Daily Archives: June 23, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Waiting on God

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Psalms 37:1-9

Waiting on the Lord is an important spiritual discipline in our walk of faith. King David’s life teaches us about the value of following God’s plan and the danger in moving ahead of Him.

When David was a young shepherd boy, he was anointed as Israel’s next king by the prophet Samuel. Yet he did not become the ruler for many years. Waiting for the Lord to place him on the throne was made more difficult because the current king, Saul, turned against David and repeatedly tried to take his life. Despite the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and kill his enemy, David held back. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to attack Saul, either (1 Sam. 24:1-7). He waited on God and was greatly blessed for his obedience.

When he was king, David learned the hard way why it is a bad idea to move ahead without the Lord. One year, he chose not to join his troops in battle, even though that was one of his duties (2 Sam. 11:1). During the time he stayed home, he noticed Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and he coveted her. Acting upon his desires, he conceived a child with her and then tried to cover up his sin. What a mess he made of his life. Instead of following the Lord’s plan and being blessed, he experienced divine chastisement and much heartache.

As believers, we want to obey the Lord, but there may be situations when intense desire propels us forward without waiting for His direction. Like David, we will experience the blessing of obedience or the heartache of disobedience. Be sure to seek out God’s plan before you act.

Bible in a Year: Psalms 67-70

 

 

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Alistair Begg, Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Serving Christ

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Read: Ephesians 6:5–9 | Bible in a Year: Esther 9–10; Acts 7:1–21

Obey [your earthly masters] . . . as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Ephesians 6:6

“I’m a secretary,” a friend told me. “When I tell people this, they sometimes look at me with a certain pity. But when they find out who I am secretary for, they open their eyes with admiration!” In other words, society often defines some jobs as less important than others, unless those jobs happen to relate in some way to rich or famous people.

For the child of God, however, any occupation, regardless of the earthly boss, can be held proudly because we serve the Lord Jesus.

Lord Jesus, I want to serve you in everything I do.

In Ephesians 6, Paul talks to servants and masters. He reminds both groups that we serve one Master who is in heaven. So we need to do everything with sincerity of heart, integrity, and respect because we are serving and working for Christ Himself. As the apostle Paul reminds us, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people” (Eph. 6:7).

What a privilege to serve God in everything we do, whether answering a phone or driving a car or doing housework or running a business. Let us work with a smile today, remembering that no matter what we are doing, we are serving God.

Lord Jesus, I want to serve You in everything I do. Help me, as I begin each day, to remember this.

Serving shows our love for God.

INSIGHT:

The idea of serving others as an act of worship and service to the Lord is a recurring theme in Paul’s writings. He tells the church at Colossae that “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). He also instructs the church in Corinth, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Under the Sun

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Doubt everything, find your own light.(1) So recommends the Buddha in his last words. It sounds like good advice, but then the human heart invariably presses on to doubt itself! After all, what kind of assurance can we have that this light is real light or true? The hunger for meaning, the quest for understanding, the search for answers and solutions are central features of the human condition.

For instance, what is the nature of reality? What is existence all about? What is the purpose of life, if any, and what should we try to give answers to? A much-neglected resource for reflection in this area is the book of Ecclesiastes, from the preacher, or Qoheleth in Hebrew. It is a book that speaks profoundly to our times by asking questions, by setting out contradictions, and by forcing the reader to feel what absurdity as an outlook is really like.

As the book opens, we are confronted with its most famous words, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” Or in another translation of Ecclesiastes 1:2: “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher, ‘Utterly Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” Not a very inspiring start! He has devoted himself to explore life, to examine what is good for humanity to do under the sun, and his observations have yielded some depressing results: Everything in life seems to be bound by inevitability. Human freedom appears to be constrained by overwhelming necessities, leading to a sense of helplessness. And the endless cycle of repetition leads to a sense of boredom, pointlessness, and despair.

Many a sage, philosopher, and guru have come to similar conclusions. What is unique to Ecclesiastes is how the author tackles the issues and what he leads us to see. By laying out the vanities of life, the propensities of youth, the all-encompassing reach of death, and the vast urgency of wisdom as a potential life-philosophy, he engages a chaotic world with some serious reflections. The writer takes us on a journey through life, and he deals with the questions and exasperations that we all inevitably encounter. His own desire was to try and figure things out so he could live well and be content, and encourage others to do the same. He likely hoped to discover the key or missing ingredient, the clues to true and lasting success and happiness.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Under the Sun →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Promotes a Righteous Person

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“Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, ‘We shall not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God’” (Daniel 6:4-5).

Live so as to silence your critics.

Whenever God exalts a righteous person, there will be those who are jealous and who criticize. Sometimes, as in Daniel’s case, the jealousy turns to bitter opposition. But Daniel’s accusers had a problem: try as they may, they could find no ground of accusation against him. He was blameless and above reproach in his character and political dealings. Their only option was to somehow indict him for being totally committed to God. What a wonderful testimony to his faithfulness!

When an individual has served in office as long as Daniel had and his enemies can bring no charges of wrongdoing against him, he or she must be a person of great integrity and personal purity. That was the strength of Daniel’s character, and God wants you to have that kind of character as well.

There will always be those who want to discredit you. Even if they aren’t jealous of your position, they’ll resent your Christian faith and will scrutinize your attitudes and actions in an attempt to tarnish your reputation. How will your character hold up under that kind of scrutiny?

The apostle Peter wrote, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). That means you must live the kind of life that silences your critics and refutes their accusations. When you do, some of them might even come to Christ.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask the Lord to guard your testimony and to minister saving grace to anyone who might seek to discredit you.

For Further Study

Read Philippians 1:12-18. What was the apostle Paul’s perspective on those who were envious of him? Do you share his perspective?

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Don’t Look Back 

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Jesus said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-62

What is the most fundamental lesson you have to learn when you first learn to drive a car? I can still hear my dad telling me countless times, “Keep your eyes on the road!” As simple as it may sound, this can be a hard lesson to learn! As a young driver, I had to learn that my primary job wasn’t to talk to friends or pick out music on the radio; it was to focus on navigating the road so that I arrived safely at my destination. Now as a father of three, the distractions are different, yet present nonetheless. My job is to focus fully on the road ahead, not to look back to break up arguments or clean up spilled drinks!

Have you ever tried to drive a car while looking backwards? It’s a sure recipe for disaster. Though they didn’t have cars in Jesus’ day, they did have a multitude of plows, and Jesus is using this easily understood imagery to make the same point. You can’t operate a plow while looking backwards, and more importantly, you can’t follow him and still have your heart and mind focused on other things.

Is Jesus saying that it’s wrong to grieve a lost loved one or to passionately love your family? Of course not. Such a blanket statement misses the point that Jesus is trying to make. Following Jesus requires that we give ourselves fully and completely to him and his coming kingdom.

In our society today it’s easy to view our Christian faith as a part of a well-balanced life. In addition to family, work, sports, art, or politics, one can also include a bit of “religion” to round this picture out. This is culturally accepted, widely practiced, and spiritually devastating. Can you relate to this way of life?

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Don’t Look Back  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – All There Is of Me

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Then Jesus said to His disciples,“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Matthew 16:24

Recommended Reading

Matthew 16:24-28

One day General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was introduced to Queen Victoria, who asked him why God had used him so greatly to help the poor and the suffering souls of England. “I guess the reason,” said Booth humbly, “is because God has all there is of me.”1

Jesus didn’t call us to follow Him when it’s convenient or to give Him 99 percent of our lives. Our time on earth is brief, and we’re here on assignment. There’s work to do, people to win, and a kingdom to advance. Our Lord warned against letting “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,” rendering us unfruitful (Matthew 13:22). He wants one hundred percent of you.

Our effectiveness for Christ is hindered by unyielded priorities or unconfessed sin. Jesus wants all of us there is to have. He wants all the adoration of our hearts, all the zeal of our souls, and all the days of our lives. Don’t allow the “things” in your life to keep you from doing what Christ is calling you to do for Him.

If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.

Missionary C. T. Studd

1Quoted in Fred Barlow, Profiles in Evangelism (Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord, 1976), 32.

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 104 – 106

 

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Stop Saying, “That’s Just the Way I Am!”

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I have [in short] become all things to all men, that I might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some [by winning them to faith in Jesus Christ]. —1 Corinthians 9:22

Some people are quiet, shy, and more laid-back simply because of their personalities. I am a talker and my husband is not, and there is nothing wrong with either of us. But when anything becomes excessive to the point that it is hindering our freedom or hurting other people, we cannot say, “That’s just the way I am.” Dave needs to talk to me more than he might prefer to at times because that’s what I need, and love requires that we make sacrifices for the sake of other people. There are also times when I would like to rattle on and on in conversation, but I notice that Dave isn’t really enjoying it so I decide to be quiet or I go find someone else to talk to.

We must work with God to find the balance between being who we are and not excusing unloving behavior by saying, “That is just the way I am.” God is in the business of changing us into His image, and that means He helps us control our weaknesses and He uses our strengths.

Dave and I have very different personalities, and yet we get along fabulously. It was not always that way, but we’ve learned to be what the other needs and yet not go so far that we lose our own freedom. I try to meet Dave’s needs and he does the same thing for me. Dave likes to do things that I don’t enjoy, but I still encourage him to do them so he can feel fulfilled, and he treats me the same way. When a friend or spouse needs you to adapt in some area to make the relationship better, it is foolish and selfish to say, “Sorry, that is just the way I am.” We may be more comfortable and find it easier to do what we feel like doing, but we can make adjustments and still not lose our individuality.

We can make ourselves very miserable and have stress-filled lives by never being willing to change or adapt. We are all different, but we can get along peacefully if we are willing.

Trust in Him: Ask God to help you be sensitive to the needs of those around you and give you the grace to adapt in whatever way you need to in order to walk in love with them. Trust God to help you be all things to all people.

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Believing God in the Hard Times

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Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

John 5:1-6

Friend to Friend

A mess is the perfect setting for a miracle. Our helplessness can be our most powerful offering – if we are willing to be honest and transparent. Sometimes it is a lot easier to just stay in the darkness than it is to struggle toward the light.

Not everyone really wants to be healed or rescued. Why?

Because their infirmity has become their identity or because their crisis now defines who they are and forms the familiar parameters of their life. Some people use their weaknesses to get the attention they crave or to keep from assuming any responsibility in their own lives.

Take the man at the pool of Bethesda for example.

The pool of Bethesda was the gathering place for anyone in need of healing. Many people believed that the first person in the pool after the water moved would be healed from whatever disease or illness they had. Since the pool was fed by springs, it is safe to assume that the water was stirred fairly often.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Believing God in the Hard Times →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Protected From Satan

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“But the Lord is faithful: He will make you strong and guard you from satanic attacks of every kind” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

As a lad I grew up in a rural community on a ranch five miles from the nearest town. I received the first seven years of my formal education in a one-room, country school. I was often the only student in my class and there were never more than three of us. It was not unusual for some big bully to pick on a student smaller than himself and fights would ensue.

I had been taught never to run from a fight because that was not the manly thing to do and so I sometimes found myself in such a situation. I was encouraged by a brother, several years older, who would stand by to insure that the fighting was fair and that I would not be taken advantage of. The Lord Jesus Christ is our elder brother. He stands by to help us, to make us strong and guard us from the attacks of Satan who is like the big bully.

Two thousand years ago Satan was defeated at the cross. He has no control over us except that which God allows and which we by our disobedience and unbelief enable Him to have. Why then, you ask, does the average Christian have such a tough time living the Christian life? It is because he does not understand that the battle has already been won! Victory is ours and nothing can touch us or harm us whether we are criticized, persecuted or even martyred for the sake of the kingdom, for we are not of this world. We are citizens of the heavenly kingdom. While here on this earth, Christ will envelop us and surround us with His supernatural peace and power, turning tragedy to triumph, heartache and sorrow to joy. This is our heritage if only we keep on trusting and obeying Him.

Bible Reading: II Thessalonians 3:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will remember that Jesus Christ is not only my Savior and Lord, but my older brother and that He will protect me against satanic attacks of every kind. The battle has already been won! Through His enabling supernatural resources, I will live a supernatural life for His glory today.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Praying in the True Temple

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Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12-40

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 2 Chron 6:12

1 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. It is, perhaps, the only passage in the Old Testament that is a report of a formal prayer uttered on a great state occasion. The whole nation — or at least a great portion of it — had gathered in the courts of the temple to dedicate the new building that Solomon had erected according to the plans that his father David had drawn.

The nearest thing we would have to this scene in America today would be the Inauguration of a President. Like our Inauguration, on this occasion a special platform had been built for the king in the great courtyard of the temple, in front of the brazen altar, where the sacrifices for sin were offered. On that platform King Solomon began this prayer with a recognition of God’s promise to David, his father, that there would never lack a man to sit upon the throne of Israel.

Solomon’s prayer consists of eight wide-ranging requests which concern the temple and the place of prayer in the life of the people of Israel. Though these requests had specific applications to the people of Israel, they have specific application in our own lives as well. For instance, the Jews were to face the temple when they prayed, no matter where they were in the land. This has a specific application to us. In the New Testament we are told that our bodies are the temple of God. This is a truth that is often missed today. It is very hurtful when Christians refer to buildings as the house of God. The New Testament never calls any building the house of God. Church buildings are not the houses of God — we are. Everywhere in the New Testament the answer to the temple of the old regime is the human body and our personal lives. We are the habitation of God, by the Spirit. When we gather, the whole place becomes the temple of the living God; God dwelling among his people by the Spirit.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Praying in the True Temple →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – When the Lights Go Out

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Read: Psalm 139:1-12

Even the darkness is not dark to you. (v. 12)

I drove to the hospital. A parishioner of mine was anticipating surgery. She was fearful. What will happen when the lights go out, she wondered, after she received the anesthetic? I read from Psalm 139:11-12, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you.” She was reassured. Dark for her won’t be dark to God.

Indeed as others have noted, God has a record of accomplishing great works in the darkness. When God set out to form and fill the world, “darkness was over the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). When Israel fled Egypt, God provided a pillar of fire to accompany them in the darkness. When Jacob fled his brother Esau, he wrestled with God in the dark of night. When Jesus died for our sins, darkness fell upon the earth for three hours. Jesus arose on Easter Sunday morning to give us eternal life. His redemptive work began in the darkness of the tomb.

Reflect on your spiritual journey. When did God speak to you in unforgettable terms? Wasn’t it often at night? Perhaps it was when you had your own “wrestling match” with God, when he was calling you to a certain path you had long resisted. Does your present path seem dark? Are you confused about which way to go or what to do? Call upon the Lord who to this day still does great things in the darkness.

Prayer:

In light or dark I am yours, O Lord.

Author: Chic Broersma

 

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Importance of Purpose

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Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”—Hebrews 13:5

What do you live for? What gets your heart beating? What fires you up? Everyone lives for something.

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is” (2 Timothy 3:10). He also said, “For to me, living means living for Christ” (Philippians 1:21). To the church in Corinth he wrote, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Paul had a determined purpose in life. What is yours? Is your purpose to have fun? It is for some people. Life is all about having fun. “I don’t care,” they say, “let’s just have fun.” Or maybe they are chasing after pleasure. Or maybe life is all about success. Maybe it is all about making money. Others live for sports. Some live for emotional experiences. Still others live for a relationship. But everyone lives for something.

As Christians, we should not be seeking happiness but holiness. The most unhappy people are people who live to be happy. If we seek after happiness, we will end up being miserable people. But if we seek to be holy—and by that I mean seek to be godly men or godly women—then we will discover that happiness comes into our lives as a byproduct. Don’t seek pleasure; seek purpose. Don’t seek success; seek significance.

That thing you live for, that god you bow before, will it be with you in your hour of need? If it is any god, any idol, anything or anyone else apart from God, it won’t be there for you. But the Lord will. Wherever you go, God goes with you. You have His Word on it.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Has A Plan For Each of Us

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Psalm 25:4-5 “Shew me thy ways, 0 Lord: teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

God promises to be with us every step of the way.

Have you ever thought, “I’m really just a “nobody” and what can I do for God?” Moses felt that way. Moses tells God in Exodus 3:11 “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” And in Exodus 4:10, And Moses said unto the LORD, “0 my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Moses begged God to send another, but the Lord became angry and told Moses that his brother Aaron could help and speak the words that should be said. Then God said this to Moses, “And thou shalt speak unto him (Aaron) and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.”

God had a very special plan that needed to be accomplished. God chose someone to complete the task who was not famous or popular. I don’t believe Moses went around thinking, “I want everyone to notice me. I must do something great!” He had a humble heart and a desire to serve yet felt he wasn’t worthy. God said something very important to Moses, “I will teach you what ye shall do.” God is still looking today for someone who is not proud, but someone who desires to serve with humility. God has a specific plan for those who are willing to step forward and say they will do what God wants them to – even though they feel the task is too hard. God promises to be with us every step of the way.

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Blind Slaves

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 6:17

“You . . . were once slaves of sin.”

Before we became believers, Paul said we were “following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). This “prince” is Satan, the devil. We don’t like to think we were followers of the devil, but that’s what the Bible says.

This doesn’t mean we were as wicked as we could be; after all, as Paul said elsewhere, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). What it does mean is that Satan blinded us to the Gospel: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). But God “rescued us from the dominion of darkness [Satan’s kingdom] and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

Before God delivered us, we were Satan’s captives. We could not see the light of the Gospel. This inability was spiritual, not mental. We were spiritually blind, unable to recognize our need of the savior or to see God’s gracious provision of him.

Paul also said that “we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). And more specifically: “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). Note the absolute negatives Paul used.

We were under the dominion of Satan, and slaves of our own sinful natures. And apart from a supernatural work of God in our lives, we were helpless to do anything about our condition.

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A True Disciple

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:4

When my hair began to turn gray, and it was evident I’d been around a long time, people began asking me, “How are Christians today different from Christians when you came to Christ?” My answer is always the same: Today’s Christians are far better trained to serve the Lord. There are conferences, seminars, and workshops available today that were unheard of in my early years. There’s also one thing lacking: the intense hunger for holiness that was in the lives of Christians a few decades ago.

Paul told the Romans, “I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19, KJV). The word translated simple also is translated guileless and innocent! The word doesn’t come from the field of religion but from the study of metal. There are pure metals–gold, iron–and there are mixed metals–steel, bronze. And that’s the word Paul uses to mean unmixed regarding evil.

To the Greeks in Corinth, he spelled it out by asking them five questions recorded in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16: What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and [Satan]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

It’s clear, isn’t it? You can’t mix light with darkness, or Christ with Satan. And to make this point, Paul never hesitated to go head-on against the culture in which these new converts were living. He warned them that God had called them to holiness in a culture where chastity was an absolutely unknown virtue. Christian, take your stand. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.

Prayer

Lord, create in me a hunger for holiness in my life. Amen.

To Ponder

Is the light of Christ in you so bright that it’s like a beacon in this dark world?

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Blaming Christians for Orlando? The Media Hits Rock Bottom

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Two Sundays ago, an ISIS-inspired terrorist killed forty-nine people at a gay night club in Orlando. Yet just three days after the attack, the New York Times editorial board laid the blame for Omar Mateen’s self-professed act of Islamic terrorism squarely at the feet of…believers in traditional marriage. I’m not kidding.

For those confused about how Christians and social conservatives are responsible for a radical jihadist’s actions, the Times helpfully explains: Our “corrosive politics,” they write, paved the way for this monstrosity. And by “corrosive politics,” they make it clear they mean defense of the natural family and created differences between the sexes. The Daily Beast followed up, accusing conservatives who are mourning the tragedy of “exploiting the LGBT community.” Evidently if your politics don’t line up with the goals of the sexual left, you’re not allowed to shed tears for the victims of terrorism.

But by far the most disturbing response, at least to me, came from CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who decided to publicly shame Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi during a live interview. While Bondi tried to explain what Florida is doing to help the victims and their families, Cooper raked her over the coals about her opposition to same-sex “marriage.”

In fact, he all but called her a hypocrite for defending the Florida constitution which—at the time—defined marriage as the union of man and woman. An attorney general’s job, of course, is to uphold and defend her state’s constitution. But Anderson Cooper did not seem to care.

As Mollie Hemingway remarked at The Federalist, apparently Cooper and CNN cannot fathom how anyone could oppose gay “marriage” and also grieve the murder of fifty fellow human beings. The implication by the media is clear: If you haven’t been on board with the LGBT political program, you’re partially responsible for what happened in Orlando.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Blaming Christians for Orlando? The Media Hits Rock Bottom →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – A FATHER’S FALL

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Read 2 Samuel 12:1–25

Marital infidelity is often glamorized in popular culture, but in real life it devastates families. In her book, Parents Who Cheat: How Children and Adults Are Affected When Their Parents Are Unfaithful, Dr. Ana Nogales explains that children feel shame and lose trust when a parent is unfaithful. “When one parent betrays the other, a child’s inner world and sense of the world at large are shattered. The personal environment in which he lives and from which he draws his sense of safety and security—namely, his family—is fundamentally changed because the most important people in that environment have become unrecognizable.”

David’s affair with Bathsheba shattered his family. David used the power of his position to seduce Bathsheba and murder her husband, Uriah. David hid the affair until confronted by Nathan the prophet. Instead of rebuking David directly, Nathan told him a parable.

Old Testament commentator Robert Alter notes that the poetic form of Nathan’s speech would normally have alerted most listeners to the fact that the story was constructed and intended to have a moral point. But David was absorbed by the tale and thought Nathan was recounting an actual instance of injustice. In his outrage, the king pronounced sentence upon himself. But instead of the death penalty that David said his crime deserved, the Lord warned that the king’s family would be destroyed. His sons would follow his immoral example, and both his household and his kingdom would be plagued by the sword.

God did not abandon David, but in many ways his life and ministry would never be the same. Forgiveness is available for the most heinous of our sins. Our relationship with God can be restored. But that does not mean we or our families will escape the consequences of our sin.

APPLY THE WORD

David’s story is both a cautionary tale and a cause for hope. We dare not take sin lightly. The first step in recovery is to confess your sin to God. Consider using Psalm 51, David’s own prayer of confession, as a model for your repentance. If you confess your sin, God will forgive (1 John 1:9–10). He will help you to rebuild your life.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – WHY BREXIT AFFECTS YOU

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People in Britain are voting today on whether their nation should stay in the European Union (EU). For the rest of us, this seems like an issue with little relevance outside of Europe.

Actually, what British voters decide today will affect all of us tomorrow.

Dubbed the “Brexit,” the question of Britain’s leaving the EU has been debated for months. Economists fear that a vote to leave would undermine London’s position in the world financial order. The chief of the NATO alliance says trans-Atlantic security would be stronger if Britain remained in the European Union.

If it left, however, Britain could establish its own trade agreements. It would no longer contribute to the EU budget, saving a net of 8.5 billion pounds per year. Brexit supporters say leaving would give the nation greater control over immigration as well.

Here’s why their vote affects us all. According to The Washington Post, a Brexit threatens more than a trillion dollars in investment and trade with the U.S. The International Monetary Fund predicts that a Brexit could reduce economic growth by up to 5.6 percent over the next three years. However, Brexit supporters say that leaving would strengthen the EU’s unity around the Euro and make Europe a better trading partner for the world.

Our planet is still 24,874 miles around (at the equator), but it feels smaller than ever. A radical Muslim leader in Iraq inspired terrorism in San Bernardino and Orlando. The Zika virus began in Uganda, but the World Health Organization says it is now a global public health emergency. Authorities warn that Mexican drug cartels currently pose a greater threat to Americans than ISIS.

We are connected morally to the world as well. A worldview shift called “postmodernism” began in Europe but is now just as powerful in America. Its central thesis: since our minds interpret our senses, “truth” is personal and subjective. As a result, there can be no objective moral standard on issues ranging from abortion to euthanasia. It seems that everything is now in play: support for polygamy is rising quickly, genetic engineering is on the horizon, and virtual reality pornography is here.

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