Days of Praise – Beware of False Teachers

 

by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (2 Peter 3:17)

Peter’s final epistle, especially chapters 2 and 3, is the classic New Testament passage on the false teachers that would plague the church in the “last days” (v. 3). In addition to the characteristics listed in the introductory verse, 2:1 (e.g., slipping in surreptitiously heretical teachings and denying the redemptive work and lordship of Christ), a number of their attributes are predicted for our guidance.

They will “wrest the scriptures” (3:16), distorting their meaning to conform to their own philosophical preferences. This involves using “feigned words” (2:3)—that is, plastic words, with devious meanings to make them say what their users wish to convey. They may well be very eloquent and seductive in their speech “when they speak great swelling words of vanity” (2:18).

They will deny the doctrine of special creation and the judgment of the worldwide Flood (3:5-6), teaching instead that “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (v. 4), and will scoff at the second coming. They “despise government” and are “presumptuous” and “selfwilled…not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2:10).

They both practice and defend immoral acts, “having eyes full of adultery” (v. 14). Yet they maintain their religious ties because they have hearts “exercised with covetous practices” (v. 14), seeing nothing evil in taking money for personal gain from those whose faith they seek to undermine.

This is, indeed, a fitting description of many modern liberal theologians, religious bureaucrats in the big denominations, “New Age” preachers, college teachers of religion, etc. Although this is not a pleasant subject, Christians urgently need to awaken to what is happening and “beware”! HMM

 

 

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

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – The Disciple’s Goal

 

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” — Luke 18:31

In our natural life, our ambitions change as we grow and mature. In our Christian life, the goal is given to us at the beginning: we start with Christ and we end with him; the beginning and the end are the same. Disciples live this out in their willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads. We think the aim of the Christian life is to be useful or to win converts. The disciple is useful and does win converts, but this isn’t the aim. The aim is to do the will of God by following Jesus when he says, “We are going up to Jerusalem.”

In our Lord’s life, Jerusalem was the place where he reached the climax of his Father’s will upon the cross. Unless we go with Jesus to Jerusalem, we will have no companionship with him. Nothing ever discouraged our Lord on his way to Jerusalem. He didn’t hurry through the villages where he was persecuted or linger in the villages where he was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned him away from his purpose: to go up to Jerusalem.

“The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40 kjv). If Jesus Christ is our master, then the same things that happened to him as he went to his Jerusalem will happen to us as we go to ours. Works of God will be manifested through us; people will be blessed. One or two of these people will show gratitude; the rest will show ingratitude. No matter what, we must let nothing deflect us from going up to our Jerusalem.

“They crucified him there” (23:33). The cross is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that happening is the gateway to our salvation. Those who follow Jesus Christ do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace, they end in glory. In the meantime, our watchword is “I, too, go up to Jerusalem.”

Song of Solomon 1-3; Galatians 2

Wisdom from Oswald

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham – How to Handle Temptation

 

. . . who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able . . .
—1 Corinthians 10:13

It is Satan’s purpose to steal the seed of truth from your heart by sending distracting thoughts. It should encourage you to know that the devil considers you a good enough Christian to use as a target.

The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is: though they both may have good and evil thoughts, Christ gives His followers strength to select the right rather than the wrong. You see a man going to prayer meeting with a Bible under his arm. That man was undoubtedly tempted to stay at home, go bowling, or to some other activity. But, as these diverse thoughts came to his mind, he made the right selection, and headed for the church.

Another man walks through the night to a bar. It no doubt occurred to him that he had best stay home with his family. But he yielded to the negative thought, and gave in to his lower appetites.

It is not the temptations you have, but the decision you make about them that counts.

The time is now for obedience, not excuses. Read more.

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

Prayer for the day

Decisions will have to be made each day, Lord. With Your strength and wisdom, help me to make the right ones.

 

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Guideposts – Devotions for Women – Fill Your Life with Light

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?—Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

When God is your source of strength, you do not need to fear anything. Fill your mind with His power and positive thoughts. Drive out fear and push through dark thoughts, knowing that with His help, you have the power to overcome.

