Daily Archives: August 4, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Easy to Say, Difficult to Do

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Matthew 5:10-12

God’s commands sometimes defy human logic. Take, for example, the command to rejoice in persecution. It doesn’t make sense until we realize the effect of praise—it keeps us focused upon the Lord and the good things that He can bring out of hardship.

The apostle Paul faced greater abuse and suffering than most of us ever will. He was beaten, put on trial, and imprisoned, yet he looked beyond those difficulties to what the Lord was accomplishing through his life. That is, though he didn’t rejoice that he was a captive, he was able to celebrate the great ministry he had among his prison guards.

If we believe God is in control and keeps His promises, then we must trust in the principle of Romans 5:3-5. This passage assures us that our hardships have a purpose. Specifically, they develop our endurance, strengthen our character, and solidify our hope. Two immediate blessings of suffering are the deepening of our faith and the preparation for greater service to the kingdom. We’re able to rejoice because we are maturing believers whom God can use for His purposes.

The Lord will bring good from our persecution, just as He did for Paul. But if we allow doubt to cloud our faith, we won’t be able to rejoice in what He is doing in and through our lives. And if we can’t rejoice, we are in danger of giving up before God’s good work can be completed. Rejoicing keeps us focused upon the Lord and His purpose so that we may see our trial through to the end and receive our reward.

Bible in One Year: Isaiah 50-53

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Not Perfect

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Read: Romans 7:14–25 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 66–67; Romans 7

I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18

In his book Jumping Through Fires, David Nasser tells the story of his spiritual journey. Before he began a relationship with Jesus, he was befriended by a group of Christian teens. Although most of the time his buddies were generous, winsome, and nonjudgmental, David witnessed one of them lie to his girlfriend. Feeling convicted, the young man later confessed and asked for her forgiveness. Reflecting on this, David said that the incident drew him closer to his Christian friends. He realized that they needed grace, just as he did.

We don’t have to act like we’re perfect with the people we know. It’s okay to be honest about our mistakes and struggles. The apostle Paul openly referred to himself as the worst of all sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). He also described his wrestling match with sin in Romans 7, where he said, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (v. 18). Unfortunately, the opposite was also true: “The evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (v. 19).

We don’t have to be perfect. It’s okay to be honest about our mistakes and struggles.

Being open about our struggles puts us on the same level with every other human alive—which is right where we belong! However, because of Jesus Christ, our sin will not follow us into eternity. It’s like the old saying goes, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”

Dear Jesus, I worship You as the only perfect human ever to live. Thank You for making it possible for me to have victory over sin.

The only difference between Christians and everyone else is forgiveness.

INSIGHT:

When Paul says that the “law” is spiritual, he is likely referring to the Torah (meaning “instruction”), the first five books of the Old Testament. The Torah is a gift to teach us something about God’s holiness and our sin.

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Challenge of Atticus Finch

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Few challenges are as great for novelists as crafting a believably good character. Our native preoccupation with darkness often casts virtue in a light that is less than plausible. Perhaps most damning of all, however, is the deep-seated assumption that goodness itself is boring while the allure of badness remains magnetic. Poets and critics have long pointed to the character of Satan as the runaway hero of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Though this certainly wasn’t Milton’s intent, it is difficult to dispute that Satan stands out in the roster of characters as arguably the most dynamic, compelling, and relatable. A contemporary example would be the late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It’s not just that we find darkness more interesting than light, it’s that we find it more believable.

Many have received the emerging details from Harper Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman as disheartening news once it became clear that the book was going to cast a shadow over the beloved character of Atticus Finch. This man who has stood for many as a champion of truth, justice, and human decency may turn out to be more of a fiction than his readers ever realized. Dramatic as it sounds, America may be losing one of her icons. In the words of Sam Sacks in his Wall Street Journal review, “Go Set a Watchman is a distressing book, one that delivers a startling rebuttal to the shining idealism of To Kill a Mockingbird. This story is of the toppling of idols; its major theme is disillusion.”

Though Harper Lee may force us to reconsider the character of Atticus Finch, I find it deeply encouraging that our sorrow regarding his possible moral compromises shows a clear hunger for genuine goodness. True, disillusion may be an all-too-common theme in our imaginative landscape these days, but if we feel betrayed by Atticus Finch (or his author), that sense of betrayal is surely motivated by a conviction that true men and women of integrity exist, and that their example, strength, and leadership are much-needed. Moreover, that goodness is not only plausible, but foundational to reality. In other word, not only is goodness real, but there is a goodness that sets the clear standard against which we measure all else, including Atticus Finch and his shortcomings.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Challenge of Atticus Finch →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Loving Money Ignores True Gain

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“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment” (1 Timothy 6:6).

True wealth is found in contentment, not in monetary gain.

Love of money and contentment are mutually exclusive. An ancient Roman proverb says, “Money is like seawater; the more you drink, the thirstier you get.” Ecclesiastes 5:10 summarizes the point this way: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money.”

History has also demonstrated that no amount of riches can compensate for a lack of contentment. Millionaire financier John D. Rockefeller said, “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.” That wealthiest of industrialists, Henry Ford, was quoted as saying, “I was happier doing mechanic’s work.”

The Cynic and Stoic philosophers of Paul’s day were probably more content than any of the modern corporate tycoons. Those philosophers viewed the contented person as one who was self-sufficient, unflappable, and unmoved by outside circumstances. But true Christians have the best understanding of contentment because they know it comes from God. Paul told the Corinthian church, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5; see also 9:8).

The genuine believer, therefore, sees contentment as more than merely a noble human virtue. For him, it derives from the sufficiency God the Father and Christ the Son provide (Phil. 4:19). Thus a godly person is not motivated by the love of money but by the love of God (see Ps. 63:1-5).

The richest person is the one who needs nothing else because he is content with what he has. He adheres to the philosophy of Proverbs 30:8-9, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Loving Money Ignores True Gain →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Are You Called to Missions? 

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Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand. Romans 15:21

I remember as a child hearing of the great missionary efforts of many modern heroes of the faith. People like Hudson Taylor or Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, who, following in the footsteps of St. Paul, forsook comfort and security in order to share the love of Christ in places where his name had never been proclaimed. In light of these stories, I came to assume that Christian missions always began “here” and went “there.”

Similarly, I thought a missionary was the Christian equivalent of a Navy SEAL, a highly skilled and elite position to be taken up by a very select few. While we should never diminish or discourage the faithful obedience of foreign missionaries, we also must affirm another central truth of Christian mission: the work of Christian missions is the call of every single follower of Jesus Christ.

To be a missionary is literally to be one who is sent out on a mission. As followers of Christ, by virtue of our baptism into the life and death of Jesus, each of us has been sent out with an explicit mission. We are not only invited but are commissioned, without exception, to proclaim the love of God shown in Christ through our love of God and neighbor.

As we grow in faithfulness to Christ and his Kingdom, we must reclaim this central vision of the Christian life: to be a disciple is to be a missionary! Whether your mission field is Cambodia or Chicago, Argentina or Alabama, the call on each of our lives is the same. We must seek to live not simply for ourselves, but to live as bold, prophetic witnesses to the self-giving, self-sacrificing love of God. For the Christian, the call to missions is never a question of “if” but is simply a question of “where.”

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Are You Called to Missions?  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Cracked Pots

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But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

Recommended Reading

2 Corinthians 4:1-9

Everyone knows what it’s like to be disappointed by someone we love or admire. Our husbands, wives, children, or parents sometimes let us down. Our heroes stumble. Our leaders falter. It can devastate us and damage our relationships because we place high expectations on those we love. Sometimes we forget they are broken people just like we are.

According to 2 Corinthians 4:7, we are all earthen vessels, jugs of clay, easily chipped. The Voice translates 2 Corinthians 4:7 like this: “But this beautiful treasure (the Gospel) is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.”

God blesses us cracked pots in spite of our sinful, undeserving nature; and high on His list of blessings is forgiveness. As we look to Him alone, He gives us grace (He imparts a million blessings we don’t deserve) and mercy (He withholds a million judgments we do deserve).

If He gives grace and mercy to cracked pots like us, perhaps we need to extend the same to those we love.

Let us make sure that we are not so hard on others because if the shoe were on the other foot, we would want someone to understand our circumstances and help us to redeem ourselves.

Jesse R. Watson, Jr., in Morning Coffee

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Jeremiah 4 – 5

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Joy Stealers

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For my sighing comes before my food, and my groanings are poured out like water. For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me. I was not or am not at ease, nor had I or have I rest, nor was I or am I quiet, yet trouble came and still comes [upon me]. – Job 3:24-26

People dread many things, and most don’t even realize what dread does to them. It sucks the joy right out of the present moment. The life God has provided for us through Jesus Christ is a precious gift, and we should enjoy every moment of it.

Dread is insidious and can insert itself into even the most innocuous of circumstances. For example, once I was getting a facial and enjoying it extremely. I glanced at the door and saw my clothes hanging on the hook and thought, Oh, I dread getting up and putting on my clothes and driving all the way home. Then I realized I was letting dread do its dirty work again. It was stealing the joy of the present moment.

Pray and ask God to show you every time you begin to dread any task or something lurking in your future that you’re not quite sure of. Merely eliminating dread from your life will release more of your God-given confidence and help you experience more joy.

Lord, make me aware of what I dread. It’s such a part of my life that it’s easy to not even notice. Help me to retain my joy and walk in all the confidence You’ve given me. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Is Your Faith One of Duty or Desire?

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Today’s Truth

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:8-9

Friend to Friend

My ministry is primarily with women, and often the subject of marriage comes up. And for those brave souls who dare ask the hard questions, sex surfaces as one of the top three areas of marital tension. Questions brim from frustration and sometimes my answers are not what they want to hear. Frequency? What is acceptable and unacceptable? What is required?

Required? Do women really ask that? Yep. Required. That’s the word they use. Far too many women, Christians included, approach the marriage bed with a sense of duty rather than desire. And you know what? A husband always knows the difference. He can tell the difference. It is not the melody his heart longs for—a song in which his wife desires him, enjoys him and looks forward to their moments of intimacy.

And guess what? God knows the difference, too. I’m not talking about sexual intimacy here. I’m talking about spiritual intimacy. God can tell when we are serving Him out of duty and when we are serving Him out of an overflow of our great love. He knows when our time with Him is simply a number on our to-do list and when it is our heart’s greatest desire.

We dutifully work and we strive and we study and we push and we push and we push. If we stop all this bustling about to become good Christians, we just might fall in love with Jesus all over again.

David sang, “In your presence is fullness of joy!” (Psalm 16:11 NKJV). In Your presence… The Hebrew word for “joy” used here is simchah and means glee, gladness, intense joy, pleasure, rejoicing, an outward expression. It is not simply an outward emotion but an inner soul.

Serving God out of duty will leave you drained emotionally and spiritually. Ramping up religious duties may cause people to give more money, time and resources without giving what God longs for most…the heart.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Is Your Faith One of Duty or Desire? →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Never Too Busy

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“He will listen to the prayers of the destitute for He is never too busy to heed their requests” (Psalm 102:17).

As a relatively young Christian businessman, I was deacon of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. I was asked to be the chairman of all of our deputation ministry involving more than 100 college- and post college-age men and women who dedicated their lives to serving Christ in the hospitals, jails and skid row missions.

On many occasions it was my responsibility and privilege to speak at various mission meetings attended by hundreds of destitute winos, alcoholics, drug addicts and others who had lost their way and were now in desperate need of help, physically and spiritually. God always ministered to me as well as to them for I seldom spoke to such a group without my heart being deeply stirred. Inevitably I found myself reaching out to these men, poor, dejected, discouraged, many of whom had not bathed for months, and yet I found myself embracing them in the name of Jesus, pleading with them to allow Him to turn the tragedy of their lives into His eternal triumph. Many did and with life-changing results.

But unfortunately, there were far more who refused Christ. I am reminded of one with whom I pleaded to surrender his life to Christ and receive the gift of God’s grace. He had, through the ravages of drink, lost his wife, his children, his business and even his health. He had absolutely nothing left, but his response to my insistence that he receive Christ was, “I cannot, I have too much to give up.” I could hardly believe my ears! God was waiting with arms outstretched, eager to embrace him with His love and forgiveness, to transform his life. Let us never forget that this is God’s desire for every person for He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Bible Reading: Psalm 102:18-28

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will encourage others, rich and poor, old and young, all who are spiritually destitute, to turn to God, who loves and forgives, that they, too may experience eternal and supernatural life.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – You are a Fortified City

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Read: Jeremiah 1:11-19

Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land — against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:16-19

I remember that when I was a boy in high school, sixteen years old, I was arrested once — served a warrant because it was alleged, wrongly, it was proved, that I had been hunting out of season. I remember yet how fearsome it was to receive that warrant for my arrest, to open it up and read these words: The People of the State of Montana versus Ray C. Stedman. I thought, What unfair odds! The whole population of the state of Montana against me!

That is what this prophet Jeremiah had to face. All the people of the land, and its kings and priests, would all be against him. But God said, Don’t you worry, you shall stand. I’ll make you a stone, an iron, and a bronze against them. Nothing will shake you. And the amazing thing is that though this young man was thrown into prison, put in a dungeon where he was mired in the mud, put on a bread-and-water diet, though he was ostracized and isolated, set aside, rejected and insulted, and finally exiled into Egypt, never once when God asked him to speak did he ever fail to say the thing God told him to say. What remarkable courage this young man exhibited!

Yet, through all of it, he learned four things: He learned the sovereignty of God, his control over the nations of earth. He learned the ruthlessness of God, whose judgments would be unmerciful against his people who persisted in turning away from him. He learned the faithfulness of God always to fulfill his word, no matter what was said. Finally, he learned to suffer with the heart of God, the tenderness of God. This man suffered, he wept. He lost hope for a while and cried out, O that I had never been born! He felt the awful hurt of his people, and wept over them. But through it all he realized that he was but feeling the suffering of the heart of God over people who turn him aside, and the tenderness of God that draws them back at last, despite all their wandering.

Almighty God, how grateful I am that whatever I must face in this world, you will give me the grace I need to face it.

Life Application

Do we want to merely know about God — or do we want to intimately know God? What was the process by which Jeremiah learned four essential elements of God’s character? How did this knowledge of God fortify Jeremiah to endure unremitting testing and hardship?

 

http://www.raystedman.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Five Steps of Temptation

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23

It has been said that opportunity knocks once, but temptation beats on the door every day. It happens to the best of us.

Don’t feel bad about that. Just because you are tempted doesn’t mean there is something wrong on your part. There is no sin in being tempted, because it is not the bait that constitutes temptation; it is the bite.

We play a key role in our own temptation. The Devil needs our cooperation for us to give in. Where there is no desire on our part, there is no temptation. As James 1:14–15 tells us, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

In these verses we effectively have the five steps of temptation. First, there is the temptation itself: “each one is tempted.” This is when an evil thought comes knocking on the door of your imagination. But instead of rejecting it outright, you invite it in and begin to entertain it. You think, What if I did this . . . just for fun?

You’re in trouble already, because now you’ve reached the second step. You have been enticed. Your will is weakening, and the temptation is getting stronger. You’re thinking, processing, and considering. There is still a way out, but it’s getting harder to resist. And now the hook is set.

That brings us to the third and fourth steps of temptation. Desire has conceived, and it gives birth to sin. The evil thought has been acted upon. The process is in full swing, which leads to the final step of temptation, where the effects of sin kick in: “sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is All-Powerful and in Control

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“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And [Jesus] was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:37-39)

The wind wails and the rains pour down. Trees are crashing down everywhere. Windows are breaking and walls are falling. As trees fall, their roots are pulled up from the ground, leaving gaping holes as big as a truck!

How can anything survive such a storm? Will any house, animal, or person come out of a storm like that unharmed, or without losing anything in the storm?

A storm like that shows God’s mighty power. God’s power is shown in the strength of the wind and rain. A wind that can blow over a tree, break windows, or destroy a wall is very powerful. Rain and water that can uproot trees, fill a house, or make streets look like rivers and lakes – such a storm is great and powerful!

But did you know that not only can God create great storms, but He can also STOP a storm with just a word or command? Jesus said, “Peace, be still,” and the winds and rains obeyed His command.

A storm like the one in the Bible or the one described above can be so destructive, but God is still in control.

You have probably read or seen things on the news about hurricanes and mudslides and flooding and tidal waves and blizzards. There are all kinds of storms and storm results that can mean “bad news” for human beings. But why? Because we are not all-powerful. We are not in control. We who are Christians can be thankful that we know the God Who is. He does protect and provide, even through bad weather and scary storms like that. We can be glad for weather’s reminder of just how powerful and sovereignly in control God really is.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is All-Powerful and in Control →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Our Weaknesses

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:10

“When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul’s attitude toward his weakness was vastly different from our usual response. We abhor weakness and glory in self-sufficiency and manmade accomplishments. Even Christians flock to hear a testimony from the sports superstar or the popular entertainer simply because of that person’s fame and status. How many of us would make any effort to hear a man who said, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses. I am content with weaknesses. When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)?

I think of how I’ve struggled with my own weaknesses instead of delighting in them. I think of the disappointment of failing to reach important goals, of humiliations suffered that were too painful to ever share with anyone, of somewhat minor but very annoying lifetime physical infirmities. Only in the last few years have I realized what a significant contribution these have made on my walk with God and my service for him, especially in their cumulative effect. I think I’m only beginning to understand a little the validity of Paul’s statement, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Sometimes when I’m introduced as a speaker, I cringe inwardly as the person introducing me waxes eloquent about my accomplishments. I think, “What if they knew the other side of the story? Would they all get up and leave?” Yet ironically, it is the other side of the story, the humiliations and heartaches, the failures and frustrations—not the successes and accomplishments—that have qualified me to be there to speak. Those difficult times have driven me to the Lord. I’ll be honest. It wasn’t that I wanted to lean on God; I had no other choice. But I’m finally learning that in weakness I find strength—his strength.

 

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Uncategorized

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Prepared for Battle

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Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 1-6

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. – Romans 13:12

Whenever I turn to Ephesians 6:13-18 and read Paul’s description of the whole armor of God, I think back to a day when I went into another kind of battle without mine. I was part of a Marine invasion force in the South Pacific, and our landing craft had just reached the island when it was hit by two enemy shells.

I was not a Christian at the time, and the essence of what I yelled to the other men was, “Let us depart here speedily.” So we ran across the beach and began making our way toward the airfield, which was our objective.

Pretty soon, a sergeant came to check up on us. When he saw me, he said, “Eims, where is your helmet?” “I must have lost it,” I said. He looked again and said, “Eims, where is your duty belt?” My duty belt had my ammo pouches, my first aid kit, my bayonet, and all kinds of other things. “It must be in the landing craft.” And then the sergeant got really exasperated and said, “As a matter of fact, Eims, where is your rifle?”

In my rush to get out of the landing craft, I had left everything behind. There I was, hopping around from tree to tree, from bush to bush, with no equipment, no weapon, absolutely worthless to the cause.

Paul said that if we want to avoid that situation in the Christian life, we are to put on the full armor of God. And we are to pray in the Spirit, on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. Although God has freely provided this armor, you and I have the responsibility of putting it on. Don’t go into battle without it.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for providing the armor I need to stand firm against the Evil One. Amen.

To Ponder

If the Lord approached you today, would He have to ask, “Christian, where is your helmet? What about your belt, shield, and sword?”

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Metaxas Speaks Out, So Can You: Be Prepared to Share

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Recently on CNN, my BreakPoint co-host Eric Metaxas demonstrated, live and in-person, how to talk with those with whom you clearly disagree. In a discussion with host Don Lemon about Hillary Clinton’s choice of Tim Kaine as running mate, Eric articulated that the Democratic platform had become synonymous with the most radical pro-abortion position possible.

Lemon replied, “Well, Planned Parenthood certainly has a very high opinion of Tim Kaine.”

To which Eric replied, “Right, now that he’s out of the womb.”

It was a classic Eric line, that delivered truth about abortion and Planned Parenthood rarely heard on a network like CNN. And I think it was a demonstration of what it means to be “always be ready, in season and out of season,” as the Scripture exhorts us.

Now look, Eric and I don’t agree on everything. For example, though you’ll never hear Eric or me endorse a political candidate or party here on BreakPoint, Eric has voiced political opinions that I don’t share on his radio show and other platforms. And he’s completely free to do that.

Still, Eric is an example of how to speak truth in a hostile public square—even when people don’t want to hear it. That’s what he showed on CNN the other night.

It’s tempting for you and me to think, “I’ve never been on TV. I don’t have opportunities like he has.” No! We have all kinds of opportunities—over the backyard fence as Chuck Colson liked to say, across the Thanksgiving table with relatives who disagree, and certainly on social media every single day. These opportunities matter.

Now if we’re honest, we often feel pressure in those settings to be silent. My friend Michael Miller calls this “cocktail party pressure.” You know, an awkward topic comes up, like abortion, evolution, same-sex “marriage,” and you worry that if you state your views, you’ll risk the proverbial “record scratch” moment in the conversation.

Eric and I were on stage behind Chuck Colson as he was giving his last public speech. The topic was “The Spiral of Silence,” a theory developed by a German sociologist, which explains how people fear social isolation to the point that they generally go along with what they think is the popular opinion—even if they object to that opinion themselves. Instead of speaking up, they remain silent. And their silence encourages others to remain silent.

Continue reading BreakPoint – Metaxas Speaks Out, So Can You: Be Prepared to Share →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE TRINITY AND ZECHARIAH’S PROPHECY

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Read LUKE 1:67–79

The classic hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King,” climaxes with praise to the Trinity: “All creatures of our God and King, / Lift up your voice and with us sing Alleluia! / . . . Let all things their Creator bless, / And worship Him in humbleness. / O praise Him! Alleluia!

/ Praise, praise the Father, Praise the Son, / And praise the Spirit, Three in One! / O praise Him! Alleluia!” The Trinity is highlighted in Zechariah’s prophecy at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. After confirming the name John, Zechariah’s ability to speak (taken away by God as a result of his doubt- filled response in the temple), was restored to him. Filled by the Holy Spirit, he used his newly regained speech to praise God and to deliver an incredible prophecy (v. 67).

Most of Zechariah’s prophecy was not about his own son but rather about the son of Mary—the Son of God. Jesus was God’s “horn of salvation” (v. 69), the literal embodiment of His long- promised plan of redemption. He was the “rising sun” dawning with God’s light for “those living in darkness and in the shadow of death” (vv. 78–79). He would guide sinners’ feet into the “path of peace” with God (see Rom. 5:10). Zechariah’s son, John, would be His forerunner, preparing the way with a call to repentance and forgiveness.

All of this was taking place according to the plan of God the Father. These events signified that “he has come to his people and redeemed them” (v. 68). In Christ, the Father fulfilled His covenants with David and with Abraham, as well as many prophecies. His “tender mercy” was the impetus for salvation (v. 78). Throughout his prophecy, Zechariah emphasized God’s strength, faithfulness, and especially His love.

APPLY THE WORD

Zechariah rejoiced because now God’s people would be enabled “to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness” (vv. 74–75). We can now serve and obey the Lord as we ought. Thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can bring glory to God and devote our lives to serving and loving Him.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – MAN STRUCK BY FLAMING ARROW ON LIVE TV

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Let’s take a much-needed break from politics today. America’s Got Talent made headlines this week when a stuntman swallowed a long rod with a target on its end. His fiancée then aimed a flaming arrow at the target. She missed, however, striking him near his neck. He was OK, and the show went on.

Here’s news in a similar vein: The Washington Post carried a story with the headline, “This asteroid almost certainly isn’t going to crash into Earth and kill us all.” There’s a one in 2,700 chance that an asteroid named Bennu will impact Earth in 150 years. Unless you plan to be alive in 2166, this isn’t news you can use. But your descendants might want to keep an eye out.

When you read about the stuntman shot by an arrow, what was your first reaction? Probably the same as when you read about the asteroid that might hit our planet in 150 years: I’m glad it’s not me.

According to The New York Times, a jailed ISIS fighter warns that the group has terrorists in England, Germany, and France trained to launch simultaneous attacks. If you don’t live in one of these three countries, this news is less alarming than if you do. It’s the same with the Zika virus—it’s less a concern unless it comes to the area where you live. Or the Emirates jet that caught fire in Dubai—you’re glad you weren’t on the plane.

It’s human nature to focus on what affects us personally. When Isaiah told Hezekiah that his descendants would be enslaved by Babylon, the king responded: “‘The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.’ For he thought, ‘Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?'” (2 Kings 20:19).

Here’s the problem: What matters to us today is seldom what will matter to us in eternity. The temporal cannot replace the eternal, or the material the spiritual. We were made to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29). Loving anyone or anything more than we love God is idolatry. And God won’t let us find fulfillment that way, no matter how hard we try.

What can we do?

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