Daily Archives: July 21, 2013

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Trusting God to Keep His Promise

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Charles Stanley

Hebrews 10:35-36

Have you ever experienced the bitter sting of a broken promise from a close friend? Few things hurt worse than this kind of betrayal, most likely because it marks the faltering trust between two companions.

For this reason, it is of eternal value to recognize the trustworthiness of almighty God. We serve a God of promises. He pledged a new land for His people, a child to the elderly Abraham, and a Savior for the world. Each of these and many more promises were fulfilled in time, according to His perfect will. Hebrews 10:23 affirms, “He who promised is faithful.”

Sometimes, however, God’s promises are marked with conditions. Although we serve a God of limitless grace and mercy, He often charges us with responsibilities upon which our success will depend. For instance, in today’s passage, we see that confidence, obedience, and endurance are all vital elements in “receiving what has been promised” (Heb. 10:35-36).

This does not mean that we can earn God’s favor with good deeds. In truth, He loves us not for what we do, but because He cannot help loving each of us passionately just as we are.

If we love Him in return, we must take responsibility for what He has called us to do. This is not a maneuver to finagle blessings from Him, but rather an act of humble submission to His will. When we operate from such a standpoint, we are in the perfect position to grab hold of what He wants to give us.

Related Resources

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Arrogance And Pride

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Our Daily Bread

Proverbs 8:12-21

Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. —Proverbs 8:13

In The Screwtape Letters written by C. S. Lewis, a senior devil urges his young protégé to divert a Christian’s thoughts away from God and focus instead on the faults of the people around him at church.

During a Sunday service, I found myself distracted and somewhat annoyed by a person near me who sang loudly off key and was out of sync during the unison readings. But when we bowed our heads for a time of silent prayer, it struck me that the Lord must surely be more pleased with that other person’s heart than with the judgmental feelings He saw in mine.

A few days later I happened to read Proverbs 8 and was struck by verse 13: “Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” Throughout this chapter, wisdom calls to us to gain an understanding heart (v.5) and to find life and obtain favor from the Lord (v.35). The alternative is to go through life with a superior attitude while dying inside in the process (v.36).

Pride is a sword that wounds the person who uses it along with those against whom it is used. Arrogance robs us of all God longs to give us, but “by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life” (22:4). —David McCasland

Oh, just a bit of Thy meekness, my Savior,

To be the least when of self I would boast;

Finding my glory and strength in Thy favor,

Know in my weakness Thy grace can do most. —Bosch

Pride brings shame. Humility brings wisdom.

Bible in a year: Psalms 29-30; Acts 23:1-15

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Continental tour H2

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At Zurich I saw in the great fair what I also saw at Baden-Baden, a sight which gave me pleasure, namely, the little star of truth shining amid the darkness. Opposite the house at Baden, where Satan was winning souls at the gaming table, there was a little stall at which an agent of the Bible Society was selling Bibles and Testaments. I went up and bought a Testament from him, and felt quite cheered to see the little battery erected right before the fortifications of Satan, for I felt in my soul it was mighty through God to the pulling down of the stronghold. There in the midst of the fair at Zurich where they were selling all manner of things, like John Bunyan’s Vanity Fair, there stood a humble looking man with his stall, upon which there were Bibles, Testaments, and Mr Ryle’s Tracts. It is always a great comfort to me to see my sermons in French and other languages sold at the same shops as those of that excellent man of God. There is the simple gospel in his tracts, and they are to my knowledge singularly owned of God. How sweet it is to see these dear brethren in other churches, loving our Lord, and honoured by him. At Lucerne we stopped and spent our third Sabbath day and of all days in the year, Sabbath days on the Continent are most wretched, so far as the means of grace are concerned. This, however, was spent in quiet worship in our own chamber. Our first Sabbath was a dead waste, for the service at church was lifeless, spiritless, graceless, powerless. Even the grand old prayers were so badly read, that it was impossible to be devout while hearing them, and the sermon upon “The justice of God in destroying the Canaanites,” was as much adapted to convert a sinner, or to edify a saint, as Burke’s Peerage, or Walker’s dictionary.

For meditation: In what ways do you think Spurgeon would have applied the title of the sermon which so disappointed him, so that it could be beneficial to saint and sinner alike?

Part of nos. 331-332

21 July

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Remembering Your Inheritance

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John MacArthur

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3- 4).

One amazing privilege you have as a Christian is to be the beneficiary of a rich and exciting spiritual inheritance. Jesus gave us a glimpse of its magnitude when He said, “The King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'” (Matt. 25:34). The kingdom itself is part of your inheritance!

This inheritance is shared by every child of God. Hebrews 9:15 says that Christ “is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that . . . those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Jesus commissioned Paul to preach to the Gentiles “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [Him]” (Acts 26:18).

No one can fully understand “all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Consequently, at times you might forget that you’re a child of the King and begin to act like this world is all you have to live for. God may even have to discipline you from time to time to correct your behavior. But someday you will be all God created you to be and will know the full glory of your inheritance. In the meantime, be diligent to “set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth” (Col. 3:2). Focus on your inheritance and praise God for it. That will help you see beyond your present circumstances to the glory that awaits you when Jesus calls you home.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for the rich inheritance that is yours in Christ.

For Further Study:

Read 1 Peter chapter 1.

What spiritual privileges did Peter mention?

What commands did he give?

Is there any connection between those privileges and commands? Explain.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God Is Always Working

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Joyce meyer

FURTHERMORE, BRETHREN, we beg and admonish you in [virtue of our union with] the Lord Jesus, that [you follow the instructions which] you learned from us about how you ought to walk so as to please and gratify God, as indeed you are doing, [and] that you do so even more and more abundantly [attaining yet greater perfection in living this life]. —1 Thessalonians 4:1

In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul wrote, “When you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it]” (emphasis mine).

The Bible says that God’s Word works in those who believe it. So no matter what you see today, believe that God is working on your breakthrough.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – His Spirit Tells Us

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“That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord. But we know about these things because God has sent His Spirit to tell us, and His Spirit searches out and shows us all of God’s deepest secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:9,10).

For many years, on every populated continent, I have asked millions of Christians this question: “What is the greatest thing that has ever happened to you since you became a Christian?”

The answer invariably has been: “To experience the reality, power, control and fruit of the Holy Spirit.” There is no other truth that so transforms the life of the Christian and enables him to be fruitful for the glory of God.

Two strangers were viewing the Niagara whirlpool rapids one day and one said to the other, “Come and I’ll show you the greatest unused power in the world.”

Taking him to the foot of Niagara Falls, he said, “There is the greatest unused power in the world!”

“Oh, no my friend,” came the reply, “not so. The greatest unused power in the world is the Holy Spirit of the living God.”

Christ’s strength is given to us through the Holy Spirit to meet our every need. How do we receive that strength, that supernatural power?

As Christians, we have the potential within us, in the person of God’s Holy Spirit, but sin hinders the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

By confessing all our known sin and appropriating that supernatural power of the Holy Spirit within us, we can, by faith, be filled and continue to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, according to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit ministers to our every need.

When we by faith are filled with the Holy Spirit, He guides us, empowers us, makes us holy, bears witness in our lives, comforts us, gives us joy, gives discernment, bears fruit in and through our lives and gives us spiritual gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 2:11-16

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will by faith appropriate the greatest unused power in the world today, the supernatural power of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit who enables me to live a supernatural life. I will share with someone today how he, too, can live a supernatural life.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C. – Ultimate Say

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ppt_seal01

Here’s a new word for today: “primogeniture.” While you probably won’t use this word much in conversation, its meaning has impacted you and your world in unimaginable ways.

Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. Revelation 1:5

Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn son to inherit the entire estate. In its various forms, every culture owes countless marriages, wars, intrigues and alliances to this concept. The role of a firstborn, even today, still determines how inheritance is governed around the globe.

In the Bible, Jesus Christ is presented as the first and only son of God. And when He allowed Himself to be sacrificed at the hands of men, He also became the first one to conquer death. His inheritance is a foundational, universal and all-encompassing power. He has complete authority to rule over everyone and everything in the created universe.

America is not governed solely by elected officials. Christ as ruler of the universe has ultimate say in what is allowed to be. Today, pray fervently for America as a nation. Ask that its people and leaders may find favor in God’s generous mercy…and that the abundant grace of the inherited Son of God, Jesus Christ, will abide upon each one.

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 1:1-8