Alistair Begg – Weapon of Prayer

November 3, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven. 2 Chronicles 30:27

Prayer is the never-failing response of the Christian in any case, in every plight. When you cannot use your sword, you may take up the weapon of prayer. Your powder may be damp, your bowstring may be relaxed, but the weapon of prayer need never be out of order. Satan laughs at the javelin, but he trembles at prayer. Swords and spears need to be sharpened, but prayer never rusts; and when we think it most blunt, it cuts the best. Prayer is an open door that no one can shut. Devils may surround you on all sides, but the way upward is always open, and as long as that road is unobstructed, you will not fall into the enemy’s hand.

We can never be taken by siege or invasion as long as heavenly help can come down to us and relieve us in the time of our necessities. Prayer is never out of season: In summer and in winter its merchandise is precious. Prayer gains audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the middle of business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening. In every condition, whether poverty or sickness or obscurity or slander or doubt, your covenant God will welcome your prayer and answer it from His holy place.

And prayer is never futile. True prayer is always true power. You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real needs supplied. When God does not answer His children according to the letter, He does so according to the spirit. If you ask for cornmeal, will you be angry because He gives you fine flour? If you seek physical health, should you complain if instead He makes your sickness result in your spiritual health? Is it not better to have the cross sanctified than removed? This evening, my soul, do not forget to offer your petition and request, for the Lord is ready to grant your desires.

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The family reading plan for November 3, 2014 * Hosea 9 * Psalm 126, 127, 128

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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 – The God of peace

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“Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Romans 15:33

Suggested Further Reading: Philippians 4:1-9

Let me briefly show you the appropriateness of this prayer. We indeed ought to have peace amongst ourselves. Joseph said to his brethren when they were going home to his father’s house, “See that ye fall not out by the way.” There was something extremely beautiful in that exhortation. You have all one father, you are of one family. Let men of two nations disagree; but you are of the seed of Israel; you are of one tribe and nation; your home is in one heaven. “See that ye fall not out by the way.” The way is rough; there are enemies to stop you. See that if you fall out when you get home, you do not fall out by the way. Keep together; stand by one another, defend each other’s character; manifest continual affection. The world hates you because you are not of the world. Oh! You must take care that you love one another. You are all going to the same house. You may disagree here, and not speak to one another, and be almost ashamed to sit at the same table, even at the sacrament; but you will all have to sit together in heaven. Therefore do not fall out by the way. Consider, again, the great mercies you have all shared together. You are all pardoned, you are all accepted, elected, justified, sanctified, and adopted. See that you fall not out when you have so many mercies. Joseph has filled your sacks, but if he has put some extra thing into Benjamin’s sack, do not quarrel with Benjamin about that, but rather rejoice because your sacks are full. You have all got enough, you are all secure, you have all been dismissed with a blessing.

For meditation: The God of love and peace will be seen to be present when his people live in peace with one another (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Sermon no. 49

3 November (Preached 4 November 1855)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Having a Faith That Responds

November 3, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

“Faith is . . . the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

True faith goes beyond assurance to action.

When the writer said, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”, he used two parallel and almost identical phrases to define faith.

We’ve seen that faith is the assurance that all God’s promises will come to pass in His time. “The conviction of things not seen” takes the same truth a step further by implying a response to what we believe and are assured of.

James addressed the issue this way: “Someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’. . . But are you willing to recognize . . . that faith without works is useless? . . . For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:18, 26). In other words, a non-responsive faith is no faith at all.

Noah had a responsive faith. He had never seen rain because rain didn’t exist prior to the Flood. Perhaps he knew nothing about building a ship. Still, he followed God’s instructions and endured 120 years of hard work and ridicule because he believed God was telling the truth. His work was a testimony to that belief.

Moses considered “the reproach of Christ [Messiah] greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Heb. 11:26). Messiah wouldn’t come to earth for another 1,400 years, but Moses forsook the wealth and benefits of Egypt to pursue the messianic hope.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when faced with a life- threatening choice, chose to act on their faith in God, whom they couldn’t see, rather than bow to Nebuchadnezzar, whom they could see all too well (Dan. 3). Even if it meant physical death, they wouldn’t compromise their beliefs.

I pray that the choices you make today will show you are a person of strong faith and convictions.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to increase and strengthen your faith through the events of this day.
Look for specific opportunities to trust Him more fully.

