Monthly Archives: March 2018

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Jesus Prepares the Perfect Place

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Several years ago I spent a week speaking at a church in California—and had incredible hosts. All my meals were at a different house. But after a few meals I noticed all we ate was salad! No meat, no dessert—just salad. At first I thought it was a ‘California thing.’ But when I finally asked, the answer was, “We were told you eat nothing but salads!” Well, I quickly corrected them! The hosts meant well, but their information was bad! I’m happy to say we corrected the problem and enjoyed some good meat!

I’m even happier to say Jesus won’t make the same mistake with you! He is preparing the perfect place, the perfect meal! He says, “I have prepared a place for you!” (John 14:2). Trust the promises of Christ! He knows exactly what you need.

From When Christ Comes

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – A description of grace your soul needs today

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We live in a culture that separates everyone into two categories: winners and losers.

There were twenty-four winners in Sunday night’s Academy Awards. Conversely, there were ninety-eight losers.

But at least they received nominations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 249,607 actors and other professionals in the motion picture and video production industry; almost all were excluded from the Oscars.

And yet, each of them is a winner in a way. They have a job in the film industry, unlike the multitudes who would like to work in the movies but don’t.

Meanwhile, odds are being calculated for college basketball’s “March Madness” tournament. As baseball’s spring training continues, analysts are debating who is likely to win this year’s World Series.

The underlying message is clear: if you win, you’re a winner; if you lose, you’re a loser.

“The smell of rain is grace”

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Developing Discernment

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Hebrews 5:12-14

We live in a fast-paced culture that demands instant results. For many people, waiting has become a lost art. But God’s way of maturing us in our faith is different from how the world works. The character qualities He values take time to develop.

Discernment is one such trait. Far from being a ready-made skill, it is cultivated by saturating the heart and mind with Scripture. The transcendent Lord of the universe wants to share His thinking with us through His Word. What could be more important or valuable in life than having the capacity to know the mind of God?

Our lives are filled with situations that require discernment. Sometimes we can be so busy trying to determine God’s will and direction for our next step that we fail to hear His voice. He is calling us to come and spend some quiet, unhurried time absorbing the truth of His Word and listening to Him.

After listening to the Lord, we can begin applying what we have learned. Only as we put His Word into practice in our lives will we have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). The Scriptures open our eyes to see all of our experiences from God’s perspective so that we are able to make wise choices.

Our challenge for today and every day is to make it a priority to spend time with the Lord in His Word. We may have to reorganize our schedule or wake up earlier. But it’s well worth the effort—discernment and wisdom await us if we put into practice the truths we absorb daily.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 1-3

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Grass or Grace

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Read: Genesis 13:1–18 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 34–36; Mark 9:30–50Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan. Genesis 13:11

My friend Archie came home from vacation to find his neighbor had erected a wooden fence five feet inside his property line. Several weeks went by during which Archie tried to work with his neighbor to remove the fence. He offered to help and to split the cost of the work, but to no avail. Archie could have appealed to civil authorities, but he chose to forgo that right in this instance and allow the fence to stand—to show his neighbor something of the grace of God.

“Archie is a wimp!” you say. No, he was man of towering strength, but he chose grace over a patch of grass.

Lord, help me to show Your love and grace to others.

I think of Abraham and Lot, who fell into conflict because their flocks and herds overwhelmed the land. “Quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and the Perizzites [the unbelieving community] were also living in the land at that time” (Genesis 13:7). Lot chose the best of the land and lost everything in the end. Abraham took what was left over and gained the promised land (vv. 12–17).

We do have rights and we can claim them, especially when other’s rights are involved. And sometimes we should insist on them. Paul did when the Sanhedrin acted unlawfully (see Acts 23:1–3). But we can choose to set them aside to show the world a better way. This is what the Bible calls “meekness”—not weakness. Strength under God’s control.

Dear Lord, I am prone to look out for myself. Give me wisdom to know when giving up my rights would best demonstrate Your love and grace to others.

My life helps paint my neighbor’s picture of God.

