Daily Archives: October 24, 2015

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – God’s Promises Build Our Faith

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2 Peter 1:3-4

God’s promises are very precious. Not only do they remind us of His personal interest in our lives, but they also provide hope and encouragement during difficult times.

Before claiming a promise, we must check ourselves in three areas: faith, obedience, and patience. First, we must trust Jesus as our personal Savior and live on the basis of our belief in Him. Obeying God is also necessary. If we willfully continue to disobey the Lord, then He is not obligated to fulfill His promise (1 Peter 3:12). Finally, patience is required. God operates on His timetable to accomplish His purposes according to His perfect plan. Waiting on Him is necessary.

At times it will seem as if a divine promise is not being fulfilled. When that is the case, take a second look at the biblical passage to be sure it applies to you. Then verify that you have met the necessary conditions, and examine whether there is a genuine need. If you are still convinced the promise applies, then you can look a little deeper at your request. Will the Lord be honored when this promise is fulfilled? Can He answer this prayer without harming others or hindering His will in their lives? Will this help you grow spiritually? These additional questions will assist you in claiming a promise of God.

The Holy Spirit is our instructor, who will teach us about the Lord’s promises. He wants to build our faith through Scripture, provide the strength necessary to obey, and develop in us the fruit of patience. These qualities are necessary and will help us as we look to God to fulfill His promises.

Bible in One Year: Luke 8-9

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Becoming Invisible

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Read: Exodus 2:11-22

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 3-5; 1 Timothy 4

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. —Ecclesiastes 3:1

Where I live, this is the time of year when plants defy death by remaining underground until it is safe to come out again. Before the snow comes and the ground freezes, they let go of their beautiful blooms and retreat to a place where they can rest and save energy for the next growing season. Contrary to the way it looks, they are not dead; they are dormant. When the snow melts and the ground thaws, they will again lift their heads toward heaven, greeting their Creator with brilliant colors and sweet fragrances.

The seasons of life require that we sometimes enter a period of dormancy. We are not dead, but we may feel we’ve become invisible. During such times we may feel useless, and we may wonder whether God will ever use us again. But periods like this are for our protection and preparation. When the time is right and the conditions are safe, God will call us once again to service and worship.

Moses experienced a period of time like this. After killing an Egyptian who harmed a fellow Hebrew, Moses had to flee for his life to the distant land of the Midianites (Ex. 2:11-22). There, God protected him and prepared him for the biggest assignment of his life (3:10).

So be encouraged. We are never invisible to God. —Julie Ackerman Link

Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need Thy tender care; in Thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use Thy folds prepare. Dorothy A. Thrupp

No one is invisible to God.

INSIGHT: Although Moses was “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), he did not forget that he was a Hebrew (Ex. 2:11; Heb. 11:24-26). In those crucial formative years as a child, Moses was raised as a Jew by Jochebed, his own mother (Ex. 2:7-10; Num. 26:59). Sim Kay Tee

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Water Reflections

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The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly. Psalm 104:16

Without water the tree cannot flourish or even exist. Vitality is essential to a Christian. There must be life-a vital principle infused in us by God the Holy Spirit-or we cannot be trees of the Lord. Being a Christian merely in name is a dead thing; we must be filled with the spirit of divine life.

This life is mysterious. We do not understand the circulation of the water, by what force it rises, and by what power it descends again. So the life within us is a sacred mystery. Regeneration is performed by the Holy Spirit entering into man and becoming man’s life; and this divine life in a believer afterwards feeds upon Christ and is in this way sustained by divine food, but how it comes and where it goes who will explain to us?

What a secret thing the water is! The roots go searching through the soil, but we cannot see them suck out the various gases or transmute the mineral into the vegetable; this work is done down in the dark. Our root is Christ Jesus, and our life is hidden in Him; this is the secret of the Lord. The source of the Christian life is as secret as the life itself.

How permanently active is the water in the cedar! In the Christian the divine life is always full of energy-not always in fruit-bearing, but in inward operations. The believer’s graces are not always constant motion, but his life never ceases to palpitate within. He is not always working for God, but his heart is always living in Him. As the water reveals itself in producing the foliage and fruit of the tree, so with a truly healthy Christian, his grace is externally displayed in his walk and conversation. If you talk with him, he cannot help speaking about Jesus. If you notice his actions, you will see that he has been with Jesus. He is so full of Christ that He must fill his conduct and conversation.

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 2 Kings 5
  • 1 Timothy 2

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

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Grace reviving Israel

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“I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” Hosea 14:5-7

Suggested Further Reading: Colossians 3:16-4: 1

The most beautiful tree in a garden is the one that bears the most fruit: and there is a promise given to a Christian that after his branches have spread, his beauty shall be as the olive tree; that is, he shall grow and be laden with fruit. The olive tree is evergreen; and so is the beauty of the Christian. Alas for the beautiful Christians we have in some of our places of worship on Sunday! Glorious Christians! If they could be packed up and sent to heaven just as they are, provided their appearances were true indications of their state, what a blessed thing it would be! But alas! On the Monday they have not the same sort of dress they had on Sunday, and therefore they have not the same kind of actions. Dear friends, there is so much Sunday religion in these days! Now, I like a Monday religion, and a Tuesday religion, and a Wednesday religion, and a Thursday religion, and a Friday religion, and a Saturday religion. I do not think the religion of the pulpit, or the religion of the pen, is to be relied upon. I think it is the religion of a draper’s shop, the religion of a corn exchange, religion in a house, religion in the street, and the religion of a fireside, that proves us to be God’s children. But how would some of you come off if you were weighed in these balances? Fine fellows, on Sunday; but poor creatures on Monday! You are not well arrayed then; but ah! If you were Christians, you would always be well arrayed: yes, you would always be as beautiful as the olive tree.

For meditation: God wants us to live the Christian life, not to live the Christian meeting! True worship involves practice as well as praise (Romans 12:1; James 1:26-27).

Sermon no. 342

24 October (Undated Sermon)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Desiring God’s Word

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“The judgments of the Lord are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:10).

You should value Scripture more than all earthly treasures.

I have a friend who has a beautiful collection of rare Bibles. My favorite is one of the earliest printed copies, dating back to sixteenth-century England. The first time I held it in my hands I noticed that the top third of every page was covered with a dark stain. Tears filled my eyes when I realized it was from the blood of its original owner.

My friend explained that when Bloody Mary ruled England, she delighted in terrorizing Protestants and murdering as many as she could. Her soldiers would execute their victims through some bloody means, then take his or her Bible and dip it into the blood. Some of those Bibles have been preserved and are known as Martyrs’ Bibles. Scientists have confirmed that the dark stains on every page of my friend’s Bible are, indeed, human blood.

That same Bible is well worn from being studied. And many of its pages have water stains on them—perhaps from tears. Obviously it was someone’s most precious possession, and his or her blood is there to prove it.

Psalm 19:10 captures the heart of such people, extolling the preciousness of God’s Word. To David, Scripture was more valuable than the best gold and purest honey. Meditating on it meant more to him than the richest and sweetest things in life. He knew its ability to satisfy every spiritual appetite.

As precious as God’s Word is, many Christians take it for granted and become complacent in their studies. Some go for long periods without gaining fresh insights from its pages.

Perhaps you know someone who is in that situation. If so, ask the Lord for wisdom as you gently encourage him or her toward greater faithfulness in the Word. At the same time be careful not to become negligent yourself.

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Thank God for the example of those who have loved His Word to the cost of their lives.
  • Ask Him to give you the desire to feed on His truth daily and the drive to satisfy that desire.

For Further Study

Read 1 Peter 2:1-2 as a reminder to keep your heart sensitive to the precious gift of God’s Word.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Taking the Pressure Off Other People

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First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men. – 1 Timothy 2:1

Love and acceptance are universal needs people have. This includes the people in our lives. If we demand that people change to be more like us or to suit our liking, we are putting a tremendous strain on those relationships.

I remember the years I furiously tried to change my husband, Dave, and each of our children in different ways. Those were frustrating years, because no matter what I tried, it didn’t work. My efforts to change the people I loved weren’t helping matters. In fact, I often just made things worse.

As humans, all of us require space, or freedom, to be who we were created to be. We want to be accepted as we are. We don’t want people giving us the message, even subtly, that we must change in order to be approved or loved.

This doesn’t just mean we accept sin in other people and merely put up with it. It just means that the way to change is prayer, not pressure. If we love people and pray for them, God will work. For change to last, it must come from the inside out. Only God can cause that type of heart change.

Nagging is not an effective tool for change. Only prayer and God’s love will do the job.

From the book Closer to God Each Day by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Reasons for Trials

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“He…comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).

For two years, Annette had suffered through the agony of her beloved husband’s terminal cancer. Meanwhile, their only son had been drawn into drug addiction through the influence of an undesirable group of students in the local high school. She was devastated. Her whole life was filled with heartache and sorrow. She had nothing to live for. Then a neighbor told her of Jesus – how He could give her peace of heart and peace of mind and could provide the purpose she needed in her life. He could even change her son.

So Annette received the wonderful gift of God’s love, the Lord Jesus Christ, and began to pray for her son. At first he was antagonistic, but gradually he became aware of the dramatic transformation in his mother, and in answer to her prayers, along with those of her new-found friends in the local church, he too came to worship the Savior and make Him Lord of his life.

In the meantime, Annette was suffering great financial difficulty because of the huge doctor and hospital bills and her lack of ability to work during her husband’s illness. But God wonderfully comforted and strengthened her so that now she can witness joyfully of His gracious mercy and faithfulness in her behalf. She and her son are ministering effectively to others who are experiencing heartache and tragedy similar to those which once plagued them.

Are you experiencing difficulties, sorrows, heartaches, disappointments? Ask the Lord to show you how to translate them into victories so that He can use you to be a blessing to those around you who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 1:3-7

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing that God is faithful in His love and wisdom, I will trust the indwelling Holy Spirit for the power to accept the trial or adversity I face today, and will expect God to use it to comfort and help someone else through me.

 

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.K. – Do Wrong, Refuse Right

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Satan can lead you where you do not want to go. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19) However, if your goal is to do what the Lord commands, even if you’re not sure what that is, Benjamin Franklin’s advice, “When in doubt, don’t,” is good to follow.

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

I Timothy 1:5

Paul charged Timothy to keep his heart pure and his conscience aware of what was good – and to be ready to do it – in order to have his service acceptable to God. The heart can harden if you know what you are doing is wrong or if you refuse to do what is right. If you are guided by the words of Scripture and seek the Lord’s will in prayer, your faith can be sincere…one that never doubts God’s mercy nor waivers in times of distress.

Hold firm to your faith. Intercede for those in this nation who have strayed…doubting God’s goodness and grace. Then with a pure heart and a good conscience, seek to do what is right and acceptable to the Lord.

Recommended Reading: II Timothy 1:3-14

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Talking ’bout My Generation

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“The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.” —Proverbs 20:7

Having lived over 60 years now, I have been able to see a few generations: my grandparents’ generation, my parents’ generation, my generation, and now my children’s and grandchildren’s generations.

What happens from choices that were made decades ago can still come back to affect us—for better or worse, depending on what kind of choices they were. The choices of time are binding in eternity.

Contrast two men from the 19th century: Max Jukes and Jonathan Edwards.

Max Jukes lived in New York. He did not believe in Christ, or in raising his children in the way of the Lord. He refused to take his children to church, even when they asked to go. Of his 1,026 descendants:

  • 300 were sent to prison for an average term of 13 years
  • 190 were prostitutes
  • 680 were admitted alcoholics

His family, thus far, has cost the state in excess of $420,000 and has made no contribution to society.

Jonathan Edwards also lived in New York, at the same time as Jukes. He was known to have studied 13 hours a day and, in spite of his busy schedule of writing, teaching, and pastoring, he made it a habit to come home and spend an hour each day with his children. He also saw to it that his children were in church every Sunday. Of his 929 descendants:

  • 430 were ministers
  • 86 became university professors
  • 13 became university presidents
  • 75 authored good books
  • 7 were elected to the United States Congress
  • 1 was Vice President of the United States

Edwards’ family never cost the state one cent.

We tend to think that our decisions only affect ourselves, but they have ramifications for generations to come.

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – Finding the Strength to Forgive

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“If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25

Forgiveness is never easy, but it’s the vital first step toward healing. A woman once wrote to tell “Dear Abby” that her husband of two years had had an affair with a young widow, who then carried his child. The wife wanted to die; she also wanted to kill her husband and the widow. But she knew those weren’t the answers she needed. Instead she prayed to God, and the Lord gave her the strength to forgive both the husband and the widow.

The baby was born in the home of the husband and wife and raised as their own. He turned out to be their only child. In fifty years, wife and husband never discussed the incident again. “But,” the wife wrote, “I’ve read the love and gratitude in his eyes a thousand times.”

By praying for God’s help, this woman received peace, a loving marriage, and a child she otherwise wouldn’t have had. The next time anger and resentment rise up in your throat, get on your knees and ask the Lord for the healing work He wants to do in your heart. We believe He will hear and answer that prayer.

Just between us…

  • Who in your life has been most difficult to forgive? Why?
  • Is there someone you have never forgiven?
  • How has God honored the times you’ve forgiven someone?
  • Do we have anything that calls for forgiveness between us? What?
  • How will forgiving now make our marriage stronger in the future?

Dear Lord Jesus, forgiveness sometimes costs so much and hurts even more! But You forgave us—and now You ask us to forgive others. Teach us the heal- ing power of forgiveness. Help us to bring this gift of love to our marriage again and again. 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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On evil

I think one may be quite rid of the old haunting suspicion—which raises its head in every temptation—that there is something else than God—some other country . . . into which He forbids us to trespass—some kind of delight wh. He “doesn’t appreciate” or just chooses to forbid, but which wd. be real delight if only we were allowed to get it. The thing just isn’t there. Whatever we desire is either what God is trying to give us as quickly as He can, or else a false picture of what He is trying to give us—a false picture wh. would not attract us for a moment if we saw the real thing. Therefore God does really in a sense contain evil—i.e., contains what is the real motive power behind all our evil desires. He knows what we want, even in our vilest acts: He is longing to give it to us. He is not looking on from the outside at some new “taste” or “separate desire of our own.” Only because He has laid up real goods for us to desire are we able to go wrong by snatching at them in greedy, misdirected ways. The truth is that evil is not a real thing at all, like God. It is simply good spoiled. That is why I say there can be good without evil, but no evil without good. You know what the biologists mean by a parasite—an animal that lives on another animal. Evil is a parasite. It is there only because good is there for it to spoil and confuse.

Thus you may well feel that God understands our temptations—understands them a great deal more than we do. But don’t forget Macdonald again—“Only God understands evil and hates it.” Only the dog’s master knows how useless it is to try to get on with the lead knotted round the lamp-post. This is why we must be prepared to find God implacably and immovably forbidding what may seem to us very small and trivial things. But He knows whether they are really small and trivial. How small some of the things that doctors forbid would seem to an ignoramus.

From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume II

Compiled in Words to Live By