Daily Archives: October 27, 2023

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Three Kings

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Bible in a Year:

His people made no funeral fire in his honor, as they had for his predecessors.

2 Chronicles 21:19

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

2 Chronicles 21:4–7, 16–20

In the hit musical Hamilton, England’s King George III is humorously portrayed as a cartoonish, deranged villain. However, a new biography on King George said he was not the tyrant described in Hamilton or America’s Declaration of Independence. If George had been the brutal despot that Americans said he was, he would have stopped their drive for independence with extreme, scorched-earth measures. But he was restrained by his “civilized, good-natured” temperament.

Who knows if King George died with regret? Would his reign have been more successful if he’d been harsher with his subjects?

Not necessarily. In the Bible we read of King Jehoram, who solidified his throne by putting “all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel” (2 Chronicles 21:4). Jehoram “did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (v. 6). His ruthless reign alienated his people, who neither wept for his gruesome death nor made a “funeral fire in his honor” (v. 19).

Historians may debate whether George was too soft; Jehoram was surely too harsh. A better way is that of King Jesus, who is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Christ’s expectations are firm (He demands truth), yet He embraces those who fail (He extends grace). Jesus calls us who believe in Him to follow His lead. Then, through the leading of His Holy Spirit, He empowers us to do so.

By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray

Who are you responsible to lead? How might you show both grace and truth to them?  

Dear Jesus, I aim to lead others by following You.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Learning Truth

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“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Scripture is a manual of divine truth.

This month we’ve considered many benefits of Scripture. Second Timothy 3:16 lists four more that will be the focus of our studies as we draw this month to a close: teaching truth, reproving sin and error, correcting behavior, and training in righteousness. We’ve touched on each of those to some extent in our past studies, but they warrant additional discussion from this verse, which is Scripture’s most concise statement on its own power and purpose.

First, the Bible is profitable for teaching. The Greek word translated “teaching” refers more to content than to the process of teaching. Scripture is God’s manual of divine truth for patterning your thoughts and actions.

As a believer, you have the capacity to understand and respond to Scripture. That’s because the Holy Spirit indwells you and imparts spiritual discernment, wisdom, and understanding (1 John 2:27). You have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).

But having the ability to understand spiritual truth doesn’t guarantee you’ll exercise that ability. God said to the Israelites through the prophet Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (4:6). His truth was available to them, but they ignored it and lived in disobedience.

I’ve heard many people lament that they could have avoided much grief if only they had known the Bible more thoroughly—if only they had taken the time to learn what God expected of them in a particular situation. Perhaps you’ve felt that way. The best way to avoid making that mistake in the future is to faithfully, prayerfully, patiently, and thoroughly saturate your mind with biblical truth, then discipline yourself to live according to its principles. Now that’s the challenge of a lifetime, but it’s the only way to profit from biblical teaching and avoid unnecessary heartaches.

I pray you will be encouraged today as you study God’s Word and diligently apply it to your life.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to use the circumstances you face today to draw you closer to Him and motivate you to dig deeper into His Word.

For Further Study

Read Exodus 24:1-8. What was the Israelites’ response to God’s Word? What is yours?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Kind Reward

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But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant)….

— Luke 6:35 (AMPC)

Has God ever asked you to do something really special for somebody who hurt you? If so, I am sure that like me you found it very difficult to do. Perhaps you have spent a lot of time in your life blessing someone who never blesses you in return. In that case, don’t become bitter but trust God to reward you.

Some of us are a little more naturally disposed toward kindness than others. Many of us find we can be kind to those who are kind to us, but we run into trouble with those we don’t think deserve kindness. God delights in being kind to those of us who don’t deserve it. Actually, kindness isn’t even kindness unless it is extended toward the undeserving.

End your day by being kind to someone.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to always walk in kindness toward others, especially to those who have hurt me. I cannot do this without Your help. Thank You, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – Access to God

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Through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of his creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:11-12

The wonder of the Bible’s story is that God—seeing us in our inability to know Him, to love Him, to understand Him, and to serve Him—came to redeem and restore us. God secured our redemption through a series of mighty acts, culminating in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom He sent in order to bring us back into relationship with Himself. In bridging the chasm between God and us, Jesus fulfills His role as our Great High Priest.

As Jewish Christians, the first recipients of the letter to the Hebrews had experienced tremendous changes as a result of following Jesus, particularly in their worship. Their devotion was no longer marked by the grandeur of the temple and all of its accompanying sights, sounds, and fragrances, and they no longer participated in witnessing the high priest coming out on the Day of Atonement.

All of this had changed when Jesus, by His death on the cross, became both the sacrifice and the scapegoat for sins. In the same way that the high priest had previously emerged from behind the temple curtain as an indication that God had accepted the people’s sacrifice for sin, the Lord Jesus had come forth from the tomb to declare His sacrifice accepted by the Father. The curtain had been torn (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The door of heavenly access was now open.

By fulfilling the priestly role, Jesus has secured our access to God once and for all. There is no need for repetition—no need for another sacrifice. In contrast to the Old Testament high priests, who stood daily, “offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins,” Christ “offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,” and then “he sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:11-12).

The wonder in this, of course, is that Jesus did what no one else could do. He was the priest who made the offering and at the same time He was the offering. He voluntarily bore the punishment that was due to us on account of our sin, in order that we might enjoy full pardon from and reconciliation with God.

What difference does this make to us? First, it inspires constancy in our hearts. The first readers of the letter to the Hebrews seem to have been tempted to turn back to their Jewish rites. But Jesus is the ultimate and final High Priest and sacrifice. There is no need to go anywhere else, and there is nowhere else to go. Second, it brings confidence to our prayers. For as we approach God on His throne through Christ, we do so without fear, knowing we are forgiven and are speaking to our heavenly Father. Do you struggle with constancy or with confidence? See Jesus, your High Priest, who has entered into the presence of God, in the heavenly tent—and know that in Him, and Him alone, you have all you need.

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

Hebrews 3:1-6

Topics: Christ as Priest Redemption Substitutionary Atonement

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 a Present Help

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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Do you know what a “first responder” is? There are teams of men and women who are trained to be able to come help in an emergency situation. They are supposed to be always ready in case an emergency happens nearby them. They practice, and they stay alert so that they can be the first people on the scene if there is a car accident or another kind of crisis where somebody might be seriously hurt. First responders are trained to give medical help to people right after an accident, so that they are taken care of until they can be taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

We can be very thankful for first responders. Paramedics, firefighters, EMTs, and all kinds of people are trained to act in an emergency, when people need help most desperately. If you call 9-1-1, someone will respond to your call for help. They will come right away. They will come as soon as they possibly can. And they will come faster than any other help can get there.

But you know what? They are not already there. Do you realize that God is always already there? The Bible says He is “our refuge and strength,” a “very present help” when we are in times of trouble. To be a “present help” is to be right there already. Even the fastest first responders cannot reach you in an emergency faster than God can. We don’t even have to dial 9-1-1 in order to cry out to God in an emergency. He is already there, because He is always present with us.

What a comfort it is to know that God is always with us! Even when we have to wait for other people to come help, or if we just feel alone and need someone with us – God is already there. Are you living like you believe that God is a “very present help in trouble”?

Because He is always with us, God is already there when we need Him.

My Response:
» Do I feel worried or lonely when my friends and family are not around me?
» Do I forget that I can trust God to be there for me when I need Him?
» How can I show in my own “first responses” that I am trusting the LORD more than anyone or anything else?

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Bryan Dunagan, senior pastor in Dallas, dies at age 44: Bringing our hardest questions to God

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Rev. Bryan Dunagan became the senior pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church (HPPC) in Dallas, Texas, in 2014. A gifted speaker and leader, Bryan combined a scholar’s mind and a pastor’s heart in serving one of the great congregations in America. I pastored for many years in the same Dallas community and know HPPC well. I watched his ministry with gratitude for his faithfulness and personal friendship.

Then came the shocking announcement from his church yesterday morning: “In the early hours of today, our beloved Senior Pastor, Bryan Dunagan, passed away in his sleep due to natural causes.” He was forty-four years old and leaves behind his wife Ali and three children. I am joining friends in Dallas and beyond who are grieving deeply today.

What if the nihilists are right?

A massive manhunt for the gunman in the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, continues this morning after residents kept to their homes for a second night. Hurricane Otis killed at least twenty-seven people in Acapulco and devastated the region. And Israel’s military is preparing for a wider ground incursion into Gaza in their hunt for Hamas terrorists. The civilian death toll will inexorably rise as Hamas hides its soldiers and munitions among the population.

Every Israeli and Palestinian who dies will be grieved by someone; given the young age of most of the soldiers, they will be grieved by parents and grandparents left behind. Such grief is unspeakably unnatural—we are supposed to bury our parents, not our children.

In yesterday’s Daily Article, I reported on an Israeli mother who told reporters after her girls were kidnapped by Hamas, “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe God exists. If he does, why are my daughters in Gaza?” Her struggle is the cry of parents across history who grieve a suffering or deceased child.

As a cultural apologist, I wanted to respond to those who reject God’s existence or relevance, so I pointed out the failure of secular alternatives to heal our fallen hearts. However, while it’s important to remind our post-Christian culture that secularism isn’t working, this line of thinking isn’t sufficient for the crises we face.

What if this means that nothing can heal the brokenness of our world? What if the nihilists are right?

“This is what God’s really like”

We can respond to grieving Christians by reminding them that

  • Believers step from death instantly into life with God in paradise, where they are home and well (Romans 14:8).
  • God grieves with and for those who grieve, feeling their pain and sharing their suffering (John 11:35; Isaiah 43:1–3).
  • They will see those they love again in eternity, never to be parted (Revelation 21:4).
  • God redeems all he allows, in this life and in the next (cf. Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

And yet . . .

For a pastor’s wife and three young children left behind, for their extended family, and for a congregation grieving the shocking death of their young pastor, theological facts are not sufficient. For parents brokenhearted over the kidnapping or murder of their children and grandchildren in atrocities perpetrated by terrorists, the grief of these days must be unspeakable.

For those who have lost and will lose loved ones in Israel’s war with Hamas, this must be a nightmare without end. For those who suffer from the disasters of our fallen world and the depravities of fallen humanity, words are not enough.

If our God is insufficient for these days, we have an insufficient God.

He promises to “supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He assures us that he has “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. . . . Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

What, then, do we do when God does not seem to supply our need? When we can find no future or hope? When we feel no peace and our hearts are deeply troubled?

“To sit with our grief and to pray with us”

When we feel life’s deepest pain, we can respond in two biblical ways.

First, ask our questions.

Our Father invites us: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Isaiah 1:18). The Hebrew is literally translated, “Let us argue it out.” Job’s soul-wrenching questions are recorded in Scripture so we can ask them as well. If God’s sinless Son could cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), so can we.

Second, seek God together.

We can allow our grief to drive us from God or to draw us to him. We can refuse to trust him unless we understand him, or we can understand how much we need to trust him. And we can claim the redeeming providence and compassionate presence of a Father who proved his love on the cross and offers himself to all who will “taste and see that the Lᴏʀᴅ is good” (Psalm 34:8).

After Highland Park Presbyterian Church announced the shocking death of their young pastor yesterday, they wrote: “When we don’t know what to do, we are taught to turn to God and pray.” So they held a vigil in their Sanctuary and invited all who could “to sit with our grief and to pray with us.” Today from 9–9:45 a.m. CST, the church is holding “a time of guided prayer in our Sanctuary . . . as we ask for God to give us wisdom as we grieve and to guide our church through our next steps.”

On a recent podcast with Dr. Mark Turman and myself, the Cuban pastor and my dear friend Carlos Alamino testified that, despite rising persecution and extreme deprivation, his people are seeing a spiritual awakening that is transforming their nation. He added, “The early church is still walking and running around the streets of my Cuba.”

How are they experiencing God so powerfully?

Carlos explained his ministry strategy: He introduces people to Jesus and Jesus to people. Then he trusts Jesus to do his transforming work in their lives.

Let’s trust our Savior to do the same in ours today.

Denison Forum

John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

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Luke 9:23

Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’

A war rages inside each of us. The desire to do right is at odds with the desire to do wrong.

We each struggle with the temptation born of our fleshly nature. Sin comes naturally to our “old man,” the person we were before we made Jesus our Savior.

When we come to Jesus, the Spirit of God calls us to be more like Him. We have been crucified with Christ – dead to sin and alive in Christ. We put off the former sinful conduct we once practiced with its passions and desires. We are no longer powerless slaves to sin.

If we go after Jesus, we deny ourselves – say no to the desires of our sinful nature. We take up our cross every day – put to death anything that would rise in opposition against God. We follow His example – in our attitudes, our speech, our actions.

Our old nature wars against our new, but we do not battle alone! The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us now. He empowers us to put the old man to death. We need not fear that we will slip back into the bondage of sin. If God is for us, nothing can stand against us.

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. In the power of His Spirit, may you put to death the old man and the deeds of darkness. Through Christ, you are more than a conqueror!

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Jeremiah 51:1-53

New Testament 

Titus 2:1-15

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 99:1-9

Proverbs 26:17

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Not Sad!

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If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, “I am going to the Father.”
John 14:28

 Recommended Reading: Philippians 1:19-26

An old hymn says, “I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.” That song was on the mind of a man visiting the British expositor Martyn Lloyd-Jones who was dying of cancer. The great preacher had become too weak to speak, so he communicated by nodding his head or gesturing. The friend suggested Lloyd-Jones accept medications that would make him more comfortable, but Lloyd-Jones wanted nothing to dull his mind. The friend said he was grieved to see Lloyd-Jones lying there “weary and worn and sad.”

That was too much for Lloyd-Jones. Rousing himself, he mustered his energy and whispered: “Not sad! Not sad!”1

Death can’t hold us in its grip when we know heaven awaits us. Jesus was speaking not only for Himself but for His followers when He said that if we loved Him, we would be glad that He was going to His Father. We naturally want to hold our loved ones close to us for as long as possible, but the Bible says that going to be with Jesus is “far better” (Philippians 1:23). Even at death’s door, we sorrow not as those who have no hope.

Do not hold me back from the glory.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  1. Philip H. Eveson, Travel With Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Leominster, England, Day One Publications: 2004), 116.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – What God Values

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The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 

—Luke 10:1

Scripture:

Luke 10:1 

It was a critical time in the ministry of Jesus. His ministry in Galilee was over, and His journey to Jerusalem had begun.

So Jesus selected seventy-two disciples in addition to the Twelve who already were following Him. He gave these new disciples a special commission to work like an advance team going into various communities and cities.

He also gave them these instructions: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:2–3).

Clearly Jesus cared about people. In Matthew’s treatment of the same story, we read, “When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36 NLT).

Jesus felt compassion for these people. He loved and cared about them. Everywhere Jesus went, people mobbed Him. And not only did He take time for the people who wanted a touch here or a word there, but He also sought out hurting and empty people.

For instance, there was the woman at the well in Samaria. Because of the tension between the Jews and Samaritans, it was highly unusual for Jesus to go to a city in Samaria. Not only that, but He sought out an immoral woman who had been married and divorced five times. Then He engaged her in conversation. He went out of His way to meet with her.

He also went to Jericho and met the tax collector Zacchaeus. He called Zacchaeus to come down from the tree where he was sitting and said, “I must be a guest in your home today” (Luke 19:5 NLT).

People criticized Jesus for talking to someone who made his living off the misery of others. But Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (verses 9–10 NLT).

In the original language, the word Jesus used for “lost” speaks of something with value that is broken. And people are broken because of sin.

Yet Jesus sees behind the facade. He sees behind the defense mechanisms and hears the real cry of their hearts. We need to see people the same way. They are people for whom Christ died.

These are critical times for getting the gospel out. There are open doors today that may not remain open forever. Jesus, speaking to the last days church, said, “I have opened a door for you that no one can close” (Revelation 3:8 NLT).

We need to recognize how valuable souls are to God. Jesus said there is rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents (see Luke 15:7 NLT). God cares about souls. And we need to care about them as well.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie