Biblical Tithe

      Jun 25, 2022

      The Biblical Tithe
      3 min read

    • Article

      Friday, September 10

      Aug 14, 2021

      IT SEEMS THE NEWS HEADLINES grow more negative every day. The problems within our society and beyond are so incredibly huge that we can’t even pretend to fix them. Drug overdoses, terrorist attacks, shootings, human trafficking, and persecution of be

      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The First Hundred Days

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The First Hundred Days - Edwin Ray Frazier

      Contents

      Day 1

      First: Love the Lord

      Day 2

      Second: Love Our Neighbor

      Day 3

      Bible Study

      Day 4

      Prayer

      Day 5

      A Church Home

      Day 6

      But I Say to You

      Day 7

      Be Your Own Person

      Day 8

      Getting Oriented through Personal Study

      Day 9

      Getting Oriented through Friendships

      Day 10

      Relationships

      Day 11

      Mutual Appreciation

      Day 12

      The Witness Mentality

      Day 13

      The Invader Mentality

      Day 14

      The Stewardship Mentality

      Day 15

      Do Something Great

      Day 16

      Something Great is Inside Us

      Day 17

      Don’t Spend Life in Trivial Pursuits

      Day 18

      When Work is Food

      Day 19

      Leave a Mark

      Day 20

      The Ship That Never Sailed

      Day 21

      Life’s Great Drive

      Day 22

      The Oak in the Acorn

      Day 23

      Christian Characteristics

      Day 24

      Love According to God

      Day 25

      Joy: A Conscious Decision

      Day 26

      Peace and Peacemakers

      Day 27

      Patience With People

      Day 28

      Kindness, Plain and Simple

      Day 29

      Goodness: Still a Strange Thing

      Day 30

      Faithfulness: True

      Day 31

      Gentleness: Power Tamed

      Day 32

      Self Control: Temper and Tongue

      Day 33

      Holy Spirit Baptism

      Day 34

      Forgiving Heart

      Day 35

      Submissiveness

      Day 36

      The Christian Coverup

      Day 37

      Discretion

      Day 38

      Bifocal Religion

      Day 39

      Troublesome Traps

      Day 40

      Getting Too Involved Too Quickly

      Day 41

      Combativeness

      Day 42

      The Misfit

      Day 43

      Stunted Growth

      Day 44

      The Survivor Complex

      Day 45

      Feelings: We Can’t Trust Them

      Day 46

      The Church

      Day 47

      When 50 + 50 = 75

      Day 48

      Worship: Where? How?

      Day 49

      Changing World

      Day 50

      The Church: Christ’s Bride

      Day 51

      Church = Hospital

      Day 52

      Making Decisions at Church

      Day 53

      Skeletons in the Closet

      Day 54

      Harmony in the Church

      Day 55

      Bible Characters

      Day 56

      Abraham: Father of the Faithful

      Day 57

      Jacob: God Has Become My God

      Day 58

      Joseph: The Bratty Kid Turned VIP

      Day 59

      Moses: Giving the Devil a Foothold

      Day 60

      Joshua: Be Strong

      Day 61

      Caleb: Give me the Tough Task

      Day 62

      Samuel: Dependable One

      Day 63

      David: A Man After God’s Own Heart

      Day 64

      Solomon: Wise Man

      Day 65

      Jehoshaphat’s Model Prayer

      Day 66

      Jeremiah: Prophet of Hope

      Day 67

      Daniel: Deeply Devoted

      Day 68

      Hosea: Prophet of God’s Love

      Day 69

      Amos: Prophet for the Poor

      Day 70

      Habakkuk: Fussing at God

      Day 71

      Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven

      Day 72

      John: Apostle of Love

      Day 73

      James: Pillar of the Church

      Day 74

      Peter: The Sensitive Guy

      Day 75

      Andrew: Bringing Others to Jesus

      Day 76

      Paul: Innovator

      Day 77

      Stephen: Sowing Seed

      Day 78

      Barnabas: Mr. Encourager

      Day 79

      Timothy: A Supporting Role

      Day 80

      Thomas: The Honest One

      Day 81

      Christ Preeminent

      Day 82

      Inner Religion/Outer Religion

      Day 83

      Inclusive/Exclusive

      Day 84

      Good Religion/Bad Religion

      Day 85

      Grace/Condemnation

      Day 86

      Core Beliefs

      Day 87

      The Primary Problem: Sin

      Day 88

      The Primary Cure: Agape

      Day 89

      Jesus: The Word of God

      Day 90

      Cherish the Church

      Day 91

      The Bible: Our Manual

      Day 92

      Awesome God

      Day 93

      Doing Our Own Thinking

      Day 94

      Love Thy Self

      Day 95

      The Boomerang Principle

      Day 96

      Go With the Flow: God’s Flow

      Day 97

      Stepping Up

      Day 98

      When Religion Needs to be Fulfilled

      Day 99

      Spiritual Student

      Day 100

      Lifelong Student

      Preface

      Beginning the Christian life is like a seedling sprouting in that there’s much more to come: hot sun, cool winds, soaking rains and dry days. Through it all the believer reaches upward, growing new limbs and leaves. The First 100 Days provides some people fertilizer and cultivation for that important beginning.

