Daily Archives: September 25, 2014

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Failing to Protect Our Future

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Charles Stanley

2 Samuel 11:1-17

Yesterday we learned that Esau sold his future for a bowl of stew. His blindness to what was truly valuable caused him to lose his inheritance. Other Bible stories can teach us additional lessons about protecting our future.

David was chosen by God to lead the nation, and for many years, he pursued the Lord’s plan. However, his desire for Bathsheba led him to commit adultery with her and make the arrangements for her husband to die. Because he made the choice to gratify his own wishes instead of following God’s ways, he fell into sin. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David sincerely repented (2 Sam. 12:7, 13), but he and his family were deeply affected by his mistake.

Samson was another individual who knew what the Lord required but chose to disobey—like David, he gave up blessings for temporary pleasure. Losing sight of God’s purpose, Samson chose instead to please his untrustworthy companion Delilah (Judg. 16:15-17). As a result, he spent his last years in disgrace.

A third example is Judas Iscariot, who wanted Jesus to establish the kingdom of God immediately. Because he valued earthly matters above spiritual ones, he rejected Jesus’ teachings and tried to manipulate events to his own liking. He was convinced that he knew what was right—that he knew better than God.

To avoid the kind of mistakes these men made, we must commit to setting aside our own desires in favor of God’s will. In other words, we must cherish the eternal over the temporal and be satisfied with what the Lord has planned.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Wise Old Owl

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Our Daily Bread

Proverbs 10:17-21

He who restrains his lips is wise. —Proverbs 10:19

Years ago an anonymous writer penned a short poem about the merits of measuring our words.

A wise old owl sat in an oak;

The more he saw the less he spoke;

The less he spoke the more he heard;

Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?

There is a connection between wisdom and limiting what we say. Proverbs 10:19 says, “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”

We are wise to be careful about what we say or how much we say in certain situations. It makes sense to guard our words when we are angry. James urged his fellow believers, “Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Restraining our words can also show reverence for God. Solomon said, “God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Eccl. 5:2). When others are grieving, our silent presence may help more than abundant expressions of sympathy: “No one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great” (Job 2:13).

Although there is a time to be quiet and a time to speak (Eccl. 3:7), choosing to speak less allows us to hear more. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear Lord, please grant me wisdom to

know when to speak and when to listen.

I want to encourage others and to care

for them as You have cared for me.

Let your speech be better than silence; otherwise be silent.

Bible in a year: Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 4

Insight

Today’s reading focuses on how we use the words we speak. In verse 17, the emphasis is on the instruction and correction we receive; lying lips and slanderous words are the focus of verse 18. The point of verse 19 is that words can be so dangerous that we’re wiser to not speak than to speak too much, while verse 20 contrasts the speech of those with a right heart (which is like silver) against those whose heart is far from God (worthless). Finally, verse 21 describes how proper speech can be like food to the soul. In all of these sayings, we are challenged to carefully consider how we speak.

 

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry –  Isn’t Christianity Arrogant?

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Ravi Z

One of the most common accusations flung at Christians is that they are arrogant. “How can you believe that you’re right and Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims—all the thousands of other religions—are wrong?” Isn’t it the height of arrogance to claim that Jesus is the way to God? A way, possibly. But the way?

This issue haunts many Christians and makes us reluctant to talk about our faith. We don’t want to appear arrogant, bigoted, or intolerant. This pluralistic view of religions thrives very easily in places like Canada or Europe where tolerance is valued above everything else. It’s very easy slip from the true claim—”all people have equal value”—to the false claim that “all ideas have equal merit.” But those are two very different ideas indeed.

Let’s take a brief look at the “all religions are essentially the same” idea. Suppose I say that I’ve just got into literature in a big way. This last year, I’ve read William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf and Tolkien, but also Harry Potter and The Very Hungry Caterpillar—and I’ve concluded that every author is identical. Would you conclude that: (a) this is the most profound statement on literature you’ve ever heard? Or would you conclude (b) that I don’t have the first clue what I’m talking about? I suggest that you’d probably choose (b). Now, what about the statement “all religions are the same”? Doesn’t it likewise suggest that the person making it hasn’t actually looked into any of them? Because once you do, you realize it’s not that most religions are fundamentally the same with superficial differences but the reverse is the case: most religions have superficial similarities with fundamental differences.

A further problem with the idea that all religions are essentially the same is that it ignores a fundamental truth about reality: ideas have consequences. What you believe matters, because it will effect what you do. To claim that all religions are essentially the same is to say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere—and this neglects the fact that you can believe something sincerely and be sincerely wrong. Hitler held his beliefs with sincerity—that doesn’t make them true.

However, truth, by its very nature, is exclusive. If it is true, as Christianity claims, that Jesus was crucified, died, and rose from the dead, then it is not true, as Islam claims, that Jesus never died in the first place and that somebody else was killed in his place. Both claims cannot be true. Truth is exclusive.

But just because truth is exclusive, that doesn’t make truth cold and uncaring. Truth for the Christian is personal. The Jesus who said “I am the only way” also said “I am the truth.” In other words, ultimate truth is not a set of propositions but a person. As the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:12, “I know whom I have believed.” Not what I have believed or experienced but whom. Jesus Christ.

To ask why we think that Jesus Christ is the only way is to miss the point entirely. Jesus does not compete with anybody. Nobody else in history made the claims he did; nobody else in history claimed to be able to deal with the problems of the human heart like he did. Nobody else in history claimed, as he did, to be God with us. To say that we believe Jesus is the only way should have nothing to do with arrogance and everything to do with introducing people to him.

Andy Bannister is a member of the speaking team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Toronto, Canada.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – The Source of Wisdom

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Alistair Begg

Whom God made our wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30

Man’s intellect seeks for peace and by nature seeks it apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of education are apt, even when converted, to look upon the simplicities of the cross of Christ with too little reverence and love. They are trapped in the old net in which the Greeks were taken and have a hankering to mix philosophy with revelation.

The temptation with a man of refined thought and high education is to depart from the simple truth of Christ crucified and to invent, as the term is, a more intellectual doctrine. This led the early Christian churches into Gnosticism and bewitched them with all sorts of heresies. This is the root of unorthodoxy and the other high-sounding notions that in the past were so fashionable in Germany and are now so enthralling to certain classes of divines. Whoever you are, good reader, and whatever your education may be, if you are the Lord’s, rest assured that you will find no peace in philosophizing divinity.

You may receive the dogma of one great thinker or the dream of another profound reasoner, but what the chaff is to the wheat is what these notions are to the pure Word of God. Reason at its best can only discover the ABCs of truth, and even that lacks certainty, while in Christ Jesus there is treasured up all the fullness of wisdom and knowledge. All attempts on the part of Christians to be content with the systems that Unitarian and liberal-church thinkers approve of must fail; true heirs of heaven must come back to the grandly simple reality that makes the plowboy’s eye flash with joy and rejoices the pious pauper’s heart—”Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”1 Jesus satisfies the most elevated intellect when He is believingly received, but apart from Him the mind of the regenerate discovers no rest. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”2 “All those who practice it have a good understanding.”3

1) 1 Timothy 1:15   2) Proverbs 1:7   3) Psalm 111:10

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The family reading plan for September 25, 2014 * Ezekiel 28 * Psalm 77

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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 – A divided heart

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CharlesSpurgeon

“Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty.” Hosea 10:2

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:4-12

If we would provoke the anger of the Most High and bring down trying providences on the churches, we have nothing to do but to be divided in our hearts and all will be accomplished. If we wish that every vial may empty out its ill, and that every vessel may withhold its oil, we have but to cherish our bickerings till they become animosities; we have but to nurse our animosities till they become hatreds, and all the work will be fully completed. And if this be the case in the church at large, it is peculiarly true in those various sections of it which we now call Apostolic Churches. Oh, my brethren, the smallest church in the world is potent for good when it has but one heart and one soul; when pastor, elders, deacons, and members, are bound together by a threefold cord that cannot be broken. Then are they mighty against every attack. But however great their numbers, however enormous their wealth, however splendid may be the talents with which they are gifted, they are powerless for good the moment they become divided amongst themselves. Union is strength. Blessed is the army of the living God, in that day when it goes forth to battle with one mind, and when its soldiers as with the tramp of one man, in undivided march, go onwards towards the attack. But a curse awaits that church which runs to and fro and which, divided in itself, has lost the main stay of its strength with which it should batter against the enemy. Division cuts our bowstrings, snaps our spears, houghs our horses, and burns our chariots in the fire. We are undone the moment the link of love is snapped. Let this perfect bond be once cut in twain and we fall down, and our strength is departed. By union we live, and by disunion we expire.

For meditation: Believers are not to try to create “unity” with those who preach another gospel, but we are urged to maintain the unity that already exists between true believers (Ephesians 4:3; Philippians 1:27). What would somebody have to report about your church (and your own contribution in it)?

Sermon no. 276

25 September (1859)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Butterfly, Botanist, or Bee?

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John MacArthur

“Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).

Your attitude toward Scripture will determine your effectiveness in spiritual battle.

I remember enjoying the observations of a perceptive man who was gazing at a beautiful garden. First he saw a butterfly flitting from flower to flower. It spent a few seconds on the edge of each, but derived no particular benefit from any of them.

Next he saw a botanist with large notebook and microscope in hand. As the botanist carefully observed each flower and plant, he made copious entries in his book. But after hours of meticulous study, most of what he learned was shut up in his book. Very little remained in his mind.

Then came a little bee. When it entered a flower, it emerged laden with pollen. It had left the hive that morning empty, but would return full.

When it comes to Bible study, some people are like butterflys, going from one favorite verse to another, one seminar to another, or one book to another. They’re very busy and expend much energy but have little to show for their efforts. They remain unchanged in any significant way because they never really delve into the Word wholeheartedly. They’re content to simply flutter around the edges.

Others, like the botanist, may study in great depth but never apply it to their lives. I know of entire commentaries written by unbelievers. In some cases their grasp of Scripture is exceptional, but they know nothing of true love for God and obedience to biblical truth. What a tragedy! But you don’t have to be a biblical scholar to make that mistake. You need only to fail to apply what you learn to your life.

Rather, strive to be like the bee, spending time in the Word—reading, studying, taking notes, then emerging fuller than when you began. Your mind will be filled with wisdom and biblical insights. Your life will be sweeter and purer because the Word has done its work (1 Cor. 2:13).

Are you a butterfly, a botanist, or a bee?

Suggestions for Prayer; Thank God for the opportunities He gives you to study His Word. Take full advantage of them.

For Further Study; According to James 1:22-25, what’s the difference between someone who merely hears the Word and someone who obeys it?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Hear God through His Word

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Joyce meyer

Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant, which is for those who reverently fear and devotedly worship You. —Psalm 119:38

God speaks to us through His Word and His Word is designed to help us, direct us, and encourage us in our everyday lives. We can hear His voice in every situation because we can find Bible verses or passages to pray in various circumstances. At times, we can find verses or passages that give us remarkable specific, detailed direction and at other times we need to take a nugget of wisdom or a general spiritual principle and apply it to the matter with which we are dealing.

For example, listed below are several common, specific circumstances and emotions with which the enemy threatens us and corresponding verses to pray in each case.

When you or someone you love is sick, you can pray the last phrase of Exodus 15:26: “I am the Lord Who heals you.”

When you are going through a season of difficulty or something that is wearing you out, you can pray Isaiah 40:29: “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” ( NKJV ).

When you are concerned about the future, you can pray Jeremiah 31:17, which says, “There is hope for your future.”

When you are struggling financially, you can pray Psalm 34:9, 10, which says, “Oh, fear the LORD , you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing ” ( NKJV ).

I truly believe that God’s Word holds the answer to every question we have and the wisdom to meet every need. I have diligently studied the Word of God for more than thirty years and I honestly love it with all of my heart.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – We Can Obey All

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dr_bright

” ‘Sir, which is the most important command in the laws of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.” All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if your obey them. Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying the others'” (Matthew 22:36-40).

Steve came for counsel. “I want with all my heart to be a man of God,” he said. “Can you tell me how I can please the Lord and be everything He wants me to be? You have walked with the Lord for many years. Surely you have learned some lessons that would help me.” I turned to this passage, and we read it and discussed it together.

“Jesus has answered your question, Steve,” I said to him. “If you keep these two commandments, all the others and all the demands of the prophets will be fulfilled.” We turned to Exodus 20:1-17 and reviewed the Ten Commandments.

“You see, Steve, if your love God with all your heart, you will have no other god before Him. You will not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. You will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will honor your father and mother. You will not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet that which belongs to your neighbor.”

Think what would happen if every person who professed to be a follower of Jesus Christ would truly obey the two greatest commandments. Not only would the Ten Commandments be fulfilled, but so would the Golden Rule and every other command of God. The great miracle would result. The moral, spiritual and even the economical problems that plague the nations of the world would be resolved almost overnight.

This kind of love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. For the supernatural love of God (agape) is spread abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is only as we walk in the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit, fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ, that we can fulfill these commandments.

Bible Reading: Mark 12:28-34

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Through the supernatural enabling power of the Holy Spirit, I will love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and my neighbors as myself, knowing that as I do so, I will be fulfilling and obeying all the other laws.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.K. – Floods of Discord

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ppt_seal01

In areas where rains are frequent, many people install a sump pump in their basement. It is a small pump sitting inside a pit into which water flows from pipes along the foundation. The pump expels excess water through another pipe to an outside area away from the home, thus preventing flooding within.

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

I Timothy 2:1

It may seem strange, but think of your prayers as the sump pump. Satan floods you with temptations, misinformation and half truths. He leads people away from God in deceitful ways bringing discord, distrust and chaos. But your prayers and intercessions for this nation, for its leaders and potential leaders, and for your family can force the devil’s lies away and bring peace to your life and to this country. Your prayers can bring revival to the values and principles upon which the United States was formed.

Do you understand the impact you can have? Mid-term elections are not far away. Be active in the election process. Commit yourself to prayer that God might put in place leaders whose desires will only be to please Him and to serve in a godly and dignified way. Then give thanks for all the Lord will do.

Recommended Reading: Romans 13:1-12

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Asking Why  

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greglaurie

I am nothing–how could I ever find the answers? I lay my hand upon my mouth in silence. I have said too much already. —Job 40:4–5

We can ask God why anytime we want to. But I don’t know whether we will really be satisfied with His answers.

If God came down to you on a shining cloud and explained His purposes to you, would it really make it any better? I don’t know that it would. As far as we know, Job never was given the “why” of all the tragedies that befell him. But He was given an incredible revelation of God’s wisdom and power.

When Jesus was in great agony, dying on the cross for our sins, and He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He did ask why. But notice that He prefaced it with, “My God, My God.” It wasn’t an accusation against the Father. Jesus was merely stating the reality of what was taking place in those awful hours, as all of the sin of the world was being placed upon Him who had known no sin. And as the Father turned His holy face away, the Son cried out, “Why have You forsaken Me?” (see Matthew 27:46).

The fact is, Jesus was forsaken that I might be forgiven. But even in His great cry of grief and loneliness over His separation from the Father, as He bore the sins of the world for all time, Jesus still said, “My God, My God. . . .” There was complete trust in the Lord.

You might say, “Well, I have a lot of questions for God. When I get to heaven I’m going to ask Him some things. In fact, I’ve got a list.”

You just keep that list with you. Take it with you everywhere you go, and then if you die unexpectedly, you’ll have it handy to pull out and ask God when you stand before Him.

Somehow, I don’t think that is the way it will be. I suggest to you that when you arrive in heaven, when you see your Creator, your God, your Savior in all His blazing glory, you’ll forget all about your little list of questions. One commentator wrote, “I had a million questions to ask God, but when I met Him, they all fled my mind, and it didn’t seem to matter.”

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

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Every Spiritual Blessing

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Max Lucado

You possess (get this!) every spiritual blessing possible. Ephesians 1:3 promises that “in Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.” This is the gift offered to the lowliest sinner on earth. Who could make such an offer but God? John 1:16 says, “From him we all received one gift after another.”

Romans 11:33 asks, have you ever come upon anything quite like this extravagant love of God, this deep, deep, wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who’s done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him. Everything comes through him. Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes, yes, and yes!

From In the Grip of Grace