Daily Archives: May 6, 2017

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –The Restorer of Lost Hopes

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Romans 5:1-5

Not only is Christ the source of genuine hope; He is also the restorer of lost hope. Unless we’re vigilant in guarding our perspective, many situations can erode optimism and trust. Biblical principles are the best defense against such discouragement.

When difficult circumstances are unrelenting, life can seem devoid of joy and meaning. But Romans 5:1-5 tells us that God has a much different take on the value of trials. We are eager for our Father to just fix the problem or relieve the suffering, but He has an eternal goal in mind. His purpose in trials is to produce character in us, which will lead to hope, not disappointment.

Personal failure is another thief of hope. Sometimes discouragement results when we come short of our own expectations. This may be evidence that we have trusted in our own abilities and plans rather than in the Lord’s. Remember that “our adequacy is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

At other times we might lose hope because, despite our efforts, we cannot live a victorious Christian life. Old flesh patterns may seem to be winning the battle. But just as the failure originates within us, so does the solution—with the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we surrender to His authority and live in reliance upon Him, He will begin to transform us from the inside out.

Hopelessness is a miserable trap that blinds a believer to the Lord. The only way out is to deliberately focus on Jesus Christ through praise, prayer, and Scripture. This is probably the last thing a discouraged person wants to do, but hope awaits those who are willing to see life from God’s perspective.

Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicles 16-18

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Should I Forgive?

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Read: Matthew 18:23–35

Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 21–22; Luke 23:26–56

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.—Colossians 3:13

I arrived early at my church to help set up for an event. A woman stood crying at the opposite end of the sanctuary. She’d been cruel and gossiped about me in the past, so I quickly drowned out her sobs with a vacuum cleaner. Why should I care about someone who didn’t like me?

When the Holy Spirit reminded me how much God had forgiven me, I crossed the room. The woman shared that her baby had been in the hospital for months. We cried, embraced, and prayed for her daughter. After working through our differences, we’re now good friends.

In Matthew 18, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who decided to settle his accounts. A servant who owed a staggering amount of money pleaded for mercy. Soon after the king canceled his debt, that servant tracked down and condemned a man who owed him far less than what he’d owed the king. When word got back to the king, the wicked servant was imprisoned because of his own unforgiving spirit (vv. 23-34).

Choosing to forgive doesn’t condone sin, excuse the wrongs done to us, or minimize our hurts. Offering forgiveness simply frees us to enjoy God’s undeserved gift of mercy, as we invite Him to accomplish beautiful works of peace-restoring grace in our lives and our relationships. —Xochitl Dixon

Lord, help us give our grievances to You so that You may turn them into something good. Make us ready to forgive completely and earnestly. Give us Your spirit of unity.

Forgiving others expresses our trust in God’s right to judge according to His perfection and goodness.

INSIGHT: Are you withholding forgiveness from someone who has harmed you? As you reflect on how merciful God has been to you, why not ask Him to help you have a spirit of forgiveness.

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer –Pray at All Times

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Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.… —Ephesians 6:18

In the verse for today, Paul is basically saying that we are to pray in every circumstance, following the Holy Spirit’s direction, using different types of prayer in different situations. But how do we “pray at all times,” as the Bible instructs? We do it by keeping an attitude of thanksgiving and total dependence upon God as we go about our everyday lives, turning our thoughts toward Him in the midst of doing all the things we have to do and listening for His voice in every situation.

I believe God really wants us to live a lifestyle of prayer and that He wants to help us stop thinking about prayer as an event and begin to see it as a way of life, as an internal activity that undergirds everything else we do. He wants us to talk to Him and listen to Him continually—to pray our way through every day with our hearts connected to His and our ears attuned to His voice.

We often hear about a prayer need or think about a situation and say to ourselves, I need to pray about that later when I pray. That thought is a stall tactic of the enemy. Why not pray right that minute? We do not pray right away because of the wrong mind-sets we have about prayer. It would be easy if we just followed our hearts, but Satan wants to complicate prayer. He wants us to procrastinate in the hope that we will forget the matter entirely.

Praying as we sense the desire or need to pray is simple, and it is the way we can pray continually and stay connected to God in every situation throughout the day.

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Christ Lives in Me

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“I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

After many years of working with thousands of Christians, I am convinced that a person cannot enjoy the supernatural life – which is a believer’s heritage in Christ – apart from the proper balance between Bible study, prayer and sharing Christ with others out of the overflow of an obedient, Spirit-filled life.

We need to be able not only to experience this great adventure with Christ ourselves, but also to share this good news with others.

A word of caution and reminder is in order at this point. We become spiritual and experience power from God and become fruitful in our witness as a result of faithand faith alone.

The Bible clearly teaches that “the just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17. However, it is equally important to know that good works are the result of faith – “trusting in the Son of God” – and unless there are “good works” there is not faith, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17).

Many Christians are confused on this point. They think of works (Bible study, prayer and other spiritual disciplines) as the meansto, rather than the resultsof, the life of faith. They spend much time in these activities, seeking God’s favor and blessing.

They may even attempt to witness for Christ and to obey the various commands of God, thinking that by these means they will achieve supernatural living. But they remain defeated, frustrated, powerless and fruitless.

As you are filled with the Holy Spirit – “Christ living in me” – and walk in His power by faith, the Bible becomes alive, prayer becomes vital, your witness becomes effective and obedience becomes a joy.

Bible Reading: Galatians 2:15-19

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will seek to remember that Christ lives in me, in the person of His indwelling Holy Spirit, and thus I have all I need for supernatural living, for victory and joy and peace.

 

http://www.cru.org

Moody Global Ministries, Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE DEDICATION OF THE TABERNACLE

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Read Numbers 7

A groundbreaking ceremony for a new building project is often attended by the leaders of the organization and local community or government officials. Selected dignitaries use special shovels to dig out a piece of ground to mark the formal beginning of the project. And then when a building is finished, the leaders and officials gather again for the ribbon cutting. Large decorative scissors replace the shovels at the ceremony to mark the opening of a new place.

Our reading today describes the dedication of the tabernacle. Chronologically, this event took place one month before those of chapters 1 through 6, but it is placed here in Numbers to make its significance clear.

The dedication of the tabernacle was a milestone in multiple ways. It was a national milestone, marking the end of a transition from slavery to nationhood. It was a religious milestone, ushering in a new era in which worship and daily life were governed by the Law God had given at Sinai. It was an identity milestone, as the Lord once again stamped His name on His people (6:27). And it was a faithfulness milestone—mainly of God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises, but also of Israel’s obedience in getting this far and obeying God’s specific instructions for building the tabernacle.

The dedication festival was huge and lasted twelve days! The leaders of each tribe presented elaborate and expensive gifts, marking the importance of the event (vv. 84–88). Each tribe gave the same, no matter their size or status, indicating their equal standing before the Lord. The repetitive structure of the chapter reflects the serious, formal, ceremonial nature of the occasion. As in Exodus 40, the climax was the descent of the cloud—the visible manifestation of the Lord’s presence and glory—and God speaking directly to Moses.

APPLY THE WORD

Throughout Scripture, giving generously to the work of the Lord is an act of worship and obedience. If regular financial giving is not part of your stewardship, review 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 in light of our text today. Ask the Lord to show how you can give joyfully and freely to support His work through Christian ministries.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids – Pit Crew

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John 10:41

In the world of professional auto racing, only a few people get to be drivers and have their names splashed across the newspapers and TV. But for every successful racecar driver, there are dozens of back-up people, many of whom are called the “pit crew.” Pit crews are vital to the success of any racer. When the driver comes off the track and heads to the pit, the crew springs into action. They fuel the car and change all the tires in seconds. They make minor adjustments and get the driver back out on the track. Time spent in the pit impacts the outcome of the race. A slow pit crew can cause a driver to lose.

In the Bible, John the Baptist is an example of someone who never got to be the “driver.” He was more like part of Jesus’ pit crew. John’s role was to tell everyone that Jesus was coming and they should get ready. While John did not perform any miracles, he had an important job to do by alerting everyone that someone was coming soon who would take away the sin of the world. When some people asked John if he was the Christ, he simply replied, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” It takes a really big person to step back and let someone else shine in the spotlight. But when we perform the most everyday, insignificant tasks, God still sees what we are doing.

Dear Lord, Sometimes I want to be the person everyone talks about and praises, but help me to be humble. Amen.

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Most High

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“Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?” (Job 40:9)

In the Bible, God is sometimes called “the most high God.” What does this mean? Does it mean that God is high up in the sky, or that He lives above and beyond all of us down here on Earth? Well, we know from the Bible that God is everywhere. But the words “most high” refer to God’s preeminence, which means He is the greatest of all, the highest of all. God is everywhere, so He is “high” above us in that sense. But in a spiritual sense, He is higher and far above anyone or anything else. God is preeminent. He is the most high God.

But where is God in our thoughts? How do we think about Him? How important is He is our lives? Is He preeminent over all other loves and interests? Does the way we spend our time and money and energy show whether we believe God really is the most high God?

Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Nebuchadnezzar was the king ruling over these three young men. King Nebuchadnezzar thought so highly of himself (he had so much pride) that he had an image/idol of himself set up for his people to worship in his honor. Nebuchadnezzar considered himself a god, and he expected everyone to worship him. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, however, served only the most high God. In fact, because they were true to God by not refusing to worship anyone or anything else, a whole kingdom learned about the most high God.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Most High →