Monthly Archives: August 2018

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Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Non-Answers and Hope

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In the fifteen seasons of the television series ER, there is one scene for me that uncomfortably stands out among the many. In a hospital bed rests a former prison doctor named Truman, ridden with cancer and laden with guilt. Julia, the ER chaplain, sits beside him, trying with great compassion to listen, and being slower to give answers than he’d like. One of Truman’s roles as a prison doctor was to administer lethal injections to those who were sentenced to die. With great torment, he remembers one man in particular who did not die after the injection and needed to be given a second round. Looking back, Truman believes it was a sign from God, a sign which he ignored and would never be able to undo; the man he injected was later found to have been innocent, framed for the crime for which he was killed.

Now desperate for answers—blunt and solid answers—Truman reels at Julia for the uncertain comforts she attempts to offer. “I need answers, and all your questions and your uncertainty are only making things worse!” he yells. But in his last, livid outburst he is even more honest: “I need someone who will look me in the eye and tell me how to find forgiveness, because I am running out of time.”(1)

The problem of injustice and the difficulty of forgiveness are specters often met with cries for answers. Christians who attempt to respond at all often invoke the story of Job, for in it, the questions of injustice reel like Truman in his hospital bed, and unexpected answers from God counter in a way we never fathomed. The story begins with an accusation that Job only serves God because God has allowed him to prosper. To prove Job’s accuser wrong, God steps back, removing divine protection and leaving the tempter to his destructive game. Job loses everything; he writhes in his own anguish, confusion, and ashes. In the end, he remains in his belief of God, though limping with his weighted questions, and he encounters God without pretense.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Non-Answers and Hope →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Covenant

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This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds. — Hebrews 10:16

Adapted from the resource Wake Up to the Word Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

A covenant is a mutual consent or agreement of two or more persons.

Under the old covenant, our sin could be covered by the sacrifices of animals, but never removed. The sense of guilt connected to sin was always present.

But the good news is that God has made a new covenant with man. It is a better covenant—far superior to the old. The old covenant was initiated with the blood of animals, but the new was initiated with the sinless blood of Jesus Christ.

Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, and promised that if we would believe in Him and all that He did for us, He would forever stand in our place, and our responsibility to keep the law would be met in Him. The old covenant focused on what man could do, but the new covenant focuses on what God has done for us in Jesus Christ (see Romans 5).

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for sending Jesus and allowing me, by faith, to come into an everlasting covenant with you. There’s nothing I can do to earn it, but You want me to simply receive Your grace, peace, joy, and right standing with You.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Worth Dying For

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Has someone called you a lost cause? A failure? Has someone dismissed you as insignificant?  Don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re talking about. You were conceived by God before you were conceived by your parents. You were loved in heaven before you were known on earth. You aren’t an accident.

When you say yes to God you are being made into God’s image. Print that on your resume!  In the eyes of God you are worth dying for. Would you let this truth define the way you see yourself? Would you let this truth define the way you see other people? Every person you see was created by God to bear his image and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This is God’s plan. This is God’s promise. And he will fulfill it! Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

Read more Unshakable Hope

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum – The “Space Force” and the protection of God

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“The time has come to establish the United States Space Force.” With this announcement, Vice President Mike Pence told an audience at the Pentagon yesterday that the US must “meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield.”

By year’s end, the White House intends to create a US Space Command led by a four-star general. It would eventually establish a “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the US military.

For years, members of Congress and military leaders have been warning that space is a warfighting domain in need of more attention and resources. The Pentagon’s satellites are already used for missile-defense warnings, guiding precision munitions, and providing communications and reconnaissance.

Russia and China have made significant advances in militarizing space. Vice President Pence cited our adversaries’ advancements in developing hypersonic missiles which can travel up to five miles per second and evade our missile warning systems.

“America will always seek peace, in space as on earth,” he stated. “But history proves that peace only comes through strength. And in the realm of outer space, the United States Space Force will be that strength.”

Your life in the year 2000

Geopolitical analyst George Friedman has been predicting for years that World War III would begin in space. He notes, “It seems like science fiction, but one wonders how somebody in 1900 would have felt about a description of what World War II was going to be like.”

Consider our way of life just eighteen years ago.

When the new millennium arrived, you were awakened by a clock radio (iPhones did not exist for another seven years). There were no social media apps (they now cost us five hours a day). Weekday newspaper circulation was estimated at nearly fifty-six million (it’s down to thirty-one million now).

