Daily Archives: March 12, 2024

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Courage in Christ

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Bible in a Year :

I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.

Esther 4:16

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Esther 4:10–17

Near the dawn of the twentieth century, Mary McDowell lived worlds apart from the brutal stockyards of Chicago. Although her home was just twenty miles away, she knew little about the horrific labor conditions that prompted workers in the stockyards to strike. Once she learned of the difficulties faced by them and their families, McDowell moved in and lived among them—advocating for better conditions. She ministered to their needs, including teaching children at a school in the back of a small shop.

Standing up for better conditions for others—even when not directly impacted—is something Esther did as well. She was the queen of Persia (Esther 2:17) and had a different set of privileges than her Israelite people who’d been dispersed throughout Persia as exiles. Yet Esther took up the cause of the Israelites in Persia and risked her life for them, saying, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (4:16). She could have remained silent, for her husband, the king, didn’t know she was Jewish (2:10). But, choosing not to ignore her relatives’ pleas for help, she worked courageously to reveal an evil plot to destroy the Jews.

We may not be able to take on massive causes like Mary McDowell or Queen Esther, but may we choose to see the needs of others and use what God has provided to help them.

By:  Katara Patton

Reflect & Pray

How are you using what you possess to help others? What role can you play in providing for those who may not live near you?

Dear God, please give me the wisdom and courage to serve those in need.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Understanding Who Christ Is

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 “Walk . . . with all humility” (Ephesians 4:1-2).

We are to walk as Christ walked. Our lack of conformity to His standard ought to make us humble.

What was your most humiliating experience? Life is full of embarrassing moments, but the most truly humbling experience I ever had was preaching through the Gospel of John. For two years—eighty-eight sermons, about one hundred hours of preaching, between two and three thousand hours of study—I was constantly faced with the deity of Jesus Christ. Living with the deity of Christ day after day and comparing yourself continually to Him is one of the healthiest—and most humbling—things you can ever do.

That brings us to another step toward humility: Christ-awareness. When we compare ourselves with ourselves, we get proud. But “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6). When you can say, “I’m happy to announce that I now walk as Jesus walked,” then you’ll have a right to be proud. But no one will believe you.

Jesus was the perfect man. He was without sin. He gave all the right answers and had the perfect attitude for every situation. He knew exactly how to help everyone who needed help. Reading the Gospels, we see time after time how Christ handled everything perfectly.

Even seeing His humanness, we realize how small we are. But when we look at His deity, we feel still smaller. He created everything (Col. 1:16). He turned water into wine, calmed storms, cast out demons, healed countless people, and brought the dead to life. After His crucifixion, He rose from the dead and sat at the Father’s right hand (Eph. 1:19-20). Someday He will come back, take His people home, and finally destroy all evil.

Despite Jesus’ perfect deity and perfect humanity, He came to serve (Mark 10:45). How can we be proud if Jesus Christ humbled Himself? What righteous thing have we done that compares to His perfect life?

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray that you might know Christ better and increasingly be more like Him.

For Further Study

  • Peter got a glimpse of Jesus’ power in Luke 5:1-7. How did Peter’s sudden awareness of who Christ is affect him (v. 8)?
  • What did he do next (vv. 9-11)?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur

 

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Trust in the Power of Hope

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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

— Proverbs 13:12 (AMPC)

I define hope as “the happy anticipation of good things.” You can hope for something good to happen to you by learning how to celebrate and enjoy life.

Everything in life is a process in motion. Without movement and progression there is no life. As long as you live you are always heading somewhere, and you should enjoy yourself on the way. God created you to be a goal-oriented visionary. Without a vision you become bored and hopeless.

But there’s something about hope that makes people lighthearted and happy. Hope is a powerful spiritual force that is activated through your positive attitude. God is positive and He wants positive things to happen to you, but that probably won’t happen unless you have hope and faith.

Expect God to bring good out of every circumstance in your life. Whatever happens, trust in the Lord…and trust in the power of hope!

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for hope. Please show me how to celebrate and enjoy my life and help me to keep a positive attitude as I move forward.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – Radical Remorse

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When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” … He departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:3–5

What happened to Judas after he betrayed Jesus? “He changed his mind.” This phrase has also helpfully been translated, “He was seized with remorse” (NIV). Judas’s heart was altered, seemingly instantaneously—and with it, so was his perspective.

The Judas we see in the Garden of Gethsemane, leading a procession of armed men to arrest Jesus with boldness and barefaced animosity, is not the Judas we see here, hours later, before the chief priests and elders. His hardened heart was replaced by a spirit of regret that gripped his soul.

Consider Judas’s experience for a moment, and let it be a reminder that sin always offers false hope. The moments before we sin very often feel radically different from those that follow. It’s the same drastic change that Adam and Eve felt in the Garden of Eden following their disobedience. All they knew in the moment before eating the fruit, all they anticipated in that act of rebellion, became dust in their mouths (Genesis 3:6-8). In the same way, all that seemed so attractive to Judas in handing over Jesus to His enemies quickly became nothing to him.

When we sin, all of the bewitching, intoxicating influences—all that drew us to rebel—passes away in a moment. What glittered turns out to be fool’s gold. Only the naked fact remains: I have sinned against a holy, loving God.

With such radical remorse, we have a choice: repent and be reconciled to God, or despair and condemn ourselves. Tragically, Judas chose the latter. His guilt was so great that surely every face he saw accused him, every sound he heard pierced him, every reverberation in his soul condemned him. He attempted to alleviate his guilt by returning his payment to the chief priests—yet lifting the weight of the bag of coins off himself wasn’t enough to lift the weight from his heart. Feeling isolated and beyond reach, he died a dreadful death.

Maybe today you’re also feeling weighed down by your sin. Maybe you’ve sought to fix matters yourself, but the weight still bears down. If so, know this: Judas’s story doesn’t have to be yours. You can turn to Christ. He offers freedom and forgiveness: a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light (Matthew 11:28-30). This is what Christ died for—the redemption of sinful betrayers like Judas.

Judas’s example stands as a reminder to us next time sin beckons us. What sins are proving particularly tempting to you at the moment? Remember, how they look beforehand is not how they will feel afterward. For moments of temptation, here is help, and for moments of guilt, here is hope. God’s forgiveness stands waiting for our remorse and repentance. All you must do is turn to Him.

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 51

Topics: Easter Effects of Sin Forgiveness Repentance

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

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Jesus Made Room for Us

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

Before Jesus went to the cross, He spent an evening talking with His eleven closest followers, preparing them for what was about to happen. John 14 records part of what Jesus said that evening. A well-known part of that conversation is John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

There are two things that we need to understand about what Jesus said that night. First, the word “mansion” doesn’t mean “big house,” which is the way we use the word today. “Mansion” in John 14:2 means “room” or “place to live.” The point that Jesus was making is this: Don’t worry; there’s plenty of room for all my followers to live with the Father. I’m not going back to live there alone.

To understand the second important part, we have to remember what Jesus was about to do: He was about to go to the Father. His path to the Father was difficult: He had to die, be buried, and be raised from the dead. Then He would go up in the clouds. So when Jesus said, “I’m going to prepare a place for you,” He didn’t mean, I’m going to heaven to start a building project. He actually meant, I’m about to die. You’ll be upset, but you shouldn’t be. The reason I’m dying is to make a place for you where my Father lives.

Now why does Jesus say first, “There is plenty of room,” and then, I’m going to make a place for you?” Well, even though there is plenty of room for people like us to dwell with the Father, there would be no way that we could join Him, unless Jesus first made a place for each of us–by dying for us.

Jesus’ work is done now. When He died and was raised from the dead, He made a place for all of His disciples, for everyone in the past and the future who would ever believe in Him.

When Jesus died, He made room for us to dwell with the Father.

My Response:
» Am I one of Jesus’ followers?
» Have I said “no” to my sins and made Jesus my Master?

 

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Princess of Wales admits to editing family photo

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Kate Middleton has been in the center of a media firestorm since abdominal surgery on January 16 removed her from the public eye, leading to rampant speculation regarding the severity of her condition. A photo of her with her children posted on Sunday was intended to calm the waters, but media outlets discovered that it had been edited and removed it from their sites, which only fanned the flames. She admitted yesterday that she edited the photo personally and apologized for the confusion.

If you’re like most of us, this is a “tempest in a teapot.” You likely follow news about the Princess of Wales and her family with some degree of interest. But knowing about the royal family and knowing them personally are two very different things.

Satan does everything he can to confine our relationship with Jesus to the former. Choosing the latter is the single most important decision in all of time and eternity. It changes our lives and, through us, our world.

