Monthly Archives: June 2016

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How to Comfort the Suffering

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Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” —Matthew 26:38

I wish you could have met me when I was twenty-one, because I knew everything then. I would have had an answer for any question you may have asked. But now that a few years have passed, I don’t know as much as I once did.

The fact is that I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew back then. And after more than forty years of ministry, I have found that one of the best things you can do for a hurting person is to just be there. Sometimes when we don’t know what to say, we simply don’t show up. That is wrong. Just being there means a lot to someone who is suffering.

When the time of Jesus’ crucifixion drew near, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He knew exactly what was waiting for Him. He knew they would crucify Him. Worst of all, being God, He knew He would have to bear all the sins of the world. So Jesus went to Gethsemane and took Peter, James, and John along. Then He told them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38). Yes, Jesus is God. But He actually asked for His three friends to stay with Him and watch with Him during this time.

If you’re speaking to a grieving person, it’s often good to simply say something like “I love you” or “I am here” or “I am praying for you.” If they don’t want to talk, don’t talk. Don’t try to explain things, because explanations never heal a broken heart. Just sit there with them.

We have to avoid the easy answers and clichés when we’re trying to comfort the suffering, because if we aren’t careful, we may add to their pain.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Commands You To Tell Others About Jesus Christ (Part 1)

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“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Imagine that you are playing outside in your yard when you start to smell smoke. You turn, and see a fire in your neighbor’s back kitchen. What do you do? Do you carry on playing like nothing is wrong? No; you run over to your neighbor’s house and start yelling, “Fire! Fire!”

Why would you do such a thing? Why would you warn your neighbor about the fire in his house? You do so because you know something he does not: that his house is on fire, and thus, you have the responsibility of warning him.

The Bible says that there is a fire that is never-ending. It is unlike any fire you have ever seen. Your neighbors and friends may not know about this fire because they do not see it; but it is real, and they are in danger of being caught in this fire forever. Yes, forever! This fire is the fire of hell, and it is where any person who does not believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity. But there is Good News! Any person who trusts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior will not only be able to escape that fire of hell, but will also spend eternity with God in heaven!

In Mark 16:15, Christ commands His disciples to tell the world this Good News. But, this command is not only for the disciples in Jesus’ time. If you are a one of Jesus’ followers – if you have acknowledged that Jesus is Lord and believed that God has raised Him from the dead – then this command to tell the Good News is for you. You must go and tell others about the Good News of Jesus Christ! Just as you have the responsibility of warning your neighbor that his house is on fire, so you have the responsibility of telling him that Jesus Christ can save him.

God commands His people to tell others about Jesus Christ.

My Response:

» Whom do I know that does not know Jesus Christ?

» Have I obeyed God’s command to tell my friends and neighbors the Good News of Jesus Christ?

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Experiential Sanctification

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Today’s Scripture: Titus 2:13-14

“Jesus Christ . . . gave himself for us . . . to purify for himself a people for his own.”

Holiness or sanctification is an actual conformity within us to the likeness of Christ begun at the time of our salvation and completed when we’re made perfect in his presence. This process of gradually conforming us to the likeness of Christ begins at the very moment of our salvation when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and to actually give us a new life in Christ. We call this gradual process progressive sanctification, or growing in holiness, because it truly is a growth process.

The holiness we have in Christ is purely objective, outside of ourselves. It’s Christ’s perfect holiness imputed to us because of our union with him, and it affects our standing before God. God is pleased with us because he is pleased with Christ. Progressive sanctification is subjective or experiential and is the work of the Holy Spirit within us imparting to us the life and power of Christ, enabling us to respond in obedience to him.

Both aspects of sanctification are gifts of God’s grace. We deserve neither our holy standing before God nor the Spirit’s sanctifying work in our lives. Both come to us by his grace because of the merit of Jesus Christ.

Progressive sanctification begins in us with an instantaneous act of God at the time of our salvation. God always gives justification and this initial imparting of sanctification at the same time. The author of Hebrews described this truth in this way: “?his is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more’” (Hebrews 10:16-17). (Excerpt taken from Transforming Grace)

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Angels in Disguise

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Today’s Scripture: Genesis 18:1-19

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. – 1 Peter 4:9

Do you remember the fairy tale of the king who wanted to find out if his people really loved him? He traveled as a homeless beggar and was taken into homes and given food and lodging. But there were some who turned him away and would not show kindness and hospitality to this ragged old man. Later, when he returned to his throne, he summoned those who had shown compassion to him and publicly rewarded them for their deeds. Try to imagine the disappointment of those who suddenly realized they had been given the opportunity to entertain the king but had turned it down!

There’s a Bible verse that speaks clearly of this: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). One such person was Abraham. He was sitting in his tent door when three men approached. His immediate response was to help them–to show kindness and hospitality to them.

Water was brought to wash their feet; they were given a morsel of bread with some butter and milk to satisfy their hunger, as well as a young calf. It was soon revealed to Abraham that these were not mere men but a visitation from the Lord. Abraham had the privilege of entertaining God’s holy angels!

Friend, hospitality is becoming a lost art. Our homes today have become a hiding place instead of a sharing place. Yet thousands of people have been launched on the road to salvation when they were invited into a Christian home and saw faith in action. Open your home today, and who knows, you might entertain an angel!

Prayer

Lord, help me to show loving hospitality to others so they can see Christ in me. Amen.

To Ponder

What keeps you from opening your home–and life–to others?

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Does Film ‘Me Before You’ Promote Assisted Suicide?

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The culture of death is making major inroads this month. With a new California physician-assisted suicide law going into effect, the efforts of so-called “right to die” advocates like the late Brittany Maynard seem to have paid off. And now a new film targets our imagination by portraying suicide as merciful, dignified, even romantic.

“Me Before You,” adapted from the novel by Jojo Moyes, is about a rich young playboy who’s paralyzed from the neck down due to a motorcycle accident. While the film starts out on an encouraging note, its conclusion has left many disabled reviewers upset. And for good reason.

After his accident, businessman and heir Will Traynor (played by Sam Claflin), wants to end his life rather than face a lifetime paralyzed and stuck in a wheelchair. But Louisa Clark (played by Emilia Clarke), has other plans and attempts to change his mind. She spends six months taking him to concerts, horse races, and tropical getaways, hoping to show him that life as a quadriplegic is still worth living. Of course in the process, they fall in love—a fact that makes it especially hard when Will decides to go through with his plan to die.

This ham-fisted ending has the disabled community asking Hollywood: Why do you want us dead?

The marketing for “Me Before You” featured the hashtag #LiveBoldly. One Twitter user with disability retorted, “Do you really want us to #LiveBoldly, or…just…#DieQuickly?”

Wheelchair-bound actress and comedienne Liz Carr complained that Hollywood seems to have only one solution for people like her: “death.” “When non-disabled people talk of suicide,” she told The Guardian, “they’re discouraged and offered prevention…When a disabled person talks of it, though, suddenly the conversation is overtaken with words like ‘choice’ and ‘autonomy.’”

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Does Film ‘Me Before You’ Promote Assisted Suicide? →

Moody Global Ministries

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

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Read Genesis 22:1–19

Many parents make sacrifices for their children, but Milwaukee father Eulos Rounds Sr. went beyond what most parents have to do. When his son was diagnosed with liver disease, Rounds volunteered to donate 30 percent of his liver. Rounds not only saved his son’s life but also became the first African- American live transplant donor in the state of Wisconsin.

Abraham was asked to make a different kind of sacrifice. God asked him literally to sacrifice his son Isaac. The demand must have seemed strange to Abraham. Isaac was the child through whom God had promised to make Abraham a father of many nations. Yet as far as we are told in Scripture, Abraham did not argue with God. The author of Hebrews tells us why: because of faith in God’s trustworthiness, not mindless obedience. Abraham believed that God was able to raise his son from the dead (Heb. 11:19). God never intended that Abraham would go through with the slaughter; instead, He wanted to make a point: “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Gen. 22:12).

Is it possible to love God’s promises more than God Himself? We can be so distracted by the things God provides that we lose sight of God. When this happens, God may ask us to choose. The language God uses to describe Isaac reveals the importance of this test for Abraham. God calls him Abraham’s “only son” in verse 2. This was not technically true; as we have already seen, Abraham had another son by Sarah’s maid Hagar. But this designation underscored the uniqueness of Isaac both in Abraham’s affection and in God’s plan. Isaac was Abraham’s unique son. He was the child of promise.

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – A FATHER’S SACRIFICE →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – LEGISLATION ATTACKS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

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A bill working its way through the California legislature would drastically undermine the religious liberty of Christian universities in the state. If passed, it could become a model for attacks on Christian schools across the country.

In recent years, the government has required that educational institutions not “discriminate” against LGBT students lest they lose federal funding. However, religious schools have been exempted from this requirement if their “religious tenets” affirmed biblical sexuality and marriage.

Now this exemption is at risk.

If Senate Bill 1146 is enacted, the religious liberty exemption would apply only to “educational programs or activities . . . to prepare students to become ministers of the religion, to enter upon some other vocation of the religion, or to teach theological subjects pertaining to the religion.” In other words, only theological seminaries would retain their religious liberty protections.

As Biola University warns, the bill “functionally eliminates the religious liberty of all California faith-based colleges and universities who integrate spiritual life with the entire campus educational experience.” It would “eliminate religious liberty in California higher education as we know it and rob tens of thousands of students of their access to a distinctly faith-based higher education.”

All this to fix what Andrew Walker correctly calls a “non-existent problem.” As he notes, “Students who apply and attend colleges do so voluntarily. There are no victims here—unless victimhood is measured in terms of institutions singled out for their countercultural religious convictions.”

There’s even more to the story.

Continue reading Denison Forum – LEGISLATION ATTACKS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Indulging Weaknesses

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Judges 13:24-25

at the moment of salvation, a person becomes a brand-new creation and is set apart for God’s purposes (2 Cor. 5:17). The heavenly Father has a specific plan for the life of every believer (Eph. 2:10), and He provides each of His children with whatever is needed to accomplish that plan (2 Pet. 1:3).

Consider the life of Samson. At the time of his birth, Israel was under Philistine rule. In that wicked culture, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). God ordained that Samson be set apart for His service—he was the one who would “begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines” (Judg. 13:5). To prepare Samson for this important mission, the Lord gave him godly parents, an upbringing uncontaminated by the culture, and incredible human strength. Samson was greatly blessed as he matured, and he became judge over Israel, with the authority to carry out the Lord’s will.

Samson was equipped with everything he needed to fulfill the Lord’s purpose. However, he had a weakness—lust—which he chose to indulge, and it eventually led to his downfall. As a result, he ended up a prisoner and was no longer in a position to fulfill his God-given purpose.

Our spiritual equipping includes the ability to resist giving in to our weaknesses. But we must be willing to turn away from temptation and follow the Lord. Samson had enormous potential to do good on behalf of God, and so do we. But he chose sin and suffered the consequences. Which will you choose today—turning to God for help or indulging your weakness?

Bible in a Year: Job 35-38

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – What Really Matters

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Read: Philippians 2:1–11 | Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 32–33; John 18:19–40

In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3–4

Two men sat down to review their business trip and its results. One said he thought the trip had been worthwhile because some meaningful new relationships had begun through their business contacts. The other said, “Relationships are fine, but selling is what matters most.” Obviously they had very different agendas.

It is all too easy—whether in business, family, or church—to view others from the perspective of how they can benefit us. We value them for what we can get from them, rather than focusing on how we can serve them in Jesus’s name. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:3–4).

Joy comes from putting another’s needs ahead of our own.

People are not to be used for our own benefit. Because they are loved by God and we are loved by Him, we love one another. His love is the greatest love of all.

Teach me, Lord, to see people as You do—bearing Your image, being worthy of Your love, and needing Your care. May Your great love find in my heart a vessel through which that love can be displayed.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread – What Really Matters →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Echoes of Forgiveness

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The Apostle Peter must have felt a touch saintly when he approached Jesus asking, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Equally likely, given the manner in which he framed the question, Peter was anticipating a characteristically outlandish response from the Lord. But Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

This dominical injunction—to forgive seventy times seven—is usually taken to be a hyperbolic response, in effect meaning, as often as the offender repents, forgive without limit. Such interpretations are not incorrect. But when one traces the ‘echoes’ of Jesus’s words in the rest of Scripture, one finds that the command means more—much more.

The depth of these particular words by the Lord can be determined through, at least, three scriptural soundings. New Testament scholars have long since perceived that Jesus understood himself to be proclaiming the Jubilee Year, notably in the so-called “Nazareth Manifesto.”(2) The Jubilee was the “seven-times-seventh year” when the guilty, the debtors, the trapped, and the handicapped were set free. The Greek word for “deliverance,” “release,” or “liberty” is also the same word for “forgiveness.”(3)

The language that Jesus uses, both in the Manifesto and in his response to Peter’s question, to forgive “seventy times seven,” reveals how he understood forgiveness to be the central operative principle and practice of the Jubilee. Jesus is in effect saying that, with him, the Jubilee has come, and that his followers are to be a Jubilee-celebrating people, both receiving and giving the gracious and gratuitous gift of the Jubilee: namely, forgiveness.

The reach of the echo, however, goes further back to the primeval history of humankind. In Genesis chapter 4, Lamech, a descendant of Cain’s, is found reciting (perhaps, even singing) to his wives a rather unromantic poem: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”(4) After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God put a mark on Cain in order to prevent the avenging of Abel’s slaying, warning that anyone who killed Cain would be avenged sevenfold. God is here not so much prescribing as God is predicting this sevenfold “law of revenge.” Lamech’s poem reveals that, within a few generations after Cain, violence and counter-violence has compounded and escalated frighteningly—seventy-sevenfold.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Echoes of Forgiveness →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Reflects Godly Wisdom

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“As for [Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego], God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17).

Godly wisdom guards against the influences of a godless society.

From the beginning of human history Satan has tried to confuse and confound God’s purposes by corrupting man’s thinking. In the Garden of Eden he succeeded by calling God’s character into question and convincing Eve that her disobedience would have no consequences. To this day he continues to deceive entire civilizations by blinding “the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4).

Daniel and his friends were captives of a pagan king who wanted to dilute their allegiance to God by reprogramming their thinking. However, unlike Eve, they were determined not to be overcome by the evil influences around them. God honored their integrity and taught them everything they needed to know to be productive in Babylonian society and to influence it for righteousness.

Babylon was the center of learning in its day, boasting of advanced sciences, sophisticated libraries, and great scholars. God gave these young men the ability to learn and retain that level of knowledge, and the wisdom to apply it to their lives. Furthermore, He gave Daniel the ability to interpret dreams and receive visions—gifts that would prove crucial later in his life as God elevated him to a position of prominence in Babylon and revealed the plan of history to him (see chapters 7—12).

Surely Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego didn’t understand all that God had in store for them or why He would allow them to be tested so severely at such a young age. But when they chose to love and trust Him despite their circumstances, they demonstrated the kind of wisdom that protects God’s children from the influences of a godless society. As we do the same, God uses us in significant ways. Also, we find that God never calls us to a challenge that He won’t equip us to handle.

Suggestions for Prayer

King David prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). Make that your prayer as well.

For Further Study

Read Colossians 1:9-12. What are the results of being filled with “spiritual wisdom and understanding”?

