Daily Archives: December 27, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –The Reasons for Rebellion

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Psalm 107:16-21

Followers of Christ can get caught in the trap of trying to justify their wrongs. But when we dispense with all the creative excuses, everything can be boiled down to four reasons for rebellion:

  • I refuse to do what God commands. There are obvious ways to ignore God’s laws, such as committing murder. But more often the subtle, private methods of disobeying become obstacles in our path. These might include harboring unforgiveness or ignoring pleas for help.
  • I pursue what is forbidden. The Lord has declared certain things off limits. (See Rom. 1:28-32; Gal. 5:19-21.) He doesn’t desire to ruin our pleasure, but He does know that some actions can have devastating consequences.
  • I pursue something God allows, but in a forbidden manner. We have a lot of freedom in the Christian life—wealth, success, and relationships are all available to us. But believers are not at liberty to achieve goals through theft, deceit, injustice, or the like.
  • I pursue what God allows, but in my own timing. Impatience is oftentimes the reason people end up in debt or bad relationships. We decide to go after something before getting clear guidance from God.

Whenever you are faced with a decision, ask yourself this question: What is the wisest thing for me to do? Then stop, ask the Lord for direction, and wait until He answers. When we are doing the will of God, we never have to make excuses.

Bible in One Year: Revelation 1-4

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread –The Power of Simple Words

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Read: 2 Peter 1:12–21

Bible in a Year: Zechariah 1–4; Revelation 18

We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.—2 Peter 1:16

Raucous laughter marked the guests in my father’s hospital room: Two old truck drivers, one former country/western singer, one craftsman, two women from neighboring farms, and me.

“…and then he got up and busted the bottle over my head,” the craftsman said, finishing his story about a bar fight.

The room bursts into laughter at this now-humorous memory. Dad, struggling for breath as his laughing fought with his cancer for the air in his lungs, puffs out a reminder to everybody that “Randy is a preacher” so they need to watch what they say. Everything got quiet for about two seconds, then the whole room exploded as this news makes them laugh harder and louder.

Suddenly, about forty minutes into this visit, the craftsman clears his throat, turns to my dad, and gets serious. “No more drinking and bar fights for me, Howard. Those days are behind me. Now I have a different reason to live. I want to tell you about my Savior.”

He then proceeded to do just that, over my father’s surprisingly mild protests. If there’s a sweeter, gentler way to present the gospel message, I’ve never heard it.

My dad listened and watched, and some years later believed in Jesus too.

It was a simple testimony from an old friend living a simple life, reminding me again that simple isn’t naïve or stupid; it’s direct and unpretentious.

Just like Jesus. And salvation. —Randy Kilgore

Go and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:19

INSIGHT: Nothing hits home for people like a straightforward, unembroidered recounting of personal testimony about how Christ has changed our lives. The blind man of John 9:25 blurted out, “One thing I know. I was blind but now I see.” His healing was unarguable. There is nothing quite like the unadorned truth of testimony—“Tell it like it is.” Jim Townsend

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Twelve Days of Christmas

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The floor contains the remnants of torn wrappings, boxes, and bows. The stockings hang lifeless from the mantel, empty of all their contents. Leftovers are all that are left of holiday feasting. Wallets are empty and feelings of buyer’s remorse begin to descend and suffocate. For many, the days following Christmas begin the season of let down.

It’s not a surprise really. For many in the West, the entire focus of the Christmas season is on gift-giving, holiday parties, and family gatherings, all of which are fine in and of themselves. But these things often become the centerpiece of the season. Marketers and advertisers ensure that this is so and prime the buying-pump with ads and sales for Christmas shopping long before December. Once November ends, the rush for consumers is on, and multitudinous festivities lead to a near fever pitch of consumption.

And then, very suddenly, it is all over.

In an ironic twist of history, Christmas day became the end point, the full-stop of the Christmas season. But in the ancient Christian tradition, Christmas Day was only the beginning of the Christmas season. The oft sung Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, was not simply a song sung, but a lived reality of the Christmas celebration.(1) In the traditional celebrations, the somber anticipation of Advent—waiting for God to act—flowed into the celebration of the Incarnation that began on Christmas Day and culminated on “twelfth night” the feast of Epiphany.

For twelve days following Christmas, Christians celebrated the “Word made flesh” dwelling among them. The ancient feasts that followed Christmas day all focused on the mystery of the Incarnation worked out in the life of the believers. Martyrs, evangelists, and ordinary people living out the call of faith are all celebrated during these twelve days.

Far from being simply an alternative to the way in which Christmas is currently celebrated or an antidote to post-Christmas ‘let down’ understanding the early history and traditions of Christian celebrations can reunite us with the true focal point of the Christmas season. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld his glory…and of his fullness have we all received, and grace for grace.”(2) Far more than giving gifts or holiday feasts, the joy of Christmas is that God came near to us in Jesus Christ. The Incarnation affirms that matter matters as God descends to us and adopts a dwelling made of human flesh. Far from a let down, we have the opportunity to be lifted up and united to God through Jesus Christ in the living out of our daily lives—long after the presents are opened and the tree is taken down.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Twelve Days of Christmas →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Powerful Prayer

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The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. —James 5:16

For prayer to be effective it must be fervent. However, if we misunderstand the word fervent, we may feel that we have to “work up” some strong emotion before we pray; otherwise, our prayers will not be effective. At times I experience a great deal of emotion while at prayer, sometimes I even cry. But there are plenty of times when I don’t feel emotional and don’t cry. I am sincere in my praying, but I don’t feel anything out of the ordinary. We can’t base the value of our prayers on feelings. I remember enjoying so much those prayer times when I could feel God’s presence, and then wondering what was wrong during the times when I didn’t feel anything. I learned after a while that faith is not based on feelings in the emotions, but on knowledge in the heart.

Also, James 5:16 states that the fervent prayer of a “righteous” man is powerful. This means a man who is not under condemnation—one who has confidence in God and in the power of prayer. It does not mean a man without any imperfection in his life.

The book of James goes on to talk about Elijah. Elijah was a powerful man of God who did not always behave perfectly, but he still prayed powerful prayers. He loved God and wanted to know His will and fulfill His call upon his life. But sometimes he gave in to human weaknesses and tried to avoid the consequences of that will and calling. In many ways, Elijah was a lot like you and me. In 1 Kings 18, we see him moving in tremendous power, calling down fire from heaven and slaying 450 prophets of Baal at God’s command. Then immediately afterwards, in 1 Kings 19, we see him fearfully running from Jezebel, becoming negative and depressed, and even wanting to die. Like many of us, Elijah let his emotions get the upper hand.

The fact that James instructs us to pray powerful effective prayers like the righteous men and women of God—and then gives a discourse on Elijah and how he was a human being just like us, and yet prayed powerful prayers—should give us enough “scriptural power” to defeat condemnation when it rises up to tell us we cannot pray powerfully because of our weaknesses and faults.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Mighty Things Through Faith

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“And so [Jesus] did only a few great miracles there, because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:58).

It was my first visit to Nazareth, and through a series of fortuitous circumstances, I found myself enjoying lunch with one of the city’s prominent leaders. As we talked together in the crowded dining room our conversation turned to Jesus Christ, and ultimately this gentleman bowed his head and began to pray aloud, inviting Christ to be his Savior and Lord.

The change seemed to be immediate and dramatic, and follow-up has proven that God did meet him and change his life. During the course of our conversation, he indicated that what I had shared with him was a new truth. Though he was religious and active in his church, he never had been told that he should receive Christ.

Upon further exploration, I found that, in the entire community of Nazareth, there were but a few in those days who understood the truth of the living Christ indwelling the believer. I was amazed!

Nazareth was the town in which our Lord had spent approximately thirty years of His life. The son of a carpenter, He had walked those winding streets, living, loving and laughing with other young children as they were growing up. He left the town when He entered His public ministry, and went on to perform mighty miracles, die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead – and He changed the whole course of history. But 2,000 years have passed since then, and there is still little evidence of the influence of Jesus in the lives of the people of Nazareth.

Then I remembered that it was said of our Lord, He could do no mighty things in Nazareth because of their unbelief. That seems to be true in more than just that city today. Even though there are a billion and a half professing followers of Christ throughout the world, the majority seem to be practical atheists.

And so, our Lord cannot do mighty things in Nazareth, or throughout the world, because of unbelief. The key to releasing His power to accomplish revolutionary, supernatural things in the world – and in individual lives – is faith. “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29, KJV). “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23, KJV). “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17, KJV).

Bible Reading: Mark 6:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Remembering that Jesus Christ lives within me in all of His supernatural power, waiting to accomplish great and mighty things through me, I will trust and obey Him for a life that is characterized by the supernatural, and I will encourage others to do the same.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God’s Never Failing Love

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God will not let you go. The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you! He tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, or flee his thoughts.

You need not win his love. You already have it. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him; he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and has reached his verdict: he loves you still! No discovery will disillusion him. No rebellion will dissuade him. He loves you with an everlasting love. God’s love—never failing. Never ending.

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

 

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Why I disagree with President Obama on Israel

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On December 23, 2016, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2334, which calls on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” The US chose to abstain, allowing the resolution to become international law.

Why is this resolution so important to Israel, the US, and the world? As a frequent traveler to Israel and the Middle East, this development is especially personal for me. Let’s survey the basic facts, then I’ll offer my view on this vital issue.

What are the “settlements”?

The “West Bank” refers to an area slightly larger than Delaware situated on the western bank of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. According to the CIA, it is home to 2.7 million Palestinians. Along with the Gaza Strip (an area along the Mediterranean coast), it is land Palestinians intend for their future state.

Israel captured the area during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980–81, Israel annexed East Jerusalem as well. Some 630,000 Israelis now live in 123 government-authorized settlements and about 100 unauthorized outposts in the West Bank and twelve major neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. Israel views these settlements as security measures to protect its people.

However, many nations consider the settlements illegal. They are also seen as a major impediment to the “two-state solution” whereby Palestine would become an independent state alongside Israel. Critics claim that Israel is stealing land Palestine needs for its state.

Israel has offered to give Palestinians land equivalent in size and value to the areas used for its security settlements. But many living on land that would be ceded to Palestine are opposed to such an arrangement, and Palestinian leaders continue to insist on borders determined in 1967.

Why is this vote so significant? Continue reading Denison Forum – Why I disagree with President Obama on Israel →