Daily Archives: August 21, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Patience of God

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2 Peter 3:8-9

God’s seemingly slow reaction to sin is often puzzling to believers. Why doesn’t He immediately punish those who violate His principles? The answer is found in today’s passage—the Lord is patient so that all people have an opportunity to repent (2 Pet. 3:9).

In our humanness, we at times want people to suffer for wrongdoing. Jonah ran away from his duty to preach in Nineveh, because he expected that if the inhabitants repented, his gracious, compassionate God would relent about destroying the city. And that is precisely what came to pass. Instead of rejoicing in the Lord’s success, the prophet complained about His treating the Ninevites with patience and mercy (Jonah 4:2).

Jonah was angry at God despite the fact that he himself had received divine mercy. (Unpleasant though it was, there are worse forms of discipline than being swallowed and regurgitated by a fish.)

More often than not, believers have ample reason to be thankful that the Lord, unlike human beings, is slow to anger. When we are stubborn and unrepentant, He waits patiently for us to respond to conviction. Discipline is painful to both the recipient and the one carrying it out. God prefers that we see the error of our choices, stop thinking that we’re getting away with sin, and turn back to His righteous path.

The Lord places a high value on repentance and maintaining fellowship. However, His justice demands a penalty. Do not wait for discipline. Instead, do what’s right, and turn your heart toward God.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 41-45

 

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Let Us

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Read: Hebrews 10:19–25 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 107–109; 1 Corinthians 4

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

While standing in line for a popular attraction at Disneyland, I noticed that most people were talking and smiling instead of complaining about the long wait. It made me ponder what made waiting in that line an enjoyable experience. The key seemed to be that very few people were there by themselves. Instead, friends, families, groups, and couples were sharing the experience, which was far different than standing in line alone.

The Christian life is meant to be lived in company with others, not alone. Hebrews 10:19–25 urges us to live in community with other followers of Jesus. “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings . . . . Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together” (vv. 22–25). In community we reassure and reinforce each other, “encouraging one another” (v. 25).

The Christian life is meant to be lived in company with others, not alone.

Even our most difficult days can become a meaningful part of our journey of faith when others share them with us. Don’t face life alone. Let us travel together.

Lord, may we fulfill Your calling today by walking the road of faith and encouragement with others.

Life in Christ is meant to be a shared experience.

INSIGHT:

The Jewish temple represented God’s presence among His people. It was the center of religious life for the Jews. It was a place of corporate worship, the place where sacrifices were made, and the central structure around which yearly festivals and daily prayers took place. The temple construction and sacrificial system clearly meant to illustrate the separation sin had caused between the Creator and creation, but according to the writer of the book of Hebrews this temple and system were merely shadows (Heb. 10:1) of the reality that has come in Christ. Because of Christ the barriers no longer apply. God the Son has come near, and by His blood all believers regardless of gender, station, or nationality can come into the presence of almighty God.

 

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – A Little Piece of Bread

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“Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for [the Lord] Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

God promises to provide for all your needs.

In World War II the death of many adults left many orphans. At the close of the war, the Allies provided some camps to feed the orphans and to try and find a place to relocate them. The children began to develop and grow, receiving the finest food and care. But in one of the camps, the officials became perplexed because the children couldn’t sleep. They would eat three good meals, but at night they would lie awake. The camp authorities brought in some doctors to do a study of these orphans to find out why they couldn’t sleep.

The doctors came up with a solution. Every night when the little children were put to bed, someone would come down the row of beds and place in each little hand a piece of bread. So the last thing the children experienced at night was grasping a piece of bread. In a matter of days they were all sleeping through the night. Why? Even though they were fed to the full during the day, experience had taught them that there was no hope for tomorrow. When they had that bread tucked in their hands, they knew that at least they would have breakfast the next day.

Similarly, God has given you a piece of bread for your hand. That bread is this promise: “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). If you have that piece of bread in your hand, you can sleep.

You don’t need to stockpile for the future. God is the owner of everything in the world, and He controls all the assets to provide for you because you are His child. Life for the Christian consists not in the abundance of things he possesses (Luke 12:15), but in being content with the things that he has (Heb. 13:5).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for His promise to provide for all your needs.

For Further Study

In Psalm 37:25, what was David’s testimony about the Lord?

 

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Best Relationship You Can Have

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Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.- Revelation 3:20

We have the great privilege of developing a relationship with God and inviting Him to be a vital part of everything we do, every day. That starts with simple prayer—just talking to Him and sharing your life with Him as you go about the things you have to do. Be thankful that His presence is with you, and include Him in your thoughts, in your conversations, and in all your everyday activities.

When you let God out of the Sunday-morning box that many people keep Him in, letting Him invade your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and all day Sunday as well, you’ll be amazed at what a difference it will make. Don’t try to keep God in a religious compartment; He wants to have free access to every area of your life. He wants to be involved in every part of your life. He desires an intimate relationship with you.

Prayer of Thanks: I thank You, God, that You love me enough to want to be in relationship with me. I want to share every part of my life with You. Help me to remember that You are with me every minute of the day.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – His Ways Will Satisfy 

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“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how His ways will really satisfy you” (Romans 12:2).

“The trouble with living sacrifices,” someone has well said, “is that they keep crawling off the altar.” That may be true. We “crawl off the altar” when we sin, and the only way to put ourselves back on the altar is to breathe spiritually – confess our known sins in accordance with the promise of 1 John 1:9 and appropriate the fullness of the Holy Spirit as we are commanded to do by faith (Ephesians 5:18).

When we do this, we will be living supernaturally and our lives will produce the fruit of the Spirit in great abundance.

Only by being filled with the Spirit, and thus realizing the fruit of the Spirit, can spiritual gifts be effectively utilized in witnessing and building up the Body of Christ.

We begin by totally yielding ourselves by faith to Christ in a full irrevocable surrender to His lordship.

“He died once for all to end sin’s power, but now He lives forever in unbroken fellowship with God. So look upon your old sin-nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God – every part of you -for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for His good purposes” (Romans 6:10-13).

Bible Reading: Romans 12:3-18

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing that God’s ways will really satisfy me, I will seek first His kingdom, resist the devil at his every appearance and watch with joy as he flees.

 

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Pain that has no Cure

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Read: Jeremiah 30:1-24

Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you. Jeremiah 30:15

God takes the full responsibility for what happens to Israel. He says, I have done these things to you. It is as though he stands with his hands on his hips and says to them, Look, I’m responsible. Any questions? He says that it is because of their sins, their flagrant sins.

We do not want to read this as though it is something remote from us. If you are inclined to say only, Oh, it’s such a pity what’s going to happen to Israel, remember that this is your story, too. This is the way God works. He deals with Israel this way because this is the way he deals with everybody. There is a scriptural principle reflected here which all too often we forget. Just because judgment does not fall immediately upon people, they think they have gotten by. But Paul says, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction… (Galatians 6:7-8a). That is inevitable. God does not cancel that out by the forgiveness of sin. That is part of what we call the natural consequences of evil, the temporal judgment of God. It is never canceled out, any more than the rest of what Paul says is canceled out: …whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8b) This is God’s promise for now — not just in heaven some day but now. The joy and glory of life will come to us if we walk in the Spirit, and that is inevitable. But so is the judgment for our sin, the inevitable consequences of our own selfish choices.

This means, of course, that ultimately a recompense comes to us in life now for the evil in which we have indulged our flesh — whether it is blatant, open, sensual evil, or whether it is inward — spiritual pride, bitterness, and all the other sins of the spirit. It makes no difference. Evil brings its own results. As someone has well said, You can pull out the nail driven into the wall, but you can’t pull out the nail hole.

God reminds us here that there will be pain and heartache and trouble because of the evil of our past. The sins of our youth will catch up to us — usually in middle age! And there is no escape. As Kipling has said, The sins that they did two by two, they pay for one by one. God says this is inevitable. It is inevitable for his people Israel; it is inevitable for us as well. Yet even in that trial, God is present in His mercy and grace.

Thank you, Lord, for the lesson I learn as I sometimes must walk through the consequences of my own poor choices. But thank you that your grace is still sufficient even for these things.

Life Application

Are we surprised by the inevitable consequences of our sins? Are we also surprised by joy when the Spirit produces good fruit through our walk with Christ? Do we recognize both as aspects of God’s sovereign initiative?

 

 

http://www.raystedman.org/

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Palm and the Cedar of Lebanon

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Read: Psalm 92

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. (v. 12)

When was the last time you ate a date? What do you recall about the taste, smell, and texture? Do you know where that delicacy came from?

The palm tree mentioned in this psalm is the date palm, one of the most important trees in ancient Israel, for its fruit was high in sugar and very nutritious, its leaves were used for roofing, and its trunk supplied timber. The date palm is 40 to 60 feet tall, with a thick, unbranched trunk and pinnate or feather-like leaves 4 to 6 feet long clustered at the top. It looks similar to the kind of palm trees you may have seen in Florida or Southern California.

The cedar of Lebanon, described two readings ago, was tall, wide, and old. This giant had mythic status for the Israelites as the Tree of trees.

The righteous, says the psalmist, flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. In old age those who embody what is good and right and just still produce fruit and are always green and full of sap. In short, those who walk in the way of the Lord are full of life and are life-giving. Those who embody steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 2) live well. Trees are powerful metaphors for living a godly life.

Prayer:

God of steadfast love and faithfulness, the Righteous One, strengthen us that we may flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon.

Author: Steven Bouma-Prediger

 

https://woh.org/

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Plans Cannot Be Thwarted

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“Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.” (Job 42:1-2)

When Job said to God, “I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee,” he was not trying to say that God knows everyone’s thoughts. Of course, God does know every thought we could possibly think, but this verse is teaching us something else about God. It is teaching us about God’s sovereignty, His absolute rule and total control over everything. Anything that God thinks up is His idea, and He can do whatever He pleases. None of us are able to hold God back if He has made up His mind to do something. That is what Job meant when he said, “No thought can be withholden from thee.”

None of God’s purposes can be thwarted. Do you know what thwarted means? It means to be twisted or wrenched around or messed up or squashed. God’s plans cannot fail, and nobody can stop Him from accomplishing His will.

Have you ever been watching a football game and heard someone shout “Interference!”? If the quarterback is throwing the football to the receiver, and somebody from the other team grabs onto the receiver or knocks him over before he can catch the ball, that is called “interference.” The catch is never completed like it was supposed to be because the receiver was “interfered with.” Human beings interfere in each others’ lives all the time, and everyday circumstances can thwart our plans, too. Our plans get changed all the time. Our picnics get rained out. Our favorite sports teams do not make it to the playoffs. Your parents’ car might break down during your vacation. Maybe your best friend’s family has to move 800 miles away.

As human beings, we have to get used to interference and thwarted plans. We aren’t able to make everything go the way we plan. We are not all-powerful and all-knowing. But we can be glad that God is. We can rejoice that God is sovereign and that He does whatever He pleases. He is in control of what happens in our lives – and not only that, but He cares about what happens in our lives. There are many promises in the Bible that speak of how God intends to do things for His glory and for our good. He knows the plans that He has, and we can know for sure that no one and nothing can hold Him back from carrying them out.

God’s purposes can never be messed up, and we can trust Him to do whatever He sets out to do.

My Response:

» Since I know that God can do everything and none of His plans can be messed up, how should that change my attitude when my own plans get messed up?

» Is there ever any cause for me to worry, fear, or get angry if I really believe God is sovereign?

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Enlarging Our Horizons

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Today’s Scripture: Daniel 4:35

“He does according to his will . . . among the inhabitants of the earth.”

Most Christians tend to think of the sovereignty of God only in terms of its immediate effect upon us, or our families or friends. We’re not too interested in the sovereignty of God over the nations and over history unless we’re consciously and personally affected by that history.

But we must remember that God promised to Abraham and to his seed that all nations will be blessed through Christ (see Genesis 12:3; 22:18; Galatians 3:8). Someday that promise will be fulfilled for, as recorded in Revelation 7:9, John saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the lamb” (NIV). God has a plan to redeem people from all nations and to bless all nations through Christ.

As we look around the world today, we see over half of the world’s population living in countries whose governments are hostile to the Gospel, where missionaries are not allowed, and where national Christians are hindered from proclaiming Christ. How do we trust God for the fulfillment of his promises when the current events and conditions of the day seem so directly contrary to their fulfillment?

We must also look at the sovereignty of God and at his promises. He has promised to redeem people from every nation, and he has commanded us to make disciples of all nations. We must trust God by praying. We must learn to trust God for the spread of the Gospel, even in those areas where it is severely restricted.

God is sovereign over the nations. He is sovereign even where every attempt is made to stamp out true Christianity. In all of these areas, we can and must trust God. (Excerpt taken from Trusting God)

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Incarnation

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Today’s Scripture: John 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. – 1 Timothy 3:16

One holiday season my wife and I were in Tokyo, Japan. We had been in that city quite a few times over the years, but traffic was never like this! Always bad, but not this bad! So I finally asked the cab driver why there was such a horrendous traffic jam. He smiled and said, “It’s the Christmas rush. Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in our country.”

Later I thought about what he’d said. Had the Asians begun to honor and worship Jesus Christ? No, Christ had very little to do with it. This was simply a nice time to give gifts to people you like. It was good for business and made a happy, festive occasion.

If that’s why Jesus Christ came, He could have done it much more easily without going to the cross. You and I both know He didn’t come just to create a happy holiday. The only begotten Son of God was given by His loving Father to a world lost in sin and spiritual darkness, that we might have everlasting life in Him.

The Asian culture hadn’t caught it, and friend, our culture has almost lost it. Although America grew out of deep, religious roots, there’s no question that today the majority of our population knows little or nothing about the Bible or Christianity. In some areas, Christians have even had to defend the use of manger scenes and sacred carols in the celebration of Christ’s birthday.

Why not resolve that this year someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood, someone where you work will hear the truth of why Jesus came…from your mouth. The message is simple: God gives eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let’s tell it.

Prayer

Lord, until You return, help us in our homes and in our churches to proclaim and teach why You came. Amen.

To Ponder

How can you be a light in this dark world?

 

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE TRINITY AND THE SENDING OF THE 72

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Read LUKE 10:1–24

In recent years, Middle Eastern Chris- tians have suffered intense persecution. The Week reported that in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere, believers “are murdered in mob violence or by militant groups. Their churches are bombed, their shops destroyed, and their homes looted. Laws are passed making them second-class citizens, and the majority of them eventually leave.”

Christ told His followers to expect persecution (see John 15:20). Suffering is part of being entrusted with the gospel. In today’s reading, Jesus sent out seventy-two of His followers with the good news of the kingdom. Since the table of nations in Genesis 10 lists seventy-two entries, some scholars think this number might symbolize the global scope of God’s plan. Jesus warned these followers that they were going out as sheep among wolves, and some people would greet them with hostility (vv. 3–12).

Despite any opposition they had faced, the seventy-two had returned with a successful ministry report. In the name and with the power of Jesus, they had cast out demons and done other miracles (vv. 17–19). They were not to take pride in this, because it was all the work of God, but rather to rejoice with eyes of faith (vv. 23–24).

The Son set the example for them by praising the Father in the joy of the Spirit (v. 21). The message had gone out and God had been glorified! Eternal life (having one’s name written in heaven) cannot be gained through human wisdom or power but only through the Son and His perfect revelation of His sovereign Father. As two Persons but one in essence, the Father and the Son have perfect knowledge of one another and the perfect plan to show God’s love to the nations (v. 22).

APPLY THE WORD

Faced with the power of God, Satan is helpless. In this spirit—in the Spirit—pray for the persecuted church around the world. Ask that these believers would be given “authority to trample on snakes and scorpions” (figures of speech for demons and evil spirits) and opportunities to continue to spread the good news of the kingdom.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org