For Further Study

Read Daniel 3:1-20. How was the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tested?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Led by the Spirit

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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). —2 Corinthians 3:17

One of the most dynamic ways to keep your joy is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you (see Psalm 139:24). If you pray first, asking God for a plan, He will never push you into a work of the flesh. Instead, His Holy Spirit prompts, guides, and gently leads you to a place of joy; He will never manipulate or control you. If you are too consumed with your own plan, too locked into the way you think things ought to be, you won’t even hear God speak to you or recognize the promptings from Him. If you are too determined to follow your own ritualistic rules, you can miss the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit and lose the joy God intends for you to have.

It is not wrong to have a plan, but always offer your plan to God and tell Him that if He has something else in mind, you are willing to submit to Him.

Power Thought: The Spirit of the Lord has led me out of bondage and into a life of freedom and joy.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Welcomes You

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“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, KJV).

Several years ago I had the privilege of meeting with a world-famous theologian. This great scholar had denied the deity of Christ and had taught thousands of seminarians who had studied under him that Jesus was only a great man and a great teacher. He was not God incarnate, and surely could not forgive sin and provide rest to His followers. Yet, in a unique way God had created a hunger in his heart for truth and for two years he had done an in-depth study of the life of Jesus.

As we met together in his office, he asked, “What do you tell a student when he asks you how to become a Christian?”

When I realized he was sincere, I proceeded to explain why I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and why all men everywhere need Him as their Savior and Lord, and how anyone who wants to can receive Him.

“I am persuaded,” he said after a long while, “that no honest person who is willing to consider the overwhelming evidence for the deity of Christ can deny that He is the Son of God.”

This great scholar, who had denied the deity of Christ all his life and encouraged millions of others to think likewise, bowed in prayer and received Christ into his life as Savior and Lord.

Jesus Christ stands out clearly as the one supernaturally unique figure in all of history. He is incomparable. He invites all who will to experience His love and forgiveness. “Come unto Me.” He welcomes “all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Bible Reading: Matthew 11:23-27

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will seek to make sure that every loved one, every friend, every contact I make today is fully aware of the fact that God loves him, that Jesus Christ died for him and will welcome him into His family through a simple act of faith. I will tell him that He offers peace and rest – from life’s burdens – to all who follow Him in faith and obedience

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Substitute Sergeant

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When World War I began, nobody was more apprehensive than Alvin C. York, a Tennessee country bumpkin who believed Scripture required him to be a pacifist. “I was worried clean through,” he later recalled. “I didn’t want to go and kill. I believed in my Bible.” Later, York came to understand that he had a duty to defend his country and its godly heritage against tyranny and oppression. And when he did, he became a soldier of tremendous courage and valor, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor and ultimately the subject of the Oscar-winning film Sergeant York.

But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Exodus 4:13

When Moses was called by God to lead, his reaction was much like Sergeant York‘s. You can probably relate, because at one time or another every Christian has prayed the honest – albeit somewhat cowardly – prayer of Moses from today’s verse. But God, as has often been said, does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called. Sergeant York is just one of many thousands of Americans who have risen to the greatness of the occasion.

As you pray today, ask for God to ignite His courage in your life – and then express your gratitude for those who have served and sacrificed so much so that you may live and worship freely.

Greg Laurie – Step by Step

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A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way? . . . In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. —Proverbs 20:24; 16:9

God is in control of all circumstances that surround my life. Sometimes we may feel we understand these circumstances, but at other times we don’t have a clue why certain things happen as they do, and we are mystified. We make our plans. But God always will have His way.

There’s nothing wrong with making a plan for tomorrow or for next month or next year. But we must always plan with this proviso: the Lord may change our plans and take us in a completely different direction. It is His prerogative to do so; He, not you, is in control of your life.

Jeremiah 10:23 says, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” And in the book of Proverbs, the writer asks the question: “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (Proverbs

20:24, NLT).

We sometimes call this guiding of our steps “divine providence.” Does that mean, then, that bad things never will happen to good and even godly people? No. But it does mean that even when bad things happen, God can bring good out of bad, as Romans 8:28 assures us.

All of God’s good promises, however, won’t be fully realized until we get to heaven. There are some things we can look at in life and say, “That was a really terrible experience, but now as I look back in retrospect, I can see the good that has come from it.” But then there are other things we will experience in life that we never will see good come out of—or at least “good” as we understand it. It won’t be until we get to the other side and see the Lord face-to-face that we will understand these things.

Even so, we entrust our lives to His good hands and His great wisdom and praise Him for directing us step by step.

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

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Keeps His Word

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Our daughter Jenna was born in Brazil. Soon after we brought her home we received a hefty bill. No matter how much I pleaded or explained, the insurance company said, “We won’t pay.” The hospital meanwhile said, “You must pay!” The bill was $2,500. Good news: we paid the bill. Bad news: we were broke as a result.

Philippians 4:6 became a theme promise,“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

I was a novice to anxiety-free living, but I treated each anxious thought—and there were many—with prayer. “Lord, with your help I will not be anxious. But I’m in a foreign country with a new baby and an empty bank account. Hint, hint!” God took the hint! God keeps His word. I just need to ask. Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer!

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Signature of the Spirit

November 2, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

Walking in the Spirit involves moment-by-moment sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. But is there an objective standard by which we can measure the vitality of our relationship with Him?

Yes, there is. Fruit is the telling sign. It is not simply one mark of a Spirit-filled life; it is the preeminent mark—the public testimony to a believer’s sensitivity to and dependency on the Holy Spirit.

Those who walk in the Spirit possess the following nine virtues: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). I believe there’s a reason Paul simply listed these virtues and moved on. They aren’t goals to pursue. Why? The fruit of the Spirit was never intended to be a demonstration of our dedication and resolve. Instead, it’s the evidence of our dependency on and sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit.

How else can we characterize believers who walk in the Spirit? The closer you get to them, the better they look. They radiate integrity and trustworthiness. They don’t rely on personality, intimidation, or trumped-up enthusiasm to win you over. They accept themselves as they are and accept you as well. They’re the people you want to be like because of the depth of their character.

We’re not talking about perfection. They still have the flesh to contend with. They can be as unkind and insensitive as anybody else. But when they realize their sin, they are quick to apologize. They are aware that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, they can rise above their sinful desires. Tuning in to His presence results in spiritual fruit that remains even during difficult times.

Unconditional love in a marriage or friendship shines brightest in the midst of our differences; in a similar way, the fruit of the Spirit demonstrates its divine source when circumstances and relationships take a turn for the worse. Then it becomes most apparent that the source of the Christian’s abiding character is something that lies deep within. When all the crutches and props are kicked away, and the believer is still standing, no one can argue that his uniqueness was simply a by-product of his environment.

Spirit-filled believers don’t win every battle. Doubt, temptation, hurt, and disappointment trip them up from time to time. But they don’t dwell on their missteps. They refocus their attention on the big picture, acknowledging the truth that their peace is from the Lord. Then they move on. They know “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).

The fruit of the Spirit is just that: fruit produced by God. When we abide in Christ and allow Him to live His life through us, the result is character that endures despite the chaos of life.

The fruit of the Spirit includes:

Love—for those who do not love in return.

Joy—in the midst of painful circumstances.

Peace—when something you were counting on doesn’t come through.

Patience—when things aren’t going fast enough for you.

Kindness—toward those who treat you unkindly.

Goodness—toward those who have been intentionally insensitive to you.

Faithfulness—when friends have proven unfaithful.

Gentleness—toward those who have handled you roughly.

Self-control—in the midst of intense temptation.

It is not uncommon for the Spirit’s fruit to take us by surprise. I have seen this happen many times, especially in the lives of new believers. When we shift our focus from self to the Holy Spirit, He can work freely in our lives. The results are uncharacteristic character, true change, and fruit that remains (John 15:16).

That is the nature of fruit. We don’t produce it; we discover it. As you begin walking in the Spirit, you will finish a debate with your kids and realize you didn’t raise your voice. You will walk away from a heated conversation and think, Wow, I didn’t lose my temper. You will be asked to go somewhere you have no business going, and you will hear yourself saying, “No, thank you.”

Eventually you will overhear someone make a comment to the effect of, “I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he’s really different.” And you will realize that person is right, though not because you set out to change. Transformation will happen only when you surrender to the promptings of the Spirit. Remember, fruit is not something you work to attain. It’s something that can take you by surprise as the Holy Spirit produces it in your life.

Adapted from “The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life” (1992).

Related Resources

Our Daily Bread — Hands Off!

November 2, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Psalm 46

Be still, and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10

I remember bobbing for apples when I was a child, a game that required me to have my hands tied behind my back. Trying to grab a floating apple with my teeth without the use of my hands was a frustrating experience. It reminded me of the vital importance of our hands—we eat with them, greet with them, and use them to do just about anything that is vital to our existence.

When I read Psalm 46:10, I find it interesting that God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The Hebrew word for “still” means to “cease striving,” or, literally, “to put our hands at our side.” At first glance this seems to be a rather risky piece of advice, since our first instinct in trouble is to keep our hands on the situation and control it to our advantage. God in essence is saying, “Hands off! Let Me deal with your problem, and rest assured that the outcome is in My hands.”

But knowing when to take our hands off and let God work can make us feel vulnerable. Unless, that is, we believe that God is indeed “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v.1) and that “the LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (v.7). In the midst of trouble, we can rest in God’s care. —Joe Stowell

Lord, forgive me for always wanting

to manage my own affairs.

Teach me to trust in Your wise and timely intervention

in my life and to keep my hands out of Your way.

When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.

Bible in a year: Jeremiah 27-29; Titus 3

Insight

We often think of this passage in times of busyness and stress, and we emphasize that the stillness means “to cease striving.” But the imagery in verses 2-4 and 8-9 (the destruction of the earth and the weapons of war) suggests that even when self-preservation is the aim, our hands should be at our sides and our trust should be in God.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Inward Trembling

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Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. Psalm 119:53

My soul, do you feel this holy trembling at the sins of others? For if you do not, you lack inward holiness. David’s cheeks were wet with rivers of waters because of prevailing unholiness. Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains that he might lament the iniquities of Israel, and Lot was deeply troubled by the conduct of the men of Sodom. Those upon whom the mark was set in Ezekiel’s vision were those who sighed and cried for the sins of Jerusalem. Gracious souls cannot help but be grieved to see what pains men take to go to hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally [experientially], and they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze.

Sin makes the righteous shudder because it violates a holy law that it is in every man’s highest interest to keep; it pulls down the pillars of the nation. Sin in others horrifies a believer because it makes him think of the baseness of his own heart: When he sees a transgressor he is reminded of his own frailty and vulnerability: “He fell today, and I may fall tomorrow.” Sin to a believer is horrible because it crucified the Savior; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear. How troubling it should be when the Christian learns to tolerate rather than shrink from it in disgust.

Each of us must examine his heart. It is an awful thing to insult God to His face. The good God deserves better treatment; the great God claims it; the just God will have it or repay His adversary to his face. An awakened heart trembles at the audacity of sin and stands alarmed at the contemplation of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is rebellion! How dreadful a doom is prepared for the ungodly! My soul, never laugh at sin’s fooleries, lest you begin to smile at sin itself. It is your enemy, and your Lord’s enemy: Learn to detest it and to distance yourself from it, for only then can you give evidence of the possession of holiness, without which no one can see the Lord.

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The family reading plan for November 2, 2014 * Hosea 8 * Psalm 123, 124, 125

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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 – The exaltation of Christ

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“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

John MacArthur – The Hope That Assures

November 2, 2014 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Heb. 11:1).

Faith is the solid ground on which we stand as we await the fulfillment of God’s promises.

An elderly man who, on his seventy-fifth birthday, received an invitation to fly over the little West Virginia town in which he had spent his entire life. Although he had never before flown, the man accepted the gracious offer.

After circling the town for about twenty minutes, the pilot safely returned his passenger to the ground. The man’s grandson greeted him excitedly, asking, “Were you scared, Grandpa?” “No,” he replied sheepishly, “but I never did put my full weight down.”

Unlike that hesitant grandfather, true faith trusts fully in its object. For the Christian, that means resting in God and His promises. That’s the primary characteristic of each faithful individual listed in Hebrews 11. They all believed God and responded accordingly.

People often confuse faith with a wistful longing that something, however unlikely, will come to pass in the future. But “assurance” in Hebrews 11:1 speaks of essence and reality— the real thing, as opposed to mere appearance. Faith, then, involves absolute certainty.

For example, the Old Testament saints had the promise of a coming Messiah who would take away sin. They believed God, even though their understanding of Messiah was incomplete and somewhat vague. They knew their hopes would be fulfilled, and that assurance dominated their lives.

It’s the same for New Testament believers. Peter said, “Though you have not seen [Christ], you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:8-9).

Man’s natural tendency is to trust only in the things he can see, hear, touch, or taste. But our physical senses may lie, whereas God cannot (Titus 1:2). Far better to believe God and trust in His promises.

Suggestions for Prayer; Which promises of God are especially meaningful to you today? Thank Him for them and reaffirm your commitment to living on the basis of His Word.

For Further Study; Skim Hebrews 11 and note all the divine promises you find there. To gain a fuller understanding of each one, find other Scripture references that mention the same promises.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – It’s Unconditional

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But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. —Romans 5:8

According to God’s Word, He loved us before the world was formed, before we loved Him or believed in Him. God does not require us to earn His love, and we must not require others to earn ours. We should realize that love is something we are to become; it is not something we do and then don’t do. We cannot turn it on and off, depending on whom we want to give it to and how they are treating us.

As believers in Jesus Christ, the love we are to manifest to the world is the unconditional love of God flowing through us to them. Our love has conditions and limits; His does not.

Loving people unconditionally is a very big challenge. I would be tempted to say it is impossible, but God tells us to do it, and He never commands us to do something and then leaves us to perform it on our own. His grace (His power, ability, and favor) is sufficient for us, which means He enables us to do what He has called us to do.

God actually sends some people into our lives to function as “sand¬paper” to help smooth our rough edges. Learning to walk in love with unlovely people is one of the most important tools God uses to develop our spiritual maturity.

Love Others Today: “Lord, give me grace to love everyone in my life, even the difficult ones.”

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Judging the World

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“For He has set a day for justly judging the world by the man He has appointed, and has pointed Him out by bringing Him back to life again” (Acts 17:31).

Why does God command men and women to repent? And why does He expect you and me to relay His message to them?

The answer is simple: because “He has set a day for justly judging the world.” And if people refuse to be penitent and thus become pardoned, they must be condemned.

“Justly,” of course, can be interpreted: “according to the rules of strict justice.” And who will do the judging? The man God has appointed – His only Son, Jesus Christ; the one He has pointed out to us clearly by bringing Him back to life again.

Jesus, you will remember, declared that He would judge the nations (John 5:25,26 and Matthew 25). God confirmed the truth of those declarations by raising Him from the dead – giving His sanction to what the Lord Jesus has said, for surely God would not work a miracle on behalf of an imposter.

What comfort and help can you and I receive from these truths today? Surely, this is a reminder that God is still on the throne; He is in control; nothing is going on in the world without His knowledge and consent.

Further, we are reminded of God’s justice, which assures us that He will always do right in behalf of His children. That falls right in line with Romans 8:28, of course, which concerns all things working together for our good.

Bible Reading: Psalm 9:7-10

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: World turmoil will not upset me, for I know the God who sits on the throne – and who rules over all

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; CP – Stepping Up

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On September 11, 2001, Ronald C. Fazio held the door open on the ninety-ninth floor of the World Trade Center South Tower and directed people to safety, saving their lives while sacrificing his. In his honor, his son, Robert J. Fazio Ph.D., founded Hold the Door for Others, a nonprofit organization to “empower people to grow through loss and adversity.” Fazio said, “My dad was not a ‘leader’ as most of us would describe a leader. He was a quiet, humble man.”

He took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people.

Mark 8:6

During Christ’s ministry, thousands of people who came to hear Him and receive healing had no food. Jesus stepped up and provided for them through a miracle and by directing His disciples to help. What if Jesus didn’t take responsibility? Had He sent them off with no food, Christ said they would have fainted along the way (Mark 8:3).

Large crowds can be helpless without effective leadership. Is God asking you to step up? Thank God for this country’s leaders. Pray for His will to be done in the decisions they make. Then ask Him to show you ways you can humbly lead.

Charles Stanley – God’s Special People

November 1, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

1 Peter 2:9-10

Sometimes, even believers have trouble remembering their purpose in life. In the busyness of our day-to-day activities, it is rather easy to forget how wonderfully and purposefully designed we are in the eyes of our Creator. Yet 1 Peter 2:9-10 brings our focus back to God, showing us that He made us to be . . .

