Monthly Archives: October 2016

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Will You Pout or Praise?

Leave a comment

Today’s Truth

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Acts 16:25

Friend to Friend

Trials can lead us to a greater dependency on God and a deeper trust in His sovereignty if we let them. I’m reminded that in every situation I come to a crossroad and have a choice: I can pout or I can praise. I can turn away from God because I don’t understand or I can turn toward God in full assurance that His understanding is enough for the both of us – even if it hurts – even if anger lingers – even if doubt looms.

Have you been to these crossroads?

God shows us a powerful example of praise-over-pout behavior in chapter sixteen of the book of Acts. During the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, he and his ministry buddy Silas encountered a collision of faith and trouble while in Philippi.

After Paul cast out a demon that was terrorizing a young slave girl, he and Silas were seized by disgruntled Roman citizens and dragged to the marketplace before the rulers. They were then wrongfully accused of public disruption. And later stripped, beaten, and unlawfully jailed without a trial. After the flogging, Paul and Silas were taken to the inner cell of the prison, normally reserved for the most dangerous offenders, and their feet were placed in stocks.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Will You Pout or Praise? →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – God’s Word Works

Leave a comment

“As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is My Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to, and prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

An angry student leader confronted me at the conclusion of my message to a student meeting at UCLA. “You have no right to impose your views on these students,” he exclaimed. “You will confuse them. They are easily influenced and might respond to some of your religious views which I totally reject.”

I learned that he was the Communist leader on the campus and did not believe in God or the Scriptures. I invited him to our home for dinner and as we ate, we talked about many things of a general nature, nothing controversial. After we had finished our dessert, I reached over and picked up my Bible and said that I would like to read something very important to him. He resisted, saying, “I don’t want to hear anything from the Bible. I don’t believe it. It is a ridiculous book filled with all kinds of myths, contradictions and exaggerations.”

I would have made similar statements during my years of agnosticism. Not because I knew such statements to be true, but because I was simply parroting what others had told me – I did not really know the facts.

I said, “If you don’t mind, I would like to read you something anyway,” and I turned to John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (KJV). I continued through the 14th verse. Then I turned to Colossians 1 and Hebrews 1, reading similar portions identifying Christ as the Creator, the visible expression of the invisible God. I concluded with 1 John 2:22,23.

As I read each passage, he asked if he could read for himself. The initial flash of anger soon turned to interest and then to acceptance and finally he was like a repentant child experiencing the love of the Father’s embrace. He surrendered all resistance. As he stood to leave that evening, I asked him to sign our guest book. He wrote his name, address and these words: “The night of decision.”

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:6-13

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will share a portion of God’s word with someone who does not know our Savior with the prayer that he, too, will come to know Him and experience with me the supernatural life which is our heritage in Christ.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Duty and Delight

Leave a comment

Read: 1 Corinthians 9:1-23

For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:16-18

What Paul is saying is that he has no sense of pride and achievement because he faithfully preached the gospel without charge. On the contrary, he really has no choice about preaching the gospel. I am compelled to preach. In other words, If I do not preach I am miserable. I have really no choice in this matter. I would much rather preach than experience what I know I am going to experience if I do not: the lash of my conscience, the sense of failure in what God has called me to do. I cannot live with that. Woe to me if I preach not the gospel. He says, If I do it willingly I gain a reward. If I accept this commission from God, and joyfully do what he tells me to do, it is to my great advantage. I enjoy it; but whether I like it or not, I have to do it.

There is nothing wrong with a sense of duty; the feeling that God has given you a job to do, and you have to do it whether you like it or not. Many of us are uneasy with that kind of motivation, but Paul felt it. He said, There is no choice for me in the matter of preaching. Whether I like it or not I have a commission to fulfill, and if I want my life to be worth anything at all, I had better do it.

But that is not why he does it without charge. He tells us the reason in verse 18: What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. He is saying that the thing that motivated him, the thing that drove him to work late hours at night making tents so he would earn a living and would not have to be supported by anybody in the church in Corinth, was the sheer delight it gave him to bless and enrich someone else without taking a penny in return. It was the joy of giving that Paul was experiencing.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Duty and Delight →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The End of a Dream

Leave a comment

Read: Job 1:1-22

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (v.21)

The opening lines of Job 1 portray a righteous man blessed by God. Job’s reverence for God led him to occasionally sacrifice an offering to God on behalf of his children in case they had sinner against God in their hearts. By the close of the chapter, Job sits with torn robe and shaved head, having experienced multiple losses. The abundance of oxen, donkeys, and sheep, and the lives of servants sons, and daughters were tragically gone. Imagine the future dreams and aspirations of Job that suddenly came to an end.

We experience the end of dreams, too. Our hopes and plans can be changed in an instant. Unfilled hopes can quickly lead to sorrow, depression, and pain. Hopes and dreams often motivate us to keep pressing on. When times are tough, we set goals and establish future hopes to pursue. In a fallen world, goals and future hopes are not always realized.

What then? Do you give up, curse God, fault yourself or others, live with bitterness? Somehow Job refrained from sin, refused to blame God, and fell to the ground in worship. HIs faith had the capacity to trust God even with endings that did not make sense. Many of his questions remained unanswered. Yet even as he grieved, he kept hoping and trusting in his Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer (Job 19:25).

Prayer:

Loving Lord, when my earthly dreams and hopes fall short, help me to trust in your divine and eternal plan for my life. Amen.

Author: Steve Petroelje

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – While We Wait

Leave a comment

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.—Matthew 25:14

Jesus told a story about a man who went on a journey and left his money with his servants. This was not an uncommon practice in those days. A wealthy man or king would have many servants in his household, from those who would do basic labor to those who would oversee the financial affairs of his home, even managing his business. In many cases, some of the man’s slaves would be better educated and skilled than he was.

Highly trusted slaves had a virtual free hand within prescribed areas of responsibility while the owner was at home. And when the owner would go on a journey, he would leave full authority in the hands of these key servants who would have the ancient equivalent of a power of attorney.

Jesus said the man “gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities” (Matthew 25:15).

Jesus is like that wealthy man who went on a journey, and we are the servants in which He has made an investment. This story, like so many in the Scriptures, reminds us to take advantage of opportunity while it is available. Ecclesiastes says, “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. . . . Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both” (11:1, 6).

The emphasis of this parable is to be productive with your life. Be productive with your time. Seize the opportunities that God has given. We are to take what He has given us and use it for His glory while we await His return.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Gives Mercy Because God Is God

Leave a comment

“And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” (Joshua 2:11-13)

Rahab was a sinner saved by God’s grace. She had been a godless woman living in a godless city, Jericho. One day, two spies from the children of Israel came to see Rahab’s city, because their leader Joshua had told them to. God was going to help the children of Israel fight and take over the whole city of Jericho.

Of all the houses the spies could have visited, they visited Rahab’s. Rahab had a bad reputation. She had done many bad things, and she was a low woman in her city. But Rahab took the spies in and protected them from the leaders of Jericho who came searching for them. She helped the spies, showing them kindness, and gave them guidance for how to escape. Do you know why?

All the people of Jericho had heard about the children of Israel and what their God had done for them. They had heard about how God opened up a dry path through the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross in safety, and then how the Egyptian army was drowned when they followed them and God brought down the waters on them. The people of Jericho had also heard about how God fought with the Israelites. And the people of Jericho were scared that they would be next.

Was Rahab like the rest of her people? Was she scared of the children of Israel and their God? Yes! So why did she show kindness to Israelite spies? Rahab was not just scared of God. She believed in Him. She believed that the God of the Israelites was the one true God, everywhere and over all.

Rahab believed God, and she feared Him. But in spite of her fear, she had the faith to ask for goodness and mercy and deliverance from death. Based on what she knew of the Israelites’ God, based on all that He had already done, she asked for mercy for herself and her family. The Israelite spies agreed. They promised that when they came to take over Jericho, they would protect anyone who was in her house.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Gives Mercy Because God Is God →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – On a Good Day

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Matthew 5:48

“Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Consider what you would probably call a “good” day spiritually—when your spiritual disciplines are all in place and you’re reasonably satisfied with your Christian performance. Have you thereby earned God’s blessing that day? Will God be pleased to bless you because you’ve been good? You’re probably thinking, “Well, when you put it like that, the answer’s no.” But doesn’t God only work through clean vessels? Yet how good do you have to be to be “clean”? How good is good enough?

When a Pharisee asked Jesus which of the law’s commandments was the greatest, he replied, “?ove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. and the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39, NIV).

Using that as a standard, how good has your good day been? Have you perfectly kept those two commandments? If not, does God grade on a curve? Is 90 percent a passing grade with God? We know the answers to those questions, don’t we? We know that Jesus said, “you therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). And we remember that James wrote, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10, NIV).

Regardless of our performance, we’re always dependent on God’s grace, his undeserved favor to those who deserve his wrath. Some days we may be more acutely conscious of our sinfulness and our need of his grace, but there’s never a day when we can stand before him on our own two feet of performance and be worthy enough to deserve his blessing.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Power Without End

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Exodus 9:13-16

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

A family I know was just about to leave the house to go to church when all the lights went out–the city was experiencing a power failure. No problem, they thought. When we come back from church it will be restored. Then it occurred to them they couldn’t leave–they had an automatic garage door that opened on electricity. So there they stood, thwarted by a power failure.

An electrical power failure causes problems every which way you turn. The same is true of a power failure within our lives. But unlike a failing electricity source, the Bible is very clear that there’s always an abundance of power available to see us through even the most trying and difficult circumstances.

For the Christian, the source of power is God, and God never runs out of power or fails in anything. If that’s true, how can there ever be a spiritual power failure in a believer’s life? The problem arises when we get cut off from the power supply. And one of the primary means by which God transmits His mighty power to His people is through His Word. The Word of God is food that sustains and empowers our soul and spirit.

The apostle Paul spoke of being nourished upon the words of faith. How goes it with you? Are you making time each day to nourish your soul on the Word of God? Don’t let a power failure happen in your life.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your life-giving Word. Amen.

To Ponder

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Christians and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement: Defying Tyranny

Leave a comment

In early October, Joshua Wong, a 20-year-old student from Hong Kong, flew to Thailand to meet with fellow students in that country. No sooner had he gotten off the plane than he was detained by Thai officials, who were eager to curry Beijing’s favor, and then deported back to Hong Kong.

It’s not the first time something like this has happened to Wong. As the South China Morning Post put it, Wong “has a habit of visiting countries that deny him entry.”

What makes Wong such a persona non grata? Simply put, he’s a Christian who’s willing to stand up for freedom—and that makes the Chinese communist government in Beijing very nervous.

To understand why, a short history lesson is in order. When Great Britain ceded Hong Kong back to China in 1997, the agreement stated that the principle dubbed “One Country, Two Systems” would govern relations between Hong Kong and mainland China for the next 50 years.

Under this principle, Hong Kong’s domestic affairs would be governed by the systems it inherited from Britain. This included freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and, eventually, free elections.

This kind of autonomy made Hong Kong a free, prosperous, and democratic example for the rest of China to compare its lot to, and the Communist Party knew it. Thus, less than 20 years into the agreed-upon 50 years, China began to try and undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy by attempting to “pre-screen” candidates in Hong Kong’s upcoming elections.

In response, hundreds of thousands of students, in what came to be known as the “Umbrella Movement” because of the use of umbrellas against the tear gas canisters used by police, shut down large parts of the city for the better part of three months.

And that brings me back to Joshua Wong. As the Wall Street Journal reported, while the protests were about democracy there was “an undercurrent of another, much older tension: Between Christianity and Communist China.”

