Daily Archives: February 23, 2014

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Finding Confidence In God

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Charles Stanley

Lam. 3:21-26

God’s people have only one way to face life: confidently. After all, He loves us, has saved us from eternal death, and is committed to guiding us through every moment of life. God wants us to live confidently—but too often we allow feelings of personal inadequacy and unworthiness to derail our faith.

The apostle Paul lived through horrendous circumstances—rejected by his Jewish peers, stoned, abandoned for dead, ridiculed, ignored, and often beaten and imprisoned for his devotion to Christ. But Paul continued to maintain a confident hope, right up to the very end. How did he manage this?

The apostle recalled one simple truth: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). He focused on his Lord, just as Jeremiah had: “Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him”’ (Lam. 3:23, 24).

The classic hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” expands on this important idea. The next time you sing it, don’t miss its wonderful message: God is faithful and does not change (Heb. 13:8). In this one truth, we find our reason for hope and unwavering confidence. The Lord’s unchanging nature teaches us that even when we feel unlovely, we remain beautiful to Him. We can do nothing to change His love for us—it is unconditional and flows freely from His throne of grace. He never changes, and He is faithful to keep all of His promises.

Do you trust God? Have you experienced the strong assurance that comes from placing your faith in His unfailing love? He loved you unconditionally yesterday, and He loves you with the same love today and tomorrow—forever. Therefore, roll the burden of your heart onto Him, and you will discover that you, too, can sing, “Great is Thy faithfulness.”

Adapted from “The Charles F. Stanley’s Life Principles Bible,” 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Limitless Love

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Our Daily Bread

Psalm 36

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. —Psalm 36:5

Recently, a friend sent me the history of a hymn that I often heard in church when I was a boy:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole Though stretched from sky to sky.

These words are part of an ancient Jewish poem and were once found on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum.

Also, Frederick M. Lehman was so moved by the poem that he desired to expand on it. In 1917, while seated on a lemon box during his lunch break from his job as a laborer, he added the words of the first two stanzas and the chorus, completing the song “The Love of God.”

The psalmist describes the comforting assurance of God’s love in Psalm 36: “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens” (v.5 ESV). Regardless of the circumstances of life—whether in a moment of sanity in a mind otherwise muddled with confusion or during a dark time of trial—God’s love is a beacon of hope, our ever-present, inexhaustible source of strength and confidence. —Joe Stowell

Oh love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure,

The saints’ and angels’ song. —Lehman

You are loved with everlasting love.

Bible in a year: Numbers 7-8; Mark 4:21-41

Insight

In this psalm, David contrasts the way of life of unbelievers (vv.1-4) and believers (vv.7-9). In conclusion, he affirms that God will protect and sustain the faithful and punish and destroy the wicked (vv.10-12). According to David, the unbelieving person is one who has “no fear of God before his eyes” (v.1).

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – A solemn warning for all churches

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“Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” Revelation 3:4

Suggested Further Reading: John 14:18-24

Do you meet with many men who hold communion with Christ? Though they may be godly men, upright men, ask them if they hold communion with Christ, and will they understand you? If you give them some of those sweetly spiritual books, that those who hold fellowship love to read, they will say they are mystical, and they do not love them. Ask them whether they can spend an hour in meditation upon Christ, whether they ever rise to heaven and lay their head on the breast of the Saviour, whether they ever know what it is to enter into rest and get into Canaan; whether they understand how he has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; whether they can often say,

“Abundant sweetness while I sing

Thy love, my ravish’d heart o’erflows;

Secure in thee my God and King

Of glory that no period knows.”

Ask them that, and they will say, “We don’t comprehend you.” Now, the reason of it is in the first part of my sermon—they have defiled their garments, and therefore Christ will not walk with them. He says “Those that have not defiled their garments shall walk with me.” Those who hold fast the truth, who take care to be free from the prevailing sins of the times, “These,” he says, “shall walk with me; they shall be in constant fellowship with me; I will let them see that I am bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh; I will bring them into the banqueting-house; my banner over them shall be love; they shall drink wine on the lees well refined; they shall have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto them, because they are the people who truly fear me: they shall walk with me in white.”

For meditation: Do you have to confess that you have no idea what Spurgeon is talking about? If so, he must be talking about you!

Sermon no. 68

23 February (Preached 24 February 1856)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Realizing Our Ultimate Priority

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John MacArthur

“To the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:11).

Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 closes with a reminder that love, excellence, integrity, and righteousness bring glory and praise to God.

God’s glory is a recurring theme in Paul’s writings, and rightly so because that is the Christian’s highest priority. But what is God’s glory and what does it mean to bring Him glory? After all, He is infinitely glorious in nature, so we can’t add anything to Him. His glory is never diminished, so it doesn’t have to be replenished or bolstered.

