Daily Archives: October 2, 2015

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Building Lasting Friendships

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Romans 12:10

How many true friends do you have? At first, a lot of names may come to mind, but the longer you consider the question, the more likely it is that the number will start to dwindle. The reality is, we do not have many genuine friends—the ones who will remain loyal no matter what circumstances arise.

This dependable, intimate closeness is what the Lord wants for us, but it’s a rare treasure. The biblical account of David and Jonathan can help us learn how to foster such a relationship (1 Samuel 18-20). Their story demonstrates that genuine friendships are built upon a foundation of mutual respect, love, and authentic commitment. Today, let’s explore the first component.

For true companionship, each party must appreciate the other’s godly qualities. This starts with an attitude of valuing all people. After all, if Jesus chose to die in their place even before they acknowledged Him as Savior, they must certainly have great worth. But at the same time, the high regard that David and Jonathan had toward one another was greater than mere respect; it revealed admiration for qualities that Scripture commends. These included loyalty to the nation of Israel, courage in battle, and strong faith in God.

Consider the question asked earlier about the people you deem “true friends.” Do these individuals exhibit godly attributes that you respect? And do they, in turn, have admiration for the biblical characteristics they see in you? This mutual, scriptural respect is a necessary foundation for genuine and lasting friendship.

Bible in One Year: Malachi 1-4

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — We Have Fruit!

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Read: Joshua 24:2,8-14

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 14-16; Ephesians 5:1-16

I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build. —Joshua 24:13

The young mother sighed as she scraped together lunch for her 3-year-old daughter. Spying the empty fruit basket on the table in their tiny kitchen, she sighed and said aloud, “If we just had a basket of fruit, I would feel rich!” Her little girl overheard her.

Weeks passed. God sustained the small family. Still, the struggling mom worried. Then one day her little girl bounded into the kitchen. “Look, Mommy, we’re rich!” she exclaimed, pointing at the full fruit basket on the table. Nothing had changed except that the family had purchased a bag of apples.

When Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, was about to die, he shared a message from the Lord that recounted all God had done for them. And he noted, “You lived in the wilderness for a long time” (Josh. 24:7). Then he said, “[God] gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant” (v. 13). Joshua set up a large stone to remind Israel of God’s provision (v. 26).

Like the Israelites, after a time of challenge and scarcity, that family now lives in a different place and enjoys fruit trees in a spacious yard, planted years earlier by a previous owner. If you visit them, you’ll find a bowl of fruit in their kitchen. It reminds them of God’s goodness and how a 3-year-old infused her family with faith, joy, and perspective. —Tim Gustafson

Thank God for how He has provided in the past. Thank Him for what He will do. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Then trust Him.

Remembering God’s provision for yesterday gives hope and strength for today.

INSIGHT: In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham that He would give his descendants possession of a great stretch of land that was occupied by other people. Several hundred years later, under the leadership of Joshua, God fulfilled His promise, and the people of Israel took possession of the Promised Land. In today’s passage, Joshua reminds the Israelites that it was not by their own military might that they did this, but it was God who gave them the land. As a result of God’s provision (defeating the armies of the other people), Joshua reminded them to fear and serve the Lord. J.R. Hudberg

 

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – New Robes

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Hans Christian Andersen tells of the emperor who loved new clothes. This emperor so admired modeling his new robes that he spent all of his time in his dressing room. In fact, he had little concern for anything else in his kingdom.

One day two swindlers came to town announcing they were weavers of the finest clothes imaginable. Their royal colors and fabrics, they claimed, were exceptionally stunning. In fact, they were of such quality that they were only visible to the finest few! Those who were unfit for their office or were hopelessly stupid would not be able to see them at all.

The emperor was immediately taken by this description and provided the weavers with large amounts of money. He wanted to know those who were unfit for their posts; he also wanted to see the foolish and the clever within his empire. Yet when the emperor went to try on the garments, he was most distraught to realize that it was he who saw nothing at all. But the king would not admit his stupidity or incompetence; he would not let anyone think him a fool. He announced that the cloth was very beautiful, and all the courtiers rapidly agreed. In a great procession the next day, everyone spoke in admiration of the emperor’s new clothes. They loved the detail! The colors were beautiful! The garments were like no other, they said. But then from the back of the crowd a child spoke up, observing what the rest would not: The emperor was wearing nothing.

Imagine finding out that the one thing you have desperately attempted to keep veiled in secrecy was not actually veiled at all. The thought bears the unsettling sense of finding yourself unclothed before a crowded room. Would you feel foolish? Would you run and hide? Or would you insist the veil was still there? Andersen ends with a glimpse into the mind of the king: “[The words of the child] made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right. But he thought to himself regardless, ‘Now I must bear up to the end.’” Idols are not easy to own up to; how much more so, when what we idolize is not really there in the first place.

I believe, however, that there might be another response—besides denial or shame—to the startling realization that we stand unveiled before family, friends, or maybe even God. We can find ourselves enveloped in gratitude, clothed by meekness. The masks we were so certain were necessary, the act we put on to appease the crowd, the lies we told to protect ourselves were maybe not quite as necessary as we thought. Could you take off the costume you thought you were wearing if you realized you were only wearing it for yourself?

Perhaps Paul’s instruction to “put off falsehood” is sometimes a call to “put off” what is not even there. The call of Christ is no different. He calls us unto himself and requires that we give him everything, but asks that we come without costume or pretense. We must come as much ready to be honest with ourselves as with him. In the journey of the Christian pilgrim, we walk with Christ toward the cross through crowds of sheep following blindly, and like the disciples on the road to Emmaus our eyes are opened to our own blind and deceived ways. It is as if Jesus himself is a mirror and we are inspecting our new clothes. But he will take from our shoulders our robes of self-importance and false security. He will tear from our grasp our garments of self-pity and shame. Then he will clothe us with garments of salvation and array us in robes of righteousness, and he will show us that we have been made new.

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

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Hope for the Future and Joy for Today

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The hope laid up for you in heaven. Colossians 1:5

Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy down here today. Our hearts will be stirred by thinking often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there.

Here we are tired and weary, but over there is the land of rest where the sweat of toil will no longer soak our shirts, and fatigue will be banished forever. To those who are weary and worn, the word rest is full of heaven. We are always in the field of battle; we are so tempted and so molested by foes that we have little or no peace; but in heaven we will enjoy the victory, when the banner shall be unfurled in triumph, and the sword will be sheathed, and we will hear our Captain say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”1

We have suffered bereavement after bereavement, but we are going to the land of the immortal where graves do not exist. Here sin is a constant grief to us, but there we will be perfectly holy, for there will be nothing in heaven to defile it. There are no needs in the furrows of celestial fields. It is a source of deep joy to realize that the wilderness journey of our earthly pilgrimage will end and we will inherit heaven.

But let us make sure that we are not just dreaming about the future and thus forgetting the present. Let all thoughts of the future serve to make us useful in the present. Through the Spirit of God the hope of heaven is the most powerful force for producing virtue; it is a fountain of joyful endeavor; it is the cornerstone of cheerful holiness. Those who have this hope in them go about their work with vigor, for the joy of the Lord is their strength. They fight hard against temptation, for the hope of the next world repels the fiery darts of the adversary. They can work without immediate reward, for they anticipate a reward in the world to come.

1) Matthew 25:23

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 1 Kings 4, 5
  • Ephesians 2

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

 

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The blood of the everlasting covenant

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“The blood of the everlasting covenant.” Hebrews 13:20

Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 9:15-26

With regard to Christ, his precious blood shed in Gethsemane, in Gabbatha and Golgotha, is the fulfilment of the covenant. By this blood sin is cancelled; by Jesus’ agonies justice is satisfied; by his death the law is honoured; and by that precious blood in all its mediatorial efficacy, and in all its cleansing power, Christ fulfils all that he stipulated to do on behalf of his people towards God. Oh, believer, look to the blood of Christ, and remember that there is Christ’s part of the covenant carried out. And now, there remains nothing to be fulfilled but God’s part, there is nothing for thee to do; Jesus has done it all; there is nothing for free will to supply; Christ has done everything that God can demand. The blood is the fulfilment of the debtor’s side of the covenant, and now God becomes bound by his own solemn oath to show grace and mercy to all whom Christ has redeemed by his blood. With regard to the blood in another respect, it is to God the Father the bond of the covenant. When I see Christ dying on the cross, I see the everlasting God from that time, if I may use the term of him who ever must be free, bound by his own oath and covenant to carry out every stipulation. Does the covenant say, “A new heart will I give you, and a right spirit will I put within you?” It must be done, for Jesus died, and Jesus’ death is the seal of the covenant. Does it say, “I will sprinkle pure water upon you and you shall be clean; from all your iniquities will I cleanse you?” Then it must be done, for Christ has fulfilled his part.

For meditation: The very character of God doubles the reliability of his purposes and promises (Hebrews 6:13-18).

Sermon no. 277

2 October (1859)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Programming Your Spiritual Computer

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“Be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:9-10).

Godly behavior is the result of godly thinking.

Perhaps you’ve heard computer buffs use the term G.I.G.O.: “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” Input determines output. What you feed into a computer is what you’ll get out.

Similarly, what you program into your mind will eventually influence your behavior. That’s why you must expose your mind to things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8). As one preacher put it, “You should be so saturated with God’s Word that your blood is ‘bibline.’ If you cut yourself, you should bleed Bible verses!” His exaggeration reveals his passion for God’s truth—a passion every believer should share.

Paul prayed that we would “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [and be] strengthened with all power . . . for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father” (Col. 1:10-12).

Those are marvelous Christian characteristics, but how are they achieved? Verse 9 gives us the answer: “Be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” The Greek word translated “filled” speaks of influence or control. It’s the same word Paul uses in Ephesians 5:18: “Be filled [controlled by] the Holy Spirit.” When you’re filled with the Spirit, He governs our choices. Similarly, when you’re filled with the knowledge of God’s will, your choices reflect godly wisdom and understanding.

The phrase “spiritual wisdom and understanding” indicates more than merely knowing God’s Word. It speaks of applying it to your life under the Spirit’s power and direction.

As you prayerfully saturate your mind with God’s Word, it begins more and more to control your thinking and behavior. And the Spirit uses the Word to renew your mind and protect you from conformity to worldly attitudes and actions (Rom. 12:2).

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to control every aspect of your life today.
  • Be diligent to apply the appropriate biblical principles to every circumstance you face.

For Further Study

Memorize Philippians 4:8 as a reminder to feed your mind with the things that produce godliness.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Focus

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Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. —Hebrews 3:1 NIV

Focusing on good things makes us feel good, excited, energized, and enthusiastic. When we focus our time and attention on things we find to be bad, we feel sad, angry, or anxious. That’s why it’s so important for us to “fix our thoughts on Jesus” and keep our focus on Him. God has given us the ability to choose happiness no matter what is going on around us. I am not suggesting we ignore our problems, but there is a big difference between focusing on them—worrying about them—and working to solve or resolve them.

A negative person cannot be happy, and a persistently positive person cannot be unhappy, at least not for any lengthy period of time. Choose to have a happy life by focusing on Jesus. Do what you can do to take care of any responsibility you have with your problem, and while you are waiting for God to do what you cannot do, you are free to go ahead and enjoy your life.

Power Thought: My mind is focused only on Jesus and good things.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Key to Blessing

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“He replied, ‘Yes, but even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice'” (Luke 11:28).

If you and I could know only one rule that would guarantee us real happiness, no doubt this should be it. Because the meaning of this promise is the same in or out of context, we shall share briefly the out-of-context guarantee contained therein.

Man’s chief happiness – his, or her, highest honor – is to obey the Word of God. No earthly honor or achievement can compare with the blessing, meaning in and fulfillment that come from obeying the Word and Will of God.

Implicit in putting into practice – or obeying – the Word of God is the matter of knowing the Word of God. This, of course, implies reading, studying, meditating upon and even memorizing the Scriptures. If we are neglecting this phase of the Christian life, we are omitting a vitally important part of spiritual nurture, without which it is impossible to live a supernatural life.

Something about the Word refreshes, cleanses, uplifts the heart and soul of each one of us when we spend time in its pages. God made it – and us – that way. No matter how many times we may have read the Word of God, even the entire Bible, there is something remarkably fresh and new about it every time we read it.

If somehow we lack the discipline to do what we should about the Word, we may pray ceaselessly for the Holy Spirit to illumine its truths to our minds and apply them to our lives.

Bible Reading: James 1:22-25

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will not neglect God’s Word but will consider it a necessary ingredient to the life of the Spirit -supernatural living.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.K. – Feeling Alone?

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Sometimes you can ask the wrong question. In a difficult situation, “How can I get out of this mess?” may not be appropriate. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) The proper perspective is, “How can God be glorified in this situation?”

Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord.

Exodus 14:13

Think of the Israelites as they fled from Egypt: directed by the Lord into the desert, right to the edge of the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his army pursued them and they imagined nothing but their imminent death. God’s plan, however, was to be victorious – and He was. Later, as Israel entered the Promised Land, their enemies feared them because the Lord had fought for them with great power. His name was glorified (Exodus 15:13-18).

Do you doubt God’s presence in your life or feel alone as you go through a valley? The words “fear not” appear often throughout Scripture. The Lord will be your guide, your comfort and your refuge. Pray that you will stand firm. Then intercede for the people and leaders of this nation that they would praise God and turn to Him for guidance in every circumstance…that His name might be glorified!

Recommended Reading: Psalm 34:3-9, 17-19

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Slip Forward

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Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?—Psalm 85:6

At the 2006 Chicago Marathon, Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya barely won. He ran a good race at two hours, seven minutes, and 35 seconds. But the last few feet, Cheruiyot slipped and fell across the finish line. A race official said, “Luckily for him, he slipped completely forward.”

In the race of life, we want to slip forward. We all are going to mess up in this Christian life. We are going to have our missteps. We are going to say the wrong things and do the wrong things. But there is a difference between that and living in a pattern of sin. When we sin, stumble, and fall short, if we will ask God to forgive us and then learn from our mistakes, we can slip forward.

Slipping forward means learning from the wrongs we have done and hopefully not doing them again. But if we go out and make the same mistakes again and again, then we are fools.

Maybe you feel that you’ve messed up in life. Maybe you’ve done things you regret. Now what? Now is the time for a new beginning. It is never too late to say, “I am sorry, God, and I want to get back into the race of life. I am sorry for that bad decision. Now I want to change it. I am sorry for those wrong things I have done. I want to make up for them. Lord, forgive me. Give me another chance.”

We serve a God of second chances . . . and third chances . . . and on it goes. But you have to admit your sin. Don’t make excuses for it. Don’t blame other people for it. Learn from your past and make a fresh start as you recommit your life to the Lord.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Facing God

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The Hebrews did what God commanded—and God protected them. Joshua 5:1 says, “So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites. . .and all the kings of the Canaanites. . . heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan. . .their heart melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the children of Israel.”

Devotion prompted divine protection. Don’t face Satan by facing Satan. Face Satan by facing God. Don’t give Old Scratch the time of day. Colossians 2:15 says, “God stripped the spiritual rulers and powers of their authority. With the cross he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless.”

Satan is a fallen angel whose time is short. Don’t let him mess with your glory days. Neutralize him. Join me at GloryDaysToday.com to remember what God has done!

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – The Peanut Vendor

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by Sam Kameleson

Once upon a time, there lived a peanut vendor in South India. Every day he walked up and down the beach calling out, “Peanuts! Peanuts for sale! Peanuts!” The man was miserably poor. He barely earned half a living, hardly enough to feed his family. But at night he bragged to his wife and children, “I am the president and the vice president and the secretary and the treasurer of my own company!”

Eventually, the grinding poverty wore his nerves paper thin. One day he snapped. He sold all his peanuts and most of his meager belongings. He decided to go on a big fling.

“For one day, I am going to live like a rich man!” he vowed.

So he stopped by the barbershop for a clean shave and a hairstyle trim. He visited a fine clothing store and purchased an expensive suit, white shirt and tie, and all the accessories needed to look rich. Then he checked himself into the finest luxury hotel for the night. He had just enough money left to pay for the gourmet breakfast buffet the next morning.

He enjoyed the night’s accommodations in his luxury suite. When morning came he located the private, beachfront patio for the breakfast buffet. Although it was crowded with tourists, he found a table by himself. He had just filled his plate when in walked an elegantly dressed man. By this time no more tables were available, so the man approached and asked, “May I join you?”

The peanut vendor replied, “Why, yes! Please sit down.” He thought,

This is my lucky day! Not only am I living like a rich man, but I am going to eat with a rich man, too.

As the two began to talk, the stranger asked, “Sir, what do you do?” “I am the president and the vice president and the secretary and the treasurer of my own company,” he replied. “And what do you do?” The richly dressed man looked a bit sheepish. “I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. I just supposed that with the coverage in the newspapers you might have recognized me. My name is John D. Rockefeller.” Although he had not recognized the face, the peanut vendor did know the name. He thought, This is wonderful! I am eating with one of the richest men in the whole world.

After talking for a while, Mr. Rockefeller said, “I like your style. We are starting a new company here in South India. Why don’t you come to work for me? I will make you vice president of sales in my new firm.”

The peanut vendor replied, “Why, thank you. What a generous offer! I would like a few minutes to think it over.”

“Of course,” said Mr. Rockefeller, “but I would like some indication of your interest before we part company.”

The two leisurely enjoyed the rest of their meals. When they were finished, the peanut vendor stood up. He wanted to announce his decision with style. He took a step away from the table and then turned and spoke in a voice loud enough so many could overhear.

“Thank you, Mr. Rockefeller, for offering me the position of vice president in your new company. But I must decline. I prefer to be the president and the vice president and the secretary and the treasurer of my own company.” He turned on his heel and walked out.

Years later, an old peanut vendor walked up and down the same resort beaches croaking in a broken voice, “Peanuts! Peanuts for sale! Peanuts!” But at night he boasted to his grandchildren that long ago one of the richest men in the world had offered to make him vice president of a huge firm.

“I turned it down,” he bragged, “so I could be the president and the vice president and the secretary and the treasurer of my own company.”

Looking ahead…

The peanut vendor had a chance for financial security but was too proud and self‐sufficient to accept it. Yet don’t we, as Christians, often make the same mistake? Our “rich” friend—our heavenly Father—owns the possessions and resources of the entire world. He has offered us love, meaning, purpose, and, ultimately, eternal life. These are His gifts to us (“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Jesus Christ”—Philippians 4:19). All we must do is repent of our sins and accept His lordship in our lives. But many husbands and wives are too proud—too self‐sufficient—to surrender their lives and belongings to Him. The unfortunate result is that they continue in misery and poverty.

Do you struggle with wanting “more”—be it money, possessions, status, or something else? We’ll spend the next few days discussing the impact of material desires and money management on marriage. As we do, keep in mind that everything we own and everything we are really belongs to the Lord of all.

– James C Dobson

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

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading

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Lewis, grieving the death of his wife, Joy:

‘It was too perfect to last,’ so I am tempted to say of our marriage. But it can be meant in two ways. It may be grimly pessimistic — as if God no sooner saw two of His creatures happy than He stopped it (‘None of that here!’). As if He were like the Hostess at the sherry-party who separates two guests the moment they show signs of having got into a real conversation. But it could also mean ‘This had reached its proper perfection. This had become what it had in it to be. Therefore of course it would not be prolonged.’ As if God said, ‘Good; you have mastered that exercise. I am very pleased with it. And now you are ready to go on to the next.’ When you have learned to do quadratics and enjoy doing them you will not be set them much longer. The teacher moves you on.

For we did learn and achieve something. There is, hidden or flaunted, a sword between the sexes till an entire marriage reconciles them. It is arrogance in us to call frankness, fairness, and chivalry ‘masculine’ when we see them in a woman; it is arrogance in them to describe a man’s sensitiveness or tact or tenderness as ‘feminine.’ But also what poor, warped fragments of humanity most mere men and mere women must be to make the implications of that arrogance plausible. Marriage heals this. Jointly the two become fully human. ‘In the image of God created He them.’ Thus, by a paradox, this carnival of sexuality leads us out beyond our sexes.

From A Grief Observed

Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis