Daily Archives: December 31, 2016

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –Ending Well

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Luke 12:15-21

In today’s passage, we read about a rich man who made poor use of his days. Incorrectly assuming that his life would last for many years, he not only left God out of his plans but also allowed materialism to guide him.

Paul, on the other hand, knew his time was short and made the most of His remaining days on earth. For one thing, his priority was to care for others as long as possible. His letters from prison illustrate this: Despite knowing he would soon face death, Paul devoted his time and energy to instructing fellow believers and praying for them.

The apostle also recognized the value of time spent encouraging Christians to do everything as if for the Lord (Col. 3:23). This is important even when one’s task seems unrelated to the church. Our Father’s work isn’t just for missionaries and pastors; He calls all His children to different fields and assignments.

Paul also knew that the Christian life encompasses struggles. And he was realistic about acknowledging his own imperfections (Rom. 7:5-25). This meant that to make the best use of his time, he needed to persevere, remember God’s promises, and rely on divine power for victory. Indeed, at the end of his life, Paul was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

Life is a gift. Every one of us has a limited number of days on this earth. How will you utilize your time so you can look back and, like Paul, confidently say that you ended well?

Bible in One Year: Revelation 18-22

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Now Is the Day

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Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18–6:2

Bible in a Year: Malachi 1–4; Revelation 22

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.—2 Corinthians 6:2

Our preschool-age granddaughter Maggie and her kindergarten-age sister Katie hauled several blankets to the backyard, where they proceeded to build a blanket tent in which to play. They had been outside a while when their mom heard Maggie call for her.

“Mom, come here quick!” Maggie yelled. “I want to ask Jesus into my heart, and I need your help!” Apparently at that moment her need for Jesus became clear to her, and she was ready to put her faith in Him.

Maggie’s urgent call for help in trusting Jesus brings to mind Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6 about salvation. He was discussing the reality that Jesus Christ’s coming—including His death and resurrection—instituted an era he called “the time of God’s favor.” We live in that time, and salvation is available to all right now. He said, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (v. 2). For all who have not yet trusted Jesus for forgiveness, the time to do so is now. It is urgent.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit has alerted you to your need to put your trust in Jesus. Like Maggie, don’t put it off. Run to Jesus. Now is the day! —Dave Branon

Heavenly Father, I now understand my need to have my sins forgiven. I also realize that only Jesus—because of His sacrifice on the cross—can forgive my sin. I put my faith and trust in Jesus today. Please forgive me and become the Lord of my life.

There’s no better day than today to enter into God’s family.

INSIGHT: Second Corinthians 5:20 provides a marvelous description of our role as believers in the world: ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is a representative sent to a foreign country. When we share the good news that Christ paid the penalty for sin, we are doing the work of God’s ambassadors. The redemptive work of Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection has provided the means by which human beings—who are spiritually separated from God—can be brought back into a relationship with their Creator. As ambassadors we share God’s promise of a new citizenship in heaven for all who will repent and believe the gospel. Dennis Fisher

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A New Year with New Hope

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Before I begin my thoughts for the year ahead, on behalf of our entire team based in fifteen countries, may I first thank all who have stood with us through 2016. I pray that our partnership continues and grows. We need you to stand with us. Because of your help, we have had our best year. I wish you a blessed year ahead.

I was intrigued by the comment made by a leading voice in the present administration, discussing the political changes ahead for the nation following the election in November: “Now we know how the loss of hope feels.” Fascinating, considering that the slogan for the past eight years has been “Hope and Change.” What is more, I well recall those who lost the election eight years ago echoing the same dismay.

These are deep sentiments because the loss of hope can easily become a breeding ground for cynicism and apathy on the one hand, or anger and violence on the other. Where morals are relative, hate and violence become alluring absolutes. That is why hope is that necessary posture of the mind to even move forward against all odds.

I recall seeing a painting years ago of a dilapidated violin with broken strings titled, “Hope.” How was such a title given to a worthless instrument? One had to look closely to see that one string still held firmly taut. In the hands of a maestro, even one string gives hope for a melody.

So I ask, how does a thoughtful person describe the present as bereft of hope? There are two possible answers: the first is what I call the reverse of a feared crossing of purposes. The secular critic despairs at the possibility of the politicization of religion. Rightly so. But what has replaced that fear is equally dreaded, if not worse: making a religion out of politics. Yes indeed, politics is the new creed of the faithless, replacing spiritual truths with the hollow hope of political dominance. Power does corrupt when one loses sight of the vertical dimension of life. We endured a blood-letting slugfest of words on the road to the election. Once the electorate spoke, the losers have tried every conceivable trick in the book to malign the victors. Who would have ever thought that the feuding would continue so long after the voting was done? Why is there such bitterness in the loss? I can only conclude that the deepest convictions of the average person are born from their political theory and that this gives them their creed on all choices and values. David Gelernter, Professor of Computer Science at Yale, wrote a powerful article earlier this year with the provocative title “Why the Left Is So Vicious.”

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A New Year with New Hope →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Spiritual Mind

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For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. —Romans 8:5

If you are walking in the flesh, it’s because you put your mind on fleshly things. If you’re walking in the Spirit, it’s because you put your mind on spiritual things.

Imagine a truck filled with concrete. The concrete is eventually going to take the shape of whatever mold it’s poured into—a driveway, a patio, a retaining wall, a road, or a foundation. The concrete cannot take any form unless a mold is created. Your thoughts are like the mold.

Your thoughts create a shape for God to pour His power into, to do something with your life. If you want a powerful life, choose to keep your mind on things that agree with God’s will so He can work with you toward your goals.

Power Thought: My mind is set on spiritual things.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – A Solid Foundation

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“All who listen to My instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock. But those who hear My instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24-27).

What a wonderful promise for supernatural living to know that no matter what happens – the greatest tragedies, adversities or losses – your house will stand. You will not only survive, but mature, grow and become more like Jesus.

As you listen to and follow His instructions, you will observe that He has been speaking to the multitudes in what is frequently referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Review chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew. List all the things that He commands us to do, and then by faith claim those instructions in your life. For there is nothing that God ever commands that He will not enable us to do if we seek His help.

Remember, too, His promise recorded in Matthew 22:37-40, that all of the commandments in the sermon on the Mount are fulfilled when we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and when we love our neighbor as ourselves. So the instructions that He is giving are not difficult, for He who gives the command will enable us to build on a sure foundation of solid rock.

Note, however, the admonishment for those who ignore His instructions. For those foolish people who build their houses on sand, collapse of those houses is the certain consequence. One need only look around to see evidence of the fulfillment of God’s warning in the lives of numerous loved ones, neighbors and friends. God loves us, and He wants to bless us, but He cannot if we ignore Him.

Are you following the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, I encourage you to begin today, with the assurance that He will bless you, your family and all who are dear to you.

Bible Reading: 1 John 2:3-9

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will meditate upon our Lord’s instructions as contained in the Sermon on the Mount, as well as the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. I will meditate upon 1 Corinthians 13 and other commandments of our Lord on love. Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will obey His instructions for supernatural living.

 

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The God of Peace

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Read: Hebrews 13:18-25

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

Humanity possesses great nuclear submarines by which the oceans can be traversed without ever coming to the surface. The secret of their tremendous power lies in a nuclear reactor hidden away in the depths of the submarine. That remarkable force does not need any refueling but is constantly giving off energy, so the submarine never needs to go into port for refueling. So it is in the life of a Christian. In these two verses is revealed the nuclear reactor for every Christian.

Look at the elements of this: Now may the God of peace. In this letter we have seen what peace is. The nearest modern equivalent is emotional health. In Christ we are in touch with the God of emotional health, the God who intends life to be lived on a peaceful level. With him is linked the Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep. I came from Montana and know much about sheep. If you are from the city you have probably thought that if you leave them alone they’ll come home, wagging their tails behind them. But I can assure you it is all a lie! There are two outstanding characteristics of sheep: They have no wisdom, and they have no weapons. They are forever running off and getting lost and unable to find their way back, and if anything attacks them they are utterly helpless to defend themselves. That is why they need a shepherd. That is why we need a shepherd, and why the Bible likens us to sheep. We have a Great Shepherd of the sheep. He is our resource, our provision — a God who is concerned about us, and a Great Shepherd who is there to watch us — because we have no wisdom and we have no weapons for our defense.

Linked with them is this great process that is spoken of here, who brought again from the dead … by the blood of the eternal covenant. There you have the cross and the resurrection. The cross means the end of the old life of self-reliance, and the resurrection sets forth the power of the new life. That is the power that is released within the Christian by the indwelling Christ within him. We talk about the conquest of outer space but the greatest conquest ever made was when the Lord Jesus conquered inner space by moving into the heart of man, to plant within us the greatest power by which life can be lived — a power that heals and makes whole.

The result of all this is that God will equip you with everything good that you may do his will. This is the secret of effective service. You do not have to ask God to do this, he is there to equip you with everything to do his will. There is a full supply here and full ability. God is going to work through you, not apart from your will, but right along with it. You choose, you start out, but he is there to carry it through.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – Jesus Christ Was Not Corrupt

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“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“Oh, no, Devon! What did you do?” Rachel stared wide-eyed at the computer screen.

“I don’t know what happened, Rachel!” Devon got up from the couch and joined her at the computer desk. “I just wanted to see the pictures that Dad took of us on Christmas Eve.”

“But now they won’t open! The screen is full of strange-looking characters – boxes and percent signs and stars and stuff.” Rachel turned and looked directly into her little brother’s eyes. “Devon. Did you open the pictures through the camera software program like Dad showed us?”

“Well…I think I kind of forgot exactly all the right steps. I’m sorry – I guess I should’ve waited and asked somebody to help me.”

“That’s what I thought. It looks to me like you opened the pictures into a text editing program instead of the camera software. See, Devon, you’ve got to understand: A text-editing program can’t ‘read’ an image file. It tries to change a non-text file into a text-file so that it can ‘read’ it. But image files can never be changed into text, because – because they can’t. So that’s what all these numbers and weird letters and symbols are. It’s a corrupt version of the file. Now we won’t be able to view the Christmas Eve photos – they’re all corrupt!”

“Corrupt? What’s that mean?”

“It means, well, something that used to work, something that used to be fine and well and perfect – but it’s been changed and broken up to where it can’t work anymore. It’s no good, and there’s no way to go back and make it good again.”

Maybe you are like Devon and have never learned the word “corrupt” before. If a computer gets a “virus” (like a mechanical “sickness”), then it is called “corrupt.” If a pond is really clear and its water very pure, but then someone comes with a wheelbarrow full of smelly, yucky garbage and dumps it into the pond – that pond is now “corrupt.” A photo file becomes corrupt if it is opened up into a program that it doesn’t fit. To corrupt something is to make it unusable, dirty, and ruined. To corrupt something is to take something that is naturally set up to be beautiful and good and pure and working properly – and to wreck it so that it is no longer any of those things.

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