Continue reading Denison Forum – The “Space Force” and the protection of God →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Prayer Changes Things

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Psalm 145:18-21

When I was growing up, my mother and I moved quite often, but wherever we lived, one thing never changed. In each home, she hung a plaque near the door with these words inscribed on it: “Prayer changes things.” I know she believed this, because she spent a lot of time talking with the Lord.

Upon hearing our petitions, God is certain to respond if what we ask is in His will (1 John 5:14-15). When we pray that His will be done, our heart begins to value what He values, putting us in sync with the Spirit. If we earnestly desire His best for our life, He will respond to our prayers in a more beautiful way than we could have ever imagined ourselves.

A primary purpose of prayer is to discover the Lord’s will for our lives. As we seek His way, He works in our hearts and minds to guide us with His Word and develop our understanding of the situation. Then our eyes will be opened to His point of view so we can pray according to His will. And when we pray for His will to be done in His timing, we’ll be amazed at what He can accomplish.

Prayer is a powerful tool by which God acts in this world. What is truly amazing is that He has given us the privilege of participating in His work by simply talking to Him. It’s not that we change anything through prayer, but He has chosen to bring about change in conjunction with our requests. In ourselves, we have no ability to save unbelievers, heal the sick, or overcome evil, but we can pray and watch God mightily intervene in our lives, homes, churches, and world.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 4-5

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Good Daddy

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Read: Psalm 63 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 77–78; Romans 10

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6

When our son, Xavier, was younger, business trips often pulled my husband away from home. Though his father called often, there were rough nights when the calls alone didn’t comfort Xavier. To help soothe our son when he felt he needed his dad, I’d pull out our photo albums as he prepared for bedtime. I’d point out the images that showed them spending time together and ask, “Do you remember this?”

Memory after memory encouraged our son, who often said, “I have a good daddy.”

I understood Xavier’s need to be reminded of his father’s love when he couldn’t see him. Whenever I’m going through tough or lonely times, I too long to know I’m loved, especially by my heavenly Father.

David proclaimed his deep yearning for God as he hid from his enemies in the desert (Psalm 63:1). Remembering his personal encounters with God’s limitless power and satisfying love led him to praise (vv. 2–5). Through his most difficult nights, David could still rejoice in his dependable Father’s loving care (vv. 6–8).

During our dark times, when we feel as if God’s not there for us, we need reminders of who God is and how He’s demonstrated His love. Reflecting on our personal experiences with Him, as well as His actions recorded in Scripture, can affirm the countless ways our good Abba Father loves us.

Lord, thanks for demonstrating Your endless love to Your people, in our lives and through the words You preserved in Scripture.

Remembering God’s works, which reveal His character, reassures us of His love.

By Xochitl Dixon

INSIGHT

Do you ever wonder whether your faith could endure during hard times? Psalm 63 describes a relationship with God that is deep enough to sustain times so difficult that—literally or metaphorically—we experience life as a “dry and parched land where there is no water” (v. 1).

A faith that is long-lasting is one in which experiencing God’s love is so precious it’s “better than life” (v. 3). Such an intimate relationship is sustained through ongoing communication “through the watches of the night” (v. 6)—a time which in the psalms points to vulnerable communication with God (see, for example, 4:4; 16:7; 119:55).

Through cultivating such a relationship with God, when hard times come we will have a rich history to remember and cherish (63:2, 6). In this way we can trust God enough to cling to Him (vv. 7–8), confident that He’ll deliver us once more (vv. 9–11).

Monica Brands

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Last Enemy

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In spite of the proverbial certainty of death and taxes, the human psyche has always dreamed of discovering loopholes in whatever mechanisms fix the limits. Yet though it might be possible to cheat on one’s taxes, “cheating death” remains a phrase of wishful-thinking applied to incidences of short-lived victories against our own mortality. Eventually, death honors its ignominious appointment with all of us, calling the bluff of the temptation to believe that we are the masters of our own destiny. But despite the universal, empirical verification of its indiscriminate efficiency, we continue to be constantly surprised whenever death strikes. Only a painfully troubled life can be so thoroughly desensitized against its ugliness as to not experience the throbbing agony of the void it creates within us whenever the earthly journey of a loved one comes to an end.

Such a peculiar reaction to an otherwise commonplace occurrence points strongly to the fact that this world is not our home. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 explains, God has put eternity in our hearts, and therefore the mysterious notion that we are not meant to die is no mere pipe dream: it sounds a clarion call to the eternal destiny of our souls. If the biblical record is accurate, there is no shame or arrogance in pitching our hopes for the future as high as our imaginations will allow. Actually, the danger is that our expectations may be too low, for “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Far from being the accidental byproducts of a mindless collocation of atoms, we are indestructible beings whose spiritual radars, amidst much static noise, are attuned to our hearts’ true home.

Trouble begins, however, when we try to squeeze that eternal existence into our earthly lives in a manner that altogether denies our finite natures. We do so whenever we desensitize ourselves against the finality of death through repeated exposure to stage-managed destruction of human life through the media. Or we zealously seek ultimate fulfillment in such traitorous idols as pleasure, material wealth, professional success, power, and other means, without taking into account the fleeting nature of human existence. Or we broach the subject of death only when we have to, and even then we feel the need to couch it in palatable euphemisms. With some of our leading intellectuals assuring us that we have pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps and we therefore have no need for God, the only thing missing from our lives seems to be the tune of “Forever Young” playing in the cosmic background. A visitor from outer space would probably conclude that only the very unlucky ones die, while the rest of us are guaranteed endless thrill-rides through space aboard this green planet.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Last Enemy →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Power of Doing Good

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…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. — Acts 10:38 (NIV)

Adapted from the resource The Power of Being Thankful Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

I firmly believe that when we have problems, we should not worry, but we also need to continue doing the things we know to do. For example, if you have commitments, be sure to keep them. Quite often when people are encountering personal problems, they withdraw from normal life and spend all their time trying to solve the problem. All this unproductive activity prevents them from doing what they should be doing, which is “doing good.”

Psalm 37:3 says that we should trust in the Lord and do good, and we will feed on His faithfulness. The faithfulness of God is something we can all be thankful for! I have discovered that if I continue my study of God’s Word, continue praying, keep my commitments, and help as many people as I can, I experience breakthrough much faster. Helping others while we are hurting is actually a very powerful thing to do.

Prayer Starter: I thank You today, Father, that I am not subject to my problems. When I am going through something, I can respond by helping others around me. I am grateful that with Your help, I can do good for others; I can make a difference in this world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – True Spiritual Life

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“Only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life. Those born only once, with physical birth, will never receive this gift. But now I have told you how to get this true spiritual life” (John 6:63).

A businessman called to ask if he could bring one of his associates to talk to me about receiving Christ. As the three of us talked together, it became apparent that the businessman who arranged the meeting was not a Christian either. So after his friend had received Christ, I asked him if he believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

“Yes,” he said.

“Do you believe that He died for your sins?”

“Of course.”

“Have you ever received Him into you life as your Savior and Lord?”

“No,” he said, “I haven’t.”

“Wouldn’t you like to do so?”

“Yes,” he said, “I would. But I have been waiting for that peculiar time when God would speak to me in a very emotional way.”

He explained that this was the way his mother had become a Christian, and he felt that this was the way he should become a Christian, too.

Once again I reviewed very simply the plan of salvation, explaining that only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life and there may or may not be an emotional experience accompanying the moment of salvation. I explained that salvation is a gift of God, which we receive by faith on the basis of His promise.

So together we prayed, and though I had explained that he should not expect any emotional experience, God graciously touched him in a very dramatic way emotionally, contrary to my own experience and that of the majority of people with whom I counsel and pray.

Bible Reading:John 6:60-65

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Realizing that no one can enter the kingdom of God apart from a spiritual birth, I will today pray for many opportunities to share the good news of God’s love and forgiveness in Christ with others.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – You Bear a Resemblance to Him

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Pop psychology is wrong when it tells you to look inside yourself and find your value! According to the Bible you are good simply because God made you in his image. Period. He cherishes you because you bear a resemblance to him. And you will only be satisfied when you engage in your role as an image bearer of God. Such was the view of King David. “As for me,” he said, “I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

How much sadness would evaporate if every person simply chose to believe this: I was made for God’s glory and am being made into his image. Why does God love you with an everlasting love?  It has everything to do with whose you are. You are his. And because God’s promises are unbreakable, our hope is unshakable.

Read more Unshakable Hope

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum – Willow Creek lead pastor, elders resign

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I will always remember the first time I heard Bill Hybels speak in person. I had been invited to be one of the teachers at an evangelism conference hosted by Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels addressed the opening session, calling us to use our influence to reach the unreached with urgency and creativity.

His passion for the lost was palpable. His leadership charisma was unmistakable. It was not surprising that he was leading not just one of America’s largest churches but one of our generation’s most influential ministries.

In the last year, so much of his story has changed. And now the crisis at the church he founded has reached a new level.

