Monthly Archives: September 2016

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Spiritual Gifts

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“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

God wants every Christian to understand spiritual gifts and use his or hers wisely.

A spiritual gift is a channel through which the Holy Spirit ministers to the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:11). The day we were born again into God’s family, His Spirit distributed to us a spiritual gift. Therefore, having a spiritual gift does not mean a believer is “spiritual.” What we really must ask is, “Is the channel clear?” Hypothetically, someone could have all the recorded spiritual gifts and not be using any of them. Or that believer could be greatly abusing some gifts. In either case, such a person would not be spiritual.

It is also incorrect to equate a natural ability with a spiritual gift. Someone might say, “My gift is baking pies”; another might say, “I’m good at playing the piano.” Those are wonderful and useful abilities, but they are natural abilities, not spiritual gifts.

Paul illustrates the difference between abilities and gifts. He could have used his knowledge of philosophy and literature to write and deliver great orations. However, this is what he said to the Corinthians: “I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-2). The Holy Spirit uses the abilities of people like Paul and speaks through them, but He expresses Himself in a supernatural way, which is not necessarily related to the person’s natural skills.

If we rely on our own ability to produce spiritual fruit, we hinder what the Spirit wants to do in us. Instead, ponder what Peter says about using your gift: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank the Lord for the special spiritual gift He has given you. Ask that He would help you use it faithfully, to its full potential.

For Further Study

Read Romans 12:4-8 and list the spiritual gifts mentioned there. What does 1 Corinthians 12, especially verses 12-31, emphasize regarding the use of the various gifts within the church?

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Keep Short Accounts 

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In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Ephesians 4:26

Few things in this world eat away at you like unconfessed sin and unresolved conflict. Like a cancer deep in your bones, the longer it is left ignored and untreated the more it grows and spreads, infecting all parts of your body and soul. Though we have a remarkable ability to suppress and ignore our emotions, they never simply go away. The hurt and pain often rests just below the surface, ready at the most unexpected times to resurface in the form of angry outbursts, unexplained anxiety, and paralyzing fear.

The good news of God’s kingdom is that Jesus enters into the brokenness of our world and speaks life into all the places where death once reigned. And yet, so often due to our shame or lack of trust, we keep our wounds hidden, telling ourselves that they aren’t that bad or that we can heal them on our own.

When we see the goodness of God shown to us in Jesus, we encounter a purity and intensity of love that lets us lay down our weapons and the walls that we work so hard to keep up. We learn that his consuming fire isn’t a fire of anger or rage but is a purifying fire that desires to burn away all that is impure in our lives. He wants us to come out of the shadows, not so our shame and hurt can be exposed and ridiculed, but so that in the light of his love the darkness of our hearts can be driven out by his light.

If we do not trust that God is good and loving and able to heal the sickest parts of our souls, we will always struggle to freely and frequently confess our sins to him and to one another. When we let the sickness of sin grow untreated in our souls, we turn away from the healing balm of God’s Spirit and instead inflict wounds upon ourselves and upon others, often upon the people in our lives that are the dearest and most loved.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Keep Short Accounts  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Streams in the Desert

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He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Deuteronomy 32:10

Recommended Reading

Deuteronomy 32:7-12

Earlier this year, a television crew from Animal Planet was filming a scene on a deserted island in the South Pacific. Suddenly the crew spotted a man yelling and waving his arms. He was a genuine castaway, a stranded fisherman, suffering dehydration and sunstroke. The man had given up hope, said his prayers, and was prepared to die. The crew rescued him—and made a television program about the adventure.

None of us like to be cast into a desert place in life, but the Lord knows how to rescue us. He finds us where we are. He encircles us. He instructs us, and He keeps us as the apple of His eye.

If you’re in a desert place, don’t give up your hope. Desert places can become places of deliverance, and God can even turn spiritual deserts into times of refreshment. Isaiah 35 says, “…the desert shall rejoice and blossom… for waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (verses 1, 6).

Jesus often meets us in the desert places of life.

If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God.

