Monthly Archives: August 2016

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A Living Interpretation

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Questions of interpretation—whose interpretation, which interpretation, what interpretation—are at the forefront of discussions about truth. Perhaps best summarized in the familiar saying “I am only responsible for what I say, not what you understand,” our contemporary culture assumes objective and definitive truth do not exist. As such, we are left with suspicion as to whether or to what extent we can access the truth.

Issues of interpretation, of course, are not simply matters of intellectual speculation. For people of faith, these questions are personal. In dealing with sacred texts, there are many familiar questions: What does this particular passage mean? What are its implications? How does it make sense in the world today? And how can there be so many different interpretations for the same text?

Questions of interpretation notwithstanding, many faiths claim to know and to represent the truth. Christians, like other Abrahamic faiths, claim that the truth can be ascertained through what has been written and recorded in the Bible. Yet, Christians still find themselves traversing the murky world of interpretation; how is the truth presented in Scripture apprehended in a way that transcends culture and language? St. Augustine, for example, writing in the fourth century, asked these kinds of questions about the opening words of Genesis:

“Does it mean ‘in the beginning of time’ because it was the first of all things, or ‘in the beginning,’ which is the Word of God, the only begotten Son? And how could it be shown that God produced changeable and time-bound works without any change in himself? And what may be meant by the name heaven and earth? Was it the total spiritual and bodily creation that was termed heaven and earth, or only the bodily sort? And in what way did God say Let light be made? Was it in time or in the eternity of the Word? And what is this light that was made? Something spiritual or something bodily?”(1)

Augustine illuminates just some of the complexities of interpreting the text of Scripture. Yet, Christians like Augustine believe that the Scriptures are alive with truth. As one inhabits the world of the Scriptures, God speaks through a living, breathing narrative. God reveals the truth about salvation in and through the history of Israel for the whole world. The writers of the Old and New Testaments were inspired to give testimony of God’s redemption for future generations. In this way, God saw fit to enflesh the truth in concrete history and action. All those who encounter the written narrative might come to know the essence, nature and character of the God who inspired its writing.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A Living Interpretation →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Serving Your Master

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“‘No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon’” (Matthew 6:24).

The believer is to serve God, not riches.

When reading Matthew 6:24, many people say, “I believe that you can serve two masters. I work two jobs.” The reason they say that is they don’t understand the Greek word translated “serve.” It refers not to an employee in an 8-to-5 job but to a slave. A slave is one who is constantly and entirely devoted to his master. Romans 6:17-18 says that though you were once a slave of sin, God has freed you to become a slave of righteousness. You can serve God only with entire and exclusive devotion, with single-mindedness. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus is saying that if you try to serve two masters, God and riches, you will love one but hate the other.

The orders of these two masters are diametrically opposed. One commands to walk by faith, the other by sight; one commands to be humble, the other to be proud; one commands to set your affection on things above, the other on things of the earth; one commands to look at things unseen and eternal, the other at things seen and temporal; one commands to be anxious for nothing, the other to be anxious about everything. You can’t obey both orders, and you can’t serve two masters.

In 1905 Mary Byrne translated an Irish poem into prose, which was then set to music by Eleanor Hull. Today we know the poem as the hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” One stanza of this hymn tells us how to view riches correctly.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise—

Thou mine inheritance, now and always;

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart—

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

May the words of the hymn be the song of your heart and the conviction of your life.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank Christ for being your Master who loves you perfectly and provides for your every need.

For Further Study

Read Exodus 5. How does this picture the conflict between serving God’s interests and man’s? Explain.

 

http://www.gty.org

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Getting to Know Him

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That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.

Philippians 3:10

Recommended Reading

Philippians 3:1-11

In The King and I, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote a toe-tapping little song for Anna to sing about striking up a friendship with the King of Siam and his family. “Haven’t you noticed,” sang Anna, “suddenly I’m bright and breezy? Because of all the beautiful and new things I’m learning about you.” The chorus keeps repeating the thought: “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.”

If that’s true about the King of Siam, it’s much truer about the King of Kings!

As we mature in our walk with the Lord, we’ll learn more about His goodness with every step we take. Our Christian faith isn’t a religion but a relationship. Prayer and Bible study aren’t simply rituals, but conversations. Our God isn’t just a distant force; He’s an ever-present friend. The focus of our faith is getting to know Him better.

The Amplified Bible Classic Edition renders Philippians 3:10 like this: “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly].”

Does not every child of God long… to know just as much about his heavenly Father as he can learn?

  1. I. Packer, in Knowing God

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Jeremiah 40 – 43

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Living Ordinary Days with an Extraordinary Attitude

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This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it.- Psalm 118:24

I believe the psalmist discovered the secret to living ordinary days with extraordinary enthusiasm. He simply decided and declared that since the Lord had made each day, and that it was a gift to him, he would enjoy it and be glad. He made a decision that produced the feelings he wanted rather than waiting to see how he felt.

God’s presence makes life exciting if we have a proper understanding of life as a whole. Everything we do is sacred and amazing if we do it unto the Lord and believe He is with us. Ask yourself right now if you truly believe God is with you even in the midst of very ordinary tasks. If your answer is yes, then you can have an extraordinary day!

Power Thought: I will rejoice in “ordinary” days because God is with me every day.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – A Plan for Anger Management Part 2

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“In your anger, do not sin.”

Ephesians 4:26

Friend to Friend

The people around us want to see what happens when life pushes our buttons and anger puts the squeeze on our emotions. While God created us with the capacity for strong emotions, it is our responsibility to control them instead of allowing them to control us. Yesterday, we looked at four ways to manage anger. Here are four more:

Be focused.

Psalm 37:8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath.”

I have witnessed the utter strength and beauty of our daughter and daughter-in-law as they gave birth to our beautiful grandchildren. The pain was excruciating, but both worked through each contraction by doing two things: controlling their breathing and choosing a focus point. We need to do the same when we are angry. Take a deep breath and focus on the peace of God.

Be understanding.

James 1:19 “Everyone should be quick to listen.”

We have two ears and one mouth for a reason—to listen twice as much as we speak. When you find yourself getting angry, take time to listen to what the other person has to say. Make sure you understand their viewpoint. After you have reined in your emotions, offer a reply. Listening for the purpose of understanding plays a significant role in anger management.

Be kind.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – A Plan for Anger Management Part 2 →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Perfect Healing 

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“Jesus’ name has healed this man – and you know how lame he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name – faith given us from God – has caused this perfect healing” (Acts 3:16).

This is another of the great “3:16” verses of the Bible – with a truth and a promise that you and I need probably every day of our lives. Jesus claimed “all authority in heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18). “In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9, KJV; see also 1:15-19).

There is a great power in the name of Jesus. Throughout Scripture that fact is emphasized. And I have seen it illustrated in miraculous ways through the Jesus film, which has been used of God to introduce tens of millions of men, women, young people, and children to Christ in most countries of the world.

The promise, equally clear, is that if we exercise faith in that wonderful name of Jesus – faith that is a gift from God – we can see healing, both physical and spiritual.

I sit in astonishment often as I try to comprehend such great love that would give us the very gifts He requires of us – faith, in this instance. We need not conjure up such faith; it is made available on simple terms: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

And we may appropriate this truth and this promise today.

Bible Reading: Acts 3:12-18

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: “Dear Lord, I dare to believe that You are still the same yesterday, today and forever, so I can trust you to heal, and to enable me to live a supernatural life.”

 

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Jeremiah’s Complaint

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Read: Jeremiah 20:1-10

You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jeremiah 20:7-9

Here, in poetic form, we have the thoughts of Jeremiah while he is in the stocks, waiting for what would happen on the morrow. This is a remarkable account of what the prophet thought while he was imprisoned. He was, to say the least, a profoundly perturbed prophet! Here we get another look at the honest humanity of this man, at the way he faced circumstances just as we do, with fear and despair, alternating at times between faith and confidence.

The first thing he feels is that God himself has deceived him. Here is a bitter cry in which Jeremiah charges God with having lied to him, and with having taken advantage of him. Have you ever felt like that toward God? Jeremiah is probably thinking back to the promise with which he began his ministry. God had called Jeremiah as a young man, and Jeremiah had objected. Remembering those words, he is saying, What happened, Lord? What happened to your promise? You said you’d be with me to deliver me, but here I am in these miserable stocks. That is the way the heart can easily feel toward God. Like so many of us, Jeremiah took these promises rather superficially. He read into them assumptions God never intended, and so he charges God with lying. That, of course, is the one thing God cannot do. God cannot lie. Yet Jeremiah feels, as many of us have felt, that God has failed his promise. I do not know how many times people have said to me, referring to the word of God, Well, I know what it says, but it doesn’t work! That is just another way of saying, God has deceived me; God’s a liar! That was the prophet’s predicament.

The second thing he found was that people were mocking him. Though they could not answer the keenness of his logic, they did the only thing they could do — they began to ridicule his person. That is always the refuge of petty minds. When people cannot handle a logical argument they begin to attack the person, and try to destroy him personally. They laughed at Jeremiah, poked fun at him, ridiculed him. Mockery is hard to bear, hard for the human spirit to take, and this was getting to Jeremiah.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Jeremiah’s Complaint →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Trees of Every Kind

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Read: Genesis 1:9-13

The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (v. 12)

They are invisible. All too often they are just part of the background, the scenery, the landscape. Rarely do we seem to pay close attention to them. And yet we are, most of us most of the time, in the company of trees. White-barked birch and sharp-needled blue spruce, towering American sycamore and puny poison sumac, scaly-needled eastern white cedar and glossy-leaved swamp white oak. What trees share your home place—providing shade, producing flowers and nuts, serving as habitat for bats and birds and bees?

In the creation story in Genesis 1 (vv. 20 and 24) we are told that God’s speaking brings forth birds in the sky above and sea monsters in the water below, animals domestic and wild. So also in verses 11-12 God’s great “Let there be” empowers the earth to bring forth seed-bearing plants and trees of every kind. The Hebrew verb suggests a God who enables the earth to be fertile and give birth to trees. And so the earth brings forth trees of all kinds—a plethora of species about which we are still learning today.

And God saw that it was good. Trees of every kind, in all their variety and beauty. A gift from a gracious God.

Prayer:

God, Maker of heaven and earth, we thank you for the gift of trees, indeed, for all green plants, without which we could not exist.

Author: Steven Bouma-Prediger

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Go and Tell Jesus

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1

When crisis hits, when we are facing hardship, when we are sick or in need, we should call on the Lord.

When the Israelites criticized and turned against Moses, we read that he “cried out to the LORD” (Exodus 15:25). When King Hezekiah received a threatening letter, he “went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD” (Isaiah 37:14). When John the Baptist was beheaded, we read that his disciples “came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus” (Matthew 14:12).

That is exactly what we ought to do when hardship comes our way. We should go and tell Jesus, because “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Paul had his “thorn in the flesh.” We don’t know what it was, but he asked the Lord three times to take it away. God didn’t answer those prayers as Paul wanted Him to. Rather, He gave him the grace to get through that time of difficulty. There are times when God has a purpose in suffering, a plan through the pain. We always want to leave that option open. And, it is okay to pray about it. In fact, James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”

Paul prayed about his difficulty more than once, and we can pray about our problems more than once. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). This could be translated from the Greek, “Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.” The Bible encourages persistence.

We don’t necessarily need to tell God what He should do, but we should call on Him. Bring your troubles to Jesus.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Far Better

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 16:11

“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The period between our death and the still-future resurrection of our bodies is usually called the intermediate state. The Bible actually tells us little about this period, but what it does say is very encouraging. In 2 Corinthians 5:8 Paul said that he “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (NIV), and in Philippians 1:23 he said, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

Taking Paul’s statements along with Hebrews 12:22-24, we can say that in the intermediate state we’ll be with Christ; we’ll be in the presence of thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly (perhaps still hearing those seraphs of Isaiah 6:1-3 who call out antiphonally, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty”); we’ll be with all believers of all ages; we’ll be perfectly conformed to Christ in our spirits; and we’ll be in a state that is far better than anything we can imagine.

It’s difficult for us to visualize an existence in heaven without the benefit of our physical senses; or, for that matter, a physical brain. Yet we need to remember that God has existed eternally without a physical body. And even the angels apparently exist only in spirit (though some have assumed a physical body at times for specific purposes). Though we cannot understand how these things will be, we need to submit our minds to the teaching of Scripture and look forward to the time when we also will be with Christ, when our spirits will be made perfect, and when we’ll be in a state that’s far better than our best conditions on earth.

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Maintaining Life Support

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5

Pray continually. – 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Years ago the only means of going to the bottom of the ocean was in a diving suit. It was made of thick canvas and was complete with weighted shoes, a heavy metal headpiece with a window to look out, a long rope to jerk if something went wrong, and most important of all, an air hose that supplied oxygen.

Everything about the environment into which the diver went was hostile–there were a thousand things that could go wrong and cost the diver his life. For that reason, the crews constantly monitored the air hose to make sure everything was okay.

Friend, that’s an exact picture of your situation every day. The environment in which you and I live is hostile to our Christian growth and development. The world is always trying to squeeze us into its mold, the Devil is trying to lure us off track, and the inner corruptions of our own fleshly desires are constantly trying to sap our spiritual strength.

How do you get through this hostile environment? You keep the connection with your life-support system above. I guess you could say, “You keep your air hose connected with heaven”–a strong avenue of prayer by which you keep in constant touch and receive strength and wisdom from God.

The apostle Paul understood this key to an effective Christian life. When he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians, he ended with an exhortation to pray without ceasing. Why? Because he knew prayer would help these people maintain a daily fellowship with God, and thus, a powerful Christian witness in a hostile world.

Prayer

Lord, teach me the discipline of praying continually. Amen.

To Ponder

The Christian who fails to keep his prayer connection intact runs the danger of spiritual disaster.

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  A Temporary Win for Religious Universities in California: Resistance is Not Futile

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It can seem to us that each day brings news of yet another setback or some new ominous cultural development that’s concerning to Christians, each one another straw on the back of an already overloaded camel.

But as recent events in California demonstrate, these trends can be resisted and, if not reversed, at least held at bay.

In late June, Eric Metaxas told us about California’s Senate Bill 1146. The bill, as its author, Senator Ricardo Lara, admitted, targeted Christian colleges and universities that adhered to traditional Christian teaching on human sexuality, including same-sex erotic relationships.

The bill would have required schools receiving religious exemptions from state or federal anti-discrimination laws to disclose this fact publicly. This alone would have created a state-mandated “hit list” that would have facilitated harassment and worse from LGBT activists.

But S.B. 1146 didn’t stop there. It would have limited the above-mentioned exemptions to seminaries and “religious vocational training schools.” Thus, Christian colleges and universities—schools such as Biola and Azusa Pacific—who offer programs in say business or education or the sciences, would have had to choose between eligibility for state grants-in-aid and fidelity to Christian morality. As the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities pointed out, this would have a potentially devastating effect on low-income students who depend on Cal Grants—75 percent of whom are ethnic minorities.

But wait: there was more. The bill also would have created a private right for LGBT people to sue if they felt discriminated against. Even if the person didn’t prevail in court, the potential for damage awards and the accompanying legal fees and bad publicity would have created a significant burden on schools that often struggle to keep the doors open in the first place.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  A Temporary Win for Religious Universities in California: Resistance is Not Futile →

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE TRINITY AND THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT

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Read JOHN 14:15–24

Jonathan Edwards, the great eighteenth-century American pastor and theologian, wrote of the Trinity and salvation: “So that it is God of Whom our good is purchased and it is God that purchases it and it is God also that is the thing purchased. Thus all our good things are of God and through God and in God. . . . All our good is of God the Father, it is all through God the Son, and all is in the Holy Ghost as He is Himself all our good. God is Himself the portion and purchased inheritance of His people. Thus God is the Alpha and the Omega in this affair of redemption.”

Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit was another essential step in God’s “affair of redemption.” It again demonstrates how the Trinity are interrelated: The Father sends the Spirit (v. 16), confirming what we have already seen of His role as source, planner, or originator of salvation.

The Son requests the Father to send the Spirit in order to empower His followers to carry forward the gospel, confirming His role as the accomplisher of salvation. The Spirit is sent by the Father at the Son’s request in order that Christian believers might live obedient lives worthy of the gospel, confirming His role as enabler of salvation. This passage also shows us that the Son abides in the Father, just as we abide in Christ (v. 20; see John 15:4–5). The Son’s words are the Father’s words. To obey Jesus’ commands is to be loved by both Father and Son (vv. 15, 21, 23). The best evidence of divine love is the sending of the Spirit. He grounds us in truth and is our advocate or helper in living it out (vv. 16–18).

APPLY THE WORD

David prayed that he would “dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life” (Ps. 27:4). Jesus delivers the answer to that longing. He promised that He and the Father would come to believers and “make our home with them” (v. 23). Even while we wait for the fullness of dwelling with God for eternity, we have His presence with us now!

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – GOVERNOR EVACUATED FROM LA FLOODS: WHERE IS GOD?

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At least seven people have died in floods plaguing Louisiana. More rain is forecast later in the week. So far, more than 20,000 people have been evacuated from flooded areas, a number that is expected to rise as rain falls on saturated ground. More than 12,000 people remain in shelters this morning. Even Governor John Bel Edwards had to be evacuated as chest-high waters filled the basement of the Governor’s Mansion and cut off electricity.

Terrorism, murder, and other crimes tend to dominate the news, but they contribute to a small percentage of deaths in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 2,596,993 people in the US died in 2013. That comes to 7,115 deaths per day, 296 per hour, five every minute. Of all these deaths, 92.5 percent were of natural causes, meaning that nearly 2.4 million people died in the US because we live in broken bodies in a broken world.

How is faith relevant to the disasters of life?

If God is truly all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful, why doesn’t he prevent such suffering? He protected the people of Israel from the plagues of Egypt and rescued Paul from a shipwreck—why doesn’t he rescue more people in Louisiana’s floods?

Consider three facts.

One: God can and often does intervene in natural circumstances. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43–44), kept a storm from capsizing his disciples’ boat (Matthew 8:23–27), and healed multitudes of sick people (Mark 1:32–34). We should pray boldly and consistently for God’s protection and intervention, knowing that anything our Father has ever done, he can still do.

Continue reading Denison Forum – GOVERNOR EVACUATED FROM LA FLOODS: WHERE IS GOD? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The New Birth and Baptism

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Romans 6:3-10

Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). As the early church spread the gospel message, baptism would follow a new believer’s response of faith. It publicly signified that the individual was now a follower of Jesus.

Metaphors often communicate on a level that words cannot. Baptism is a powerful picture of our salvation experience. Through this act, we proclaim the good news that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again—and testify that we’ve welcomed His transforming power into our lives.

The Greek word for “baptize” in Scripture is the same term used to describe a cloth dipped in dye—it refers to total change. So by being plunged into the water, we declare that we’re choosing to die to our old way of life and are uniting with Christ. Our sin is buried with Him, and its power is conquered through His atoning death on the cross (Rom. 6:14). When we’re raised up out of the water, we affirm His resurrection. Baptism is a symbolic way of expressing that just as the Lord conquered death and rose again, we are spiritually resurrected from death into new life. We are born again and irrevocably transformed through the power of His Holy Spirit.

In the Bible, the word believe isn’t a conceptual word describing intellectual agreement alone. It is a word of action. Our belief should never be hidden like a light placed under a basket (Luke 11:33)—when unbelieving family and friends look at our lives, they need to see the gospel in action.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 22-24

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Legacy Life

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Read: Proverbs 22:1–12 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 91–93; Romans 15:1–13

A good name is more desirable than great riches. Proverbs 22:1

While staying in a hotel in a small town I noticed that the church across the street was having a service. People were jammed into the church with a standing-room-only crowd of both young and old flowing out onto the sidewalk. When I noticed a hearse by the curb, I realized it was a funeral. And given the crowd, I assumed that it was the celebration of the life of some local hero—perhaps a wealthy businessperson or a famous personality. Curious, I said to the desk clerk, “That’s an amazing turnout for a funeral; it must be for a famous person in town.”

“No,” he replied. “He wasn’t rich or famous but he was a good man.”

Lord, help me to pursue a life that is pleasing to You and honors Your name.

This reminded me of the wisdom of the proverb that says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches” (Prov. 22:1). It’s a good idea to think about what kind of legacy we are leaving for our family, friends, and neighbors. From God’s perspective it’s not our resumé or the amount of money we’ve accumulated that matters but rather the kind of life we have lived.

When a friend of mine passed away, his daughter wrote, “This world has lost a righteous man and in this world that is no small thing!” It’s that kind of legacy that we should be seeking for the glory of God.

Lord, help me to pursue a life that is pleasing to You and honors Your name.

Live to leave a legacy for God’s glory.

INSIGHT:

The Proverbs hold wisdom to help us live for the Lord and leave a legacy. Just the first 8 verses of Proverbs 22 are loaded with wonderful insights about many different aspects of life. Verse 1 tells us of the value of a good name. The Hebrew word for “good name” carries with it the idea of “good repute” (see Eccl. 7:1).

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Right Side of Pain

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We shuffled back and forth between the states that sat like metaphors between our divorced parents—a summer, a spring break, a Christmas far from one of them. The pain of the one we were leaving was always palpable, but we always had to leave.

It’s strange the things you interpret as a child with the limited perceptions you have. I was very small when I determined that pain had sides—like a terrible river that could be crossed. I silently vowed I would not allow anyone to keep me stranded on the wrong side of people in pain. As a result, I spent a lifetime collecting strays, searching for the oppressed, feeling the pain of others, and desperately attempting to bind broken hearts, usually without much (or any) success. I realized one day that every community I have ever been involved with has been one somehow marked by suffering. At times, I was even somewhat frantic about expanding my circle of care. The world of souls is a sad and broken place. I was most certain of this because I was one of them, and I vowed that they would not be alone—or perhaps, at times, more accurately, that I would not be alone.

On occasion, I could be honest about unhealthy patterns to my ever-expanding circles of care. With each oppressed group, I would come among them with the best of intentions. I would give everything I could and some things I could not—love, time, money, tears, depression—until I collapsed, no longer able to give anything at all. I always thought I was retreating out of necessity because taking in pain was understandably exhausting. I figured that the metaphorical house I tried to keep filled, at times, simply needed to be emptied from over-crowding. I was opening up my house until people were hanging from the rafters and lamps started getting broken, and I was falling apart. Little did I realize, the house was falling apart before any of them entered in the first place. I was inviting them into the wrong house.

It is an uncomfortable mystery in the house of faith that sometimes God in his mercy must tear down even walls built with good intention. The psalmist knew it well: “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain… In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—but God grants sleep to those he loves.”(1) In my house, the broken and the oppressed necessarily found care with limits, hospitality with conditions. The psalmist points instead to a world re-formed and revived within the walls of the house of God. We are like olive trees, he says, who flourish in those great corridors, creatures remade by the care of Home, tears collected and life resuscitated in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.(2)

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Right Side of Pain →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Seeing Clearly

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“‘The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!’” (Matthew 6:22-23).

Generous giving brings spiritual understanding.

When people see, their body is filled with the light that comes in from the world their eyes perceive. But if their eye is dark (blind), there is no light and they perceive nothing. The eye is like a window—if a window is clean and clear, light floods the building; if a window is blacked out, no light enters. In Matthew 6:22-23 Jesus is saying the heart is like the eye. If your heart is toward God, your entire spiritual being is enlightened; but if your heart is toward material things and treasures of the world, you do not see spiritually as you should.

In verse 22 the Greek word translated “clear” is from a root word that means “generous.” If your heart is generous, your whole spiritual life will be flooded with understanding. In contrast to the clear eye is the “bad” eye (v. 23). A bad or evil eye is a Jewish colloquialism used regularly in the Greek Old Testament and the New Testament to mean “grudgingly.” Proverbs 28:22 says, for example, “A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth.” If you hurry to be rich, you will be ungenerous, grudging, and selfish.

Let me simplify Matthew 6:22-23 to one statement: How you handle your money is the key to your spiritual perception. If your heart is in Heaven, you will have a generous spirit. If your treasure is on earth, you will be blind because of your greed. How total is the darkness of one who should see spiritually but is blind because of his own covetousness (v. 23)! Jesus’ call to you and me is to see clearly by devoting ourselves to Him and laying up treasure in Heaven.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask the Lord to help you see opportunities where you can give generously to help extend His kingdom.

For Further Study

According to 2 Corinthians 9:6-12, what are some rewards for generosity?

 

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – My Redeemer

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For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth.
Job 19:25

The Innocence Project, founded in 1992, is dedicated to proving that wrongly convicted and imprisoned suspects are innocent. It uses DNA technology to establish innocence and also to find the truly guilty person.

Innocent people who are wrongfully convicted are desperate for someone to speak out for them. That was Job’s situation in the Old Testament. He was a righteous man (a sinner, but one who atoned carefully for his sins) who suffered greatly—a sign of guilt and divine judgment in his day. The book of Job is the record of his friends’ accusations of guilt and Job’s protestations of his innocence. Job longed for someone in heaven or on earth to be his defender, his advocate, his redeemer, and to declare his innocence (Job 9:33-34; 16:18-21). Ultimately, Job realized that if no one on earth would defend him, God Himself would. And even if it came after his death, he would “in [his] flesh . . . see God” (Job 19:26).

Job needed what we need—someone to redeem us from the guilt of our intentional and unintentional sins. Thank God that our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, lives—our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1)!

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
George Frideric Händel, Messiah

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 37 – 39

 

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Knowledge and Confidence

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To you it was shown, that you might realize and have personal knowledge that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him. Out of heaven He made you hear His voice, that He might correct, discipline, and admonish you; and on earth He made you see His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. – Deuteronomy 4:35-36

One night I was lying in bed and heard a noise upstairs. The longer I listened to it the more frightened I became. Finally, shaking from fear, I went upstairs to see what it was. I had to laugh when I discovered it was ice cubes falling in the ice tray from the ice maker. It just happened that the way they were falling was making a noise they did not normally make.

Lack of knowledge causes fear, and knowledge removes it. Knowledge will help you have confidence.

If you are going for a job interview, make sure you are prepared and have all the knowledge you will need with you to answer questions the interviewer may ask you. We live in a world today where knowledge is as close as your computer. Not only can you do online research about the company you’re applying to, but you can find tips on how to have a successful interview.

Lord, equip me with the knowledge I need to be confident and that leads to success. Point me to what I need to know to be effective for You. Amen.

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

 

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