Monthly Archives: September 2015

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The God to Whom We Pray

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Nehemiah 1:1-11

Nehemiah demonstrates power in prayer. As a servant to King Artaxerxes of Persia, he had no right to request leave to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, much less to requisition materials and protection. Yet knowing the nature of the God he served, Nehemiah did not hesitate to act boldly and ask the king for what was needed.

His prayer began, “I beseech You, O lord God of heaven” (Neh. 1:5). Lord, when it appears in all capital letters, denotes the word Jehovah (a form of Yahweh, the Hebrew name for God). It means “God who is eternal in His being”—conveying that everything everywhere is in His presence. So, when God makes a promise, He knows how He will keep it. That is why Nehemiah called Him “the awesome God who preserves the covenant.” He knew God was committed to bringing repentant Israelites back to their homeland to dwell in His presence (Neh. 1:9).

Another Hebrew name used to refer to God, Elohim, is translated “He who is absolutely sovereign.” If He spoke the world into being, then He is certainly more than able to provide Nehemiah with supplies, some time off from work, and favor from the Persian king.

There are many other names for God, such as Adonai (“master”), Jehovah-Jireh (“provider”), and Jehovah-Rapha (“healer”). Since the Hebrew language is precise, it can help us to better know who He is—when we need solace, we call upon the God of comfort; in our confusion, we have the God who teaches. Just as knowing one’s audience affects which words we choose to speak, the way we view God impacts how we pray.

Bible in One Year: Hosea 6-9

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — 2 A.M. Friends

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Read: Colossians 4:2-15

Bible in a Year: Proverbs 30-31; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. —Colossians 4:12

A friend told me about a group of people who share a strong bond of faith in Christ. One of them, a 93-year-old woman, said, “I feel like I can call any of you at 2 a.m., and I don’t even have to apologize if I feel the need for any type of assistance.” Whether the need is prayer, practical help, or someone to be there during a time of need, these friends are unconditionally committed to each other.

The same sense of commitment shines through Paul’s letter to the followers of Jesus in Colossae. Writing from prison in Rome, Paul says he is sending Tychicus and Onesimus to encourage them (Col. 4:7-9). Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus send their greetings (vv.10-11). And Epaphras is “always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (v. 12). These are bold assurances of practical help and deep-seated love.

Are you part of a “2 a.m. group”? If so, give thanks for the faithfulness of friends. If not, ask the Lord to connect you with another person with whom you can share a commitment to pray and care. I suspect it will soon grow to include others. Share the love of Christ with one another.

Anything. Anytime. Anywhere. All in Jesus’ name! —David McCasland

Jesus, thank You for friends who demonstrate Your love to me. Help me to do the same for them and those around me. Most of all, thank You for being the friend who sticks closer than a brother.Share this prayer from our Facebook page with your friends: facebook.com/ourdailybread

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus

INSIGHT: Paul wrote the book of Colossians to the church at Colossae, which apparently was a sister church to the church at Laodicea about 10 miles away (Col. 2:1). The Colossian church appears to have been founded by Paul’s colleague Epaphras (1:7) and was also the home church of Philemon and his redeemed slave, Onesimus (4:9; see Philem. 1:2). Bill Crowder

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Scandalous Dining

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We typically fill our parties with people similar to ourselves. We invite into our homes those we work with, play with, or otherwise have something in common with. We celebrate with fellow graduates, entertain people from our neighborhoods, and open our doors to four year-olds when our own is turning four. Psychologists concur: we socialize with those in our circles because we have some ring of similarity that connects us.

The man in the parable of the great banquet is no different. The story is told in Luke chapter 14 of an affluent master of ceremonies who had invited a great number of people like himself to a meal. The list was likely distinguished; the guests were no doubt as prosperous socially as they were financially. Jesus sets the story at a critical time for all involved. The invitations had long been sent out and accepted. Places were now set; the table was now prepared. All was ready. Accordingly, the owner of the house sent his servant to bring in the guests. But none would come.

Anthropologists characterize the culture of Jesus’s day as an “honor/shame” society, where one’s quality of life was directly affected by the amount of honor or shame socially attributed to him or her. The public eye was paramount; every interaction either furthered or diminished one’s standing, honor, and regard in the eyes of the world.

Thus, in this parable, the master of the banquet had just been deliberately and publicly shamed. He was pushed to the margins of society and treated with the force of contempt. Hearers of this parable would have been waiting with baited breath to hear how this man would attempt to reclaim his honor. But scandalously, in fact, the master of the feast did not attempt to reverse his public shame. Altogether curiously, he embraced it.

Turning to the slave, the owner of the house appointed the servant with a new task: “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and the poor and maimed and lame and blind bring in here.”(1) Returning, the servant reported, “Lord it has all occurred as you ordered, and still there is room.” So the owner of the house responded again, “Go out into the waves and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

The slave is told to do what he must to compel the masses to come, liberating the blind, the lame, and the excluded of their social status and stigma with an invitation to dine with none other than the master. It is a staggering portrayal of a God who is shamed by the rejection of his people, and yet continues to respond with lavish grace and scandalous invitation into his presence. The owner of the house has opened wide the doors. The feast is ready—and there is yet room.

The longing to belong in the right circles is a desire that touches us all. Even so, one only has to watch a group of kids on playground to see how easily our desire to belong is corrupted by our need to exclude: the inner circle is not inner if there are no outsiders. Lines of honor and shame are futile if the majority is not on the wrong side. But in this story, God scandalously breaks these lines of demarcation and stratification. The Father forever challenges the notion that his house will be filled only with the rich or the righteous or those without shame.

The banquet is ready and there is a call to fill the house with the lost and unworthy, the homeless, the blind, the outsiders and the out-of-place. The invitation Jesus presents is wide enough to scour the darkest of hedges and the depths of the city streets. Whether we find ourselves outside of the circle because we have rejected him or at the table communing with his guests, it is a thought to digest: the kingdom of God is like a great banquet. God’s compulsion is our nourishment. The feast is ready and there is still room.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Luke 14:21.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Two Things

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If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

The two most important things in our Christian journey are the life of faith and the walk of faith. The person who grasps this is not far from being a master in experimental [experiential] theology, for they are vital points to a Christian. You will never find true faith unaccompanied by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life that does not have at its root a living faith relying upon the righteousness of Christ.

Woe to those who seek the one without the other! There are some who cultivate faith and forget holiness; these may be very high in orthodoxy, but they shall be very deep in condemnation, for they hold the truth in unrighteousness! There are others who have strained after a holy life but have denied the faith, like the Pharisees of old, of whom the Master said they were “whitewashed tombs.”1 We must have faith, for this is the foundation; we must have holiness of life, for this is the superstructure.

What use is the mere foundation of a building to a man on the day of tempest? Can he hide himself in it? He needs a house to cover him as well as a foundation for that house. Even so we need the superstructure of spiritual life if we want comfort in the day of doubt. But do not seek a holy life without faith, for that would be to erect a house that can provide no permanent shelter because it has no foundation on a rock. Let faith and life be put together, and like the two supports of an archway, they will make our devotion endure. Like light and heat streaming from the same sun, they are full of blessing. Like the two pillars of the temple, they are for glory and for beauty. They are two streams from the fountain of grace, two lamps lit with holy fire, two olive trees watered by heavenly care.

Lord, give us today life internally, and it will reveal itself externally to Your glory.

1) Matthew 23:27

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 2 Samuel 14
  • 2 Corinthians 7

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

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Who can tell?