Mrs. Lettie B. Cowman

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Zechariah 6 – 10

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – We Don’t Have to Pay for Our Mistakes

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My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father—[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action].- 1 John 2:1

Obviously our goal should be to not sin. But if we do sin, God has already provided Jesus—Who is perfect—to take our place and atone for our sin. We may feel we are earning God’s forgiveness by feeling guilty. But that is our fleshly way of trying to “pay” for our mistakes. Jesus did not die for us so we could feel guilty; He died for us so we could have an intimate relationship with God through Him. He died so our sins could be forgiven and we could have right standing with God. He wants us to come boldly to the throne of grace in prayer and have our needs met.

Power Thought: Jesus died for my sins so I don’t have to pay for them.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – How Resistance Can Lead to Strength

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Today’s Truth

The testing of your faith produces perseverance.

James 1:3

Friend to Friend

My daughter plays competitive volleyball and recently began a specialized resistance plyometric workout called Vertimax training. The actual Vertimax equipment looks rather unimpressive. It’s a sturdy platform that hosts a complicated series of industrial-sized rubber bands. The results of training with this system, however, are anything but unimpressive. This advanced resistance-training helps to increase vertical jump, strengthen and protect muscles, and accelerate an athlete’s reaction time. Everything a volleyball player wants!

But let me tell you, it is hard work.

Kennedy trains under the careful watch of a guide who knows just how much tension to add and to allow on the platform. And she works through a rapid series of reps to the point of fatigue, and sometimes to failure.

The resistance of the bands increases her strength, but not until her muscles are worn down. After fatigue sets in and the muscles break down, healing begins, and she grows stronger as a result.

Just like in life.

Trials and tension can lead to stress or to strength. Often both! Challenges can tear us down, but they also hold the power to build us up. It’s important for us to realize that we get to choose our responses when resistance wears us thin.

I want to honor God in both good and bad times. Don’t you? I honestly do, but it’s not easy. I tend to get upset about the breakdowns and strains I have to deal with. The Bible shows me, however, that if I didn’t have any resistance I wouldn’t grow.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – How Resistance Can Lead to Strength →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Holy Spirit Will Speak

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“But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then you will not be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will” (Mark 13:11).

Have you even had the experience of trying to say a word for the Lord, just sharing your faith, and breathing a prayer for guidance – then marveling as the Lord Himself, by His indwelling Holy Spirit, put the very words in your mouth that needed to be said?

Such has been my experience – many times. And I marvel and rejoice each time. On some occasions, I have addressed crowds of varying sizes, often not only feeling totally inadequate but also concluding my message of the evening with the feeling that I had been a poor ambassador of Christ. Then, someone had approached me after the service and thanked my for saying just the word he needed at that moment.

We serve a faithful God. That neighbor who needs a word of encouragement – ask the Lord to give you the right words to say to him or her. That correspondent hundreds of miles away – trust God for His message to him or her through you.

Certain conditions must prevail, of course, before the Holy Spirit can speak through us. But they are easily met. I must come with a clean heart, surrendered to the Holy Spirit, with my sins forgiven, having forgiven other people, holding no resentment or ill feeling against anyone. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18, KJV).

Let us trust God and His indwelling Holy Spirit for the very words of counsel we should say to a loved one or friend today.

Bible Reading: Acts 2:1-4

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will trust God and His Holy Spirit to put the very words in my mouth this day that need to be said to others whose lives I touch.

 

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Who Condemns You Now?

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Read: Romans 8:31-34

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34

This is a reminder of the work that God has done. We love God when we trust in the full effect of his work on our behalf. Paul is looking back over the letter, and sees two great works that God has done. The first is justification. Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Who can? It is God who justifies. Justification means that nothing and no one anywhere can accuse us successfully before God.

The devil is the accuser of the brethren. He will try to accuse us constantly. This verse tells us that we must not listen to his voice. We must not listen to these thoughts that condemn us, that put us down, that make us feel that there is no hope for us. These thoughts will come — they cannot be stopped — but we do not have to listen to them. We know God is not listening to these accusations. Who can condemn us when God justifies us? Therefore we refuse to be condemned. We don’t do this by ignoring our sin or trying to cover it over, or pretending that it isn’t there; we do it by admitting that we fully deserve to be condemned, but that God, through Christ, has already borne our guilt. That is the only way out. That is why Christians should not hesitate to admit their failure and their sin. You will never be justified until you admit it. But when you admit it, then you also can face the full glory of the fact that God justifies the ungodly, and therefore there is no condemnation.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Who Condemns You Now? →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Land of Spices

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Read: 1 Kings 10:1-10

An abundance of spices . . . that the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (v. 10)

Was this “land of spices” a legendary country, remote and mysterious? No, not exactly. Remote, certainly, even more so than the Queen of Sheba’s homeland; but a real place. For hundreds of years after Bible times, the spices that made food worth eating—cloves and nutmeg, mace and pepper—came chiefly (like the bird of paradise!) from today’s Indonesia, by a long and expensive route, most of it overland, with dues to be paid each time the merchants passed from one country to another. But by George Herbert’s time, a century of exploration by sea had enabled the countries of Europe to cut out the middleman and bring these good things directly from “the land of spices.”

When we pray, we are well aware that there is just one unavoidable middleman, the Lord Jesus. But he is not the kind that requires payment of duty at the customs posts on goods being traded internationally. Rather, he is himself the bringer of the goods. All dues paid, all costs covered.

Robert Leighton, a younger contemporary of Herbert’s and a leading light in the Church of Scotland, wrote of prayer as “our very traffic with heaven,” which “fetches the most precious commodities thence. He who sends oftenest out these ships of desire . . . to that land of spices . . . shall . . . have most of heaven upon earth.”

Here is the poem in its entirety:

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Land of Spices →

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Getting Ready for Heaven

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For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! —2 Corinthians 4:17

There are lessons we learn in the storms of life that we don’t learn anywhere else. When Paul and Barnabas visited the believers in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, the Bible tells us they strengthened them and encouraged them “to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

This isn’t a verse you would usually see hanging on someone’s wall, is it? It is almost as bad as “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). There are some promises we would rather forget, but they are just as true as Romans 8:28, which promises that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” and Jeremiah 29:11, where the Lord says, “For I know the plans I have for you. . . . They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

No one is exempt from experiencing the storms of life. God is doing a work. And that is what we have to understand: God is at work. He will not waste our pain. He will produce something in our lives that we need. He is looking for a desired result.

As 2 Corinthians 4:17 reminds us, “Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”

God will take the things we are going through and use them for His glory in time. God’s endgame, if you will, His primary purpose for us, is to make us more like Jesus. He is getting us ready for Heaven.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – The Lord Can Keep Us from Sinning

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“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Have you ever coveted? To “covet” something is to wish you had that something, even if God has chosen not to give it to you. Maybe you wish sometimes that your family had a nicer house, with a back yard big enough for a ball game. Maybe you have found yourself wishing that you were taller, or prettier, or stronger. Maybe you struggle with some kind of disability, and you just wish you could be “normal” like everyone else. Not everything we wish for is a bad thing in itself. We can wish for very good things. But when those wishes for good things become strong enough desires to make us bitter at God, or willing to break God’s laws to get those things, that’s when wishing becomes coveting. And that’s when wishing becomes sin.

God’s Word clearly teaches that He is sovereign. He is in control, and He is aware of (He knows the details of) everything going on in our lives. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us that the Lord has promised never to leave or forsake His people. If we are trusting the Lord, we can be content with those things He has chosen to give us. We can be content without those things He has chosen not to give us.

Do you believe the Lord is with you? Is He more valuable to you than the other things you desire? Or do you wish for some things so much that you would be willing to sin against Him to get those things? Reminding ourselves that the Lord is always with us and always aware of our needs is a great way to keep ourselves from giving in to the temptation to covet.

