Daily Archives: July 27, 2013

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Raising Secure Children

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Charles Stanley

Ephesians 6:1-4

We too easily forget how powerful aparent’s influence can be on a child. In certain situations, a simple, offhand comment from a distracted mom or dad may be all it takes to plant a seed of insecurity. Then, unless wisdom is sensitively applied, a lack of confidence can develop. Let’s consider ways parents inadvertently foster insecurity in their kids.

First, a home atmosphere marked by chaos and volatility keeps children off balance, on guard, and nervous. As adults, they may feel rejected or unloved and could be prone to see themselves as unworthy of acceptance and affection.

Second, negative comments about a child’s performance or character strike at the heart of his or her personhood and significantly affect personal development.

Third, unrealistic expectations can create the feeling of conditional love. If a child believes his parents will love him only if he lives up to their expectations—whether in academics, athletics, or some other area—he will grow up under the weight of a terrible burden.

Fourth, lack of positive reinforcement can be crippling. Imagine if you did your absolute best whenever you tried something but never heard the slightest word of encouragement? Over time, this kind of deprivation can strip one of confidence in his or her abilities.

The job of raising kids certainly isn’t without challenges. But even when you face frustrations—family-related or not—be mindful that words and actions influence boys and girls powerfully. Whatever their ages, choose to instill a spirit of confidence in your children.

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Consider the Promiser

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Alistair Begg

Precious and very great promises.  2 Peter 1:4

 

If you would know experimentally [experientially] the preciousness of the promises and enjoy them in your own heart, meditate much upon them. There are promises that are like grapes in the winepress; if you will tread them, the juice will flow. Thinking over the hallowed words will often be the prelude to their fulfillment. While you are musing upon them, the benefit that you are seeking will insensibly come to you. Many a Christian who has thirsted for the promise has found the favor that it ensured gently distilling into his soul even while he has been considering the divine record; and he has rejoiced that he was ever led to lay the promise near his heart.

But besides meditating upon the promises, seek in your soul to receive them as being the very words of God. Say to your soul: “If I were dealing with a man’s promise, I would carefully consider the ability and the character of the man who had covenanted with me. So with the promise of God, my eye must not be so much fixed upon the greatness of the mercy-that may stagger me-as upon the greatness of the promiser-that will cheer me.

My soul, it is God, even your God, God who cannot lie, who speaks to you. This word of His that you are now considering is as true as His own existence. He is an unchangeable God. He has not altered the thing that has gone out of His mouth, nor called back one single soothing sentence. Nor does He lack any power; it is the God who made the heavens and the earth who has spoken. Nor can He fail in wisdom as to the time when He will bestow the favors, for He knows when it is best to give and when better to withhold. Therefore, seeing that it is the word of a God so true, so immutable, so powerful, so wise, I will and must believe the promise.” If in this way we meditate upon the promises and consider the Promiser, we shall experience their sweetness and obtain their fulfillment.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The Father of lights

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“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17

Suggested Further Reading: Revelation 21:22-22:5

The apostle, having thus introduced the sun as a figure to represent the Father of lights, finding that it did not bear the full resemblance of the invisible God, seems constrained to amend it by a remark that, unlike the sun, our Father has no turning or variableness. The sun has its daily variation; it rises at a different time each day, and it sets at various hours in the course of the year. It moves into other parts of the heavens. It is clouded at times, and eclipsed at times. It also has tropic; or, turning. It turns its chariot to the South, until, at the solstice, God bids it reverse its rein, and then it visits us once more. But God is superior to all figures or emblems. He is immutable. The sun changes, mountains crumble, the ocean shall be dried up, the stars shall wither from the vault of night; but God, and God alone, remains ever the same. Were I to enter into a full discourse on the subject of immutability, my time, if multiplied by a high number, would fail me. But reminding you that there is no change in His power, justice, knowledge, oath, threatening, or decree, I will confine myself to the fact that His love to us knows no variation. How often it is called unchangeable, everlasting love! He loves me now as much as he did when first he inscribed my name in his eternal book of election. He has not repented of his choice. He has not blotted out one of his chosen; there are no erasures in that book; all whose names are written in it are safe for ever.

For meditation: As part of creation the sun speaks of the character of God (Romans 1:20) but even at its brightest can only give a glimpse of his glory. Praise God for the Lord Jesus Christ, the true light (John 1:9) whose face, when transfigured, shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2); God the Son has made God the Father of light known to us (John 1:18).

1st sermon at New Park St.

27 July (Preached 18 December 1853)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Rejoicing in Your Inheritance

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John MacArthur

“In this you greatly rejoice” (1 Pet. 1:6).

Joy is a major theme in Scripture. The psalmist said, “Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright” (Ps. 33:1); “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed” (Ps. 71:23).

Even creation itself is said to rejoice in the Lord: “Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. . . . Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exalt, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord. . . . Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord; for He is coming to judge the earth” (Ps. 65:8; 96:11-13; 98:8-9).

Joy is the special privilege of every believer, regardless of his or her circumstances. You might suffer untold heartache and persecution for your faith in Christ, but amid the severest trials, God wants you to know profound joy. That’s why Peter said, “To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation” (1 Pet. 4:13).

First Peter 1:6-9 identifies five elements of your Christian life that should bring you joy amid trials. The first is your protected inheritance. That’s what Peter referred to when he said, “In this you greatly rejoice” (v. 6, emphasis added). Other elements include a proven faith, a promised honor, a personal fellowship, and a present deliverance (vv. 6-9), which we will explore in coming days.

The Greek word translated “greatly rejoice” in 1 Peter 1:6 is not the usual Greek word for “rejoice.” Peter used a more expressive and intense word, which speaks of one who is happy in a profound spiritual sense rather than a temporal or circumstantial sense. That’s the quality of joy God grants to those who trust in Him and look beyond their temporal trials to the glory of their eternal inheritance. Let that be your focus as well.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for the joy that transcends circumstances.

For Further Study:

Read John 16:16-22.

According to Jesus, why would the disciples lament?

What would bring them joy?

What does their experience teach you about the basis for your joy as a Christian?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Christ’s Credentials

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You yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody. —2 Corinthians 3:2

Everybody wants to be loved, and God makes Himself known through His love. For this reason I believe it is important to God’s heart for us to focus on expressing His love in order to draw people to Jesus.

People are hungry and they are looking for something real. When people see the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us and see that it is good, they will want to find the source of this fruit—this tree of life. They will be ready to accept Jesus as the Way to form a personal, eternal relationship with God and to experience the abundant, exceptional life on earth that He came to provide.

It is an amazing thought to me that we are personal representatives of Jesus Christ and that He is making His appeal to people through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). Everyone in the world is looking for genuine love, and when we let the love of God flow through us to them, we are representing Christ in best possible way.

We are to go out into the world and let the Holy Spirit flow through us to show people God’s love—His patience, kindness, goodness, and the other fruit. Let the way you live your everyday life be a tool that God can use to draw other people to Him.

Follow the more excellent way of love. Receive God’s love and let it flow in its many forms and power to others.

Love Others Today: Everywhere you go, remember that you represent Jesus to the people around you. Represent Him with love.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – We Help Conquer Satan

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“They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb, and by their testimony; for they did not love their lives but laid them down for Him” (Revelation 12:11).

Down through the years, you and I have lauded and applauded the martyrs – and rightly so.

These heroes of the faith – like Chester Bitterman of the Wycliffe Bible Translators, one of the latest in a long line of martyrs – preferred death to disloyalty to God and to Christ. Their testimony literally was written in blood.

Truly, “they did not love their lives but laid them down for Him.” And by so doing, they became partners with God and with Christ in defeating the enemy of men’s souls, Satan. Satan is to be conquered not only by the blood of the Lamb, but also by reason of the testimony of the martyrs.

T.E. McCully, father of missionary martyr Ed McCully, who, along with Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Nate Saint and Roger Youderian, lost his life to the Auca Indians on January 8, 1956, made a sage observation about the great sacrifice these young men had made.

“Sometimes,” he said, “it’s harder to be a living sacrifice than it is to be a dead sacrifice.” And this hits us all right where we live, in our walk with Christ today. The daily grind, the commitment and recommitment, the enduring of trial and testing – all of this takes a daily sacrifice. This is an opportunity for our lives to be a “sacrifice of praise” to our God.

Bible Reading: Revelation 12:7-12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Claiming the power of the Holy Spirit by faith, I will seek to be a living sacrifice, so that my life will be part of Satan’s defeat.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M.- Because of Jesus

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Business is not all rosy for Barronelle Stutzman who owns the florist shop, Arlene’s Flowers, in the state of Washington. The Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit against Stutzman because she refused to provide wedding flowers for a same-sex ceremony. Stutzman told a homosexual customer, “I’m sorry, I can’t do your wedding because of my relationship with Jesus Christ.” The American Civil Liberties Union is also suing her for money damages and lawyer’s fees that could cripple or destroy her business.

Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith.  Revelation 2:13

As a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, there are times when you may be viewed as a rabble-rouser. While you should try to live at peace with everyone, conflict with the world and its authorities is sometimes inevitable. However, the Bible says, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Jesus also says, “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!” (Luke 6:22) God never promises an easy life, but He does promise to be with you through your difficulties. Thank Him today for His faithfulness. Then pray for the nation’s leaders, and that they would choose to honor God in their lobbying and voting decisions.

Recommended Reading: I Timothy 2:1-8

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Getting Through the Storms of Life

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Are you facing a “storm of life” right now? By that I mean, are you facing some kind of crisis or unexpected tragedy? Are you losing hope?

One day, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.” So these experienced fishermen did what they had done hundreds of times. They boarded their boat and began to row together while Jesus went below deck and took a much-needed nap.

Suddenly, a severe storm came and began to dump rain on them and caused the sea to pitch. It was so bad that even these seasoned sailors began to panic. They awoke Jesus and said accusingly, “Do You not care that we are perishing?” Jesus patiently absorbed their criticism and then rebuked the storm and it stopped immediately. He also rebuked them with these words, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (see Mark 4:35-40).

A better translation of those words says, “Why are you such timid, fearful ones?” Jesus was saying, “Boys, have you not learned anything here?” After all, what did Jesus say to them? He said, “Let’s cross over to the other side!” He did not say, “Let’s go to the middle of the Sea of Galilee and drown together!” If He had said that, they might have been justified in their collective panic.

Jesus did not promise smooth sailing, but He did promise a safe passage. I would rather be in a storm with Jesus than anywhere else without Him. So, if you are in a storm of life, my advice to you is to remember that Jesus will “get you to the other side.” Trust Him. He will not abandon you or let you down. You have His Word on it. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).