We are not radical enough

The transformation of America must begin with the transformation of America’s Christians. We must prove that biblical morality is relevant today by demonstrating its relevance in our personal lives. We then become our best argument for persuading others to join us. And we are empowered to share biblical truth with bold, courageous compassion as we display the “fruit of the Spirit” to the world (Galatians 5:22–23).

Consequently, you and I need to seek nothing less than a daily, intimate personal experience with the risen Christ.

Substituting a religion about Jesus for a transforming relationship with him is a deception of Satan himself. When we fall for this trap:

  • We don’t seek to know Christ more fully (Jeremiah 29:13).
  • Rather, we seek to be our own God (Genesis 3:5), in control of our own lives.
  • We are inoculated spiritually with just enough of a relationship with God to keep us from experiencing the real thing.
  • Our witness is enervated since the world sees no difference between our lives and theirs.

In this way, religion is dangerous, but not for the reasons post-Christian progressives think. It’s not that we are too radical, but that we are not radical enough:

  • We should oppose abortion, despite the accusation that we are part of a “war on women,” but we must also love women considering abortion and the children we encourage them to bring into the world.
  • We should oppose same-sex marriage, despite the claim that we are “homophobic,” but we must also model biblical marriage by rejecting pornography and adultery while loving all people as Christ loves us.
  • We should oppose euthanasia, despite the claim that we oppose “death with dignity,” but we must also care for the infirm and honor the elderly.
  • We should bemoan the divisiveness of our politicized culture, but we must also “love [our] neighbor as ourselves” (Matthew 22:39) whatever their political positions.

Why I love to talk about my grandkids

Here’s why today’s conversation is so crucial for our broken culture: when you and I experience the risen Christ in a daily, intimate, transforming way, we must tell the world. Just as Jesus “had” to pass through Samaria (John 4:4), not because this was a geographical necessity but because he was compelled by his love for Samaritans, so the Samaritan woman he led to himself had to tell her fellow villagers about him (vv. 28–30, 39–42).

She was not alone:

  • The demoniac healed by Jesus had to tell his fellow residents in the Decapolis “how much Jesus had done for him” (Mark 5:20).
  • The disciples on the road to Emmaus, when they had a transforming encounter with the risen Christ, had to tell the apostles “what had happened on the road” (Luke 24:35).
  • Early Christians, when they were “filled with the Spirit,” had to share the gospel with the Pentecost crowds (Acts 2:4–41).
  • When Peter was “filled with the Spirit,” he had to testify for Christ before the Sanhedrin at the risk of his life (Acts 4:8–12).
  • When Paul met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he had to proclaim Christ in the synagogues there (Acts 9:20).
  • When John met the risen Christ on the prison island of Patmos, he had to give the Revelation to the world.

We often see evangelism as a duty and even a chore. But in fact, when we truly experience the risen Christ, we must share him. We cannot help it—we want everyone we know to know the One whose love has changed our lives.

Jesus promised the same: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38). Like the waters of an artesian well forced by underground pressure to pour up from the ground, so our love for Jesus will flow into our words and actions as we naturally fulfill his commission to “be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

Because I love my family, I love talking about them. And, like a typical grandparent, I am always ready to convince you that my grandchildren are perfect (with pictures as evidence). Because I love them, I want you to love them.

So, here’s the question:

Do you want to share Jesus with someone today?

If not, why not?

Tuesday news to know:

Quote for the day:

“Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church, but he did say that the whole church should go to the world.” —Greg Laurie

 

Denison Forum

John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

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He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

When Jesus forgives our sin, it is a full pardon, a fresh start, and a new beginning. It is the lifting of a heavy burden and the canceling of an enormous debt.

Make no mistake though: forgiveness demands change. God’s forgiveness is filled with compassion, but it demands a change in our conduct. To forgive us without demanding a change in our conduct would make the grace of God an accomplice to evil.

When the Pharisees flung the adulterous woman at Jesus’ feet, they demanded a decision. They knew the Law of Moses called for her death by stoning. But Jesus knew what was in their hearts. After kneeling to write in the dust, He challenged: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7).

One by one, they dropped their stones and slunk away. They knew what was in their hearts too. Turning to the relieved woman, Jesus instructed, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). The point is clear. Jesus expected her to change.

Absolute grace that allows people to sin indefinitely and to still be in the favor of God is not a doctrine found in the Bible. When we confess and forsake our sins, we obtain mercy. Christ makes us new creatures, and He expects to see the change.

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. As the beloved child of God, imitate Christ. Walk in His love and forgiveness as you become more and more like Him.

Today’s Bible Reading:

Old Testament

Numbers 16:41-18:32

New Testament

Mark 16:1-20

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 55:1-23

Proverbs 11:7

 

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – When Things Get Hot

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When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 43:2

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7

One night last year, Shane McCrea, a retired Marine, was driving down a North Carolina highway when he saw a car on fire. He and another passerby ran to the burning car and saw a man inside, unconscious. They struggled to get the man out, and then gave him CPR. The man survived. One of the rescuers said he is seldom out late at night, but that evening, he said that it was God who sent him there.1

The Lord has a million ways of getting us through the fiery crashes of life. When the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fiery furnace, the Fourth Man came and walked among them.

God promises to be with us when we walk through the fire. He is with us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves: illness, divorce, financial issues, joy, loss, and so on. He promises to be with us, and He keeps the flames from harming us. Offer God a prayer of thanksgiving that we’re never alone—we can experience the presence of God even when things get hot.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
“How Firm a Foundation”

  1. Michael Hennessey, “‘God Sent Me There’: Men Reunite After Saving Unconscious Driver From High Point Car Fire,” Fox8, September 29, 2023.

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – How God Sees Us

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 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 

—Romans 8:1–2

Scripture:

Romans 8:1–2 

As Christians, we’re going to mess up. We’re going to sin. But when He died on the cross of Calvary, Jesus took upon Himself the condemnation and the judgment that we should have faced.

Romans 8:1 tells us, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). A Spirit-led believer lives a condemnation-free life.

We see a classic example of how this works in John 8 when the religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Obviously, a man was involved, but he was gone, and the religious leaders had set up a trap. They said, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (verses 4–5 NLT).

But Jesus knew exactly what they were doing. And instead of answering right away, He stooped down and wrote in the dirt. Now, we don’t know what Jesus wrote, but whatever it was, it had a profound effect. Then He stood up and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (verse 7 NLT).

The Bible tells us that one by one, they all left, from the oldest to the youngest. So Jesus said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” (verse 10 NLT).

She replied, “No, Lord.”

Then Jesus told her, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (verse 11 NLT).

This woman knew she was going to die that day. But instead, everything changed when she looked into the eyes of Jesus and looked at the others who had condemned her. And she believed on the spot. That’s how long it takes to believe in Jesus.

When we come to believe in Christ, we don’t understand everything about Him. We don’t understand all the intricacies of the theology of conversion, justification, sanctification, adoption, and so forth. But we know that we need Jesus, and we put our faith in Him. Then He says, “Go and sin no more.”

God always sees us for what we can become. Think of Simon Peter. When he was still known as Simon, Jesus gave him a new name, Peter, which means “rock.” Now, if there was anything that Simon was not, it was a rock. He was hotheaded, vacillating, and argumentative. Yet Jesus was saying, “From now on, you’re a rock.”

Maybe the other disciples were laughing at this, thinking, “Rock? Does Jesus actually know Simon?”

Yes, He did. But Jesus wasn’t calling Simon what he was; He was explaining what he would become. Where we see failure, God sees potential.

We see a Simon. God sees a Peter. We see the past. God sees the future. We see a mess. God sees a message. God sees us for who we are in Christ, not what we were in sin. God does not see us in our sin; He sees us in His Son. God can change everything in your story—if you’ll let Him.

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Glorified in the Saints

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“And they glorified God in me.” (Galatians 1:24)

It is amazing to read in the Scriptures that the God of glory can actually receive yet more glory through His people. But that is what happened in Paul. When he became a Christian, his life changed completely, and those who saw the change glorified God in Paul.

Jesus prayed that this would be so, not only in Paul but in all His followers. In the upper room before His crucifixion, He prayed: “I pray for them…which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them” (John 17:9-10).

He is glorified when we, like Paul, become His. But then He is further glorified as we grow in Him. Paul himself prayed for those whom he had seen come to Christ: “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

Finally, He shall be glorified when He comes again. “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven…he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

As we give glory to Christ in word and deed, He truly was, and is, and will be glorified in His saints. This is a privilege greater than can be measured that more than compensates for any opposition this generates from the world. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14). Therefore, “let your light so shine before men, that they may…glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). HMM

 

 

 

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