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“Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?” Jonah 3:9

Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 39

I remember many who have passed from the land of the living and have gone to another world—and some how suddenly, how rapidly! I have been startled at it often myself. I have seen some here on the Sabbath, and by the Tuesday or by the Thursday the message has come, “On what day can you bury such and such a one?” “Bury her!” “Yes, sir, bury her, she is gone;” and I have said, “How strange it seems that she should be dead who so lately was living in our midst!” Forty days is a long lease compared with that which you have any reason to conclude that God has bestowed on you. But what if it were forty years, how short a time even then. If you will but look with the eye of wisdom, how rapidly our years revolve. Are you not startled even now to see the withered leaf in your path? It was but yesterday that the fresh green buds were seen. It seems but a month ago since first we saw the wheat starting up from the ground, and now the harvest is over and gone and many of the birds have disappeared and the tints of autumn are succeeding the verdure of summer. Years seem but months now and months but days, and days pass so rapidly that they flit like shadows before us. O! men and women, if we could but measure life it is but a span, and in a time how short, how brief, every one of us must appear before his God. The shortness of time should help to arouse us.

For meditation: Time seems to speed up the older we get! In contrast the unbeliever will discover in eternity that time has ground to a terrible halt.

Sermon no. 275

18 September (1859)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Trusting God

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“In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16).

Intense spiritual warfare calls for intense trust in God.

An on-duty Roman soldier was always dressed for battle but didn’t employ his shield, helmet, and sword until the fighting started. But we as Christians must be ready for battle at all times because our enemy is relentless. We can’t afford to overlook a single piece of armor or slip into complacency or neglect.

In that regard, Ephesians 6:16 says in effect, “Now that you’ve prepared for battle by girding your loins with truth, protecting your vital organs with the breastplate of righteousness, and securing your feet with the gospel of peace, don’t forget to take up your shield.”

Two types of shields were commonly used by Roman soldiers. One was a small, lightweight, round shield that was strapped to the soldier’s left forearm and used to parry blows during hand-to-hand combat. The other, which Paul refers to here, was a large shield measuring about four-and- a-half-feet high and two-and-a-half-feet wide. It was made of sturdy wood covered with metal and a thick layer of oil- treated leather. The metal deflected arrows while the oily leather extinguished the fiery pitch that arrows were commonly swabbed with. That type of shield was ideal for full-body protection.

In the initial stages of a battle, the front-line soldiers knelt behind their large shields to protect themselves and provide a defense barrier for the troops behind them who were firing offensive weapons. The goal was to inch their way forward as a human wall until they could engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

As a believer, the shield that protects you is your faith in God. If you never question His character, power, or Word, you’ll never fall victim to Satan’s attacks. That doesn’t mean he won’t beseige you—but when he does, his assaults will be ineffective.

Suggestions for Prayer

Faith is a precious gift from God (Phil. 1:29). Thank Him for it and ask for wisdom to apply it properly when spiritual struggles come (James 1:5).

For Further Study

Read Romans 8:31-39.

  • Meditate on the victory you have in Christ.
  • What effect should that have on your daily living?
Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Making Healthy Choices

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And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired—good (suitable, pleasant) for food. – Genesis 2:9

Learn to do everything you do for God’s glory, including eating. Look at your dinner plate and ask if what you are about to eat is mostly what God created for you. Don’t view eating as a secular event that has nothing to do with your relationship with God. Don’t forget that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told them what they could eat. If eating had nothing to do with their walk with Him, He probably would not have mentioned food.

Make good choices! Each time you choose good healthy foods, you are choosing life, which is God’s gift to you. He wants you to look great and feel great, and you can, if you keep in mind that your body is the temple of God and the fuel you put into it determines how it will operate and for how long.

 

 

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Are You Bearing Fruit

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“By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8, NAS).

Early in my Christian life, I had little faith as I prayed for one person, who by God’s grace received Christ. The more I understood the attributes of God and experienced His blessing on my witness for Him, the more I could trust Him.

As our Campus Crusade for Christ staff grew in number and we trained more and more students and laymen, we began to pray for millions to receive Christ. God honored our faith and prayers with millions of recorded decisions for our Savior in more than 150 countries of the world.

