Monthly Archives: October 2016

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.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Speaking Through Tragedy

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Numbers 21:4-9

Although we never like to admit it, God will at times use hardships, such as tragedy, to shake us out of self-centeredness and other misguided attitudes. Unexpected hardship is often accompanied by a season of intense clarity. The Lord uses it to strip away distractions in order to teach us something meaningful and refocus our minds on Him.

We see this clearly in today’s passage. Here, we find the Israelites complaining. God had directed them to take the long way out of Mount Hor to avoid the Edomites. However, the people became impatient because of the lengthier journey and then began to grumble and complain about Moses and God Himself. They had turned their minds away from the Lord, who therefore needed to capture their attention once again.

It is interesting that God decided not to do so through blessing or a great miraculous sign. After all, the Israelites had seen Him move in this way time and time again. Instead, God sent poisonous snakes into the camp, causing the death of many.

What was the response of those who witnessed this? They immediately confessed their sin and asked Moses to intercede for them to the Lord. Though it was a costly lesson for their community, this act got their attention.

Speaking through tragedy is an intensely personal way in which God communicates with His people. While we cannot presume to know what He’s trying to tell others through their heartaches, we should meet our own hardships by looking for His divine purpose and instruction.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 13-15

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Grasping the Cross

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Read: Philippians 3:7-12

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 28-29; Philippians 3

Not that I have . . . already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. —Philippians 3:12

In 1856, Charles Spurgeon, the great London preacher, founded the Pastors’ College to train men for the Christian ministry. It was renamed Spurgeon’s College in 1923. Today’s college crest shows a hand grasping a cross and the Latin words, Et Teneo, Et Teneor, which means, “I hold and am held.” In his autobiography, Spurgeon wrote, “This is our College motto. We . . . hold forth the Cross of Christ with a bold hand . . . because that Cross holds us fast by its attractive power. Our desire is that every man may both hold the Truth, and be held by it; especially the truth of Christ crucified.”

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he expressed this truth as the bedrock of his life. “Not that I have . . . already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12). As followers of Jesus, we extend the message of the cross to others as Jesus holds us fast in His grace and power. “I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Our Lord holds us in His grip of love each day—and we hold out His message of love to others. —David McCasland

Lord Jesus, Your cross is the focal point of history and the turning point of our lives. Hold us tightly as we cling to Your cross and extend your love to others.

We hold to the cross of Christ and are held by it.

INSIGHT: Driven, disciplined, and focused might be accurate adjectives to describe Paul’s zeal in persecuting the church before he came to Christ. But when Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, his life took a decided turn (Acts 9). Paul was now called to be an apostle, and many marveled that he preached the gospel he once sought to destroy. The man who had been driven by self-righteousness now preached grace-righteousness.  Dennis Fisher

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Inexhaustible Inspiration

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On February 23, 1685, the man whose music would forever inspire the world was born in Halle, Germany—ironically, to parents who would have seen him become a lawyer. But George Frideric Handel would quickly grow to be a famed composer and beloved musician.

By the time he reached his twenties, Handel was the talk of all England and Italy. Queen Anne had him commissioned as official composer of music for state occasions. Seats at his performances were often fought over, and his fame was quickly spreading throughout the world.

But the glory soon passed. Audiences dropped off; his popularity was eclipsed by newer talent. Financial ruin, failed productions, and festering stress took their toll on the musical giant. Weary from the strain of overwork and disappointment, Handel suffered an attack of a paralytic disorder that left his right arm crippled. At 52, the once famed musician was now seen as invalid and obsolete. “Handel’s great days are over,” wrote Frederick the Great, “his inspiration is exhausted.”

But sounds of the harpsichord soon reported otherwise. Not long after Handel withdrew to recuperate, his fingers were moved to play again and the artist set out to compose. Nonetheless, his next two operas were altogether unsuccessful. A charity concert he had promised to conduct in Dublin had become his only prospect for work. Yet, given a manuscript that included the opening lines from Isaiah 40, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,” Handel was stirred to write.

