Daily Archives: June 15, 2013

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Charles Stanley – Knowing God as Our Father

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Matthew 6: 8-14

Of God’s many names in the Bible, one is especially comforting to me in difficult times. What an awesome privilege that we—sinful, created beings—can call Him our heavenly Father.

Now, I realize that in today’s culture, family relationships too often fail to reflect God’s heart. Many parents are absent, distant, or harsh with their children. If you had such an experience in your growing-up years, it might be difficult to grasp the heavenly Father’s unconditional love. So let’s explore what it means to be adopted as His children and given the right to call Him “Father.”

First, we are His. We find great confidence and worth in this truth, as the sense of belonging fulfills a very deep need.

Second, our God wants an intimate relationship with us. We should be genuine when we pray, because the Lord accepts us just as we are. He longs for us to be transparent, sharing honestly with Him. In love, He responds by revealing Himself to us in many ways and speaking life, peace, and joy to our hearts.

Third, Christ has promised us His eternal presence. Once we are saved, nothing can separate us from Him—no sin is too big and no evil too strong. We are secure in His love forever.

Because of sin, we deserved separation from our Creator. But in His great love, God redeemed us and adopted us into His family. Now we are His children, who can bask in His unconditional acceptance and eternal presence as we get to know Him more deeply. No matter what our earthly dad was like, we can thrive in our heavenly Father’s care.

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Our Daily Bread — To God Be The Glory

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1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful. —1 Chronicles 15:22

When Jason was asked to sing at a church he was visiting, he was delighted to participate even though he wasn’t asked until a few minutes before the service started. He chose a familiar hymn, “To God Be the Glory,” because it was a song that was especially meaningful to him. He practiced it a few times in the church basement and sang it without accompaniment in the church service.

Several weeks later, Jason learned that some people in the church didn’t appreciate his ministry. They thought he was showing off. Because they did not know him, they wrongly assumed that he was singing to impress them, not to honor the Lord.

From the Old Testament we learn that God appointed people with skill to be involved in temple worship. From construction workers to worship leaders—people were chosen based on their skill (1 Chron. 15:22; 25:1,7).

The Lord gave each of us different talents and spiritual gifts to be used for His glory (Col. 3:23-24). When we serve with that purpose, not to lift up ourselves, we don’t need to be concerned with what others think. God gave His very best to us—His Son Jesus—and we honor Him by giving our best to Him. —Julie Ackerman Link

The Master needs what you have to offer,

No matter if you think it’s small;

His work on earth is done through His children,

So give Him your best, give your all. —Hess

We are at our best when we serve God from our hearts.

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Alistair Begg – Are You Laughing?

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And Sarah said, God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me. Genesis 21:6

It was far above the power of nature, and even contrary to its laws, that the aged Sarah should be honored with a son; and even so it is beyond all ordinary rules that I, a poor, helpless, undone sinner, should find grace to carry in my soul the indwelling Spirit of the Lord Jesus. I, who once despaired, as well I might, for my nature was as dry and withered and barren and accursed as a howling wilderness, even I have been made to bring forth fruit unto holiness. Well may my mouth be filled with joyous laughter, because of the singular, surprising grace that I have received from the Lord, for I have found Jesus, the promised seed, and He is mine forever. Today I will sing psalms of triumph to the Lord who has remembered my low estate, for “my heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.”1

My desire is that all those who hear of my great deliverance from hell and my most blessed visitation from heaven will laugh for joy with me. I want to surprise my family with my abundant peace; I want to delight my friends with my ever-increasing happiness; I want to edify the church with my grateful confessions, and even impress the world with the cheerfulness of my daily conversation.

Bunyan tells us that Mercy laughed in her sleep, and no wonder when she dreamed of Jesus; my joy should not be less than hers while Christ is the theme of my daily thoughts. The Lord Jesus is a deep sea of joy: My soul shall dive in and shall be swallowed up in the delights of His company. Sarah looked on Isaac and laughed without restraint, and all her friends laughed with her. And you, my soul, look on Jesus, and invite heaven and earth to unite in your unspeakable joy.

1 – 1 Samuel 2:1

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Charles Spurgeon – Omniscience

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“Thou God seest me.” Genesis 16:13

Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 94:4-11

It were hard to suppose a God who could not see his own creatures; it were difficult in the extreme to imagine a divinity who could not behold the actions of the works of his hands. The word which the Greeks applied to God implied that he was a God who could see. They called him Theos; and they derived that word, if I read rightly, from the root theisthai, to see, because they regarded God as being the all-seeing one, whose eye took in the whole universe at a glance, and whose knowledge extended far beyond that of mortals. God Almighty, from his very essence and nature, must be an Omniscient God. Strike out the thought that he sees me, and you extinguish Deity by a single stroke. There would be no God if that God had no eyes, for a blind God is not God at all. We could not conceive such a one. Stupid as idolaters may be, it is very hard to think that even they had fashioned a blind god: even they have given eyes to their gods, though they see not. Juggernaut, or Jagannatha (a god worshipped in some areas of Hinduism), has eyes stained with blood; and the gods of the ancient Romans had eyes, and some of them were called far-seeing gods. Even the heathen can scarce conceive of a god that has no eyes to see, and certainly we are not so mad as to imagine for a single second that there can be a Deity without the knowledge of everything that is done by man beneath the sun. I say it is as impossible to conceive of a God who did not observe everything, as to conceive of a round square. When we say, “Thou God,” we do, in fact, comprise in the word “God” the idea of a God who sees everything, “Thou God seest me.”

For meditation: The proofs of Jesus’ deity in Mark 2:5-8: He could see faith, forgive sins and perceive the thoughts of the heart. He still can!

Sermon no. 85

15 June (1856)

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John MacArthur – Demonstrating Sacrificial Love

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“This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27).

Recently a local newspaper reported the story of a young woman who had been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted, repeatedly stabbed, then dumped down a hillside and left for dead. Miraculously she survived the attack and crawled up the hill to a spot along the road where several people were parked enjoying the panoramic view of the city.

Covered with blood from head to foot, she went from car to car pleading for help, only to have one person after another roll up their windows and drive away. No one wanted to get involved. Finally someone came to her rescue and took her to a hospital where she was treated for her wounds. The article went on to describe the anger of her rescuer toward those who turned their backs on the woman’s cries for help.

That tragic story illustrates the lack of compassion that is so prevalent in our society. Many people won’t become involved–even when the lives of others are at stake. They’re unwilling to risk personal injury or inconvenience, or perhaps they’re just complacent and insensitive.

That should never be true of Christians! Jesus showed great compassion to those with special needs, and He expects us to do the same.

Just as James used the tongue to represent a pure heart (v. 26), so he uses widows and orphans to represent pure love. “To visit” means to bring love, pity, and care to them. Widows and orphans are an especially needy segment within the church. As such, they represent all who are destitute and unable to repay your kindness.

Let your love be sacrificial. Give with no intention of receiving anything in return. Generously invest your time and resources in ministering to those who have no resources of their own. That’s the essence of true religion!

Suggestions for Prayer:

Is there someone in your neighborhood or church whom you can help today? Ask God for wisdom and discernment on how you might best demonstrate His love to that person.

For Further Study:

Read Exodus 22:22-24, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Psalm 68:5, Acts 6:1-6, and 1 Timothy 5:3-16, noting God’s provisions for widows and orphans.

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Joyce Meyer – Taking Responsibility for Yourself

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But they will have to give an account to Him Who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead. —1 Peter 4:5

I once had an employer who took advantage of me. He required me to work so many hours that it kept me from spending proper time with my family. I was worn out and never had time for myself. He never showed appreciation and no matter what I did he always expected something more. If I even mildly indicated that I might not be able to comply with one of his requests, his anger would start to surface, and I would cave in and agree to do what he had asked of me.

As I was praying about the situation one day and moaning to God about how unfair it was, He said, “What your boss is doing is wrong, but you not confronting him is just as wrong.” This was hard for me to hear. Like most people I wanted to blame someone else for my lack of courage. Had I not been a people-pleaser and had I not been afraid, I would have saved myself about five years of being so stressed that it eventually made me very sick. My boss wasn’t my problem; I was my problem.

It is important to realize that God has given you authority first and foremost over your own life. If you don’t accept and exercise that authority, you may spend your life blaming others for things you should be doing something about. You should make your own decisions according to what you believe God’s will is for you.

On Judgment Day God will not ask anyone else to give an account of your life; He will ask only you (See Matthew 12:36 and 1 Peter 4:5)! What if Jesus asks you on Judgment Day why you never got around to fulfilling His call on your life? Are you going to tell Him people took advantage of you and you just couldn’t do anything about it? Are you going to tell Him you were so busy pleasing people you just never got around to pleasing Him? If you do offer those types of excuses, do you really believe they will be acceptable?

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Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – We Are Kings

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“The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king over all, but all who will take God’s gift of forgiveness and acquittal are kings of life because of this one man, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

Jack protested angrily, “Why should I be held accountable for the sin of Adam? Why should I be judged and condemned to eternal punishment because of the disobedience of someone who lived centuries ago? I resent that his action should involve me.” I asked my young student friend if he remembered the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor followed by the declaration of war by then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “Yes,” he said, “I’m a student of history and I remember that event very well.” I reminded Jack that every able-bodied man who was of age was automatically conscripted to join the United States Army to do battle against Japan. “Yes,” he said, “I know.”

“Don’t you think it unfair, following your logic, that the President of the United States should make a decision that would affect young men like yourself? Remember that tens of thousands of them died on the field of battle. Was that fair?”

“Well,” he replied, “that was the only decision that could be made. We had to protect our homeland. We had been attacked and had to defend ourselves.”

“So it was with Adam,” I explained. “The wisdom of the Almighty Creator was attacked by Satan in the Garden of Eden and the battle was lost when Adam and Eve, the epitome of God’s creation, surrendered to Satan’s tempting lies. God, in His sovereignty, wisdom and grace caused the results of the disobedience of Adam to be borne by the rest of us in the human race. But the judgement of God which demands penalty for sin was intercepted by God’s love. while we were yet in our sins God proved His love for us by sending the Lord Jesus Christ to die for us. Now, through accepting God’s free gift by faith, we can become kings of life because of this one man, Jesus Christ.”

Simply stated, one man, Adam, through his disobedience to God, introduced sin into the world, and one man, Jesus Christ, through his obedience to God, paid the penalty for that sin for all who would believe and trust in Him.

Bible Reading: Romans 5:14-21

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Christ has overcome the sin I inherited from Adam by liberating me from the king of death, and making me a king of light. As an expression of my deep gratitude for His love and grace, I will seek every opportunity to communicate this good news to others who still live in darkness that they, too, may enjoy the abundant supernatural life which I now enjoy.

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Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Life Maps

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Counselors, psychologists and leadership coaches often ask people to construct a life map. Made as plain or elaborate as time allows, the life map is a visual representation of one’s experiences from birth to the present. It can often reveal how character has been shaped and molded. With high points and hard times, the maps never follow a straight line.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11

Consider the life of Abraham and the peaks and valleys of his life. God used all of Abraham’s experiences – decisions he made, people, places, events – to develop him into His friend. God was always at work.

How might the chart of your life take shape? Were you at a high or low point when you encountered Jesus and acknowledged Him as Savior? Where would you place births, deaths, relocations, schools, careers, and specific relationships within the cycles of your life? Whether you meet God on the mountaintops or the deserts of our life, today’s verse assures that when He is there, you have joy.

Acknowledge His presence in the shaping of your life. Pray that each person in America’s government might have that place where the Cross of Jesus intersects with their life map.

Recommended Reading: Romans 8:27-39

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Greg Laurie – “I See Dead People!”

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Have you heard the story of the time when all the people came out of their graves and walked around town? People dressing up for Halloween? A Zombie film? No, not exactly. I am talking about a story right from the pages of Scripture.

As Jesus hung on the cross, a lot of supernatural phenomena took place, including a mighty earthquake, the sun going dark at 12:00 noon, and the curtain in the temple being ripped from top to bottom. But one of the most amazing things of all is when people came out of their graves!

It’s only mentioned in one Gospel. Mathew 27:51–53 (NLT) “At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus’ resurrection. They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.”

“They left the cemetery and appeared to many people”! Is this not an amazing passage? What is this all about? It is a preview of things to come. Sort of like when you are in the movies and you see the trailer for the newest films coming out. Fact is, most of the time, the trailers are better than the films themselves! But as amazing as this event was, the one it is pointing to will be even greater.

The Bible, speaking of this future day, says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 NLT).

One day, we will be reunited with loved ones who have gone before us to heaven. What a glorious day that will be! In that day, dead people will come alive!

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Max Lucado – Dad, Your Child is You-nique!

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Every child is born with a unique blend of strengths and characteristics. Don’t see your child as a blank slate awaiting your pen, but as a written book awaiting your study.

What is the S-T-O-R-Y of your child?

1.  What is their Strength? Master pianist Van Cliburn, at the age of two, could pick out a song on the piano simply as a result of listening to lessons going on in the adjacent room. His mother spotted this and, as a result, gave him daily lessons. The little kid from Kilgore, Texas won the International Tchaikovsky Piano competition in Moscow. Why? Because a parent spotted a skill and strengthened it.[1]

2. What Topics turn their heads? Numbers? When are they delightfully lost in a project? John Ruskin said, “Tell me what you like and I’ll tell you who you are.” [2]

3. What is their Optimal setting?  Pine trees need a different soil than oak trees. A cactus thrives in a different environment than a rosebush does. What about the soil and the environment of your child? Some kids love to be noticed. Others prefer to be hidden in the crowd. Some relish deadlines and challenges. Others need ample preparation time and help. We each have a different optimal setting.

4. How about Relationships? When it comes to people, what phrase best describes your child?

•             “Follow me, everyone.”

•             “I’ll let you know if I need some help.”

•             “Can we do this together?”

The loner is not necessarily aloof; the crowd-seeker is not always lacking focus. They may be living out their story. In which environment does your child flourish? And, when do they say:

5. “Yes!”  What gives them satisfaction and pleasure? Do they love the journey or the goal? Do they like to keep things straight or straighten things out? What thrills one person bothers another. The Apostle Peter liked to keep the boat steady while Paul was prone to rock it.

Strength. Topic. Optimal setting. Relationships. Yes!  What S-T-O-R-Y is God writing with your child? God doesn’t give parents manuscripts to write, but codes to decode. Study your kids while you can. The greatest gift you can give your children is not your riches but to reveal to them their own.