Daily Archives: April 6, 2013

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Charles Stanley – Expressions of God’s Goodness

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Psalm 103

We often think of God’s goodness in terms of our tangible blessings and upbeat events. While these surely are expressions of divine goodness, we should not interpret God’s love only by how He demonstrates it in positive circumstances. We often experience His goodness best in our darkest hours—in those situations, He shows Himself to be good in deeper ways, as He alone can (2 Cor. 12:9).

One way the Lord expresses goodness is through His mercy—the tender-hearted compassion He has for us. In the Bible, mercy is usually mentioned in the context of God’s concern for people who are needy or suffering. We constantly see Jesus filled with compassion and ministering because of this mercy (Mark 1:41). He healed many people who cried out to Him for mercy because they recognized their neediness (Matt. 9:27-29).

Remember, it wasn’t the self-righteous Pharisee who was blessed, but the sinful tax collector who realized that he didn’t deserve God’s favor and begged for mercy (Luke 18:9-14). In response to our distress, God offers comfort, not because we’ve earned it, but because He is good. Also keep in mind that through Jesus’ worthiness and sacrifice, all who trust Him as Savior have great worth in God’s eyes(2 Cor. 5:21).

Another expression of our heavenly Father’s goodness is grace. A just God cannot overlook sin, yet because of His infinite goodness and love, He chose to pay our penalty for us. We have access to God’s grace only through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Every day, we should remind ourselves of the Father’s extraordinary goodness to us and thank Him for it.

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Our Daily Bread — Unseen Danger

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James 1:13-25

Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. —James 1:14

When I was a young child, our family escaped near tragedy. Most of the main appliances in the house, as well as the furnace, were fueled by natural gas, but a small leak in one of the gas lines put our lives at risk. As the gas poured into our little house, our family was overcome by the lethal fumes and we lost consciousness. Had we not been discovered by a neighbor who happened to stop by for a visit, we all could have been killed by this dangerous, unseen enemy.

As followers of Christ, we can also find ourselves surrounded by unseen dangers. The toxic realities of temptation and the weaknesses of our own human frailty can endanger our lives and relationships. Unlike the natural gas in my childhood home, however, these unseen dangers do not come from outside of us—they reside within us. James wrote, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:14).

Our natural tendency to sin, compounded by blind spots that prevent us from seeing our own weaknesses, can lead to toxic choices that ruin us. It is only by submitting to God as He shows us our hearts in His Word (vv.23-25) that we can live a life that pleases the Master. —Bill Crowder

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;

Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,

And make me love Thee as I ought to love. —Croly

The unseen Spirit of God is the greatest protection against sin’s unseen dangers.

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Alistair Begg – Outside the Camp

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Therefore let us go to him outside the camp. Hebrews 13:13

Jesus, bearing His cross, went to suffer outside the gate. The Christian’s reason for leaving the camp of the world’s sin and religion is not because he loves to be isolated, but because Jesus did so; and the disciple must follow his Master. Christ was “not of the world.” His life and His testimony were a constant protest against conformity with the world. Although He displayed overflowing affection for men, He was still separate from sinners.

In the same way Christ’s people must “go to him.” They must take their position “outside the camp,” as witness-bearers for the truth. They must be prepared to walk the straight and narrow path. They must have bold, unflinching, lion-like hearts, loving Christ first, and His truth next, and Christ and His truth more than all the world. Jesus desires His people to “go…outside the camp” for their own sanctification.

You cannot grow in grace to any high degree while you are conformed to the world. The life of separation may be a path of sorrow, but it is the highway of safety; and though the separated life may be painful and make every day a battle, yet it is a happy life after all. No joy can excel that of the soldier of Christ: Jesus reveals Himself so graciously and gives such sweet refreshment that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily strife than others in their hours of rest.

The highway of holiness is the highway of communion. It is in this way we shall hope to win the crown if we are enabled by divine grace faithfully to follow Christ “outside the camp.” The crown of glory will follow the cross of separation. A moment’s shame will be well rewarded by eternal honor; a little while of witness-bearing will seem nothing when we are forever with the Lord.

 

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John MacArthur – Mourning over Your Sin

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“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

Human sorrow is mourning over some tragic or disappointing turn of events. At such times believers are assured of God’s sustaining and comforting grace (2 Cor. 1:3-4). But when Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4), He was referring to godly sorrow, which is mourning over your sin.

“Mourn” in Matthew 5:4 translates the strongest Greek word used in the New Testament to express grief. It is often used of the passionate lament expressed over the loss of a loved one (e.g., Mark 16:10). David was expressing that kind of sorrow over his sin when he wrote, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer” (Ps. 32:3-4). His grief and despair made him physically ill.

At that point David wasn’t a happy person, but the blessing godly sorrow brings isn’t found in the sorrow itself, but in God’s response to it. As Paul said to the Corinthians, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God. . . . For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor. 7:9-10, emphasis added). Godly sorrow is the path to repentance and forgiveness.

After David confessed his sin he proclaimed with great joy, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (vv. 1-2). When you understand that your sins are forgiven, you are a happy person!

How do you deal with your sins? Do you deny and try to hide them, or do you mourn over them and confess them (cf. Prov. 28:13)?

Suggestions for Prayer:

If you have allowed some sin to rob you of your happiness, don’t let it continue a moment longer. Like David, confess your sin and know the joy of forgiveness.

For Further Study:

Read Luke 15:11-24. How did the prodigal son deal with his sin?

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Joyce Meyer – he Power of the Blood

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The blood shall be for a token or sign to you upon [the doorposts of] the houses where you are, [that] when I see the blood, I will pass over you… —Exodus 12:13

The miraculous events of the first Passover illustrate the power of the blood. It is an amazing foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus which gives us life. In this story, an angel of death was going to pass through the land of Egypt to kill the firstborn sons in every household. But God instructed His people to apply the blood of lambs to the doorposts of their homes so the angel of death would see it and pass over their houses or families.

Today, Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He shed His blood to set us free from the curse of sin and death. I do not think we fully avail ourselves of all the benefits of the blood of Jesus, as we should. I believe that we need to be diligent to apply the blood over our lives by faith and seal the doors of our lives through which Satan can gain access to us.

The Israelites had to go to a lot of trouble to get the blood on their doorposts. They had to kill the lambs, skin them, remove the blood and put it into containers; they had to get some hyssop (a brush-like plant), dip it in the blood and put the blood on their doorposts. That could not have been a neat, clean endeavor! But they did it, and they did it by faith because God told them to. The Israelites had to apply the blood of the lamb physically, but we can do it by faith. Jesus is the Lamb of God, and, as believers, we can apply the power of His shed blood to our lives by simply believing in it.

Love God Today: “Thank You, Jesus, for being my Passover lamb.”

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Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Reap What You Sow

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“Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!” (Galatians 6:7).

Steve had just been introduced to this great and exciting law of sowing and reaping. “Is it really true,” he asked, “that I will always reap what I sow – and more than I sow – good or bad?”

I was able to assure him, from the authority of Scripture, from experience of 36 years of walking with Christ and by observing closely the lives of many thousands of Christians with whom I have counseled and worked, that the law of sowing and reaping is just as true and inviolate as the law of gravity.

If you want to judge a man, an American humorist once said, you should not look at him in the face but get behind him and see what he is looking at, what he is sowing.

For example, is he looking at God with reverence – or with no deference at all? Does he really believe God means what He says?

A student once asked, “If I give my life to Christ, do I become a puppet?”

The answer is a resounding no! We never become puppets. We have the right of choice; we are free moral agents. God’s Word assures us that He guides and encourages us, but we must act as a result of our own self-will. God does not force us to make decisions.

The more we understand the love, the wisdom, the sovereignty, the grace and power of God, the more we will want to trust Him with every detail of our lives. The secret of the supernatural life is to keep Christ on the throne of our lives and delight ourselves in Him as Lord.

We fail in the Christian life when we, as a deliberate act of our will, choose to disobey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

It is a tragedy of the human will that we often think we have a better way than God has for living the Christian life. But do not deceive yourself or allow Satan to mislead you: God’s way is best!

Bible Reading: Galatians 6:6-10

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will seek to sow seeds of love and kindness and faith knowing that as a result I will reap God’s best for my life.

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Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – Bountiful Harvest

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In 2012, the United States experienced its worst drought in 25 years. The lack of snowfall did more than disappoint schoolchildren; it discouraged farmers as well. The shortage of melted water into the soil had a catastrophic effect on crops. Without life-giving water, many crops failed to produce, therefore driving up the cost of food for consumers.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season. Psalm 1:3

Water is essential for producing a harvest. The Bible tells you, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord…he is like a tree planted by water…and is not anxious in the year of drought.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) The author of today’s verse understood this concept. Those who drink the “living water” offered from the Lord never fail to bear fruit in season.

While America may be experiencing a spiritual drought, there is water to be found. When you trust in God, you plant yourself by a stream of vibrant water and will produce wonderful things in your life. Through prayer, ask God to help you stay rooted in Him. Then pray for the president and vice president to be grounded in Christ, and intercede for America to have a bountiful harvest as they and other leaders trust in God.

Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10

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Greg Laurie – Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

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If I decided how my day were to go, I would never write in “crisis.” I would never write, “Get sick” here or “Have my tire go flat” there, or “Have this unexpected disaster take place.” I would just write in all the good stuff. I would plan for everything to go my way. There would be no traffic on the freeways. It would always be green lights and blue skies.

But guess what? We’re not in charge of our lives. God is.

I love what the prophet once admitted to the Lord: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23, NKJV).

The fact is, God will allow so-called “bad things” to happen to us in the course of our days. But as time goes by, you will find that the significant things you learn in life didn’t really come from the good times and the mountaintop experiences. They came from those times of crisis in which you were more dependent on God. Many of the most difficult days will, in retrospect, turn out to be unbelievably valuable, because it is through those so-called “bad times” that you will learn some of life’s most important lessons.

The things we experience are not random events that float in and out of our lives. Rather, they are specific events that have been chosen by God and are timely and purposeful. This means the good things as well as the bad things. It means the wonderful, happy times of life as well as the dark, difficult days.

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you come under His protective care. God is fully aware of everything that happens to you, and thankfully He is never asleep on the job. He pays careful attention to the smallest details of your life and is in complete in control of all circumstances that surround you. He knows what’s happening in your life right now—knows it better than you do. And His presence and provision will be all you need to make it through.