Another way that the Lord keeps us from sinning is the fact that He is our best helper, not men. The Lord is always available – we can always call on Him when we need help. What man or woman could always be there for us? And the Lord is greater than any person or problem that could come up against us. We really have nothing to fear if the Lord is with us and if the Lord is our help.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – The Lord Can Keep Us from Sinning →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Seeing God’s Hand

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6

“Humble yourselves . . . under the mighty hand of God.”

Job and Joseph are examples of those who saw God’s hand in their circumstances. In one day, Job’s oxen were stolen, his camels carried off, his servants murdered. Lightning burned up his sheep, and a mighty wind struck the house of his oldest son, killing all his children. Later Job himself was afflicted with painful sores from head to feet. He responded, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). With respect to his own affliction he said, “shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (2:10).

Note that Job ascribed his sufferings to the hand of God. He saw beyond the actions of evil men and the disasters of nature to the sovereign God who controlled those events. At the close of Job’s story, we read that his relatives and friends “showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). Though the writer had himself reported the malicious activity of Satan in Job’s life at the beginning of the narrative, he still ultimately ascribed Job’s troubles to the Lord.

Joseph, when he finally revealed his identity to his wicked brothers who had sold him into slavery, saw beyond their evil acts and said, “It was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:8). He recognized that God in his sovereignty used even the heinous sins of his brothers to accomplish his purpose.

If you and I are to appropriate God’s grace in our times of need, we must see his sovereignty ultimately ruling in all the circumstances of our lives. And when those circumstances are difficult, disappointing, or humiliating, we must humble ourselves under his mighty hand.

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A United Effort

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Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 3-4

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us–yes, establish the work of our hands. – Psalm 90:17

I was sitting aboard a 747 preparing to take off for Seoul, Korea. Out the window I could see mechanics making last-minute inspections. The officers in the cockpit were going through their checklist. The flight attendants were helping everyone get settled. The baggage handlers were getting our suitcases on board. The people in the tower were busy preparing our take-off clearance. It was a huge, unified effort.

That’s what we see in Nehemiah, chapters 3 and 4. It took each man doing his own part to build the wall of Jerusalem. But it also took the vision and motivation of leaders throughout the project to stir up the people and help them jump into the job with enthusiasm.

Nehemiah 3:1 says that “the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate.” Imagine that! Holy priests doing common labor! But verse 5 mentions a section of the wall repaired by the men of Tekoa, whose nobles “would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.”

My wife and I were having dinner with some long-time friends of ours, along with two young men. Just before dessert, one young man excused himself and went to the kitchen to help clean up. The other young man just sat there. He was a graduate of one of our service academies, but he had flunked the test of true leadership.

Even the King of kings, Jesus Christ, did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Service takes many forms, some highly visible and some behind the scenes. But each type is essential for the work of God.

Prayer

Lord, keep me from thinking I’m above the lowly tasks that come my way. Amen.

To Ponder

There is multiplicity in Christ’s kingdom; to promote someone else’s welfare is to be a good leader.

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Religious Freedom of Christian Artists is under Attack

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Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski met at a Starbucks café in north Phoenix in January 2015. Both were Christians, and both were artists. They decided to go into business together, combining their love for Jesus with their love for making beautiful things. Soon they launched Brush & Nib Studio, a for-profit art business that sells hand-drawn invitations and paintings.

According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a leading Christian legal-defense organization, “As Christian artists, Joanna and Breanna had a simple goal for their studio: to recreate the beauty God placed all around us and to share that beauty with others. And this goal made it natural for Joanna and Breanna to focus on artwork for weddings.”

Well, this combination of Brush & Nib’s Christian conviction and its focus on weddings created a problem for Joanna and Breanna—as it already has for bakers and wedding photographers who believe marriage is between a man and a woman and cannot, by conscience, participate in wedding ceremonies between homosexuals.

The city of Phoenix has passed an ordinance which, according to ADF, “requires Brush & Nib to create invitations and other artwork for same-sex wedding ceremonies. It also prevented Brush & Nib from explaining to customers and the public why they could only create art consistent with their beliefs about marriage.”

