Daily Archives: March 7, 2024

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — God Our Refuge

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Bible in a Year :

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Proverbs 18:10–12

The remarkable 2019 movie Little Women sent me back to my worn copy of the novel, especially the comforting words of Marmee, the wise and gentle mother. I’m drawn to the novel’s depiction of her steadfast faith, which underlies many of her words of encouragement to her daughters. One that stood out to me was this: “Troubles and temptations . . . may be many, but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your heavenly Father.” 

Marmee’s words echo the truth found in Proverbs that “the name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (18:10). Towers were built in ancient cities to be places of safety during danger, perhaps because of an enemy attack. In the same way, it’s through running to God that believers in Jesus can experience peace in the care of the One who’s “our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1).

Proverbs 18:10 tells us protection comes from God’s “name”—which refers to all of who He is. Scripture describes God as “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). God’s protection comes from His mighty strength, as well as His tenderness and love, which causes Him to long to provide refuge to the hurting. For all who are struggling, our heavenly Father offers a place of refuge in His strength and tenderness.

By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced God’s strength in times of trouble? Where have you seen His comforting care?

Heavenly Father, please help me to run to You in both good times and times of struggle.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Denying Yourself

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“I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed” (Dan. 9:4).

God will not respond to self-righteous prayers.

In Luke 18 Jesus told a parable to people who were trusting in their own self-righteousness. He said, “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

“But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (vv. 10-14).

Apart from God’s mercy we cannot enter into God’s presence. The tax-gatherer knew that and pled for forgiveness. The Pharisee missed the point and went away without forgiveness.

Like the tax-gatherer, Daniel approached God with an attitude of confession and self-denial. He could have reminded God of his years of faithful service while in Babylon, but that didn’t enter his mind. He knew that in himself there was nothing to commend him to God. His only thought was for mercy for himself and his people, that God’s purposes could be realized through them.

As a Christian, you have the wonderful privilege of boldly entering into God’s presence “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22). That privilege is rooted in God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice and leaves no room for presumption or self-righteousness. Always guard your attitude in prayer so that you don’t unwittingly slip into a Pharisaic mentality.

Suggestions for Prayer

Memorize Psalm 117:1-118:1 and recite it often as a hymn of praise to the Lord.

For Further Study

Jesus had much to say about the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees of His day. Read Matthew 23, noting His scathing denunciations of their hypocritical attitudes and practices.

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Our Responsibility, God’s Responsibility

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So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

— Matthew 6:34 (AMPC)

Every believer has the responsibility to live right, to be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer. Motivated by the reverential fear of the Lord, we can learn to live carefully and begin to make a difference in the world we live in. You and I need to be careful about what we allow into our spirits and how we live our lives. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our heart with all diligence because out of it flows the springs of life. I believe we should have a careful attitude about how we live not a casual or a careless one. We need to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we think about, and who our friends are.

I’m not saying we need to live according to the strict and demanding dictates of man. I had a very legalistic relationship with God for years and was miserable, so the last thing I want to do is teach legalism. What I am saying is that we shouldn’t compromise. We should recognize our responsibility as Christians to live our lives in such a way that unbelievers will be attracted to God by our behavior.

James 4:17 (AMPC) says, …any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. In other words, if we are convicted that something is wrong, then we must not do it—even if we see a hundred other people doing it and getting by with it. They may seem to be getting by with it, but sooner or later, we will all reap what we sow.

We know that worry and anxiety are not characteristics of a godly Christian. Yet so many Christians worry. You can choose to worry, or you can reject worry and choose to live with joy and peace. Most people don’t want to hear that message, and they seem to find an odd comfort in thinking that worrying is beyond their control. It is not. Worry is a really is a choice and it is a sin against God.

As long as I’ve been in the church, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone make that statement. But it is sin. It is calling God a liar. It is saying that God is not sufficiently able to take care of you and provide for your needs. Faith says, “God can do it.” Worry says, “God isn’t able to help me.”

When you worry, you not only call God a liar, but you have also allowed the devil to fill your mind with anxious thoughts. The more you focus on the problems, the larger they become. You start to fret and may even end up in despair.

Think of the words of the great apostle: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency] (Philippians 4:13 AMPC). Or think of the words from the psalmist: Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5 AMPC).

Jesus told His disciples not to be anxious and, as quoted above, not to worry about tomorrow. But He did more than teach those words; He lived them out: And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20 AMPC). That wasn’t a complaint but a simple fact of life. Jesus trusted His Father’s provision for Him even when He didn’t know where He would sleep or what He would eat.

Jesus taught that we are not to worry about anything in life. He wasn’t speaking about planning and thinking ahead. He was saying that some people never act because fear holds them back. They can always tell you 10 things that can go wrong with every plan. Jesus wants us to live a stress-free life. If you are worrying about what might happen, you’re hindering God from working in your life.

I heard about a couple whose daughter was diagnosed with a serious illness that wasn’t covered by insurance. The parents were struggling to pay all the medical bills. Not knowing what else to do, they both went into their bedroom for a lengthy time of prayer. Afterward the husband said, “It was really quite simple. I am God’s servant. My responsibility is to serve my Master. His responsibility is to take care of me.”

The next day, the doctors told them that their daughter was eligible to be part of an experimental surgery and all expenses would be paid. The wife smiled and said, “God is responsible, isn’t He?” What a testimony to their faith and trust in God who remains faithful and responsible at all times and in all things. God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another (see Romans 2:11). I encourage you to stop worrying and start trusting in Him.

Prayer Starter: Lord God, I know that worry is a sin against You. In the name of Jesus, help me overcome all anxieties and worry, and enable me to trust You to provide for every need I have.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – Jesus Throughout Scripture

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The eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

Acts 8:34–35

As we journey through the Bible, we recognize that Jesus did not arrive out of nowhere. From start to finish, the Bible is a book about Him. Indeed, even the Old Testament prophets, under the inspiration of the Spirit, wrote about Jesus. If we take our eyes off Christ, then, however well we know Scripture, we will have missed its center, its key, and its hero.

In the Gospels, Jesus pointed people to the Old Testament to help them understand who He was. Early in His ministry, He was once at the synagogue reading from the scroll of Isaiah. As He finished, Luke tells us, He “began to say” to His listeners, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Later, speaking to people who were especially interested and versed in the Old Testament Scriptures, Jesus warned them, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). After His death and resurrection, when He encountered some of His dejected followers on the road to Emmaus, Jesus, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets … interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

In other words, Jesus clearly taught that every part of the Old Testament finds its focus and fulfillment in Him.

When you read the Scriptures, you meet Jesus, because this book testifies to Him. Even if our studies and understanding of Old Testament passages provide us with good, important ethical truths about life, there’s great danger of us missing the Truth, Jesus. The purpose of every page of your Bible is for you to meet Jesus, to come to know Him, and to proclaim His great name, all for His glory.

In every sermon you hear, every lesson you study, and every passage of God’s word that you read, be asking yourself, “Did it bring me to Christ? Did I discover Jesus in it?” And do not stop listening, studying, and reading until you can answer yes, for it is in Him that the treasures of salvation, truth, wisdom, and comfort are to be found.

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

Psalm 119:17–32

Topics: Jesus Christ Studying the Bible

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 – God Created Languages

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“Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” ( Genesis 11:9)

Wouldn’t it be easier if everyone spoke the same language? Then we could all understand one another! Missionaries wouldn’t have to learn a foreign language when they left for the mission field, businessmen wouldn’t have to use interpreters when they had a business meeting overseas, and we could travel the world and be able to talk to anyone we wanted!

That may sound like a great plan to us, but God had even better plans. It was God Who created languages, and He did it for a purpose. For hundreds of years after God first created the world, everyone spoke the same language, and everyone could understand everyone else. The people became very wicked, though, and did what was right in their own eyes instead of loving and obeying God. To judge them, God sent a great flood to destroy the whole world. After God rescued Noah and his family from the flood, God gave them a command. They were supposed to multiply (grow the family) and spread out all over the world. In other words, they were supposed to scatter around and fill up the world with their children and grandchildren. Earth would be filled again with people who would know and worship the one true God.

Over the next years, Noah’s family did grow, but they did not move to different parts of the earth like God had commanded. In fact, instead of worshipping God the way He wanted them to worship Him (by obeying his commands, for example), they decided it would be a better idea to worship God by building a tower so high it would reach Him up in heaven. Have you ever heard of “The Tower of Babel”? The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Noah’s family started building this tower and a city of worship around it.

God was angry at their plans to worship Him however they pleased while disobeying His other commands. They had not scattered around and replenished (re-filled) the different parts of the world. They had not taught their children and grandchildren the right things about God and how He expected to be worshipped.

In the middle of this huge construction project, God brought judgment down on it. He decided to mix up the languages. Can you imagine? Maybe you are on a ladder, working on the tower. You ask your second cousin to pass the hammer and some nails over…and he acts confused. He is not joking, either. He really has no clue what you are saying! He tries to answer you, but his words sound really funny to you, and you don’t know what he means. Now, you have known this guy all your life! He is related to you! And suddenly neither of you can understand what the other is saying?

It did not take long for the people to realize something very different was happening, and that God must have been the One doing it. God confused the languages of the people to help them stop doing things their own way and to help them fulfill his command to go out and replenish all the world. As people walked aimlessly around, trying to find someone who could understand them, they naturally divided into smaller groups according to language. These groups gradually split off from the others and moved to different parts of the world. They finally scattered and became the different nations of people we have today.

Wow! Did you know that God had such a specific purpose in creating languages? God has a purpose for everything He does, even in confusing a bunch of disobedient people thousands of years ago. A God Who can create languages is a powerful God! God’s plans are always designed to work things out for His glory and for His people’s best good. If only we would follow His plans instead of doing things our own way!

God is the sovereign Creator, and He can carry out what He wants done, even if people try to do the opposite.

My Response: » Am I disobeying what God has shown me He wants me to do? » Am I tempted to honor God my own way rather than how He wants to be honored? » Do I need to do a better job remembering that God has a specific purpose in everything He does?

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Is it true that “the State of the Union is strong”?

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The US Constitution states that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union” (Article II Section 3). President Biden will likely begin tonight’s address with the declaration, “The State of the Union is strong,” an assertion made by nearly every president in this setting since Ronald Reagan began the practice in 1983.

In tonight’s case, some commentators will agree with the president’s claim, while others will disagree. Each will try to convince us that their version of reality is our reality. This is because our “post-truth” culture believes that truth is perception. If we believe something to be true, it is therefore true for us, or so we think.

This viewpoint is becoming more dangerous now than at any time in human history.

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“I am talking about apocalypse now”

Iain McGilchrist is a neuroscience researcher whose lecture at the 2022 World Summit AI in Amsterdam was adapted into an urgent essay in the current issue of First Things. He warns that artificial intelligence is quickly progressing in ways that make people more expendable and less significant:

Consider the impact of the loss of daily contact with human beings as more and more jobs become automated. What happens to those who are rendered unemployed? . . .

And what about our dignity as free individuals? Can we escape the appalling prospect—already realized in China—that wherever we go, whatever we buy, whomever we are seen with, our every word, every action, the very thoughts we express on our faces, all is monitored, potentially marked down against us, and whatever freedom is left to us is curtailed accordingly?

Then he moves to the theme I’ve been exploring this week:

There is much to fear if we leave important decisions in the hands of AI. All decisions affecting humans are moral decisions. And morality is not purely utilitarian; it cannot be reduced to calculation. Every human situation is unique, its uniqueness arising from personal history, consciousness, memory, intention, all that is not explicit, all that we mean by the deceptively simple word “emotion,” all the experience and understanding gained through and stored in the body, all that makes us humans and not machines. Goodness requires virtuous minds, not merely following rules.

McGilchrist concludes:

If we are not to become ever more diminished as humans, we need to remain in control of machines, not come under their control. I am not talking about an apocalyptic future; I am talking about apocalypse now. We are already calmly and quietly surrendering our liberty, our privacy, our dignity, our time, our values, and our talents to the machine. Machines serve us well when they relieve us of drudgery, but we must leave human affairs to humans. If not, we sign our own death warrant.

“Catching rather than pitching”

We might dismiss McGilchrist’s concerns as hyperbole, but he is not alone: leaders from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and other AI labs are also warning that the technology they are building could pose an existential threat to humanity on a par with pandemics and nuclear war.

Clearly, humans should not assume that because we created artificial intelligence, we will always be its master and AI our servant. Our perceived superiority may soon bear no resemblance to reality, a point from which we may not be able to return.

What can you and I do about this frightening scenario?

Unless you’re a technologist working in the field of artificial intelligence, you’ll be affected by AI rather than effecting its direction. Like the millions listening to the president’s State of the Union address tonight, you have no ability to impact his decisions, even though many of them impact your life.

Upon reflection, most of life works like this. There are few parts of the world over which any of us have any direct influence. Unless we return to the frontier days of harvesting and hunting our own food, making our own clothes, and building our own houses, we are “catching rather than pitching” in nearly every dimension of our lives.

How to be “trusting children”

This is where the Christian worldview saves us from the paranoia of victimhood. Max Lucado is right:

“God has proven himself as a faithful father. Now it falls to us to be trusting children.”

We become such “children” when we embrace these biblical assertions not as mere perceptions but as facts:

  • Our Father is the sovereign King of the universe whose providential provision and protection we can trust today (Psalm 91:1–2).
  • When we pray for those who do what we cannot do, our Lord hears us and does whatever is best (Matthew 7:7–11).
  • When we ask his Spirit to empower us (Ephesians 5:18) and then fulfill our calling for his glory (1 Chronicles 16:24), we partner with our Lord for eternal significance (Romans 8:28).
  • When we name our fears and surrender them to our Father, we experience “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

Accordingly, we can make this intercession from the Book of Common Prayer ours today:

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves. Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversaries which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Thursday news to know

Quote for the day

“It is one thing to believe in God; it is quite another to believe God.” —R. C. Sproul

Denison Forum

John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

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Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Hope is rooted in substance and evidence – not wishful thinking. For the believer, hope is based on the evidence found in the Word of God. Hope is based on the substance of what God has done in the past – knowing that if He has done it before, He can do it again in our lives.

Our hope is anchored in the never-failing promises of God because His provision is in the promise. His Word is lassoed lightning when prayed out of our mouths under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

We do not hope that God answers prayer; we know that He does. When Moses prayed, the Red Sea parted. When Daniel prayed, God muzzled the mouths of hungry lions. Prayer is not preparing God to do our will; prayer is preparing us to do God’s will.

We do not hope God heals; we know that He does. He is the Great Physician – yesterday, today, and forever. We do not hope that God delivers; we know that He does. Three Hebrew children walked through the fiery furnace without a whiff of smoke on them.

Hope in God! We are fully confident of the things for which we hope, and we are completely convinced of the reality of the things that we cannot see – substance and evidence.

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. Be of good cheer; be bold and strong; keep the faith, and fight the good fight. Nothing is impossible to those whose hope is in Him!

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Numbers 8:1-9:23

New Testament 

Mark 13:14-37

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 50:1-23

Proverbs 10:29-30

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Grace

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And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

 Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-9

A nineteenth-century book of illustrations and quotes says: “Look to Him as the Divine and only Redeemer, as an all-sufficient and ever-present Friend, as your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification, your complete, and full, and everlasting redemption.”1

When the apostle Paul asked God to relieve an area of suffering in his life, the Lord left the suffering in place. But He wrapped it in soothing layers of grace—sufficient and more than sufficient. He’ll do the same for you. One day we’ll be free of suffering, but in this earthly life God doesn’t always take away our pains. Instead, He wraps them in His grace. He wraps Himself around us, and His grace is sufficient because He is more than sufficient. He abundantly satisfies us (Psalm 36:8), abundantly pardons us (Isaiah 55:7), and is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Ask God to help you appropriate His grace, learning you need no resource but Him. When you are weakest, His grace is strongest—for He Himself is our strength.

Do not despise your weakness, for it leads you to trust in God’s strength.
Henry Blackaby

  1. “‘Looking Into Jesus’: A Motto for the New Year,” The Quiver (London: Cassell & Company, 1891), 235.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Growing Up Spiritually

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Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind. 

—1 Corinthians 14:20

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 14:20 

You can’t be a kid again. But in one sense, you can because the Bible teaches that, as Christians, we should be childlike in our faith. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NLT).

When I became a Christian, it was like a new world to me. I realized that I had so much to learn. I also realized that I really didn’t even know what I thought about so many issues in life, what really mattered, and what my priorities were.

The apostle Paul urged the believers in Corinth, “Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind” (1 Corinthians 14:20 NLT).

There are some areas of the Christian life in which we should be childlike, in which we should be simple. We don’t need to know all the intricacies of evil and the way this world works. We need to maintain our dependence on God and be childlike in that way.

On the other hand, there are areas in which we need to mature and grow. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being spiritual babies when we’re new in the faith. But as the years pass, we need to become spiritually mature.

When we begin as Christians, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, when we are born again, we start out as spiritual infants. This is true of every person, regardless of age. Everyone starts out this way in the faith.

Some people were raised in the church and have always been familiar with the Bible, with worship, and with prayer. But at some point, they realized their walk with God needed to be their own, so they made their own personal commitment to the Lord.

Others came in cold from the world. I was one of those people. I had no background in the church. I had no understanding of the Bible. And I had never worshipped God before. I knew nothing about prayer. I knew relatively nothing about Jesus.

When we’re new in the faith, it’s all so different. It’s a bit of a mystery. That’s why we need people to help us acclimate. We need to learn how to start growing up spiritually.

I like the questions that new believers ask. I like the statements they make. But best of all, I like their zeal. They’re excited about what Christ has done for them.

A church that does not have a constant flow of new believers coming in will be a church that is stagnating spiritually. New believers need more mature believers to help them get grounded. And mature believers need new believers to help remind them of what really matters in life.

We need to remain childlike with our excitement about our faith, but we also need to mature and grow spiritually.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie
Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Christian Rest

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:9-10)

This is an important New Testament affirmation that God’s work of creation was “finished from the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 4:3). The reference is to Genesis 2:1-3, where the writer has told us that God had “rested from all his work which God created and made,” thus completely denying the contention of theistic evolutionists that the processes of “creation” (that is, evolution) are still going on.

In addition, it makes a significant comparison between the believer’s rest and God’s rest. The word “rest” here is not the usual word for “rest” and is used only this once in the New Testament. It means, literally, “sabbath rest” or “keeping of the Sabbath.” In the context of chapters 2 and 3 of Hebrews, the concept of rest is being expounded with several meanings. The original warning was in Psalm 95:11, where it referred both to the Israelites entering into the promised land under Joshua and to God’s own rest after His work of creation. Psalm 95 is repeatedly quoted in Hebrews, where other meanings are also implied: the keeping of a weekly Sabbath in commemoration of God’s rest after creation; the promised future rest to the world and its believing inhabitants—possibly in the millennium but certainly in the new earth; and the believer’s present spiritual rest after he puts his faith in Christ, no longer trusting in his works for salvation.

With such a rich investiture of meaning in the fact of God’s past rest and the promise of our future rest, it is appropriate that there should be a perpetual weekly commemoration and expression of faith in that rest in every generation until its ultimate fulfillment in the eternal rest in the New Jerusalem.

In the meantime, we are urged to “labour” to “enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:11). HMM

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6