Daily Archives: January 29, 2017

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –The Moments That Sustain Us

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Psalm 145:1-5

Does peace come naturally for you, or does it feel like a constant struggle? Sometimes it seems as if so many things are actively working against our peace that our spirit may never know a moment’s rest. How can we quiet distractions long enough to hear God’s voice?

The key is found within a word that may make you uncomfortable: meditation. Perhaps you’re thinking, All that meditation stuff is what other religions call “finding yourself.” I’m not going to waste my time with that. What a horrible misconception. My friend, meditation is not about listening to yourself; on the contrary, it is about quieting your own mind and listening for the gentle whispers of the Lord.

Think about your prayer life. Whose voice is more prominent—yours or the Father’s? For most people, the vast majority of prayer time is spent talking to God, thanking Him for what He’s done, and asking for help. There is certainly nothing wrong with this, but if you never give Him time to answer, how will you know what He wants to communicate to you?

The time we spend listening is a good indication of how much we respect and enjoy the relationship. If we dominate the conversation, then we may be showing God by our actions that His opinions are not as important as our own—we’d never say those words so plainly, but our actions may be proclaiming that very message.

Are you listening to God? Commit to listen quietly for what He wants to share with you.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 39-40

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Timeless Savior

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Read: John 8:48–59

Bible in a Year: Exodus 21–22; Matthew 19

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”—John 8:58

Jeralean Talley died in June 2015 as the world’s oldest living person—116 years of age. In 1995, the city of Jerusalem celebrated its 3,000th birthday. One hundred sixteen is old for a person, and 3,000 is old for a city, but there are trees that grow even older. A bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains has been determined to be older than 4,800 years. That precedes the patriarch Abraham by 800 years!

Jesus, when challenged by the Jewish religious leaders about His identity, also claimed to pre-date Abraham. “Very truly I tell you,” He said, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). His bold assertion shocked those who were confronting Him, and they sought to stone Him. They knew He wasn’t referring to a chronological age but was actually claiming to be eternal by taking the ancient name of God, “I am” (see Ex. 3:14). But as a member of the Trinity, He could make that claim legitimately.

In John 17:3, Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” The timeless One entered into time so we could live forever. He accomplished that mission by dying in our place and rising again. Because of His sacrifice, we anticipate a future not bound by time, where we will spend eternity with Him. He is the timeless one. —Bill Crowder

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine; but God, who called me here below, will be forever mine.  John Newton

Christ holds all things together. Colossians 1:17

INSIGHT: When the Lord Jesus declared, “Before Abraham was born, I am,” in John 8:58, He was merely borrowing the unique title used of God in Exodus 3:14 (I am). What is meant by the title “I Am”? God is the self-existent and only supreme Being. If God is perpetually and permanently present, He can definitively declare, “I will be with you” (Ex. 3:12). God is not a deist—a do-nothing deity who is retired from all activity. He did not “wind up” the world like a huge watch only to let it run on its own. God is sovereign over all creation and lovingly cares for all He has made. Jim Townsend

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God Is in the Details

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And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever. —John 14:16

The Lord cares about every tiny detail of your life. People who don’t believe this truth have a difficult time experiencing real intimacy with Him. You can and should talk to Him about everything. Nothing is too big and nothing is too small. He will help you put in your contact lens or drive in snow. He said, “I am with you always” (see Matthew 28:20 NIV), and He is always ready to help, strengthen, encourage, or comfort you.

The Holy Spirit is called “The Helper.” He is also referred to as “The Standby.” I love that He is standing by me at all times, waiting to assist me with whatever I need. But He is a gentleman and won’t push His way into our lives. We open the door for Him to work simply by asking, which is prayer.

God is love, and when we dwell in His love, enjoying and being aware of it, we dwell in God. To dwell means, “to live and remain in.” “Dwelling” is not an occasional visit, but a permanent, fixed situation. I don’t say, “I visit my house.” I say, “I live in my house.” God wants us to say the same about Him and His love for us. His love is where we live. God is with us at all times, watching over us, keeping us safe, overseeing every detail of our lives. And the Holy Spirit is standing by to help you!

Love God Today: Whatever you need today—a parking place, help navigating a tough situation at work—know that God cares about the little things and the details of your life, and He wants you to depend on Him.

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Power to Become Rich

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“Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you power to become rich, and He does it to fulfill His promise to your ancestors” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

A Christian woman whom I knew, worth many millions of dollars, panicked when the stock market dropped and she lost almost one million dollars. Even though she had tens of millions in reserve, she was filled with apprehension and fear that she would die a pauper. She had never discovered the adventure and freedom of “giving and receiving” in a trust relationship with God.

Conversely, a businessman called me long distance a short time later to tell me how excited he was over the way God was blessing his new business venture. He had decided to give all the profits – potentially millions – toward helping to reach the world for Christ.

“I am sending $50,000 for Here’s Life in Asia,” he said. “And there will be much more later. I don’t want to invest in buildings. I want to invest this money where it will be used immediately to win and disciple people for Christ.”

The principle is the same, whether you have $100 or $1 million. Ask God to tell you what to do toward helping to fulfill the Great Commission. Second, look for a worthy, proven project that you can support monthly, if only modestly, in addition to your commitment to your local church.

As your faith in God’s love and trustworthiness grows, prayerfully make a faith promise pledge that is greater than you are capable of fulfilling with your present income.

Bible Reading: Malachi 3:7-12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will ask God today to help me trust Him to give – by faith – more than I can possibly afford to give toward his work, with the certainty that He will supply all my needs and enable me to meet my faith promise pledge supernaturally

 

http://www.cru.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Just To Forgive Us

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“…that He [God] might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26b)

Let’s pretend that your brother has done something to hurt you very badly. What if when your parents found out what happened, they said, “Oh, we’ll just let that go – it’s all right. Just forget about it.”

No, you say! You have been hurt. You have been sinned against. Your parents would not be just unless they punished your brother for that sin. Right?

But let’s pretend you stepped in and said, “Punish me for what my brother did. I’ll take the punishment, and he won’t have to.” Then your parents would be just to forgive your brother, right? Someone else would be taking the punishment in his place.

This is very much like what God has done for us. We have hurt Him by our sin. Each one of us has gone against His perfect, holy law so many times, in so many ways, that we could never be punished enough to pay for it all. And yet He forgives us. How can He be just to forgive us?

The only way He can be just is to punish someone else in our place. And Jesus, His perfect, holy Son, took God’s punishment when He died on the cross. He was our substitute. He took the punishment that we deserved. If we turn to Jesus, trusting Him to free us from sin, God will forgive us for the sake of His Son.

God is just to forgive the sin of those who have believed on His perfect Son, Jesus Christ.

My Response:

» Have I accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as the payment for my sin?

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Come to Me 

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.   Matthew 11:28-30

Sometimes, your soul needs to catch up with your body. There is a disconnection created by distractions and busyness. You are weary of life and work. This soul fatigue will follow you until it finds rest. It is relentless in reminding you of what is important and necessary. The warning lights of weariness flash in the face of your faith. You are tired and troubled with nowhere to turn. This is when you can turn your eyes upon Jesus. He offers a constant invitation to come to Him. Burdens bear down on your back of responsibility like a ton of bricks, but Jesus is there to ease the pressure.

Health issues assault your body like unceasing fire from the enemy, but Jesus is there to soothe the pain through prayer. Marriage confusion has the best of you and you are ready to give up, but Jesus has the answers as the supreme counselor. Work expectations have overwhelmed your ability to execute the right results, but Jesus is there to impart His wisdom and discernment. Do not let failure talk you into giving up. You can carry on with Christ. Submit to His restful invitation. Take Him at His word and yoke up with His humility and gentleness. His invitation to rest is received by faith. The yoke of Jesus gives hope and encouragement to the soul.

Start by aligning your calendar with Jesus’ time. A partnership with Christ requires time and attention. You cannot maintain a relationship with Him without investing in Him. Jesus went to the mountain to commune with His heavenly Father, and when He came down, large crowds followed Him. Why? People follow leaders they know they can trust. When you spend time with Jesus, you build trustworthiness. You go to the mountains alone to pray, and you come back surrounded by followers. They know you have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Come to Me  →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Don’t Judge Anyone

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Read: Luke 6:37-42

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. (v. 37 NIV)

In the Gospels you will see Jesus hanging out with people of questionable reputation, healing people of diseases, and assuring them of God’s forgiveness. He never once said to anyone, “I won’t heal you until you stop sinning,” or “You can’t eat with me because of your lifestyle!”

Jesus didn’t have a problem with “sinners.” The only people Jesus had problems with were those who believed they weren’t sinners! Jesus had issues with the religious leaders who enforced the letter of the law, while ignoring the spirit behind the law, and thinking they themselves were above the law.

It’s easy to point out the sins of others—especially if we don’t know them personally. It’s even easier to point out the sins of an entire group of people! This deflects the focus—if I point at them, no one will be looking at me! However, Jesus says this is hypocrisy. If I cannot or will not admit my own faults and failures, how dare I point out yours?

Let’s face it—we are all sinners. The good news is that Jesus has compassion for sinners. He understands our tendency to excuse or deny our own sinfulness, while finding fault with others. But then he says, “Stop it!” When we follow Jesus’ example, we learn not to judge other people’s behavior before taking a good hard look at our own. —Susan Hetrick

Prayer: Forgiving God, show me my own faults, and teach me compassion for others.

 

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