Daily Archives: February 21, 2018

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Principles of Sowing and Reaping

Leave a comment

 

Galatians 6:7-10

Satan wants us to believe the lie that our actions have no natural results or consequences. But the truth is that you can’t rebel against God and not reap the fruit of that choice later. You also can’t obey God without eventually receiving the blessing. The choices you make are the seeds you plant, and they determine the kind of crop you’re going to harvest in the future.

The heart of this principle is that all our choices are important. How we think and act matters, and not only for ourselves. Our choices always impact those around us, for good or bad. Think about the seeds others sowed that affected your view of yourself and the world. You either rejected or accepted them, and the things you accepted eventually manifested in your life.

At some point, we all have made choices we’ve regretted. Since consequences never simply evaporate, you may find yourself harassed or even governed by things you’ve seen, said, or participated in. Yet God will forgive everything you genuinely repent of, and He will work with you to redeem those past choices. The road to redemption often includes obstacles, but the Holy Spirit can enable you to overcome. Lay your burden down before the Lord every time it weighs on you, and request that He cleanse and shape you into the person you were created to be.

Ask yourself the following three questions: What kind of life do I want to live? What do I want my character to be like? Who do I want to become years from now? Let God’s Spirit speak to you about your choices—past, present and future—and His plans for you.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 1-2

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Of Spiders and God’s Presence

Leave a comment

Read: Ephesians 3:14–19

Bible in a Year: Numbers 1–3; Mark 3

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.—Ephesians 3:16

Spiders. I don’t know any kid who likes them. At least not in their rooms . . . at bedtime. But as she was getting ready for bed, my daughter spied one dangerously close to her bed. “Daaaad!!!!! Spiiiderrr!!!!!” she hollered. Despite my determination, I couldn’t find the eight-legged interloper. “He’s not going to hurt you,” I reassured her. She wasn’t convinced. It wasn’t until I told her I’d stay next to her top bunk and stand guard that she agreed to get in bed.

As my daughter settled in, I held her hand. I told her, “I love you so much. I’m right here. But you know what? God loves you even more than Daddy and Mommy. And He’s very close. You can always pray to Him when you’re scared.” That seemed to comfort her, and peaceful sleep came quickly.

Scripture repeatedly reassures us God is always near (Psalm 145:18; Romans 8:38-39; James 4:7-8), but sometimes we struggle to believe it. Perhaps that’s why Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus to have strength and power to grasp that truth (Ephesians 3:16). He knew that when we’re frightened, we can lose track of God’s proximity. But just as I lovingly held my daughter as she went to sleep that night, so our loving heavenly Father is always as close to us as a prayer. —Adam Holz

Lord, thank You for always being close by. Please give us strength and power in our hearts to remember You are near, You love us deeply, and we can always call out to You.

God is always near in spite of our fears.

INSIGHT: Today’s passage describes the overflowing riches of God’s grace, which is accessed through the Holy Spirit. God’s love is infinite and therefore beyond our understanding, but the Spirit enables our comprehension. Life-transformation is in view when we are told to be “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19); spending time with God transforms how we live. Experiential knowledge of the God of grace should flow over into what we say, think, feel, and do. Life is filled with ever-changing circumstances that may cause joy, sadness, satisfaction, or stress. But no matter what we experience, God is always near.

What are you struggling with now? How does the immeasurable love of Christ and God’s never-ending presence encourage you? Dennis Fisher

 

http://www.odb.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Comfort in Loss 

Leave a comment

And many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. John 11:19

Have you lost someone or something close to your heart—a baby, a spouse, a friend, a job or an opportunity? A great loss requires great grace or the pain is unbearable. Why do some expecting mothers have a stillborn child and others don’t? Can we truly understand these puzzling matters until we get to heaven and are able to ask, “Why Lord, why?”

Where is God when emotions run raw and a great hole of hurt embeds in the heart? We don’t always understand the ways of God, but we can always count on Christ’s comfort. The Lord lingers long with those caught in the pain of great loss. What others cannot totally understand, your Heavenly Father fully comprehends. Grace soothes aching hearts. Christ’s comfort nurses like cool cough syrup flowing down a swollen, inflamed throat.

