Daily Archives: November 9, 2017

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Our Thoughts: Who’s in Control?

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Colossians 3:1-3

Do you ever struggle with thoughts that you know you shouldn’t have? Perhaps you sometimes allow your mind to drift over into unforgiveness, pride, lust, or anger—attitudes and feelings that you know are not good. How do you tend to respond when this happens?

We live in a time and culture that continuously bombard our mind with information through radio and TV broadcasts, movies, newspapers, and the internet. Sometimes the message is good, but often it isn’t. And the truth is that our thinking affects us more than we may realize, shaping us into who we are becoming. Thoughts reap actions, actions reap habits, habits reap character, and our character reaps our destiny.

In today’s reading, the apostle Paul urges believers to “keep seeking.” In other words, we need to habitually seek Christ and continually set our mind on things above. Scripture reassures us that we can control our thoughts by relying on the Lord. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5.) If we continually look to God for help with how we think, He will mold our heart and shift our attention from materialistic, ungodly priorities to more wholesome, spiritual values (Phil. 4:8).

The moment we place our trust in Jesus, we become brand-new people. That is the basis for our capacity to think correctly (that is, to think more like Christ) and therefore make wise decisions in life. This doesn’t mean we will always think right thoughts, but we now have the responsibility—and power through the Holy Spirit—to steer our mind in a heavenly direction.

Bible in One Year: Acts 1-2

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Good Ending

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Read: Revelation 22:1–5

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 46–47; Hebrews 6

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face.—Revelation 22:3–4

As the lights dimmed and we prepared to watch Apollo 13, my friend said under his breath, “Shame they all died.” I watched the movie about the 1970 spaceflight with apprehension, waiting for tragedy to strike, and only near the closing credits did I realize I’d been duped. I hadn’t known or remembered the end of the true story—that although the astronauts faced many hardships, they made it home alive.

In Christ, we can know the end of the story—that we too will make it home alive. By that I mean we will live forever with our heavenly Father, as we see in the book of Revelation. The Lord will create a “new heaven and a new earth” as He makes all things new (21:1, 5). In the new city, the Lord God will welcome His people to live with Him, without fear and without the night. We have hope in knowing the end of the story.

What difference does this make? It can transform times of extreme difficulty, such as when people face the loss of a loved one or even their own death. Though we recoil at the thought of dying, yet we can embrace the joy of the promise of eternity. We long for the city where no longer will there be any curse, where we’ll live forever by God’s light (22:5). —Amy Boucher Pye

Lord Jesus Christ, give me unfailing hope, that I might rest in Your promises and welcome Your life eternal.

God promises His people a good end to the story.

INSIGHT: In Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, he writes about Revelation 22:1-5: “The presence of God in heaven is the health and happiness of the saints. . . . The devil has no power there . . . . There will be no night; no affliction or dejection, no pause in service or enjoyment: no diversions or pleasures of man’s inventing will be desired there.” In this “new heaven and earth,” Jesus will wipe away our tears and “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (21:4). The promise of an end to our suffering can bring a glimmer of hope and joy to our life when we face difficulties, but the brightest hope comes in the knowledge that one day we as His followers will be in the presence of our Lord who loves us. Free from temptation, free from sin, and free from pain and sadness and death, we’ll have only joy in the service of the King!

How does the promise of this bright future help you today when you face troubles and trials? What about heaven do you most anticipate? Alyson Kieda

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Disappointment and God

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I struggled as a teenager growing up in Delhi. Failure was writ large on my life. My dad basically looked at me and said, “You know, you’re going to be a huge embarrassment to the family—one failure after another.” And he was right given the way I was headed. I wanted to get out of everything I was setting my hand to, and I lacked discipline.

During this time, India was at war and the defense academy was looking for general duties pilots to be trained. So I applied and I went to be interviewed, which involved an overnight train journey from the city of Delhi. It was wintertime and we were outside freezing for about five days as we went through physical endurance and other tests. There were three hundred applicants; they were going to select ten. On the last day they put their selection of names out on the board, and I was positioned number three.

I phoned my family and said, “You aren’t going to believe this. I’m going to make it. I’m number three. The only thing that’s left is the interview. The psychological testing is tomorrow, and I’ll be home.”

The next morning I began my interview with the chief commanding officer, who looked to me like Churchill sitting across the table. He asked me question after question. Then he said, “Son, I’m going to break your heart today.” He continued, “I’m going to reject you. I’m not going to pass you in this test.”

“May I ask you why, sir?” I replied.

“Yes. Psychologically, you’re not wired to kill. And this job is about killing.”

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Disappointment and God →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You Can’t Add One Inch to Your Height

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And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life? — Matthew 6:27

Worrying does us absolutely no good. It doesn’t change one thing, and we waste time by being upset about stuff we can’t do anything about—things only God can change.

The Bible says we can’t add one inch to our height by worrying. Yet, we worry, worry, and worry some more, which gets us nowhere.