Continue reading BreakPoint – Christians and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement: Defying Tyranny →

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – HUMILITY BEFORE GOD

Leave a comment

Read 1 PETER 5:6–9

Kanika grew up in a devout Hindu home in Delhi, India. When she became a Christian at the age of 20, her daily life became filled with struggles: Kanika wanted to attend a Christian church, but her parents insisted that she join the family at the Hindu temple. When they found her Bible and prayer journal, they threw them out. She wants to marry a fellow believer, but her parents plan to arrange a marriage with another Hindu in their caste.

Like millions of Christians around the world, Kanika faces constant decisions about how to follow Jesus in a society and home that oppose her faith. Though not physically oppressed, the struggle of resisting her parents and friends day after day can be exhausting, and sometimes she thinks it would be easier to just give in.

Peter’s first readers of this letter knew exactly what Kanika is experiencing, and these verses were written to renew their focus on God and refresh their spirits for the ongoing spiritual battle. Humility in our relationships, as we’ve explored throughout this book of 1 Peter, ultimately derives from our humility before God. He is God, and we are not. He cares for us, and knows the end of our story. He is mighty to save us when we cannot save ourselves.

In contrast to our strong and loving God is the devil, who wants to destroy the lives and witness of believers (v.8). Peter notes that standing strong in the face of these attacks of spiritual warfare requires an active resistance; we cannot be passive in the face of our spiritual enemy. How do we resist the temptation to abandon faith? By keeping our perspective on God’s promise to deliver us in His time, and by embracing the fellowship of other Christians to encourage and sustain us.

APPLY THE WORD

If you are blessed with loved ones who support your desire to live for Christ, commit to praying for your fellow Christians who face the temptation to abandon faith because of persecution. If you don’t have a Christian community to support you, look for small group or prayer partner to encourage you to stand strong for the Lord.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – DO YOU WISH A GIANT METEOR WOULD DESTROY THE EARTH?

Leave a comment

Nearly one in four young Americans would rather have a giant meteor destroy the Earth than see Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the White House. In addition, 26 percent of millennials would prefer a random lottery over the two candidates.

It’s been a tough week leading up to tonight’s final presidential debate.

The local Republican headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina made national headlines when a firebomb was thrown through its front window last Sunday. Later that day, comedian Amy Schumer was performing in Tampa, Florida when she began slamming Donald Trump. Some two hundred people walked out. Yesterday a terrible caricatured statue of Hillary Clinton was displayed in lower Manhattan, causing a furor on social media.

For many, the election can’t get here soon enough. According to the American Psychological Association, more than half of America’s adults say the election has been a large or significant source of stress for them.

So-called “Election Stress Disorder” is just part of the larger picture. Nearly three out of four adults report feeling stressed about money at least some of the time. Eighty percent of workplace accidents and doctor visits are attributed to stress.

Stress contributes to headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. It is a linked to some cancers and costs American industry more than $300 billion each year.

How should we respond?

Continue reading Denison Forum – DO YOU WISH A GIANT METEOR WOULD DESTROY THE EARTH? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – A Real Enemy

Leave a comment

 

1 Peter 5:8-10

Let’s play a little game. Imagine that you’re a soldier during wartime. You’ve made it through basic training, mastered the weapons of war, memorized all the relevant warfare strategies, and are heading to battle.

You’ve seen the war in news headlines. Friends of yours have already been deployed. And now that you’re on the front lines, you witness explosions and desolation all around you. Without a doubt, you know that there is an enemy out to destroy you.

Now, imagine a fellow soldier coming to you and saying, “I really don’t believe there’s an enemy out there. I think it’s a myth, or maybe just a metaphor for evil. It isn’t real.”

How ridiculous! Right there in the midst of combat, with fallen comrades and used ammunition littering the battlefield, how could an intelligent person ever fail to acknowledge the presence of the enemy? It is unthinkable.

And yet, this exact situation is taking place in churches all around the world. Despite the evidence of war and regardless of the overtly personal and custom-made nature of the attacks, an astounding number of Christians simply do not believe in the existence of Satan. This is a tragic mistake.

My friend, there is a very real enemy stalking you right now, waiting for the opportunity to destroy you completely. If you want to grow and experience maturity in the Christian life, then you must take this battle seriously.

Are you prepared today? Put on your spiritual armor, and follow the Lord into battle. He’ll be by your side.

Bible in One Year: Mark 13-14

 

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — From the Heart

Leave a comment

Read: Joel 2:12-17

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 53-55; 2 Thessalonians 1

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate.—Joel 2:13

In many cultures, loud weeping, wailing, and the tearing of clothing are accepted ways of lamenting personal sorrow or a great national calamity. For the people of Old Testament Israel, similar outward actions expressed deep mourning and repentance for turning away from the Lord.

An outward demonstration of repentance can be a powerful process when it comes from our heart. But without a sincere inward response to God, we may simply be going through the motions, even in our communities of faith.

After a plague of locusts devastated the land of Judah, God, through the prophet Joel, called the people to sincere repentance to avoid His further judgment. “ ‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning’ ” (Joel 2:12).

Then Joel called for a response from deep inside: “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (v. 13). True repentance comes from the heart.

The Lord longs for us to confess our sins to Him and receive His forgiveness so we can love and serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Whatever you need to tell the Lord today, just say it—from the heart. —David McCasland

Lord, please give me a heart of repentance to see myself as You do. Give me the grace to respond to Your merciful call for change.

God wants to hear your heart.

INSIGHT: In today’s reading we find remarkable insights on the theme of repentance. Key phrases punctuate this exhortation. “Even now” (Joel 2:12): Despite a pattern of disobedience that has merited the righteous judgment of God, He extends grace to a repentant heart. “Return to me with all your heart” (v. 12): The repentance God is calling for is not lukewarm but rather a full commitment of the heart. “Declare a holy fast” (vv. 15-17): The act of fasting does not carry a meritorious element but is a means of self-denial and sets the foundation for turning from selfishness to God. In the spiritual life of Israel both a national and individual repentance were keenly related. Dennis Fisher

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – God in the Pews

Leave a comment

Why isn’t God more obvious? This question is often asked in many ways and in many contexts, by people of all levels of faith. When prayers go unanswered, why is God silent? When suffering or tragedy strikes, why would God allow this to happen? Why wouldn’t God want more people to know God’s good news? When all the “evidence” seems to counter the biblical narrative, why doesn’t God just give the world a sign? If God was revealed through many wondrous signs and miracles throughout the Bible, why doesn’t God act that way today? All of these examples get at the same issue: the seeming “hiddenness” of God.

Atheist Bertrand Russell was once asked what he would say if after death he met God. Russell replied that he would say: “God, you gave us insufficient evidence.”(1) While many who have found God quite evident would balk at Russell’s audacity, a similar struggle ensued between the psalmist and his hidden God. “Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Indeed, the psalmist accuses God of being asleep in these plaintive cries: “Arouse, yourself, why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, and do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?”(2)

In fact, belief in a God who can be easily found, a God who has acted in time and space, makes the hiddenness of God all the more poignant and perplexing. Theologians have offered many explanations for God’s hiddenness: because God seeks to grow our faith, because our sins and disobedience hide us from God and keep us from seeing God properly, or because God loves us and knows how much and how often we need to “find” God. If we are honest, we are just as likely to hide ourselves from God just as the first humans did in the Garden when God sought after them. Even so we cry out just like Job did and wonder why God stays hidden away in unanswered prayers and difficult circumstances: “Why do you hide your face, and consider me the enemy?”

The hiddenness of God is problematic for theists and atheists alike. And Christians often take for granted the narrative of Scripture which gives witness to God’s revelation. We have the benefit of a book full of God’s speech. God speaks in the wonder and mystery of creation; God speaks through the history of the nation of Israel; God speaks through the very Word of God incarnate, Jesus Christ. His life reveals the exact nature of God, and places God’s glory on full display.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – God in the Pews →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Liberty or License?

Leave a comment

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:15-16).

Freedom from sin does not mean freedom to sin.

From Paul’s day until now, the gospel of grace has been accused of providing license to sin. If salvation is the gift of God’s grace, legalists argue, wholly apart from human works, what will motivate people to lead holy lives? In the face of such opposition, Paul never gave an inch on the vital issue of salvation by grace—and neither can we. The Bible teaches a salvation that is entirely by God’s free grace through faith and in which human works play no part.

But there is a second way in which the doctrine of salvation by grace may be perverted. Fulfilling the legalists’ fears, some believe that since God’s grace covers all their sins, they can live as they choose. In today’s passage Paul addresses that error.

The very thought of a Christian living in persistent, habitual sin horrified Paul. To the hypothetical question “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Paul responded emphatically, “May it never be!” As in verse 2, the apostle used the strongest form of negation in the Greek language. In our English vernacular, Paul was saying “Ridiculous! Impossible! No way!” He went on to point out the self-evident truth that no one can serve two masters. Everyone is either a servant of sin or a servant of God; there is no third option. And the one to whom people habitually yield their obedience is their real master, no matter what they may claim.

Don’t be deceived by those who claim that since Christians are forgiven, they can therefore sin at will. Such people know nothing of God’s grace, which, far from giving us license to sin, “instruct[s] us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12).

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for His grace, which is always greater than your sin (Rom. 5:20).

For Further Study

Read Joshua 24:14-27; Matthew 4:8-11; and 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9. Spend some time in prayer, asking God to help you renew your commitment to serve Him.

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – How to Deal with Relational Conflict

Leave a comment

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Matthew 5:9

When I was an elementary school teacher, one of my coworkers received red roses. I asked, “Oooh—who sent you the beautiful flowers?” She sighed. “They’re from my ex-husband. He cheated on me, and I divorced him two years ago. Now he feels bad about what happened, so every Friday for the last two years he’s sent me a dozen red roses.” Disdain filled her eyes.

I was sad for my co-worker, but also for her ex-husband. He had been deceived into sin and I wondered if he hadn’t received Christ’s forgiveness. Perhaps he thought that only his ex-wife’s forgiveness could set him free from his guilt. Romans 12:18 says. . .

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Have you ever had a time when you have sought forgiveness or reconciliation from someone to no avail? There will be times in all of our lives when, even though we have done our “as far as it depends on you” and followed biblical guidelines for peacemaking, that all the roses in the world won’t help. No doubt this can be difficult. When this happens, we must remember our relational knots may stay tangled. You may never understand what happened in your relationship. If the other person left, you may never know why they walked away. But you can experience freedom in your heart, when you are obedient to Christ by following Romans 12:18. You can be at peace with yourself, even if the other party isn’t at peace with you. Restoration can happen in your heart, even if the relationship isn’t what it once was.

Remember Christ doesn’t measure success in results, but in terms of faithful obedience. I encourage you to make it your goal to please Him when you have relational conflict.

Prayer: Lord, please help me to follow your plan for my relationships. When the times come that others don’t want to reconcile or make peace, help me to always do my part and follow your Word. Amen.

Application: Is there someone you need to try to make peace with today? If so, take a first step to do so.

Related Readings: Romans 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; Galatians 5:22

By Shana Schutte

 

Home

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Hoping Versus Knowing

Leave a comment

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Recommended Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:24

A young girl finishes swim practice at 8:00 p.m. on a dark, winter’s night. Standing in front of the swim club building, she waits for her father who has promised to pick her up by 8:15. By the time all other parents, children, and cars have departed, she stands alone, still waiting. An hour later, she sees her father’s car approaching. After explaining he had to change a flat tire, she says, “That’s okay; I knew you’d come.”

That young girl waited without wavering. There is a difference between waiting while hoping a promise will be kept and waiting while knowing a promise will be kept. Waiting while knowing leads to waiting without wavering. A child learns by experience that a parent is trustworthy. And Christians learn about God’s faithfulness the same way. The difference is thousands of years of experience versus a few years. The Bible is a record of God’s faithfulness to His people over millennia.

