Daily Archives: October 8, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Speaking Through Sickness

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Acts 9:1-9

We never enjoy illness or affliction. After all, what good could possibly result from our ailments? God would never allow us to get sick for any reason—would He?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes. Suffering is one of the consequences of living in a fallen world, so we shouldn’t be surprised when it comes our way. However, God can use it to get our attention. If illness is what it takes for us to refocus on Him, that’s exactly what He will allow to happen.

Think about the apostle Paul. When we hear his name, we recall the missionary who spread the gospel during the first century. But this wasn’t always the case. When we are first introduced to him, he is known as Saul, Christianity’s enemy (Acts 9:1-2). So how did God get Saul’s attention?

The Acts account explains that the Lord appeared in a brilliant flash of light that only Saul could see. After revealing Himself, Jesus left Saul completely blind. This enemy of the church was now brought low, having to be led into town by hand, completely at the mercy of others.

What went through Saul’s mind during those three days of blindness? No doubt he was focused on one thing: Christ. By removing his sight, God took away all distractions during this vital time in the man’s life.

God’s primary goal is our ultimate good, not our comfort or short-term happiness—He wants what is best for us in light of eternity. At times, this means He’ll lay us flat on our backs for a season. If you experience such hardship, do pray for healing, but also pray to discern His message to you in your sickness.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 16-18

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Drinkable Book

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Read: John 4:7-15

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 30-31; Philippians 4

The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.—John 4:14

Because it is so difficult in parts of the world to find clean drinking water, an organization called Water Is Life developed a wonderful resource called “The Drinkable Book.” The paper in the book is coated in silver nanoparticles that filter out almost 99.9 percent of harmful bacteria! Each tear-out page can be used and reused to filter up to 100 liters of water at the cost of only four pennies per page.

The Bible is also an unusually “drinkable” Book. In John 4, we read of a particular kind of thirst and a special kind of water. The woman at the well needed much more than to quench her physical thirst with clean, clear liquid. She was desperate to know the source of “living water.” She needed the grace and forgiveness that comes from God alone.

God’s Word is the ultimate “drinkable” Book that points to God’s Son as the sole source of “living water.” And those who accept the water that Jesus gives will experience “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (v. 14). —Cindy Hess Kasper

Father, we yearn for the satisfaction that only You can give. Help us discard the things that leave us empty and thirsting, and exchange them for the satisfaction of the living water You offer.

Tell us your story of how you came to know Jesus as the Living Water at odb.org or Facebook.com/ourdailybread.

Jesus is the sole source of living water.

INSIGHT: The Samaritan woman thinks of “water” as purely material—just H2O. So, in her conversation with Jesus, she is stuck on having to trudge tiresomely back and forth daily to this well—perhaps a hundred feet deep—and use muscle power to draw and hoist the container of water homeward. Jesus’s statements symbolize salvation and satisfaction in what is both essential and enjoyable in water; He wants to ratchet up her understanding of eternal life in Him (John 4:14). Perhaps the closest thing to a definition of “eternal life” is found in John 17:3: “This is eternal life: that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life means having a relationship with God by knowing Jesus Christ. Jim Townsend

 

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – A Right View of Sin

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“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2).

True confession involves a proper understanding of sin.

King David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). He was far from perfect, however. He was not an effective father (1 Kings 1:5-6), nor did he always trust God (1 Sam. 21:10—22:1). But by far his greatest failings were his horrible sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband (2 Sam. 11—12). After Nathan the prophet confronted him with his sin, David poured out his heart in confession to God. During the next three days, we will learn from that prayer (Ps. 51) some key marks of true confession.

Confession, first of all, involves a right view of sin. In Psalm 51 David summarized the biblical view of sin.

First, sin deserves judgment. In verse 1 David pleaded, “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions.” True confession must begin with an admission of guilt.

Second, sin demands cleansing. In verse 2 David asked God to cleanse him from the guilt of his sin. Since God’s “eyes are too pure to approve evil” and He cannot “look on wickedness with favor” (Hab. 1:13), only those cleansed from their sins can enter His presence. True confession acknowledges the defilement sin causes, and it pleads for God’s cleansing (1 John 1:7, 9).

Third, sin is our responsibility. Unlike Adam (Gen. 3:12) and Eve (Gen. 3:13), David accepted full responsibility for his sin. In verses 1 and 3 he referred to his sins as “my transgressions.” True confession does not blame others for sin.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – A Right View of Sin →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Too Exhausted 

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Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them.    1 Samuel 30:21

Sometimes, you are too exhausted to take one more step forward, as your faith is fatigued and your energy is sapped. It is not because you are unspiritual, but because you are spent. It is time for a rest; otherwise, you are a prime candidate for burnout. Exhaustion is overwhelming unless you pace yourself. It is God’s warning to slow down and His appeal for you to adjust. You can choose to slow down or your Savior will help you slow down, sometimes with sickness. Do not think you have to keep up with others who have a greater capacity, as God has a place for you to perform within your passion, skills, and giftedness.

