Daily Archives: May 26, 2018

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Blessed Assurance

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Hebrews 10:22-23

How do you know whether your salvation is genuine? Is there any way to be absolutely certain, or do you have to live in uncertainty, fearing that you may do or say something that could nullify your acceptance by God?

Although Scripture assures us that we can be absolutely certain we are saved, many Christians are continually plagued by doubts. Sometimes sin triggers the thought that we’ve gone too far this time. Another problem is reliance on shifting emotions as verification of our standing with God. Perhaps we’ve been comparing ourselves with other believers who seem more righteous and then conclude we must not be saved. Or maybe we’ve listened to false teaching that claims eternal life can be lost.

Basically our lack of assurance boils down to two issues: We don’t believe what God’s Word says, and we think we are the ones who must hold onto our salvation. Jesus said that no one can snatch His sheep out of His hand (John 10:27-29). He’s the one who holds us, and He’s promised that He will lose none of those whom the Father has given Him (John 6:39). If we begin to doubt for any reason, we must go back to Scripture and let the Lord assure us of His love and provision.

Those who are saved are guaranteed eternal life, but how can you be certain that your salvation is genuine? One test is perseverance. God uses trials to test your faith (1 Peter 1:6-7). When trials come and you do not fall away, your faith has been proven genuine. What’s more, Romans 8:16 tells us, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Bible in One Year: Nehemiah 1-3

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Nobody Likes Me

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Read: Psalm 142 | Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 28–29; John 9:24–41

No one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. Psalm 142:4

As a child, when I felt lonely, rejected, or sorry for myself, my mother would sometimes attempt to cheer me up by singing a popular ditty: “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I think I’ll go eat worms.” After a smile came from my downcast face, she’d help me see the many special relationships and reasons for gratitude I truly did have.

When I read that David felt no one cared for him, that ditty rings in my ears. Yet David’s pain wasn’t at all exaggerated. Where I had feelings of loneliness typical for my age, David actually had good reason to feel abandoned. He wrote these words in the dark depths of a cave where he hid from Saul, who pursued him with murderous plans (1 Samuel 22:1; 24:3–10). David had been anointed as Israel’s future king (16:13), had spent years in Saul’s service, but now he lived “on the move,” always fearing for his life. In the midst of the loneliness David felt, he cried out to God as his “refuge” and “portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5).

God is our friend in seasons of loneliness.

Like David, we can cry out to God when we feel alone, giving voice to our feelings in the safety of His love. God never minimizes our loneliness. He wants to be our companion in the dark caves of our lives. Even when we think no one cares for our life, God cares!

Lord, You are my friend when I feel alone. Thank You for being with me in the dark caves of life.

God is our friend in seasons of loneliness.

By Kirsten Holmberg

INSIGHT

The heading to Psalm 142 says, “A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.” But we might also call this song “David’s cry.” The poetic imagery woven into the lyric rings with authenticity because it flows out of David’s actual experiences. Twice he fled to a cave in fear for his life. Few of us can identify with that situation literally, but nearly all of us can relate to David’s metaphorical cave of loneliness and despair. When he uses words like “cry” (v. 1) and “complaint” (v. 2), we know how he feels. His “spirit grows faint” (v. 3), a “snare” has been set for him (v. 3), and “no one is concerned” (v. 4). David even sees his dilemma as “my prison” (v. 7). Yet he knows the trustworthiness of the One he cries out to, and he anticipates a day when “the righteous will gather about [him]” (v. 7). He will not always be desperately lonely.

Does an emotional cave imprison you today? Consider writing out your thoughts in raw honesty and giving them to God. How might that kind of honesty change your prayers?

Tim Gustafson

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – God Is for Us and with Us

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Read: Romans 8:28-39

If God is for us, who can be against us? (v. 31)

Once when one of our children was very young, he disappeared. We searched frantically around the house and outdoors. We called his name loudly. We finally found him in the back of a closet. The louder we called, the more scared he was, so he remained hidden.

In stark contrast are other times when I have lost something of far less value, such as a golf ball from an errant shot, and decided it wasn’t worth searching for. Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us like that but pursues us like a parent searching for a lost child because we have great value in his eyes. He made us and he loves us enough to search and find us when we are lost in sin. God is for you! You are of great worth to him. Romans 8 declares a double truth that God is for us and that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God.

Others may hold your past failures against you. You may be tempted to live with shame and guilt. At times it may feel like no one is on your side. Yet just as God was with Joseph in prison (Gen. 39:21-23) and surrounded Elisha with a heavenly army (2 Kings 6:17), the Lord is with you and he has a great plan for your life if you trust in him. —Steve Petroelje

Prayer: Faithful Father, who never gives up on me, thank you for the value and worth that I have as your child. Amen.

 

 

https://woh.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Healthy Roots Develop Fruit

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May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love. — Ephesians 3:17 AMPC

When you become a student of God’s Word, you begin to desire a change in your behavior. But so often, as soon as you deal with one bad behavior, another immediately pops up to replace it. Why? Because bad fruit comes from a bad root.

For example, as long as we feel bad about ourselves, we will produce bad fruit of some kind. It might be anger, insecurity, fear, or indecision. But it will show up in our behavior. We must deal with the root of the problem. No matter how good things look outwardly, if they are not right on the inside, sooner or later it will be revealed on the outside.

Your worth and value are not based on outward things; they are based on God’s love for you. Receive His love, learn to love and value yourself, and you will begin to produce better fruit in your life.

Prayer Starter: Father, please help me to have a greater understanding of Your love. Help me to see myself the way You see me and receive my worth and value from You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Wisdom Brings Peace

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“Wisdom gives a good, long life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace” (Proverbs 3:16,17).

High up in the Andes Mountains stands a bronze statue of Christ – the base of granite, the figure fashioned from old cannons – marking the boundary between Argentina and Chile.

“Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust,” reads the Spanish engraving, “than Argentines and Chileans break the peace sworn at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.”

Peoples of these two countries had been quarreling about their boundaries for many years, and suffering from the resultant mistrust.

In 1900, with the conflict at its highest, citizens begged King Edward VII of Great Britain to mediate the dispute. On May 28, 1903, the two governments signed a treaty ending the conflict.

During the celebration that followed, Senora de Costa, a noble lady of Argentina who had done much to bring about the peace, conceived the idea of a monument. She had the statue of Christ shaped from the cannons that had been used to strike terror into Chilean hearts.

At the dedication ceremony, the statue was presented to the world as a sign of the victory of good will. “Protect, Oh Lord, our native land,” prayed Senora de Costa. “Ever give us faith and hope. May fruitful peace be our first patrimony and good example its greatest glory.”

The monument stands today as a reminder that only Christ – the Prince of Peace – can bring real peace to the world. And that refers as much to individual peace as it does to national and international peace.

Bible Reading:Proverbs 3:18-23

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Like Solomon of old, I shall seek the wisdom that brings a good, long life, riches, honor, pleasure and the lasting peace that comes from God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.

http://www.cru.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Embrace Excellence 

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Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Matthew 5:48

We admire excellence in others. Professional athletes, attorneys, speakers, teachers, coaches, custodians, mothers, fathers, leaders, elected officials, and business men and women who excel motivate others to excel. Their commitment to thousands of hours in focused training and competition makes their flawless performance look easy. It is their obsession with perfection that leads them to excellence.

In Christ perfection is our position. Outside of Christ no one is perfect, but inside of Christ everyone is perfect. We are perfect because He is perfect. “So that we may present everyone perfect in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). The challenge lies in our living in a sinful world with sinful people; therefore, perfection is diluted. Nonetheless, Jesus commanded His children to be perfect on the same level as their heavenly Father. So as we seek perfection in this life, we see glimpses of glory, and we do capture excellence in the process.

What does excellence look like from the eyes of the eternal? Paul, a protagonist of perfection, describes our dilemma:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12–14).

People with an eternal perspective promote perfection. Therefore, embrace excellence as a core value in your life and work. Because you represent the Lord Jesus, be an excellent example of a Christian. Be it ministry or business, your vocation is a vicarious look at our Lord. Talk about Jesus from a platform of perfection, and people will stop to listen. Excellence is your entrée into promoting a loving relationship with God.

“You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever” (Psalm 45:2).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me represent you with excellence in all aspects of my life just as Jesus did. Amen.

Application: Do I settle for mediocrity, or do I aspire to excellence? Are others attracted to the quality of my character, competence, and family?

Related Readings: Psalm 18:32; Isaiah 26:3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 10:14

Post/Tweet this today:  Because you represent the Lord Jesus, by God’s grace be an excellent example of a Christian. #excellence #wisdomhunters

Worship Resource: 3-minute music video- Mercy Me: Grace Got You

Taken from Seeking Daily the Heart of God v.2

 

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Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids – Lazy Is as Lazy Does

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Hebrews 6:12

Sometimes it’s interesting to look up a word in the dictionary and see what it really means. “Lazy” means “not easily aroused to activity.” A lazy person just doesn’t want to try very hard. For example, lazy students don’t make much effort in school; they don’t study very hard or do their homework well. They might even try to get someone else to do it for them!

There is something inside all of us that wants to be lazy. But the Bible teaches that we must not be lazy when it comes to our faith. Instead, we need to be willing to make an effort. We are to follow the examples of people in the Bible who demonstrated faith and patience, even when they had problems. That’s how they grew strong spiritually. It’s good advice because being lazy—especially being lazy about prayer and reading our Bibles—in the long run doesn’t feel good. There’s nothing like jumping in, doing a task well, and then feeling the satisfaction of a job well done.

Dear Lord, Help me to be faithful to my work, both at home and in school and help me to remember to pray and read the Bible so that I can be everything you want me to be. Amen.