Daily Archives: June 15, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – What It Means to Believe in Jesus

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John 3:16-18

The apostle Paul told his jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). That Philippian man and his household had saving faith—they accepted the invitation and joined God’s family.

Saving faith has three elements: knowledge, conviction, and trust. Today, let’s look at the knowledge component. To believe in Jesus as our Savior, we need to know who He is, what He accomplished, and why it was necessary.

Who is Jesus? He is deity—God the Son. At the request of God the Father, Jesus set aside His divine rights, took on human form, and dwelled on earth (Phil. 2:6-7).

What did He accomplish? Jesus lived a perfect life, which qualified Him to be our substitute: He stood in our place and bore God’s judgment for our sins. His death on the cross made a way for us to be forgiven and experience peace with God.

Why did He have to die? We could not save ourselves, since our “good deeds” are all marred by our sin nature. When we accept Christ’s atoning work, we go from being God’s enemy to becoming a member of His family.

When I was saved at age 12, I understood only the simplest aspects of these basic truths. I knew I was a sinner in need of forgiveness and Jesus alone could save me. What mattered was, I truly believed—and the Lord saved me.

Knowledge without conviction and trust does not bring salvation. Even the demons understood that Jesus was the Son of God (Luke 4:41). Do you believe what you know to be true?

Bible in a Year: Psalms 23-28

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – True Communication

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Read: Acts 2:1–12 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1–3; Acts 2:1–21

A crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Acts 2:6

Walking in my North London neighborhood, I can hear snatches of conversation in many languages—Polish, Japanese, Hindi, Croatian, and Italian, to name a few. This diversity feels like a taste of heaven, yet I can’t understand what they’re saying. As I step into the Russian café or the Polish market and hear the different accents and sounds, I sometimes reflect on how wonderful it must have been on the day of Pentecost when people of many nations could understand what the disciples were saying.

On that day, pilgrims gathered together in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of the harvest. The Holy Spirit rested on the believers so that when they spoke, the hearers (who had come from all over the known world) could understand them in their own languages (Acts 2:5–6). What a miracle that these strangers from different lands could understand the praises to God in their own tongues! Many were spurred on to find out more about Jesus.

Lord, give us eyes to see those around us as You see them.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread – True Communication →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Words and Faces

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For the past decade, doctors and psychologists have been taking notice of the health benefits of reflective writing. They note that wrestling with words to put your deepest thoughts into writing can lift your mind from depression, uncover wisdom within your experiences, provide insight and foster self-awareness. From autobiography to blogging to the increasingly popular genre of memoir, writers similarly laud the benefits of writing. Whether publically, anonymously, or privately, confessional writing can free the writer “to explore the depths of the emotional junkyard,” as one describes. In my own experience, writing has no doubt been a helpful way to sift through the junkyard, though perhaps most effectively when exploring in good faith and not merely reveling in the messes.

Writing is helpful because the eye of a writer seeks the transcendent—a moment where the extraordinary is beheld in the ordinary, a glimpse of clarity within the chaos, beauty in a world of contrasts. When Jesus stooped over the crumbled girl at his feet and wrote something in the sand, the written word spoke more powerfully than the anger of the Pharisees and well beyond any shame of the young woman. For those of us looking on through story, his words remain unknown but no less powerful. Writing is a tool with which we learn to see ourselves more clearly, a catalyst for which we can learn to see thankfully beyond ourselves.

In the C.S. Lewis novel, Till We Have Faces, the main character, Orual, has taken mental notes throughout her life, carefully building what she refers to as her “case” against the gods. Finally choosing to put her case in writing, she describes each instance where she feels she has been grievously wronged. It is only after Orual has finished writing that she soberly recognizes her great mistake. To have heard herself making the complaint was to be answered. She now sees the importance of uttering the speech at the center of one’s soul and profoundly observes that the gods used her own pen to probe the wounds. With sharpened insight Orual explains, “Till the words can be dug out of us, why should [the gods] hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?”(1)

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Walks in Humility

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“Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you will not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?’” (Daniel 3:13-15).

God humbles the proud but gives grace to the humble.

When King Nebuchadnezzar asked Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” he showed the extent to which a person can be blinded by sinful pride and arrogance. It is sheer folly to pit one’s power against God’s, but that’s precisely what he did.

Nebuchadnezzar’s attitude reflects that of Satan himself, who boasted that he would ascend into Heaven and make himself like the Most High God (Isa. 14:13-14). God is quick to correct such foolish notions. Later in his life Nebuchadnezzar learned that “everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished” (Prov. 16:5). After being severely chastened by God, the king came to his senses and proclaimed, “I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride” (Dan. 4:37).

Although they may not be as openly defiant as Nebuchadnezzar was, everyone who willfully disobeys God’s Word is following his example by exalting their own will over God’s and challenging His authority in their lives.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask the Lord to keep you humble and to forgive any subtle pride you may be harboring in your heart.

For Further Study

Read Psalm 31:23-24 and James 4:13-16.

  • How does the psalmist encourage the humble?
  • What is James’s caution to those who live as if they are not accountable to God?

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Trust the Process 

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I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Many things in life require a process. Pregnancy is typically a nine month process. Students (with grateful parents), graduate four years after beginning their undergraduate studies! Healthy dental hygiene is a two minute daily process of flossing and brushing. Boot camp is a ten week process of army basic training where recruits transform from civilians to soldiers. Farming is a seasonal process of plowing, planting, cultivating and harvesting. Maybe the most familiar is the lifetime relational process of growing in grace and love with family, friends and co-workers.

Paul uses agricultural imagery to illustrate the process of character development in Christ. He and Apollos were servants used by God to further His will. They were part of the Lord’s process, but their giftedness did not produce the results—the Spirit working through them bore the fruit. Instead of caring who received an allocated amount of credit—Paul and Apollos worked together for God’s greater mission. Their oneness of purpose galvanized and inspired those around them to work together and trust God with the right results. A Holy Spirit led process is totally reliable.

“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:17-18).

What are you facing that requires you not to strive, but to rest and trust the Lord is at work in and through the process? Maybe you are on hold, while someone else is deciding on whether to offer you a job or not. If this is not the job for you—God has something more suitable. Perhaps you are trying to get pregnant, but nothing so far. Why can’t you be blessed with a baby? You may be in a scary process—the outcomes are out of your control. Chronic worry only contributes to frustration and fear, while daily waiting on the Lord’s will to be revealed, grows a heart of peace.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Trust the Process  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Know Your Anger

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“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.

Ephesians 4:26

Recommended Reading

Psalm 4:4

We read that Jesus Christ was without sin (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15). But we also read where He, on occasion, seemed pretty angry. For instance, He cleared the merchants and money-changers out of the temple with a whip, turning over their tables and spoiling their goods (John 2:12-16). He also sorely rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, calling them lots of derogatory names (Matthew 23). And isn’t anger sin? Apparently not always, since Jesus got angry but didn’t sin in the process.

There are two things to remember about biblical anger. First, its design. Jesus’ anger was righteous indignation at how God was being dishonored by the Pharisees and how the temple was being used. Anger at unrighteousness and injustice is not sinful. Second, the duration of anger. Anger is an emotion that leads to action. But when anger is nurtured into bitterness and resentment, it becomes self-serving and sinful. That is why Paul used the psalmist’s words to remind the Ephesians not to take their anger to bed.

If you are feeling angry, examine the design of your anger and keep its duration short. Otherwise, anger can become a foothold for the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27).

To be angry against sin is a high and holy thing.

Charles H. Spurgeon

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 56 – 61

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Just Obey

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But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.—1 Corinthians 2:14 AMPC

Many non-Christians don’t really understand the Gospel. This isn’t a new thing that is unique to our day. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he pointed out that the Greeks thought it was foolish. And to the natural mind, it is. God sent Jesus, the sinless One, to earth for the express purpose of dying for wicked, sinful people. To unbelievers that is foolish. The natural man cannot understand the power of the Gospel—it can only be “spiritually discerned.”

This is just as true in daily living. Sometimes God speaks to us, and if we try to explain it to people who don’t know Jesus, it doesn’t make sense. For example, I remember one couple that went to Africa as missionaries. They had no denomination or large church behind them, providing support. They sold everything they owned, including their wedding rings.

“Their wedding rings?” a skeptical relative asked. “You mean God wouldn’t provide for you, so you had to do it yourself?”

