Daily Archives: August 28, 2024

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Worth the Wait

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Bible in a Year :

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Genesis 21:5

 

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Genesis 12:1-5

Talk about a layover. Phil Stringer waited eighteen hours to board a flight that was delayed due to thunderstorms. His patience and perseverance paid off, however. Not only did he get to fly to his destination and make it on time for important business meetings, but he was also the only traveler on the flight! All the other passengers gave up or made other arrangements. Flight attendants gave him whatever food items he desired, and Stringer adds, “I did sit in the front row, of course. Why not when you have the whole plane to yourself?” The outcome was definitely worth the wait.

Abraham also endured what must have felt like a lengthy delay. Way back when he was known as Abram, God told him that He would make him “into a great nation” and that “all peoples on earth [would] be blessed through” him (Genesis 12:2-3). Only one problem for the seventy-five-year-old man (v. 4): how could he become a great nation without an heir? His waiting was left wanting at times, however. He and wife Sarai tried to “help” God fulfill His promise with some misguided ideas (see 15:2-3; 16:1-2). And when he “was a hundred years old . . . Isaac was born to him” (21:5). His faith was later celebrated by the writer of Hebrews (11:8-12).Waiting can be hard. And, like Abraham, we might not do it perfectly. But as we pray and rest in God’s plans, may He help us persevere. In Him, it’s always worth the wait.

By:  Tom Felten

Reflect & Pray

What are you waiting for? How can you rest and persevere in God’s strength?

Dear God, please help me wait and persevere in You.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Merry Heart

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A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 (NKJV)

God is life, and every good thing He created is part of that life. We can get so caught up in doing and accomplishing, in working and earning, that if we are not careful, we will come to the end of our life and suddenly wake up and realize that we never really lived. God desires for us to enjoy life and live it to the full, till it overflows.

We have a choice in life. We can grumble our way through our troubles, or we can draw closer to God in difficult times, going through any trouble we face with a merry heart. Either way, we will all deal with troubles from time to time, so why not take the joy of the Lord as our strength and be filled with energy and vitality?

In John 15, Jesus talks about abiding in Him. In verse 11, He says, “I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.” Jesus made it possible for us to have merry hearts. With His help, no matter what you go through, you can put a smile on your face and enjoy every day of your life in Him.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I don’t want to spend my life waiting for things to change before I can become happy. Help me make the decision to be happy now and find joy in every moment, no matter the circumstances. In the name of Jesus, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Man tries to murder his wife by putting coke in her Coke

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Deriving purpose from the problems of life

Sometimes our greatest dangers are the ones we cannot see: an Indiana man has admitted that he tried to kill his wife by poisoning her Coca-Cola with cocaine and other drugs so he could marry her daughter.

Other examples:

  • A rare but deadly mosquito-borne virus is forcing a Massachusetts town to shut its parks, playgrounds, and fields from dusk to dawn. A New Hampshire man died from the disease yesterday.
  • Walmart is recalling their apple juice due to potentially harmful levels of arsenic.
  • A cyberattack disrupted service at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport over the weekend.
  • Subsea fiber-optic cables carry more than 95 percent of international data, but they are vulnerable to tampering, damage, and disruptions.

If stories like these cause you anxiety, you might consider this unusual solution: people in Lagos, Nigeria, are paying to smash electronics and furniture with a sledgehammer in a so-called “rage room.” For $5, you are given protective gear and a sledgehammer or a bat for a thirty-minute session with the items, which are later recycled.

One woman who used the room admitted it is not a cure but said, “Right now, I feel very light.”

Allow me to suggest a different approach today.

Our five crowns in heaven

God’s word reminds us, “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). David similarly prayed, “I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers” (Psalm 39:12).

How are these facts relevant to the anxiety of our day?

The Bible describes five crowns given to believers in heaven:

  1. The “crown of rejoicing” (1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 NKJV) is awarded to those who lead people to Jesus.
  2. The “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8) is given to those who “fought the good fight” of faith (v. 7).
  3. The “crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:1–4) is for Christian leaders who serve with integrity and compassion as “examples to the flock” (v. 3).
  4. The “crown of life” (James 1:12) is given to the one who “remains steadfast under trial.”
  5. The “imperishable” crown (1 Corinthians 9:24–25) is awarded to the one who “exercises self-control in all things.”

Here’s my point: Crowns are awarded in heaven for doing what benefits others on earth.

  1. Winning souls is obviously to their eternal good.
  2. Fighting the “good fight” of faith encourages others to do the same.
  3. Serving with integrity benefits those we serve and invites them to follow our example.
  4. Remaining steadfast under trial demonstrates the relevance and power of our faith to those who need to know our Lord.
  5. Exercising “self-control in all things” displays the character that honors Jesus and serves others with integrity.

As a result:

Doing what is rewarded in heaven is the best way to live with purpose on earth.

And, as psychologists note, living with purpose is significantly associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety.

“Hasten where eternal joy abideth”

In The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis warned us:

It is vanity to desire a long life, and to have little care for a good life. It is vanity to take thought only for the life which now is, and not to look forward to the things which shall be hereafter. It is vanity to love that which quickly passeth away, and not to hasten where eternal joy abideth.

By contrast, in The Strangest Secret, motivational speaker Earl Nightingale observed:

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. If a man is working towards a predetermined goal and knows where he is going, that man is a success. If he’s not doing that, he’s a failure.

What ideal could be more worthy than living for heaven on earth in a way that leads others from earth to heaven?

Walking past a historic cemetery

My wife and I enjoy walking together early in the morning. Our path takes us past a cemetery with the remains of some of the early pioneers of our area, reminding us that “you do not know what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14).

Commenting on this fact, Billy Graham observed: “Every cemetery testifies that our days on this planet are indeed numbered.”

In light of this truth, the apostle John prayed, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Can you say the same today?

Wednesday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Jesus Christ, by coming into this world, has changed the sunsets of time into the sunrises of eternity.” —Clement of Alexandria

 

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Temptation’s Threefold Nature

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)

Satan was so successful with his first temptation when he persuaded Adam and Eve to rebel against God’s Word in the Garden of Eden that he has been using the same technique ever since. By this threefold temptation, he appeals to the body, soul, and spirit. He first appeals to whatever fleshly appetites a person may have (“good for food”), then to his emotional responses (“pleasant to the eyes”), and finally to his spiritual pride (“make one wise”).

John later would call these desires “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). James identifies them as “earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:15).

Satan even brought the same three temptations to bear on Christ Himself in the wilderness: “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3). That is, “satisfy your physical hunger.” “Cast thyself down” from the pinnacle of the temple, thus enjoying the exhilarating feeling of being borne up by angels (Matthew 4:5-6). “All these things I will give thee” without your going to the cross, Satan taunted (Matthew 4:9).

Christ, however, stood the test, in each case citing an appropriate verse of Scripture to gain the victory. Now, when we are tempted, we can draw on His strength and follow His example. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12). God “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). HMM

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

My Utmost for His Highest

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – What’s the Good of Prayer?

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Lord, teach us to pray. — Luke 11:1

Prayer isn’t part of natural human life. It’s often said that those who don’t pray will suffer; I question it. What suffers is the life of Christ inside them, because the life of the Son of God is nourished not by food but by prayer.

When we are born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born inside us. Whether we starve this life or nourish it through prayer is up to us. Our ordinary views of prayer—as a way of getting blessings for ourselves from God or of having an emotional experience—are not found in the Bible. The Bible views prayer as a way of getting to know God himself.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). We grumble before God; we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Our Lord says, “Unless you change and become like little children” (18:3). What wonderful audacity a child has! The child of God goes to God with every concern and desire, ready to lay it all out before him and ask. We don’t do this unless we are at our wits’ end. Before then, we think asking is cowardly or weak. Praying in our moment of need isn’t cowardly; it’s the only way we can get in touch with the reality of God. Be yourself before God. Lay before him what you’re at your wits’ end about, the issue you know you can’t deal with yourself. As long as you are self-sufficient, you don’t need to ask him for anything.