Every time we get really upset, it takes a lot of emotional energy, tires us out, messes with our health, steals our joy, and still doesn’t change one thing. We need to stop trying to fix things that only God can fix, because the only one who’s clapping is the devil, saying, “Ha, ha, ha! Got ‘em again!”

Jesus tells us to “calm down” in John 14:27 and “cheer up” in John 16:33. I think it’s a one-two knockout punch to the devil when we do. When you realize you can’t fix everything, that calms you down, and when You know that God can, it cheers you up!

So don’t worry. Instead, calm down, cheer up, and send the devil running!

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Chosen to be Glorified

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“And having chosen us, He called us to come to Him; and when we came, He declared us ‘not guilty,’ filled us with Christ’s goodness, gave us right standing with Himself, and promised us His glory” (Romans 8:30).

A famous Christian leader insisted to me that anyone could lose his salvation. I asked him if he felt that he would ever lose his. Quickly, he replied, “Absolutely not. I am sure I will not lose my salvation.”

Can we lose our salvation? Personally, I believe there is too much controversy over this issue. Some fear that the individual who has assurance of salvation and knows that he will spend eternity with God might have a tendency to compromise his conduct, which would result in disobedience to God and would be an insult to Christ and His church. Others think that the individual who does not live like a Christian – although he professes faith in Christ – has never experienced the new birth, does not have eternal life and will be forever separated from God.

It is quite likely that the person who insists on “doing his own thing” – going his own way while professing to be a Christian – is deceived and should be encouraged to look into the mirror of God’s Word. For if his salvation is real, the evidence should proclaim it.

The caterpillar which goes through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly, lives like a butterfly, not a caterpillar. In the same way, the man or woman who has experienced new life in Christ will witness to it in his life.

Our beginning Scripture deals with seven marvelous truths:

  1. He chose us.
  2. He called us.
  3. We came.
  4. He declared us not guilty.
  5. He filled us with Christ’s goodness.
  6. He gave us a right standing with Himself.
  7. He promised us His glory.

For centuries, man has been mystified by predestination and eternal security. One famous theologian put it this way: “How would it be a source of consolation to say…that whom God foreknew, He predestinated, and whom he predestinated, He called, and whom He called, He justified, and whom He justified might fall away and be lost forever?”

We should praise and worship God because of His promises to all who receive Him that He will never leave them nor forsake them (Hebrews 13:5).

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will meditate upon the truths in this marvelous Word from God. And as an expression of my gratitude for the privilege of living a supernatural life, I will praise and thank God constantly for His goodness and will encourage other believers to do the same

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Just For You

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I’m about to tell you something you may find hard to believe. You don’t have to agree with me, but I’d like you to consider it with me. Here it is: If you were the only person on earth, the earth would look exactly the same. The Himalayas would still have their drama and the Caribbean its charm. The sun would still nestle behind the Rockies in the evenings and spray light on the desert in the mornings.

If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe, God would not diminish its beauty one degree. Because He did it all for you. And He’s waiting for you to discover His gift, for your eyes to pop, your heart to stop. He’s waiting for the moment between the dropping of the jaw and the leap of the heart. For in that silence He whispers… I did it just for you.

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Tweet about transgender legislator provokes anger

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Tuesday night, Danica Roem became the first openly transgender state legislator in US history. She is one of more than twenty transgender people running for public office this year.

I have written on the issue of transgender rights in a Daily Article and devoted a chapter to the subject in my recent book, 7 Critical Issues. My purpose today is not to address this topic per se, but to explore one particular response to Roem’s historic election.

A tweet that created a firestorm

Andrew T. Walker is Director of Policy Studies for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. After the election, he sent this tweet: “Christian parents, the nation’s first transgender elected official enters into American history tonight. What are you doing to prepare your children for this new world?”

Time magazine chose to make a story out of negative reactions to his question. A “Jewish parent” called Walker a “narrow-minded hate-filled bigot.” Another responder called him a “bigot” as well. Others categorized him with “fear mongers” and “hateful followers who twist everything Christ stood for.”

I have not met Andrew Walker, but everything I have read by and about him depicts a person who is the opposite of bigoted and hateful. He is brilliant and thoughtful, with a deep passion for Jesus and his kingdom.

His question is legitimate: the first openly transgender person to be elected to a state legislature is indeed indicative of a “new world.” Preparing our children to navigate this culture is the job of every Christian parent. In no sense was his tweet hateful or bigoted.

However, we live in a culture which brands anyone who does not champion its relativistic morality as intolerant and prejudiced. As I noted yesterday, the tide of antagonism against traditional morality is continuing to rise. More than ever, American Christians find ourselves on the defensive, seeking to serve Jesus in a world that rejects his message and rebels against his authority.

The question that prompted this article Continue reading Denison Forum – Tweet about transgender legislator provokes anger →