Monthly Archives: October 2016

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Reasons for Trials

1 Comment

“He…comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).

For two years, Annette had suffered through the agony of her beloved husband’s terminal cancer. Meanwhile, their only son had been drawn into drug addiction through the influence of an undesirable group of students in the local high school. She was devastated. Her whole life was filled with heartache and sorrow. She had nothing to live for. Then a neighbor told her of Jesus – how He could give her peace of heart and peace of mind and could provide the purpose she needed in her life. He could even change her son.

So Annette received the wonderful gift of God’s love, the Lord Jesus Christ, and began to pray for her son. At first he was antagonistic, but gradually he became aware of the dramatic transformation in his mother, and in answer to her prayers, along with those of her new-found friends in the local church, he too came to worship the Savior and make Him Lord of his life.

In the meantime, Annette was suffering great financial difficulty because of the huge doctor and hospital bills and her lack of ability to work during her husband’s illness. But God wonderfully comforted and strengthened her so that now she can witness joyfully of His gracious mercy and faithfulness in her behalf. She and her son are ministering effectively to others who are experiencing heartache and tragedy similar to those which once plagued them.

Are you experiencing difficulties, sorrows, heartaches, disappointments? Ask the Lord to show you how to translate them into victories so that He can use you to be a blessing to those around you who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 1:3-7

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing that God is faithful in His love and wisdom, I will trust the indwelling Holy Spirit for the power to accept the trial or adversity I face today, and will expect God to use it to comfort and help someone else through me.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – How the Body Works

1 Comment

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

In this chapter, the apostle begins to use an analogy that will help us understand how the church is designed to function. He places before us a human body, and draws lessons from it all through the rest of the chapter, as to its parallel with the functioning of the Body of Christ. It is more than a mere figure of speech to say that the church is the Body of Christ. God really takes that seriously. It is so much so his body by which he works today that he has given us a visual aid, to live in, and walk around in, and examine, and think through what is the meaning of the church as the Body of Christ. That is where Paul begins. Just as the body is one and yet has many members, he says, so also it is with Christ. Notice it is not so also it is with the church, because it is the church and Christ that constitutes the Body of Christ. If you stand in front of a mirror and look at your body you should be struck by the fact that it is divided into two major sections, the head and the torso. The head is the control center of the body, while the torso is the biggest part of it, and the part to which the members, the arms, the legs, etc., are attached. This is especially designed to help us understand how the church is to function, for the whole body, plus the head, constitutes the Body of Christ.

This is an amazing statement here that we are part of Christ. That is what Paul is saying. We constitute the means by which Christ functions within the world, and it is very important to hold that concept in your mind if you want to understand how the church works. It is a body with many members, and yet it is only one body. It is not many bodies, many denominations. They are all tied together by sharing the same life, and they are tied with the head so that they function as his means of expressing his life in this world.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – How the Body Works →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Power to Begin Again

Leave a comment

READ: Acts 2:1-21

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (v. 4)

How do we find strength to start anew? How do we get out of bed and make a difference despite pain, sorrow, and past mistakes? We don’t begin again on our own strength, rather we are reliant upon God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Christ forgave and reinstated him (John 21:15-23). At Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit, God used Peter to preach salvation in Christ, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Acts 2:41).

We are empowered to begin again through the Holy Spirit and prayer. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are also filled with the Holy Spirit. Through prayer we can ask God to strengthen, heal, forgive, motivate, and encourage us. What difference will it make today if we realize that we are not alone because the Holy Spirit dwells in us? What obstacles and anxieties must we bring to God in prayer?

Rather than throwing in the towel, choosing a life of self-pity, or making excuses, will we trust that God will use us to make a kingdom impact in this world? Will we seek to be a blessing to others? Will we begin again and witness how God can restore? How might God use you today?

PRAYER

Faithful God, empower me through your Spirit to follow your leading into the new beginning you have planned for me. As I rely on your Spirit and the power of prayer, give me faith and hope. Amen.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Fan the Flame

1 Comment

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.—2 Timothy 1:6

Have you ever watched a fire begin to burn down to the point that all you have left are coals? It looks as though there is no fire actually left, because the coals may be under a layer of ash. You can’t really see much. But when you take a fresh log and toss it on top of those coals and stir it around a bit, suddenly it ignites, and you have a whole new fire going.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). That phrase stir up the gift means to fan it into full flame.

There may be live coals in your life, but you have allowed the fire to go down. You haven’t been using the gifts that God has given you, the talents He has given you. It’s time to fan them into full flame again. It’s time to be reignited. It’s time to say, “Lord, how can I use what You have given me for Your glory until You return?”

We need to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. There are those who want to have the big, visible ministries. They want the applause of men. Yet often they go nowhere, even though they may have great talent.

But if we will humble ourselves and take what we have and offer it to God, if we are willing to do what He has set before us and be faithful in the little things, then He will give us more to do.

Any time you take a chance, you can fail. But it’s better to try than to never have anything happen in your life. I would rather try and fail than never try at all.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – The LORD Gives Joy

Leave a comment

“The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2)

Angela pressed her face between the white boards of her grandma’s backyard fence. She waited there for a minute, listening, and then she ran across to the other side of the yard and pressed her face up against those white boards. After a little while, she ran back to the other side, and then back again.

Grandma had been watching her from the screen door and finally opened it. “Angela, honey, what in the world are you doing?”

Angela put her finger up to her lips and ran up to her grandma. “This is what,” she whispered, pointing with both hands to both sides of the back yard. “I am listening to your neighbors!”

Grandma’s face looked shocked. “Listening to my neighbors?” she whispered back. “Whatever for?”

“I’m seeing if they are Christians, Grandma.” Angela pointed to the neighbor’s yard on the right. “That’s Mr. Cherian over there – I think he is a Christian!”

Grandma nodded. “Sam Cherian and I have talked about the Lord many times. He is a wonderful brother in Christ.”

Then Angela pointed over to the lefthand neighbor’s yard. “But I’m just not so sure about Miss Wyler. She just never sings!”

Grandma looked over toward Miss Wyler’s yard and said in a very quiet voice, “Angela, why would you say that? There is nothing in the Bible that says we have to sing in order to be genuine believers in Jesus.”

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – The LORD Gives Joy →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Why the Cross?

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 12:2

“Jesus . . . endured the cross, despising the shame.”

At the time of Christ’s death, the cross was an instrument of incredible horror and shame. It was a most wretched and degrading punishment, inflicted only on slaves and the lowliest of people. If free men were at any time subjected to crucifixion for great crimes such as treason or insurrection, the sentence could not be executed until they were put in the category of slaves by degradation and their freedom taken away by flogging.

How could it be that the eternal Son of God—by whom all things were created and for whom all things were created (Colossians 1:15-16)—would end up in his human nature dying one of the most cruel and humiliating deaths ever devised by man?

We know that Jesus’ death on the cross did not take him by surprise. He continually predicted it to his disciples. (See Luke 18:31-33 for one example.) And with his impending crucifixion before him, Jesus himself said, “What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (John 12:27, NIV). Jesus said he came to die.

But why? Why did Jesus come to die? The apostles Paul and Peter gave us the answer in clear, concise terms. Paul wrote, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,” and Peter wrote, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 3:18, NIV).

Christ died for our sins. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, took upon himself a human nature and died a horrible death on our behalf. That is the reason for the cross. He suffered what we should have suffered. He died in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Which Way?

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Samuel 24-26

I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. – Proverbs 4:11

When Saul entered the cave where David and his men were hiding, David’s men reminded him this was what they had all longed for–a wide-open door to the throne of Israel. With Saul at their mercy, how easy it would have been to misinterpret the promises and the providence of God. David took guidance by two things: First, his belief that Saul was the Lord’s anointed. God had made Saul king, and God would have to remove him. Second, David was restrained by a proverb of the ancients, “From evildoers come evil deeds.” He depended on God to avenge the wrongs done to him by Saul.

It’s easy to mistake circumstances for the will of God. Just because events fall into place that enable us to do something doesn’t necessarily mean God wants us to do it.

Some years ago I was planning a preaching tour through Asia, and we were praying for the Lord to show us if my wife Virginia should go. During this process, a friend heard of the situation and sent Virginia a signed blank check with a note that said: “Why not?” We had the invitation, the money, and the desire. After several weeks of praying, Virginia still didn’t have peace in the matter. She tore up the check, thanked our friend for his kindness, and wrote the people overseas that she would not be coming.

I believe the key to knowing God’s guidance is for us to saturate our lives with the wisdom of the Word of God. Then, when we are faced with a decision, the blessed Holy Spirit of God can guide us with the Word we have laid up in our hearts.

Prayer

Lord, You have called me to have eyes of faith. Help me not to always equate the circumstances of my life with Your perfect will. Amen.

To Ponder

In discerning the will of God, circumstances are much less important than the Word of our Father in heaven.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Angel Tree Restores Families: Get Your Church to Participate

1 Comment

It was back in the 1990s when I was practically a kid writer here at BreakPoint that I first heard about Prison Fellowship’s amazing Angel Tree program.

I was moved by how much Chuck Colson and the Prison Fellowship staff poured themselves into making sure that thousands and thousands of prisoners’ children received gifts at Christmas time.

Everyone knew that Chuck was a tough guy, former Marine Captain, Nixon’s hatchet man, and even as a Christian, he was bold, decisive, and strong. But whenever he talked about delivering Angel Tree gifts and telling those precious children about Jesus and how much He loves them–well, even Chuck got a little teary eyed.

Since 1982, church volunteers across the country have delivered more than 10 million gifts and the Gospel message to many, many children of prisoners. This year, we have a big goal: to reach 300,000 children.

And I’m on the air today to urge you and your church to consider please joining the effort, to help gather and deliver gifts to reach every single one of those little ones.

So here’s how Angel Tree works: When you sign your church up to volunteer, you will receive a list of prisoners’ children and their caregivers’ contact information. A church volunteer will contact the caregivers to confirm gift wishes. You’ll place those children’s names and their gift wishes on paper angels, hang them on a Christmas tree—an Angel Tree—that you place in your church’s lobby. Members of your congregation then choose the paper angels, buy and wrap the gift or gifts, and return them to the church.

From there, a church volunteer will arrange a time to deliver the gifts and the Gospel materials provided by Angel Tree. Many churches host Angel Tree parties and invite the children and their caregivers to attend.

Yes, folks, it’s a fair amount of work. But if your church is looking for a hands-on ministry to the “least of these,” I cannot think of a more rewarding experience—for your church or for those children.

Continue reading BreakPoint – Angel Tree Restores Families: Get Your Church to Participate →

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE GREED OF FALSE TEACHERS

Leave a comment

Read 2 PETER 2:1–3

The term confidence man or con man was coined in the 1800s, a time one historian described as the “Golden Age of Schemes.” A.V. Lamartine perpetrated a strange con: he’d check into a hotel room and then pretend to ingest poison to commit suicide. After giving him medical treatment, kindhearted strangers would raise funds to help him on his way; it appears he made a living by “attempting suicide” for several years.

Hucksters, false prophets, and con artists today send emails from supposed Nigerian princes or promise health and wealth with one more donation. As Peter notes, false teachers infiltrated Israel and will try to distract and destroy the church (v. 1; see Jer. 23:16).

Notice the red flags of false teaching. First, they question the nature of God. Is He the sovereign Lord? Are His power and love the bedrock of our faith? Or do we need to do something to help Him out? Perhaps we need access to a magic formula or someone else to connect us with God. These “destructive heresies” attempt to undermine our confidence in the truth that the Lord is sovereign, He is trustworthy, and His promises are good.

Second, false teaching rejects the truth about how we should live (v. 2). As we’ve seen, the life of a Christian should demonstrate the saving power of God through goodness and self-control, not a life of depraved passions. The unbridled pursuit of human pleasure contradicts the truth of God’s Spirit in our lives.

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE GREED OF FALSE TEACHERS →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – STUDENTS SURPRISE TEACHERS AND VIDEO GOES VIRAL

Leave a comment

Teachers’ significance is only exceeded by their patience. Holding one of the most important jobs in our communities today, teachers see potential, put up with antics, and relentlessly seek to bring out the best in every student. They work tirelessly in the present, yet not always seeing the fruit of their labor. However, the people at SoulPancake have sought to change this.

SoulPancake invited five teachers together to share their struggles and difficulties. Little did they know that instead of only sharing struggles, former students surprised their teachers by reading letters describing the impact their teachers made in their lives. The video has since gone viral, joining the likes of the color of a dress, Ken Bone, and the keyboard cat.Side note: the dress is blue.

The classroom is where curiosity meets knowledge. But lurking in the shadows is discouragement. The teacher is the caring curator who leads students on the journey to truth. Unfortunately, myself included, some of us weren’t the most willing participants. I surprised my teachers when I actually turned in my homework on time and didn’t talk for the entire class time.

Incidents such as this, among other things, can often bring discouragement. But what sets apart the teacher is their ability to get the best even when we give them the worst. The Cubs may have won the pennant, but day in and day out teachers win small victories for our future.

I am forever indebted to Mrs. Hall, Dr. Speck, and Dr. Welty. I almost failed kindergarten, but Mrs. Hall’s careful attention to me and care for me changed me. Dr. Speck’s demand for excellence made me want to be better even if my grade couldn’t get any higher. And Dr. Welty’s love for the Scriptures saturated his lectures on Western philosophy and forever changed the way I look for signposts of eternity in the everyday. Despite discouragement, they refused to settle.

Continue reading Denison Forum – STUDENTS SURPRISE TEACHERS AND VIDEO GOES VIRAL →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – You Can Trust God

Leave a comment

 

Romans 4:16-21

As we all know too well, life oftentimes confronts us with unexpected or painful circumstances. Sometimes these situations leave us feeling fearful, discouraged, and frustrated. Consequently, we may question whether the heavenly Father truly is reliable.

During such troubling moments, we can rest on this essential truth: The Lord is perfect in His love. Consider verse 5 from first John 1: “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). In other words, everything our heavenly Father does is righteous. And if He is a God of love, then it is impossible for Him to mistreat any of His children. We can be assured that whatever He places or permits in our lives is good and that His motives are pure.

Jesus demonstrated this deep care for us when He offered His blood on the cross—there exists no greater display of love than giving one’s life for someone else (John 15:13). Our sin debt could be paid only with a flawless sacrifice (Deut. 17:1). Christ, the perfect lamb, was willing to die in our place so that we could have an eternal relationship with the Father. If God gave us His Son—the most precious and amazing gift He could possibly give—to take care of our greatest need, then we can trust Him to provide for all areas of our life.

When difficulty arises, remember how much God loves you. He proved this by willingly giving His Son to take the penalty for your sin. Even when circumstances are painful, you can be confident that you are held in the capable and caring hands of your heavenly Father, because of His love for you.

Bible in One Year: Luke 6-7

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — I Am With You

Leave a comment

Read: Jeremiah 1:1-10

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 1-2; 1 Timothy 3

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you.—Jeremiah 1:8

When I served as an intern for a Christian magazine, I wrote a story about a person who had become a Christian. In a dramatic change, he said goodbye to his former life and embraced his new Master: Jesus. A few days after the magazine hit the street, an anonymous caller threatened, “Be careful, Darmani. We are watching you! Your life is in danger in this country if you write such stories.”

