Daily Archives: September 19, 2023

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Faithful but Not Forgotten

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Bible in a Year:

These were all commended for their faith.

Hebrews 11:39

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Hebrews 11:32–40

As he was growing up, Sean knew little about what it meant to have a family. His mother had died and his father was hardly home. He often felt lonely and abandoned. A couple who lived nearby, however, reached out to Sean. They took him into their home and got their children to be “big brother” and “big sister” to him, which gave Sean assurance that he was loved. They also took him to church, where Sean, now a confident young man, is a youth leader today.

Although this couple played such a key role in turning a young life around, what they did for Sean isn’t widely known to most people in their church family. But God knows, and I believe their faithfulness will be rewarded someday, as will those listed in the Bible’s “Hall of Faith.” Hebrews 11 starts with the big names of Scripture, but it goes on to speak of countless others we may never know, yet who “were all commended for their faith” (v. 39). And “the world,” says the writer, “was not worthy of them” (v. 38).

Even when our deeds of kindness go unnoticed by others, God sees and knows. What we do might seem like a small thing—a kind deed or an encouraging word—but God can use it to bring glory to His name, in His time, and in His way. He knows, even if others don’t.

By:  Leslie Koh

Reflect & Pray

What is one simple thing you could do for someone today? How can you remind yourself that God knows your heart and the work of your hands?

Heavenly Father, please continue to show me what good works You’ve prepared for me to do, and give me the faith to do it for You alone.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Extinguishing Satan’s Fiery Darts

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“In addition to all, [take] up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16).

Don’t elevate Satan’s will above God’s will in your life.

In Ephesians 6:13 Paul characterizes Satan as “the evil one” who attacks believers with flaming missiles. The Greek word translated “evil one” literally means “bad,” “vile,” or “wretched.” All are apt descriptions of the archenemy of our souls, who seeks to maim and destroy us spiritually.

The term “flaming missiles” pictures one of the Roman weapons of Paul’s day: arrows that had pitch-soaked cotton material affixed to their tips. In battle they were set on fire and shot at the enemy. As the arrow hit its target, flaming pitch spread onto clothing and other flammable surfaces. Under such attacks a Roman soldier without a shield was in a perilous situation indeed.

Satan’s flaming arrows come in many forms: solicitations to impurity, selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, greed, vanity, covetousness, and the like. But whatever the specific form, all are seducing temptations aimed at eliciting ungodly responses.

Your faith protects you from such attacks when you elevate God’s will above Satan’s in your life. When tempted by Satan, Jesus responded by saying in effect, “I will not violate my Father’s will by yielding to your devious schemes. In His own time He will feed Me, anoint Me as Messiah, and give Me the kingdoms of the world. I will not elevate your will and timing above His” (Matt. 4:1-11).

Jesus could have created food. He is the Messiah and the sovereign Lord over the kingdoms of the world. But He trusted the Father and yielded to His will, even though it meant personal discomfort and, eventually, the cross. When Satan saw that Jesus’ trust in the Father was unshakable, he left Him (v. 11). That’s the power of faith.

I pray you will show similar strength in times of testing. Satan will flee from you if you “resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Pet. 5:9).

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise Jesus for His sinless character and His example of how to triumph over temptation.

For Further Study

Memorize James 4:7 as a reminder of the importance of resisting Satan.

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur 

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Keeping God in First Place

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Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)—[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life].

— 1 John 5:21 (AMPC)

We can make an idol out of just about anything or anyone. It could be a spouse, a child, a good friend, something you own, your home, or your career. When anything becomes more important to us than God, who always deserves first place in our lives, we must aggressively deal with it; we must put it back where it belongs.

For example, if it happens to be your career, you would be better off to change careers if keeping the one you have means it takes you away from God.

Maybe it’s a person, or even that person’s good opinion of you that you strive for and think about far too much. Absolutely no one or nothing should ever push God out of first place in your life.

Keep in mind that one day everything on this earth will pass away, so don’t spend your life worshiping something that is always in the process of turning to dust! God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, and He must also be everything in between.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please remind me that You are always first—my top priority. Help me to make the necessary changes so that no matter what, You always come first, amen!

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –A Firm Obligation

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The Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

Esther 9:27-28

“Obligation” is a fairly unfashionable word in contemporary Western culture. People commonly say things like “I don’t want to make you feel obligated in any way.” But obligation is often necessary and good. I want to be obligated to my wife entirely, and I want her to be obligated to me. When my children were young, I wanted them to be obligated to me in terms of respecting my parental authority. And in fact, the obligations that extend throughout interpersonal relationships are first of all obligations to God Himself.

After being rescued from destruction at the hand of Haman, the Jews “firmly obligated themselves” to the task of remembrance. They were not half-heartedly committing to observing their new tradition, only keeping it if it was convenient for them when the time came. They were definitely going to follow through. That’s the nature of duty.

The Jews not only committed themselves but also obligated their children and “all who joined them.” They made this a comprehensive commitment throughout all locations and every generation. And 2,500 years later, the tradition of Purim still goes on. Jewish communities throughout the world continue to celebrate the feast because of the obligation these people made never to allow the generations that followed to forget God’s intervention on their behalf in Esther’s time and through Esther’s bravery.

Our culture tells us that we don’t need to obligate ourselves to anyone or anything, that we can just live for ourselves in the here and now, and that most commitments can be rethought in future if we feel they are inconvenient or unsustainable. But in the kingdom of God, obligation matters. After all, God has obligated Himself to save and keep His people. What you commit to and hold to speaks of what matters most to you. So, commit yourself to the celebration of the gospel, including partaking in those great moments that God has given us to remember what He has done for us: the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And, so far as you are able, ensure that these things pass from one generation to the next. Even if Christ has not yet returned a thousand years from now, there will be those who know and stand for the gospel because of the obligation we have made in our generation.

Questions for Thought

How is God calling me to think differently?

How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?

What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?

Further Reading

Esther 9:20-32

Topics: Obedience Priorities Worldview

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – The LORD Is Gracious

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“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalm 145:7-9)

To be “gracious” is to be the kind of person who gives other people things they do not deserve. A gracious person shows people unmerited favor (kindness that they could never earn on their own). The LORD is the ultimate Example of Someone Who is gracious, Who gives graciously, time and time and time again. Whenever we act with graciousness toward other people, we are not inventing some new thing. We are simply reflecting the character of the eternal God. He has always been gracious, and He always will be gracious.

Have you ever noticed that it is easier to expect people to be gracious to you than it is for you to be gracious to other people? For example, let’s imagine that you are going over to your neighbor Tommy’s house, and Tommy’s mom is offering cookies to you. They are fresh-baked, warm-from-the-oven, gooey chocolate chip cookies. Of course, you accept her offer, even though you do not necessarily deserve a warm and wonderful cookie. In fact, as you chew it up, you realize that you could never earn a cookie that tastes like that! Tommy’s mom sees that you love the cookies, and she graciously packs a bag full of them and sends them home with you. WOW! (You can tell from the look on Tommy’s face, though, that he is not too pleased to see so few cookies left over for him!)

Now, imagine that Tommy comes over to play at your house. It just so happens that today your mom has just finished baking some warm and wonderful, gooey chocolate chip cookies, and you are thrilled! You and Tommy are both practically jumping up and down with hope and delight. Suddenly, you stop, you glance over at Tommy, and you realize that he is hoping your mom will be gracious and offer him some cookies. Some of your family’s cookies! Why, some guys have all the nerve! And what does your mom do? You watch her, as if in slow motion – reaching for a handful of cookies, placing them in Tommy’s greedy little hands, patting the top of his head. You find yourself wanting to scream NO!

That little story is kind of exaggerated. But you get the point: It can be harder for us to be gracious than it is for us to accept graciousness. We want (we expect!) everyone to be understanding with us when we make mistakes, but we are not as quick to be understanding when others make mistakes. We think of nice things that people could do for us, but we do not naturally spend time thinking of nice things we might be able to do for others. We are human, and we are prone to sin. We will never be able to be perfectly gracious in this life. Is it worth trying?

