Daily Archives: August 1, 2015

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Handling Difficult Circumstances

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Philippians 3:8-11

The apostle Paul understood how to handle tough circumstances. Even while confined in a prison cell, he kept his eyes on Christ and trusted firmly in the Savior. Therefore, despite being in chains, he was able to celebrate the Lord’s work in his life. In fact, the epistle he wrote from jail to the Philippians was filled with rejoicing and praise (Philippians 1:18; Philippians 2:18; Philippians 3:1).

Focusing on Christ is neither a natural reaction nor an easy one. Our instinct is to dwell on the situation at hand, searching for solutions or stewing over the pain and difficulty. As a result, troubles look insurmountable and overwhelm us with a sense of failure.

However, fear and defeat can’t live long in a heart that trusts the Lord. I’m not saying you will forget what you’re going through, but you can choose to dwell on His provision and care instead. He is the Deliverer (2 Corinthians 1:10). He is the Healer (Jeremiah 17:14). And He is the Guide (Proverbs 3:6). The believer who lays claim to divine promises discovers that God pushes back negative emotions. In their place, hope, confidence, and contentment take up residence (Philippians 4:11). You aren’t going to be happy about any difficult situation, but you can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble.

The Lord’s principles and promises don’t change, no matter how severe or painful the situation is. Focus on Christ instead of the circumstances—God will comfort your heart and bring you safely through the trial. Then you will be ready to answer Paul’s call to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

Bible in One Year: Isaiah 40-42

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — How To Have Peace

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Read: Colossians 1:15-23

Bible in a Year: Psalms 57-59; Romans 4

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:1

The Kamppi Chapel of Silence in Helsinki, Finland, stands out in its urban setting. The curved structure, covered with wood, buffers the noise from the busy city outside. Designers created the chapel as a quiet space and a “calm environment for visitors to compose themselves.” It’s a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Many people long for peace, and a few minutes of silence may soothe our minds. But the Bible teaches that real peace—peace with God—comes from His Son. The apostle Paul said, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Without Christ, we are enemies of God because of our sin. Thankfully, accepting Jesus’ sacrifice reconciles us to God and ends the hostility that existed between us (Col. 1:19-21). He now sees us as Christ presents us—“holy, and blameless, and above reproach” (v. 22).

Having peace with God does not ensure problem-free living. However, it does steady us during difficult times. Jesus told His followers, “In the world you will have tribulation,” but He also said, “In Me you may have peace” (John 16:33). Because of Christ, the true peace of God can fill our hearts (Col. 3:15). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Father, we long for Your peace in the midst of our turmoil. Please help us to rest in You.

Peace floods the soul when Christ rules the heart.

INSIGHT: In verse 15 of today’s reading the key word is image. Because “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), and therefore invisible (Col. 1:15), how can we see and know Him? The answer is that Christ came in human form, yet perfectly exhibited the heart, character, and life of the Father. This is where the word image comes in. It is the Greek term eikon (from which we get the word icon), which means “representation.” We cannot see the Father, so the Son came as His representative to show us who He is and what He is like. This was so perfectly accomplished that Jesus told His disciples, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Bill Crowder

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – The Broad Field of Promise

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Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain. Ruth 2:2

Downcast and troubled Christian, come and glean today in the broad field of promise. Here is an abundance of precious promises, which meet your needs exactly. Take this one: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.”1 Is that not helpful to you? A reed, helpless, insignificant, and weak, a bruised reed, out of which no music can come, weaker than weakness itself-yet He will not break you, but on the contrary, will restore and strengthen you.

You are like the smoking wick: No light, no warmth, can come from you, but He will not extinguish you; He will blow with His sweet breath of mercy until He fans you into a flame. Would you glean another ear? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”2 What gentle words! Your heart is tender, and the Master knows it, and therefore He speaks so softly to you. Will you not obey Him and come to Him even now? Take another ear of corn: “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”3 How can you fear with such a wonderful assurance as this?

You may gather ten thousand golden ears such as this: “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist.”4 Or this: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”5 Or this: “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”6 Our Master’s field is very rich, as you can see. Plenty of promises lie before you, believer! Gather them up, make them your own, for Jesus wants you to have them. Do not be afraid; only believe! Grasp these sweet promises, thresh them out by meditation, and feed on them with joy.

1) Isaiah 42:3

2) Matthew 11:28

3) Isaiah 41:14

4) Isaiah 44:22

5) Isaiah 1:18

6) Revelation 22:17

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • Judges 15
  • Acts 19

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

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Sovereign grace and man’s responsibility

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“But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” Romans 10:20,21

Suggested Further Reading: Matthew 26:20-25

I see in one place, God presiding over all in providence; and yet I see, and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions to his own will, in a great measure. Now, if I were to declare that man was so free to act, that there was no control of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to atheism; and if, on the other hand, I declare that God so overrules all things, as that man is not free enough to be responsible, I am driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and that man is responsible, are two things that few can see. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory; but they are not. It is just the fault of our weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever contradict each other. These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth springs.

For meditation: The Bible does not tell us everything; nor does it give a full explanation of what it does tell us. But it tells us more than enough to give us a sound foundation for our faith and obedience (Deuteronomy 29:29; John 20:30,31).

Sermon no. 207

1 August (1858)

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Transformation

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So that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured. – Acts 5:15–16

Peter was a man with a past. He was bold and not afraid of change, but he also had many faults. In Matthew 16:22–23, we see Peter trying to correct Jesus. In Matthew 26:31–35, we see that Peter thought more highly of himself than he should have. In Matthew 26:69–75, it is recorded that Peter denied even knowing Jesus.

Once Peter realized the depth of his sin, he wept bitterly, which showed that he had a repentant heart (v. 75). God is merciful and understands our weaknesses. In John 21, we see Jesus lovingly restore Peter. Peter had been included in God’s plans for the future even though he had a past record of foolishness and failure. Peter had denied Christ, and yet he became one of the best-known apostles. Peter could have spent his entire life feeling bad about his denial of Jesus, but he pressed past that failure and became valuable to God’s kingdom.

Lord, You are a God of transformation. Help me to press past my failures and become a valuable servant of Yours today. Thank You for including me in Your plans for the future. Amen.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Does Such Wonders

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“I will cry to the God of heaven who does such wonders for me” (Psalm 57:2).

I cannot begin to count the times, even during just one 24-hour day, that I lift my heart in praise, worship and adoration and thanksgiving to God in heaven. I begin the day by acknowledging His lordship of my life and inviting Him to have complete control of my thoughts, my attitudes, my actions, my motives, my desires, my words; to walk around in my body, think with my mind, love with my heart, speak with my lips and continue through me to seek and save the lost and minister to those in need. Throughout the day I bring before Him the personal needs of my family. I pray for the extended family of Campus Crusade for Christ and staff and their families and for all those who support this ministry through their prayers and finances. I pray for business and professional people, that God will bless their finances as well as their lives so that they can continue to help support this and other ministries for His kingdom.

As I look through the mail, I breathe a prayer to God for some staff member, friend, associate, or supporter who is hurting, needing encouragement, strength and peace. At all of my many daily conferences, I will begin and close with a brief word of prayer claiming the promise of God-given wisdom for the matters we shall be discussing, for supernatural discernment that will enable me to see through all the intricacies of the problems presented. When the phone rings, I breathe a silent prayer and often a vocal one at the appropriate time with that person on the other end of the line who is in distress, whether from family problems or work-related difficulties.

In between, I pray alone and with others for the hundreds of different people, events and circumstances that involve the worldwide ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ and the ministry of His Body throughout the world.

Bible Reading: Psalm 57:1-11

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Recognizing that prayer is as vital to my spiritual life as air is to my physical being, I will pray without ceasing and in all things give thanks to our God in heaven who does such wonders for me.

 

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – The God Who Sees

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When crimes occur in today’s technological society, one of the first things the police search for is camera footage – whether traffic cameras, security cameras or cell phone video from passersby. There’s not much you can do that isn’t caught on camera.

The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:8

Adam didn’t live in an age of cell phones and digital cameras, but he still got caught eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Creator of the Universe didn’t need security footage from the Garden of Eden to show Adam tasting the fruit from the forbidden tree. Through Adam’s experience, you comprehend the omnipresence of God. In today’s passage, Adam tried to disappear among the garden – but God was undeniably there.

The same is true where you are right now. El Roi, the God Who Sees, is there when no one is watching. He sees when you try to cover sin, but He also sees the hard work you think no one notices. Ask Him to help you recognize and revere His presence in your life and in the lives of your national leaders. Pray for Americans to live a life that doesn’t need to be hidden.

Recommended Reading: Genesis 3:1-12

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What Happens to Believers When They Die?

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“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” —2 Corinthians 5:8

Death is no respecter of persons.

Believers and nonbelievers both die. Believers as well as nonbelievers get cancer, have auto accidents, have heart attacks. But, as believers, we have the promise that we will go straight into the presence of God at death. Paul writes, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

In Luke 16:22, we are told that when the believer Lazarus died, he was “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.”

My son Christopher left this world some years ago. It comforts me to think he was carried by angels into God’s presence. If only we could have the veil peeled back and see this glorious world we will go to.

When young Stephen was being martyred, he was given a glimpse of glory. “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Acts 7:55–56).

Stephen told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” At this point Stephen’s face “became as bright as an angel’s” (Acts 6:15). Stephen was given a “glimpse of glory,” which awaits all Christians on the other side.

When the great evangelist D. L. Moody was on his deathbed, he said, “Is this dying? Why, this is bliss. There is no valley. I have been within the gates. Earth is receding; heaven is opening; God is calling; I must go.”

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples –Words, Words

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“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.” 2 Corinthians 6:11

Every knowledgeable marriage counselor knows that the inability or unwillingness of husbands to reveal their feelings to their wives is one of the most common complaints of women.

Research shows that little girls are blessed with greater linguistic ability than little boys; it remains a lifelong talent. As an adult, she is typically far better at expressing her thoughts and feelings. God may have given her 50,000 words per day and her husband only 25,000. He comes home with 24,994 used up and disappears into Monday Night Football; she is dying to expend her remaining 25,000 words and find out what he’s thinking, what happened at the office, and, especially, how he feels about her. This difference between him and her—a function of their inherited temperaments—is one of countless ways they are unique.

When communication is a problem, compromise is in order. The clammed‐up husband must press himself to open his heart and share his deeper feelings. The frustrated wife must recognize that her man may not be capable of the emotional intimacy she seeks. They must seek to fix what can be improved—and to accept the rest.

Just between us…

  • Is it true in our case that the wife has twice as many words to use up each day as the husband?
  • Have our communicative differences created problems between us? • In terms of sharing feelings, how would you like our marriage to change?
  • What hinders good communication between us? How can we change?

Lord, help us to celebrate our differences as man and woman while tenderly and joyfully helping each other make the most of our union with every word. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading

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The idea that ‘being in love’ is the only reason for remaining married really leaves no room for marriage as a contract or promise at all. If love is the whole thing, then the promise can add nothing; and if it adds nothing, then it should not be made. The curious thing is that lovers themselves, while they remain really in love, know this better than those who talk about love. As Chesterton pointed out, those who are in love have a natural inclination to bind themselves by promises. Love songs all over the world are full of vows of eternal constancy. The Christian law is not forcing upon the passion of love something which is foreign to that passion’s own nature: it is demanding that lovers should take seriously something which their passion of itself impels them to do.

And, of course, the promise, made when I am in love and because I am in love, to be true to the beloved as long as I live, commits me to being true even if I cease to be in love. A promise must be about things that I can do, about actions: no one can promise to go on feeling in a certain way. He might as well promise never to have a headache or always to feel hungry.

From Mere Christianity

Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis