Daily Archives: October 15, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Put Your Hand to the Plow

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Luke 9:61-62

Very few people in this day and age appreciate Jesus’ use of the plow as an illustration of a life dedicated to the Lord. The ancient plow, shaped much like the antique version of more recent centuries, was a single wooden blade attached to two handles. A mule did most of the work by pulling the apparatus forward, but the farmer held on to direct the path of the blade.

I tried out an old-fashioned plow once and discovered that using it was no easy task. The simple machine bumped and jerked under my hands as it tore up the ground. There was only one way to make a straight line, and that was to stay focused on the work and keep my eyes forward every single second.

When believers trust Jesus Christ as Savior, they “put their hand to the plow.” The idea is for us to follow the Lord in absolute obedience—always keeping our eyes focused on Him. That’s how we reap a harvest of faith. Discouraged believers oftentimes plow a crooked row, because they’re looking over their shoulder to dwell on past regrets or peering around to see what pleasures await. Their field of faith looks like a disorganized mess. Moreover, distraction slows them down, with the result that spiritual growth is sluggish, if they mature at all.

Give up whatever draws your attention away from the heavenly Father. Believers who focus on past failures and present distractions end up all over the place in their Christian life; peace and joy are elusive and prayers go unanswered. Follow the Lord earnestly, and He will bring forth much spiritual fruit.

Bible in One Year: Mark 6-7

 

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Fan for Life

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Read: Psalm 86:1-13

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 45-46; 1 Thessalonians 3

I call to you, because you answer me.—Psalm 86:7

Cade Pope, a 12-year-old boy from Oklahoma, mailed out 32 handwritten letters—one to each executive in charge of a National Football League (NFL) team in the US. Cade wrote, “My family and I love football. We play fantasy football and watch [the] games every weekend. . . . I am ready to pick an NFL team to cheer on for a lifetime!”

Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers football team, responded with a handwritten note of his own. The first line read: “We would be honored if our [team] became your team. We would make you proud.” Richardson went on to commend some of his players. His letter was not only personal and kindhearted—it was the only response that Cade received. Not surprisingly, Cade became a loyal fan of the Carolina Panthers.

In Psalm 86, David spoke about his allegiance to the one true God. He said, “When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, Lord” (vv. 7-8). Our devotion to God is born from His character and His care for us. He is the one who answers our prayers, guides us by His Spirit, and saves us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. He deserves our lifelong loyalty. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear God, there is no one like You. Help me to consider Your holiness and let it lead me into deeper devotion to You.

Only God is worthy of our adoration and devotion.

INSIGHT: One of the earliest and most fundamental beliefs of Judaism is that there is one supreme God, which is called monotheism. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Dennis Moles

 

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Dead with Christ

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“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God” (Romans 6:8-10).

God frees us from sin through the death of His Son.

As a good teacher, the apostle Paul understood that important truths bear repeating. Thus in today’s passage he repeats and expands on the important truth he presented earlier in Romans 6: believers died with Christ. Through that death, sin’s dominion over us was broken.

The rock-solid foundation of the believer’s forgiveness from sin is Christ’s victory over sin and death. When our Lord rose from the dead, He proved that He had shattered the power of sin and death (Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:54-57). And since believers are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5), we, too, share in His victory.

That Christ was the perfect sacrifice for sin is an essential New Testament truth. The Book of Hebrews expresses that important reality repeatedly, nowhere more clearly and forcefully than in 10:10-14: “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

Christ “died to sin” not only to break its power but to pay its penalty— death (Rom. 6:23)—on our behalf. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,” wrote Peter, “that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Believers are dead to sin’s power and penalty. “Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 7:25)!

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for sending His Son to bear your sins (2 Cor. 5:21).

For Further Study

Memorize 1 Corinthians 6:20 to help motivate you to glorify God with your life.

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Relational Stalemate 

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And the spirit of the king longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.   2 Samuel 13:39

A relational stalemate is separation from someone with whom you have enjoyed good times in the past. You have loved each other with a rare level of relational understanding. You both have a lot invested, yet there is no communication from either of you. Misunderstanding may have led to disappointment, and disappointment may have led to anger, and anger to total rejection. In whatever circumstance you find yourself, it is not worth maintaining relational separation. The distance needs to be dissolved. You owe it to each other, your family, the Christian community, and you owe it to God. There is a debt of love that is begging to be paid.