Yes! After all, the LORD is perfectly gracious. He has shown grace to you, time and time and time again. Remembering how much you receive, and remembering how little you deserve, can be a great help in remembering to be gracious to people. Has the LORD shown you kindness that you never could have earned? Does His graciousness make you want to be gracious with other people? If so, then be gracious. You will be reflecting, at least in a small way, the great graciousness of the eternal God. And, because He is gracious, He will help you be gracious!

God shows you grace, and you can reflect that by being gracious with others.

My Response:
» What kind of “unmerited favor” has God shown me in my life?
» Am I gracious with other people?
» How can I reflect to others some of the graciousness God has shown to me?

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Hundreds of students baptized after worship service on Auburn college campus

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Auburn University is the second-largest university in Alabama. Known for its football team and fierce cross-state rivalry with the University of Alabama, the school is making news these days for a completely different reason.

Some time ago, five girls began meeting on campus in Neville Arena to pray. Their group grew to two hundred students. Local ministries became involved and sponsored a worship event last week which around five thousand people attended.

Following the service, a student wanted to be baptized. Crowds then began gathering at a nearby lake, where roughly two hundred people gave their lives to Christ and were baptized. Auburn Tigers head football coach Hugh Freeze, a very public Christian, helped with the baptisms. Now other universities are calling to bring similar programs to their campuses.

One student said she had never seen anything like the mass baptism: “Never in my life. I was even talking to adults who were there that were a part of it, and they said that they had never witnessed anything like that.”

“A new spirit I will put within them”

Yesterday, we focused on the urgency of sharing God’s word with a nation that is sliding ever further from biblical morality. Today, let’s discuss the necessity of living in ways that are so different from our fallen culture as to be both distinctive and attractive.

God said of ancient Israel, “You have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules” (Ezekiel 11:12a). Rather, they “have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you” (v. 12b). This is a grievous trajectory for God’s people since “what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).

Tragically, the vast majority of Americans do not believe that God is the Lord who sees and judges sin. If they think of him at all, they view him as benevolent and ambivalent, the object of their subject. But they are the object of his subject. God is not on trial—we are.

His transforming promise is our only hope: “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19–20). Human words cannot change human hearts, but God’s Spirit, using God’s word as declared by God’s people, can change any heart today.

By contrast, “As for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord Gᴏᴅ” (v. 21).

Three practical steps

As you can see, it is vital that God’s people live in a way that is distinctive from our fallen culture and yet attractive to those deceived by its lies. How can we do this?

First, decide that you want to be different.

God said of the sinful Roman Empire, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4–5).

Choose right now to “come out” from your sinfully broken society, whatever the cost.

Second, ask the Spirit to make you more like Christ than you have ever been.

When you asked Jesus to be your Lord, his Spirit took up residency in your life (1 Corinthians 3:16) and you became his “body” in the world (1 Corinthians 12:27). Oswald Chambers thus observed, “In our physical life Jesus has the same setting that he had on earth.” Now we must choose every day to be controlled and empowered by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) as he conforms us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

We are exhorted: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Third, expose the dark to the light.

Paul told his fellow believers, “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8a). Consequently, we are to “walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (vv. 8b–11).

Light has always defeated darkness (John 1:5) and always will.

“These words just changed everything for me”

In 2014, Trieste Belmont was struggling with depression and decided to end her life. As she stood atop a high bridge, she says, “I was sobbing and crying and working up the courage to just go through with it.” Then a person in a car behind her shouted, “Don’t jump.”

“Those words just changed everything for me,” she remembered. “Having a stranger care about me in my darkest time made it so that I didn’t jump, and it saved my life.”

She sought support and, with the help of her therapist, family, and friends, her mental health has since greatly improved. But she reflects on that moment as the catalyst for her life moving in an entirely new direction: “Something that I realized is that even if something’s not a huge moment in your life, just the little, small gestures that you can make for other people really do make a difference.”

Now consider the impact of sharing God’s life-giving word in the power of God’s transforming Spirit. And reflect on the urgency of giving this word to a broken culture on the path to moral ruin and divine judgment.

When confronted with this opportunity, Isaiah said to God, “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

Will you say the same today?