That was not the only time I have been threatened for pointing people to Christ. On one occasion a man told me to vanish with the tract I was giving him or else! In both cases, I cowered. But these were only verbal threats. Many Christians have had threats carried out against them. In some cases simply living a godly lifestyle attracts mistreatment from people.

The Lord told Jeremiah, “You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you” (Jer. 1:7), and Jesus told His disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Matt. 10:16). Yes, we may encounter threats, hardships, and even pain. But God assures us of His presence. “I am with you,” He told Jeremiah (Jer. 1:8), and Jesus assured His followers, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).

Whatever struggles we face in our attempt to live for the Lord, we can trust in the Lord’s presence. —Lawrence Darmani

Lord, we’re grateful that You are near to us in everything we face. Please protect Your people around the world.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

INSIGHT: The promise of God’s presence with His people is reiterated in a number of places; for example, Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:18-20; and John 15:1-17. And David also reminds us of God’s intimate knowledge of our lives (Ps. 139). God indeed does know us intimately and His promised presence is always with us. How does knowing this to be true encourage you today? J.R. Hudberg

 

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Joined to Christ

Leave a comment

“. . . That you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4).

No longer married to the law, the believer is now married to Jesus Christ.

Of the many New Testament metaphors used to describe the church, the most intimate is that of the bride of Christ. Paul describes that relationship in Ephesians 5:24-27: “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.”

By describing Christ as “Him who was raised from the dead,” Paul stresses the believer’s union with Jesus not only in His death but also in His resurrection (Rom. 6:4-5). Thus, our marriage bond with the living Savior will last forever.

The result of our union with Christ is “that we might bear fruit for God.” It is the goal of every believer’s life to glorify God by bearing fruit. There is no such thing as a Christian who bears no fruit, because the inevitable result of salvation is a transformed life. Jesus continues that process of transformation throughout our lives, continually pruning us so that we may produce even more fruit to His glory (John 15:1-2).

Spiritual fruit may be defined as any righteous act that glorifies God. It may consist of godly, Spirit-produced attitudes (Gal. 5:22-23), praise to God (Heb. 13:15), others led to Christ (Rom. 1:13), giving to those in need (Rom. 15:26-28), and righteous living (Phil. 1:11).What a great privilege is ours, to be eternally “one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17) with the Lord of Glory!

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray that God would enable you to do all things for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31).

For Further Study

Read the list of the fruit of the Spirit Paul gives in Galatians 5:22-23.

  • Using a concordance, Bible dictionary, or other reference tools, study each aspect of fruit listed.
  • Look for ways to implement into your daily life what you learn.

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Best Effort 

Leave a comment

She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.   Mark 14:8

God expects your best—nothing more, nothing less. Your best plus God’s best is a productive combination, but be careful  not to fall into the false belief that God will take care of everything without your effort or that you can take the stress of everything on your shoulders without inviting  God in. Neither is healthy nor right. He simply expects your best and He understands your limitations. Your stage of life, giftedness, experience, availability, and wisdom all determine your capacity. The capacities of others will be more or less than yours; so do not make them your standard. Instead, steward extremely well what God has given you.

There will always be opportunities, so consider each activity alongside your ability to give it your best. Do not commit under duress, knowing that your ability to deliver is sorely limited. Instead, have confidence in God to say no now in preparation for yes later. Your best will dwarf some other’s best, while it will look like a pygmy in the shadow of someone else’s best. One scenario of superiority leads to pride and the other of perceived underachievement leads to discouragement. Self-flagellation will not gain you points with God or people. They will replace respect for you with pity. On the other hand, do not become puffed up over your best. There is always another person who has done or will do better. Rest in the fact that you have glorified God and brought others into His intoxicating influence.