So where do you start? A good place to start is for the one in authority to make a genuine gesture toward reconciliation. You may want to invite your estranged friend or relative into your home for a meal and conversation. Reach out to this person without any expectations other than to accept and love them at their point of need. Leave any behavior and attitude change to the work of the Holy Spirit. Your first step of acceptance will at least breach the wall of communication. It may take multiple lobs of love before there is any reciprocation, so be persistent and trust God with the results. It takes time for relational stalemates to become resolved, so don’t stop initiating. Increase your overtures of acceptance.

Moreover, be open to a mediator. God can use a third party as a catalyst to break the chains of relational resistance. Wise and discerning friends—or even strangers—can be facilitators of rational thinking. Prayerfully choose someone both parties respect and will respond to willingly. This unbiased individual can be an instrument of healing sent by heaven. God can use a mediator to send forth His truth, so pray for someone with a spirit of gentle boldness who can keep you focused on facts and on the character of Christ. This godly bridge builder may be just what’s needed to break the relational logjam.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Relational Stalemate  →

Turning Point

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

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Always in every prayer of mine [I pray] for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

Philippians 1:4-5

One list of longest-married couples in the world cites 47 couples. The shortest marriage—that of couple number 47 on the list—was 81 years, 31 days. The longest marriage on record is 90 years, 60 days.1 Those numbers stand in stark contrast to the length of the average American marriage: 8.2 years.

Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:12-13

We are surprised today when we hear of a couple staying together for decades. It says something about the nature of commitment in modern societies. When it becomes acceptable in society to go back on commitments, spiritual commitments also become easier to break. Paul knew that and so commended the Philippian Christians for their commitment to the Gospel “from the first day until now.” The Philippians were staying true to Christ, and Paul prayed joyfully for them to remain true to their calling and commitment.

Trials bring the temptation to abandon vows and promises. Pray for all your commitments—to marriage, to Christ, to the Gospel, to your children. Ask God for grace to stay committed regardless of what may come.

The call to Christian commitment is not basically a call to enjoy happiness but to endure hardness.

John Blanchard

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Mark 6–9

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Will I Have Enough?

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Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.—Ephesians 3:20 NIV

One of the strongest and most persistent fears that people experience is the fear that they won’t have enough of what they need. We want to feel safe in every area of life. We want to be secure in our belief that we will have what we need when we need it. This fear can lead to an ungrateful heart, because it brings the feeling that there is never enough. It is best to ask God for what we want and need and then focus on what we do have instead of what we don’t have.

God’s Word says that we are not to fear because He is with us. It is just that simple: Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you (Isaiah 41:10). Thankfully, He has everything we need and He loves us. So like any loving parent, He will provide for us. He has promised to never leave or forsake us. We can be thankful that He never sleeps, He is ever-present, and He keeps watch over us with loving care.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, I am thankful that You provide all that I need and so much more. I refuse to live in fear, wondering if I will have enough. Thank You that You are a God who does immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Still Present With You

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“In just a little while I will be gone from the world, but I will still be present with you. For I will live again – and you will too” (John 14:19).

In this one verse the whole gospel story is expressed, for Jesus is speaking on the day before His death, foretelling just what will happen then and thereafter.

And what He has to say should bring renewed joy and comfort and peace to our hearts in the midst of a chaotic world that perhaps includes an element of chaos even in the home or at the office or in the classroom.

Yes, He was gone from the world to assume His rightful position at the right hand of His heavenly Father – after His death and resurrection. Now He is present with us in the person of His indwelling Holy Spirit, who lives within every believer. And to the extent we give Him control of our hearts and lives, He empowers and enables us to live a supernatural, abundant life.

He prophesies His resurrection – “I will live again” – the joyous truth of which makes possible His final promise to His disciples, “You will live too.”

Jesus is saying, in effect that the life of the Christian depends on that of Christ. They are united, and if they were separated, the Christian could not enjoy spiritual life here nor eternal joy hereafter. But He lives! And because He lives, we too shall live – forever, with Him throughout the endless ages of eternity!

Bible Reading: Romans 5:6-11

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Because Jesus died, arose and now lives at God’s right hand while at the same time living in me, I can live the abundant, supernatural life today, and forever!

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Sex in Marriage

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Read: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5

The major thrust of this paragraph is that sex in marriage is designed for the fulfillment of each partner. Paul does not say to the husband and the wife, Demand your own sexual rights. He never puts it in that way, and yet I have been involved in scores of cases where one of the major problems of the marriage was that one partner, usually the man, demanded his sexual rights from his wife. Nothing is more destructive to marital happiness than that. To mistake and mistreat the passage where it speaks of the wife not ruling over her own body and thinking of this as giving license to the husband to demand sex whenever he wants it is to destroy the whole beauty of sex in marriage.

If we understand that it is going to make a big difference in many marriages, and, if you reflect on it a moment, you will see why. Sex is designed so that we have no control over it ourselves within marriage. We need another to minister to us, and that is designed of God to teach us how to relate and fulfill the basic law of life which Jesus put in these terms when he said, If you attempt to save your life you will lose it (Matthew 16:25). If you try to meet your own need, if you put that first in your life, the result will be that you will lose everything you are trying to gain. Instead of finding fulfillment you will find emptiness, and you will end your years looking back upon a wasted experience. You cannot get fulfillment that way.

That is not merely good advice — that is a law of life, as inviolable as the law of gravity. The only way to find your needs met and yourself fulfilled is to fulfill another’s needs. Throw your life away, Jesus said, and you will find it. That is what sex is all about. It is designed not to have your needs met, but to meet another’s needs. Thus, in marriage, you have a beautiful reciprocity. In the process of devoting yourself to the enjoyment of your mate, and to giving him or her the most exquisite sense of pleasure that you can, you find your own needs met.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Sex in Marriage →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – In Your Hands

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Read: Psalm 31

My times are in your hand. (v. 15)

Psalm 31 expresses the same tumble of emotions that I’ve often seen in prisoners: despair, outrage, fear, shame, wounded pride, desire for vindication. The psalmist was wasting away, ignored by friends, and beset by enemies. As is often true in the Psalms, the writer’s staccato declarations of faith sound like efforts at self-reassurance more than calm, settled affirmations. It’s easy to imagine these words being gasped out between cries of pain. Indeed, Jesus, the most wrongfully convicted person in history, does exactly that from the cross (Luke 23:46).

We started this series with the question, what does it mean for a free person to remember those in prison as though she or he were one of them? How do we enter into that experience with our hearts and imaginations? Well, we can realize their predicament when we remember the emotions expressed in Psalm 31—when we remember our own sleepless nights, our own creeping terror of mortality, our own fear of losing reputation or livelihood. But Psalm 31 also reminds everyone, imprisoned or not, that our times are never truly stolen. Enemies may come after us—false accusers, a blundering government, or, yes, criminals themselves—but our times, our lives, are in the Lord’s hands. They have never been anywhere else. And they are safe there.

Prayer:

Lord, remind all of us that the one who really is in control is the one who loved us enough to die on a cross. Psalm 31

Author: Phil Christman

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Real Reason People Do Not Believe in Jesus Christ

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He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.—Proverbs 28:13

People offer up many excuses as to why they will not come to Christ—why they won’t come to church with you—why they ask you to not even talk about Jesus.

Want to know what it really is?

They don’t want to turn from their sin.

John 3:19–20 says, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (NKJV).

History tells the story of a castle-like prison in Paris known as the Bastille. They decided to destroy it, for it had outlived its usefulness. A prisoner who had been kept confined in a dark, dingy dungeon in this prison for many years was brought out. But instead of welcoming his new freedom, he begged to be taken back in! It had been so long since he had seen the sun; he was blinded by its radiance. His only desire was to go back and die in the murky dungeon where he had been a captive.

This pattern continues until eventually these people who hate the light become so hardened in their sin that they prefer the dark ways of eternal death.

As Oswald Chambers said, “Sin enough and you will soon be unconscious of sin.”

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Light

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“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

When John says, “God is light,” what does he mean? Is he saying that God is like a giant flashlight? Or maybe God is like the sun?

In the Bible, darkness is often used to describe sin. Hell is said to be a very dark place because God’s glory is not present there. If sin is like darkness, then God is like light – because God is pure and holy.

Have you ever noticed how darkness and light cannot be in a room at the same time? Here is an example:

Matt was with his dad at an Atlanta Braves baseball game. As the fifth inning was coming to a close, the sun was going down and the sky began to grow darker. Suddenly, all the huge stadium lights flashed on and flooded everything with brilliant light. The stadium that once had become dimmer and darker was now just as bright as it would have been in the middle of a sunny day! What happened? The light drove away the darkness. Whenever light fills someplace, there is no more room for darkness.

Light and darkness are like God and sin. God will not stay in the same place as sin. That means when you choose to keep sin in your life, God will not fellowship with you. You may be close in one sense to God (He is present everywhere), but in a spiritual sense, you remove yourself far away from God when you sin against Him willfully. That is why John writes to Christians, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” (See 1 John 1:6.) You can say that you are walking with God all you want. But your actions will tell the real story.

Praise the Lord – the opposite is also true! When you are walking with God and choosing to please Him, there will be no room for sin in your life. Remember that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all! You should walk with God closely so that sin does not have a chance to creep into your life.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Light →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Bankrupt

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 3:12

“No one does good, not even one.”

