Monthly Archives: June 2016

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.

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

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Power of Corporate Prayer

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2 Chronicles 20:14-30

When trouble loomed, the first thing Jehoshaphat did was to turn his attention to God and proclaim a fast throughout the nation of Judah (2 Chron. 20:3). People came from all around to support their king in prayer (2 Chron. 20:13).

Sometimes we’re too proud to ask others to join us in praying. Jehoshaphat was a king, yet he wasn’t so self-sufficient that he wouldn’t admit his army paled in comparison to the three forces united against him. He recognized his limitations and sought divine intervention. Though Jehoshaphat reigned over his subjects, he nevertheless called on them for prayerful support.

One of the wisest things we can do in the midst of difficulty is to engage the assistance of someone who knows how to talk to God. The body of Christ depends upon cooperation. When the people of Judah began to pray, God provided a solution through a trusted prophet. Jehoshaphat was humble enough to listen and wise enough to follow His directives (2 Chron. 20:14-17). As a result, the people were saved. The advancing armies turned against each other and destroyed themselves completely. Without shooting a single arrow or drawing a sword, Judah’s forces triumphed without suffering a single casualty. Because their humble king listened, they were able to witness the Lord’s remarkable victory (2 Chron. 20:22-30).

We have to attune our ears to God’s voice in order to hear Him. Sometimes He speaks through people we would not choose to follow, and He often says things that we’re not expecting to hear. But He will provide us with solutions to our problems if we are willing to listen to Him.

Bible in a Year: Psalms 19-22

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – God of the Ordinary

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Read: Genesis 12:1–4; 17:1–2 | Bible in a Year: Ezra 9–10; Acts 1

He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Hearing testimonies about how God did something spectacular in someone else’s life can challenge us. While we may rejoice to hear about answers to prayer, we may also wonder why God hasn’t done anything amazing for us lately.

It’s easy to think that if God showed up in astonishing ways for us like He did for Abraham, then we would be more inspired to be faithful servants of God. But then we remember that God showed up for Abraham every 12 to 14 years, and most of Abraham’s journey was rather ordinary (see Gen. 12:1–4; 15:1–6; 16:16–17:12).

Thank God for the amazing things He has done for us.

God’s work is usually done behind the scenes in the ordinary things of life. As 1 Corinthians 10 says, “He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.” Every day God is busy shielding us from devastating onslaughts of Satan that would otherwise leave us helplessly defeated. And when temptation hits, He is making exit ramps for us so we can escape.

When we put our head on the pillow at night, we should pause to thank God for the amazing things He has done for us that day in the midst of our ordinary lives. So, instead of longing for Him to do something spectacular for you, thank Him! He already has.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread – God of the Ordinary →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Reordering the Imagination

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I shut my eyes in order to see, said French painter, sculptor, and artist Paul Gauguin. As a little girl, though completely unaware of this insightful quote on imagination, I lived this maxim. Nothing was more exhilarating to me than closing my eyes in order to imagine far away exotic lands, a handsome prince, or climbing down a deep enough hole leading straight to China!

In fact, like many, imagination fueled my young heart and mind. After reading C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, I would walk into dark closets filled with warm winter coats fully expecting to be transported like the Pevensie children into strange and wonderful land. Charlotte’s Web took me to a farm where I could talk to my dog, like Fern talked to Wilbur, or to the spiders that hung from intricate webs in my garage. Pictures on the wall came to life and danced before me; ordinary objects became extraordinary tools enabling me to defeat all those imaginary giants and inspiring me toward powerful possibilities fueled by vivid imagination.

Sadly, as happens to many adults, my imagination has changed. I don’t often view my closet as a doorway to unseen worlds, nor do I pretend that my dogs understand one word of my verbalizing towards them. Pictures don’t come to life, and I no-longer pretend my garden rake or broom is a secret weapon against fantastical foes. Often, I feel that my imagination has become nothing more than wishful thinking. Rather than thinking creatively about the life I’ve been given, I day-dream about what my life might be like if… I lived in Holland, for example, or could back-pack across Europe, or lived on a kibbutz, or was a famous actress, or a world-renowned tennis player, or any number of alternative lives to the one I currently occupy.

Sadly, the imagination so vital in my youth doesn’t usually infuse my life with creative possibility, but rather leads me only to wonder if the grass is greener on the other side. Mid-life regrets reduce imagination to restlessness and shrivel creative thinking to nothing more than unsettled daydreams. Rather than allowing my imagination to be animated with creative ideas about living in my life now, I allow it to be tethered to worldly dreams of more, or better, or simply other.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Reordering the Imagination →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Endures Criticism

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“For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. . . . ‘There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up’” (Daniel 3:8-12).

Expect spiritual opposition.

Have you noticed that whenever you take a public stand for righteousness you feel the reaction of the world more strongly? Even something as noble as doing your work with integrity and diligence can bring ridicule, rejection, or even open hostility. But that shouldn’t surprise you.

Jesus said, “‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). The apostle Paul warns that “indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were well-acquainted with spiritual opposition, and in today’s passage they are targets of envious Chaldeans who want to see them put to death. The accusations brought against them were not entirely true because they had not disregarded the king. On the contrary, they were model citizens and exemplary leaders. They had attended the king’s ceremony and fulfilled all their other civil duties insofar as those duties did not violate their responsibility to God.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Endures Criticism →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Why Your Assignment Matters

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I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

God has given many of us assignments we wouldn’t have chosen ourselves. Maybe you have been assigned to singleness longer than you would like, assigned to marriage but you wish you were single, assigned to work with people who don’t appreciate you, assigned to a job where you won’t be promoted, assigned to live in a neighborhood with unfriendly neighbors, assigned to a city you dislike, assigned to be a stay at home mom though you wish you were a working mother, assigned to be a working mother but wish you were a stay-at-home mom, or maybe you have been assigned to childlessness.

Perhaps you see your assignment as small. You see it as insignificant. You may even feel like you have been cheated. You may compare yourself to others. You see what they are doing and you think, God gave them a more important assignment.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).

To overcome disappointment and even experience joy, you must look at your God-given assignment through God’s lens—the lens of eternity. You must look past the here and now and consider how your assignment will ripple into heaven, even if you can’t see its impact now. When you have an eternal perspective about your temporary earthly assignment, what seems meaningless and futile, frustrating and worthless can become something sacred.

Could it be that your assignment is more purposeful, more sacred, and more holy than you could possibly imagine? Could it be that the eternal destinies of generations of people could be changed because you are faithful to your assignment, no matter how small? Could it be that God has placed you in your assignment at this time for a reason you do not comprehend? Could it be that you will not see the impact of this assignment you view as insignificant until you enter your heavenly home? Don’t count your assignment as unimportant or measure its value through a temporal lens, for you will not be seeing clearly. Look at it through God’s eyes, who doesn’t waste the impact of one of His children. All of His children have important assignments—all of them. There is not one that doesn’t matter.

“. . . the LORD’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken” (Psalm 33:11).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are sovereign and all-knowing. You do all things according to your eternal purposes and love. Thank you that my life has meaning and purpose because of you. Amen.

Application: Choose a few biblical saints and review their God-given assignments. Then consider the ways they did not know the eternal impact they would have, but were still faithful in their assignments.

Related Readings: John 17:18; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 6:8

Shana Schutte

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Taking the Way Out

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No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Recommended Reading

James 1:13-15

If you do an Internet search for the phrase, “I couldn’t see any way out” in the current news media, you will find a myriad of stories. It’s amazing how many “hopeless” situations people find themselves in. Unfortunately, that pessimistic view is sometimes used as an excuse for yielding to temptation: “I couldn’t see any way out.”

Viewing temptation that way ignores two things. First, with God nothing is impossible (Luke 18:27). Second, when it comes to temptation, God promises to provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). That puts the proverbial ball in our court; it is our task to look for the way of escape when faced with a temptation that seems too difficult to deny. When Paul wrote about “the way of escape,” he applied it to sins like idolatry, sexual immorality, secular involvements, grumbling, and testing God (1 Corinthians 10:6-10). So we know “the way” applies to our temptations as well.

When you are tempted to sin, look for the way of escape. Finding it is not usually the problem; taking it is.

He who avoids the temptation avoids the sin.