The wife smiled. “No, I think we had to decide if comfort and having things like everyone else was more important than serving Jesus.” The couple never doubted they were doing the right thing, but it never made sense to the skeptical relative.

It is difficult for many people to hear God speak and to obey without question. But Jesus did just that—and not only on the cross. John 4 relates the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. What most modern readers don’t get is the introduction to the story: It was necessary for Him to go through Samaria (John 4:4 AMPC). Jesus had been in Jerusalem, and He wanted to go north to Galilee. The country of the Samaritans was in between, but Jesus didn’t have to take the route that passed that way. He could have taken another route and avoided going through Samaria. Most Jews avoided going through Samaria because they hated the Samaritans for mixing and marrying with people from other nations.

But Jesus went to Samaria, even though it wasn’t what we would have called the normal or reasonable thing to do. He went because there was a woman—and eventually a whole village—that needed to hear the message that only He could deliver.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Just Obey →

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – When You Want a Daddy Who Loves You

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[God said] “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.”

2 Corinthians 6:18

Friend to Friend

When I was a little girl, my father spent most of his waking hours working at his building supply company, observing construction sites, and socializing with his colleagues and associates. Even though his place of business was only a few blocks from our home, his heart was miles away in a place I could not find.

My father didn’t drink alcohol every day, but when he did, it consumed him. Dad was filled with a rage that always seemed to be hiding just beneath the surface of his tough skin. And when he drank, that rage spewed out like hot lava onto those around him. Unfortunately, my mother was the most common target. As a child, many nights I crawled into bed, pulled the covers tightly under my chin or even over my head, and prayed that I would quickly fall asleep to shut out the noise of my parents yelling, fighting, and hitting.

I was afraid of my father. Even when he was sober, I kept my distance. At the same time, I observed how other daddies cherished their little girls. I saw them cuddle their daughters in their laps, hold their hands while walking in the park, or kiss their cheeks as they dropped them off at school in the mornings. And while I wasn’t fatherless, I felt as though I was. Deep in my heart, I had a dream. I dreamed that one day I would have a daddy who loved me—not because I was pretty or made good grades or could play the piano well, but just because I was his.

Then one day, the dream came true. I discovered that I did have a Father who loved me…and so do you. God is your Heavenly Father who loves you unconditionally, provides for you unreservedly, and protects you unceasingly.

In the New Testament, Jesus called God by the name Father more than any other name. He also invites us to do the same. Think about that for a moment. The God of the universe who created the heavens and the earth; who always has been and always will be; who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere at once—that same God invites you to call Him Abba, Father!

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – When You Want a Daddy Who Loves You →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; We Are Kings

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“The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king over all, but all who will take God’s gift of forgiveness and acquittal are kings of life because of this one man, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

Jack protested angrily, “Why should I be held accountable for the sin of Adam? Why should I be judged and condemned to eternal punishment because of the disobedience of someone who lived centuries ago? I resent that his action should involve me.” I asked my young student friend if he remembered the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor followed by the declaration of war by then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “Yes,” he said, “I’m a student of history and I remember that event very well.” I reminded Jack that every able-bodied man who was of age was automatically conscripted to join the United States Army to do battle against Japan. “Yes,” he said, “I know.”

“Don’t you think it unfair, following your logic, that the President of the United States should make a decision that would affect young men like yourself? Remember that tens of thousands of them died on the field of battle. Was that fair?”

“Well,” he replied, “that was the only decision that could be made. We had to protect our homeland. We had been attacked and had to defend ourselves.”

“So it was with Adam,” I explained. “The wisdom of the Almighty Creator was attacked by Satan in the Garden of Eden and the battle was lost when Adam and Eve, the epitome of God’s creation, surrendered to Satan’s tempting lies. God, in His sovereignty, wisdom and grace caused the results of the disobedience of Adam to be borne by the rest of us in the human race. But the judgement of God which demands penalty for sin was intercepted by God’s love. while we were yet in our sins God proved His love for us by sending the Lord Jesus Christ to die for us. Now, through accepting God’s free gift by faith, we can become kings of life because of this one man, Jesus Christ.”

Simply stated, one man, Adam, through his disobedience to God, introduced sin into the world, and one man, Jesus Christ, through his obedience to God, paid the penalty for that sin for all who would believe and trust in Him.

Bible Reading: Romans 5:14-21

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Christ has overcome the sin I inherited from Adam by liberating me from the king of death, and making me a king of light. As an expression of my deep gratitude for His love and grace, I will seek every opportunity to communicate this good news to others who still live in darkness that they, too, may enjoy the abundant supernatural life which I now enjoy.

 

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Christ Prays for You

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Read: John 17:9-19

Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. John 17:11b RSV

This is the great prayer Jesus prayed before he went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is leaving these disciples by means of the garden, the betrayal, the judgment seat of Pilate, and the cross, and to them it appeared that he was abandoning them. They felt frightened, helpless, alone, and unable to understand what was taking place. They could not see that our Lord was merely introducing a higher and a better relationship to them.

Do we not feel this way? God leads us to a place of change and we are frightened by it. We wonder if we are not losing everything we held dear in the past. We scarcely realize that God is but leading us to a higher, a newer, and greater relationship. Like these disciples, we are frightened and fearful.

My concern is how to convey something of the gripping reality of these requests of Jesus, something of the intense practicality of what he is saying. I am so afraid that we will fail to realize that Jesus here is actually praying for us — for what he prays for his disciples he prays for us. Notice the plea that Jesus utters for his disciples. Holy Father, he says, Keep them, (John 17:11b RSV). Later he said, I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. (John 17:15a RSV). This is the theme of his prayer: That they might be protected and kept.

Why? There are so many things that I would pray for if I were in his place. They are the usual things we pray for one another. Why didn’t Jesus pray, Use them, or strengthen them, or teach them, or guide them? This is what we would pray for each other. But when he comes to this place where he is leaving them and he wants to put into one brief phrase all that is his heart’s urging and desire for them, he sums it up in those two little words: keep them.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Christ Prays for You →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The New Creation

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Read: Revelation 21:1-14

Death shall be no more. (v. 4)

It seems fitting to close our reflections on grief and loss with this passage from the book of Revelation. The portrayal of a world in which every tear has been wiped from our eyes, and where death simply is no more, might feel far off to us, even unimaginable. Death is such a stark reality in our lives here and now, and it might even feel like wishful thinking to cling to a vision of a new heaven and new earth. Or perhaps we may wonder what good this vision does for us with the present struggles we face. To believe in this promise of a new creation is to choose yet again to live by faith and not by sight. The evidence around us hardly points to the truth of a time where every tear will be wiped from our eyes. But choosing to believe that God is already at work, moving toward a new heaven and new earth, invites us to catch glimpses of where God is indeed making all things new.

Those glimpses can sustain us even when circumstances might feel hopeless. Where have you seen the breaking-in of the new creation? What is it that you dare to hope for even in the face of great loss? God mercifully invites us to be partners in the work of redeeming creation. Even through our weeping and heartache, God joins us and beckons us forward into life anew.

Prayer:

Strengthen us, loving God, until that day when death is no more.

Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – From Theory to Reality

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“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”—Job 23:10

When you go through a hardship, it will make you better or bitter. I have found it is usually one or the other. And guess who decides that? You do. You are the one who decides whether you will be better by trusting in the Lord or whether you will be bitter by turning against the Lord.

Sometimes people who have experienced a tragedy in their lives will say, “I’ve lost my faith through this.” That’s good. Because their faith wasn’t real to begin with. If you are a real believer, your faith will not go away when hardship hits. It will get stronger. The faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. Tragedy reveals who the real believers are.

Suffering helps us grow spiritually and makes us stronger in the faith. It takes our faith from the realm of theory to reality. It reminds me of guys who drive around in their tricked-out four-wheelers. They have done everything to their vehicles, adding massive tires and wheels as well as all kinds of hardware. But ask one of them if he ever takes his vehicle off road, and he’ll say, “Are you kidding? Do you know what I’ve spent on this thing? I’m going to the car wash.” He would never consider taking his four-wheeler off road, even though that is what it was designed for.

In the same way, it’s easy to talk about our faith. But it’s another thing to live by it. A lot of us will boast about the number of years we have known the Lord and how many verses we have memorized. That is all good. But when your faith is tested, we will find out what you are really made of.

Suffering does not create character; it reveals it.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Created Everything

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“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

When you look at a building, you know that there had to be a builder. The evidence of his work is right in front of you. When you look at a painting, you know that there had to be an artist. When you look at a pizza, you know that there was a pizza-maker!

What if I told you that the building built itself, that the painting painted itself, and that I had an empty fridge, but somehow pepperoni and cheese and flour just appeared and became a pizza? You would probably laugh just thinking about it. Many people, however, think that the universe did just that; it just “came together” on its own. They don’t believe that there was a Designer or Creator. Are they right? God says in Genesis that God created all things. He created the sun, moon, and stars; He created the animals and plants; He created us!

Let’s look for a moment at our Universe. Did you know that there are 70,000-million-million-million (that’s 7 with 22 zeros behind it) stars in the universe? Did you know that there are 206 bones in our body (and 6 of them are in your ear!)? Wow!

Those are only two facts that demonstrate how amazing our universe is. It is so complicated that even the most brilliant scientists do not understand how everything works together. What does that show you and I? Paul says in Romans 1:20 that since the beginning of the world, God’s invisible attributes – specifically His power and “God-ness” – have been clear to anyone with eyes because God’s creation proves that He’s powerful and that He’s God. If we simply look around us, we can clearly see that there must be a Creator and Designer of the world.

God says that He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). He has told us that He created everything. Let us praise Him for His wonderful design and creation!

God tells me in His Word that He is the Creator of all things.

My Response:

» Do I believe that God created everything?

» Do I praise God for creating everything?

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – A Complete Suit

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:11

“You were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sanctification and justification are both gifts from God and expressions of his grace. Though they’re each distinct aspects of salvation, they can never be separated. God never grants justification without also giving sanctification at the same time.

I think of justification and sanctification as being like the jacket and pants of a suit. They always come together. A friend once wanted to give me a suit. He took me to a clothing store, and I walked out with a jacket and matching pants—a complete suit. Neither the jacket nor the pants alone would have been sufficient. I needed both to have what my friend wanted to give me.

Sometimes we think of salvation as more like a sports coat and a pair of slacks. We think God gives us the sports coat of justification by his grace, but we must “buy” the slacks of sanctification by our own efforts. But salvation is like a suit. It always comes with the jacket of justification and the pants of sanctification. God never gives one without the other because both are necessary to have the complete suit of salvation.

Sanctification in us begins as an instantaneous act of the Holy Spirit and is carried forward by his continued action in our lives. This instantaneous act is described in a number of ways in Scripture. It is called the “renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), making us alive with Christ when we were dead in transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1-5). It results in the new creation Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Hasty Conclusions

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Today’s Scripture: Joshua 22-24

Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.” – 1 Samuel 1:13-14

The war in the land of Canaan had ended. They had rest according to all that God had promised, and every man had a clear title to his farm. Joshua dismissed those whose inheritance was on the east side of Jordan, so they started for their homes. And then they did something that almost led to tragedy. When they came to the borders of Jordan, they built an altar.

When the children of Israel in the west heard about what they had done, they gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against their eastern brothers! But before the army marched off to battle, they did a very wise thing. They sent Phineas the priest and ten leaders to Gilead to talk to their brothers and find out why they had built an altar. They found that the eastern tribes had not built an altar for sacrifice, but as a witness to the present and future generations of their vow to worship the Lord in His sanctuary.

Here is a tremendous lesson for us today. Hasty suspicion leads to false accusation and division. It is so easy to jump to conclusions and go off half-cocked and say things or do things that we will regret later–things Satan can use to bring reproach on the cause of Christ.

Are you in the midst of making some battle plans today? Your cause may be just, and the sin you are opposing may be serious. But are you sure the fellow Christians you’re getting ready to fight have actually done what you think they did? Do you know the motive behind their apparently wrong action?

Prayer

Lord, as Your Word says in James 1:19-20, teach me to be “slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” Amen.

To Ponder

“He who answers before listening–that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13).

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  If You Can Keep it: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty

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What does it mean to be an American?

Unlike other countries, America is not defined by a particular ethnic or religious group. Instead, our country was formed around an idea: liberty. But what does it take to maintain liberty? It’s a question I try to answer in my new book, which is being released today, “If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty.”