On August 22, 1741, at the lowest ebb of his career, George Handel enclosed himself in a room and set to composing Messiah. The entire oratorio was sketched and scored within three weeks. And on April 13th, 1742, the first audience in history resounded in applause to the stirring music of Messiah, conducted by Handel himself.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Inexhaustible Inspiration →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Prerequisite for Cleansing

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“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Continuous confession characterizes Christians.

Yesterday we learned that the only condition for receiving God’s gracious forgiveness is to “walk in the light”—in other words, to be a true Christian (1 John 1:7). At first glance, today’s verse appears to contradict that truth by adding a condition—namely, confession of sin. Such is not the case, however. First John 1:9 could be translated, “If we are the ones confessing our sins, He is forgiving us.” This verse looks at salvation from man’s perspective and defines Christians as those who are continually confessing their sins. Confession, like saving faith, is not a one-time act but a continuous pattern throughout our lives.

What is confession? The Greek word means “to say the same thing.” Confession, then, is agreeing with God about our sin. Confession affirms that God is just when He chastens us for our sins. It also restores us to the place of His blessing—something He is always “faithful” to do. Proverbs 28:13 reinforces that truth, promising that “he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”

Some may question how a holy God can be “righteous” and still forgive sins. John has already answered that by noting in verse 7 that forgiveness comes through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul declares that “God displayed [Christ] publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith . . . for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:25-26).

True confession involves sorrow because sin has offended God (2 Cor. 7:10)—not mere remorse because of its negative consequences in one’s life (as was the case with Saul [1 Sam. 15:24] and Judas [Matt. 27:3]). It also involves repentance—turning away from sin and no longer embracing it (cf. Acts 19:18-19; 1 Thess. 1:9).

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Prerequisite for Cleansing →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Evil for Good 

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The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. Revelation 11:10

Sometimes we receive the opposite of what we expect, as when our good deeds encounter an evil reaction. Some we have served seem to have forgotten our faithfulness, and gratitude has faded from their memory. They forgot the fruit from our labors, and it has become all about what might inconvenience them. You were there for them at their point of need but now in your need, they reject your request. It seems like a cruel joke. How could they forget your love and loyalty?

So what do you do when you are repaid evil for good? What is your prayerful response?

The only prophet an unbelieving world likes is a dead prophet, so for three and a half days contempt is shown for the two bold witnesses of Christ by leaving their corpses in the street—unburied—an insult to God and His spokesmen. A celebration breaks out in honor of the anti-Christ who has temporarily quieted the pesky and persistent voices of truth. This occasion for rejoicing during the tribulation is an aberration—not seen before or after. God eventually makes right the shamelessness of evil’s ugly acts in His sight.

“It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good” (1 Samuel 25:21).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Evil for Good  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Praise Times Thirteen

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Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150:6

Recommended Reading

Psalm 150

The book of Psalms ends on a climactic note of joyful praise in Psalm 150. In only six verses, this psalm answers one question after another involving praise and worship. In fact, the word “praise” occurs thirteen times in Psalm 150. The first verse tells us what we are to do. We’re to “Praise the Lord.” In the original Hebrew, it’s literally: Hallelu Yah or Praise Yahweh.

Verse 1 also tells us where to praise: “Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament!” Praise is the unifying activity that links together heaven and earth.

Verse 2 tells us why to praise God: “Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” And verses 3-5 provide the how of praise – “with the sound of the trumpet… the lute and harp… the timbrel and dance… stringed instruments and flutes… loud cymbals… clashing cymbals.”

Verse 6 ends with the question of who should praise God: “Everything that has breath.” What joy we have as believers in Christ—praising Him today, tomorrow, and forever!

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! / O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

Joachim Neander

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Matthew 14–17

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Good Words

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Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord.- Ephesians 5:19

The King James Version translates today’s verse: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. I like to apply this Scripture both ways. The way I speak to myself is important, and the way I speak to others is important, too.

It is easy to fall into the trap of talking about negative things, problems, disappointments, and struggles. But none of that helps us stay filled with the Sprit and none of that reflects what the Holy Spirit wants to speak to us because He is not negative in any way. Even when He speaks to us about a problem, He speaks to bring a solution; and when He speaks to us about difficult situations, He does so to bring us comfort and strength. The more we think and talk about our problems, the weaker we become, but we are strengthened as we talk and think about Jesus and His promises to us.

Life is not always easy; we all face difficulties at times. God has filled us with His Spirit to enable us to do difficult things with ease. When you are going through a hard time, keep your ear tuned in to the voice of God. Speak the positive things God says to you through His Word and through the voice of His Spirit in your heart. We all feed on our own words so it is very important to speak good words that are full of life.

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Enough with Fear!

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Today’s Truth

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

Friend to Friend

Recently I experienced a flare up of my old Lyme symptoms. One doctor told me years ago that I no longer deal with an active disease, just the residual effects of the disease. I have daily joint pain and occasional neurological flare-ups. I’ve come a long way in my healing and health since those sick years, and my struggle through that valley has left a lasting imprint on my heart.

On one hand, I took countless spoils from that battle. My trust in God has deepened over time. I now understand how fragile and fleeting this life can be. I’m quicker to see things from an eternal perspective.

However, I also carry with me the baggage of fear.

Crawling through that valley, battling sickness and the financial hardship that accompanied it, all while trying to care for three little boys, sent me in a tailspin of fear from time to time. Even now, with my kids grown and a full plate of ministry duties, I pick up fear when remnants from my past reappear.

Can you relate?

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Enough with Fear! →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Bread of Life

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“Jesus replied, ‘I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to Me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in Me shall never thirst'” (John 6:35).

What would it be like never to be hungry – never to be thirsty?

Even in affluent America, you and I – and perhaps most people – have felt pangs of hunger and thirst, if only for a brief period. Jesus is telling us here that, spiritually speaking, we need never be hungry or thirsty again.

But how is that possible?

As the bread of life – the support of spiritual life – His doctrines give life and peace to the soul.

In Eastern countries, especially, there are vast deserts and often a great lack of water. By nature, the soul is like a traveler wandering through such a desert. Thirsting for happiness, seeking it everywhere and finding it not, he looks in all directions and tries all objects – in vain.

St. Augustine expressed this hunger for God in the following prayer, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Bread of Life →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – God’s Servants

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Read: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe — as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5-7

Paul is writing of the true view of ministry and ministers, and he does not mean by ministers only the apostles, or only a select group called the clergy, the pastors. This is a devilish idea that has possessed the church. It sees the clergy as different people, with a special pipeline to God. That idea is never found in Scripture. No, in Scripture all Christians are in the ministry, everyone without exception. All are given gifts by the Spirit. All are expected to have a function, a service that God uses. It does not have to be in the meeting of the church. It is out in the world, anywhere you are.

But how are we to view one another? As big shots striving to see who can get the most recognition, as dignitaries with special dress to indicate our rank and style of life? Are we to be the heavies, the bosses, the brass? No, Paul says we are servants; that is all. Everyone, servants of Christ. That is the highest rank possible in the church, and everybody has it to start with. Therefore, there is no need for competition or rivalry in any sense at all. We are all servants of Christ. Jesus himself told us what our attitude is to be: The Son of Man, he said, came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and give himself a ransom for many, (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45 KJV). Now that is serving, it is not being ministered unto.

How do you think of yourself when you come to church? What is your reason for coming to church? Is it to be ministered unto? Do you judge the purpose of our assembly together in order that you might have a blessing, or is it that you might be a blessing? The attitude of a servant is always, What can I do for another? In the process you will find yourself abundantly ministered unto. But we hear so much of this cult of the self-life today that insists that everything has to meet my needs. That is pre-eminent. Now that is the world’s thinking, isn’t it? The apostle is telling us that this thinking will be nothing but trouble in the church; it creates divisions and factions. We must come to see each other as servants of Christ, mutually living and ministering to one another as God gives opportunity to do. This is what the Lord Himself demonstrated for us. Are we in competition? No, says Paul, we’re in cooperation. I planted; Apollos watered; but God gave the growth. We are doing different things, but we need both of them.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – God’s Servants →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – A Raging Fury Remembered

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Read: Acts 26:1-18

I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. (v. 9)

Paul never stopped hoping for his release, even as he is bounced from corrupt Felix to feckless Festus and then from Festus to visiting dignitary Agrippa. Paul’s speech of self-defense before Agrippa clearly shows the causal connection between the account of his life, conversion, and subsequent ministry. As we’ll see tomorrow, even Agrippa was not immune to its power.