Now that we are helping to train millions of Christians on every major continent, associated with thousands of churches of all denominations and various other Christian organizations, I have the faith to pray for a billion souls to receive Christ. As I have come to know our Lord Jesus Christ better, I have learned to trust Him more. I now believe that He will do great and mighty things through me and through others as we live by faith the supernatural Christian life. Faith is like a muscle; it grows with exercise. The more we see God do in and through the lives of His children, the more we expect Him to do. Please note God does not change – He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We are the ones who change as we mature in faith.

How do you know that you are a true disciple? That you are glorifying God? By bearing much fruit. But what kind of fruit? The fruit of your holy life and the fruit of your Spirit-anointed lips must be in balance.

Some Christians concentrate on Bible study and prayer, seeking to honor God. Others concentrate on much Christian activity. Every time the church door opens, they are there. Yet neither type of person is experiencing God’s best.

Remember, we glorify God when we bear much fruit. Too many Christians are satisfied with modest efforts and modest results. Yet the better we know God and the more we are acquainted with His Word, the more we have fellowship with Him and grasp His vision and His burden for all people throughout the world.

Bible Reading: John 15:4, 5, 12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I determine through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, that I will glorify God by bearing much fruit through both the witness of my life and the witness of my lips.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; – Old Barefoot

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Was it a test to see how many of them they could keep, or was it to be a standard by which they were to live? Though they may have been both, the Ten Commandments certainly revealed man’s true condition. His “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” (Jeremiah 17:9) The laws were not Israel’s savior; they condemned the people. There needed to be something or someone else.

Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance.”

Ruth 4:6

The story of Ruth tells of a man called “redeemer,” but he didn’t measure up to the name. In fact, Bible teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee thought he should be called “Old Barefoot,” for he made a deal with Boaz to give up land and a marriage to Ruth, sealing the deal by giving up a sandal (Ruth 4:8). Boaz acted on Ruth’s behalf to be her kinsman-redeemer so she could have a blessed life.

 

It is the same for you, dear one. Jesus came on your behalf, bearing your sin on the cross so that, in believing, you can look forward to life eternal in Heaven. Pray today for all people still needing a redeemer – especially those in political leadership – that their hearts will be changed and that they will be saved and blessed.

Recommended Reading: Ruth 4:7-13, 16-17

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Art of Ending

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The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.—Ecclesiastes 7:8

Many of us remember the space shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986, when seven crew members died in an unspeakable tragedy. As investigators looked into the reason behind the disaster, they discovered that its primary cause was the failure of two rubber O-rings. It was amazing that something as magnificent as the space shuttle could be destroyed by something as relatively insignificant as two rubber rings.

In the Old Testament story of Samson, we see a breakdown in smaller areas of his life that led to an explosion. A progression of little things turned into one really big thing. Samson made a series of compromises that brought him to a place of vulnerability, where he ended up taking a one-way trip to Delilah’s barber shop.

Samson had amazing potential that was largely wasted. Raised up by God to be a leader over Israel, he was almost like a superhero. God had gifted him with superhuman qualities. And while superheroes are fictitious characters, Samson was real. He was an actual man who was gifted with superhuman strength. Mentally, Samson was sharp, clever, and very alert. Spiritually, he was strong in some ways—but in other ways he was a wreck.

He could have been one of Israel’s greatest leaders, but instead Samson became an example of how not to live. In fact, his life is one of the greatest paradoxes of the Bible.

Samson made some mistakes that we, too, can make. He had a good beginning, but he did not have a good ending. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow pointed out, “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”

We are all going to sin and fail at times, but let’s fail forward. Let’s learn from our mistakes and not do the same things again.

 

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – A Deposit of Power

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This may be the best-kept secret in Christendom. Conversion is more than a removal of sin. It’s a deposit of power! When you were born into Christ, you were placed in God’s royal family. John 1:12 says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” You have access to all the family blessings.

Surprised? You ain’t heard nothin’ yet! Paul described the value of your portfolio. “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17).

Whatever He has—we have!  We were made for more than the wilderness. God saved you from Egypt so that He could bless you in the Promised Land. The gift has been given. Will you trust it? Don’t measure your life by your ability; measure it by God’s!

Visit GloryDaysToday.com to learn more.

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – Surprise Party

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by Gary Smalley

It was the eve of his graduation from a long, grueling master’s degree program. After four years of intensive, full‐time study, he was finally about to receive his diploma.

His wife planned a special party so many of their friends could come and help him celebrate the long‐awaited “day of deliverance.” There would be cake, refreshments, banners, streamers, swimming, croquet, and other yard games. Many people had already accepted her invitation to attend, and it looked like it would be a full house. Her husband, though, had other ideas. He secretly contacted each person who had received an invitation and revealed his plan to make the party a surprise in honor of her. Yes, there would be banners, streamers, and all the rest, but they would bear her name, not his.

He wanted to do something special to let her know how much he appreciated the years of sacrifice she had devoted to his goal. Working full‐time to put him through school and delaying her dreams of a house and family had, in many ways, been harder on her than the long hours of study had been on him.

When the day arrived, she was busy with preparations and last‐minute details, still convinced that all was going according to plan. He arranged to get her away from the party site, and while she was gone, he put up a huge banner with her name on it. During that time, all the guests arrived as well.

She returned to be greeted with a loud “SURPRISE!” When she realized what was going on, she could barely fight back the tears. Her husband asked a few people to share what they most appreciated about her. Then he stood before them and, with tender words of love and admiration, expressed his gratitude for all she had done for him. When he was through, everyone saluted her with a toast of iced tea.

The rest of the evening was a fun‐filled fiesta of laughing, catching up with one another, water volleyball, yard games, and more food than anyone could eat. It was a celebration of an experience they had shared, and by commemorating it in a special way, this husband created a lifelong, romantic memorial to his wife’s love and dedication.

LOOKING AHEAD …

I love this example of a wise husband. He understood that he had reached his goal largely because of the sacrifice and cooperation of his wife. He also had the wisdom to seize a perfect opportunity to honor her publicly. Frankly, I did the same thing when I received my Ph.D. Shirley had sacrificed for seven long years to help me complete my training. She thought the party was for me, but forty guests helped me tell her that she was the one being honored. I presented her with a sterling silver coffee and tea service set, which she still displays in our living room. I knew a man who finished his doctorate just a few years later and said nothing about the support and assistance his wife had given him. She was very hurt.

To honor someone means to show respect—to give deserved recognition and appreciation to him or her. How thoughtful are you of your spouse? Do you actively seek ways to elevate your husband or wife before friends or family? Those are vitally important questions.

We’ll talk this week about the importance of honor in marriage. Tonight, why don’t you each express why you feel honored to be married to your mate?

– James C Dobson

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

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Blessing of Loyalty

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Ruth 4:13-22

I believe Ruth’s remarkable loyalty is what earned her a place in both the Bible and the lineage of Jesus Christ. Our culture idealizes “looking out for number one,” but Scripture teaches us to protect loved ones and those in need (1 Cor. 13:7; Ps. 82:3-4). Ruth is a shining example of faithfulness—she willingly adjusted her own schedule and expectations to meet Naomi’s needs.

With no family left to care for her and no neighbors who shared her faith in God, Naomi found herself in a foreign land, far from the comfort of a familiar and like-minded community. During those dark hours, Ruth—her son’s pagan widow—sacrificed everything to stay at Naomi’s side. Then, to care for her aging mother-in-law, Ruth set aside hope of remarriage as well as the prospect of a child. She packed her bags for a foreign country and swore to follow a strange religion: the worship of Naomi’s God.

Ruth undoubtedly was aware of the risks involved in casting her lot with another woman in a male-dominated society, but she did so without hesitation. And the young woman’s commitment did not end when they arrived in Israel. It was Ruth, following Naomi’s directions, who kept the two women fed. And it was Ruth, again under Naomi’s tutelage, who made a strategic alliance with Boaz that secured their future.

Ruth sacrificed mightily for her mother-in-law, and as a result, God gave her the very things she thought she’d forfeited—a God who loved her, a home, a husband, and a son. Moreover, Ruth is counted among the ancestors of the Messiah, Jesus. What a testimony of the reward for loyalty.

Bible in One Year: Hosea 1-5

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Doesn’t God Care?

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Read: Habakkuk 1:1-11

Bible in a Year: Proverbs 27-29; 2 Corinthians 10

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. —Isaiah 55:8

Why does the intoxicated driver escape an accident unharmed while his sober victim is seriously injured? Why do bad people prosper while good people suffer? How often have you been so confused by things going on in your life that you have cried out, “Doesn’t God care?”

Habakkuk struggled with this same question as he saw the distressing situation in Judah where wickedness and injustice were running rampant (Hab. 1:1-4). His confusion drove him to ask God when He would act to fix the situation. God’s reply was nothing short of perplexing.

God said that He would use the Chaldeans as the means of Judah’s correction. The Chaldeans were notorious for their cruelty (v. 7). They were bent on violence (v. 9) and worshiped nothing but their military prowess and false gods (vv. 10-11).

In moments when we don’t understand God’s ways, we need to trust His unchanging character. That’s exactly what Habakkuk did. He believed that God is a God of justice, mercy, and truth (Ps. 89:14). In the process, he learned to look at his circumstances from the framework of God’s character instead of looking at God’s character from the context of his own circumstances. He concluded, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Hab. 3:19). —Poh Fang Chia

Lord, it is easy to let my circumstances change how I understand You. Help me to remember that You are good and faithful, even though I can’t see everything and may not understand how You are working.

Our situation may look very different from God’s point of view.

INSIGHT: The book of Habakkuk is a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God. Ministering to the rebellious kingdom of Judah 120 years after Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, Habakkuk was perplexed as to why God had not punished Judah for her sin (1:2-4). God responded that He would use the Babylonians to punish Judah (vv. 5-11). Habakkuk was even more perplexed that a holy God would use an evil pagan nation to discipline His own people (1:12-2:1). He then learned that God would punish Babylon too (2:2-20). Habakkuk, praising God’s faithfulness (3:1-15), affirms his trust in God to do what is right (vv. 16-19). Sim Kay Tee

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Don’t All Religions Lead to God?

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We live in a context of spiritual longing. Many people are searching for that which will satisfy an inner craving for meaning and significance. As artist Damian Hirst says, “Why do I feel so important when I’m not? Nothing is important and everything is important. I do not know why I am here but I am glad that I am. I’d rather be here than not. I am going to die and I want to live forever, I can’t escape that fact, and I can’t let go of that desire.”

But longing does not always translate into finding any sort of spiritual meaning and significance. There is a dizzying array of options when it comes to religion, and the culture around us says that they are all equally valid. It seems absolutely bizarre to people that someone would say, “This one way is the truth and the only truth.” The poet Steve Turner describes brilliantly what many think when it comes to religion: “Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammed, and ourselves. We believe he was a good teacher of morals but we believe that his good morals are really bad. We believe that all religions are basically the same, at least the one we read was. They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.”

In my experience, there are usually two motivations for dismissing the idea that Christ is the only way to God, and we need to examine them both. The first objection is that it is arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way. How could Christians possibly be so arrogant as to say that all the other religions are wrong and Jesus is the only path to God? Often the parable of the elephant is used to illustrate the sheer arrogance of Christianity. It goes something like this: Three blind scribes are touching different parts of an elephant. The one who is holding the tail says, “This is a rope.” Another holding the elephant’s leg says, “This is not a rope; you are wrong. It is a tree.” Still another who is holding the trunk of the elephant says, “You are both wrong. It is a snake!” The moral of the story is that all religions are like these men. They each touch a different part of ultimate reality and therefore any one of them is arrogant to say they have the whole truth.

But take a step back and think about what is being said here. Do you see the breathtaking claim that is being made? Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, and Muhammad are all blind, but in fact, I can see! These leaders all had a small perspective, but I am the one who sees the full picture. Now who is being arrogant? It is just as arrogant to say that Buddha, Muhammad, and Jesus were all wrong in their exclusive claims as it is to say that Jesus is the only way. The issue is not about who is arrogant, but what is actually true and real.

The second motivation in dismissing Christ is often a question of exclusion. How can you exclude all of these religions? Jesus may have said he was the way to the Father, but how can I follow him and become an intolerant person who excludes others? Again, we need to think carefully about this view because the reality is that whatever position we hold will exclude something. Even the person who believes that all ways lead to God excludes the view that only some ways lead to God or that only one way leads to God. Every view excludes something. Again, the issue is not about who is excluding people, but what is actually true and real.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6). There are a number of possibilities here for why he might have said this, and exploring these possibilities is crucial. First, perhaps he was genuinely a good person but he was deluded. He was sincere, but he was wrong; he believed that he was the Son of God, but he wasn’t. In other words, he was mentally imbalanced. Or second, perhaps Jesus knew he wasn’t God but went around telling people that he was the only way to God regardless. In other words, he was a sinister character purposely telling lies. Or finally, perhaps Jesus was who he said he was. Perhaps he made these radical statements because they were true and real. In other words, he is indeed the way to God.

Amy Orr-Ewing is EMEA Director for RZIM, and Director of Programmes for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Bring Your Children

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“Bring him to me.” Mark 9:19

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus’ word, “Bring him to me.”

Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes along with them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled with the Spirit of God or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one prescription for the cure of all their ills: “Bring him to me.”

We need to engage in agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are still babies! Sin is there; so let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring should precede those cries that herald their arrival into a world of sin. In the days of their youth we will see sad evidences of that dumb and deaf spirit that will neither pray properly, nor hear the voice of God in the soul, but Jesus still commands, “Bring him to me.” When they are grown up, they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are breaking we should remember the Great Physician’s words, “Bring him to me.” We must never cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives.

The Lord sometimes allows His people to be driven into a corner that they may learn how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us to the strong for strength, and this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our morning’s need may be, may it like a strong current carry us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow; He delights to comfort us. Let us hurry to Him while He waits to meet us.

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 2 Samuel 13
  • 2 Corinthians 6

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

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – A single eye and simple faith

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“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22,23

Suggested Further Reading: Philippians 3:17-21

God will say to thee, “Take no thought for the morrow, be careful for nothing;” Mammon will say to thee, “Look ahead, be careful for everything;” and when God says to thee, “Give of thy substance to the poor;” Mammon will say, “Hold it tight, it is that giving that spoils everything;” and when God will say unto thee, “Set not thy affections on the things of earth;” Mammon will say, “Get money, get money, get it anyhow;” and when God saith, “Be upright;” Mammon will say, “Cheat thy own father if thou canst win by it.” Mammon and God are at such extreme ends of the earth and so desperately opposed, that I trust, Christian, thou art not such a fool, as to attempt to serve them both. If thou dost thou hast the worldling’s eye, and thou art a worldling thyself. Remember, too, if thou triest to do this we may suspect thee of having the hypocrite’s eye. As Matthew Henry says, “The hypocrite is like the waterman; he pulls this way, but he looks that. He pretends to look to heaven, but he pulls towards his own interest. He says, ‘he looks to Christ,’ but he is always pulling towards his own private advantage. The true Christian, however, is like a traveller; he looks to the goal and then he walks straight on to it; he goes the way he is looking.” Be then not like the hypocrite, who hath this double eye, looking one way and going the other. An old Puritan said, “A hypocrite is like the hawk; the hawk flies upward, but he always keeps his eye down on the prey; let him get up as high as he will, he is always looking on the ground. Whereas, the Christian is like the lark, he turns his eye up to heaven, and as he mounts and sings he looks upward and he mounts upward.”