If you are waiting on God, wait without wavering. He is never late; He always keeps His promises; He is always true to His Word.

The promises of God are nothing more than God’s covenant to be faithful to His people. It is His character that makes these promises valid.

Jerry Bridges

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Mark 12 – 13

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Shake It Off

Leave a comment

Let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight)…and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us- Hebrews 12:1

One of my favorite stories is about a farmer’s donkey that fell into a dry well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do for his poor donkey. Finally, he concluded that the well was too deep, and it really needed to be covered up anyway. Besides, the donkey was old, and it would be a lot of trouble to get him out of the pit. The farmer decided that it was not worth trying to retrieve the animal, so he asked his neighbors to help him fill in the well and bury the donkey.

They all grabbed shovels and began to toss dirt into the well. The donkey immediately realized what was happening, and he began to bray horribly. Crying would be our normal response if somebody was mistreating us this badly, so this donkey was responding the same way we would at first, but then he got real quiet. A few shovel loads of dirt later, the farmer looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit the donkey’s back, the donkey would shake it off and step on top of it.

As the neighbors and the farmer continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon the donkey shook off the last shovel full of dirt, took a step up, and walked right out of the well. We can learn from this story. When trouble comes, if we will get still and listen, God will tell us what to do. By the grace and mercy of God, I was able to shake off a lot of things in my life, a lot of hurt feelings, a lot of mistreatment, a lot of abuse, a lot of unfair, unjust, unkind things. Just like the donkey, in order to keep pressing on and have victory in our lives, we are going to have to learn to shake off the troubles that come our way.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Possession Obsession

Leave a comment

Today’s Truth

Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’

Luke 12:14-15

Friend to Friend

Oh, it starts innocently enough.

It’s that small (or not so small) obsession with shoes. A little time on Zappos.com never hurt anyone.

Or the collection of books that seems to be growing by the nightstand (because Amazon 1-click makes it just that easy…)

It’s that drawer of gadgets, full of tools that will save you oh-so-much time in the kitchen or at work.

I’ve been there so many times – when I’ve been buying too much. More than I need or could really even use. Amazon becomes dangerous. Going to the mall becomes a mind battle. And don’t even get me started on darkening the doors of a Barnes & Noble. I’ve caught myself too many times in the grips of wanting to have All. The. Things.

This is a familiar place for me. I didn’t recognize it when it all first started to happen, but now I understand the signs: when I feel like I’m not enough, when I feel like I don’t have enough.

And that’s when I truly understand that all the forms of greed: buying too many possessions, not wanting to share with others, not giving money to the poor, are warnings – not just because they hurt others – but because they are truly outward indicators of an inward problem.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Possession Obsession →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – His Life in Us

Leave a comment

“Jesus said, ‘I will only reveal Myself to those who love Me and obey Me. The Father will love them too, and We will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn’t obey Me doesn’t love Me” (John 14:23,24).

Millions of Christians throughout the world profess their love for Christ each week by attending church services, singing songs, studying their Bibles, attending prayer meetings, etc. Yet, all the talk in the world will never convince anyone that you or I truly love the Lord unless we obey His commandments.

How can we know His commandments unless we study His word? When we study His Word, how can we comprehend what He is saying unless the Holy Spirit illumines our minds and teaches us? It is God the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing for His holy Word through holy men. He alone can help us understand the true meaning of the Scripture and enable us to obey His commands.

Thus, the reality of Christ abiding in us is made possible through a supernatural enabling of the Holy Spirit who came to glorify Christ and through whose indwelling presence the Lord Jesus will reveal Himself to us.

Is Jesus Christ a reality in your life? If not, it is quite likely that you are not demonstrating your love for Him by studying His Word and obeying His commandments.

Bible Reading: John 14:15-22

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: With the help of the Holy Spirit who enable me to live the supernatural life, I will endeavor to demonstrate my love for Christ by studying His word and obeying His commandments.

 

http://www.cru.org