Now, in order to find the answer to this question, we have to go back 229 years, to 1787. Having won the American Revolution, our founders went about creating a new form of government—one that would be strong, but not TOO strong; one that relied on self-government. The result, of course, was the U.S. Constitution—a marvel.

As their summer-long convention finished, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” He famously replied: “A republic, madam—if you can keep it!”

And what could cause us to lose the republic? Well, that’s simple: the loss of virtue.

Benjamin Franklin, like the other founders, understood that freedom and self-government absolutely depend on the practice of virtue. Have you heard that lately? Me neither. John Adams wrote that “the only foundation of a free Constitution is pure virtue.”

Now I’ll bet you didn’t learn about this link between liberty and virtue in high school civics class. I know I did not. But it was a deeply familiar and necessary concept to all our founders—one that we have largely forgotten—or even worse, dismissed.

What Franklin understood—and what modern crime statistics tragically bear out—is that if citizens do not voluntarily practice virtue, the authorities have no choice but to attempt to enforce it.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  If You Can Keep it: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – Read Genesis 30:14–24

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THE BATTLE OF THE BABIES: PART II

Biblical narratives often have two plot lines. One is the story line contained in the events themselves; these are the things that happen to the characters. They represent real-life circumstances that people just like us faced. The other might be called the theological plot of the narrative. Behind the particular events that shaped the lives of people like Jacob, Leah, and Rachel was the unfolding plan of God. This plan was not always apparent to those who were part of the story.

This was certainly true in the battle between Rachel and Leah. On one level God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham. He was building Abraham’s line of descent. On another level He was setting the stage for the birth of Joseph and Jacob’s eventual relocation to Egypt. This in turn would pave the way for the great redemptive event of the Old Testament—Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt led by Moses. On a much larger scale, all these smaller plot lines would eventually coalesce in God’s ultimate work of redemption.

The connection between these plot lines is implied in Elizabeth’s song of praise in Luke 1:25, in which she echoes the words of Rachel and Leah. God was doing more than giving Jacob a family. He was creating a line through which He would one day send a Redeemer. But as far as Jacob’s experience went, it just seems like a mess. Like Jacob, Leah, and Rachel the story of our lives also reflects two plot lines. We are mostly aware of the story line of our daily events. We experience the struggle or see the mess. We usually do not know how they fit into God’s larger plan until after the fact. But we do have one great advantage. We know how the story ends.

APPLY THE WORD

The conclusion to our story is recorded in Romans 8:28–30. God works all things for the good of those who love Him. He redeems our experiences—even the messes—into an outcome that will be good. Our destiny is to be conformed to the image of Christ. The end of our story is to see and experience the glory of God.

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – WHAT WILL PROTECT US FROM THE NEXT OMAR MATEEN?

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Last Monday morning I drove to the building where our ministry offices are located and rode the elevator to our floor. All the while, I thought about how easy it would be for another Omar Mateen to attack our building. After Orlando, many are thinking the same as they enter movie theaters, shopping malls, bars—anywhere a crowd is present but armed security is not.

The New York Times tells us that we can expect increased security at public events as a result of the Orlando massacre. Bomb-sniffing dogs, metal detectors, and searches will become more common. But experts question whether such measures really work. And how would we enforce them everywhere they’re needed? Would they simply drive terrorists from a guarded venue to a less secure one?

We can defer the question. Since I never go to gay nightclubs, I can feel safer than those who do. But Christianity Today’s Mark Galli is right: mass murderers can attack anywhere, any time. Nearly a year ago, nine people were murdered at a prayer meeting in a Charleston, South Carolina, church. On December 9, 2007, two people were killed at a ministry training center in Arvada, Colorado, and another two at a church in Colorado Springs.

I’ve been to prayer meetings, ministry centers, and churches. I’m guessing you have as well.

We can pray for protection, as people often do when they confront danger. The Washington Post has a wonderful story about a chaplain at Reagan National Airport who prays with those who worry before their flights. But the chaplain recently lost his ten-year-old son to brain cancer. I’m sure he prayed for his son to live.

I have prayed every day since our sons were born that God would protect them. Nonetheless, one of them developed cancer. He’s doing well today. But I still struggle with the fact that God didn’t prevent the cancer he used medical science to heal. If our son had died, I hope I would continue to trust God as the airport chaplain does.

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