Unknown

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 50 – 55

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Follow Peace

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Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. —Romans 8:6 AMPC

People hesitate to follow their desires, because they don’t know how to divide their soul from their spirit. If they can’t discern the difference between the desires of their flesh and Spirit-led desires, then they don’t know when God is truly leading them to do something.

But you can learn to know if God is leading you or not. When God gives you a desire for something, He will give you peace along with it. You may not be excited, but you will have peace, if the thing you desire is from God. Wait for peace today.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Speak Life

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Whoever controls his mouth protects his own life. Whoever has a big mouth comes to ruin.

Proverbs 13:3

Friend to Friend

I recently received an email from a friend who told me the story of a private school in Washington that faced an unusual problem. Some of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would gather around the mirrors in the bathroom to compare shades and apply their lipstick.

The girls thought it was cute to then press their lips to the bathroom mirrors, leaving dozens of lip prints. The maintenance man did not think it was cute because he had to clean the mirrors – and you know how icky lipstick on a mirror can be.

Every night the maintenance man would remove the lipstick prints only to find that the girls put them back the next day.

The principal finally decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all the lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors. The principal then asked the maintenance man to demonstrate what he had to do to remove the lipstick and how much effort was required. A stunned silence fell across the bathroom as the weary maintenance man took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror. There has not been a single lip print left on the mirror since that day.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Speak Life →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Simple, Wonderful Message

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“He brought them out and begged them, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your entire household” (Acts 16:30- 31).

The story is told of a man who was very fond of the famous general, Robert E. Lee. He was eager for his four-year-old son to admire and respect this great, southern, Civil War general as much as he did. So every day, as they strolled through the park near their home, they would stop in front of the statue of General Lee astride his beautiful horse, Traveler, and the father would say to his little David, “Say good morning to General Lee,” The little lad would dutifully wave his hand in obedience to his father’s instructions and say, “Good morning, General Lee.” Months passed and one day, as they again stood in front of the statue of General Lee, the father said, “Say good morning to General Lee,” which the boy did. But as they walked on through the park together, David asked, “Daddy, who is that man riding General Lee?”

One of the biggest problems we have in life is communication. To David’s young mind the horse was more important that the rider. We all have a tendency to filter information through our own experiences. What I say is not necessarily what you hear, and what you say may not be what I hear. This is true even in communicating the gospel.

The most joyful news ever announced is found in Luke 2:10,11:” ‘Don’t be afraid!’ the angel said. ‘I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem!'” Yet that simple message has been diluted and profaned through the centuries.

One evening, I presented this message to a very mature, intelligent layman.

“Does it make sense?” I inquired.

It was as though a light suddenly went on and, for the first time, he understood what the gospel was all about. “Of course it does,” he answered.

“Would you like to receive Christ right now?”

“Of course I would. If what you say is true, I should think everyone would want to know Christ.”

If Spirit-filled, trained communicators properly presented the gospel, the majority of people would want to receive Christ.

Bible Reading: John 1:9-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will seek to present the good news of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ in such a logical, joyful, Spirit-filled way that those who hear will want to know my wonderful Savior. And I will trust God to use me to train other Christians as well to be better communicators of the greatest news the world has ever heard.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Cost of Disobedience

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Read: John 17:4-8

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:4, 5

This prayer was prayed prior to his going the cross, but, in its scope, it reaches beyond and includes the cross. Our Lord knew where he was going, he knew what he would be doing in the next few hours and what would be accomplished. That work included more than the cross. It encompassed his ministry of healing and mercy, and even those thirty silent years back in Nazareth. They were all part of his life, his work, which the Father had given him to do.

He includes this in his prayer to indicate to us the character of his work while he was here. He is suggesting that his work was characterized by a continual self-emptying, that is, a laying aside of glory. Now that he has reached the end, he is ready to resume the glory which was properly his, but he is thinking back over thirty-three years of his life and recognizing that all during that time he had voluntarily surrendered his right to be worshipped, his right to the glory that belonged to both the Father and the Son. Jesus is pointing out that his work that glorified the Father was essentially one of self-emptying.

We are so confused about this. We think that God is interested in our activity, that there are certain religious pursuits which we can perform which God will be pleased with no matter in what frame of mind we do them. That is why we sometimes drag ourselves out to church week after week when we have little interest in attending church — because we think that attending church is what God wants. How little we understand God! It is not activity that he desires. It was not merely that which Jesus did which glorified the Father. It was not his ministry of mercy and good works. Others have done similar things. But it was the fact that throughout his life he had a heart that was ready to obey, an ear that was ready to hear, a will that was ready to be subject to the Father. It was his willingness to be always available, to forever be giving of himself, that glorified God.

There are many books written about the so-called cost of discipleship. They declare, in one way or another, that to have power with God we must pay a high price. In various ways they state that to become a victorious Christian, an effective Christian, requires a difficult and demanding discipline. I am not impressed with this type of literature at all. We have gotten the cart before the horse. I do not mean that such an approach is untrue, for the fact is that obedience to God does mean saying, No to a lot of other things. I do not mean that living for the glory of God does not indeed cost us certain fancied pleasures and relationships which perhaps we want to hold onto. But greater than the cost of discipleship is the cost of disobedience! There is where the emphasis should be placed.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Cost of Disobedience →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Blessed Mourners

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Read: Matthew 5:4

They shall be comforted. (v. 4)

In the midst of the beatitudes, Jesus offers a blessing to those who mourn. They are blessed, he says, because they shall be comforted. Being in the company of those who are grieving isn’t typically a state we think of as particularly blessed; in fact we tend to have sympathy for those who mourn, and we momentarily count our own blessings, thankful that we aren’t among the newly bereaved. Grief can be a tumultuous season. So how is it also a blessed state? On one level, I think Jesus utters a blessing for those who mourn because he aims to simply put forth the promise that they are not inconsolable. It’s like this for you right now, says Jesus, but you will be comforted.

There is also a bittersweet blessedness in the way that grief and loss elicit the support of those around us. This aspect of grief can be a challenge for us in contemporary society, where we might be reluctant to display our needs and our raw emotions, and where the bereaved are expected to “move on.” Jesus seems to be saying that in the season of mourning itself there is a blessing to be found. In mourning, as hard as it can be, we can take stock of the significance of our relationship with the one we lost. We come to see and appreciate in a new light what they taught us, how they shaped us, the ways they made their way through life’s challenges and foibles.

Prayer:

Reveal your blessing to us in the midst of seasons of grief.

Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Mysteries of God

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Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”—Job 38:1–2

Whenever I post on my Facebook page about our son Christopher going to be with the Lord, I’m amazed at the number of responses I receive. Every time I talk about this, I’m reminded there is a massive community of people who are in pain around the world.

One person wrote me and said, “My son would have been sixteen years old this year. It has been fifteen years since his death, but he was the person who brought me to the Lord. Because of his death, I received my salvation. . . . I have found salvation through God’s Son because of the loss of mine.” I found that to be powerful.

Basically a horrific tragedy brought this person to Christ, but I am not saying that is the reason it happened. I think we make a big mistake when we connect dots like that. Do we think God could not reach a person without the death of another? Here is what I will say: This death happened. It is tragic. It is hard. But despite this tragedy, God worked and brought someone into His kingdom.

Let’s not try to explain the mysteries of God. We don’t know. I’m convinced that when I’m in Heaven, the things I thought were good in this life may be perceived as bad. Things that I perceived as bad in this life may be perceived as good.

We might say that good in this life is having everything go our way. But what if everything is going our way and we have no time for God? What if those bad things that happened in our lives brought us into a relationship with God? We would actually look at them and say they were good. Until that day, we simply need to trust God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Sending a King

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“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.” (Psalm 72:18)

Do you ever wish you could be a king or queen? It seems like kings and queens have everything! They have whatever food they want. They have servants to do their every bidding. People have to bow down to them out of respect. They tell their military leaders when to go to war. They can give away their money or jewels to whomever they want. It seems like being a king or queen would be the best thing in all the world.

David was a king, but he knew that his subjects, the people of Israel, deserved a better king than he was. So he prayed for a great king to rule perfectly over Israel. He wrote this prayer down in Psalm 72.

God is going to send a righteous king (vv.1-3, 7). Because God’s king will treat all people fairly, whether they are rich or poor, there will be peace for a very long time. When God’s king rules, there will be peace all over the world. God’s king will rule “from sea to sea and….unto the ends of the earth” (v. 8). Kings from all over the world, including places such as Spain and Saudi Arabia, will come to him with gifts because of how great he is.

God is going to send a king who will protect the “poor and needy” from evil. He will “redeem their soul from deceit and violence.” This king will care for his people so much that he will protect them not only from physical danger but also from spiritual harm.

God is going to send a king who will rule forever! Sometimes people in history have been glad when a king died, because he was not a good king. But the king that God will send will be blessed – that means honored – by all nations because of how wonderful he is.

So David blesses the Lord God because He will do the wondrous thing of sending this great king. David did not know who the king would be, but you and I do. Jesus is the king! When the wise men came looking for Jesus, they asked where the King of the Jews would be born. At the triumphal entry the people called Jesus a king. When Jesus spoke to Pilate at His trial, He told Pilate about His kingdom. Jesus is the king for whom David prayed.

God has sent a King for you to honor – and that King is coming again!

My Response:

» King Jesus came once to redeem sinners, and He is coming again to be King of All. Are you praying for Him to come as David prayed? Are you expecting Him to come as David expected Him?

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Ignoring God?

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Today’s Scripture: John 14:24

“The word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”

Everything I’ve taught about the disciplines of Bible study, Scripture memorization, continual meditation, and application of Scripture in daily life has been based on Scripture. I have not developed man-made theories about Christian growth. All I’ve done is point out what the Scriptures say about these disciplines. And what Scripture says, God says. If we ignore these disciplines, we’re ignoring God.

We must always remember, though, that practicing these disciplines does not earn us any favor with God. It’s helpful to distinguish between a meritorious cause of God’s blessing and an instrumental cause. The meritorious cause is always the merit of Christ. We can never add to what he has already done to procure God’s blessing on our lives. The instrumental cause, however, is the means or avenues God has ordained to use. God has clearly set forth certain disciplines for us to practice in pursuing holiness. As we practice them, God will use them in our lives, not because we’ve earned his blessing but because we’ve followed his ordained path of blessing.

We also need to keep in mind that the imperative in Romans 12:2 to be transformed immediately follows the imperative of verse 1—to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. Both exhortations are based on the mercy of God. The discipline of developing Bible-based convictions, then, should be a response to God’s mercy and grace to us through Christ. If we truly desire to live by grace, we’ll want to respond to that grace by seeking to live lives that are pleasing to God. And we simply cannot do that if we do not practice the disciplines necessary to develop Bible-based convictions. (Excerpt taken from The Discipline of Grace)

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Be on Guard

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Today’s Scripture: Joshua 9-12

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. – 2 Corinthians 11:13-14

A jewelry store vault in a fashionable section of London was advertised as one of the world’s safest. It had armed security guards, steel walls two feet thick, bulletproof glass, infrared detectors, and sound detectors. How could anyone rob a vault like that?

It happened when two well-dressed men came in posing as prospective customers and convinced the manager to show them around. While a third man posed as a guard and turned other customers away from the front door, the two men put a gun to the manager’s head and robbed the vault of an estimated $32 million in jewelry and cash. Where brute force would have failed, they succeeded by trickery and deception.

This was the strategy of the men of Gibeon, recorded in Joshua 9. They pretended to come from a far country, seeking a treaty of peace and mutual alliance. It certainly seemed the Gibeonites were telling the truth. It looked like they had come from a far country. Their bread was moldy, their wineskins were torn, their shoes were worn out. But it was all a hoax, and Joshua was taken in. While he was victorious in open warfare, he was defeated by trickery. We can learn an important lesson from Joshua’s failure. Did he ask counsel of God? No. Did he seek the Lord? No. Did he counsel with the priests and elders? No. He acted on his own.

We must always remember that the enemy of our souls is not only a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour, he is also a subtle serpent.

Prayer

Lord, remind me to seek Your counsel in everything, great or small. And give me the discernment to resist Satan’s subtle ploys. Amen.

To Ponder

If you made a list of the five most dangerous temptations facing you today, what would they be?

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