“For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5). The Lord’s comfort is limitless in its capacity to cure.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Comfort in Loss  →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You’re Supposed to Enjoy Your Life

Leave a comment

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God. — Ecclesiastes 2:24 (AMPC)

Enjoyment is the fuel we need to reach the finish line of an endeavor with a good attitude. We may drive ourselves to finish, but somewhere along the way we will probably become bitter and get a chip on our shoulder if we don’t lighten up and take time to celebrate the journey.

Too many people work constantly and stress themselves out, feeling guilty about enjoying and celebrating life when God has clearly ordained and commanded both labor and enjoyment. Ecclesiastes 2:24 says that it’s good for us to relax and enjoy ourselves in the midst of hard work.

Our thinking has been warped in this area. Satan has managed to deceive us, and by doing so he succeeds in keeping people weary and worn-out, feeling resentful and taken advantage of because of excessive work and responsibility.

We need times of refreshment and recreation as well as work and accomplishment. You should be diligent in whatever task God has placed in front of you, but make sure you find a healthy balance by learning to reward yourself and celebrate your progress. God thinks you are worth it!

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Hunger and Thirst

Leave a comment

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, KJV).

Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness, for the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit in your life? If so, you can claim that fullness and power right now by faith.

“The great difference between present-day Christianity and that of which we read in these letters (New Testament epistles),” declared J.B. Phillips in his introduction to the Letters to Young churches, “is that to us it is primarily a performance; to them it was a real experience.

“We are apt to reduce the Christian religion to a code, or, at best, a rule of heart and life. To these men it is quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether. They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ living in them.”

The disciples were used of God to change the course of history. As Christian homemakers, students, businessmen and professionals, we have that same potential and privilege today.

The amazing fact that Jesus Christ lives in us and expresses His love through us is one of the most important truths in the Word of God. The standards of the Christian life are so high and so impossible to achieve, according to the Word of God, that only one person has been able to succeed. That person is Jesus Christ.

When we receive Christ into our lives, we experience a new birth and are also indwelt by the Holy Spirit. From that point on, everything we need – including wisdom, love, power – to be men and women of God and fruitful witnesses for Christ is available to us simply by faith, by claiming this power in accordance with God’s promise.

Bible Reading:Romans 10:6-10

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: “Dear Lord, create within me a hunger and thirst after righteousness that is greater than my hunger and thirst for meat and drink for my physical body. By faith I claim the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to enable me to live a victorious, fruitful life to the glory of God and to share this good news of the Spirit-filled life with everyone who will listen.”

 

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Invites Our Approach

Leave a comment

 

Listen to Today’s Devotion

Jesus invites us to approach God the way a child approaches his or her daddy! And how do children approach their daddies? When a five-year-old spots his father in the parking lot, how does he react?

Yippee! was screamed by a redheaded boy wearing a Batman backpack as he ran to his dad.

Pop!” Over here! Push me!—yelled another little boy wearing a Boston Red Sox cap who scooted straight to the swings on the playground.

You know what I didn’t hear? Father, it is most gracious of thee to drive thy car to my place of education . Please know of my deep gratitude for your benevolence. For thou art splendid in thy attentive care and diligent in thy dedication.”

I heard kids who were happy to see their dads and eager to speak to them! God invites us to approach Him in the same manner. What a relief!

Read more Before Amen

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Sales of bulletproof backpacks soar

Leave a comment

Bullet Blocker is an American company specializing in products intended for self-protection. They offer bulletproof clothing, backpacks, briefcases, and other items. Unsurprisingly, their sales of backpacks have soared after the shooting in Parkland, Florida.

In other news, Switzerland has made it illegal to boil a live lobster. The Swiss say this method of killing lobsters is cruel since the crustaceans can sense pain. Authorities recommend electrocution or sedating the lobster by dipping it into saltwater and then thrusting a knife into its brain.

The new law also gives domestic pets further protections. For instance, dogs can no longer be punished for barking.

Consider that abortion is legal in Switzerland and is covered by the country’s mandatory health insurance. While their abortion rate is less than half that of the US, one in five women in Switzerland will have an abortion at some point in their lives.

Any pregnancy in Switzerland can be aborted before twelve weeks. After this time, a woman can have an abortion if her doctor believes her “physical integrity” is threatened or she will face “profound distress” should the pregnancy be allowed to continue to term.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Sales of bulletproof backpacks soar →