This is what’s known in some circles as a two-fer, violating not only their religious freedom but also their freedom of speech! Not only that, but the law said that for each day business owners such as Joanna and Breanna were in violation, they would be liable for a $2,500 fine … and six months in jail.

These two Christians face fines and jail for standing up for what they believe. At the same time, no one would think of the government penalizing NFL quarterback Collin Kaepernick for standing up—or in his case, not standing up—for what he believes. Why the inconsistency?

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Religious Freedom of Christian Artists is under Attack →

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – LETTERS FROM THE QUEEN

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Read ESTHER 9:29–32

The Library of Congress has more than 20,000 documents from President Abraham Lincoln’s life and political career. Among the collection are letters, speeches, and personal notes. One particularly treasured artifact is a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation dated July 22, 1862. Great effort is taken to preserve these records of our history.

As we close the book of Esther, we see that the events which have transpired will not be forgotten. Queen Esther and Mordecai wrote a second letter of confirmation to establish the days of Purim. They had “full authority” given to them by the king (v. 29). Notice the level of documentation that confirmed their decision. In addition to the writing of the official edict, letters were sent to each of the 127 provinces. The letters brought good news, words of “goodwill and assurance” (v. 30), and established the tradition of celebrating Purim. They did more than simply inform the Jewish people who were alive at the time of Esther and Mordecai. This information was intended to be recorded and handed down for generations to come.

Throughout Scripture, there is an emphasis on recording the words of God and memorializing the significant moments between God and His people. In Exodus, the Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone to record the Law of God for His people. Throughout the Old Testament, genealogies were carefully recorded, temple ceremonies paid close attention to detail, and parents passed along the stories of God to their children.

Each word, every letter, was recorded so they would “remember the days of old” (Deut. 32:7)—not just to remember the event or to celebrate a fun holiday, but to remember how God had moved to deliver and vindicate His people and to celebrate His mercy and power.

APPLY THE WORD

Have you written down your personal testimony? Some genealogists find important dates penned in the family Bible. Write a simple record of how God has worked in your life. Tuck it in your Bible or share it with your family. Show how God has been important to you and let future generations see how His hand has been at work in your life.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – ARE ‘CUSTOMIZED BABIES’ OUR FUTURE?

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US doctors in Mexico recently helped Jordanian parents give birth to a baby boy. The fact that three nations were involved in this event is not what’s making news today. It’s the fact that three parents were.

The mother carries a genetic condition that usually causes the child to die within two to three years. The couple has already suffered four miscarriages as well as the death of two children. This time, doctors combined the DNA from the mother’s egg with healthy mitochondria from a donor egg, creating a healthy new egg they fertilized with the father’s sperm. The result is a baby with 0.1 percent of the donor’s DNA but without the genetic defect that would have killed the child.

Technology is not only making possible designer eggs, but designer sperm as well. For instance, the London Sperm Bank has released a mobile app that lets women filter potential sperm donors based on ethnicity, occupation, personality type, eye color, etc. Women can also create an alert that will notify them when a donor with their preferred characteristics becomes available.

Doctors can already warn prospective parents if they are carriers of genes that cause Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs, and other disorders. We can imagine a day when potential mates are chosen for their genetic capacities and reproductive potential.

Millions of so-called “test tube” babies have been conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Scientists can test embryos for a variety of diseases, then implant healthy embryos and freeze or discard the rest. Soon they may be able to test for capacities such as intelligence and body type.

The ethical implications of “customized babies” are staggering.

Continue reading Denison Forum – ARE ‘CUSTOMIZED BABIES’ OUR FUTURE? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Simple Acts of Obedience

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Luke 5:1-7

Obeying God in small matters can bring blessing to many. Today’s passage illustrates this principle.

Simon Peter, a fisherman, had worked hard all night without catching anything. He was on the shore finishing his work when Jesus approached him. The Lord wanted to speak from the boat to the crowd on the beach. Despite a long, fruitless night of work, Peter agreed to take Jesus in the vessel. The crowd was blessed by listening to Christ.

God’s requests can come to us at unexpected moments. We may be tempted to let someone else respond to His call, thinking it will not matter who is the one to comply. But remember, His plans are designed for our benefit (Jer. 29:11).

Later Jesus made a second request to Peter—to move the boat into deeper water and let down the nets. The fisherman commented about the unlikelihood of catching anything but nevertheless did as Christ asked. Peter’s cooperation resulted in an abundance for the crowd, the other fishermen, their families, and himself.

Peter didn’t obey in order to be rewarded, yet that is precisely what happened. His simple acts of obedience led to greater opportunities for service and occasions for abundant blessing.

Some of us act as if obedience in the little things is unimportant. Peter’s story teaches us the opposite. Let’s commit to carrying out the Lord’s instructions in small matters as well as large ones, trusting that He will bring good from all obedience. Following God is always the right choice to make.

Bible in One Year: Zephaniah 1-3, Haggai 1-2

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Praying For You Today

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Read: Romans 8:22-34

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 5-6; Ephesians 1

The Spirit himself intercedes for us . . . . [Christ Jesus] is also interceding for us.—Romans 8:26, 34

When we face a perplexing situation or a tough problem, we often ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for us. It’s a great encouragement to know that others who care are holding us up to God in prayer. But what if you don’t have close Christian friends? Perhaps you live where the gospel of Christ is opposed. Who will pray for you?

Romans 8, one of the great, triumphant chapters of the Bible, declares, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. . . . The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit is praying for you today.

In addition, “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (v. 34). The living Lord Jesus Christ is praying for you today.

Think of it! The Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ mention your name and your needs to God the Father, who hears and acts on your behalf.

No matter where you are or how confusing your situation, you do not face life alone. The Spirit and the Son are praying for you today! —David McCasland

Dear God, I bow in humble thanks for the prayers spoken by the Holy Spirit and by Your Son today—for me. What an amazing truth!

The Holy Spirit and Jesus are always praying for you.

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Detective and Theory

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If you want to investigate whether Sherlock Holmes was a real or fictional person, you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet. His “biography” is as easy to find as Winston Churchill’s (and there seems to be some fact/fiction confusion on both counts).(1) Between the years of 1887 and 1927, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote prolifically of the famous detective known for his heightened skills of observation and eccentric personality. Holmes was both memorable and beloved—and entirely fictional. It is a strange irony indeed that there are a great number of people who would claim the clues suggest otherwise. As Holmes himself once said, “The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.”

The process of gathering and interpreting information is never ending. From childhood we learn patterns of life around us and create theories on how it all works and how we must live. Not knowing whether it is insufficient data or fast truth, children readily form theories. For instance: pans on the stove burn fingers. This is one theory a child might conclude having learned the hard way. But as data becomes more sufficient, a child’s theories are readily adjusted—namely, certain parts of a pan on a hot stove burn fingers. Though memory of the sting may last, there seems an unconscious acknowledgment that their theories are the means to understanding and relating to the world. This is very different then theorizing the end they might want, need, or hope to be true.

Strangely, the temptation Sherlock Holmes describes—forming theories upon insufficient data—seems to grow with age. As the questions we seek answers for become more difficult, so the ante for interpreting accurately increases as we grow older. And yet, as adults we are often less willing to adjust our theories. The biases we bring into investigating often prevent us from recognizing data as insufficient or even faulty. We also more readily remember the sting of being burned and hold onto it in our interpretation, so that even for some of life’s deepest questions we are responding with predisposed theories. For instance, God cannot exist because if God did exist my mother wouldn’t have died so young, or tsunamis and hurricanes wouldn’t kill people, or I wouldn’t still be struggling with my finances. But how would we respond to a child who insisted that if broccoli were good for her, it would taste like candy?

In one of his essays, F.W. Boreham writes of his grade school difficulties with geography class. When the teacher spoke of life in a far-off land, he found himself drifting off to scenes in that land and remaining there long after they had switched to another destination. One day, catching him in the midst of a daydream, the teacher called on Boreham and asked, “What part of the world are we studying?” Recognizing a fellow student in distress, a friend scribbled the correct rejoinder on the paper beside them. “Java is the answer,” said Boreham. “Good,” the teacher noted, “Now tell me, what was the question?”

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – A Healthy Church

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“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

God has given every believer certain gifts and functions to contribute to the health of the church and enable it to communicate the gospel to the world.

God fervently desires to reach the whole world with the gospel’s truth (Acts 1:8). Therefore, the Holy Spirit has specially energized members of Christ’s Body, the church, to fulfill God’s great desire for the world. In Old Testament times, Israel was God’s agency to reach other peoples. During New Testament history, Christ and the apostles were the outreach vehicles God used. Today the church is the channel God uses to tell the world about His nature and His truth.

The Lord wants this collection of believers to be strong and functioning well. Besides providing the gifted church leaders mentioned in today’s verses, it is God’s plan to equip every member with a specific gift that will help the church grow and be a healthy witness to its community. Just as a human body has a variety of organs that must function and interact properly for the vitality of the entire body, any believer’s consistent use of his gift helps to build up the church.

Spiritual gifts are not showered randomly, but God gives believers differing gifts so the church might display a composite reflection of Christ’s character. Therefore, believers will never begin to reach their full spiritual maturity unless all the gifts are being ministered among members of the church.

For instance, if a pastor ministers by preaching, his people should communicate more effectively. If someone ministers the gift of mercy, another believer receives the direct benefit but also learns how to show mercy. As spiritual gifts are used, everyone is built up to be more like Christ and manifest His character traits. By this process, the Holy Spirit helps the church to reflect the total Person of Christ. How are you doing in contributing your gift to God’s plan?

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray that the leaders and all the members of your church would consistently display a unified, solidly biblical testimony to the community.

For Further Study

Read Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4, 37-47.

  • How did the early believers demonstrate their unity?
  • What were the primary results of the Spirit’s ministry on the Day of Pentecost?

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – God’s Ways Fulfilled

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But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. Revelation 10:7

Our gracious God guarantees a grant of wisdom in His ways. He wants us to experience His eternal aim for His glory. His purpose fulfillment started when we placed our faith in Jesus. This was our contract with Christ that laid the responsibility of fulfilling His purpose at the feet of our heavenly Father. Our Lord finishes what He begins. Whatsoever the Lord takes in hand, He will accomplish. So we trust the Almighty with the fulfillment of His ways for our life.

The mystery of God’s plan had already been announced to His servants the prophets in the first coming of Jesus as a suffering servant for the sins of mankind, and in Christ’s second coming as reigning King and Judge of the sins of mankind. Without faith, the ways of the Lord remain a mystery, but by faith God’s children are able to see God’s ways. Faith brings real fulfillment.

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Prayer prepares us to harvest heaven’s purpose for our life. We cry out to the Most High because there is nothing and no one any higher. God is the divine decision maker. He is our Maker. Nowhere else we can go to understand the purpose of our lives other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We cry out to Christ because He has adopted us. Our Heavenly Father defines our purpose by His purpose for us. Prayer positions us to be led by the Holy Spirit. He fulfills His purposes.

Lean into the Lord to be led into His plan for your life. Once you establish His purpose for you, leverage it for others. Use your strength of position to help others discover their God-given purpose. Have them list their gifts, skills, passions and experiences. Pray with them about how God wants to collate their assets for Christ. No season of life is insignificant in the Lord’s eyes. Don’t wish away where you are today. By faith, you can be sure that Christ is currently fulfilling your purpose. Affirm your goals are God-given and trust Him with their fulfillment!

“I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose to me” (Psalm 57:2).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I wait on You to show me the way to go and I’ll trust you all the way.

Application: What is the role of prayer in fulfilling God’s plan? How can I adjust my goals to reflect God’s?

Related Readings: 1 Chronicles 28:12; Job 5:11-12; Psalms 20:4, 33:11; 2 Corinthians 1:15-18

 

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