Daily Archives: February 24, 2018

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Free to Enjoy God

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Psalm 34:8-10

What an amazing truth: Our God, who created the world and is Lord of all, wants us to find pleasure in our union with Him. Although He “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17), our greatest enjoyment of all should be God Himself. The satisfaction we’ll find in our relationship with Him is far superior to all else.

One of the joys we find in the Lord is acceptance. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, God accepts those of us who believe in Christ and adopts us as His children. We who were once His enemies are now embraced as His family. Permanently accepted by God, we never have to fear condemnation and are free to enjoy rich intimacy with Him.

The Lord has done all that is necessary for us to have a relationship with Him, but there are certain actions we can take that will increase our enjoyment of Him.

  • Praising God for who He is and what He’s done will make our hearts rejoice.
    • Spending time listening and getting to know Him through His Word will increase our closeness and deepen our enjoyment of Him.
    • Refusing to believe lies—for example, that we should be afraid of our Father or that our sin is too great to be forgiven—frees us to receive His love and know the joy of forgiveness.

If you’ve lost your joy in the Lord, ask Him to reignite it. Then take the steps necessary to rekindle your relationship with Him. The more you learn to love Him, the greater will be your joy.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 9-11

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Blooming in the Right Spot

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Read: 1 Samuel 20:30–34
Bible in a Year: Numbers 9–11; Mark 5:1–20

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.— 1 Samuel 20:16

“A weed is any plant that grows where you don’t want it,” my father said, handing me the hoe. I wanted to leave the corn plant that had “volunteered” among the peas. But Dad, who had grown up on a farm, instructed me to pull it out. That lone cornstalk would do nothing but choke the peas and rob them of nutrients.

Human beings aren’t plants—we have minds of our own and God-given free will. But sometimes we try to bloom where God doesn’t intend us to be.

King Saul’s son, the warrior-prince Jonathan, could have done that. He had every reason to expect to be king. But he saw God’s blessing on David, and he recognized the envy and pride of his own father (1 Samuel 18:12-15). So rather than grasping for a throne that would never be his, Jonathan became David’s closest friend, even saving his life (19:1-6; 20:1-4).

Some would say that Jonathan gave up too much. But how would we prefer to be remembered? Like the ambitious Saul, who clung to his kingdom and lost it? Or like Jonathan, who protected the life of a man who would become an honored ancestor of Jesus?

God’s plan is always better than our own. We can fight against it and resemble a misplaced weed. Or we can accept His direction and become flourishing, fruitful plants in His garden. He leaves the choice with us. —Tim Gustafson

Lord, please forgive us for those times when we act as if You have planted us in the wrong place. Help us see what You have for us to do today.

God invites us to participate with Him in taking the gospel to our world.

INSIGHT: Do you ever wonder whether you are in the place God wants you to be? David and Jonathan help us ask a different question. When combined with the story of Jonathan’s father, Saul, they give us reason to ask not about our place in life but about the condition of our hearts.

When Israel rejected the God who delivered them, they asked for the kind of king they saw ruling other nations. So God gave them Saul, a handsome man, head and shoulders above any other man in the land (1 Samuel 9:2). He seemed to be the ideal match for a nation that wanted to be led by men rather than God (8:1-5).

Saul’s successor, David, was also a good-looking man (17:42). But when the personal and family lives of Saul, Jonathan, and David are considered together, they show us that while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. By trusting his eyes rather than the Lord, Saul became a bitter, violent man. David, though far from perfect, knew what it meant to trust the Lord. As a result, Jonathan learned that being loyal to David and trusting David’s God was far better than being next in line for the place of his father’s ruined life and throne. Mart DeHaan

 

http://www.odb.org

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS WILL BE SATISFIED

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Isaiah 53:1–12

The ubiquitous to-do lists on our desks and kitchen counters give us concrete goals for the day’s work. In fact, making a detailed to-do list may actually cause us to be more productive. According to a study from Wake Forest University, “When participants were allowed to make and note down concrete plans . . . [their] performance on the next task substantially improved.”

Of course, we are seldom able to finish everything on our list for the day, but Jesus Christ always accomplishes exactly what He intends to do, as today’s passage shows us. Isaiah begins this “servant song” with an acknowledgment that the gospel does not always appear to have much success in people’s hearts. “Who has believed our message?” (v. 1) is the poignant cry of a prophet-evangelist who longs to see evidence of faith in many hearts but sees only indifference.

To Isaiah’s hearers, and also to many who hear our message, Christ Himself appears unworthy of attention. He was not outwardly beautiful or powerful. He came from an unknown woman and an out-of-the-way town (see John 1:46). During His life on earth, He received few accolades and plenty of criticism. He died the death of a criminal.

This is one perspective. But, reorienting our view for a moment, Isaiah shows us what the death of the Nazarene carpenter looks like from the throne of God. Jesus, who looks so unremarkable, is seen from heaven as the substitutionary Lamb, the One whose death gives life to many. And His death accomplishes exactly what He intended. Christ died by the will of the triune Lord (v. 10), and His death and resurrection bring many to salvation. As He looks at His finished work on the cross, Jesus is satisfied (v. 11).

APPLY THE WORD

Even when you feel like your efforts in evangelism are incomplete, even when you know there is so much more that you could do to share God’s love, remember that Christ always accomplishes His task! Thank the Lord today that the to-do list is ultimately His, and He will be faithful to complete His good work.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Greatest Gift You Can Give

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Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful. — Luke 6:36

It’s the most outrageous thing. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am. It gives blessings that are undeserved and withholds punishment when it is deserved. It’s absolutely the greatest gift you can give someone.

This gift is called mercy. See, Jesus came to earth and gave us mercy, so we need to learn to give mercy to others.

By Christ’s example, we’re taught to love and pray for our enemies. We’re taught to be friendly to those who do not treat us as we would like to be treated. We are told to give to and care for the poor and helpless who will never be able to pay us back.

We can give to people who will give us gifts in return. But we’re more blessed when we choose to give to those who cannot pay us back—that’s giving mercy.

The greatest gift you can give God is to become more like Jesus. You can do that by treating others the way He has treated you. Give those around you the greatest gift they could ever receive from you: mercy.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Don’t Worry

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“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time” (Matthew 6:34).

The taxi driver who drove me from the airport to the hotel in Virginia Beach stated several times that he was having difficulty making ends meet for his wife and 2-year-old son.

He had two jobs and worked seven days a week. Even so, he could hardly get by. The rent was high; the utility bills were extravagant, and he was trying to save enough money so that he could move to another city where the hourly wages were considerably higher. There, he would be able to achieve a better way of life.

I asked him if he went to church.

“No,” he said, “I don’t have time. I’m too busy.”

During the next 30 minutes we talked about the love of God, and God’s purpose and plan for men which was revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

“I once went to church as a young man,” he said,” and my mother is very religious. In fact, she used to preach to me all the time. But somehow I have gotten away from God and from the church.”

I shared with him the Four Spiritual Laws, and the prayer: “Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

By the time we reached the hotel, he was ready to pray that prayer in all earnestness, from the depths of his heart. So he offered the prayer, and I prayed with him. And it seemed as though, before my very eyes, the load he had been carrying for so long was lifted and that God, who had made the promise, had already begun to fulfill that promise.

Bible Reading:Matthew 6:28-33

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will ask God to help me forget the conflicts and unfortunate memories of the past: to take no anxious thought for tomorrow, and to joyfully live in the reality of His supernatural presence and provision.

 

http://www.cru.org

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids – Tools of the Shepherd

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Psalm 23:4

The rod and staff are tools of the shepherd. The rod is a club that the shepherd has carved from the root of a tree and fitted to his hand. The shepherd keeps the rod with him at all times and uses it as a weapon. When wild animals or snakes threaten the sheep, the shepherd takes aim and uses the rod to kill or drive off the intruder.

The staff is a useful and essential tool for the shepherd. Many staffs had hooks at the end for catching sheep that were wandering off, for lifting a lamb and putting it back beside its mother, and for pulling away thorny bushes the sheep might wander into and get caught in. Sheep fall over cliffs and have to be rescued. They get into weeds that will make them sick if they eat them. They must have a shepherd with them at all times to care for them and guide them. The shepherd uses his staff to assist the sheep. Sometimes he uses it to pull a sheep close to himself so he can inspect it for cuts and bruises.

So how are God’s rod and staff a comfort to us? They comfort us because God is our shepherd, guiding us day by day. Some days we may feel the hook of the staff around our necks guiding us back to the right way. Sometimes we hear the rod as it flies past our head to chase away something that would have hurt us. And sometimes we feel the staff of God’s love pulling us close to him.

Dear Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Thank you for watching over me even when I am stubborn and foolish. Thank you for pulling me back in line and closer to you. Amen.

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Refreshers Are Refreshed 

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A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed”. Proverbs 11:25

What does it mean to be refreshed? It is to be made fresh, to revive, to enliven, to invigorate, to rejuvenate, to energize, to restore, to recharge, or to revitalize. A meager cup of lukewarm coffee comes alive with a satisfying taste when mixed with freshly brewed beans. A lukewarm life is warmed and encouraged when refreshed with words of encouragement and acts of kindness. Everyone we meet becomes a candidate for refreshment.

Our faith cools down when Christ seems silent and circumstances continue to crumble, but a sincere prayer from a righteous friend warmly restores our confidence. Our hope feels deferred in the face of disappointment and rejection, but we are energized by the acceptance and love of a community of believers in Jesus. Hope loves company. Seek refreshment from your Savior and His followers. Be refreshed so you can refresh others.

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” (Jeremiah 31:25).

When your parched soul has been watered by dew from heaven, you can lead others to the Lord’s watering hole. People are frantically feeling robbed by insensitive institutions and greedy governments, but we can reconnect them to their generous God. Jesus gives us an abundant life to be shared with others who are absent of abundance. “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV).

Lastly, your refreshment reciprocates refreshment. When you refresh another financially, you are refreshed by faith and fulfillment. When you refresh another emotionally, you are refreshed by peace and contentment. When you refresh another spiritually, you are refreshed by the grace and love of God. Are you in need of refreshment? If so, receive Christ’s full cup of joy. Drink often with the Lord so you can generously refresh friends.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).

Prayer: Dear Lord, I receive Your refreshing love so by Your grace I can refresh others, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Application: How can I stay in a routine of refreshment so that I in turn can refresh others?

Related Readings: Ruth 2:14; Psalm 41:1; Matthew 25:34–35; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7

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