Daily Archives: August 15, 2013

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Results of Uncontrolled Weakness

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Charles Stanley

Romans 6:17-23

It is normal for children, at some point, to become aware of growing stronger. “Let’s see your muscles,” a parent will say. The child bends an arm, makes a fist, and proudly displays the evidence. Parents often encourage their children to increase strength and overcome any weakness. Some youngsters cooperate, but others act indifferent or feel defeated even before they start.

We all have weak areas in our lives. How do we respond to them? Do we make a plan to overcome them? Do we pretend they are unimportant or surrender to them without much effort? None of these responses is what God desires for us. He wants our weaknesses to remind us how totally dependent we are upon His strength and how great our need is for Him. His plan is for our frailties to be a powerful motivator to deepen our relationship with Him.

Handled improperly, those areas in which we lack ability can become stumbling blocks that hurt us and those around us. A proper response—namely, turning to God—means He will take charge of our weaknesses and no longer allow them to dominate our lives.

Samson was a man whom God set apart and equipped for divine purposes. But he had an uncontrollable weakness, which he allowed to run unchecked until it destroyed his work for the Lord (Judg. 13-16). We, as Christ-followers, have also been set apart for God’s work and equipped by Him. We should heed the warning of Samson’s life and turn quickly to God every time our weakness surfaces. Delay could mean disaster.

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Anchor Of Our Hope

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Our Daily Bread

Hebrews 6:13-20

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. —Hebrews 6:19

Frank, Ted, and I were fishing for bluegill on Rice Lake in Ontario, Canada. We were on a pontoon boat, and the fish were really biting. Busy baiting and hooking, we slowly became aware that the action had slacked off. Then we realized why: The boat was no longer sitting where we had put it. A strong wind had come up and pushed it across the water. The anchor could not hold us and was sliding across the lake bottom. We hauled it up, returned to our hot spot, and re-anchored. We were moved away again. After a third try, we went back to shore. We could not get our anchor to grab and stick.

When it comes to our salvation, our hope is anchored in the promise of God and the work of Jesus Christ. The winds and waves of doubt, discouragement, and spiritual attack by the evil one can cause us to think that we are adrift and salvation from God is not secure. Not so! God has given His promise that our salvation is sure, and He cannot lie (Heb. 6:18-19). Our hope is securely fastened in Jesus Christ who redeemed us once and for all when He died, rose again, and ascended to heaven.

Our anchor is the Rock unmovable—Jesus Christ. His limitless love holds us sure and steadfast. —David Egner

We have an anchor that keeps the soul,

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love. —Owens

Our anchor is the Rock, Jesus Christ.

Bible in a year: Psalms 91-93; Romans 15:1-13

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Isaac’s Example

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Alistair Begg

Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening.  Genesis 24:63

Isaac’s evening occupation was very admirable. If those who spend so many hours in idle company, light reading, and useless pastimes could learn wisdom, they would find more profitable society and more interesting engagements in meditation than in the vanities that now hold such appeal for them. We would all know more, live closer to God, and grow in grace if we were alone more often. Meditation chews the cud and extracts the real nutriment from the mental food gathered elsewhere. When Jesus is the theme, meditation is sweet indeed. Isaac found Rebecca while engaged in private musings; many others have found their best beloved there.

Isaac’s choice of place was very admirable. The field provides a study full of texts for thought. From the cedar to the hyssop, from the soaring eagle down to the chirping grasshopper, from the blue expanse of heaven to a drop of dew, all these things are full of teaching, and when the eye is divinely opened, that teaching flashes upon the mind far more vividly than from books. Our little rooms are neither so healthy, so suggestive, so agreeable, or so inspiring as the fields. Let us count nothing common or unclean but feel that all created things point to their Maker, and the field will at once be holy ground.

