Daily Archives: May 18, 2018

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Investing in Eternity

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Mark 16:15-16

Christians are to invest in the lives of others. All the material riches of this world will pass away, and only those who believe in Jesus Christ will go to heaven. As His followers, we must devote ourselves to helping people meet Him.

God offers salvation to the entire world. However, there are people in every country who have not heard that Jesus Christ loves them and died on the cross for their sins (John 3:16). We don’t always associate the word unchurched with our neighbors, coworkers, and friends, but the reality is that those closest to us may not know the gospel.

Believers have found many ways to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. In Touch Ministries, for example, reaches around the world through print, radio, television, Messengers, and the internet. But person-to-person evangelism remains one of the most effective ways of telling people about the Savior, as unbelievers can get their questions answered and their concerns addressed in a personal way. Those who trust in Christ can then be discipled, which is vital to spiritual growth. It’s not enough just to give money so missionaries can do this work in distant countries. Nearby fields are also ready to harvest, but the workers are few (Matt. 9:37).

When it comes to reaching the lost, all believers are personally responsible. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). You cannot get involved in a wiser or more everlasting venture than pouring your spiritual wealth into another person’s mind and heart. Investing in souls is a pursuit of eternal value.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 24-25

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Overflowing

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Read: Romans 15:4–13 | Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 4–6; John 6:1–21

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. Romans 15:13

“No! No! No! NO!” I screamed. It didn’t help. Not one bit. My brilliant solution for our plugged problem—flushing again—accomplished exactly the opposite of what I’d intended. I knew I had made a mistake the second I pushed the lever down. And I stood helplessly as water overflowed.

How many times have our kids tried to pour milk and misjudged the process, with white liquid flowing everywhere. Or maybe we failed to remember that a two-liter bottle of soda just rolled around in the trunk . . . with explosively startling results.

The Father gave us the Spirit to make us like the Son.

No, spills are almost never a good thing. But there might be one exception. The apostle Paul uses that image of overflowing to describe a people so full of God’s Spirit that what naturally spills out of them is hope (Romans 15:13). I love that picture of being filled to the brim with joy, peace, and faith because of His powerful presence in our lives. So much so, in fact, that we can’t help but exude and express winsome confidence in our heavenly Father. That might be during the beautiful, sunny seasons of our lives. Or when the proverbial cup of our lives gets jostled. Either way, what sloshes out over the top is life-giving hope to those around us who are “drenched” by it.

Lord, spills happen in life. But when they do, help us to be so full of Your Spirit that what pours out of us is the kind of hope that others can’t help but notice and be blessed by.

The Father gave us the Spirit to make us like the Son.

By Adam Holz

INSIGHT

Hope is a central theme in Romans. Testing results in hope (5:4), we are saved in hope (8:24), we are to be joyful in hope (12:12), we draw hope from the Scriptures in the trials of life (15:4), and our lives can overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (15:13).

Bill Crowder

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Storied Recollection

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Aldous Huxley likened a person’s memory to one’s own collection of private literature. Housed within the confines of memory are countless pages of our own stories, perspectives, and thoughts—vast libraries uniquely existing within our own heads. It is this personal nature of memory that no doubt feeds our dismay when minds begin to slip. Forgetfulness is a fearful quality particularly because it is a quality that seems to erase part of the very person it describes.

The implications of memory are made known in the earliest pages of God’s story as told in scripture. But added to the cultural adage of Aldous Huxley is the idea that this “private literature’”can be edited. In other words, what we choose to remember affects who we are. And at that, our private literature is not entirely private; there is a communal aspect to memory as well.

Surely we see this played out within the grumblings of the rescued Israelites. From the wilderness, the writer of Numbers reports:

“Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’”(1)

Recollection, like resentment, is often contagious. In this moment of hunger, Israel together remembered Egypt as a place of produce instead of prison, and together they declared their longing to return to the very place from which they had been rescued. Together they wept; together they remembered; and together they remained lost in the wilderness. What we choose to remember indeed affects who we are—individually, collectively, boldly.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Storied Recollection →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God Is Greater Than Your Mistakes

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…but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on…. — Philippians 3:13-14

Many times, before your feet even hit the floor in the mornings, the enemy begins to remind you of everything you did wrong the previous day or everything that didn’t work out well. In doing so, the enemy’s goal is to use yesterday to keep you from living today.

You don’t have to be afraid of repeating the past. If you believe God is greater than your sins, mistakes, and shortcomings, you will have the spiritual energy and the strength and the grace of God to help you press on and do better in the future. The dreams of your future have no room for the disappointments of the past. They will keep you stuck and weighed down.

Every day can be a new beginning if we make a determined decision to press on to achieve the greater things God has for us today. God’s mercy is greater than yesterday’s mistakes.

Prayer Starter: Father, I lift up every mistake and disappointment, and I give them to You right now. Help me to leave them behind, start fresh, and focus on all the good things You have for me in the future. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Best Counsel

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“The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong” (Psalm 37:30,31).

Mary had gone to several psychologists and psychiatrists, and even religious leaders, seeking help, but no one had been able to help her. Consequently, she had been committed to a mental institution. Now, in desperation her family had come to seek help.

It did not take long to discover the root of her problem – she was plagued with a deep sense of guilt. Mary had been sexually promiscuous as a teenager, and prior to that she had been violated by her step-father who had taken advantage of her when she was a very young girl.

All of this tormented her greatly, but no one had taken her to the Word of God to help her understand that she did not have to carry the burden of her own sin. There is forgiveness. Scripture teaches that if we confess our sins, God is waiting to forgive and cleanse us.

There are three things we need to know about confession. First, the word “confess” means, in the original Greek language, “to agree with.” If I agree with God concerning my immorality, stealing, dishonesty, whatever it may be, I am saying, “Lord, I know it is sin.” Second, we know from Scripture that Christ has paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross. And third, we must repent, which means we change our attitude toward that sin. This results in a change of action. When we do this, we have the promise that what we confess, God forgives, and He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

When Mary understood the truth of God’s promise, she and I knelt together and by faith she surrendered all of her guilt and frustration to Christ, who died for her, and she claimed God’s forgiveness.

Only God could liberate her from the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and bring her into kingdom of light – the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary sensed God’s immediate liberation and began to rejoice in the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life with Christ. She became a radiant, joyful and victorious witness for our Savior.

Bible Reading:Psalm 37:22-40

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Not only will I seek the counsel of godly men and women, but I will, with God’s help, become a godly person myself. I will saturate my mind with the truth of His holy Scripture, so that I will know what is right and wrong according to the Word of God, and I will then be able to give wise counsel to others.

 

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Courteous Conduct

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Paul says in Colossians 4:5-6, “Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.” Courteous conduct honors Christ. Those who don’t believe in Jesus note what we do. They make decisions about Christ by watching us. When we are kind, they assume Christ is kind.

Courteous conduct also honors God’s child. When you surrender a parking place to someone, you honor them. When you make an effort to greet everyone in the room, especially the ones others may have overlooked, you honor God’s children. Romans 12:18 says, “Do your best to live in peace with everyone!” You can’t control their attitude, but you can manage yours!

Read more A Love Worth Giving

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Who will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle?

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Today is Meghan Markle’s last day before she becomes royalty.

It was announced this morning that she has asked Prince Charles to walk her down the aisle in tomorrow’s wedding. She has already had her final dress fitting. (It is rumored to cost $135,000 and will be paid for by Prince Harry and his family.)

She booked her manicurist to come to Kensington Palace, ensuring her nails are ready for the moment when she and Harry exchange rings. And she has reportedly been doing regular workouts at home and jogging around the park to relieve stress.

In addition to preparing to marry Prince Harry, she’s also been preparing to join his family.

According to reports, Meghan has been required to master the silver service and learn how to handle seafood, drink soup, and so on. She has been taught to curtsy, something required when she meets Duchess Kate Middleton and every royal who ranks above her.

(The perfect curtsy, in case you were wondering, is “back straight, head up, with a bent front knee and your back leg behind you.”)

Continue reading Denison Forum – Who will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle? →