Daily Archives: June 8, 2013

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Charles Stanley – Seeking God’s Presence

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Psalm 121:1-2

Picture a three-year-old who suddenly realizes she’s lost sight of her parent. Imagine her sense of fear—a feeling of danger, vulnerability, and an overwhelming need to get out of that situation. Now glance with me into the next room, where her father still has the child in his line of vision. Though the little girl is unable to locate him, he can see her perfectly.

Like that child, we can find ourselves beset by sudden difficulty and overcome with fear. At times like that, we might wonder, Where is our heavenly Father? When we are able to turn our minds away from the hardship and look up with spiritual eyes, we will see that He is and always has been near to us (Deut. 31:6).

Unfortunately, trouble operates like a magnet on our attention; it takes effort to detach our gaze from the adversity and affix it on God. But by developing a consistent habit of seeking the Lord’s presence throughout each and every day, we will find it easier to do so in a crisis.

The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us sharpen our spiritual eyesight. The best time to practice is when the issues in our lives are “normal” and the stress level is tolerable. However, these are the very times when we are most tempted to focus on our routine and seek our heavenly Father only occasionally.

We must become people who habitually look for evidence of God’s nearness. We can look for it in creation, in the Christians with whom we worship and serve, and in our own lives. With spiritual eyes trained to seek the Lord, we will be able to look up and find Him, even in the dark nights of our lives (Acts 7:55).

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Our Daily Bread — Where Did I Come From?

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Acts 17:22-31

[God] has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. —Acts 17:26

My 7-year-old African-American friend Tobias asked me a thought-provoking question the other day: “Since Adam and Eve were white, where did black people come from?” When I told him we don’t know what “color” they were and asked him why he thought they were white, he said that’s what he always saw in Bible-story books at church and in the library. My heart sank. I wondered if that might make him think he was inferior or possibly not even created by the Lord.

All people have their roots in the Creator God, and therefore all are equal. That’s what the apostle Paul told the Athenians: “[God] has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). We are all “from one blood.” Darrell Bock, in his commentary on the book of Acts, says, “This affirmation would be hard for the Athenians, who prided themselves in being a superior people, calling others barbarians.” However, because we all descended from our first parents, Adam and Eve, no race nor ethnicity is superior or inferior to another.

We stand in awe of our Creator, who made us and gives to all “life, breath, and all things” (v.25). Equal in God’s sight, we together praise and honor Him. —Anne Cetas

Every life has been created—

God’s handiwork displayed;

When we cherish His creation,

We value what He’s made. —Sper

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

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Alistair Begg – Stand Up!

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O you who love the Lord, hate evil!  1 Chronicles 5:22

Warrior, as you fight under the banner of the Lord Jesus, observe this verse with holy joy, for as it was in the days of old, so is it now: If the war is of God, the victory is sure. The armies of God could barely muster forty-five thousand fighting men, and yet in their war with the enemy, they captured “a hundred thousand men,” “for they cried to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him.”

The Lord saves not by many, nor by few; it is ours to go in Jehovah’s name even if we are only a handful of men, for the Lord of Hosts is with us as our Captain. They did not neglect their weapons, but neither did they place their trust in them; we must use all fitting means, but our confidence must rest in the Lord alone, for He is the sword and the shield of His people. The great reason for their extraordinary success lay in the fact that “the war was of God.”

Beloved, in fighting with sin in us and around us, with error doctrinal or practical, with spiritual wickedness in high places or low places, with devils and the devil’s allies, you are waging Jehovah’s war, and unless He himself can be defeated, you do not need to fear defeat. Do not tremble before superior numbers; do not shrink from difficulties or impossibilities; do not flinch at wounds or death; strike with the two-edged sword of the Spirit, and the dead shall lie in heaps.

The battle is the Lord’s, and He will deliver His enemies into our hands. With steadfast foot, strong hand, dauntless heart, and flaming zeal, rush to the conflict, and the hosts of evil will fly like chaff before the gale.

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle,

The next the victor’s song:

To him that overcometh,

A crown of life shall be;

He with the King of glory

Shall reign eternally.

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Charles Spurgeon – Salvation to the uttermost

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“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25

Suggested Further Reading: Romans 8:31-34

It is pleasant to look back to Calvary’s hill, and to behold that bleeding form expiring on the tree; it is sweet, amazingly sweet, to pry with eyes of love between those thick olives, and hear the groanings of the Man who sweat great drops of blood. Sinner, if you ask me how Christ can save you, I tell you this—he can save you, because he did not save himself; he can save you, because he took your guilt and endured your punishment. There is no way of salvation apart from the satisfaction of divine justice. Either the sinner must die, or else someone must die for him. Sinner, Christ can save you, because, if you come to God by him, then he died for you. God has a debt against us, and he never remits that debt; he will have it paid. Christ pays it, and then the poor sinner goes free. And we are told another reason why he is able to save: not only because he died, but because he lives to make intercession for us. That Man who once died on the cross is alive; that Jesus who was buried in the tomb is alive. If you ask me what he is doing, I bid you listen. Listen, if you have ears! Did you not hear him, poor penitent sinner? Did you not hear his voice, sweeter than harpers playing on their harps? Did you not hear a charming voice? Listen! What did it say? “O my Father! Forgive…….!” Why, he mentioned your own name! “O my Father, forgive him; he knew not what he did. It is true he sinned against light, and knowledge, and warnings; sinned willfully and woefully; but, Father, forgive him!” Penitent, if you can listen, you will hear him praying for you. And that is why he is able to save.

For meditation: How often do you stop and think what Christ is doing for you right now, if you are a Christian (1 John 2:1)?

Sermon no. 84

8 June (1856)

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John MacArthur – Being a Doer of the Word

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“Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22).

Effective Bible study is built on three key questions: What does the Bible say? What does it mean? How does it apply to my life? Each of those questions is important, but applying the Word must always be the highest goal. Knowledge without application is useless.

Both the Old and New Testaments emphasize the importance of applying Scripture. For example, just prior to leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, Joshua received this message from God: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Josh. 1:8). That’s a command to be a doer of the Word–one who receives, studies, and understands Scripture, then applies it to every aspect of his or her life. That was the key to Joshua’s amazing success.

James 1:22 is a New Testament counterpart to Joshua 1:8 and is directed to every believer: “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” It’s not enough to hear the Word; you must also do what it says.

The phrase “doer of the word” doesn’t refer to the person who obeys periodically, but the one who habitually and characteristically obeys. It’s one thing to run in a race; it’s something else to be a runner. It’s one thing to teach a class; it’s something else to be a teacher. Runners are known for running; teachers are known for teaching–it’s characteristic of their lives. Similarly, doers of the Word are known for their obedience to biblical truth.

Never be content to be a hearer of the Word only, but prove yourself a doer in the Christian life. Your claim to love Christ will mean something only if you obey what He says.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Memorize Joshua 1:8 and pray regularly that God will make you a faithful doer of the Word.

For Further Study:

Read Psalm 1.

What are the benefits of delighting in God’s law?

How does the psalmist characterize those who reject righteousness?

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Joyce Meyer – Balanced Independence

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And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power]. —Colossians 2:10

I believe that women have a need to feel safe and cared for, and I don’t believe that is wrong. My husband takes very good care of me and I like it. He is protective and always wants to make sure that I am safe. The difference in me and perhaps someone who has an out-of-balance attitude in this area is that, even though I thoroughly enjoy Dave taking care of me, I also know that I could take care of myself if I needed to. Even though I am dependent upon him and rightfully so, I am not so dependent that I am handicapped by it.

A balanced independence is what we should seek, and to me that is being able to trust and depend on God and other people and yet establish my individual identity. The Bible teaches that we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2). Everyone has his or her own idea of what we should be. To establish a balanced independence in our lives must become our high priority.

Lord, I cannot change myself, but I can be transformed by the renewing of my mind according to Your Word. Bring balance to my relationships that leads to inner harmony. Amen.

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Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – In the World to Come

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“And Jesus replied, ‘Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything – home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or property – for love of Me and to tell others the Good News, who won’t be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – with persecutions! All these will be his here on earth, and in the world to come he shall have eternal life'” (Mark 10:29,30).

What a wonderful promise. God will return to you and me a hundred times over what we invest for Him and His kingdom.

I believe that millions of Christians like ourselves are awakening to the fact that we must be about our Father’s business. As I observe God’s working in the lives of people around the world through many movements, I am persuaded that the greatest spiritual awakening since Pentecost has already begun.

Jesus said, “Go…and make disciples in all nations.” In order to make disciples, we must be disciples ourselves. Like begets like. We produce after our own kind.

The man who is committed to Christ, who understands how to walk in the fullness of the Spirit, is going to influence others and help to produce the same kind of Christians. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

For some, such a call to discipleship may sound too hard. However, in these verses Jesus tells us that we must be willing to give up everything. That this promise has been fulfilled in the lives of all who seek first Christ and His kingdom has been attested to times without number – not always in material things, of course, but in rewards far more meaningful and enriching.

Bible Reading: Luke 9:23-26

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Realizing that God has promised manifold gifts, persecutions, eternal life in exchange for faithfulness and commitment to Him, I vow to make that surrender real and meaningful in my life every day.

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Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Fortress Mentality

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Julius Caesar is purported to have said, “There is no fate worse than being continually under guard, for it means you are always afraid.” Today, many corporations are concerned about cyber security, seeking passcodes and specialized programs to build strong walls of protection. Even the U.S. Department of Defense has implicated the Chinese military for hacking into top-security sites. Some Americans, certain of a coming calamity, store up food, water and weapons.

The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. Proverbs 10:29

Don’t let fear force you into a fortress mentality. Instead focus on the attributes and promises of God: shelter, shield, safeguard, protector, sanctuary, and a bulwark never failing. Then find freedom in going about your day. Today’s verse reminds you that walking in the Lord’s way assures you will have the defenses you need.

When you pray today, thank Him for the provisions He has made for you to live and walk in His ways, and ask that He would continue to guide and direct you on His path. Then pray for America’s leadership – President Obama, Congress and the courts – to find the Lord and know His ways, then to walk and govern in alignment with Him and His ways.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 18:30-36

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Greg Laurie – When Temptation Comes

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No temptation has come your way that is too hard for flesh and blood to bear. But God can be trusted not to allow you to suffer any temptation beyond your powers of endurance. He will see to it that every temptation has a way out, so that it will never be impossible for you to bear it. —1 Corinthians 10:13

In the New Testament, we have the account of Jesus saying to Peter, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31–32).

Put yourself in Peter’s sandals. You’re sitting near the Lord when He turns to you, looks you in the eyes, calls you by name, and says, “Satan has been asking excessively that you be taken out of the care and protection of God. The devil has been asking for you by name.” I don’t know about you, but if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said that to me, it would be cause for great concern.

Peter was such a big fish that Satan himself went after him. I wonder if the Lord paused for effect: “Satan has been asking for you. . .by name. . ..But I have good news, Peter. I have prayed for you.”

It’s a good reminder to us that when the devil comes knocking at our door, we should say, “Lord, would You mind getting that?” We are no match for the devil. But even though he is a powerful foe, he is still a created being, and certainly not as powerful as God. Even so, we don’t want to tangle with him—or any of his servants. We want to stand behind God’s protection.

In spite of the devil’s power and wicked agenda, he must first ask permission when it comes to attacking the children of God, because of the hedge of protection that God has placed around us.

God knows what you are ready for. And He won’t give you more than you can handle. We have His word on that!