For meditation: Not looking where you ought to be going can have disastrous consequences (Luke 6:39-42).

Sermon no. 335

17 September (Preached 16 September 1860)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Selecting the Proper Shoes

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“Stand firm . . . having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:14-15).

Standing firm while in the conflict requires the right kind of spiritual footwear.

I’ll never forget a game that took place at the Rose Bowl during my college football days. Being winter time and late in the football season, the field was in bad shape from several days of rain and an entire season of wear and tear. However, the grounds crew painted the field green, so it looked much better than it actually was. I had two pairs of football shoes: one with long spikes for bad turf and one with short spikes for good turf. Thinking the field looked pretty good, I opted to wear the short spikes.

On the opening kick-off I caught the ball on the four- yard line, took two steps, and immediately landed on my backside. That’s not unusual after a tackle, but in this case there wasn’t an opponent in sight! I slipped in the mud—my shoes betrayed me.

Since proper shoes are important in athletics, how much more so are they when fighting for your life. Roman soldiers took great care in selecting just the right shoe. Typically they wore a thick-soled semi-boot with straps securing it to the leg. On the bottom of the soles were hobnails that protruded like the cleats of a track or baseball shoe. The thick soles protected the feet from injury; the hobnails provided traction when maneuvering on the soil.

The Christian’s spiritual footwear is the “gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). Romans 5:1 says, “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God has reconciled you to Himself through the death of His Son (v. 10). Once you were His enemy; now you are His child. Once He opposed you; now He is on your side.

No matter how difficult your circumstances may be or how many opponents come against you, realize that the invincible God of the universe is on your side. He makes war against His enemies (Rev. 2:16), and against Him no one can stand. So stand firm in that confidence. Focus on your Great Ally rather than your feeble enemies.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for His peace, presence, and protection in your life.

For Further Study

Read Judges 7. How did Gideon demonstrate his confidence that God was on his side?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Carried in His Arms

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I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! – Psalm 91:2

At various points in our lives, all of us feel we’re getting “out of our depth” or “in over our heads.” There are problems all around: A job is lost, someone dies, there is strife in the family, or a bad report comes from the doctor. When these things happen, our temptation is to panic because we feel we’ve lost control.

But think about it: The truth is that we’ve never been in control when it comes to life’s most crucial elements. The only thing that holds us up—and the thing we can be most grateful for—is the grace of God, our Father, and that won’t change. God is never out of His depth, and therefore, we’re safe when we’re in life’s “deep end” because we can trust that He will always carry us in His arms.

Prayer of Thanks

Thank You, Father, that You are a refuge for me. I know that because You are with me, I can feel safe and secure. Thank You that no matter how difficult life may seem, I can be at peace because You will never let me go.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Church Will Prevail

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“You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my church: and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

You and I can truly rejoice: no matter how weak and ineffective our church may seem to be at times, the fact remains that “all powers of hell shall not prevail against it.” Remarkably fulfilled to this date, this promise has the Word of God Himself to back it up.

Sometimes, we see the human frailties of one another in the church – which will always be there – and we forget for the moment the great strengths that are present: the Word of God; fellow believers who are fully committed to the Lord; genuine worship of our heavenly Father.

Primarily, we have the promise that the church is God’s instrument for worship and instruction of His children. It is a rallying place for believers; a powerhouse of prayer; a training school for sharing our faith.

A parallel to this promise has to do with the Word of God. Men have tried to destroy it down through the ages, but it remains the all-time best seller and so shall it ever be. Men have tried to count the church down and out many times, never with any degree of success whatsoever. And so shall that ever be, as well.

Rejoice: all the plots, stratagems and machinations of the enemy of the church shall never be able to overcome it. You and I, meanwhile, can do our part to help make the church all that God intends for it to be.

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:21-24

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will praise God for His protecting hand over the church and do all in my power, the Holy Spirit enabling, to keep it strong and triumphant – the center of spiritual revolution.