The season was very admirable. The season of sunset as it draws a veil over the day is a fitting time for the soul’s repose when earthborn cares yield to the joys of heavenly communion. The glory of the setting sun excites our wonder, and the solemnity of approaching night awakens our awe. If the business of this day will permit it, it will be well, dear reader, if you can spare an hour to walk in the field at evening; but if not, the Lord is in the town too and will meet with you in your chamber or in the crowded street. Let your heart go out to meet Him.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The way of salvation

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“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Suggested Further Reading: Isaiah 12

What a great word that word ‘salvation’ is! It includes the cleansing of our conscience from all past guilt, the delivery of our soul from all those propensities to evil which now so strongly predominate in us; it takes in, in fact, the undoing of all that Adam did. Salvation is the total restoration of man from his fallen estate; and yet it is something more than that, for God’s salvation fixes our standing more secure than it was before we fell. It finds us broken in pieces by the sin of our first parent, defiled, stained, accursed: it first heals our wounds, it removes our diseases, it takes away our curse, it puts our feet upon the rock Christ Jesus, and having thus done, at last it lifts our heads far above all principalities and powers, to be crowned for ever with Jesus Christ, the King of heaven. Some people, when they use the word ‘salvation,’ understand nothing more by it than deliverance from hell and admittance into heaven. Now, that is not salvation: those two things are the effects of salvation. We are redeemed from hell because we are saved, and we enter heaven because we have been saved beforehand. Our everlasting state is the effect of salvation in this life. Salvation, it is true, includes all that, because salvation is the mother of it, and carries it within its bowels; but still it would be wrong for us to imagine that is the whole meaning of the word. Salvation begins with us as wandering sheep, it follows us through all our confused wanderings; it puts us on the shoulders of the shepherd; it carries us into the fold; it calls together the friends and the neighbours; it rejoices over us; it preserves us in that fold through life; and then at last it brings us to the green pastures of heaven, beside the still waters of bliss, where we lie down for ever, in the presence of the Chief Shepherd, never more to be disturbed.

For meditation: Past salvation from sin’s penalty (justification): present salvation from sin’s power (sanctification): prospective salvation from sin’s presence (glorification)—what a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3). Don’t miss it.

Sermon no. 209

15 August (1858)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Overcoming Jealousy

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John MacArthur

“Love . . . is not jealous” (1 Cor. 13:4).

Jealousy is an insidious sin that cries out, “I want what you have, and furthermore, I don’t want you to have it.” It replaces contentment with resentment and spawns a myriad of other sins.

The Corinthians, in truth, were jealous of one another’s spiritual gifts. First Corinthians 12:31 literally says, “You are earnestly desiring the showy gifts, but I show you a more excellent way.” The word translated “earnestly desiring” is translated “jealous” in 1 Corinthians 13:4. It means “to boil” and speaks of the inner seething that comes from wanting something that someone else has. In 1 Corinthians 3:3 Paul rebukes them for the jealousy and strife that existed among them.

Paul knew what it meant to be victimized by jealous people. During one of his imprisonments he candidly wrote, “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment” (Phil. 1:15-17).

Paul’s attitude toward those who envied him was exemplary: “Whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice” (v. 18). He wasn’t motivated by personal comfort or selfish ambition. He loved Christ deeply and wanted as many people as possible to hear the gospel. As long as Christ was being proclaimed, Paul was happy–regardless of his own circumstances or the motives of others. That should be your perspective too.

Love is the antidote for jealousy. When godly love governs your heart, you can rejoice in the spiritual successes of others, even when you know their motives are wrong. But if you seek prominence and selfish gain, you become an easy target for jealousy and resentment.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Confess any jealousy you might be harboring toward others.

Ask God to deepen your love for Christ so jealousy can’t gain a foothold in your heart in the future.

For Further Study:

Read 2 Corinthians 11:2. Is there such a thing as godly jealousy? Explain.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Submit to Suffering

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Joyce meyer

So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. —1 Peter 4:1

It is important to understand the difference between suffering in the flesh and suffering demonic affliction. Giving up the selfish appetites of our flesh does not mean we are to suffer from sickness, disease, and poverty. Jesus died to deliver you from the curse of sin. But unless you are willing to suffer in the flesh you will never walk in the will of God.

When you get up in the morning, set your thoughts on walking in God’s will all day long. You might even say to yourself, “Even if I need to suffer in order to do God’s will today, I am setting my mind for obedience.” Tonight, purpose in your heart that you will face tomorrow with determination to please God no matter the cost.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Shine Like the Sun

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“And those who are wise – the people of God – shall shine as brightly as the sun’s brilliance, and those who turn many to righteousness will glitter like stars forever” (Daniel 12:3).

Did it ever occur to you that as a child of God you are to radiate in your countenance the beauty and glory of God? Have you ever considered the inconsistency of having a glum expression while professing that the Son of God, the light of the world, dwells within you?

Proverbs 15:13 reminds us that a happy face means a glad heart; a sad face means a breaking heart.

When missionary Adoniram Judson was home on furlough many years ago, he passed through the city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy, playing about the wharves at the time of Judson’s arrival, was struck by the missionary’s appearance. He had never before seen such a light on a man’s face.

Curious, he ran up the street to a ministers’s home to ask if he knew who the stranger was. Following the boy back, the minister became so engaged in conversation with Judson that he forgot all about the lad standing nearby.

Many years later that boy – unable to get away from the influence of what he had seen on the man’s face – became the famous preacher, Henry Clay Trumbull. One chapter in his book of memoirs is entitled, “What a Boy Saw in the Face of Adoniram Judson.”

A shining face – radiant with the love and joy of Jesus Christ – had changed a life. Just as flowers thrive when they bend toward the light of the sun, so shining, radiant faces are the result of those who concentrate their gaze upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

May we never underestimate the power of a glowing face that stems from time spent with God. Even as Moses’ countenance shone, may your face and mine reveal time spent alone with God and in His Word.

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:13-16

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will spend sufficient time with the Lord each day to insure a radiant countenance for the glory of God and as a witness to those with whom I have contact each day.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Consider the Dandelion

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A dandelion’s little yellow blossom matures into a puff ball whose white fuzz attached to the seed acts as a parasol. The wind catches it and can carry the seed sometimes miles from the parent plant.

Behold, the days are coming…when I will sow the house of Israel.  Jeremiah 31:27

Like so many fields of dandelion puffs hit by strong winds of adversity, enslavement and dispersion, the Jewish people spent centuries away from their homeland. Jeremiah foretold their return from Babylonian captivity, but his prophecy is no less true to today as the great diaspora continues their return to Israel. As seeds sown by the hand of God, they have prospered in their covenant land.

In the New Testament, Paul reminds Christians of another day coming. Though warned of future adversity, you are to remain vigilant and encourage one another. God doesn’t expect you to “put on a bold face,” but rather He gives you garments of courage: the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of salvation.

Therefore, as you intercede for the nation today and offer your prayers for America’s leaders, beseech God to reveal Himself in undeniable ways to them, that they might find boldness to stand when coming winds of trouble blow.

Recommended Reading: I Thessalonians 5:1-11

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What Do We Do with the Dash?

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By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. —John 15:8

What are you supposed to do with your life? According to Scripture, we are all placed here on this earth to glorify and honor God and produce spiritual fruit in our lives. In fact, one of the songs we will sing in heaven is this one:

“You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

We exist for the pleasure of God. We were created to bring glory to Him and to produce spiritual fruit. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). He also said, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (verse 8).

We don’t determine how long we will live on this earth. We may try. We can hang out at health food stores and take all kinds of vitamins and do all the right things, and we may even improve the quality of our lives by doing these things, but it is God who determines the length of our lives. It is God who decided when we were to be born. And it is God who decides when we will die. We have nothing to say about those dates. But we have everything to say about the dash in between them.

So what do we do with the dash? How do we live out the dash? We are here to glorify God. We don’t all have the same talents, but we have all been given our lives. So let’s not waste them in the pursuit of nothingness. Let’s invest our lives in the pursuit of God.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Managing Tough Times

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Max Lucado

How we handle our tough times stays with us for a long time! When you’re tired of trying, tired of forgiving, tired of hard-headed people, how do you manage your dark days? With a bottle of pills?  An hour at the bar, a day at the spa? Many opt for such treatments.  So many, in fact, we assume they reenergize the sad life. But do they?  They numb the pain, postpone the pain, but do they remove it?

Is there a solution? There is.  Be quick to pray.  Stop talking to yourself. Talk to Christ, who says, “Are you tired? Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. (Matthew 11:28).”

God, who is never downcast, never tires of your down days.“Come to Me,” Jesus says.  “I’ll give you real rest!”

from Facing Your Giants