Daily Archives: June 9, 2013

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Charles Stanley – Following God’s Will

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Abraham knew how to listen to God and follow Him—even when His commands were difficult or painful to obey. Although the patriarch made some mistakes, his life demonstrated remarkable faith and obedience.

The Lord revealed His plans for Abraham. He will be faithful to show us what He wants us to do as well. Listening to God is essential to walking with God (Life Principle #13).

Abraham’s Example

1. The Lord revealed Abraham’s future and guided his steps.

Note: Abraham (“father of a multitude”) and Sarah (“princess”) were originally named Abram and Sarai. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll use the names God gave them, which indicate their destiny as patriarch and matriarch of the Jewish people.

•What did the Lord reveal to Abraham about his future (Gen. 12:1-3)?

•How did he respond to the command to “go forth from your country” (Gen. 12:4)?

What fact makes this particularly impressive (v. 4)?

•What details does Genesis 13:14-18 add to the original promise?

Why do you think God reiterated His pledge at this particular time?

•God promised Abraham—a man with a barren wife—that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. How did He view Abraham’s belief (Gen. 15:1-6)?

•In Genesis 17:8, what new dimension does God add to His promise?

2. The Lord redirected Abraham when he made mistakes.

 

•Why does Abraham father a child through Hagar, Sarah’s servant (Gen. 16:1-3)?

•Name some consequences of Abraham’s attempt to fulfill God’s promise on his own (Gen. 16:4-6, 11-12).

The passage doesn’t record whether or not God directly rebuked Abraham for his disobedience with Hagar. Perhaps the natural consequences of his sin were enough to cause the patriarch to repent.

•Between Ishmael’s birth and the next time the Scripture records the Lord speaking to Abraham, how many years pass (Gen. 16:16; 17:1)?

•What new detail does the promise include this time (Gen. 17:16)?

•What was Abraham’s reaction to the news that Sarah would bear a son at age 90 (Gen. 17:17)?

•Why do you think Isaac needed to be the son of promise, rather than Ishmael (Gen. 18-21)?

•When the time came, Sarah bore Abraham a son, just as the Lord had promised. Why did they name the baby “Isaac” (Gen. 21:6-7)?

3. God tested Abraham’s devotion.

In Abraham’s day, the Lord had yet to specifically forbid child sacrifice. (See Leviticus 20:1-5.) However, the godly did not practice it.

•How quickly does Abraham respond when God asks him to kill Isaac (Gen. 22:3)?

•Abraham was confident that both he and the child would return from the sacrifice (v. 5). Why (Heb. 11:17-19)?

•Given that “fear” can mean “to reverence,” what was the Lord’s intention in asking him to give up Isaac (Gen. 22:12)?

•Once again, God repeats His promise (vv. 15-18). Explain verse 18: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (See Matthew 1:1 and Galatians 3:8 if necessary).

Application: God gave Abraham an amazing promise that became more specific over time. We should expect the Father’s guidance to come in stages, rather than all at once (Isa. 30:21).

•Has God ever given you a promise that was hard to believe? Or has He asked you to take a step of obedience that required a lot of faith? Explain what happened.

•What is your next step of obedience?

Although the Father promises to provide for us, we can get impatient. Then, like Abraham, we manipulate circumstances and experience the painful consequences of disobedience.

 

•Think about the last time you took action instead of waiting on God’s provision. What were the results?

Abraham’s disobedience affected not just him and his family, but also generations to follow. Our rebellion might not have the same far-reaching consequences, yet other people sometimes pay a high price for our wrongdoing. Even so-called “private” sins cause us to be less attentive to the needs of others.

 

•Think about a way you commonly disobey God. How does that sin affect those around you?

•The Lord dealt with Abraham’s faulty thinking by redirecting the patriarch’s attention to the divine promise and its fulfillment. When we wander from Him, He will remind us of Scripture verses, spiritual principles, or the peace and joy we once knew as faithful followers. What generally motivates you to repent?

Once the Lord fulfills a promise, He may test us—as He did Abraham—to see if we love Him more than we love His gifts.

•Has the Lord ever given you something and then asked you to surrender it to Him? Explain.

•Read Revelation 2:1-5. What is the solution for regaining your “first love” for God (v. 5)?

Closing: Although disagreements are a part of life, believers can learn how to rely on God in the midst of conflict. By depending on His guidance and strength, we can respond to conflict with integrity and avoid the poison of unforgiveness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I don’t want anything to hurt my relationship with You. Help me to address disagreements directly—making peace with others so I will have peace with You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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Our Daily Bread — Obedience Is Worship

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1 Samuel 15:13-23

To obey is better than sacrifice. —1 Samuel 15:22

While I was traveling with a chorale from a Christian high school, it was great to see the students praise God as they led in worship in the churches we visited. What happened away from church was even better to see. One day the group discovered that a woman had no money for gas—and they spontaneously felt led by God to take up a collection. They were able to give her enough money for several tankfuls of gas.

It’s one thing to worship and praise God at church; it’s quite another to move out into the real world and worship Him through daily obedience.

The students’ example causes us to think about our own lives. Do we confine our worship to church? Or do we continue to worship Him by obeying Him in our daily life, looking for opportunities to serve?

In 1 Samuel 15 we see that Saul was asked by the Lord to do a task; but when we review what he did (vv.20-21), we discover that he used worship (sacrifice) as an excuse for his failure to obey God. God’s response was, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (v.22).

It’s good to be involved in worship at church. But let’s also ask God to show us ways to continue to give Him the praise He deserves through our obedience. —Dave Branon

Lord, I want my worship of You to extend beyond

the walls of my church. Help me to listen to

Your prompting and to serve others wherever

I can—no matter what day it is.

Our worship should not be confined to times and places; it should be the spirit of our lives.

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Charles Spurgeon – A free salvation

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“Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah 55:1

Suggested Further Reading: Romans 15:13-16

He who is a happy Creator will be a happy Redeemer; and those who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, can bear witness that the ways of religion “are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.” And if this life were all, if death were the burial of all our life, and if the shroud were the winding-sheet of eternity, still to be a Christian would be a bright and happy thing, for it lights up this valley of tears, and fills the wells in the valley of Baca to the brim with streams of love and joy. The gospel, then, is like wine. It is like milk, too, for there is everything in the gospel that you want. Do you want something to bear you up in trouble? It is in the gospel—“a very present help in time of trouble.” Do you need something to nerve you for duty? There is grace all-sufficient for everything that God calls you to undergo or to accomplish. Do you need something to light up the eye of your hope? Oh! There are joy-flashes in the gospel that may make your eye flash back again the immortal fires of bliss. Do you want something to make you stand steadfast in the midst of temptation? In the gospel there is that that can make you immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. There is no passion, no affection, no thought, no wish, no power which the gospel has not filled to the very brim. The gospel was obviously meant for manhood; it is adapted to it in its every part. There is knowledge for the head; there is love for the heart; there is guidance for the foot. There is milk and wine, in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For meditation: Do you limit the Gospel to being something only for the need of the unconverted? It also strengthens the believer (Romans 16:25).

Sermon no. 199

9 June (Preached 11 June 1858)

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John MacArthur – Avoiding Spiritual Delusion

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

Matthew 7:21-23 records the tragic results of spiritual delusion. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'”

Jesus made a clear distinction between those who merely claim to be Christians and those who truly are. The difference is, true believers do the will of the Father. In the words of James, they are doers of the Word, not merely hearers who delude themselves.

“Hearers” in James 1:22 translates a Greek word that speaks of auditing a class. Auditing students attend class and listen to the instructor but don’t do any work. Consequently, they don’t receive credit for the course. The phrase “delude themselves” speaks of being victimized by one’s own faulty reasoning.

People who listen to God’s Word but never obey it are spiritual auditors who delude themselves by thinking that hearing the Word is all God requires of them. Unfortunately, many churches are full of such people. They attend services and hear the sermons but their lives never seem to change. They’re content to hear the Word but never apply it. Like those whom Jesus condemned in Matthew 7, they’ve chosen religious activities over true faith in Christ.

How tragic to think you’re saved, only to hear, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). That will never happen if you’re a doer of the Word.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Take advantage of every opportunity to respond to the Word in specific ways. Ask God for His grace to keep you faithful to that goal.

For Further Study:

Read Matthew 7:13-29.

How did Jesus describe false prophets?

How can you discern a false from a true prophet?

To what did Jesus liken those who hear His words and act on them? Why?

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Joyce Meyer – Make Mercy a Way of Life

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It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. —Lamentations 3:22-23

Aren’t you thankful for God’s abundant mercy? It is new every morning. Surely we would all live miserable, defeated lives if it were not for His compassion and willingness to forgive us.

When we meditate on God’s mercy and truly realize how much He willingly forgives us, we can much more easily show mercy to others. Good relationships are impossible unless we are generous with mercy and forgiveness. Being merciful simply means forgiving others even though their actions would warrant our anger.

Jesus said that we are to forgive our enemies and be kind. In this way we show ourselves to be like our Father in heaven, for He is merciful and kind.

God’s mercy is new every morning, and I am glad—because I am sure I use my allotted portion every day. I am grateful for a new, fresh start each day. When we make mistakes, He does not want us to try to sacrifice to make up for them. When others hurt or offend us, He wants us to extend mercy to them.

Learn to give and receive mercy regularly; and let mercy become a way of life for you.

Love Others Today: God’s mercies are new for you right now! Receive the mercy He has for you and extend mercy to everyone around you.

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Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Cannot Outgive God

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“For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give – large or small – will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38).

R.G. Le Tourneau was one of God’s great businessmen. He wrote a book, entitled God Runs My Business. Though he had little formal training, he became one of America’s leading industrialists, developing and securing patents for many major improvements in earth-moving equipment. He gave away millions of dollars, and he founded a wonderful Christian college which bears his name. I had known and admired him for many years, but one of my most memorable experiences with him was at his plant in Longview, Texas. As we chatted, I was captivated by this exuberant, joyful layman who was overflowing with the love of God, still creative in his later years, and always proclaiming the truth that you cannot outgive God – the more you give away the more you receive. He had discovered a law of the universe.

The giving of the tithe (ten percent of our increase) is an Old Testament principle. The New Testament principle of giving is expressed in this passage: “The more you give, the more you will receive.” I personally do not believe that that involves indiscriminate giving, but rather that we should prayerfully evaluate all the various opportunities that are available to further the cause of Christ and His kingdom.

New Testament concept makes clear that everything belongs to God. We are custodians, stewards, of that which is entrusted to us for only a brief moment of time. Three-score and ten years (or possibly a little more), and then all that we possess will pass on to another. We are not to hoard, nor are we to pass on large estates to our heirs. That which is entrusted to God’s children is given to them to be used while they are still alive. We are to care for our own, and make provision for their needs, but all that is entrusted to us beyond that amount should be spent while we are still alive, while we can guarantee proper stewardship.

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 8:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Mindful of this spiritual principle, that everything belongs to God and He has entrusted me with the privilege and responsibility of being a good steward, I will seek every opportunity to invest all the time, talent and treasure available to me while I am still alive, for the enhancement of the kingdom of God.

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Presidential Prayer Team; J.K. – No Playground

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A godless dictator will subdue people under his rule and stifle resistance with death or imprisonment. A beneficent ruler, as David was, will confess that his source of strength and his desire for a happy, contented people is dependent only upon the overpowering mercy and goodness of God.

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord! Psalm 144:15

Ruler and citizen alike can gain from a proper perspective for the Bible says, “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” (Psalm 144:4) The personal message is that you are unworthy to stand before the Almighty God. Plead for His divine guidance in all things, for life is not a playground – it is a battlefield. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities…against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV) But Creator God upholds all things by the word of His power and, if you notice, He is so mindful of man that He answers your prayer to the minutest detail.

The evil dictators of the world will stand in judgment one day and so will you. Be guided by the caring, loving God in your life and you will be blessed, as will the nation “whose God is the Lord!”

Recommended Reading: Psalm 8