What strikes me about the speech, though, is its great humility. In verses 8-11, Paul lists those features of his own past that made him almost exactly like his accusers. Out of misguided zeal he too locked Christians up in prison, voted to give them the death penalty, and attacked others in the synagogues. Paul also “persecuted them even in foreign cities”—like the city in which Paul was making this very speech.

Self-righteousness is a continuing temptation for every Christian. It’s especially tempting for the unjustly accused, as Paul was. Paul’s example reminds us how it’s best avoided: by remembering and owning up to your own personal worst. Only when we remember the criminality of our own hearts can we remember and love wrongdoers without condescension.

Prayer:

Lord, you are absolute, but human innocence is relative. Help us to remember that we have all sinned, and that you want for all the same deliverance you gave to Paul on the Damascus road.

Author: Phil Christman

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Sticking Together

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Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. —Mark 10:9

When I was a kid, I would build models. However, I was really bad at it, because I would get glue everywhere. So when I decided to build a model as an adult, I thought I would be so much better at it. But I discovered that I was as bad as I always had been. Glue was everywhere.

Then I discovered superglue. It sounded so simple. Only a couple drops here and there would hold things together. But then I got it on my fingers, which the instructions warn against. So my thumb and index finger were stuck together for a while.

When Genesis 2:24 (KJV) uses the word “cleave” to describe the relationship between a husband and a wife, it uses a Hebrew term that speaks of adhering to or sticking together. It is to be attached by some strong tie. The verb suggests a determined action. So it is not that a husband and wife are stuck together, but they are sticking together. They are holding on to one another. There is nothing passive about it.

When we come to the New Testament use of the word, it is a term that means to cement together and stick like glue, so the two cannot be separated without serious damage to both.

This involves constant communication before marriage and during the marriage. In a poll that was taken among people who were divorced, 86 percent cited deficient communication as the number one reason for the breakup of the marriage. There was a communication breakdown.

Every marriage will have its conflicts, and couples need to learn how to resolve this. Cleaving together means putting the needs of your mate above your own. And as Ruth Graham once said, “A successful marriage is made up of two good forgivers.”

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – The LORD Is Everlasting Strength

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“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Have you ever seen an evergreen tree? If you have seen a Christmas tree, or a cyprus tree, or a pine tree, or a cedar tree, then – yes! You have seen an evergreen tree! “Evergreen” trees are called that because they stay green throughout the year, even though other trees change with the changing seasons.

The Bible tells us many times that God is an everlasting Person with everlasting character traits. Like the word “evergreen,” the word “everlasting” has the idea of continuing on and on and on forever. But God is even longer-lasting than an evergreen tree. Even the oldest and strongest and greenest of trees had to have had a beginning. Trees have to grow out of seeds, and one day, they will die off or be cut down. God has always been – He had no beginning. And He always will be! He will never end.

Since God Himself is everlasting, everything about Him is everlasting, too. His grace and His mercy are everlasting. His incredible power is everlasting. And in the verses above (Isaiah 26:3-4), the prophet Isaiah teaches us that God’s strength is everlasting, too. Isaiah says that God IS everlasting strength. He would not be the LORD if He were not everlastingly strong!

Is your strength everlasting? No! No human being could say that he or she has everlasting strength. Even the healthiest and strongest of people eventually get tired or worn out. We have limitations because we have to sleep and eat and exercise in order to keep up our strength, and we can be injured or cut down by diseases. None of those things can limit God. He is almighty. He is all-powerful. And His might and power are everlasting.

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