Monthly Archives: June 2016

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How God Can Use Suffering

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He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.—2 Corinthians 1:4

My friend Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Birdwell was working at the Pentagon on 9/11 when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building. He was severely burned and underwent numerous surgeries and painful skin grafts. Awhile back when he was a guest of our church, I invited him to have lunch with me.

“I can’t,” he said. “I’m going to a burn ward.” He had arranged to visit patients at a local burn ward so he could encourage them and tell them they could get through it. I thought about how Brian Birdwell could do that like no one else could.

Or take Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs. When he speaks of the comfort that Christ has given him, it resonates.

When a person has just found out he or she has cancer, a cancer survivor can bring a measure of comfort that I could never bring.

When we are suffering, we can bring a special measure of comfort to someone else who is suffering. Paul said that God “comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Everything in life is preparation for something else. That certainly was the case with Joseph and all the calamities he endured after his brothers sold him into slavery. Years later when his brothers begged for forgiveness, he told them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

God can use suffering in our lives to prepare us for a special task. Perhaps the hardships of today are preparing you for great opportunities tomorrow.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Cares for You

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As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me….Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:16, 22)

Most likely, you already know that God commanded you to honor your parents. You know that He commanded you to be kind. But did you know that Jesus commanded you to think about flowers? He did!

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow,” Jesus said. “They toil not, neither do they spin.” In other words, they don’t worry about a thing! “And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Jesus continues, “Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?”

If God cares enough to take care of the flowers and the birds, how much more does He care about you, the child He created in His very own image! It doesn’t matter how small your problem is. Flowers and birds aren’t very big, either, but God cares about them. He is concerned about everything that you’re concerned about.

Since God cares so much about your problems, how should you respond? Should you wring your hands and try to fix your problems all by yourself? Should you go running to a friend or to your parents, expecting them to make everything right? No; your Lord Jesus doesn’t want you to be worried. He told His disciples the same thing: “Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? Or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

Isn’t it wonderful to know that God hears you? He is more concerned about your burdens than you are, and if you call upon Him, He will help you. He will hold you up. He will give you the strength you need to face your problems – He really will! He cares more about your problems than you do. He created you.

Cast your burden upon Him today, and then do what you know is right. Just obey Him, trusting Him to take care of the rest.

God takes care of birds and flowers, so He will surely take care of me!

My Response:

» Am I trusting my Heavenly Father to take care of my needs?

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – How Do We Get Faith?

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Today’s Scripture: Acts 13:48

“And as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

If there’s any one truth Paul seems to feel strongly about, it’s the absolute antithesis between justification by faith and justification by keeping the law. This is why faith must involve a complete renunciation of trust in one’s own goodness (keeping the law), as well as a total reliance on Jesus Christ and his righteousness.

The question then arises: how do we get faith? Does it come simply as an intellectual response to the Gospel message? Or do those of us who share the Gospel with others need to master the art of persuasion or learn the technique of “closing the sale”? How does one get faith?

The short answer is that faith is the gift of God. It has to be. There’s an old adage that “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Have you ever tried to convince someone to change his mind when that person didn’t want to change? You may marshal well-documented reasons and unassailable facts, but unless that person is receptive to you, he will not change. He just mentally “digs in his heels.” Now if this is true in the ordinary affairs of life, how much more is it true in the spiritual realm?

God does not believe for us, but through his Spirit he creates spiritual life in us so that we can believe. Faith is a gift of God. It’s part of the whole salvation package that God gives to us through the work of Christ for us and the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It’s not our contribution, so to speak, to God’s great plan of salvation. God does it all. Faith is part of the unsearchable riches of Christ. (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Beyond the Beachhead

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Today’s Scripture: Judges 1-5

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. – 1 John 5:21

When the children of Israel took possession of their respective areas in the Promised Land, it was a lot like establishing a beachhead. This was not the end but the beginning. They were to move on from there and rid the land of idolatry, blasphemy, occult practices, and sin of every kind. But they didn’t. We are told Judah didn’t drive them out; neither did Manassah, Zebulun, Asher, and so on. Why? Basically, they failed to move out from their beachhead.

I recall the day our Marine outfit invaded an enemy-held island during World War II. We weren’t ten feet out of the water when a Marine right next to me had his left arm blown off, and another man had his upper lip shot off. It took a lot of work to establish that beachhead, but that was only the beginning. From there we had to move inland and capture the airfield, one of our major objectives.

The people of God had done a lot of work to possess the Promised Land, yet they failed to follow through and finish the job. Why? It seems to me there were three reasons: fear, slothfulness, and tolerance for idolatry.

These same traits–fear, sloth, idolatry–can defeat us as well. In our saner moments, we know we’re not to be controlled by fear but by the Holy Spirit of God. If we’re not careful, our sloth can keep us from our morning prayers and Bible reading. And if we don’t have a deep and abiding hatred of idolatry, we can soon find ourselves becoming idolators.

Prayer

Lord, protect me from idolizing the things I love. Amen.

To Ponder

Are you growing in the Lord, or have you been content merely to establish a spiritual beachhead?

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Mr. Moore Goes to Chicago: Why Christians Should be a Voice for the Oppressed

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There’s a stereotype out there that evangelicals only care about abortion and “morality” issues like homosexuality and marriage. Lots of pundits describe us as monolithic in our approach to these issues.

That may have been true in the past, but no longer. To cite just one example, Daniel Burke of CNN has identified seven types of evangelicals in politics. They run the gamut from extremely conservative to extremely liberal. And these groups are often so focused on their pet agendas they rarely talk to each other, much less work together.

Russell Moore wants to change all that. Moore, who is president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, is staunchly pro-life, pro-adoption, and pro-marriage—a member of what CNN calls “institutional evangelicals.”

So why did Moore travel to Chicago to address young, progressive evangelicals at this year’s Justice Conference? Well, like Mr. Smith in Washington, Dr. Moore went to stir things up.

And he succeeded. Chelsen Vicari of the Juicy Ecumenism website reports that Moore began by chiding his own allies in the culture wars while applauding the young people who care deeply about the so-called “justice issues” like immigration and sex trafficking.

Moore said, “When I’m speaking to people in my tribe of conservative confessional evangelicalism I often have to say you are pro-life, and rightly so, but because you recognize the image of God and the humanity of God in the unborn child . . . you must also recognize the humanity and dignity of God in people who might not be politically popular with you right now: with prisoners, with refugees, with immigrants.”

Then, like a prophet of old, Moore turned the moral spotlight on his young audience. Moore said that abortion, too, is a justice issue. “We must … stand up and say No to racial injustice, No to refugee-bashing, No to immigrant-demonizing, No to predation on the poor, and No to the violence and injustice of abortion.”

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Mr. Moore Goes to Chicago: Why Christians Should be a Voice for the Oppressed →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – GOING HOME

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Read Genesis 31:1–21

In his essay “The Work of Local Culture” Wendell Berry says, “Throughout most of our literature, the normal thing was for the generations to succeed one another in place. The memorable stories occurred when this succession failed or became difficult or was somehow threatened.”

Jacob’s tale is a memorable story. He left his own family and set out for Paddan Aram to escape the wrath of his brother, Esau. But in today’s episode he went home, prompted to return by frustration with his father-in-law, Laban, and encouraged by the command of God.

God gave the command and the provision, but Jacob and his family were unable to make a clean break with Laban. Their departure was tainted by theft and deceit. Rachel stole her father’s household gods, probably for economic rather than religious reasons. These small family idols represented the prosperity of the household, and possession of them gave Rachel the right to claim the family inheritance. Rachel felt justified in taking them because she believed she had been cheated by her father (vv. 14–16). Jacob feared Laban’s response if he told him their plan, so he chose to disappear without a word.

At this point, Jacob’s position was extremely vulnerable. God commanded him to return home—which meant he was in flight away from his father-in-law and toward his alienated brother. Both family members wanted to harm him. Jacob’s dilemma is partly one of his own making. His life of deceit had damaged relationships and set the tone for the rest of his family. A life of lies was catching up with him. But God is also at work here, patiently wearing Jacob down. Soon he would meet with God face to face and be forever changed as a result.

APPLY THE WORD

Does obeying the Lord’s command in your life seem to position you between a rock and a hard place—between a Laban and an Esau? Ask God to reveal whether you have relationships that need restoration or sin that needs to be confessed. Obedience might have difficult moments, but it will lead to greater blessing and fellowship with Him.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – DISNEY TRAGEDY: BLAME AND REDEMPTION

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We woke up yesterday to the horrific news that an alligator dragged a two-year-old boy into a lake at Walt Disney World Tuesday evening. Disney closed all the beaches at its resorts. More than fifty law-enforcement personnel searched the lake. They eventually found the boy’s body and presume that he drowned.

Some blamed Disney for not posting signs warning about alligators in the water. Others were quick to blame the parents. As with the boy who fell into a gorilla pit in Cincinnati, people on social media lambasted the mother and father who allowed their son to play in the water.

Why do we feel such a need to assign blame when tragedy strikes?

Moments after the Orlando shooting, the media began looking for motives. The investigation has continued all week—was Omar Mateen conflicted about his sexuality? Was he truly inspired by ISIS? Meanwhile, authorities are still seeking a motive for the killing of singer Christina Grimmie. Since the murderer killed himself, we may never know his reasons.

We want to know why tragedy strikes so we can prevent future tragedies. If Disney or the parents could have done something to prevent the alligator attack, people could be saved in the future. If we can understand why murderers kill, we could prevent homicides in the future.

But there’s more to the story.

According to the United Nations, 437,000 people around the world were murdered in 2012 (their most recent report). However, National Geographic reports that 725,000 people die every year from diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Freshwater snails transmit schistosomiasis, which kills between 20,000 and 200,000 a year. Annually, snakes kill 94,000 to 125,000; scorpions kill 3,250; sharks kill six people. And there’s no one to accuse for any of these tragedies.

Continue reading Denison Forum – DISNEY TRAGEDY: BLAME AND REDEMPTION →

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)

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Words and Faces →

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?

http://www.gty.org

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

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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.

 

http://www.cru.org

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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