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Decomposition of God

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“God is dead,” declares Nietzsche’s madman in his oft-quoted passage from The Gay Science. Though not the first to make the declaration, Nietzsche’s philosophical candor and desperate rhetoric unquestionably attribute to its familiarity. In graphic brushstrokes, the parable describes a crime scene:

“The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. ‘Whither is God,’ he cried; ‘I will tell you. We have killed him—you and I! All of us are his murderers…Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder?…Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”(1)

Nietzsche’s atheism, unlike many contemporary atheistic mantras, was not simply rhetoric and angry words. He recognized that the death of God, even if only the death of an idol, introduced a significant crisis. He understood the critical role of the Christian story to the very underpinnings of European philosophy, history, and culture, and so understood that God’s death meant that a total—and painful—transformation of reality must occur. If God has died, if God is dead in the sense that God is no longer of use to us, then ours is a world in peril, he reasoned, for everything must change. Our typical means of thought and life no longer make sense; the very structures for evaluating everything have become unhinged. For Nietzsche, a world that considers itself free from God is a world that must suffer the disruptive effects of that iconoclasm.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – When Good Things Happen to People Who Have Hurt You

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But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. — Matthew 5:44-45

Have you ever seen someone receive a blessing from God and felt like they didn’t deserve it? Have you seen good things happen to someone who has hurt you?

When a person who offended you gets a blessing, it can grate on you…at least it did for me until I learned how to forgive.

The Bible says that good and bad things happen to both the righteous and the unrighteous. When someone who’s hurt you receives a blessing, it makes it even harder to forgive them, but you are still called to pray for them.

I want to encourage you today to bless the people who have hurt you by praying for them, even though you may feel hurt and irritated by them. When you pray for people who have hurt you, it’s a choice you make. And forgiveness is based on your decision – not a feeling. But there’s healing in that for you.

A forgiving lifestyle helps you become more like Christ. As you learn the importance of forgiveness and begin to pray for blessings for those who have hurt you, your heart will heal from bitterness, and your personal growth will lead you to the blessings God has planned for you.

 

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – No Longer Under Law

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“So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

What an exciting fact! We are no longer under the law. We have been liberated from the bondage of trying to please God through our self-effort.

What is our motivation under grace? Under law our motivation was fear, and desire for reward and blessing; under grace, our basic motivation is an expression of gratitude – an inward appreciation and response to God’s love and grace.

Why do we do what we do as Christians? We should respond because we, like the apostle Paul, are constrained by the love of Christ. We live for the glory of God. You will remember that the apostle Paul had been beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, starved, buffeted, criticized and condemned, yet he said, “The love of Christ constrains me.”

Even if there were no rewards for those who live godly lives and obey our Savior, the reward of knowing Him as our God and Father, being forgiven of sin and cleansed from all guilt, is more than just enough; it is unfathomable. We can know Him, love Him, worship Him and serve Him by faith – here and now!

A young man I know is writing a book on how to become rich in the kingdom of God. He is basing his theme on the rewards that will be his by winning souls. “I want to be rich in heaven,” he says.

That may be a worthwhile goal, but it is not mine. Mine is gratitude and love. I love Him because He first loved me – died for me, liberated me, set me free.

Bible Reading:Romans 8:2-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will sing praises and give thanks in my heart to the Lord upon every remembrance of the liberty and grace that is mine in Christ Jesus, and I will tell everyone who will listen that we are no longer in bondage to sin, for Christ has set us free.

 

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Uncategorized

Max Lucado – Jesus Has Ample Room

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Some of the saddest words on earth are: We don’t have room for you!  Sorry, I don’t have room for you on the team. I don’t have room for you in my heart. We don’t have room for your type here.

Jesus was still in Mary’s womb when the innkeeper said, We don’t have room for you. When the religious leaders accused him of blasphemy saying, We don’t have room for a self-proclaimed Messiah! Even today Jesus goes from heart to heart, asking if he might enter. But more often than not he hears the words of the Bethlehem innkeeper…. sorry, too crowded. I don’t have room for you.

But Jesus says I have ample space for you!  “Trust in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms” (John 14:2). We make room for him in our hearts, and he makes room for us in his house!

From When Christ Comes

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Who hold the title for most Oscars lost?

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The Shape of Water won last night’s Academy Award for Best Picture. Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwall, and Allison Janney won the acting Oscars. Their victories were predicted by many.

But who has lost the most Oscars? The answers may surprise you.

Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Katharine Graham in The Post. This marked her twenty-first Oscar nomination. She has won three while losing eighteen.

She is nowhere near John Williams, however. The iconic composer of musical scores for E.T., Jaws, and the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series has been nominated an amazing fifty-one times, including last night for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But he holds the record for the most Oscars lost, with forty-six.

Meryl Streep and John Williams have clearly enjoyed astounding artistic success. But their perseverance has been as important to their careers as their talent.

No attribute is more essential for Christians who wish to serve Jesus in a culture like ours.

Mike Huckabee a “shameful choice” for CMA Foundation

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Importance of Discernment

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Matthew 3:1-12

Who couldn’t use a little discernment? We desperately need the Lord’s help to determine truth and reality in a world filled with confusing gray areas and evil deceptions.

John the Baptist was a man of tremendous discernment. This rough and rugged preacher came thundering onto the scene of staid orthodox Judaism, and he brought a message to the entire Jewish nation. John’s job was to prepare the way for the Messiah’s arrival. What he had to say was simple: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2).

As the multitudes flocked to hear this unique prophet and repent of their sins, John discerned that some of them were frauds. The Pharisees and Sadducees had come to check him out, not to repent. They were hiding reality behind a religious exterior.

A discerning spirit is one that is in tune with the Spirit of God. As John lived in submission to the Lord, he gained insight beyond anything that could have originated from his own mind.

He saw the situation from God’s perspective and delivered a strong rebuke to that “brood of vipers” (Matt. 3:7). Although we may never be as forthright as John, there will be times when a discerning spirit will lead to confrontation.

The Father wants His children to develop spiritual discernment in order to guard against deception. We must know how to recognize invalid philosophies as well as false doctrines that sneak into the church. What’s more, divine insight can also protect us in our relationships and even helps us see the truth about ourselves.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 33-34

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — When God Fills Us

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Read: Psalm 16:5–11 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 31–33; Mark 9:1–29

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Psalm 16:11

“What had I done?” It should have been one of the most exciting times of my life. Instead, it was one of the loneliest. I’d just gotten my first “real” job after college, in a city hundreds of miles from where I grew up. But the thrill of that big step quickly faded. I had a tiny apartment. No furniture. I didn’t know the city. I didn’t know anyone. The job was interesting, but the loneliness felt crushing.

One night, I sat at home with my back against the wall. I opened my Bible and stumbled onto Psalm 16, where verse 11 promises God will fill us. “Lord,” I prayed, “I thought this job was the right thing, but I feel so alone. Please fill me with a sense of Your nearness.” I offered variants of that plaintive plea for weeks. Some nights, my sense of loneliness eased, and I had a deep experience of God’s presence. Other nights, I still felt achingly isolated.

My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. Psalm 16:9

But as I returned to that verse, anchoring my heart in it night by night, God gradually deepened my faith. I experienced His faithfulness in a way I never had before. And I learned that my job was simply to pour out my heart to Him . . . and humbly await His faithful response, trusting His promise to fill us with His Spirit.

Lord, we can feel so empty at times. But You’ve made known the path of life. You long for us to trust You. Help us to cling to Your promise to fill us in our desperate moments.

Anchor your heart in God.

By Adam Holz

INSIGHT

David faced many enemies and encountered numerous dangers. Those experiences proved the faithfulness of God to him. In Psalm 16 David sings of finding his joy and guidance in the Lord alone: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (v. 8).

 

Earlier in Israel’s story, Moses had pleaded for the presence of God to accompany the people in the wilderness (Exodus 33:15–16). God promised to go with them and to give them rest (vv. 14, 17).

We too can find our help in the God of Moses and David. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit. He told His disciples, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15–17). The God of David and Moses is the God who tells us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). His Holy Spirit lives in us.

Do you sense His presence today? Give your desperate circumstances to Him. He promises to guide you.

 

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Four Burning Questions—If God Is for Us…

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If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31

Some days we awaken to sunny skies. Other days are darker, and we’re gripped by pain. Whether the pain is physical or emotional, it can make us question God’s love and care for us.

Recommended Reading: Romans 8:31-39

But God counters our questions with some of His own—rhetorical questions—to remind us of His active involvement in our care. We find glorious sets of questions at the end of Job, in Isaiah 40, and scattered throughout the Lord’s ministry. But few passages exceed the interrogation of Romans 8, as Paul draws to a close in his theological instruction about justification by grace through faith.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?… How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect … Who is he who condemns?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

If your spirits are low today, answer the questions God sets forth. Who can be against you? No one! What can separate you from His love? Nothing!

God’s burning questions have glowing answers that bring heavenly sunshine.

When Jesus shows His smiling face, there is sunshine in my soul.
Eliza Hewitt

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Deuteronomy 30 – 34

 

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You’re Not Built for Guilt

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Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. — Romans 8:1

When I ask large audiences how many people spend their lives feeling guilty, my guess is that at least 80 percent of the people raise their hands. I was part of that 80 percent until I decided that I was not built for guilt, and I was not going to continue to allow a renegade feeling to rule my life.

I studied God’s Word about guilt and studied His character and nature until I was totally convinced that God is not the source of guilt.

I see guilt as an illegal alien that attacks our mind and conscience, attempting to prevent us from enjoying anything God has provided for us. Guilt has no legal right in our lives because Jesus has paid for our sins and misdeeds. If it is in us illegally, then we need to send it back where it came from—which is hell!

Refuse to let guilt steel your joy any longer. You must remember that you are not built for guilt. Deal with it aggressively anytime you experience it by receiving God’s love and grace.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Love Means Obedience

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“The one who obeys Me is the one who loves Me; and because he loves Me, My Father will love him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him” (John 14:21).

A Campus Crusade staff member handed me a copy of Sports Illustrated with a cover picture of the Heisman Trophy winner.

Proudly, he said, “I would like to introduce you to your great-grandson.”

When I asked him what he meant, he explained, “You led Jim to Christ, Jim led me to Christ, and I led Steve [the Heisman Trophy winner] to Christ.”

What a joy to see God’s wonder-working power in this chain reaction of spiritual multiplication.

There is something exciting and wonderfully rewarding about seeing one whom you have discipled grow and mature, and lead others to Christ and disciple them, generation after generation. Such an experience often brings even more fulfillment than you derive from your own personal ministry of introducing others to the Lord Jesus.

For example, I have always taken special delight and pleasure whenever Vonette, our sons Zachary and Bradley, or many others whom I have discipled through the years, do something special for the Lord – much more than as though I were doing it personally.

By investing your life in helping others to receive Christ and grow in the Lord, you will in turn be helping still others to experience the abundant life which only true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ experience. Today’s verse equates love for Christ with obedience to His commands. Two of the most important commands our Lord has given to His followers, which will result in His revealing Himself to us, are “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 28:19, NAS). He is saying to us, “Teach the things that I have taught you.”

Bible Reading:John 14:22-26

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  Today I will seek to obey my Lord by telling others about Him and by seeking to disciple others who have already committed their lives to Christ. I have the assurance that my Lord will manifest Himself to me in special ways as I walk in faith and obedience.

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – When In Doubt 

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When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matthew 11:2–3

Doubt seeks to destroy our faith. It is in our discouragement—even despair—that we begin to question God. “What did I do wrong?”, “Lord, did you call me to this place of confusion?”, “Where is my joy and hope?”, “Are you even real or just a figment of my imagination?” Left to its natural conclusion, doubt crushes our faith in Christ.

Fortunately, faith does not have to take a furlough when we are frustrated and fatigued. It is in your confinement that Christ wants to remind you of His great power. So cry out to Him in your confused circumstances, and He will earnestly listen in love. “In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears” (2 Samuel 22:7). He does not leave His loved ones alone and in doubt.

It is okay to be in doubt, but not to remain in doubt. What doubt challenges your faith in God? Is it His provision, His promises, His presence, His character, or His care? When these questions assault your confidence in Christ, take a step back and review His track record. The reality of your salvation sets you on the productive path of peace and forgiveness. Answered prayer over the years is proof enough of His love and concern.

Furthermore, use this temporary time of distrust to go deeper with Jesus. The pressure you feel on all sides is your Savior’s way of soliciting your attention. When in doubt, seek out the Lord, learn to love Him completely, and discern more fully His profound promises. Use doubt to dig deeper into the truth of Scripture; marinate your mind. “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).

When in doubt, stay steadfast in seeking your Savior. Wait on Him, especially when you wonder what is next. Where there is true faith there may be a mixture of unbelief; so remain faithful, even when questions manipulate your faith. Perseverance will one day free you as a stronger and more-committed follower of Christ. See Jesus for who He is. Doubt dissolves in His reassuring presence. Doubt starves to death when it is not fed.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:5–6).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me in my unbelief to believe You are all I need during this time of intense uncertainty, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Application: What doubts do I need to acknowledge and release to God? Is Christ trustworthy?

Related Readings: 2 Chronicles 33:12; Job 36:16–19; John 20:27; Jude 1:22

 

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – YAHWEH: THE PROSECUTOR

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Hosea 4:1–6; 6:1–11

When U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his post in Afghanistan, he claimed that he wanted to report on misconduct in his unit. Instead, he was captured by the Taliban and tortured for five years. When he was finally released and eventually tried for desertion, the judge in his court-martial sentenced him to a dishonorable discharge, reduction of rank, and a monetary fine in lieu of prison time.

All of us are familiar with courtroom language: prosecution and defense, judge and jury, trial and testimony. At this point in our study of Hosea, the book shifts from the biographical context of Hosea and Gomer to the judicial setting: God brings a case against His people. His accusation against them isn’t that they’ve simply abandoned their religious duties. They’ve also sinned against one another by acting in violent, treacherous ways.

The failure to love neighbor is always a failure to love God—and vice versa. Abandoning “faithfulness” and “love” and “acknowledgement of God” (4:1) will necessarily lead to the crimes against humanity we see throughout Hosea and indeed all the Minor Prophets.

God issues a pronounced condemnation on the leaders of His people—the priests and prophets. It had been their responsibility to teach the knowledge of God, their obligation to speak the words of the Lord. But they had failed in these tasks, and as a result, the people had failed to uphold their covenant obligations.

The people of Israel could have resigned themselves to their fate of divine judgment. They had made their bed, and they must lie in it. But Hosea speaks words of hope: return to the Lord! His mercy, like spring rain, can be counted on (6:1–3).

APPLY THE WORD

We easily become discouraged when we fall into patterns of sin. I’ll never change. There’s no hope. I’m condemned to fail. These messages keep us far from God, never daring to believe He can forgive us or change us. But Hosea, along with all the Minor Prophets, assures us that God’s mercy is available to us if we “acknowledge the LORD” (6:3).

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – A Man Worthy of Our Hope

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1 Peter 1:3-5

Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of our faith. There are many people who think it’s sufficient to believe that Jesus lived and died. However, the Savior’s restoration to life is central to what He claimed about His identity and to Christianity as a faith. Picking up on our question from yesterday’s devotion, we must ask what kind of man is this who rose from the dead?

The answer is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who died for our sins and rose again because death has no power over Him. The resurrection validated Jesus’ ministry. All along, He said and did things to reveal Himself as Lord. When the Lamb of God—the perfect sacrifice for sin—conquered death, He confirmed His identity. Who but the Creator could return to life?

We could also answer the question by saying that the kind of man who returns from the dead is one worthy of our hope. Since Jesus Christ affirmed God’s power to give His followers eternal life, their earthly existence is not marching toward an end; rather, it is the opening chapter of a beautiful and never-ending relationship with God. Paul said that at death, Christians are absent from their bodies and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). So the best is yet to come!

Apart from Jesus’ resurrection, there is no hope. Those who chase after their own versions of immortality have no assurance of life after death, because for them, there is none. Yet believers face death with the confidence that nothing can separate them from the love of the Father. Death is just a short trip home.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 31-32

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Precious to God

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Read: Genesis 1:26–31 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 28–30; Mark 8:22–38

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

His name was David, but most just called him “the street fiddler.” David was a disheveled, older man who was a regular fixture in popular places in our city, serenading passers-by with unusual skill at his violin. In exchange for his music, listeners would sometimes place a dollar in the open instrument case before them on the sidewalk. David would smile and nod his head in thanks as he continued to play.

When David died recently and his obituary appeared in a local paper, it was revealed that he spoke several languages, was the graduate of a prestigious university, and had even run for the state senate years ago. Some expressed surprise at the extent of his accomplishments, having assessed him on the basis of appearance alone.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful love for me.

Scripture tells us that “God created mankind in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). This reveals an inherent worth within each of us, regardless of how we look, what we have achieved, or what others may think of us. Even when we chose to turn from God in our sinfulness, God valued us so much that He sent His only Son to show us the way to salvation and eternity with Him.

We are loved by God, and all around us are those who are precious to Him. May we express our love for Him in return by sharing His love with others.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful love for me. I pray that others may see Your love in my words and actions today.

God’s love is meant to be shared.

By James Banks

INSIGHT

What does it mean that we are made in God’s image? We are like Him because we possess emotions, intellect, will, and conscience. We are also designed for relationship. In John 17:5 Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” This shared glory speaks of the eternal relationship between Christ and the Father. Just as there is relationship within the Godhead, we are made for relationship both with God and with one another. Being created in His image means we are not intended to live in isolation.

Bill Crowder

 

http://www.odb.org

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids – We Could Make Beautiful Music

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2 Corinthians 11:2

A young man carefully held his kora harp in his hands. “If I were marooned on a desert island, the one thing I’d want with me is this harp,” he said.

The kora harp is a West African instrument and has twenty-one strings. Each string is attached to a tuning peg on a long neck of the harp. The young man held the instrument between his knees and, with his hands on two handholds on either side of the neck, plucked the strings to make a beautiful sound. As he plucked the strings, he often stopped to tighten or loosen one of those twenty-one tuning pegs. He knew exactly which string was out of tune. Most who listened had no idea there was anything wrong with the string, but the young man who knows his instrument well, and who is a master at playing this instrument, knew the sound it made could be better than it was. He loved his harp. He understood it and he wanted its music to be perfect.

That’s the way God is with us. He loves us so much, just like the kora harpist loves his instrument. He knows all about us. He knows when we are living a true life and when we are faking it. He knows what our lives can be if we let him correct us and tune us so we make music that is harmonious with his will for our lives. And he will never leave us. He’ll be close by to help us, always.

Dear Lord, Help me to let you change me into who you want me to be. I want to make beautiful music with my life. Let my life be like a love song to you. Tune me up so no ugly or unkind words come from my mouth. Thank you, Father, for loving me so much. Amen.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Best Way to Deal with Money

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He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes [from their want] will have many a curse.— Proverbs 28:27 (AMPC)

I’ve discovered the best way to deal with money is to give it away. And we need to keep on giving, especially during challenging financial times. This is a key factor in helping us maintain a biblical focus on our finances.

It’s always possible to live by God’s financial principles, even in difficult times. You might find yourself in what seems like an impossible financial situation and feel like you’re in no position to give, but don’t let that stop you. God will help you when you simply work with what you have.

Luke 19:17 tells us that God is pleased when we are faithful and trustworthy in very little things. When we are, it says He will give us authority over bigger things.

Proverbs 28:27 says, He who gives to the poor will not want…. If we obey God with our finances, even when we don’t have much, and give to help other people, God will provide what we need. It’s just that simple. Choose to be a giver today, and you will not lack anything.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org