A chosen race. You did not have to fight for a place in the house of the Lord. Instead, He chose you. The God of the universe actively sought you out because He wanted an unending relationship with you. You were selected by God Himself!
A royal priesthood. In the days of the Old Testament, a king could not be a priest, and a priest could not be a king. The two offices were separate and distinct. However, in Christ, God has called every believer into a new category. We are now sons and daughters of the King, and we have unrestricted, intimate access to almighty God. We are royal priests.
A holy nation. The word holy simply means “set apart.” The Holy Spirit has sealed all believers as children of God (Eph. 4:30), and nothing can ever dissolve their relationship with the Father.
God’s own possession. Do you realize how valuable you are to the heavenly Father? You are worth so much to Him that He purchased your eternal salvation at great cost: the life of His only Son (1 Cor. 6:20).

Nothing about you takes our omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God by surprise. He made you to be His representative in the world and therefore knows you completely. Does your life reflect your God-given position?

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Mosaic

November 1, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Ephesians 2:10-22

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. —Ephesians 2:10

For 3 weeks every fall season, our city becomes an art gallery. Nearly 2,000 artists from around the world display their creations in galleries, museums, hotels, parks, city streets, parking lots, restaurants, churches, and even in the river.

Among my favorite entries are mosaics made from small pieces of colored glass. The winning entry in 2011 was a 9 x 13-foot stained-glass mosaic of the crucifixion by artist Mia Tavonatti. While viewing the artwork, I heard the artist discuss how many times she had cut herself while shaping the pieces of glass for her mosaic.

As I gazed at the beautiful rendition of what was a horrific event, I saw more than a representation of the crucifixion—I saw a picture of the church, the body of Christ. In each piece of glass I saw an individual believer, beautifully shaped by Christ to fit together into the whole (Eph. 2:16,21). In the artist’s story, I recognized the shedding of Jesus’ blood so that this unity could take place. And in the finished artwork, I saw the act of love required to complete the project despite pain and sacrifice.

We who believe in Christ are a work of art created by God to show the greatness of a Savior who makes something beautiful out of the broken pieces of our lives. —Julie Ackerman Link

The church’s one foundation

Is Jesus Christ her Lord,

She is His new creation,

By water and the Word. —Stone

Christ gave everything to make something beautiful of His church.

Bible in a year: Jeremiah 24-26; Titus 2

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Folly of Doubt

November 1, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

…and they were unaware until the flood came, and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:39

The doom was universal. Neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the illiterate, the admired and the despised, the religious and the profane, the old and the young all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed the preacher, but where were their merry jests now? Others had threatened Noah for his zeal, which they regarded as madness. What happened to their boastings and hard speeches? The critic who judged the old man’s work drowns in the same sea that covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man’s faithfulness to his convictions, but did not share them, have sunk to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark are all lost also. The Flood swept them all away and made no single exception. Even so, outside of Christ, final destruction is sure to everyone; no rank, possession, or character will be enough to save a single soul who has not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, consider this widespread judgment and tremble at it.

How incredible was the general apathy! They were all eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the awful morning dawned. There was not one wise individual upon earth outside of the ark. Folly duped the whole race: folly as to self-preservation, the most fooling of all follies. Folly in doubting the most true God: the most malignant foolishness. Is it not strange, my soul? All men are negligent of their souls until grace gives them reason; then they leave their madness and act like rational beings, but not until then.

All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark; no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless lamb as safe as the laborious ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, are you in Him?

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The family reading plan for November 1, 2014 * Hosea 7 * Psalm 120, 121, 122

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

Uncategorized

Charles Spurgeon – The security of the Church

November 1, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” Psalm 125:2

DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION

Monthly Archives: November 2014

Alistair Begg – Weapon of Prayer

Charles Spurgeon – The God of peace

John MacArthur – Having a Faith That Responds

Joyce Meyer – Be Led by the Spirit

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Welcomes You

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Substitute Sergeant

Greg Laurie – Step by Step

Max Lucado – God Keeps His Word

Charles Stanley – The Signature of the Spirit

Our Daily Bread — Hands Off!

Alistair Begg – Inward Trembling

Charles Spurgeon – The exaltation of Christ

John MacArthur – The Hope That Assures

Joyce Meyer – It’s Unconditional

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Judging the World

Presidential Prayer Team; CP – Stepping Up

Charles Stanley – God’s Special People

Our Daily Bread — Mosaic

Alistair Begg – Folly of Doubt

Charles Spurgeon – The security of the Church

Scriptures, Lessons, News and Links to help you survive.