Daily Archives: August 2, 2014

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – God Knows What You Need

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Charles Stanley

John 4:1-16

One reason we at times have a weak faith is because our view of God is faulty. That’s not totally surprising—after all, He is so big, how could we ever truly get an accurate picture of what He looks like, how He acts, or how He feels about us personally?

Knowing that we would need a way to understand Him, our heavenly Father revealed Himself through His Son. And so “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The better we get to know Jesus, the more we will understand the Father (14:9).

And when we take a look at the way Jesus treated the people around Him, we get a good illustration of God’s love. Think about the woman at the well in today’s Scripture passage. This was a person who had been outcast by society. The fact that she came to draw water during the heat of the day (4:6)—a time when no one else would be around— indicates that her exclusion from the townspeople was not just their idea; she herself felt the need to stay isolated.

But what did Jesus do? He loved her. He accepted her. He gave her what no one else would give: attention and respect. That is what He does for us as well. The Lord does not want us burdened by guilt, shame, or heartache. Nor does He want us to be secluded from other people. Instead, He calls us to become active participants in His kingdom.

Have you cut yourself off from those around you? Take hold of your Savior’s hand today, and start experiencing the joy of His acceptance.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Graceland

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Our Daily Bread

Romans 5:15-21

The grace of God . . . abounded to many. —Romans 5:15

The Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, is one of the most visited homes in the US. It was built in the 1930s and named after the original owner’s great aunt, Grace. It later became famous as the home of Elvis Presley.

I love the name Graceland because it describes the amazing territory into which God placed me when He forgave me of my sin and made me His own. He took me out of the darkness and brought me into His own “graceland.”

The apostle Paul says that “the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many” (Rom. 5:15). I’ll be forever thankful that the “many” includes me and that God’s love has transferred me into the territory of His marvelous, infinite, matchless grace!

Think of the blessing of being in God’s graceland. It is a realm where He has given us entrance into His presence and where that same grace continues to overflow into our lives on a daily basis. Paul tells us that even in times of despair God showers us with sufficient grace to see us through (see 2 Cor. 12:9).

No matter what life may bring, nothing can remove us from the realm of God’s grace. —Joe Stowell

Lord, for the blessings of Your grace

I am forever grateful! Teach me to accept

Your grace and to live in its power. Help me

to share Your story with others.

Remember where you live and rejoice in His grace.

Bible in a year: Psalms 60-62; Romans 5

Insight

Paul’s comparison of Adam and Jesus can be boiled down to a few words. Adam’s life resulted in an “offense” that brought “judgment” and “death,” but Jesus’ life brought a “free gift” of “grace” that brought “righteousness.” In grace (v.15), God took away the consequences of Adam’s sin—spiritual death and condemnation—and gave to all who believe in Jesus the gift of eternal life through His sacrificial death (vv.18-19).

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – One at a Time

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Alistair Begg

So she gleaned in the field until evening.  Ruth 2:17

Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I set out for the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the Word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: So I must be content to search for single truths, if they come just one at a time. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise for salvation.

The gleaner keeps her eyes open: If she stumbled dreamlike among the stubble, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at evening. I must be careful in religious exercises in case they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost quite a bit already. I need to estimate my opportunities properly and glean with greater diligence.

The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and I must do the same. Proud minds criticize and object, but humble minds glean and receive benefit. A lowly heart is the key to profitably hearing the Gospel. The soul-saving Word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes for a bad gleaner. Pride is a vile robber and must not be tolerated for a moment.

What the gleaner gathers, she keeps: If she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day’s work would be but meager; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last she makes great gains. How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I understand the importance of storing up the truth?

Hunger helps to make the gleaner wise; if she has no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she works under a sense of necessity, and consequently she moves swiftly and her grasp is firm. My need is even greater, Lord; help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields that yield to diligence a plenteous reward.

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The family reading plan for August 2, 2014 * Jeremiah 29 * Mark 15

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Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Waiting only upon God

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“My soul, wait thou only upon God.” Psalm 62:5

Suggested Further Reading: Proverbs 3:1-8

We must mark God’s providence leading us; and then let us go. But he that goes before providence will be very glad to run back again. Take your trouble, whatever it is, to the throne of the most High and on your knees put up the prayer, “Lord, direct me.” You will not go wrong. But do not do as some do. Many a person comes to me and says, “I want your advice, sir; as my minister, perhaps you could tell me what I ought to do.” Sometimes it is about their getting married. Why, they have made up their minds before they ask me, they know that; and then they come to ask my advice. “Do you think that such and such a thing would be prudent, sir? Do you think I should change my position in life?” And so on. Now, first of all, I like to know, “Have you made your mind up?” In most cases they have—and I fear you serve God the same. We make up our mind what we are going to do, and then we go down on our knees, and say, “Lord, show me what I ought to do;” and then we follow out our intention and say, “I asked God’s direction.” My dear friend, you did ask it, but you did not follow it; you followed your own. You liked God’s direction so long as it pointed the way you wish to go; but if God’s direction led the contrary to what you considered your own interest, it might have been a very long while before you had carried it out. But if we in truth seek God’s guidance for us, we shall not go wrong, I know.

For meditation: We sometimes get it into our heads that God should do whatever we want, rather than the opposite. If we call him our Master, we should seek to play the part of his followers (Mark 10:35-40).

Sermon no. 144

2 August (1857)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – A Hymn of Love

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John MacArthur

“I show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31).

First Corinthians 13 has been called the hymn of love, a lyrical interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes set to music. It’s a beautiful portion of Scripture that comes as a breath of fresh air in a book dealing with one problem after another.

This chapter has often been isolated from its context, but its real power lies in the balance and correction it gives to the rest of the book. The Corinthians, like all Christians, had been gifted by God at the moment of salvation to benefit the church in a special way. But many were abusing their gifts, seeking prominence for themselves rather than ministering to one another. So in chapter 12 Paul discusses the concept of spiritual gifts, in chapter 14 their proper use, and in chapter 13 the need to minister them in love.

Like many Christians today, the Corinthians forgot that spiritual gifts can operate effectively only in a person who is truly spiritual. They had the gifts of the Spirit but they weren’t displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), the first of which is love.

In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul begins, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” Love must be the motive and driving force behind everything we do!

How has God gifted you for ministry? Are you ministering your gifts in love?

Suggestions for Prayer:  Ask God to purify your love and make you a more effective minister of the gifts He has given to you.

For Further Study: Read 1 Corinthians 12.

  • Who distributes spiritual gifts?
  • Which gifts did Paul mention?
  • What is their purpose?
Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – How to Gain Wisdom

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Joyce meyer

If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you. (Proverbs 1:23)

We need to pray and obey God’s leading when He speaks to us. Obedience is not to be an occasional event for us; it is to be our way of life. There’s a big difference between people who are willing to obey God daily and those who are willing to obey only to get out of trouble. God certainly shows people how to get out of trouble, but He bestows abundant blessings on those who decide to live wholeheartedly for Him and who make obedience to Him their lifestyle. The only pathway to true peace is obedience to God.

Many people obey God in the big issues, but they aren’t aware that obedience in the little things makes a difference in His plan for their lives. The Bible says plainly that if we are not faithful in the little things, we will never be made rulers over much (see Luke 19:17). There is no reason for God to trust us with a major responsibility if we are not going to be faithful to do the little things He has asked us to do.

I strongly urge you to be obedient to God even in the smallest of things. A sixteenth-century monk called Brother Lawrence was well known for walking continually in the presence of God. He said that he was pleased to pick up a piece of straw from the ground in obedience to God and because he loved Him.

In the verse for today, God says He will make known His words to us if we listen to Him when He corrects us. If we follow His guidance and are pleased to do each little thing He asks of us, then He will open His wisdom to us, and we will have more revelation than we could ever imagine.

God’s word for you today: If you are faithful in little things, God will make you ruler over greater things.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Can Help!

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“O my people, trust Him all the time. Pour out your longings before Him, for He can help!” (Psalm 62:8).

“I have no faith in this matter,” a minister said to an evangelist, “but I see it is in the Word of God and I am going to act on God’s Word no matter how I feel.”

The evangelist smiled. “Why, that is faith!” he said.

The Word of God is the secret of faith. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” We do not attain or achieve faith, we simply receive it as we read God’s Word.

Many a child of God is failing to enjoy God’s richest blessings in Christ because he fails to receive the gift of faith. He looks within himself for some quality that will enable him to believe, instead of “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

In the words of an anonymous poem published by War Cry:

He does not even watch the way.

His father’s hand, he knows,

Will guide his tiny feet along

The pathway as he goes

A childlike faith! A perfect trust!

God grant us today,

A faith that grasps our Father’s hand

And trusts Him all the way.

Bible Reading: Psalm 62:1-7

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will be wise in the ways of God today by looking for help from the One whom I know I can trust.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.K. – The Only Source

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ppt_seal01

This time of year many gardens flourish…blooming flowers, ripening tomatoes, maturing fruit on the tree. But storms have taken their toll in some areas of the country. Floods causing roots to rot, winds stripping corn stalks of their leaves and pulling trees up to expose roots to the sun are examples of plants being taken away from their life source.

The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

Genesis 2:7

That’s what happened to Adam. He was in the presence of God, his life source, until sin pulled him away from the beautiful relationship he had with His Creator. The Holy One had provided all that he and Eve would ever have needed, but Satan craftily enticed Eve into wanting more…and Adam consciously disobeyed the Lord’s only command. The consequences of God’s judgment, long-reaching and ongoing, have plagued mankind ever since.

Sin drives you from the presence of your life source. But just as the Lord cared for Adam and Eve as they were turned from the garden, He will secure your presence with Him forever if you believe in Christ as Savior. Pray now that the people of this nation will turn back to God – the only source of life.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 139:7-14, 23-24

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Heartbreak . . . and Glory        

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greglaurie

Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. —John 11:14–15

Have you ever had a crisis overwhelm you—maybe even to the point where you didn’t think you could survive the experience? Have you ever found yourself facing a set of circumstances so crushing, so utterly devastating that you couldn’t imagine how you could ever get through? Have you ever wondered why God allowed a tragedy in your life or in the life of someone close to you?

Perhaps you have found yourself saying, in so many words, “Lord, where were You?”

In John 11, the Bible gives us a true-life account of two sisters who had to wrestle with all of those questions. It’s the story of an unexpected death and how it brought a great trial of faith and shattered the happiness of a close-knit little family. But it is also the story of how Jesus responds to such situations—and how God can gain glory through it all.

In our lives here on earth, we will experience pain, grief, sickness, and the death of loved ones. I know that may be a depressing point, but it’s true, and we might just as well come to grips with it and stop running from it. It might be the death of a spouse, an infant, a teenager, a sibling, or someone who might be close to us in age. And suddenly we are made aware of our own mortality.

That was the case with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They were a tight, loving little family, and then suddenly one of them was at the point of death. But ironically, it was through this experience that they learned even more about the power and love of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to His grieving friend Martha, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).

It’s not easy to believe in the goodness and glory of God when your heart is breaking. But when you do, when you rest your full faith and confidence in God — even when nothing else on earth seems to make sense — you will never, never be the loser . . . in this life or the next.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013