It isn’t so much that prayer changes things as that prayer changes me, and then I change things. Prayer isn’t a question of altering external circumstances but of working wonders in our disposition. One of God’s amazing gifts is that prayer on the basis of the redemption has the power to entirely transform a person’s perspective.

Psalms 123-125; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

Wisdom from Oswald

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them. The Place of Help, 1032 L

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham

Billy Graham – Grace and Peace

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Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
—Ephesians 4:7

The Christian life is never spoken of in the Bible as a bed of roses. It is uphill, because society is coming one way and the Christian is going the opposite way. But Jesus said that in the midst of your problems, in the midst of your difficulties, He will be there to give you grace and peace. Underneath all the troubles, will be the “still waters” that the Great Shepherd can provide. Many people are trying to steady themselves by taking tranquilizers. Jesus is the greatest tranquilizer of all. He can straighten out your life and put you back on center. Let Him take full control. You’ll go on your way rejoicing, as did those in the New Testament who met Jesus.

Find peace even in the midst of your guilt.

Lea este devocional en español en es.billygraham.org.

Prayer for the day

I need Your calmness and strength, for there are many trials to face, Lord Jesus. By faith I reach out to You, and receive the gift of Your peace in my life.

 

 

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GuidePosts

Guideposts – Devotions for Women – Live a Big Life

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“Everything is possible for one who believes.”—Mark 9:23 (NIV)

Norman Vincent Peale said that your life and achievements are directly proportional to what you believe. Believe little, and you will have a little life. If your belief is weak, you will get a weak life. If your faith is fear-based, you will live a life of fear. But when you believe big, you get a great life!

Heavenly Father, help me determine my dreams, and keep me determined to pursue them.

 

 

 

https://guideposts.org/daily-devotions/devotions-for-women/devotions-for-faith-prayer-devotions-for-women/

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck – Full Disclosure

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Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” ––John 14:6-7 ESV

“Take it easy.” “Be careful who you trust.” “Don’t let them see you sweat.” Lots of phrases describe our culture’s measured approach toward blunt honesty and truth. We’re told to play our cards close to our chest, to not let others see behind the calm exterior.

While we need to be careful what we share and with whom, the default position for God’s man is on the side of full disclosure. In a world that doesn’t typically show its true face, we worship a Man who does. Jesus never held back, withheld hard details, or skirted the truth. When asked who He was, He didn’t pull punches: “The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?’ ‘I am not possessed by a demon,’ said Jesus, ‘but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death’” (John 8:48-51). It was this kind of blunt truth that made the Pharisees want to execute Jesus.

How often are we 100% honest with people? I have a good friend who leads a men’s group, and lately it’s been hard for him. He recently asked me, “Kenny, out of the 20 or so guys in the group I co-lead, three are living with their girlfriends, and a few others are sleeping with the women they’re dating. How honest should I be with these guys?” For the most part, these men are committed believers, according to my friend. I told him what I would tell you: 1) if these guys are truly following Jesus, the Holy Spirit is already convicting them about what they are doing; 2) by being honest and telling them that what they are doing is not pleasing to God, you aren’t condemning them. You are simply stating the truth of God’s Word (see 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 with a clear delineation from Paul about the importance of abstaining from sex before marriage). And 3) by loving them and not rejecting them—but instead walking alongside them—you will continue to influence them and their future decisions.

Honest doesn’t mean cruel. This is very important: We don’t wield the truth like a weapon—there’s way too much of that happening in our culture today. Paul frames it brilliantly: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). God’s men speak truth born of the wisdom gained by spending time with the Father; we frame everything we do and say by what and how Jesus used truth—to admonish, correct, and most importantly, to preach the Father’s love.

Father, help me boldly tell the truth and do so in a way that honors You. 

 

 

Every Man Ministries