Monthly Archives: May 2016

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Gives Direction

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“And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.” (Luke 22:8-13)

If you look at verse 8 above, you see that Jesus asked Peter and John to go prepare a place where they could celebrate the Passover feast. This was the last meal Jesus would share with his twelve disciples, and it needed to be very special. He did not want a crowded place, but somewhere perfect for the occasion. On top of that, it was the day of the feast itself! Have you ever gone out to eat on an Easter Sunday or on Thanksgiving Day, only to find all the restaurant lobbies filled with people waiting to be seated?

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Only Two Options

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 119:104

“Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”

In Romans 12:1, Paul made a strong appeal for us to commit ourselves to live holy lives pleasing to God. In the following verse, he begins telling us how to carry this out: “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Paul established a contrast between conforming (or being conformed) to the pattern of this world and being transformed by the renewal of one’s mind. He assumed only two alternatives. Our convictions and values will come either from society around us (the world), or as our minds are renewed by the Word of God. There is no third option.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Imperishable Word

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Today’s Scripture: Jeremiah 21-25

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. – Colossians 2:8-9

When I was growing up on the farm, we ran grain through a threshing machine. I can remember watching the wind carry the chaff away, and no one cared. Why? Because chaff is worthless.

God says that human opinion is like chaff, while His Word is like grain. The Lord said this because there were false prophets who claimed to have a message from God. In reality, what they spoke was nothing more than their own foolish dreams.

Sounds like today, doesn’t it? People speaking visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. In Jeremiah 23:28, we find these words from God: “‘Let the prophet who Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Imperishable Word →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  How to Pray for Our Nation: Today and Every Day

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Let’s face it, as Thomas Paine once said, these are the times that try men’s souls. America is in crisis, from within and without. We face new threats of terrorism on our shores, millions of angry and disenfranchised citizens, a reduction in moral standards, a contentious and unpredictable election, and a secular elite intent on restricting foundational principles such as religious liberty and freedom of speech.

As my colleague and friend John Stonestreet says, “If there’s ever been a time to drop to our knees and pray for our nation, this is it.” Indeed.

And we’ll be in good company. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE CHURCH MUST DECLARE THE WISDOM OF GOD

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Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

A typical first-century Greek or Roman person regarded the gospel with contempt. Commentator Leon Morris described an ancient picture of an early Christian standing before a crucified man who was represented with a human body but a donkey’s head. The inscription read, “Alexamenos worships his god.”

The message of the Cross is nonsense to unbelievers, both in the days of the Corinthians and now. Thankfully, we know the wisdom of God transcends human wisdom (see Prov. 9:10). We cannot grasp Him on our own any more than we can save ourselves from sin. He has revealed Himself most perfectly in His Son, who has accomplished our redemption. This is the good news that is the church’s mission and privilege to declare! But even when we faithfully declare it, we shouldn’t expect success by human means or standards. Gospel wisdom, as Paul wrote here, is qualitatively different.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – A TALE OF TWO HOLIDAYS

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Today is Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 defeat of France at the Battle of Puebla. This victory, where a rag-tag force of 2,000 overcame 6,000 well-trained French troops, bolstered the Mexican people in their resistance against the French. Six years later, French forces withdrew. Cinco de Mayo remains a symbol of the Mexican people’s struggle against imperialistic forces.

Celebrations will be held in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and other cities with large Mexican-American populations. Today’s festivities will include parades, mariachi music performances, and street festivals.

Contrast today in Mexico and the U.S. with May 5 in Israel. Holocaust Memorial Day, known as Yom HaShoah, begins each year with sundown on May 4 and concludes at sundown on May 5. I have been in Israel on this day several times over the years. It is always one of the most solemn experiences of my year (For more on Tom HaShoah, see Nick Pitt’s article Why it’s so important to take time out to remember the Holocaust).

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – A Caring Church

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Luke 10:25-37

Do you realize that for believers, many types of needs should be met without going outside the church? We are meant to be a self-sustaining body. After several decades in ministry, I have seen only one way for the church to function as it should: Christians must commit to give of themselves on behalf of others.

For example, a man determines to pray and struggle alongside a hurting brother until a burdensome situation is resolved or peace returns. Or a woman makes herself available to answer a new Christian’s questions about the weekly sermon—the two ladies search the Bible and fill their minds with Scripture. And there are countless other ways to serve, such as driving an elderly member to the service, teaching a Sunday school class, or visiting a weary single mom and listening to her concerns.

Before you become overwhelmed by the variety of needs in your church, let me remind you that loving each other is meant to be a body-wide effort. One person cannot meet every need. But suppose you commit to serving a small group of folks whom God brings into your sphere of influence. If, in order to care for them, you surrender self-focused preferences about resources and time, the Lord will bless you with more joy and contentment than you’ve ever known.

To serve others before serving yourself is to practice authentic Christianity. I’m certain that if believers commit to meeting as many needs as the Lord brings to their attention, then a lethargic church can be transformed, becoming a true body of believers who function together for the glory of God.

Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 10-12

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Out of the Ruins

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Read: Lamentations 5:8-22

Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 16-18; Luke 22:47-71

He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins. —Ezra 9:9

In the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem you’ll find Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue. Built in the 19th century, the synagogue was dynamited by commandos during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

For years the site lay in ruins. Then, in 2014, rebuilding began. As city officials set a piece of rubble as the cornerstone, one of them quoted from Lamentations: “Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old” (5:21).

Lamentations is Jeremiah’s funeral song for Jerusalem. With graphic imagery the prophet describes the impact of war on his city. Verse 21 is his heartfelt prayer for God to intervene. Still, the prophet wonders if that is even possible. He concludes his anguished song with this fearful caveat: “unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure” (v. 22). Decades later, God did answer that prayer as the exiles returned to Jerusalem.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Accounting for Beauty

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Dale Henderson gives cello concerts in New York City subway stations because he fears the day when classical music will be no more. He plays for free, focusing primarily on Bach Solo Cello Suites because their “power and beauty unfailingly inspire great appreciation, joy and deep emotion in those who hear them.”(1) Some commuters stop and stare, curious or captivated, many having never heard a cello or Bach concerto before. For Henderson, the music is an offering of something meaningful, seeds for future generations of classical music admirers who would not otherwise know it, beauty well worth lugging his heavy cello down into the subways to protect.

It is not always easy to talk about beauty without a minefield of objections or at best complicating list of qualifiers. Its modern place in the “eye of the beholder” gives it a tenuous feel at best. It’s ancient place as a perfect and ancient ideal is equally abstract. While Henderson describes a world without classical music as soul-less, others may not miss it so much. And the contrast of beauty in a broken and breaking world makes its distinctive encounters increasingly stand out.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Trials’ Lessons: Faith

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“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son” (Hebrews 11:17).

The main reason God allows trials in the lives of Christians is to test the strength of their faith.

The memorable example in Genesis 22 of Abraham’s testing is perhaps the severest trial any human being has ever faced. When God told Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of Moriah (Gen. 22:1-2), Abraham no doubt was stunned. In terms of God’s nature, His plan of redemption, His promise to Abraham, and His love for Isaac, the entire concept was utterly inconceivable and unprecedented.

But in the face of all that, Abraham showed remarkable faith in dealing with this trial (Gen. 22:3-8). He did not second-guess God, as many of us would, but rather obeyed immediately (v. 3) and displayed the confidence that he and Isaac would return (v. 5) and that God would supply a lamb for the offering (v. 8). Then Abraham showed he was ready to obey completely. Genesis 22 tells us he “bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son” (vv. 9-10). What unbelievable faith, and what a dramatic moment when God spared Abraham from the full cost of obedience (vv. 11-12)! The story clearly shows us the nature of true faith (Gen. 15:6) and why Abraham was later called the father of the faithful (Rom. 4:11-12; Gal. 3:6-7).

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Character and Credibility Gain Access 

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Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14

Years ago as a young minister my friend Andy Stanley came by my office at his Dad’s church and asked if I wanted to meet Billy Graham. Taken back and totally humbled, I stammered out a whispered “yes”, quickly followed by an exuberant “absolutely”! The occasion was a Pastor’s reception prior to Dr. Graham’s Sunday night crusade. When we arrived at the Georgia Dome, buzzing with activity—a team member took us to meet Billy along with other ministry leaders. I had access to a moment with Mr. Graham, because of Dr. Stanley’s character and credibility.

John describes the last beatitude given by Jesus. Those whose character is cleansed by Christ are qualified to access God’s presence here and in heaven. Blackened garments soiled by sin, but washed in the sanitizing salvation of Jesus’ blood creates a new and beautiful creation, radiant white, purified by the grace of God. With eternal life the tree of life is accessible—with blessings unknown to earthly pilgrims still on their journey of faith. The two bookends of the Garden of God in Genesis to the City of God in Revelation are encapsulated for all the redeemed to worship the Alpha and the Omega forever! Character and credibility from Christ gain access to Christ!

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Words of Love

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Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:18

Recommended Reading

Ephesians 4:29

The phrase “one another” occurs 53 times in the New Testament epistles. That frequency of use indicates just how relational the Christian life is meant to be. We are continually to look out for the needs of others as well as for our own. And that applies to the “one anothers” in marriage—husbands and wives who encourage each other.

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Small Adjustments Can Make a Big Difference

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Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?

Romans 2:4

Friend to Friend

I was speaking in Georgia that particular weekend. On day two of the retreat I woke up early and turned on the water in the beautiful tiled shower. As it heated up I noticed that the showerhead was mounted on an off-centered pole. It seemed very low, and was spraying straight along the plane of the wall.

I’m a tall chick, so as I stepped in and positioned myself under the showerhead I had to squat and stand very close to the wall. {Awesome. A quad workout! Shower bonus.}

As I shampooed my hair, my legs were on fire from squatting. And then a thought crossed my mind… MAYBE the showerhead can be raised!

I turned around and tried to lift it higher. It went higher! YES!

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Ways That Are Right and Best

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“He will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to Him” (Psalm 25:9).

A guide, taking some tourists through Mammoth Cave, reached a place called “The Cathedral.”

Mounting a rock called “The Pulpit,” he said he wanted to preach a sermon, and it would be short.

“Keep close to your guide,” he said.

The tourists soon found it was a good sermon. If they did not keep close to the guide, they would be lost in the midst of pits, precipices and caverns.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Jesus the Christ

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Read: Acts 2:22-31

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:24

Here revealed is the power of God among men — the resurrection power of God, a power which man cannot duplicate. Resurrection power is the ability to bring life out of death, to correct a situation which is hopeless, to change a person who is irremediable — that is resurrection power.

I met with a high school boy who told me about his conversion, and the reaction of his father. His father was baffled by this conversion. It fit no psychological pattern he knew of. He could not explain why his son was so suddenly and drastically different. Because he could not explain it, it angered him, and he reacted against it, and was fighting it all the way. This is the frequent reaction of those who come into contact with this power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Tongue Control

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Read: James 3:3-12

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths. (Eph. 4:29 NIV)

Have you ever gossiped? I know I have. It’s easy to tell a friend a juicy detail that begins small and can grow out of control. James says “the tongue is a fire” that can corrupt a whole person and set the course of one’s life ablaze with destruction (James 3:6). James mentions many sins of the tongue such as slander, boasting, and quarreling. Speech that flows out of our mouths as praise to God one moment can mutate into gossip about someone the next. That’s how quickly our tongues can get us into trouble.

In contrast, the Holy Spirit’s power is like fresh water, which can extinguish those sparks of sinful speech before they turn our lives into raging forest fires. We need to submit to God to control these sins of the tongue. We can ask the Holy Spirit for his strength. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” James says, and the Lord will purify your heart (James 4:7-8).

Jesus said that “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45 NIV). A leader recently asked people to imagine if what you say in private were read aloud by Jesus in front of Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Tongue Control →

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Off The Shelf

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Ronald Reagan, the fortieth U. S. President, once said, “I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land. We need God’s help to guide our nation through stormy seas. But we can’t expect Him to protect America in a crisis if we just leave Him over on the shelf in our day-to-day living.”

You shall blow the trumpets…They shall be a reminder of you before your God.

Numbers 10:10

In Numbers 10, God told Moses to fashion two silver trumpets and use them to call Israel together, to break camp, to go to war, and to mark months, feasts and celebrations. However, sounding the trumpet was not only a way of communication. It was an act of remembrance before God.

Your Presidential Prayer Team sounds the trumpet every day to seek and serve God and bring the needs of the nation before Him. Pray that America will heed Reagan’s advice and not set God aside, but stand up for the Lord and turn to Him humbly and expectantly in times of crisis. After all, He is the one who has dominion of this nation and this world, both now and forevermore.

Recommended Reading: I Peter 5:6-11

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Almost Christian

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“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.'”—Acts 26:28

The word almost is an interesting word. It is a word that we sometimes use when we are delaying something. When we are not quite ready to commit. When we are procrastinating. When we can’t make up our minds at a restaurant, we will tell the waitress, “I am almost ready to decide, but not quite yet.”

Today there are a lot of people who see themselves as almost Christian.

Now, let’s be clear: either you are a Christian or you are not a Christian. You may be well on your way to becoming a Christian. You may be looking into the claims of Christ and investigating them. You may be highly interested in Christianity. But either you are or you are not a believer. And I bring this up because in Acts 26 we read of Herod Agrippa. He was so moved by Paul’s powerful and persuasive presentation of the gospel, that he said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Loyal to His People

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“O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136:26)

Do you know what it means to be loyal? Stella’s grandpa kept a white pony named Ginger on his farm. Whenever Stella visited Grandpa, she loved to ride Ginger around the pasture. Sometimes Stella would sit on the fence for an hour at a time talking to Ginger. When she would have to leave Ginger and go back home to the city, the pony stayed in her thoughts. Stella often drew pictures of Ginger or wrote about her in stories.

Now the truth is, Ginger was a very stubborn pony, and she was even a little bit mean at times. But if anyone ever said anything bad about her, Stella always stood up for her. She thought of Ginger as her horse. When Grandpa finally had to sell Ginger away to another farm, Stella went out to the empty pasture and found some long white hairs from her tail stuck in the fence. For years afterward, she kept that horsehair in a special little box. Her love for Ginger was loyal.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Primary Issue

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Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 9:14

“Christ . . . offered himself without blemish to God.”

From different points of view, look at Christ’s work for us: he perfectly obeyed the law of God. He satisfied the justice of God. He exhausted the wrath of God. He removed our sins from the presence of God. He redeemed us from the curse of God. He reconciled us to God.

One thing is readily apparent: every work of Christ is directed toward God. It’s God’s law that was obeyed, his justice that was satisfied, his wrath that was propitiated, his holy presence from which our sins were removed, his curse from which we were redeemed, and alienation from his divine presence that has been reconciled.

This God-ward focus tells us that the integrity of God’s moral government and the upholding of his honor and glory are the primary issues in our salvation. It’s true that God’s love for sinful people such as you and me is the wellspring of our salvation, but this love could be shown only in such a way that the glory of his holiness and the honor of his law would be magnified. Jesus in his sinless life and sin-bearing death did just that. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Primary Issue →