Following God does not mean you cannot vary your responsibilities. Variety is the spice of serving Christ, so be willing to humble yourself, and do something different. You may be surprised to see new enthusiasm erupt like a brilliant Roman candle on the Fourth of July. A change in environment can keep you from coming apart from exhaustion. Maybe this means you pray for the project and the people, as it is the Lord’s lever to move past persistent problems. Prayer brings peace, calm, and clarity.

Some will not embrace your “exhaustion excuse,” and they may even criticize you as weak or unspiritual. They might talk behind your back in resentment, but you cannot control the reactions of those you thought wanted what’s best for you. They are probably feeling the effects of exhaustion themselves. Fatigue makes everyone feel a little fearful. They are venting their frustrated feelings that are rising from weakness, and you happen to be the most convenient target for their complaints. So pray they will have the courage and trust to rest in Him at the right time, for the right reasons.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Too Exhausted  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – If My People: Pray for Courage

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Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 27:14

The Bible is beloved for its realism. Case in point: the Bible’s heroes were sometimes afraid. That’s right. Moses was afraid to return to Egypt for a face-off with Pharaoh. Joshua needed courage when it was time to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. David feared for his life when he was chased by Saul through the wilderness. Even Jesus experienced tremendous spiritual pressure on the night before His crucifixion. Who among us wouldn’t have needed courage if we had been in those situations?

Recommended Reading: Joshua 1:6-9

Today we have things of our own to fear: the loss of a job, unexpected health issues, international terrorism, drug-resistant organisms, storms and natural calamities, and more. We never know what the headlines, or our own personal experiences, will bring each day. We need courage when life is so unpredictable. In fearful moments, David’s counsel is to “wait on the LORD” and “He shall strengthen your heart.” What do we do while we are waiting? Pray and meditate on the promises of His Word.

If the Bible’s heroes needed courage, it is okay for us to need it, too. God will give it as we pray and wait upon Him.

There can be no courage in men unless God supports them by His Word.

John Calvin

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Matthew 18 – 22

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Break Your Box

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And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He [Jesus] sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask [box] of very costly oil of spikenard [perfume]. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.— Mark 14:3 NKJV

I believe that breaking (saying no to) the flesh is what today’s scripture is about. The woman broke that box so the expensive perfume could be poured out. In the same way, we have to “break” our flesh.

We all have sweet perfume in us. But our alabaster box (our flesh) has to be broken so the perfume (the good things of God) can flow out of us. We are “pregnant” with the good things of God. We each have the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance. But many times our alabaster box (our flesh) keeps them from being poured out.

Oh, but we love our alabaster box. We don’t want to break it because, after all, it is such a pretty box. We spend so much time taking care of it; we don’t want it to be broken. But we must love God more than we love anything else. We need to circumcise our flesh and be willing to let go of the things of the flesh, so God’s blessings can flow to us and through us.

Love God Today: “Lord, I choose to break my alabaster box in order to express my love for You and receive everything You have for me.”

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – God’s Builders

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Read: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved — even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:14-15

In 2 Corinthians, Paul says, We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), and in John’s book of Revelation he describes the Lord before whom we appear. John says, His eyes are like a flame of fire, (Revelation 1:14). Those flaming, searching eyes are going to examine all our Christian lives, what they have been made of, what we are building with. Paul says in 2 Corinthians, Then we shall receive the things done in the body whether they be good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10) — the same two categories — whether they are built on the revelation of the mind and Spirit of God, gold, silver and precious stones, or whether they reflect the current philosophies of the spirit of the age around us.

What are we building with? One or the other. If it is good it will endure; it will stand the test, and we will be given a reward. What is the reward? There are a lot of guesses as to what this is because the Scriptures do not tell us flat out, but I think there are hints that indicate what it is. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he said, Are you not our crown of rejoicing? (1 Thessalonians 2:19 KJV). I think the reward is simply joy, joy over having spent your life in a way that counts.

Did you ever watch a winning team at the end of a game? Do you notice what they do? They go crazy! Grown men jump on each other’s backs; they pound one another, and hug one another, and even kiss one another. Why? They are filled with joy because the efforts they put forth produced results and it was satisfying to them. That was their reward. Did you ever watch the losing team? There is no jumping around and slapping one another on the back. Sadness and gloom prevail; they are ashamed because all their efforts were to no avail. It was all wasted effort. All of us shall have some of both in our lives. There is nobody who is a Christian who will not have some degree of gold, silver and precious stones because God guarantees it by having come into our lives as Christians. But there can also be a lot of wood, hay and stubble too, built upon the philosophy of the flesh instead of the Spirit.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – God’s Builders →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – A Waiting Game

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Read: Acts 26:19-32

This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. (v. 32)

Both prisoners and those who try to remember and love them get used to one thing: bureaucratic uncertainty. Think of that listless feeling you have when you’re between jobs, the sense that you don’t know what you ought to be doing with yourself. Being in legal limbo is similar, except that the confusion spreads to every area of your identity. Should I act as a free person? Should I make plans or establish relationships? What do I tell my kid about her next birthday?

Paul shows us how to deal with such far-reaching uncertainty: he stayed anchored in his vocation as a Christian. He gave a speech of such fiery persuasive power that Agrippa had to brush off Paul’s direct challenge to become a Christian with an ironical question (v. 28). In reply Paul appealed, once again, to his rights as a Roman citizen and intentionally exposed himself to the dangers of transportation in custody. (I think here of some prisoners I’ve known who, in being moved to another facility for medical or other reasons, have lost all their few possessions or been exposed to dangerous conditions.) What allowed Paul to do all this was that he faithfully remembered his job as a witness to the risen Christ—a job that all Christians share. When this anchors us, nothing, not even legal limbo, can shake us.

Prayer:

Lord, wherever we are, help us stay anchored in our real job, which is to love you so much that it draws others to you.

Author: Phil Christman

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – It Starts with the Family

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Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.—Exodus 20:12

Few things in life can bring us as much pleasure or pain as our families. When things are working well in the family, it’s great. When things are not going so well, it’s tough. Parents have tension with children. Children have tension with parents. Husbands have tension with wives. Wives have tension with husbands. Then there are the in-laws. Families are complex. But God established the family.

In the Ten Commandments, before a word is said about how we treat one another, God starts with the family: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).

In Genesis we have God bringing Adam and Eve together. He started with the family. He created the family. And He—and He alone—defines the family. God loves the family.

There is only one picture that God gives to a lost world to show His love for the church and the church’s love for Him. That is marriage. He says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25), and “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (verse 22).

Effectively, here is what God is saying: “Look at this Christian couple right here. See the way that husband loves his wife? That is how I love this church, My people. See how that wife loves her husband? That is how My church loves Me.”

Because of that, when a Christian family starts to unravel and when Christian people get divorced, that is devastating in many ways to the testimony of believers in a given community.

It has been said that a family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – The LORD Is Wonderful in Counsel

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“This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” (Isaiah 28:29)

Isaiah 28 shows how even the jobs that seem most simple and natural are guided by God. The knowledge and strength and timing for a farmer’s sowing and reaping all come from God. He created seeds and sunlight and water. He invented the process for growing things out of the ground. God is omniscient (om-NISH-int), which means He is all-wise. He knows everything, from beginning to ending.

In the book of Exodus, when Moses explains how God helped the Israelites build the tabernacle, he writes that God gave the craftsmen the wisdom and skill they needed – they were aided by the “spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.” Only Someone omniscient could do that!

And in 1 Kings 4, the Bible tells us that “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore” (1 Kings 4:29). “And all the earth sought Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart” (1 Kings 10:24). Any God Who could give that kind of wisdom to a human king must be infinitely wiser than any human!

The book of Job preaches truth to us in these words – “God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom” (Job 36:5). And when Daniel is able to give God’s interpretation of his king’s dream, he gives God the glory for helping him: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his” (Daniel 2:20).

Do you need counsel (advice or help)? There is no better counselor than God. He knows what He is doing in the world and in your life. He knows what you are doing and what you will do. He knows everything. James 1:5 is an invitation to anyone who wants to have the kind of wisdom only God can give – “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

We can always count on God’s all-wise counsel.

My Response:

» Do I lean on my own understanding, or do I trust in the LORD with all my heart?

» What are some things in my life that would be good reasons to ask for counsel from God?

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Grace to Each Other

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:24-25

“God has so composed the body . . . that the members may have the same care for one another.”

Ministering grace is a two-way street. We’re to pray for one another, encourage one another, teach and admonish one another, spur one another on, carry each other’s burdens, share with one another, and so on. Truly the body of Christ should be constantly alive with this reciprocal ministry to one another.

Ministering grace to one another means being an agent available for the Holy Spirit to use to convey his grace to someone else. Allowing others to be ministers of grace to us takes some grace in itself, and we may need to pray, “Lord, help me to be transparent and open to my friend, even though doing so seems humiliating to me right now. And make my friend a minister of your grace to me.”

All of us, if we’re exploiting this avenue of God’s grace, should find ourselves at various times on both the receiving and the giving end. To borrow a principle of reciprocity from Paul’s teaching on giving, “your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need” (2 Corinthians 8:14).

How can we be ministers of grace to others? In the same three basic ways that they can be ministers to us: prayer, the Word of God, and help in submitting to God’s providence. But there’s a crucial difference between receiving and giving. In receiving we must give permission to the other person to share Scripture with us and to help us submit to God’s providence. In giving, we must receive permission. Usually this means we must first earn the right to minister to the person through a relationship of mutual sharing, openness, and trust that we have already established. (Excerpt taken from Transforming Grace)

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Reflection of Your Soul

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Today’s Scripture: Mark 10:17-31

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” – Matthew 6:24

My wife, Virginia, and I were in southern California, where I had been asked to speak at a military base. We were housed in a building overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and Virginia was sitting in front of the large bay window, watching the breakers roll in. “LeRoy,” she called, “look at this! When the sky is blue, the water is blue. And when the sky is gray, the water is gray.” I watched the water for a while and saw the same thing.

It was a good example of what happens in our lives, that is, whatever dominates our thoughts will be reflected in our lives.

A classic example of this is found in the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10. We are told that Jesus loved him, but said, “One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (10:21).

That young man took a careful look at Jesus, a careful look at his large pile of trinkets, and he turned his back on Jesus. He went over to his stock of baubles, sat down in the middle of them, and played with them for the rest of his life! Like the cloud over the ocean, his riches dominated him, so his life simply reflected what was on his mind.

Christian, follow Christ, and His beauty–not the things of this world–will be reflected in your life.

Prayer

Lord, I want to live with eternity in view. Help me to seek only You and give the things of this world their proper place in my life. Amen.

To Ponder

What would people say dominates your mind, based on observation of your life?

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE LORD IS THE CORNERSTONE

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Read 1 PETER 2:4–8

Cosmologist (and atheist) Lawrence Krauss wrote, “Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. . . . So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.” We shouldn’t be surprised when the world rejects Jesus, for whatever reason. After all, He was “despised and rejected” (Isa. 53:3), or as our passage today puts it, “the stone the builders rejected” (v. 7).

The structure of these verses reveals some important truths about Jesus and our identity as those who trust in Him. Jesus is the living Stone, and we are “like living stones” (v. 5). Believers are a spiritual house, and Jesus is the cornerstone of the house. Those who trust Jesus will “never be put to shame,” and believers view Jesus with honor and not shame (vv. 6–7; see Isa. 28:16). And rejecting the message of Jesus is the same as rejecting Jesus Himself, and leads to the same destiny (v. 8;

Ps. 118:22).

Peter adapts quotations from the Old Testament and uses the metaphor of stones used to build a house in order to underscore that our identity is bound together with the person and work of Christ. We are able to experience new life because He is alive. We are able to please God because Jesus pleased God (v. 5). And we should not be surprised when our attempts to share the gospel are rebuffed or we encounter opposition as Christians, for Christ Himself was rejected.

Notice that Peter uses the word precious three times in these verses to describe Jesus. He is precious to God, the precious cornerstone, and precious to believers. We have the privilege of knowing and trusting in the Savior of great worth, and our salvation is a treasure—as Peter said earlier, “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1:4).

APPLY THE WORD

Is Jesus precious to you? Can you identify ways that your life reveals that He is your treasure? You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K. A. Smith provides insightful perspective for believers who want to grow in their desire for God. One important way is participating with other “living stones” in worship and service in your local church.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids -Everyone, Come Now!

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Joel 2:32

Jeremy was just about the meanest kid in town. He beat up smaller kids. He stole candy from the store. He picked on animals. He had even been in trouble with the law for some of the things he had done. Some people called him “incorrigible.” Incorrigible means that a person is impossible to correct. They are incurably bad, and punishment doesn’t seem to make any difference.

There have been some real bad guys in history, but even they are included when God said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If they had asked God to forgive their sins, he would have. Wow! Every single person who asks God to save him will be saved.

So when you are in a bad situation or facing a tough time, remember that you too can call on the Lord. He answers anyone—bad guys, good guys, in easy times, in hard times. There is never a reason to keep you from asking God for his salvation and help.

Dear Lord, You answer prayers, even from people who are so bad it seems they can’t be saved. But your Word says that anyone can come to you for help and salvation. Please remind me of that promise whenever I am in a tough spot. Amen.