Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Ripe for Harvest

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Read John 4:27–41

The “State of the Great Commission” report released by the Lausanne Movement in 2024 revealed two surprising facts: First, although 40 percent of the world has not yet been evangelized, the vast majority of missionaries (97 percent) are reaching those who have already had a chance to encounter the gospel. Second, while more than 80 percent of Christians lived in the West (Europe and North America) in 1900, today about 75 percent live in the Global South (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania).

“The fields are ripe for harvest” is a well-known missions slogan drawn from today’s passage. It takes place at the end of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. The disciples were returning from their errand to town to get food. On their way, they must have passed the woman as she headed back to town to tell others that she’d met the Messiah (vv. 27–30). They offered Jesus food but He cryptically responded, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” (vv. 31–34). Then He explained that by “food,” He meant doing the will of His Father. As usual, the disciples were a bit lost.

Attempting to enlighten them, Jesus urged them to open their eyes “and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (vv. 35–38). We’re not sure of the exact timeline, but Jesus may have been gesturing toward the town. If the disciples looked in that direction, they may have seen the townspeople headed their way in response to the woman’s testimony. In God’s plan, sowers and reapers each have their part to do. They can be glad together. Clearly, the Spirit had been at work in this place prior to their arrival. When the Samaritans arrived, perhaps all the disciples worked together to tell them about the Messiah. However it happened, many from that town believed (vv. 39–41).

Go Deeper

What role are you playing in the “harvest,” including local community outreach and world missions? How about your church? How can you become more involved?

Pray with Us

You are always attentive to the lost, Lord. Open our eyes and nudge us toward anyone who has a tender heart toward the gospel. What a privilege to be part of bringing someone to salvation!

Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.John 4:35

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Fishers of Sheep

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I will send you out to fish for people. Matthew 4:19

Today’s Scripture

Matthew 4:18-22

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Today’s Devotion

It was one of those videos that makes you stop and do a double take—Yemeni fishermen frantically rescuing hundreds of sheep from the Red Sea. A ship carrying thousands of sheep had run aground off the coast of Ras Al-Ara, Yemen. The vessel was headed for Djibouti when it capsized, leading to the drowning of more than 160 sheep. However, many were saved due to the combined efforts of a group of fishermen who found themselves, well, fishing for sheep.

Isaiah’s words came to mind when I first saw that image: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray” (53:6). In the same moment, perhaps reflecting the way the Old and New Testaments beautifully work in tandem, Jesus’ invitation to His first disciples surfaced from my memory. Matthew’s gospel records His invitation as He walked beside the Sea of Galilee: “ ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people’ ” (4:19).

For those of us intent on being Jesus’ disciples today, that same invitation is offered. Jesus calls us to fish for people. And why? People—and that means all of us—are like sheep who have strayed from God’s ways and will and words. We need rescue. Being introduced to the Savior can take place by way of His disciples. In His beautiful way, Jesus makes us—His sheep—fishers of other sheep.

Reflect & Pray

Who in your vicinity is like a drowning sheep? What part can you play in their rescue?

Dear God, please make me a fisher of sheep.

Today’s Insights

The account of Jesus calling His disciples to “fish for people” (Matthew 4:19) strongly emphasizes the force of Christ’s call on their lives. Typically, someone who wanted to study under a rabbi would make the decision to approach the rabbi about being a disciple. But Jesus is the one who approached His disciples and commanded them to follow Him. Immediately after the description of Christ calling His first disciples, we’re told of His healing ministry (vv. 23-25). His healing actions revealed that He was bringing God’s kingdom (v. 17) down to earth in a powerful way—and He’d chosen the disciples to be part of that mission. Those called by Jesus immediately left fishing—their livelihood—as well as their families (v. 22) to devote all of themselves to living out the mission of reaching those who need God. Today, as well, God has called us to share the gospel with others.

For further study, read: Waiting on God’s Rescue

 

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Searching for God in the Oregon school shooting

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Around 1:00 in the afternoon on Thursday, a sixteen-year-old shot through the locks on the doors to the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. He then proceeded to kill three students and one teacher before a local bystander who’d noticed him enter the building shot him. As of this writing, another student and teacher are alive but wounded from the attack.

Police responded quickly to the flood of 911 calls, arriving at the school only a few minutes after the shooter entered. However, by that point, he was already dead. The surviving students were then taken to a nearby church, where they were reunited with their families.

Officials have yet to release more information on the shooter, his potential motives, or the weapon used, though law enforcement sources suspect it was a shotgun.

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler spoke for many when she told reporters,

A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel secure. What happened today should never happen. Like so many in our community, I’m struggling to make sense of a loss that feels unimaginable.

Perhaps you’re feeling the same way. I know dropping my kids off at school will feel different today than it did yesterday, even though what happened in Oregon is unlikely to have any direct impact on our lives here in Texas. Still, I imagine the parents who are grieving the loss of their children, as well as those who will have to try and explain what happened to the ones who survived, thought much the same yesterday morning.

So, what do we do with those feelings?

The churchy answer—which also happens to be the correct one, in this case—is to take them to the Lord. But the truth is, tragedies like this can make it hard to seek comfort from a God who could have stopped them and didn’t. What do we do then?

Reasons to be grateful

In a previous article, I argued that suffering is not only redeemable but necessary in light of God’s goodness. I still believe that’s the case, but tragedies like yesterday’s shooting are among the most difficult to view through that lens, even if they are also when it’s most necessary to do so. As I’ve thought and prayed about how to do that, though, I felt like the Lord brought two thoughts to mind that I hadn’t considered before.

At the end of the day, God’s omniscience means that he knew this attack would happen, and his omnipotence means that he was more than capable of stopping it. As a result, it’s completely valid to ask why he didn’t. But the new thought—at least, new to me—was that if God bears any sense of responsibility for the lives that were lost, then he bears at least some responsibility for the lives that were saved as well.

The shooter managed to kill four people in under three minutes, and it could have been so much worse. While we don’t know much about the bystander who stopped him, what are the odds that someone who was not only armed but brave and capable enough to intervene would happen to be near the school as that sixteen-year-old broke in? How many more might have died if he hadn’t risked his own life to stop him?

Moreover, how many more would-be shooters are stopped by friends, family, or other people in their lives who notice them heading down that path and choose to intervene before they ever make it on campus? Thursday’s attack was the first mass shooting in a school since a fourteen-year-old killed four in Winder, Georgia, more than two years ago. It seems unlikely he was the first to consider it, though, and it is right to thank God that more haven’t done the same.

Again, that does not mean it’s wrong to have questions and doubts in the aftermath of a tragedy like this, but if we’re inclined to blame God for the four who died, then we should also thank him for the nearly five hundred who survived.

That said, it can still be difficult not to give the tragedy more weight than the blessing, though. And that basic impulse is important as well.

A lingering reminder of God’s image

The second direction God took me as I reflected on the tragedy of this shooting is how strangely natural it seems for the negative to hold our attention rather than the positive. I think at least part of the reason why that’s the case is that enough of who God created us to be still exists in all of us to recognize that this world is broken.

If God weren’t real and this world was simply the result of random chance, then there would be no reason for us to be this shattered by something like a school shooting. That kind of tragedy would simply be an expected part of living in this fallen, depraved world.

But that’s not the case. Rather, being appalled at something like this is seen as a basic test of our humanity. And there’s no logical reason why that should be the case outside of the fact that a shred of that imago Dei with which we were all created still cries out against such violence and loss of life.

That someone was willing to shoot up an elementary school shows that it is possible for sin to break us so completely that the image of God in our lives is all but buried. But that’s the exception rather than the rule, and it’s important to recognize that fact.

Again, none of this is meant to keep us from asking the hard questions about why God would let something like this happen. Those are entirely fair and appropriate, and the Lord is not offended by our asking them. But that grief is also a reminder that we were created for so much more than this world can offer, and the desire for what only God can provide is still woven deep inside each of us.

Perhaps at least part of the way God will redeem the Silver Rail shooting is by using it to awaken those desires on the other side of the grief and fear endemic to this moment. So, with that possibility in mind, let’s conclude for today by taking some time to pray.

How to pray

If this list is something you need to come back to throughout the day, that’s fine. Just don’t rush through it. After all, those who are hurting deserve more than empty thoughts and a quick prayer. Let’s make sure our prayers reflect that fact.

  • Start by praying for the families who lost loved ones in this horrible tragedy. And don’t just offer a generic “Lord, please be with them” kind of prayer. Take the time to genuinely seek God’s help with knowing how to pray for those who are hurting, then follow through in obedience to what he shows you.
  • Next, thank God for all the lives that were saved. Again, take the time to seek the Holy Spirit’s help in knowing how to offer that prayer, particularly if gratitude in this moment still feels more forced than natural.
  • And if you’re still beset by the doubts, fear, and anger that a tragedy like this can bring to the surface, take those thoughts to God and ask for his help in working through them well. Don’t stuff them down or move on until you’ve genuinely wrestled with them in the presence of the Lord.
  • Finally, ask God to make you aware of any opportunities to help people know him that will come about in the days ahead as a result of the shooting. The Holy Spirit knows the hearts and minds of the people around you better than you ever could, and he knows who is ready for that kind of conversation. If God brings someone to mind or helps them to cross your path, ask the Lord to help you be ready to have that conversation well.

Quote of the day:

“The true wonder of human beings is not that we are sinners, but that even in our sin we are haunted by goodness, that even in the mud we can never wholly forget the stars.” —William Barclay

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Denison Forum

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – God the Owner

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)

In communist countries, “the people” own the lands, while in capitalist countries individuals may own “private property.” Both are myths unless these are viewed as a stewardship from God. We don’t really own anything, “for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).

In the mineral kingdom, the most important substances are the precious metals upon which monetary standards are based, yet God makes it clear that all “the silver is mine, and the gold is mine” (Haggai 2:8). The greatest members of the plant kingdom are the mighty trees of the forest, and God reminds us that “the trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted” (Psalm 104:16). All the birds and beasts in the animal kingdom are His also. “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10).

Again and again God reminds us that “all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5), and even the infinite heavens belong to Him. “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is” (Deuteronomy 10:14).

God has, indeed, given man “dominion . . . over all the earth” (Genesis 1:26), and Satan has, indeed, laid false claim to “all the kingdoms of the world” (Luke 4:5–6), but the fact remains that “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:32).

Most of all, every Christian should understand that he and all he has belong to God by both creation and blood-bought redemption. “Know ye not that . . . ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). HMM

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Never Alone

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Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit for (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, exceedingly) by the devil.

Luke 4:1-2 (AMPC)

We learn from today’s verses that immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the devil for forty days and nights. That was probably a very difficult experience, but Jesus promptly obeyed the Spirit’s leading. He trusted the Holy Spirit, knowing even the difficulties he would face would work out for His good in the end.

At the end of the 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus began His public ministry, as we see in Luke 4:14: Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about (AMPC). Jesus not only had to be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit into power and fame; He also had to be willing to follow Him into difficult times, times of trial and testing.

Obeying God in difficult times helps develop godly character. Jesus set an example for us that we should follow. Following the leadership of the Holy Spirit during seasons of hardship develops faithfulness, determination, and strength in us—qualities God wants us to have.

God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill His plans for our lives. Sometimes, we must encounter difficulties in order to develop the character we need in order to do what God has planned. We must always remember we never face anything—difficulties or good times—alone. The Holy Spirit is always with us to help us and His ways are always the best.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, help me follow Your leading, even through hard times. Thank You that I am never alone, and that You are developing my character through it all.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Seasons Change: Wisdom

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NEW!Listen Now

And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2:21

Recommended Reading: Daniel 2:20-23

Journalists believe they know what is going on in the world, and historians think they can explain what has happened in the past. But a true understanding of the unfolding events in world history requires wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. It requires knowing that God has a plan for this planet and that everything in the past has been orchestrated under the governing eye of His Providence. Everything occurring now is aligning with His long-term intentions. And the Most High rules over the affairs of men (see Daniel 4:17).

We can gain understanding in these things by reading the books of Daniel, Esther, and Revelation. Yet we would also be wise to look over the course of our own individual lives and see how the guiding goodness of God has led our steps, our stops, and every stage along the way. Whatever season you are in, ask the Lord for wisdom to discern His ways and to trust His guidance.

God has a plan and a purpose for the world and governs history such that everything from the least to the greatest contributes to the achievement of that plan and purpose.
Robert Rothwell

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – God’s Compassion

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The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah 4:4

Today’s Scripture

Jonah 3:10–4:2, 4, 6-11

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Today’s Devotion

I didn’t like Sadie. My colleague was often rude to me, so I avoided her. So when she heard about an evangelistic meeting in my church and asked if she could go with me, I was indifferent. “I’ll see,” I mumbled.

Days passed, and the topic seemed forgotten. But God hadn’t forgotten. I could feel His gaze, waiting for me to reach out to Sadie. One day, while I was praying, a question pervaded my thoughts: Think about your response to Sadie. Is it right?

Ouch! The question reminded me of what God asked the prophet Jonah after the people of Nineveh repented: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). Jonah had warned the Ninevites of God’s judgment for their sin (3:1-4). Strangely, however, when they repented and God “did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened” (v. 10), “this seemed very wrong” to Jonah “and he became angry” (4:1). He believed that the cruel enemies of Israel had gotten off easily (vv. 1-3) and deserved punishment.

But God corrected Jonah, pointing out his lack of compassion for the Ninevites, who had no true spiritual understanding (vv. 5-11). God, “gracious and compassionate . . . slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 2), cares about the welfare of all people, no matter what they’ve done. Let’s extend God’s compassion to others too—helping them to know and love Him.

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be difficult to show compassion to some people in your life? How can God help you extend it to them?

Loving Father, please help me to see others the way You do and show them Your compassion.

Today’s Insights

Jonah wanted God to destroy the wicked Ninevites and became angry when He forgave them and spared their lives (3:10–4:1). The prophet even objected to God being “gracious and compassionate . . . slow to anger and abounding in love” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah didn’t want Him to extend His grace to the gentiles. But our sovereign God has the right to show mercy to whomever He chooses (v. 11; see Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:15). As believers in Jesus and His “chosen people” (1 Peter 2:9), we’re “to be like God” (Ephesians 4:24)—compassionate, kind, patient, loving, and forgiving (Colossians 3:12-14). Today, God can help us show compassion to others, even to difficult people.

For further study, read: A Circumcised Heart and a Compassionate Life

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Why AI companies are buying books to destroy them

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This August, the tech journalism outlet 404 Media placed an Apple AirTag in a rare book that was part of an unusual bulk order. The book’s final destination was a secret warehouse known as VGT3, “where Amazon scans and destroys books” to train its AI models.

Here, and at other AI companies’ warehouses, workers feed books into a “hydraulic powered cutting machine,” which slices off their spines. After being trimmed to fit a scanner, the books’ detached pages are scanned at high speed before being discarded or recycled.

This practice, known as destructive scanning, is standard in the AI industry, which uses books as training data for large language models such as Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The scale of the practice is truly massive. Planning documents from Anthropic’s Project Panama— an “effort to destructively scan all the books in the world,”— indicated that the company wanted to convert anywhere from “500,000 to two million books over a six-month period.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why AI companies are buying books to destroy them →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Free Refills

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 And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. 

—Acts 13:52

Scripture:

Acts 13:52 

Imagine that you bought a new car, drove it around town for a few days, and really liked the way it performed for you. But suddenly it started sputtering and not running as well as it had in the beginning. Finally, it just chugged to a stop and wouldn’t go any further.

“What’s the problem here?” you ask. “I just bought this car. I don’t even have a couple of hundred miles on it yet.”

You have your stalled-out new car towed back to the dealer, demanding an explanation. “Hmm,” the mechanic says, slipping the key into the ignition and trying to start it a couple of times. “Uh, sir, do you see this little light on your fuel gauge? It means you’re out of gas. You need to fill your car with gas every now and then.”

“Oh,” you say. “I never thought of that.”

“Yes, sir. You see, you’ve got to keep refilling your car over and over if you want it to keep going.”

The same is true in life. You’re cruising along, enjoying life and the scenery, experiencing peace and success in your family, your marriage, your business, and your ministry. Suddenly, however, problem after problem starts cropping up, and life suddenly doesn’t seem to be working very well.

Maybe you need a refill. Maybe you need to ask the Lord to give you the power of His Holy Spirit to be a better husband—or a better father, a better grandmother, a better witness, a better student, a better employee, or a better whatever He has called you to be.

Sometimes you need refills more often than you expect. You may ask and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit in the morning, but by the time late afternoon comes along, you may find yourself relying on your own strength again and needing His fresh empowerment.

The apostle Paul wrote, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV). God wants us to come to Him again and again, asking Him to fill and empower us afresh. The fact is, we have a never-ending need, and He has an inexhaustible supply.

The Christians featured in the book of Acts certainly understood the importance of being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter led thousands of people to Christ at Pentecost after he was filled by the Holy Spirit. Stephen, the first known Christian martyr, preached one of the most powerful sermons ever recorded because he was filled with the Spirit’s power. The apostle Paul vividly describes being disheartened, discouraged, and lonely before God refueled and restored him.

Whenever you start to feel spiritually run-down, ask the Lord to refill you with the power of His Spirit. And then watch what He does.

Reflection question: How do you know when you need a spiritual refill? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Follow the Leader

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by Henry M. Morris III, D.Min.

“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ).” (Philippians 3:17–18)

Godly leaders are responsible for living exemplary lives so that those they teach will both follow and eventually become leaders themselves. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ,” Paul demanded of the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 11:1). “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works,” he instructed Titus (Titus 2:7). But Paul was first a follower of the life example of Christ.

Today’s verse uses some unusual terms to both define the responsibility to follow and mark those walking after Paul’s lifestyle. Memos is Greek for “follow,” compounded with a prefix that means “together.” Our English word “mimic” comes from memos. We are expected to imitate the examples of those who lead godly lives, who themselves are committed to emulate the Lord Jesus.

Further, we are expected to “mark” those living after godly examples. The Greek word skopeo is the strongest word among several for identifying someone or something. It has the sense of intense observation. In secular literature, it is sometimes used for a spy. God expects us to pay careful attention to those who “have the rule over [us]” (Hebrews 13:17).

And we are to watch out for those who may influence us for evil. There are “enemies” of the Lord Jesus. Those are sometimes among us, and we must “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). May God give us the discernment to know the difference between “good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). HMM III

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Great Thinking, Great Life

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 (AMPC)

One of the most life-changing revelations we can have is to find out that we can do something about our thoughts. We can practice “on-purpose thinking.” We do not have to meditate on everything that pops into our minds; we can choose what we want to think about. We can choose power-enhancing thoughts—not power-draining thoughts. We can be deliberate about what goes on in our minds. We can break up with bad habits and form good habits. In fact, learning to think great thoughts on purpose is one of the keys to a great life.

We often allow ourselves to buy into the world’s idea of a “great life.” We may equate greatness with fame, fortune, athletic success, celebrity status, remarkable business or scientific achievements, or physical attractiveness. But none of these constitutes a truly great life. In fact, some of the most famous and wealthy people in the world seem to be some of the most miserable people. To really have a great life, I believe a person must have love, peace, joy, right standing with God, good relationships, and other qualities the world does not necessarily consider “great.” Without them, how could anyone’s life be great? Just think about it: What do we really have without peace and joy? Think great thoughts today and every day—thoughts of peace, joy, success, and love—and see how great your life will be.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me choose my thoughts on purpose today. Fill my mind with peace, joy, and love, and help me build a truly great life in You.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Stolen Vineyard

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Read Matthew 21:33–46

When Jesus told the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21, His hearers were no doubt reminded of Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21. Evil King Ahab coveted the abundant vineyard and offered to buy it, but Naboth refused. His queen, Jezebel, then lied to have Naboth murdered, so Ahab could seize the property. The prophet Elijah condemned their unjust actions.

In Jesus’ story, a man planted a vineyard (vv. 33–39). The references to a winepress and a watchtower show that he had prepared it carefully before renting it out to tenants for a share of the harvest. When the time came, however, instead of paying the rent they murdered the owner’s three messengers and finally his son. No doubt audience outrage was growing as the story unfolded. Jesus the Master Teacher asked them to predict what would happen next (vv. 40–41). They naturally answered that the owner would deal out justice to those wicked tenants and find more honest ones.

Jesus then provocatively interpreted the story as symbolizing God, Israel, and Himself (vv. 42–46). The owner of the vineyard is God. The original tenants are the “chief priests and the Pharisees.” The messengers were the prophets. Jesus Himself is the owner’s Son, the rejected Cornerstone, the Messiah. The religious leaders knew that Jesus’ story condemned them and from that point on they wanted to arrest Him. Though this was an opportunity to repent, they missed it completely and instead acted exactly as the story described.

The next chapter in God’s kingdom plan would include both Jews and Gentiles (see Rom. 11:17–24), a plan the Jews hadn’t expected. Those who reject the Cornerstone will see the kingdom taken away from them and given to those who will “produce its fruit” (see Matt. 21:43). May we be among those who produce fruit for the kingdom!

Go Deeper

Compare and contrast those two vineyard stories. Why are people still rejecting Jesus today?

Pray with Us

We are grieved to know there are people who reject You, Jesus. Thank You for showing grace and mercy to us over and over. May we never miss the opportunity to seek Your face.

The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.Matthew 21:43

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Minding the Mind

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Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?
Job 38:36

Recommended Reading: Romans 8:7-11

Your brain is composed of about 60% fat, floats in cerebrospinal fluid, and weighs about three pounds. It contains 86 billion neurons, consumes 20% of your body’s energy, and operates at speeds of 268 miles per hour.

The most important thing about your brain though is the thoughts that dominate it. The Bible says, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:5-6 NIV).

We must make a conscious effort to fill our mind with Scripture—to read it, study it, and memorize it. We need to meditate on the words of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on Him (see Isaiah 26:3). It is our God who can put wisdom in our minds and understanding in our hearts.

Biblical meditation on Scripture acts as a believer’s medicine because God’s Spirit always uses the balm of His truth to provide lasting comfort and help.
David Saxton

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Ready for Christ’s Return

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Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15

Today’s Scripture

1 Peter 3:13-17

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Today’s Devotion

It was late fall, and my wife and I were going to take a trip by car. The day before our planned departure, it began to snow, and I suddenly realized I hadn’t taken the car in to have snow tires put on. The snowy, deteriorating conditions led to a long line at the tire shop—something I could have avoided with better planning.

Much of life is about getting ready, isn’t it? It’s vital for us to think ahead, prepare for what eventualities might occur, and make sure we’ve planned well.

This is true of our spiritual life as well. In Matthew 24, Jesus pointed out the necessity of being all set for His later return. He told His listeners that they “must be ready” because He will come again (v. 44). And Peter later wrote that believers should prepare themselves ahead of time intellectually and spiritually “to give the reason for the hope that [they] have” (1 Peter 3:15).

Our lives should be ones of preparation. First, we must make sure we’re ready for Jesus’ return by putting our faith in Him. Next, our task is to continually prepare ourselves for service for Him—even if it means to “suffer for doing good” (v. 17). With His help, let’s get ready.

Reflect & Pray

How are you sure you’re ready to meet Jesus when He returns or when you die? What can you do to better prepare to serve and honor God?

Dear Jesus, please help me use my time wisely—preparing for what You want me to do. While I handle daily responsibilities, help me to also set aside times for spiritual preparation.

Today’s Insights

After we’ve placed our trust in Jesus as our Savior and are ready to meet Him when He returns, we’re called to share our hope in Christ with others. The apostle Peter tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). The sometimes-overlooked key to his instructions on sharing our faith is that there needs to be a catalyst in our lives that causes people to ask about it. That catalyst is a Christlike, hope-filled life, which opens the door to sharing about our relationship with Jesus. Because we live in a desperate world, a life that displays hope can cause people to want what they see in us. God can help us “be prepared” to tell others of our Savior (v. 15), who is our source of hope through His resurrection (1:3).

For further study, read: Die First, Then Comes the End

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Searching for truth in the 2024 Cornell sexual assault case

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What happened: Last month, New York prosecutors reopened the case of a woman who claimed that she was sexually assaulted by seven men at Cornell University in October of 2024. As the story has gone viral over recent weeks, the line between presumption and fact has blurred to a dangerous degree.

Why it matters: At the end of the day, this story seems to have a clear victim and multiple abusers, but no one involved is innocent. And while blame is by no means shared equally, losing sight of that fact only makes it more likely that people will walk away learning the wrong lessons and that something like this will happen again.

The backstory: What happened at Cornell?

On September 28, New York prosecutors officially reopened the case of a woman—referred to as Jane Doe in the court documents—who claimed that she was sexually assaulted by seven men at a Cornell University frat house in October of 2024. Local police did not press criminal charges initially because Jane Doe’s sworn statement back then “described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Searching for truth in the 2024 Cornell sexual assault case →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – A Good Time to Pray

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 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. 

—Acts 12:5

Scripture:

Acts 12:5 

If you watched a lot of old Westerns back in the day, as I did, you know that the outlaws (who usually wore black hats) riding furiously across mountainous terrain with the stolen loot from the stagecoach robbery would frequently get tripped up by geography.

At some point, someone in the pursuing posse (who usually wore white hats) would shout, “We have ’em now! They’ve ridden into a box canyon!” And everybody knows there’s only one way out of a box canyon.

There are box canyons in life, too—seemingly impossible situations that seem to offer no workable way out and nowhere else to turn. In a box canyon, surrounded by insurmountable obstacles, you find yourself temporarily paralyzed, not knowing what to do. These are the very times when God invites us to pray.

In Acts 12, we find the story of how God took a tragic, even hopeless, situation and turned it around. More to the point, the turnaround was initiated by the power of prayer—the kind of prayer that reverberates throughout the throne room of God and gets an answer.

James and Peter, two key figures in the early Christian church, had been imprisoned for doing God’s work. Tragically, James was put to death. But Peter was still incarcerated, awaiting his fate. All doors to his freedom were closed, except one: the door of prayer.

His fellow church members recognized that “we use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT).

Prayer was and is the church’s secret weapon. Although the devil struck a blow against the church in the death of James, the church gained victory through prayer as Peter was miraculously released. Chained between two Roman soldiers, Peter was awakened in his cell by an angel of the Lord. The chains on his wrists fell to the floor. The angel led Peter past the guards posted in the jail and through the iron gate that separated it from the outside world. The people of the church prayed for Peter’s release, and Peter literally showed up at their door (see Acts 12:6–19).

Prayer still carries the same potential. That’s why it’s essential that Christians learn how to pray effectively. The reality is that all of us will face difficulties, hardships, problems, and more than a few box canyons. We need to discover what God can do through the power of prayer.

Prayer for the Christian should be second nature, like breathing. We should automatically lift our needs and requests before the Lord. Jesus said that we should always pray and not lose heart (see Luke 18:1). Prayer is something we should never avoid and never grow tired of. Prayer should be woven through our day like a bright gold thread woven through a piece of fabric. The more we pray, the more we will see the kingdom of God break through the darkness of seemingly impossible situations.

Reflection question: What seemingly impossible situation in your life might be changed by prayer? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – This Generation

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:34)

This exciting prediction by Christ climaxes His great prophetic discourse on the Mount of Olives. He had given His disciples the signs they had requested, then discussed the coming great tribulation and finally His glorious return in the clouds of heaven. And “all these things” were to be fulfilled before “this generation” would pass away.

And what generation would that be? Many commentators have taken it as the Jewish people, but that would be redundant since many other passages had already promised that the nation of Israel would never pass away (Jeremiah 31:37–40; etc.). Furthermore, the Greek word for “generation” (genea) is never used elsewhere for any meaning but that of a particular age generation. A similar word, genos, sometimes means “stock” or “kind,” but never genea.

Thus, the generation that Christ was predicting probably meant the generation that would see the events He had prophesied. “When ye shall see all these things,” He said, “know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33). What are some of “these things”? World wars accompanied and followed by “earthquakes in divers places” as well as “famines, and pestilences” (v. 7), worldwide spread of the gospel witness (v. 14), many false Christs and false prophets (v. 24), widespread wickedness and spiritual indifference as in the days of Noah (vv. 37–39), and the budding of the fig tree, Israel (v. 32).

The word for “this” in verse 34 is the demonstrative adjective, so Christ seems to be referring to “that” generation which sees “these things begin to come to pass.” That generation will see all these things fulfilled! To that generation He says, “Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). HMM

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Go Forward in Faith

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When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in You.

Psalm 56:3 (AMP)

David killed bears and lions with his own hands when he was just a shepherd boy. He fought the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a couple of river stones. The people said that while King Saul killed thousands, David killed tens of thousands.

We might think that David was fearless to do all those things, but he wrote in Psalms that when he was afraid, he put his trust in God. The use of when implies that there were times when he felt afraid, but he chose to go forward anyway, in faith, because he trusted in God.

If you’ve been afraid of something and desire to be free, the time will eventually come when you’ll have to face your fear and not run away from it. Like David, you will have to approach it with the following attitude: I trust God, and I’m going to do it, even if I have to do it afraid.

The Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, discipline, and a calm mind (2 Timothy 1:7). That means that we don’t have to bow down to fear when it strikes. We can move forward in faith and go anywhere that God leads us.

Prayer of the Day: God, forgive me for the times when I have let fear stop me. Help me trust in and rely on You as I move forward in faith, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Watch God Work 

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Play

During World War I, Biddy Chambers, her husband, and small daughter moved to Egypt, where he served as a chaplain. He taught, she transcribed. It was a perfect partnership.

Then her husband’s complications from appendicitis rendered Biddy a widow, and all the dreams of a teaching ministry would have to be abandoned, right? Well, no. She turned her husband’s notes into pamphlets. Eventually, they were compiled into a book, My Utmost For His Highest. This work of Oswald Chambers has sold more than 13 million copies and has been translated into more than 35 languages.

The next time you feel overwhelmed, remind yourself of the one who is standing next to you. Give him what you have, offer thanks, and watch him go to work. Remember friends, you are never alone.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Full Barns

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Read Luke 12:13–21

If you’re anything like me, you’ve resonated with the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof. In this musical, the father Tevye dreams of being wealthy. Not only would his family be comfortable, he’d have more time to study in the synagogue. He asks God, “Would it spoil some vast eternal plan? If I were a wealthy man?”

God did not grant Tevye’s wish (or mine) to be wealthy, and in light of today’s parable that’s a blessing. Riches can be a formidable temptation (1 Tim. 6:10). In Luke 12, a man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him (vv. 13–15). He was likely a younger brother, and his older brother would receive double. Jesus refused, then warned His audience against greed (covetousness) and materialism. The principle is simple: Life is not merely about possessions.

To illustrate further, Jesus told a story about a farmer who reaped a huge harvest, so big that he didn’t have enough space to store it all. His solution was to build larger barns (vv. 16–19). The man was selfish. He didn’t even consider giving some of it away. He put his trust in his wealth and pridefully found his security there. As a result of this harvest, he congratulated himself and decided he could “take life easy” from now on.

God evaluated this attitude as damned (literally) foolishness (vv. 20–21). That very night the farmer would die. He’d provided for his grain but not for his soul! Death reveals the quality of that in which we’ve put our faith. The barns were full, but the man couldn’t take any of it with him. As Ecclesiastes says, all such things are meaningless. This is how it will be for everyone who “stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Go Deeper

Finish this sentence: None of us know when we will die, therefore… Christ has already conquered death, so we can contemplate the matter without fear.

Pray with Us

Lord, everything we have comes from You. Help us not be distracted by the appeal of money and possessions. Thank You that You “give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3).

This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.Luke 12:21

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

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