Last night, Lead Pastor Heather Larson resigned her position. The entire elder board of the church resigned as well. Christianity Today is calling their resignations “a seismic shock for one of the nation’s most influential churches.”

Elder Missy Rasmussen spoke for the board, stating: “We are sorry that we allowed Bill to operate without the kind of accountability that he should have had.” She added: “We exhort Bill to acknowledge his sin and publicly apologize.” As a consequence of their handling of this crisis, she announced: “Willow needs and deserves a fresh start, and the entire board will step down to create room for a new board.”

Steve Gillen, lead pastor of Willow Creek’s North Shore campus, will serve as interim pastor. The church still intends to move forward with an independent investigation into the allegations against Hybels.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Willow Creek lead pastor, elders resign →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Handling Praise

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Proverbs 27:2

How do you respond when someone gives you a compliment? For some people, praise is nearly as difficult to handle as criticism. This can be especially true for believers since God’s Word instructs us to be humble (Col. 3:12). Yet we’ve all experienced how encouraging a word of praise can be. Most of us can remember a time when a parent, teacher, employer, or friend voiced approval that motivated us to even greater heights.

God knows that we all need encouragement, and one way He supplies this need is through the words of others. That’s why it’s important to address our confusion regarding the best way to give and receive compliments.

Acknowledge the comment by simply thanking the person. Don’t belittle their words in any way or explain reasons why you do not deserve them.

Identify the character quality that led the other person to offer praise. For example, does he have a discerning spirit, compassion, or strong love for others?

Share what the encouragement means to you. If someone tells you how he enjoyed your teaching, you might say, “That really motivates me to study harder so God can use me as He desires.”

When appropriate, include others in the praise. For instance, if you are complimented on something that was a group effort, be sure to acknowledge the contributions of the others. This not only encourages them but also protects you from pride.

Praise can help each of us become the person God intends us to be, or it can lead to the sin of pride. Our attitude and response are the determining factors.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 1-3

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Dedicated to Love

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Read: Romans 9:1–5 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 74–76; Romans 9:16–33

My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. Romans 10:1

As a convert to Jesus Christ, Nabeel Qureshi has written books to help his readers understand the people in the religion he left. His tone is respectful, and Qureshi always displays a heart of love for his people.

Qureshi dedicated one of his books to his sister, who has not yet put her faith in Jesus. The dedication is brief, but powerful. “I am begging God for the day that we can worship him together,” he wrote.

We get a sense of that kind of love as we read Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. “My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief,” he said, “for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them” (Romans 9:2–3 nlt).

Paul loved the Jewish people so much that he would have chosen separation from God if only they would accept Christ. He understood that by rejecting Jesus, his people were rejecting the one true God. This motivated him to appeal to his readers to share the good news of Jesus with everyone (10:14–15).

Today, may we prayerfully dedicate ourselves to the love that aches for those close to us!

Father, we ask You to fill our hearts with Your love for others. We hold ______ up to You and beg for them to see the truth about Your Son Jesus.

We must love those for whom Christ died as well as those in whom Christ lives.

By Tim Gustafson

INSIGHT

Paul’s concern that his Jewish brothers and sisters would come to Christ echoes the heart and plan of the Father for both Jew and Gentile. Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Jesus “was made lower than the angels for a little while, [and is] now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” God’s concern is for all to come to Him through the sacrifice of His Son. This idea resonates with Peter, who declared, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Notice God’s great concern for this broken, rebellious world. Not only has He provided in Jesus a sufficient sacrifice, He also extends patient love to people who do not know Him. Truly, as John 3:16 says, this is evidence of a God who so loved this world that He would pay the greatest possible price to satisfy His desire to reach to us. This is the great good news of the gospel!

Bill Crowder

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Untethered

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The average cell phone user would likely now claim that life without one would be more than inconvenient. Upon its invention, in more ways than one, we became untethered. There are entire generations that cannot remember getting tangled up in phone cords while trying to make dinner or reach for the passing toddler, while finishing that conversation with the loquacious relative. The thought of dashing home from work in order to make that important phone call now seems ridiculous. We make it on the way, sitting in traffic, driving to the next appointment, making a stop at the grocery store, or all three. For those who remember that phones used to have cords, it is with great appreciation that we are no longer operating with a five-foot radius. Yet, this is not to say that we don’t feel a tethering of a different sort. Owning a cell phone can foster the attitude that its owner is always available, always working, always obtainable. While there is no cord to which we are confined, the phone itself is the tether.

It is worth considering that these kinds of shifting dilemmas are not all that uncommon. Just as the pendulum swings in one direction offering some kind of correction, so we often find that the other side introduces a new set of problems or the same problem in a new form. Major and minor movements of history possess a similar, corrective rhythm, swinging from one extreme to another and finding trouble with both. The pendulum swings from one direction, often to an opposite error, or at best, to a new set of challenges.

Within and without the walls of religious institutions, people of faith, too, are continually responding to what we perceive needs correction. When the need to get away from dead, religious worship initiated certain shifts, it was an observation wisely discerned. But what this meant for many was unfortunately a shifting away from history, shared liturgies, and our own past—in many cases contributing to a different set of problems. While breaking away from the “religiosity” of religious history, many now find themselves tethered in a sense to all things contemporary and individual, unable to draw on the riches of the very history from which we have isolated ourselves. While the intent may have been good, and in the case of the church, the shifts did separate us from certain problems within church history, it also seems to have separated us from all of history. As a result, many Christians now seem more divorced from history than ever, having swung so far in one direction that we can no longer see from whence we have come. Coupled with our culture’s general devaluing of anything that is “outdated,” the risk of seeing the church’s identity more in terms of today’s form than its enduring essence seems both high and hazardous.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Untethered →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Power of Doing Good

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…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  — Acts 10:38 (NIV)

Adapted from the resource The Power of Being Thankful Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

I firmly believe that when we have problems, we should not worry, but we also need to continue doing the things we know to do. For example, if you have commitments, be sure to keep them. Quite often when people are encountering personal problems, they withdraw from normal life and spend all their time trying to solve the problem. All this unproductive activity prevents them from doing what they should be doing, which is “doing good.”

Psalm 37:3 says that we should trust in the Lord and do good, and we will feed on His faithfulness. The faithfulness of God is something we can all be thankful for! I have discovered that if I continue my study of God’s Word, continue praying, keep my commitments, and help as many people as I can, I experience breakthrough much faster. Helping others while we are hurting is actually a very powerful thing to do.

Prayer Starter: I thank You today, Father, that I am not subject to my problems. When I am going through something, I can respond by helping others around me. I am grateful that with Your help, I can do good for others; I can make a difference in this world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Trusting Means Safety

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“Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety” (Proverbs 29:25).

One of the delegates attending a lay institute for evangelism protested that he was not going to go out into the community to share his faith, something he had never done before. I assured him that he was not required to go; it was simply an optional assignment. But I explained that if he would go along and observe a more mature witnessing Christian, he would learn something and would feel greater freedom in the future to witness on his own. Again he expressed his fear, but he did go, and God marvelously used him and his witnessing partner to introduce two people to Christ. He came home absolutely radiant, joyful, overflowing with thanksgiving and praise to God. He came to me immediately to say, “I am so glad that I went. I would have missed one of the greatest blessings of my life had I not gone. Thank you so much for encouraging me to go.”

The number one barrier to witnessing in the Christian life is the fear of man. Think of the contradiction. It never occurs to the average Christian that not to witness is to disobey God, and the consequences can be devastating to his spiritual life. Therefore the average Christian risks offending God for the fear of offending man.

It is interesting that there are 365 “fear nots” in the Bible – one for every day of the year. And yet there is one fear in particular that thwarts effective witnessing for Christ more than any other – the fear of man.

It would not be a distorted picture to envision thousands – and even millions – of believers caught in that dangerous trap referred to by the psalmist. And what a deadly snare! Martin Luther, years ago, found a solution to this deadly enemy:

And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us
The prince of darkness grim –
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

Our trust must be in God whose indwelling Holy Spirit helps us not only to trust Him, but also to share the gospel with others.

Bible Reading:Proverbs 29:19-24

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: With God’s help, I will share His love and forgiveness with others with the confidence that having called me to be His witness, He will enable me and will prepare the hearts of those to whom I go.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – In God’s Image and Likeness

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

We are all made in God’s image and in his likeness!  Sin has distorted this image but it has not destroyed it.  Our moral purity has been tainted but do not think for a moment that God has rescinded his promise or altered his plan. He still creates people in his image to bear his likeness and reflect his glory.

As we fellowship with God, read his Word, obey his commands, and seek to reflect his character, something wonderful emerges. We say things God would say. We do things God would do.  We forgive, we share, and we love.  In time an image begins to appear.  God’s goal is simply to rub away anything that is not of him so the inborn image of God can be seen in us! Because God’s promises are unbreakable, our hope is unshakable.

Read more Unshakable Hope

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – The surprising cause of California wildfire

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The Mendocino Complex fire in California is now the largest in the state’s history. As of this morning, it has burned more than 292,000 acres. For comparison: the fire is nearly double the size of Chicago and more than triple the size of Philadelphia, Detroit, Portland, and Atlanta.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, which started on July 27.

There is no such uncertainty with the Carr Fire, which has destroyed nearly two thousand structures and claimed seven lives. The fire started when a tire failed on a trailer, causing its rim to scrape the asphalt. With the heat and extreme drought in the area, that’s all it took to start a tragic inferno.

Rick Gates and Prince Harry

God’s word notes: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (James 3:5). We are seeing this principle at work across today’s news.

Rick Gates was an intern when he first met Paul Manafort. Now Mr. Gates is the prosecution’s star witness in its case against Mr. Manafort on tax and bank fraud charges.

Two drones rigged with explosives detonated near Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro last Saturday. Security experts warn that such attacks are difficult for conventional armies to defend against and are likely to increase.

In more trivial news, Prince Harry is making headlines for the wrong reason. He and Meghan Markle attended a wedding over the weekend, where he was spotted wearing a shoe with a hole in its sole. The story made Time magazine.

The myth of “small” sins

There is a principle at work here, one our culture typically devalues.

According to Gallup, more Americans than ever before consider divorce, sex between an unmarried man and woman, gay or lesbian relations, having a baby outside of marriage, doctor-assisted suicide, and pornography to be acceptable.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The surprising cause of California wildfire →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Accepting Criticism

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Proverbs 10:17

Nobody likes criticism. It can hurt, especially when unsolicited, and is sometimes delivered with unkind words and a harsh spirit. However, we must be careful not to reject the reproof without first considering whether it’s valid.

God can use an honest, direct person to convey something we need to hear. Criticism forces us to examine ourselves. God’s goal is that we grow in spiritual maturity and holiness, but we all have blind spots that keep us from seeing the areas He wants to transform. If we fail to listen to a reproof He allows to come our way, our spiritual growth could be stunted. However, this doesn’t mean all critiques are valid. That’s why it’s important to respond well and evaluate criticism correctly.

  • Do not immediately reject the comment, blame the person, or defend yourself. Instead, consider what was said, and ask God to help you discern if it’s true.
  • Thank the person for his interest in you and explain that you’ll reflect on his observation. If he was sincere, he’ll be appreciative, but if his intentions were negative, this may disarm him.
  • Evaluate the criticism and determine what exactly is under scrutiny—your beliefs, your character, God … ?
  • View this as an opportunity for growth, and if necessary, apologize.

Instead of allowing criticism to lead us into anger and self-pity, we should let it do its work in our life. We can’t allow hurt or anger to derail what God wants to do in us—namely, make us more Christlike. And isn’t that what we all want?

Bible in One Year: Isaiah 63-66

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — When the Bottom Drops Out

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Read: 1 Kings 17:15–24 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 72–73; Romans 9:1–15

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, more people were looking for work than there were jobs available. I was one of those job seekers. After nine anxious months, I landed employment as a copywriter. But the company soon fell on bad times and I was jobless again.

Ever been there? It seems like the worst is over when suddenly the bottom drops out on you. The widow at Zarephath could relate (1 Kings 17:12). Due to a famine, she was preparing the last meal for herself and her son when the prophet Elijah requested a bite to eat. She reluctantly agreed and God provided a continuous supply of flour and oil (vv. 10–16).

But then her son fell ill. His health declined until he stopped breathing. The widow cried out, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” (v. 18).

At times, we may want to respond like the widow—wondering if God is punishing us. We forget that bad things can happen in this fallen world.

Elijah took the concern to God, praying earnestly and honestly for the boy, and God raised him up! (vv. 20–22).

When the bottom drops out on us, may we—like Elijah—realize that the faithful One will not desert us! We can rest in God’s purposes as we pray for understanding.

For help on the topic of peace, read discoveryseries.org/q1126.

God is good in both the good times and the bad.  

By Poh Fang Chia

INSIGHT

It can be easy to think that life will go well if we do everything we’re supposed to do. But today’s story reminds us that life isn’t a formula. The widow was faithful and obedient, and yet her son died. But we can be encouraged that there’s nothing too hard for God, for He is the one who can even bring the dead back to life (v. 23).

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Commit your situation to our faithful God.

For more about the book of Kings, check out our free online course at christianuniversity.org/OT219.

J.R. Hudberg

 

 

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