In Exodus 33:18-19 Moses says to God, “‘I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!’ And [God] said, ‘I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.'” In effect God was telling Moses that His glory is the composite of His attributes.

That suggests we can glorify God by placing His attributes on display in our lives. When others see godly characteristics like love, mercy, patience, and kindness in you, they have a better picture of what God is like. That honors Him. That’s why it’s so important to guard your attitudes and actions. Paul admonished Timothy to be exemplary in his speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12). That should be true of every believer!

Another way to glorify God is to praise Him. David said, “Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in holy array. . . . In His temple everything says, ‘Glory!'” (Ps. 29:1- 2, 9).

You cannot add to God’s glory, but you can proclaim it in your words and deeds. What picture of God do others see in you? Does your life bring glory to Him?

Suggestions for Prayer:

In 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 David instructs Asaph and Asaph’s relatives on how to glorify God. Using that passage as a model, spend time in prayer glorifying God.

For Further Study:

Reread 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, noting any specific instructions that apply to you.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Sit Down

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Joyce meyer

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us set together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. —Ephesians 2:4-6, NKJV

Today’s scripture says that we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. I read past that passage one day, and the Holy Spirit stopped me. I just felt that I had missed something so I went back and read it again: “God . . . seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” I still didn’t get it. So I went back and read it once more, and finally, I got it! We are seated. We are seated.

Then I started thinking of how Jesus is depicted in the Bible after His resurrection and ascension. As in this passage, He is often depicted as being seated at the right hand of the Father.

Do you know what people do when they sit? They rest. To be seated in heavenly places with Jesus is to enter an “inner rest.”

Sometimes when you start to get nervous and upset, anxious or worried, you just need to tell yourself, “Sit down.” That does not mean just your physical body; it also means your soul—your mind, will and emotions. It is important to let your entire being rest and just wait on God. Wait expectantly for God to do what you cannot do.

Don’t worry, get frustrated or fearful while you are waiting on God. Be at peace and rest! Sometimes allowing ourselves to rest is challenging because we seem to feel that we should always be ‘doing’ something. . So, if you are struggling, take a seat and rest. The promise of God’s peace is not made to those who work, struggle and strive in their own strength, but to those enter God’s rest.

Love Yourself Today: Lord, teach me how to enter your holy rest while I wait on you to work in my life.

 

 

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Kingdom of Heaven

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“Happy are those who are persecuted because they are good, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:10).

Have you ever been persecuted because of your faith in Christ? If so, how did you respond?

While Francis Xavier was preaching one day in one of the cities of Japan, a man walked up to him as if he had something to say to him privately. As the missionary leaned closer to hear what he had to say, the man spat on his face.

Without a word or the least sign of annoyance, Xavier pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face. Then he went on with his important message as if nothing had happened. The scorn of the audience was turned to admiration.

The most learned doctor of the city happened to be present.

“A law which teaches men such virtue, inspires them with such courage, and gives them such complete mastery over themselves,” he said, “could not but be from God.”

Supernatural power and enablement by God’s Holy Spirit make that kind of behavior possible for every believer. Furthermore, that kind of behavior probably will do more to attract and influence an unbelieving world than words ever can.

With Christ as our example, love as our motive, and humility as our covering, let us depend on God’s Holy Spirit for the wisdom and strength required to respond to mistreatment in a Christ-like way. Then, and only then, are we in a position to reflect honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:7-12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Mindful that millions of Christians have died as martyrs getting the message of God’s good news through to men, and remembering that “all who live godly lives in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, “I will not shrink from whatever the Lord may have in store for me today as His witness. Drawing upon the supernatural resources of God, I will demonstrate by my words and witness that I belong to Christ.

 

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Nonaggression Deception

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In 1934, the leaders of two nations sat down together and signed a “nonaggression pact.” “The time has come to introduce a new phase in the political relations between Germany and Poland,” the agreement stated, recognizing that “the guarantee of a lasting peace between their countries is an essential pre-condition for the general peace of Europe.” The only problem with the agreement was that one of the parties involved was Adolf Hitler. A few short years later, the German blitzkrieg swept through Poland. When it was over, six million Polish citizens were dead, many of them murdered in concentration camps.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Romans 12:9

The world is filled with people feigning friendship or love. The glad-handing politician who wants your vote; the slick salesman who wants what’s in your wallet. Be careful when a man pats you on the back, someone once said, because he might be looking for a soft place to stick the knife.

Is your love for others genuine and Christ-like, or is it encumbered by self-interested motives? As you pray, ask God to help you give of yourself authentically and unselfishly. Americans from the nation’s capital to your own neighborhood need to experience genuine love today. Make sure they receive it from you.

Recommended Reading: II Corinthians 6:1-10