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Do’s and Don’ts of Faith 

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Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. James 4:17

As a parent of young children, I find myself often breaking up disputes and arguments. “Don’t cut your brother’s hair,” “Don’t sit on your sister’s head,” and “Don’t hit each other with the soccer ball” are all things that have come out of my mouth in the past month!

When I reflect on these moments, I realize that from a very early age we learn to associate sin with the breaking of rules and direct disobedience. And in part, this is certainly true. But I wonder if this is the full picture of what Scripture means when it says to “put on the new self,” (Eph. 4:24) and to live “in holiness and righteousness before him all our days?” (Lk. 1:75)

Sin isn’t just our active disobedience but it is also our willingness to withhold love. I’ve often heard it said that sin is a “failure to love.” At times, this failure results in explicit actions of anger, pride, and selfishness. Yet we can also fail to love without saying a word or doing a single thing!

One of my favorite prayers is a prayer of confession to God which acknowledges that we have sinned by “what we have done, and by what we have left undone.” I think it’s easy for us to identify and repent of the things we’ve done that we shouldn’t have done. This is how we as parents often speak to our kids: “Don’t!” Yet do we have the wisdom and grace to also see the things we’ve left undone that we ought to have done? This is the “Do!” of the Christian faith.

“Those who withhold kindness from a friend forsake the fear of the Almighty”(Job 6:14).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Do’s and Don’ts of Faith  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Cover Up

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He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

Recommended Reading

Isaiah 1:18-20

There are two ways of covering sin. The first is by our own effort, which, in our society, is called a cover-up. Every political junkie knows that politicians get into more trouble covering up their crimes than by committing them to begin with, and the same is true for us. If you have a secret habit, a guilty conscience, or a moral failure, Proverbs 28:13 is a warning. Do not try to cover it up or explain it away.

There’s another way of covering our sin, and that’s by confessing it. Psalm 32 says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Isaiah said, “The iniquity of Jacob will be covered. For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 27:9; 61:10).

Hidden sin yields the crop of guilt, but confession brings release and peace. Is there something in your life that needs to be covered? Don’t try to hide it. Confess it, and let the blood of Jesus Christ cover your guilt with its crimson flow.

Jesus’ blood covers all of your sins—past, present, and future…. He wants you to tell Him straightforwardly what you’ve done so that you can experience the power of His forgiveness.

Charles Stanley

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 22 – 27

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Make Mercy a Way of Life

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It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:22-23 AMPC

Aren’t you thankful for God’s abundant mercy? it is new every morning. Surely we would all live miserable, defeated lives if it were not for His compassion and willingness to forgive us.

When we meditate on God’s mercy and truly realize how much He willingly forgives us, we can much more easily show mercy to others. Good relationships are impossible unless we are generous with mercy and forgiveness. Being merciful simply means forgiving others even though their actions would warrant our anger.

Jesus said that we are to forgive our enemies and be kind. In this way we show ourselves to be like our Father in heaven, for He is merciful and kind.

God’s mercy is new every morning, and I am glad—because I am sure I use my allotted portion every day. I am grateful for a new, fresh start each day. When we make mistakes, He does not want us to try to sacrifice to make up for them. When others hurt or offend us, He wants us to extend mercy to them.

Learn to give and receive mercy regularly; and let mercy become a way of life for you.

Love Others Today: God’s mercies are new for you right now! Receive the mercy He has for you and extend mercy to everyone around you.

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Action Breeds Confidence

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“Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous,” God encouraged Joshua. “Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. For I the Lord am with you wherever you may go.”

Josh. 1:9

Friend to Friend

How do you react to fear of the unknown when it comes to stepping out in faith or living bold? Everyone has his or her own unique way.

Some respond to fear by retreating to the safety of cul-de-sac Christianity, which is actually one of the most dangerous places of all. Dale Carnegie once said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

You will not become be more courageous and learn to live bold by avoiding your fears. Courage based on the faithfulness and love of God is strengthened with every step of faith, no matter how small. Write the letter. Start the conversation. Sign up to volunteer. Create the blog. Make the donation. Mend a relationship. Each step of obedience creates momentum that breaks through the stronghold of fear.

The woman who lives life to the fullest is generally the one who is willing to do and to dare. Allow God to infuse you with an enthusiasm and gusto that gives fear the boot right out the door, with you following close behind.

As you consider what might happen if you step out in faith, you must also consider what will happen if you play if safe and don’t. When we live bold, we experience God’s blessings. When we don’t, we won’t.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Action Breeds Confidence →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Cannot Outgive God

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“For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give – large or small – will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38).

R.G. Le Tourneau was one of God’s great businessmen. He wrote a book, entitledGod Runs My Business. Though he had little formal training, he became one of America’s leading industrialists, developing and securing patents for many major improvements in earth-moving equipment. He gave away millions of dollars, and he founded a wonderful Christian college which bears his name. I had known and admired him for many years, but one of my most memorable experiences with him was at his plant in Longview, Texas. As we chatted, I was captivated by this exuberant, joyful layman who was overflowing with the love of God, still creative in his later years, and always proclaiming the truth that you cannot outgive God – the more you give away the more you receive. He had discovered a law of the universe.

The giving of the tithe (ten percent of our increase) is an Old Testament principle. The New Testament principle of giving is expressed in this passage: “The more you give, the more you will receive.” I personally do not believe that that involves indiscriminate giving, but rather that we should prayerfully evaluate all the various opportunities that are available to further the cause of Christ and His kingdom.

New Testament concept makes clear that everything belongs to God. We are custodians, stewards, of that which is entrusted to us for only a brief moment of time. Three-score and ten years (or possibly a little more), and then all that we possess will pass on to another. We are not to hoard, nor are we to pass on large estates to our heirs. That which is entrusted to God’s children is given to them to be used while they are still alive. We are to care for our own, and make provision for their needs, but all that is entrusted to us beyond that amount should be spent while we are still alive, while we can guarantee proper stewardship.

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 8:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Mindful of this spiritual principle, that everything belongs to God and He has entrusted me with the privilege and responsibility of being a good steward, I will seek every opportunity to invest all the time, talent and treasure available to me while I am still alive, for the enhancement of the kingdom of God.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Unrecognized Temptation

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Read: Luke 11:2-4

And lead us not into temptation. Luke 11:4b

This part of the Lord’s prayer deals with the realm of the spirit. In the unseen war of the spirit, the greatest needs of our life are deliverance and protection. But an immediate problem arises here, for Scripture reveals that temptation is necessary to us, a very real part of our life in this fallen, flawed world. No one escapes it in the Christian life. Furthermore, though God himself never tempts us to sin, yet he does test us in these difficult and discouraging circumstances, and these things become the instruments of God to strengthen us, to build us up and thus to give us victory. When we read this prayer, then we are confronted with this question: Are we really expected to pray that God will not do what he must do to accomplish his work within us? After all, even Jesus, we are told, was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. What then does he mean?

I confess I have puzzled and prayed and read about this, and I am convinced that what he means here is that this is a prayer to be kept from unrecognized temptation. When temptation is recognized as such, it can be resisted, and when we resist, it is always a source of strength and growth in our life. If I am filling out my income tax and I find that some income has come to me through other than ordinary channels and there is no way of anyone checking it, I am confronted with a temptation to omit it, but I know it is wrong. No one has to tell me; I know it is wrong. When I resist that, I find I am stronger the next time when a larger amount is involved. You see, when we recognize lust as lust and hate as hate and cowardice as a temptation to be a coward, this is one thing. It is a rather simple matter to resist obvious evil, if we really mean to walk with God. But temptation is not always so simple. There are times when I think I am right, and with utmost sincerity and integrity of heart I do what I believe is the right thing, and, later, look back upon it and see that I was tragically wrong.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Unrecognized Temptation →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – We Belong to the Lord

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Read: Romans 14:7-9

If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. (v. 8)

When trying to comfort the grieving, it can be all too easy to resort to platitudes. Ask any bereaved person what kinds of comments they found more hurtful than helpful after their loved one died. Although people are trying to be supportive, their rather trite phrases like “She’s in a better place” or “God needed him more than we did” don’t always have the intended effect. Even when we do believe, for instance, that a person has been mercifully freed of bodily pain through the release of death, comments like these oversimplify the situation and can leave grievers to feel like they “shouldn’t” be sad.

This verse from Romans risks sounding like a platitude, as though death isn’t that big of a deal. But its truth runs far deeper, and its intent is to grant comfort. It doesn’t mean that death doesn’t matter, but that death does not have the power to take us out of Christ’s hold on us. As the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, our only comfort both in life and in death is that we belong to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. This doesn’t trivialize death, but instead it extols the power of Christ, who died and lives again. Neither his death, nor ours, can take us outside the realm of God’s care. With both anguish and hope, we can entrust our loved ones into God’s hands.

Prayer:

We belong to you in life and in death; grant us courage and comfort.

Jessica Bratt Carle

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Fringe Benefit of Holiness

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

—Matthew 5:6

Have a nice day. We throw that expression around a lot in our culture. When you make a purchase, the cashier might say, “Thank you. Have a nice day.” Or, maybe you want to return something, and you’re told, “No, we cannot take that back again. Have a nice day.” It’s really their way of saying, “You can go now.”

But what does it really mean to have a nice day? I suppose it would be a day free of sickness, conflict, and hardship—a day that is, well, nice.

That is how God is sometimes perceived. We might imagine Him thundering from Mount Sinai, “Have a nice day!” We like to think of Him as perpetually smiling, wanting us all to be happy, healthy, and wealthy.

I’m not suggesting that God cannot or will not bless us with health or even wealth. Nor am I suggesting that God doesn’t want us to be happy. But that is not God’s primary objective for us. God doesn’t sit around in Heaven and wonder how He can make us happier. What God is really interested in is how He can make us more holy. He wants us to be holy more than He wants us to be happy.

The remarkable thing is that if you really are a holy person, then you will, in turn, be a happy person. Happiness is the fringe benefit of holiness. What does it mean to be holy? Maybe if we respelled holy as wholly, as in wholly committed, we would get a better understanding of the word. You can be wholly committed to surfing or wholly committed to golfing or wholly committed to money. That is a commitment.

If you want to be holy, be wholly committed to God. You will be happy as a result.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – Jesus Wants You To Be a Light for Him

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“Ye are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”(Matthew 5:14a, 16)

Have you ever been in an airplane at night? When you look down over a city as you are flying in an airplane, you cannot make out anything because it is so dark. All you can see are the lights. The lights may be of different sizes and different colors. Some are brighter than others. But they are all beautiful to look at.

If you look around yourself right now, you will see darkness all around you. You may not see it on the outside. The darkness I am talking about is the darkness inside the hearts of men. Many people do not believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. Some of them don’t believe that God exists at all! Their hearts are dark because they do not have the light of the true Savior.

Because you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you must show others that you are different because of Him. This is what Jesus meant when He told believers to be the light of the world. When you let your light shine, others will see it, and will want to glorify God and know that Jesus Christ can save them, too.

Maybe you are asking, how can I let my light shine? Whether you are at home, at school, or at play, you must try to please God in everything you do. Even if everyone else is doing something wrong, you must not do it if you know that it does not please God. For example, if your friends ask you to help them play a mean trick on someone, you must ask yourself if that will please God. When you are at home, you can please God by being obedient to your parents. Some people may make fun of you for being polite and kind, but because you are pleasing God, your light will shine before them.

God has commanded us to let our light shine before men. Your unsaved friends and family should be able to see that you are a child of God because you try to please Him in everything that you do.

Jesus wants me to be a light in this world so that others will come to know Him.

My Response:

» Am I trying to please God in all that I do?

» Where do I need to let my light shine?

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