Bankrupt! The word has a dreadful ring to it. Even in our lax and permissive society, being bankrupt still conveys some degree of disgrace and shame.

In the moral realm, the word bankrupt has an even more disparaging connotation. To say a person is morally bankrupt is to say he or she is completely devoid of any decent moral qualities. It’s like comparing that person to Adolf Hitler.

You may never have thought of it this way, but you are bankrupt. You and I and every person in the world are spiritually bankrupt. Except for Jesus Christ, every person who has ever lived has been spiritually bankrupt. In Romans 3:10-12, Paul declared our spiritual bankruptcy in its most absolute state. We were spiritually destitute, owing God a debt we couldn’t pay. Then we learned salvation is a gift from God, entirely by grace through faith (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). We renounced confidence in any supposed righteousness of our own and turned in faith to Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. In that act, we essentially declared spiritual bankruptcy.

But what kind of bankruptcy did we declare? In the business world, financially troubled companies can declare bankruptcy according to “chapter 7″—if it has no future as a viable business—or “chapter 11,” for companies that, given time, can work through their financial problems.

So what kind of bankruptcy did we declare—permanent or temporary? I think most of us actually declared temporary bankruptcy. Having trusted in Christ alone for our salvation, we have subtly and unconsciously reverted to a works relationship with God in our Christian lives. We recognize that even our best efforts cannot get us to heaven, but we do think they earn God’s blessings in our daily lives. )

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Living God

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Today’s Scripture: Exodus 32-34

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. – Deuteronomy 30:19

Many Christians are crippled by their limited idea of God. We see the same problem in Exodus 32-34, describing a sad and bitter time in the life of God’s people.

Moses was up on the mount with God, receiving the two tables of testimony–tables of stone written with the finger of God. Down below, it was another story. The Israelites decided to trade their allegiance from the true and living God to a golden calf made with hands.

“Come make us gods that will go before us,” the people said to Aaron, who was in charge while Moses was away. But wait a minute. Didn’t they already have a God who went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night? Of course they did. But they wanted a god they could control. They wanted a god who would stop when they wanted to stop and go when they wanted to go.

Meanwhile, back on the mountain, the Lord spoke to Moses and said, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them” (Exodus 32:7-8).

Moses immediately began to pray, and he prayed from the depth of his soul. “Oh what a great sin these people have committed!” he said. “But now, please forgive their sin” (Exodus 32:31,32).

Moses was a man who knew the Living God face-to-face in all His glory, and it made him a humble, compassionate man of prayer. He never forgot that it was God’s hand that blessed his leadership. It was God’s voice that led him.

Prayer

Lord, You alone are the giver of life. I choose to listen to Your voice and follow You. Amen.

To Ponder

Am I following the Living God or a golden calf of my own making?

 

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – LIVING TO PLEASE GOD

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Read 1 PETER 4:1–6

Addiction to prescription opioid medications has devastated lives in many parts of the United States. One group of addicts struggling to stay clean shared their daily challenges: “I had to tell my son he can’t come to my house because he’s still using,” said one woman. “My friends don’t understand why I’d rather keep my job and my kids instead of hang out with them and get high,” said another. The group counselor gave this advice: “Don’t spend more than six seconds with someone—any longer you’ll start entertaining ideas.”

Many won’t understand or support the choice to turn away from destruction and toward life, as Peter’s readers knew all too well. They were mocked and derided for refusing to participate in the pursuit of pleasures (v. 4). Christians in the Roman Empire abstained from violent and erotic entertainments such as theater, chariot races, and gladiatorial contests. Along with debauchery that often accompanied pagan worship, these were culturally approved occasions for an absence of self-restraint and the unbridled consumption of sex.

Note how Peter encouraged us to stay strong in the face of cultural pressure and persecution. Focusing on Jesus— His humility, suffering, and victory—helps provide us with armor to resist these temptations (v. 1). Just as Jesus chose obedience to the Father even though it resulted in His physical suffering, so also our choice of faithfulness over sin might result in suffering.

But though we might suffer, we know to whom we ultimately must give an account for our choices (v. 5). Though ostracism, persecution, and ridicule are difficult, it will be worth it when we stand before God, the Judge of all. Even those who have already died and appeared to get away with lives filled with lust and idolatry will not escape the judgment of God.

APPLY THE WORD

Has the Holy Spirit convicted you about something that you need to give up? Make a list of what you’ll need to turn away from: Are there places to avoid? People to see less often? Items to get rid of? Also make a list of what you’ll need to turn toward: Are there people who can help encourage you? Can you replace destructive habits with life-giving ones?

 

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