      I perceived a need for a daily devotional approach that would speak briefly and understandably to some basic building blocks of the Christian life. This work needed to extend over period of time long enough to call attention to several important subjects, but brief enough to encourage the reader to go on to other materials soon afterward. It’s intended to be catalytic, thought provoking. Therefore it is not a manual for life, but rather a resource for your first few weeks, to orient you to the Christian life.

      It’s my prayer that our God will bless you and grow you in your first hundred days.

      Edwin Ray Frazier

      Introduction

      Eight freshmen, a professor, and his wife weighed anchor excitedly. Soon the endless sea surrounded their sail boat for 360 degrees as they launched into a new era of their lives. Their first sunrise on the ocean pictured an unforgettable time in our son’s life. The five day trip was his orientation to the college chapter, leaving yesterday behind and sailing into tomorrow. For the freshmen it was a launching moment.

      Becoming a Christian also is a launching moment. These hundred devotions are written to orient you to an exciting new chapter as your religious future dawns. Each devotion provides additional Bible passages for further study and reflection. Their purpose is to stimulate you to think, reflect, and grow spiritually.

      The topics are selected and discussed as objectively as possible, hopefully to be appropriate for any of several Christian faith communities. My own perspectives however, are necessarily reflected at times. When that’s the case, I encourage you to weigh the options and arrive at your own conclusions and convictions. The aim here is for you to gain strength for your future.

      When our son started kindergarten he talked frequently about Thomas, a friend he had made. We were eager to meet Thomas’ parents at our first PTA meeting. Imagine our surprise when we learned that Thomas and his family are African–American. We’re Caucasian, and our son had never mentioned the color difference. We were glad that he came to that time in life without bad attitudes to prevent that friendship, and we tried to encourage the good attitudes that would continue to free and empower him in his future.

      At this time in your life, I hope and pray that these devotions will help to instill those religious attitudes that will empower you and strengthen you for your future.

      (Days 1–7: The First Week)

      Day 1

      First: Love the Lord

      One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:35–37 New International Version)

      Jesus said that this commandment is of first importance, so it’s our first devotion. Surely we need rules, but Jesus wasn’t talking about rules. He was talking about heart, soul, and mind: about spirit, attitude, mindset. We must want to love God. We must choose to love Him, resolve to do that. We’re to put everything into this.

      Different people express love in different ways. Each of us therefore is commanded to find our appropriate ways to love the Lord. Love happens when we hear the gospel story, see Christ at Calvary, meet him on Easter morning, and feel His eternal spiritual magnetism drawing us to Himself. (John 6:44, 12:32)

      We may wonder, can love can be commanded? Don’t we fall helplessly into it? Yes, love does indeed have an element of emotion, feeling. But true love has a stronger element of the will. Emotion is weak at times and stronger at other times. Will and determination are necessary however for all times, for the long haul. We can’t control how we feel, but we can always resolve to be faithful, to give Him first place in our lives. That constant, unfailing loyalty is what this most important commandment is about.

      It reflects the psalmist’s meditations: I love you, Lord, my strength. . . . Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 18:1, 73:25 New International Version)

      Prayer: Lord I choose to love you above all other things today. Show me how to do that in every interaction. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

      For Further Study

      Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10 New International Version)

      Regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. (Colossians 3:14 The Message)

      (Days 1–7: The First Week)

      Day 2

      Second: Love Our Neighbor

      A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39 New Living Translation)

      Religion is about how we relate to others. It’s relational. It has to do with the ways we interact with other individuals. Those who opposed Jesus had a religion of rules, but they did not relate kindly to other people.

      One important aspect of growing spiritually is learning to interact in Christlike ways with all kinds of people: those with whom we are comfortable and relaxed, and also those with whom we are more stiff and guarded.

      One common misconception is that Christians never get angry, never raise our voices, never confront anybody. That’s not true. In the gospels Jesus modeled for us how to get angry and yet conduct ourselves in Christlikness. He showed us beneficial ways in which to confront close friends as well as enemies.

      Obviously, loving our neighbor is no simple matter. But there are godly ways to love our neighbors, even the less likeable ones. As the first commandment to love the Lord should be a goal toward which we learn and grow all our lives, so also this second commandment requires learning and growing too.

      Prayer: Lord of love, I praise you for living out a life of love not only toward those who were kind and friendly toward you, but also toward those who were difficult. Show me how to do that, I pray. Prompt my growth in grace today, that I may love my neighbor and in so doing, love you better. Amen.

      For Further Study

      Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, How can I help? (Romans 15:1–2 The Message)

      The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Galatians 5:14 New International Version)

      (Days 1–7: The First Week)

      Day 3

      Bible Study

      Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! (1Timothy 4:15 The Message)

      The seedling Christian’s life needs to put down deep roots into Bible soil. We feed on

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1