Your best mixed with God’s best is dynamic. Yes, you have limitations and you can only do what you can do but with God, all things are possible. He can arrange circumstances, relationships, and resources that intersect with your best. Suddenly, your best plus God’s best plus the best of others leverages outcomes you never dreamed possible. Your $1,000 given to teach abstinence to teens will yield one result, but that same gift combined with $100,000 will far exceed a one-hundredfold result.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Best Effort  →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Stay Expectant Every Day

Leave a comment

He [Jesus] said to them [the disciples], It is not for you to become acquainted with and know what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power. – Acts 1:7

He [Jesus] said to them [the disciples], It is not for you to become acquainted with and know what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power.

I always believe for things. I am goal-oriented and always need something to look forward to. Many years ago, I was letting what I thought was faith frustrate me. I attempted to use my faith to get what I wanted. When it did not arrive on time, I felt I had failed in the faith department or that some demon power was blocking my blessing.

Now, after almost twenty years of experience working closely with God, I know that I can and should use my faith, but God has an appointed time. In due time, (1 Peter 5:6), at the appointed time (Genesis 18:14), at the proper time (Galatians 4:4)—these are things the Bible says about God’s timing.

Jesus Himself made it clear that it is not for us to know what these times are. Remaining expectant every day, no matter how long it takes, is one of the things that will keep you and me flowing in joy. When a pregnant woman is waiting to deliver her child, people say that she is “expecting.”

I am sure most of us are expecting. I know I am expecting. There are things God has spoken to me—things He has placed in my heart—that I have not seen manifested yet. Some of them have been there as long as fifteen or sixteen years. Other things He spoke around the same time have come to pass. I used to be confused. Now, I am no longer confused, I am expecting. My time can come at any moment, any day—maybe today—and so can yours.

From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Can Be Found

Leave a comment

“And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, KJV).

Halfhearted efforts, I have found from personal experience, seldom bring success and victory. The difference between a successful person and a failure is that the successful person is always willing to do more than the unsuccessful person is willing to do.

In spiritual matters, in particular, this is true, as evidenced scores of times in the Word of God. This is one of the most expressive of those passages that major on this theme.

Another is: “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, KJV).

But one point needs to be made abundantly clear: This promise is not only to the unbeliever, though it is often taken that way. It applies equally to the believer, who may be searching after God for a variety of reasons.

The key word here, of course is heart. “As [a man] thinketh in his heart,so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). “Out of the abundance of the heartthe mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34, KJV).

What do you need from God today? Wisdom? Peace? Courage? Love? To find God in such a real way that you know He is meeting that need for you, you must really mean business with Him. Then He will indeed do business for you.

A doubter, or an unbeliever, reading this has a wonderful assurance: He can find God if he truly seeks Him with his whole heart.

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 29:10-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I’ll begin right at home by personally seeking God for myself with my whole heart,and I will remind others how God can be real to them.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Lord’s Supper

Leave a comment

Read: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Paul passes on to them and to us our Lord’s emphasis upon two remarkable symbols, the bread and the cup. Deliberately, after the Passover feast, Jesus took the bread, and when he had broken it, to make it available to all the disciples, he said to them, This is my body. Unfortunately some have taken that to mean that he was teaching that the bread becomes his body, but as you look at the story of the Upper Room, it is clear that he meant it in a symbolic sense. If it was literal, then there were two bodies of Christ present in the Upper Room, one in which he lived and by which he held the bread, and the bread itself. But clearly our Lord means this as a symbol. This represents my body which is for you.

Not broken for you, as some versions have it. That is not a very accurate rendering. It is not broken for us. The Scriptures tell us that not a bone of his body would be broken. Rather it is intended for us to live on; that is the symbolism. Thus when we gather and take the bread of the Lord’s Table, break it and pass it among ourselves, we are reminding ourselves that Jesus is our life: He is the One by whom we live. As Paul says, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me, (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

This is what the bread symbolizes — that he is to be our power by which we obey the demands of God, the Word of God, to love one another, to forgive one another, to be tender and merciful, kind and courteous to one another, to not return evil for evil but to pray for those who persecute us and mistrust us and misuse us. His life in us enables us to be what God asks us to be. We live by means of Christ.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Lord’s Supper →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Hope Through It All

Leave a comment

 

READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (v. 16)

We all grieve the sadness that many endings cause us to feel. We grieve the death of a loved one and feel the loneliness of life without their presence. We grieve what might have been if our dreams were not broken. We grieve the struggles of living in a fallen world tainted by sin.