Dear Lord, You are my stronghold—of whom shall I be afraid?

 

 

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

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck – The End Game 

 

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ––Matthew 28:18-20

God has made it clear; He has an End Game.

Let’s look at the sequence of events in getting to the end game. First the revelation through the Old Testament that man is incapable of keeping the law. God contrasts the Law versus Grace, Old and New. The Father’s wisdom reveals our need for contrast. There is no understanding of light unless we experience darkness. There is no understanding of yes, unless we understand no.

The greatness of the New Covenant of grace is not apparent unless contrasted by the Old Covenant. When a non-believer is approached regarding being saved, many times the answer is, “Am I saved from what?”

I hope I’ve made my point.

Now let’s look at His End Game in His purpose for creating our existence. He is love personified. He has provided an environment where love can work its wonder. The workings of love, however, can only be manifested through humanity given a choice. For example I cannot love my wife unless there is a process of selection which can only happen through choice. He has given everyone who is reading this a choice. God’s love is experienced by either acceptance through faith of His love or walking away from it. That’s it. Two choices. Two kingdoms. One dark, one light.

The evidence of your choice is sharing it with others. Thus Matthew 28:19 which says, in essence: Share the Good News! The End Plan revealed. Joy to the world, the Lord has come into my life!

Father, may Your love for me be radiated to others by “a cup of cold water in Your name.”

 

 

Every Man Ministries

Bias through the years: a long list of media infractions

For decades, most of the media has put forth tremendous effort to destroy people they don’t like, and to protect people they support. Evidence has been irrelevant.

During the debate, the ABC moderators spent their time seeking to undermine President Trump (even though he told the truth) and protect Kamala Harris, no matter how much she lied.

On Thursday night, they repeated an unverified story from CNN about what the black Republican candidate for governor of NC supposedly said online, back around 2008.

Of course this unverified story will be repeated far and wide by all the media outlets campaigning for Harris; this is standard procedure. If the NYT, WaPo, ABC, CBS, CNN, or any one of the other Democrat networks run a story, the others will act as mockingbirds, no matter how often previous stories have been untrue.

For over thirty years, the media and other Democrats have set out to destroy Clarence Thomas for the crime of being a black conservative.

In 2004, Dan Rather set out to destroy George W. Bush with unverifiable documents about his time in the National Guard as the media supported Kerry for president. Now, the media likes Bush, as long as he doesn’t support Trump.

In 2008, the NYT endorsed McCain over Romney in the Republican primary, and after they disposed of Romney, they ran a hit piece on McCain about a supposed affair with a lobbyist years earlier with no evidence. Later in life, the media loved McCain as long as he was trashing Trump.

Meanwhile, the media was spending a lot of time protecting Obama from the scrutiny of the public eye, hiding his relationships with terrorist Bill Ayers, radical Reverend Wright, political fixer Tony Rezko, and antisemite Louis Farrakhan.

In 2012, the media set out to destroy Romney, including spreading the story, without evidence, that he didn’t pay taxes for ten years. Now they love Romney as long as he is trashing Trump.

In 2012, the media didn’t care about how much Obama had lied about Obamacare, his IRS targeting political opponents, the people left to die in Benghazi after another lie about a video, his ATF’s Fast and Furious gun-running operation, and the time he told Russia he would be flexible after he was reelected. To this day, most of the media pretends that the massively corrupt and incompetent Obama-Biden years were corruption-free and great.

And starting in 2016, the media, FBI, CIA, and other Democrats have colluded to destroy Trump with continuous lies and investigations; the most obvious ones being Russian collusion and the “insurrection” on January 6.

The media also ran pictures of kids in cages during the Obama-Biden years, but said they were Trump’s doing. To this day, they spread the lie about Trump and Charlottesville to gin up racial hate and division—ABC had Tim Walz on last night, who repeated the lie with zero media correction.

Of course the media never cared about the corruption or lawbreaking of Hillary. All the evidence suggests that her family got rich selling access, she mishandled classified documents, and obstructed justice. They also never care about all the women that Hillary and Bill mentally and physically abused and sought to destroy. The media still treats Hillary like she is an honest person.

The media, FBI, CIA, and other Democrats have also known about the Biden family corruption for years, yet continually buried (and still do) the story. When the NY Post came out with a well-sourced story regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop, they blacklisted it as they campaigned for Biden.

It is not only politicians the media sets out to destroy, they will go after anyone who threatens their agenda.

In 2014, a white cop shot a black, teenage criminal who went after his gun, and the media, along with others, started the “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” narrative. The lie was meant to gin up racial hate against white cops, and it destroyed that cop and his family. How many cops have been killed or injured because of that intentional lie?

In 2014, white Duke lacrosse players were falsely accused of raping a black woman, and the media set out to destroy them because it fit a progressive narrative.

In 2014, without evidence, Rolling Stone ran a false story about fraternity boys and rape. The story was repeated far and wide. No evidence was necessary.

When Judge Kavanaugh was nominated for the Supreme Court, the WaPo and other media outlets, along with other Democrats, set out to destroy him. They came out with a story, without evidence, of something he supposedly did to a girl decades earlier. No one cared about evidence or the truth.

CNN, Wapo, and others sought to destroy white Christian boys for the crime of being Trump supporters. They were falsely accused of being racists. The media didn’t care who they harmed with their stories—the target was Trump!

CNN also ran a story to destroy a man seeking to save people in Afghanistan. Again, it was a false story. CNN couldn’t care less about how disastrous the Biden-Harris withdrawal was but they set out to destroy someone who cared:

CNN Could Be Forced to Pay Upwards of $1 Billion from Defamation Suit from Tapper Show

The case hinged on CNN’s use of the phrases ‘black market’ and ‘exploited’ to describe [Zachary] Young’s legitimate business helping corporately sponsored Afghans escape the country as it collapsed around them and the Taliban retook control. Young’s clients included Audible and Bloomberg News – one of CNN’s industry peers, and he saved 24 people.

Freedman said CNN essentially ‘branded [Young] a human trafficker’ and a ‘war profiteer’ and broadcasted it to millions of households.

Jake Tapper, the host whose show the allegedly defamatory story ran on (The Lead), also made a point to note that people seeking escape were given ‘no guarantee of safety or success.’ Yet, at no point could CNN prove that what Young was doing was a scam. In fact, their editors admitted in messages that couldn’t find evidence of it.

The media, FBI, Biden, Harris, and others also sought to destroy border guards with the false story that they were whipping Haitians. Evidence didn’t matter.

Then they pretend to care about Iran, China, and Russia interfering in our elections with misinformation.

Most of the media are just puppets for Democrats. They are the ones who are intentionally trying to destroy America, not Trump.

 

Bias through the years: a long list of media infractions

 

Source: Bias through the years: a long list of media infractions – American Thinker

Our Daily Bread – Finding Wise Joy

 

Bible in a Year :

You will fill me with joy in your presence.

Psalm 16:11

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Psalm 16

The pandemic was winning. That’s how it looked to Jason Persoff, an emergency room doctor at a large hospital committed to saving patients with Covid. How could he give his best? During off hours, he relaxed by taking enlarged photos of something small—individual snowflakes. It “sounds crazy,” says Dr. Persoff. But finding joy in something small but beautiful is “an opportunity to bond with my Creator and also to see the world in a way that few people take the time to notice.”

Wisely looking for such joy—to ease stress and build resilience—is a high value in the medical profession, the doctor said. But for everyone, he has this advice: “You’ve got to breathe. You have got to find a way to take a breath and enjoy life.”

David the psalmist expressed this thought in Psalm 16 as he declared the wisdom of finding joy in God. “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup,” he wrote. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure” (vv. 5, 9).

There are many unwise things people do as they try to decompress. Dr. Persoff found the wise path—one that pointed him to the Creator, who offers us the joy of His presence. “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (v. 11). In Him, we find joy evermore.

By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

How does finding wise joy bless your life? As you read Psalm 16, how can it inspire you to name the ways you find joy in God?

In my life’s journey, O God, please bless me to wisely find joy that starts with You.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer – God’s Choices

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV)

God delights in choosing and using people that the world would ignore and call useless. He does it so nobody can take the glory or the credit for what He does. Those who think they are intelligent and strong are often put in their place when they witness God using someone they would have rejected and assumed was incapable of doing anything noteworthy.

If you have been slighted by the world, don’t discount yourself from being used by God. His strength is made perfect in your weakness!

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to trust and believe that You can and will work through me, and that I can do great things for Your glory. I am so grateful that You use what the world sees as worthless, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum – Israel bombs Lebanon the day after walkie-talkies explode

Israel bombed Lebanon’s Hezbollah targets and a weapons storage facility in southern Lebanon this morning. Yesterday, the terrorist group was hit by a second wave of exploding devices as walkie-talkies blew up in homes, cars, and operatives’ hands across Lebanon. The explosions came a day after thousands of pagers carried by Hezbollah members blew up at roughly the same time, killing twelve and injuring more than 2,800 people.

Reports indicate that Israel intended to explode these devices just before a full-scale war but chose to proceed due to concerns that Hezbollah might have discovered their plan. The use of exploding personal devices is apparently intended to show Hezbollah leaders that they are personally vulnerable in a war with the Jewish nation.

Such intent frames my point today.

Why “we must hang together”

Reading the news through the lens of personal relevance is an understandable way to filter the cataract of content that would otherwise overwhelm us daily. For instance, you and I would obviously care more about the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah if we lived in Lebanon or northern Israel.

Consider Instagram’s new Teen Accounts safety feature, California’s new laws protecting actors against unauthorized use of AI, political developments in Canada, new deep-sea footage of the doomed Titan submersible wreckage, and a new study revealing changes in the human brain throughout pregnancy—such stories impact us to the degree to which they affect us personally.

There was a day when American culture focused more on the collective than the individual. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin reportedly quipped, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” As Yuval Levin reminds us, the first words of the US Constitution are: “We the People of the United States . . .”

In those days, colonial Americans needed each other if their infant nation was to win its war for independence against the mightiest military power the world had ever seen. Participatory governance and an agrarian economy also required the engagement of all thirteen colonies. That’s why our Constitution created three co-equal branches of governance with foundational checks and balances to ensure the participation and representation of all citizens, a fact Levin demonstrates powerfully in his new book American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again.

But our collectivism ran even deeper than these pragmatic necessities.

How’s this working for us?

The prevailing moral worldview in Europe at the time was deontological, a rules-based ethical framework especially promoted by the philosopher Immanuel Kant. “Duty for duty’s sake” was his maxim. If you knew the right thing to do, it was only right to attempt to do it.

It was conventional wisdom for many—and especially for America’s founders—that such duties are most fully expressed in biblical morality. This is why so many of them insisted that religion and morality are “indispensable supports” of democracy (to quote George Washington’s famed Farewell Address).

That was then—this is now. Some signposts along the way:

  • Darwinian evolution persuaded many that the Bible is more myth than science.
  • Freud popularized the notion that faith in God is a neurotic attempt to control the external world.
  • Wilhelm Reich claimed that humans should be free to express themselves sexually however they wish.
  • Herbert Marcuse argued that speech must be censored if it contradicts society’s new norms.

The result is a culture that has jettisoned objective truth and biblical morality for a “post-truth” subjectivism that embraces sexual and personal “freedom” at all costs. Anyone who disagrees is considered dangerous to society.

We have therefore replaced deontological morality (based on objective rules) with teleological ethics (the desired ends justify the means). In this world, your society exists to enable your personal desires and happiness, however you define them.

In light of our escalating suicide rate and ongoing epidemic of loneliness, depression, and anxiety, we might ask: How’s this working for us?

“Sir, we would see Jesus”

You and I were made for the One who made us. This is why embracing and sharing biblical truth is so vital to our souls and our society. It is why, on the pulpit of every church I pastored, I inscribed the words,

“Sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21 KJV).

And it is why Denison Ministries exists—to give God’s word to the world by speaking biblical truth to the vital issues of our day. It is also why your financial support on North Texas Giving Day and across the year is so vital—so we can offer biblical truth free of charge.

God is blessing our work because he always blesses his word (Isaiah 55:10–11). Last year, our biblical content was read, heard, or seen more than ninety-two million times. We are excited about new ways of reaching even more people in the months and years to come.

In his personal journal, UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–61) noted:

God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason.

Will this Source illumine your life today?

NOTE: Today is North Texas Giving Day — the most important day of the year for Denison Forum. This is our BIGGEST opportunity to make a lasting impact, and we need your help to seize it. By giving today, you’ll support the creation of biblically grounded, civil content that inspires, informs, and transforms lives for Christ. Great news as well: We’ve just received an additional $25,000 Matching Grant! That means your gift will be DOUBLED. So don’t wait. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact to guide more Christians through these challenging times with a steady, nonpartisan voice.

Thursday news to know:

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

Quote for the day:

“Christ is the key which unlocks the golden doors into the temple of divine truth.” —A. W. Pink

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise – Then, Oh Then

 

by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2)

The hymn “Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him” was written in the more formal early 1800s, yet it has an almost whimsical approach to its clever rhymes and cadence. A delight to sing, one might at first think it somewhat trivial, but a more careful look finds many rich insights into doctrinal truth. The final verse reflects the promise that one day “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Then we shall be where we would be,
Then we shall be what we should be;
Things which are not now, nor could be,
Soon shall be our own.

We can scarcely imagine the joys in store for us in glory. The apostle Paul had similar difficulty, yet he prayed that we might “be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

As we anticipate what is to come, we can rest in the certain knowledge that all is secure, for He has promised this. Ephesians concludes with this benediction: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). JDM

 

 

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

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – Do You Continue to Go with Jesus?

 

You are those who have stood by me in my trials. — Luke 22:28

It’s true that Jesus Christ is with us in our trials, but are we with him in his? “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66). Many of us stop going with Jesus the moment we have our first spiritual experience. We are so amazed by what our Lord has done for us that our experience of it becomes our focus, and though we continue to wear his badge, we take our sights off him. The trials of Jesus continued throughout his earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. At certain times, it’s easy to stand by Jesus. But watch out when God shifts your circumstances. Are you standing by Jesus when the world turns against him, or are you siding with the world, the flesh, and the devil? Are you going with Jesus in the life you are living now?

We have the idea that we should shield ourselves from some of the things God brings around us. Never! God engineers our circumstances, and whatever they may be, we have to face them while abiding with him in his trials. His trials do not test our human nature; they test the life of the Son of God inside us. Remember that the honor of Jesus Christ is at stake in your life. Are you remaining loyal to the Son of God when his life in you is under attack?

Do you continue to go with Jesus? The way lies through Gethsemane, through the city gate, outside the camp. The way lies alone. It continues until there is no trace of a footstep left, only the voice: “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19).

Ecclesiastes 1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Wisdom from Oswald

The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God. Not Knowing Whither, 903 R

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham – Change Yourself, Change the World

 

Every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
—Romans 14:12

I do not quarrel with Karl Marx’s statement that “religion is the opiate of the people.” I never try to defend religion. Religion has spawned wars. Many so-called religious people have been characterized by prejudice, pride, bickering, and even tolerance for slavery. However, I would call you to a simple faith in Jesus, who said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Are you really concerned? Are you disappointed with society? If you are, I challenge you to take the first step. I challenge you to look at yourself.

Watch: Billy Graham preaches on change.

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

Prayer for the day

Forgive me, for so often failing to love my neighbor. May my life speak to others of Your love and compassion, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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Guideposts – Devotions for Women – Filled with His Glory

 

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.—2 Chronicles 7:1–2 (NIV)

The glory of the Lord is so magnificent that it is impossible to comprehend. Set aside a few minutes every day to think about Him. Focus your mind on Him and His glory. This practice will make you spiritually receptive and help deepen your prayer life.

Lord God Almighty, I commit my soul to Your care. Fill me with Your glory.

 

 

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

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck -The Ethnically Unacceptable 

 

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ––Galatians 3:28

 

Samaritans were perceived as an ethnic malfunction in the days of Jesus––a blight which reminded the Jews of a season in their history they would rather forget. Samaritans were the product of interracial bloodlines formed during the forced exile in Babylon; a racial amalgam despised by the ethnically pure.

Jews, especially the spiritual ones, wanting to get to Galilee from Judea would cross over to the east side of the Jordan, and walk around Samaria to avoid being tainted by the bad blood. (Sounds familiar, right? Segregated bathrooms, hotels, water fountains, etc., in our nation’s past.) This custom reinforced the racism and preserved standards of ceremonial cleanliness.

So when we see Jesus intentionally planning to go through Samaria, we see the God man with matches in His hand, intending to light a fuse that will explode the cultural boundaries of His day.

Look at the reaction of the Samaritan woman at His request for water:

 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) ––John 4:8-9

She’s obviously uncomfortable. “Don’t you see the roadside bomb you are about ready to step on?” Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter: I’m not your average Jew. The “gift of God” He talks about is nothing less than the grace and acceptance of God through Christ. She’s trying to create separation and He is trying to create connection.

Then the disciples return, find these two engaged in conversation, and are caught off guard by the cultural and gender boundary infraction. They are thinking, What in the Sam Hill is He doing? They are more concerned about how they will be perceived than what He is trying to teach them and her. Isn’t that the same problem we are faced with today?

Don’t let the world’s restrictions and prejudices restrain you from following Jesus’ call to lead the “ethnically unacceptable” to His living water.

Father, I also struggle with my cultural barriers—open my eyes to Your perspective.

 

 

Every Man Ministries

Our Daily Bread – God’s Patient Love

 

Bible in a Year :

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

Isaiah 42:3

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Isaiah 42:1-7

When I give our beautiful, fluffy Norwegian Forest cat, Mystique, belly rubs and play with her, or when she falls asleep on my lap in the evening, it’s sometimes hard to believe that she’s the same cat we met years ago. Mystique used to live on the streets, underweight and fearful of everyone. But that gradually changed as I started putting out food for her each day. One day she finally let me pet her, and the rest is history.

Mystique’s transformation is a reminder of the healing that can come with patience and love. It reminds me of God’s heart as described in Isaiah 42. There, we’re told of a coming servant filled with His Spirit (v. 1), who would tirelessly and “in faithfulness” work to establish God’s “justice on earth” (vv. 3-4).

But that servant—Jesus (Matthew 12:18-20)—wouldn’t bring God’s justice through violence or pursuit of power. Instead, He’d be quiet and gentle (Isaiah 42:2), tenderly and patiently caring for those discarded by others—those “bruised” and wounded (v. 3).

God never gives up on His children. He has all the time in the world to care for our wounded hearts, until they finally begin to heal. Through His gentle, patient love we gradually learn to love and trust once more.

By:  Monica La Rose

Reflect & Pray

How have you seen transformation through patient love? How can you grow in experiencing and sharing God’s love?

Dear God, thank You for never giving up on me and for patiently loving and caring for my wounded heart. Please help me love others with that same patient love.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer – The Truth Will Set You Free

 

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:32 (NIV)

The words of today’s scripture are so important because of the way they apply to emotional health and stability. A person with a history of out-of-balance emotional behavior may act the way they do because they’ve not faced the truth about certain issues in their lives, perhaps even long-standing problems rooted in their childhood. They’re not free but are still captive to the negative things that happened to them. Until they confront the painful issues from their past, they won’t begin to heal and move into emotional wholeness and freedom. Confrontation isn’t easy, but it’s easier than remaining in bondage all your life.

My father sexually abused me. I thought moving away from him would solve the problem. But several years passed before I realized that the abuse was still affecting my personality and the ways I dealt with everyone and everything in my life. I carried heavy burdens of fear, shame, and anxiety. My journey of healing began when I was willing to confront the pain inside me and to deal with the problems it was causing in my life.

I eventually learned that hurting people hurt people, and I was able to forgive my father. I realized that what happened to me didn’t have to define who I was. My past could not control my future unless I allowed it to. I needed a great work of healing in my soul, and as I faced the truth about what had happened to me, God brought healing, wholeness, and freedom to my life. He will do the same for you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, show me the truth about the situations that cause me pain and problems. Help me face it, so I can be set free.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum – Federal Reserve expected to announce interest rate cuts today 

 

Research shows that we react more strongly to negative than to positive information, which explains why there’s more bad news than good news in the news. Let’s test this theory. Note your visceral response to these stories:

  • The Fed is expected to cut interest rates today.
  • New technology can produce drinking water from seawater using solar power.
  • Rescuers freed an eleven-year-old boy who was trapped between two boulders for more than nine hours.
  • China freed an American pastor after nearly twenty years in prison.
  • Research shows that people like us more than we think.

By contrast, what’s your emotional response to these stories?

  • AI pioneers are calling for protections against “catastrophic risks.”
  • A recent report warns that the US is facing the “most serious and most challenging” threats since 1945, including the real risk of “near-term major war.”
  • Infections that are resistant to medications could kill nearly forty million people in the coming years.
  • Mosquito-borne diseases are surging in Europe.
  • High parental stress is now an urgent public health issue.
  • Nearly two in five Americans are at peak stress levels for the year.

Our “fight or flight” instincts may attune us to threats in the news, but new research shows that being “hopeful and forward-looking” is especially effective in combating stress and anxiety.

Philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin observed: “The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope.” Similarly, the present belongs to those who give the present generation the same.

How can we be people of hope in a hurting world?

Bridging the “moral empathy gap”

In a fascinating recent experiment, researchers from Stanford and the University of Toronto studied ways we try to persuade others to change their minds. They found that the vast majority of us employ arguments evoking values we favor rather than those favored by the people we seek to influence.

For example, political liberals typically argue for same-sex marriage by pointing to fairness and equality rather than appealing to conservative values such as loyalty and unity. The vast majority of conservatives make the same mistake, appealing to their values while ignoring or denigrating those of their opponents. A better approach is to speak to the values that matter most to those we seek to persuade, thus bridging the “moral empathy gap.”

Here’s the good news: Our Lord faces no such gap in dealing with us. He understands us better than anyone else can. In fact, he understands us better than we understand ourselves:

  • “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).
  • “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lᴏʀᴅ, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139:4).
  • “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:20).

This is not only because our Lord is fully omniscient, but also because his Spirit lives in every believer (1 Corinthians 3:16), feeling all that we feel and knowing all that we know. As a result, he can empathize with us as no one else can.

When you are feeling pain or stress, know that your Father is feeling it as well. Tell him what is burdening your heart and mind. You might consider using the “psalms of lament” (cf. Psalms 6103842–43, and 130) to make their words your own.

Trust the empathy of God and you will experience its life-giving hope for yourself.

Why “love cures people”

One of the best ways to experience the hope of Christ is to share that hope with others. The famed psychologist Karl Menninger observed:

“Love cures people, both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.”

Here again, the good news is that God can do through us what we cannot do by ourselves.

If Jesus is your Lord, he is living in you today. As Oswald Chambers noted, “By regeneration the Son of God is formed in us, and in our physical life he has the same setting that he had on earth.” You are literally part of the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27) as Jesus continues his earthly ministry through you.

Consequently, if we yield our minds and hearts to the Spirit each day (Ephesians 5:18), he will give us God’s mind and heart for those we seek to influence. We will sense insights that are not our own and hear ourselves say words we did not plan to say. We will be led to meet needs we did not know existed and to love with God’s unconditional grace.

Some of us will serve as foreign missionaries. Others will serve as “secret missionaries” in places where Christians are not wanted or welcome. And all of us will serve as cultural missionaries who meet felt needs to meet spiritual needs, earning the right to demonstrate God’s empathy in our compassion.

But note: Our ministry is only transforming if we share the transforming message of the gospel. Otherwise, we meet the needs of the moment while neglecting the needs of eternal souls. Paul asked, “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14).

In a world of bad news, we have the best news of all. But good news is only good if it is news.

With whom will you share it today?

Wednesday news to know:

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

Quote for the day:

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” —John Bunyan

 

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise – The Joy That Is Promised

 

by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5)

The fourth verse of the hymn “Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him” reminds us of our responsibility to be faithful to our calling. At our new birth we were fully granted eternal life, a standing we have now. Yet we must strive to prove our love by obedience and holiness and maintain the sweet relationship with God.

Keep us, Lord, O, keep us cleaving
To Thyself and still believing,
Till the hour of our receiving
Promised joys with Thee.

While He doesn’t need our help in accomplishing His will, we are granted the privilege of serving Him. And we must never come to the place of unbelief. Doubts sometimes come, placed there by the Tempter, but they should drive us to further study, deeper growth, and the eventual resolution of doubt. Doubt must never be allowed to fester into disbelief.

There will come the day when our belief is complete, as faith passes into sight. Unknowable joy will be ours, He promises: “God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:3-5). JDM

 

 

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

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – His Temptation and Ours

 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way . . . yet he did not sin. — Hebrews 4:15

Until we are born again, the only temptation we understand is the kind mentioned in the book of James: “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (1:14). After we are born again and become Jesus’s brothers and sisters, we are lifted into a different realm, where we begin to face the kinds of temptation our Lord faced during his human lifetime. Before our spiritual rebirth, our Lord’s temptations and ours moved in different spheres. His were the temptations of God-as-man, while ours were merely the temptations of man.

Once the Son of God was formed inside us through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit began to detect certain of Satan’s temptations—temptations which we, on our own, could never recognize. Satan doesn’t tempt believers to sin; he tries to lure us away from what has been put into us by our spiritual rebirth, in the hopes that we’ll no longer be of value to God. He tempts us to change our point of view, so that we’ll no longer see things from Christ’s perspective. Only the Spirit of God can detect this as a temptation of the devil.

What happens in temptation is that an outside power comes to test the things we hold dear within us, the things that define our personality. This explains the way in which our Lord was tempted. Within his person, he held the fact that he was to be the king of humankind and the savior of the world, and these are precisely what Satan came to test him on. Jesus went through the temptation and “did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15), emerging from the battle with his personality intact. If we will commit ourselves to him, his Spirit will take us through every temptation in the same way, and we will emerge from the battle victorious.

Proverbs 30-31; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Wisdom from Oswald

Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.Biblical Psychology, 199 R

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham – Infinite Desires

 

For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
—Hebrews 13:14

One of the basic desires of the soul is to live on and on. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. People may grow tired of aches and pains and the decrepitude of old age, but they do not grow tired of life itself. God has arranged to satisfy this yearning of the soul to live forever, and the desire to be free from pain and sickness and trouble. People are little creatures with big capacities, finite beings with infinite desires, deserving nothing but demanding all. God made people with this huge capacity and desire in order that He might come in and completely satisfy that desire. God made the human heart so big that only He can fill it. He made it demand so much that only He can supply that demand … Jesus Christ is the only one who holds the keys of death. In His death and resurrection He took the sting out of death, and now God offers eternal life to every person who puts his trust and faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Have you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ? Begin today.

Life in Christ brings the only real freedom, Billy Graham shares.

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

Prayer for the day

Lord Jesus, when I come to the end of this earthly life, You will be there to guide me to my heavenly home. Thank You, my loving Father.

 

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