Daily Archives: June 2, 2017

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –Our Keeper

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Psalm 121:3-8

Yesterday we learned that God is our protector. Today’s verses from Psalm 121 also portray Him as our keeper.

“He who keeps you will not slumber” (v. 3). Many young children are fearful in the dark. If they awaken when everyone else is sleeping, they might feel alone and scared. Our Caretaker needs no sleep; He is always alert and attentive to our cries, even when our feelings seem to tell us otherwise.

“The Lord is your keeper … He will keep your soul” (vv. 5, 7). When parents have to leave their children for a while, they choose a trusted person to put in charge. We often say that this individual is “keeping” the kids. The babysitter is expected to protect and provide for the children. How much more invested and capable is our heavenly Father! Besides preserving us physically and spiritually, He restrains us from wrong thoughts, harmful words, and inappropriate actions. His Holy Spirit gives warnings to keep us from evil, and He also provides guidance so we’ll grow in godliness.

“The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever” (v. 8). God is sovereign. He is with us always—protecting, pointing the way, and teaching us. He accompanies and leads even in the small tasks that seem insignificant.

When we grow up, many of us feel sadness and a little fear as we leave the safety of our parents’ home. But we never leave the precious love and care of our heavenly Father. God is our keeper, and He cares for us better than any earthly mom or dad ever could.

Bible in One Year: Job 5-8

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Table Rock

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Read: Luke 6:46–49

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 17–18; John 13:1–20

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”—Luke 6:46

A large, illuminated cross stands erect on Table Rock, a rocky plateau overlooking my hometown. Several homes were built on neighboring land, but recently the owners have been forced to move out due to safety concerns. Despite their close proximity to the firm bedrock of Table Rock, these homes aren’t secure. They have been shifting atop their foundations—nearly three inches every day—causing risk of major water pipes breaking, which would accelerate the sliding.

Jesus compares those who hear and obey His words to those who build their homes on rock (Luke 6:47-48). These homes survive the storms. By contrast, He says homes built without a firm foundation—like people who don’t heed His instruction—cannot weather the torrents.

On many occasions, I’ve been tempted to ignore my conscience when I knew God asked more of me than I had given, thinking my response had been “close enough.” Yet the homes in the shifting foothills nearby have depicted for me that being “close” is nowhere near enough when it comes to obeying Him. To be like those who built their homes on a firm foundation and withstand the storms of life that so often assail us, we must heed the words of our Lord completely. —Kirsten Holmberg

Help me, Lord, to obey You fully and with my whole heart. Thank You for being my firm foundation.

God’s Word is the only sure foundation for life.

INSIGHT: To fully appreciate Jesus’s comments in Luke 6:46-49, it’s helpful to keep in mind the fuller content of His teachings in this chapter (see vv. 20-49). Luke 6 captures many of the same teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)—teachings that are revolutionary in cultures dominated by the powerful and where weakness is looked down on. Jesus invited His followers into God’s reality—where it is those who know their brokenness, the poor and persecuted, who God is especially near to (vv. 20-25), and where strength is demonstrated in forgiving even our enemies (vv. 27-36).A temptation when hearing Jesus’s words is to be moved and inspired without wrestling with the ways His words demand change in our lives. Jesus knew that would be our tendency, and so He emphasizes that an emotional confession (“Lord, Lord,” v. 46) is of no value if we do not obey, if we do not let His words challenge the way we live and what we believe. Building our lives on Him means a life of daily transformation, of daily following Him.What “norms” in your life do you think Jesus’s words might challenge?

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Good Story

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In publishing his godless Bible for those without faith, A. C. Grayling may have expected a mixed reception. The “religious Bible” (as he calls the Christian original) often sparks controversy, so one might have assumed that his would prompt a powerful reaction.(1)

But although eyebrows were certainly raised, support given, and criticism leveled, I couldn’t help feeling that there is something a little flat about it all. Perhaps it was because we were in the midst of celebrating the 400-year anniversary of the King James translation of the Bible, with its majestic impact on the English language, that one struggled to muster any strong reaction to this book. One of the repeated observations made about Grayling’s moral guide for atheists is that it just doesn’t seem to be as good or interesting as the original.

Jeannette Winterson, author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, had this to say:

“I do not believe in a sky god but the religious impulse in us is more than primitive superstition. We are meaning-seeking creatures and materialism plus good works and good behaviour does not seem to be enough to provide meaning. We shall have to go on asking questions but I would rather that philosophers like Grayling asked them without the formula of answers. As for the Bible, it remains a remarkable book and I am going to go on reading it.”

Perhaps it has something to do with what seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding on Grayling’s part: the Bible is not merely a book containing moral guidance, as he seems to think it is. While Christians would say that it does contain the moral law of God and shows us how to live our lives, the actual text of the Bible is much more besides.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Highest Position of All

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He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself [with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself [whoever has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly] shall be raised to honor.—Matthew 23:11-12 AMPC

Jesus was able to wash His disciples’ feet because He was free. Only a person who is truly free, one who is not insecure, can do menial tasks and not feel insignificant as a result.

So much of our worth and value is connected to what we do that it makes it very difficult for us to enjoy serving. Serving others is not viewed as a high position, and yet Jesus said it is the highest of all. Serving others also sets them free to love. It disarms even the most hateful individual. It is actually fun to watch that person’s amazement when he realizes he is being served through love.

If someone knows full well he has done us wrong, and we return his evil with good, it begins to tear down the walls he has built around himself. Sooner or later he will begin to trust us and start learning from us what real love is. That is the whole purpose behind being a servant, to show others the love of God that He has shown us so that they too can share in it—and then pass it on.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Abound With Blessings

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“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20, RSV).

“Years ago when my children were small,” declared a godly Baptist layman in South Carolina, who was secretary and treasurer of a large cotton mill corporation, “my salary was too small for my actual needs. Strive as I would I could not keep out of debt.

“This became a heavy cross to me, and one night I was unable to sleep. I arose and went to my desk, where I spent some time in prayer to God for help and guidance. Then I took a pen and paper and wrote out a solemn contract with my heavenly Father.”

Continuing, the layman said, “I promised Him that no matter what testings or trials came I would never turn back. Also, that no matter how pressing my obligations I would scrupulously tithe my income. Next I promised the Lord that if He would let me make a certain salary I would pay two- tenth, then if I made a certain larger salary I would pay three-tenths.

“Finally I named a larger salary, which was far beyond anything I had ever hoped to earn, and told the Lord if I ever reached such a salary I would give him one-half of my income. For many years it has been my privilege to give one- half of my income to the Lord.”

This verse warns the man who is so determined to accumulate personal wealth that he robs God of that which is rightfully His. That man will not go unpunished. God promises. May He help us to give cheerfully of that which He entrusts to us.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 28:21-28

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Whatever I give to the Lord, His servants and His work will be done cheerfully and generously, as He has prospered me.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Gets Us Through Stuff

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Whatever it is—you’ll get through this! You think you won’t. But we all do! We fear the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave. We wonder, will this gray sky ever brighten? Will we ever exit this pit?

Yes! Deliverance is to the Bible what jazz music is to Mardi Gras— big, bold, and everywhere. Out of the lion’s den for Daniel, the prison for Peter, the whale’s belly for Jonah, the grave for Lazarus, and the shackles for Paul…God gets us through stuff! Through the wilderness, through the valley of the shadow of death– through is a favorite word of God’s! Isaiah 4:32 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned…” You will get through this!

From You’ll Get Through This

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – LeBron James and the answer to racism

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“Racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America, and hate in America—especially for African-Americans—is living every day.” This is how LeBron James responded after someone spray-painted a racist slur on the front gate of his Los Angeles home.

This atrocity is not why James should be in the news today. Although his Cleveland Cavaliers lost last night to the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the NBA Finals, James led his team with twenty-eight points.

Earlier in this year’s playoffs, he passed Michael Jordan as basketball’s all-time postseason scoring leader. The list of his records and achievements in the game is staggering. LeBron James is not only one of the greatest athletes in history—he is also one of the greatest sports ambassadors in the world.

If he can be victimized for his skin color, anyone can. James is right: “No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough, and we’ve got a long way to go for us as a society and us as African-Americans until we feel equal in America.”

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