Yet, 1 Thessalonians 4:13 reminds us that Christians do not grieve as those who have no hope. Christians have hope. We know Jesus died and rose again. We know Jesus is coming again and all things will be made new. We know how the story of Scripture ends, how Christ has been victorious, and how the power of his resurrection enables us to live for him every day.

Grieving is a necessary part of life. God enables us to grieve, weep, and feel sadness. First Thessalonians 4:13 does not say “do not grieve.” Rather, it reminds Christians not to grieve with hopelessness. There is hope through it all for believers! As the psalmist affirmed in Psalm 71:5, “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.” Don’t let go of the hope you have in Jesus.

PRAYER

“My hope is built on nothing less / than Jesus blood and righteousness; / I dare not trust the sweetest frame, / but wholly lean on Jesus name.” Christ my solid rock, thank you for that hope! Amen.

 

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Unchanging

Leave a comment

“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. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed…. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:5-6, 17)

With a heavy heart, Hillary stared out the window. Here it was already late October, and the leaves on the trees had not even changed color yet. But the grey sky outside matched her mood. She watched the swaying of the branches (still so full of green leaves) as a damp, cold wind blew through them. Hillary wished the leaves would just fall off. She also wished her tears would fall down, too. If only she could have a good cry, she thought maybe she would feel better.

But there wasn’t time for crying. Caroline – Hillary’s best friend and closest cousin – was all ready to move to China this week. Uncle Dave’s company was sending him and Aunt Britt and Caroline to Shanghai for two years, and Hillary was going to be left behind in plain, boring old Iowa – with only the teen-aged neighbors and the baby cousins to play with. Caroline had promised to write, but Hillary knew things would never be the same after they were gone.

“We know this is going to be especially tough for the two of you girls,” Uncle Dave had said to them. He gave Caroline and Hillary each a pretty jade ring that he and Aunt Britt had bought for them the last time they were visiting in China. “I want both of you to wear your rings every day,” he said. “When you look at them, I want you to remember that you have someone you love on the other side of the world thinking about you. Let your rings remind you to pray for each other every day.”

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Unchanging →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Falling into the Trap

Leave a comment

 

Today’s Scripture: John 14:13

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.”

I struggle with legalistic tendencies even though I know better. Several years ago I was scheduled to speak at a large church on the West Coast. Arriving about fifteen minutes before the Sunday morning service, I learned that one of the pastoral staff had died suddenly the day before. The staff and congregation were in a state of shock and grief.

Sizing up the situation, I realized the “challenge to discipleship” message I’d prepared was inappropriate. The congregation that day needed comfort and encouragement, not challenge. Knowing I needed a new message, I silently began to pray, asking God to bring to my mind something suitable for the occasion. Then I began to add up my merits and demerits for the day: had I had a quiet time that morning? Had I entertained any lustful thoughts or told any half-truths? I’d fallen into the performance trap.

I quickly recognized what I was doing. “Lord,” I said, “I don’t know the answer to those questions, but it doesn’t matter. I come to you today in the name of Jesus and, by his merit alone, ask for your help.” A verse of Scripture came to my mind and with it a brief outline for an appropriate message. I went to the pulpit and literally prepared the message as I spoke. God did answer prayer.

Why did God answer? Was it because I had a quiet time that morning or fulfilled other spiritual disciplines or hadn’t entertained any sinful thoughts that day? No, God answered my prayer for only one reason: Jesus Christ had already purchased that answer to prayer two thousand years ago on a roman cross. God answered on the basis of his grace alone, not because of my merits or demerits.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home