Daily Archives: August 24, 2018

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Failing to Listen to God

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Genesis 3:1-6

Listening to God is not a one-time event. We must continually keep His Word before us, or we’ll begin to listen to the wrong voices.

In Genesis 2:16-17, the Lord gave a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve began to listen to another voice and did not hold firmly to her Creator’s words. All that Satan had to do was plant a seed of doubt about God’s integrity and offer Eve one appealing advantage of doing things her own way—and she fell for it. He mentioned wisdom, but using her own reasoning, Eve added two more benefits to the temptation: the fruit is good for food and a delight to the eyes.

The schemes of the enemy have not changed. He still whispers lies and twists truth to convince us that God can’t be trusted and His ways are not the best. In every temptation, there is a deception about the character and motive of God, plus an attractive promise of a better way.

The world is filled with voices that vie for our attention and influence our thoughts and actions. Throughout the day, consider the messages that are sent your way through the media and people. Consciously begin to compare them to what Scripture says about God and His ways.

Remembering what the Lord says in His Word is our safeguard against deception and temptation. Devotions read during our quiet time won’t protect us if they’re quickly forgotten during the day. Follow Jesus Christ’s example: Be ready with truth in your mind and on your tongue whenever temptation strikes. (See Matt. 4:1-11.)

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 51-52

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — We Would See Jesus

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Read: John 12:20–26 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 116–118; 1 Corinthians 7:1–19

They came to Philip . . . with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” John 12:21

As I looked down at the pulpit where I was sharing prayers at a funeral, I glimpsed a brass plaque bearing words from John 12:21: “Sir, we would see Jesus” (kjv). Yes, I thought, how fitting to consider how we saw Jesus in the woman we were celebrating with tears and smiles. Although she faced challenges and disappointments in her life, she never gave up her faith in Christ. And because God’s Spirit lived in her, we could see Jesus.

John’s gospel recounts how after Jesus rode into Jerusalem (see John 12:12–16), some Greeks approached Philip, one of the disciples, asking, “Sir, . . . we would like to see Jesus” (v. 21). They were probably curious about Jesus’s healings and miracles, but as they weren’t Jewish, they weren’t allowed into the inner courts of the temple. When their request was passed along to Jesus, He announced that His hour had come to be glorified (v. 23). And by that, He meant that He would die for the sins of many. He would fulfill His mission to reach not only the Jews but the Gentiles (the “Greeks” in verse 20), and now they would see Jesus.

After Jesus died, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His followers (14:16–17). Thus as we love and serve Jesus, we see Him active in our lives. And, amazingly, those around us too can see Jesus!

Lord Jesus Christ, I am humbled and amazed that You would come and live in me. Help me to share this amazing gift with those I meet today.

We can see Jesus in the lives of His followers.

By Amy Boucher Pye

INSIGHT

At first glance, it might appear that Jesus brushes off the Greeks who requested to see Him. But characteristically, His indirect reply points to a far more profound reality. Jesus is explaining the significance of what will happen to Him later that week. First He says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23), a reference to His death and resurrection for the salvation of the world—including the Greeks. Then He uses the metaphor of wheat to describe Himself and His mission. William Hendriksen points out the significance of the kernel of wheat in the context of the approaching Passover celebration. The seed must die before it can grow into a wheat stalk, producing many more seeds that will be made into bread—bread that will be eaten at Passover. Jesus (the Bread of Life) would have to die to produce “many seeds” (v. 24). And anyone who wants to serve Jesus must hate their life in this world (v. 25)—in other words, die to self.

Am I willing to die to self in order to serve the One who died for me? Will I do what is necessary to “see Jesus”?

Tim Gustafson

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Free to Fly

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The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. — Isaiah 61:1

Adapted from the resource Closer to God Each Day Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

Love offers people both roots and wings. It provides a sense of belonging (roots) and a sense of freedom (wings). Love does not try to control or manipulate others.

Jesus said that He was sent by God to proclaim liberty. As believers, that is what we are meant to do also—to free people to fulfill God’s will for their lives, not to bring them under our control.

Have you ever seen parents push their children to do things they do not even want to do just to meet the frustrated desires of their parents? Have you ever seen a person who is clingy and emotionally smothering to a new friend, because he is afraid to lose that person? Both of these examples bind rather than set free.

That is not the way true love works. Love does not try to gain personal satisfaction at the expense of others. Love will always proclaim liberty. When we love God, and when we love others, we will excitedly allow the people in our lives to follow God’s plan—not our plan—and see who they can be and what they can accomplish in Christ Jesus.

Prayer Starter: Father, help me to truly love the people in my life, allowing them the freedom to truly be the best they can be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Reverence Brings Reward

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“If you belong to the Lord, reverence Him; for everyone who does this has everything he needs” (Psalm 34:9).

Roger had a heart for God. He wanted to be everything the Lord wanted him to be. But he was troubled over how to achieve the balance between being what God wanted him to be and doing what God wanted him to do.

As we talked together I reminded Roger that everything flows from our relationship with the Lord – that He has to be primary. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” As we follow Him, He enables us to become fishers of men.

“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7, KJV). “Out of the heart are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23, KJV). That which is most on our hearts will be most on our lips. If we love the Lord Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, it will be impossible for us to remain silent.

At the same time, obedience is a confirmation of our walk with the Lord. Jesus said, “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21, KJV).

One of the most important commandments of our Lord is that we lead holy lives. Another is that we be fruitful in our witnessing for Christ. There is no substitute for reverence, worship, praise, adoration.

As we remember to reverence God by enlisting His guiding hand before we get into a predicament, He reaches out in love and extends a protecting hand in the midst of the trouble as we again invoke His divine care. If I am to live the supernatural life today, it will require divine enabling, and I must remain yielded to God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.

Bible Reading:Psalm 34:10-15

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will worship God today as a demonstration of my love and trust for Him by spending quality time with Him in His word and in prayer, and helping others to understand the importance of reverence for and worship of God.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – You Have Clout with God

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

You may find yourself in an impossible situation. You feel outnumbered and outmaneuvered.  You want to quit.  Could I ask you to memorize this promise and ask God to bring it to mind?  Write it where you’ll find it.  Tattoo it, if not on your skin at least on your heart: “When a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16).

If you’ve taken on the name of Christ, you have clout with the most powerful being in the universe.  When you speak, God listens. Jesus said, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19).  Prayer is just the first step. God has power you’ve never seen, strength you’ve never known.  He delights in answering prayer! And because his promises are unbreakable, our hope in unshakable!

Read more Unshakable Hope

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum – $120 million cannot buy happiness

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Tim Cook will become $120 million richer today when he receives 560,000 shares of Apple stock. But he should beware: prosperity is no guarantee of happiness.

Writing in the New York Times, Jonathan Rauch notes: “Real per capita income has more than tripled since the late 1950s, but the percentage of people saying they are very happy has, if anything, slightly declined.”

Why?

A Harvard study tracked a group of men for close to eighty years. The bottom line: loving relationships are the key to happiness and health. It was not money or status but strong interpersonal relationships that led to the greatest life satisfaction.

This news should not surprise Christians. We know that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and that our Creator is relational by nature. He relates to himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. And “God is love” (1 John 4:8), an attribute that requires someone to love.

Here’s the question: With whom should we most seek a loving relationship as the key to happiness? The answer may surprise you.

A personal confession

I was led to faith in Christ through a bus ministry. A church in my Houston, Texas, neighborhood enlisted volunteers to knock on doors, inviting people to ride their bus to church. In August 1973, they knocked on my apartment door. My brother and I came to Jesus as a result.

I will be eternally grateful for evangelical churches that emphasize evangelism and practical ministry. But I was active in church life for years before I began realizing that Jesus wanted to be more than my Savior and Lord–he wants to be my friend. He wants an intimate, personal, loving, daily relationship with me. He wants to be a “friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

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