Denison Forum

John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

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1 Corinthians 4:2

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Focus and faithfulness go together like faith and works. Without works, our faith is dead. Without faithfulness, our focus fizzles.

An overwhelming lack of faithfulness exists around us. Temporary commitments abound. We find a world grown weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9). The moment that faithfulness runs up against discomfort, it fades.

True faithfulness is demonstrated in the difficult times. God desires a people who are faithful to read and obey His Word. He desires a people who pray continually – believing that He will respond. He wants a people who serve faithfully in even the small things. He wants a people who are faithful to bring their hearts to enter His gates with praise.

Faithfulness comes easily when life flows smoothly. But on the hardest day of your life, how do you remain focused and faithful? When trouble looms on every side?

You may not see the way through. Take one more step of faith. You may feel absolutely alone. Take one more step. When the darkness presses in, take one more step. Remain focused on the promise that He made to you. Remain faithful to take just one more step.

On the path that He opens before you, He waits with hands outstretched. He has not abandoned you. He is working everything out for your good.

Blessing: 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. Even in the difficult times, may God empower you with focus and faithfulness. May every step be one of purpose and perseverance until you possess the promise He has given!

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Isaiah 33:13-36:22

New Testament 

Galatians 5:13-26

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 64:1-10

Proverbs 23:23

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – No Limit

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And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 18:21-22

Love is at the heart of everything—even forgiveness. But not because forgiveness is a loving thing to do (though it is). But because it is a sacrificial thing to do. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that “love suffers long” (verse 4), which is usually a way of saying that love is patient. But when the need for forgiveness comes often, it can result in longsuffering—patiently enduring the offense that necessitates forgiveness no matter how often it arises.

When Peter asked Jesus how many times he was required to forgive the one who offended him—and suggested seven times would suffice—Jesus surprised him with a different number: seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). Jesus didn’t mean that 490 was the limit; He was suggesting that we are to forgive an infinite number of times. We are to forgive without counting. We wonder if Paul had this teaching in mind when he exhorted the Ephesians to forgive each other “as God in Christ forgave you.”

God puts no limit on the number of times He is willing to forgive us. Neither should we limit our forgiveness for others.

If you are suffering from a bad man’s injustice, forgive him lest there be two bad men.
Augustine

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Lasting Change

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 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. 

—Matthew 12:45

Scripture:

Matthew 12:45 

There are people who try to make changes in their lives, who try to do a spiritual or moral housecleaning. They know that things aren’t the way they ought to be, and they want to get things right.

But the irony is that some people, in their attempts to clean up their lives, end up in a worse state than where they began.

Jesus talked about how we can make lasting changes in our lives as we undertake a thorough housecleaning. He was speaking to the Pharisees, who were the religious, moral, and outwardly upright people of the day. Yet Jesus had warned this group about committing the unpardonable sin, which was blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

He said this because they had attributed the works of God that He was doing to the devil. Specifically, they accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil. So He warned them of going too far and actually blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

He was saying that knowledge brings responsibility.

Jesus went on to explain, “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43–45 NLT).

Jesus was referring to demonic powers in this passage. Demons are both real and powerful. And in this passage, it appears that the person who once was possessed by this unclean spirit had a housecleaning. Things were put in order to some degree. It would appear the person had made some kind of moral change.

To understand this in context, we must remember that Jesus was speaking to moral, religious people who didn’t really know God. Jesus was comparing the human life and heart to a house. And He was saying that morality won’t save us. Religion won’t save us.

Jesus was giving us a picture of those who make moral changes in their lives but don’t get to the root of their problem, which is the absence of God in their lives. The sins they commit are but symptoms of a deeper problem: the lack of Jesus Christ living inside them.

People will make changes in their lives for many reasons. Sometimes when they face a crisis, they begin to evaluate their priorities and take stock of their lives. They determine what needs to change.

But often the same people end up going back to their old ways. Why? Because the house is swept and put in order, but it’s still empty.

We must not lose sight of the basic truth that morality, in itself, will not bring a right relationship with God. Morality never will bring spirituality. But true spirituality always will bring morality.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie