Monthly Archives: October 2024

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck -On the Shoulders of Giants

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Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  ––Hebrews 12:2-3

We can’t look up at the Man on the cross and lose in our quest to throw spiritual caution and fear to the wind. In fact, the longer we look at Him up there, the more dangerous we become for the Kingdom. Imagine Jesus hanging on the cross. You are standing there. What emotions are you feeling?

We join the ranks of men who saw Him from a distance and risked, men who walked with Him up close, and men who through the centuries endangered their lives to demonstrate their love. In other words, you are not the first Christ-following man who has felt all the things you feel—lust, anger, fear, depression, hope, excitement, joy. That’s why I love to read the biographies of great Christian men who have gone before me.

A good friend of mine, KC, who works in Christian publishing, was able to work on a book with one of my heroes and his, John Wooden. KC and I are both UCLA alums and die-hard Bruin fans, and grew up watching Wooden’s UCLA basketball teams win national championships. Voted the Greatest Coach of the 21st Century by ESPN, “Coach,” or the Wizard of Westwood as many called him (a term, by the way, that he disliked), Wooden epitomized the attributes of a man who followed Christ and whose impact is still felt in all the men who played, coached, or studied under him.

KC told me that when you’d walk into Coach’s condominium in Encino, California, a bookshelf stood right before you in the foyer. On it were dozens of books about the life of Abraham Lincoln, one of Wooden’s heroes. Lincoln, a hero’s hero and one of the greatest Americans, was a big influence on Wooden when he formed his famous “Pyramid of Success.” In fact, This great teaching tool includes many of Lincoln’s attributes and character traits, as well as traits from the Word of God.

Like Coach, we study the good men who came before us, and ultimately, all those men—like us—look to our Master Model, Jesus Christ. If you are to bet at all, study the Man who risked it all.

Keep your eyes on Jesus who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it.  Because He never lost sight of where He was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way; the cross, shame, whatever. Now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside the Father.  When we find ourselves flagging in our faith, go over the story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into our souls! Faith in this historical fact will bring us through.

Father, You have not held back on the gifts You have given me to do the things that will bless You, me and others. Thank You!

 

 

Every Man Ministries

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – God’s Provision

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Bible in a Year :

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.”

Exodus 16:15

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Exodus 16:11-19

The world was amazed when four siblings ages one to thirteen were found alive in Colombia’s Amazon jungle in June 2023. The siblings had survived forty days in the jungle after a plane crash, which killed their mother. The children, who were familiar with the jungle’s harsh terrain, hid from wild animals in tree trunks, collected water from streams and rain in bottles, and ate food such as cassava flour from the wreckage. They also knew which wild fruits and seeds were safe to eat.

God sustained the siblings.

Their incredible story reminds me of how God miraculously sustained the Israelites in the desert for forty years, which is recorded in the books of Exodus and Numbers and mentioned throughout the Bible. He preserved their lives so that they would know He was their God.

God turned bitter spring water into drinkable water, provided water from a rock twice, and guided His people in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He also provided manna for them. “Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: Everyone is to gather as much as they need’ ” (Exodus 16:15-16).

The same God provides us with “our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). We can trust Him to provide for our needs “according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). What a mighty God we serve!

By:  Nancy Gavilanes

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced God’s provision? What are you currently trusting Him for?

Dear God, thank You for providing for my every need.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Face the Truth

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Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]….

Ephesians 4:15 (AMPC)

You and I live in a world filled with people who are living false lives, wearing masks of pretense, and hiding things they don’t want others to know. That is wrong. But the reason it happens is that people have not been taught to walk in truth. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us; He is the Spirit of Truth, and He speaks the truth to us.

Sometimes Satan deceives us, but at other times we deceive ourselves. In other words, we fabricate lives we are comfortable with instead of facing life as it really is and dealing with issues with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit speaks to me and confronts me with issues in my life frequently, and He has also taught me to be a confronter, not a coward. Cowards hide from the truth; they are afraid of it. You don’t have to be afraid of the truth. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would lead them into truth, but He also told them they were not ready to hear certain things (see John 16:12), so He did not reveal those things at that time. The Holy Spirit will always speak truth to you, but He won’t speak certain truths to you until He knows you are ready to hear them.

If you are brave enough to welcome the Spirit of Truth into every area of your life and let Him speak to you about issues in your life, you are in for an unforgettable journey of freedom and power.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me to walk in Your truth and be guided solely by Your Spirit. Help me confront the areas in my life that need Your healing touch, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – The brightest supermoon of the year, a new comet, and solar storms

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Embracing four often-overlooked biblical principles

Last night’s Hunter Moon was the brightest supermoon we’ll see all year. It comes at the same time a comet discovered only last year is visible after sunset. Meanwhile, strong storms on our Sun may temporarily disrupt power and communications on our planet and spacecraft in orbit.

From above us to below us: Scientists have discovered animals beneath the ocean floor. Since only 26.1 percent of the global seafloor has been mapped, who knows what else lies down there?

For those with eyes to see and minds to think, every dimension of our universe demonstrates our Creator’s magnificence and humanity’s finitude. Consider a few examples:

  • Around ten billion trillion people could fit inside the Earth.
  • Around 1,300,000 Earths could fit inside the Sun. (Our planet is about the size of an average sunspot.)
  • Our Sun is just one of two hundred billion trillion stars in the observable universe.
  • End to end, the blood vessels in your body would stretch more than twice the distance around the world.
  • One trillion atoms could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.

I could go on. And our God made all of that.

As we’re exploring the significance and urgency of biblical truth this week, consider this amazing fact: The omnipotent Creator of the universe wrote a book. And just as amazing: He wants us to be empowered and transformed by its truth.

What does this mean in practical terms? Consider four often-overlooked, interrelated principles.

The word leads to the Word

When I taught biblical interpretation as a seminary professor, I emphasized the “Christocentric” principle: The word of God ultimately exists to lead us to the Son of God. For example, John wrote his Gospel “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

If we read, teach, and preach the Bible as an end rather than as a means, we frustrate the Spirit’s purpose behind its inspiration, illumination, and application today. St. Ignatius, the second-century bishop of Antioch, wrote a letter in which he warned: “Be deaf when anyone preaches to you without mentioning Jesus Christ. … Flee from these preachers, these wicked offshoots that bear deadly fruit, one taste of which is fatal.”

If you do not experience Christ whenever you read the Bible, you have not fully read the Bible.

What happens to us must happen through us

For a variety of reasons, I believe the Bible to be the true, trustworthy, and authoritative word, as I explain here. But there’s a caveat: You and I must act biblically for the Bible to fulfill its transforming purpose in our lives.

The fifth-century Gallic monk Vincent of Lérins compared our spiritual growth to our physical growth: as our bodies mature, they are still our bodies. If they become something else, “the whole body would necessarily perish or become grotesque or at least be enfeebled.”

In the same way, he urged, “We should reap true doctrine from the growth of true teaching.” When we do, this doctrine changes our lives and our world.

The Bible is unique among the world’s books in that its intended purpose is only fully accomplished in us if it is accomplished through us. The person who hears God’s word “and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25).

Will you be blessed in your “doing” today?

Breathe out to breathe in

A vital way to obey God’s word is by leading others to obey God’s word.

St. Gregory the Great, who served as pope from 590 to his death in 604, lamented that “compelled by the urgency of these barbarous times,” he and other Christian leaders “accept the duties of office, but by our actions, we show that we are attentive to other things.” For example, “Those who have been entrusted to us abandon God, and we are silent. They fall into sin, and we do not extend a hand of rebuke.”

Gregory then asks, “How can we who neglect ourselves be able to correct someone else? We are wrapped up in worldly concerns, and the more we devote ourselves to external things, the more insensitive we become in spirit.”

Obedience to Scripture requires us to help others obey Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17). We must breathe out to breathe in.

Light a candle that “shall never be put out”

In unbiblical times, biblical fidelity is dangerous (cf. John 15:20). In our post-Christian and even anti-Christian culture, we can measure the depth of our obedience to Scripture by its cost in our personal and public lives.

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the martyrdoms of Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer. The Church of England bishops were burned at the stake in 1555 for refusing to renounce their commitment to the absolute authority of the Bible.

A third Protestant leader, Thomas Cranmer, recanted his faith, only to disavow his recantation and reaffirm his belief in the supremacy of Scripture. When he went to his death in 1556, he first held the hand with which he signed his false recantations into the flame until it was consumed.

I will always remember my first visit to the Martyrs’ Memorial at Oxford University, where its three statues depict Ridley, Latimer, and Cranmer near the place of their deaths. Here I recalled Bishop Latimer’s last words:

“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

When last did it cost you something significant to “light such a candle”?

What price will you pay to light another today?

Thursday news to know:

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

Quote for the day:

“Many people do not want absolutes in doctrine and ethics, simply because absolute truths and standards demand absolute acceptance and obedience.” —John MacArthur

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Amen

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D. “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

 

“Amen” is a most remarkable word. It is transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament and then into Latin, English, and many other languages so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best-known word in human speech.

 

The word is directly related—in fact, almost identical—to the Hebrew word for “believe” (aman), or “faithful.” Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence. When one believes God, he indicates his faith by an “amen.” When God makes a promise, the believer’s response is “amen”—“so it will be!” In the New Testament it is often translated “verily” or “truly.” When we pray according to His Word and His will, we know God will answer, so we close with an “amen,” and so also do we conclude a great hymn or anthem of praise and faith.

 

The word is even a title of Christ Himself. The last of His letters to the seven churches begins with a remarkable salutation by the glorified Lord: “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14). We can be preeminently certain that His Word is always faithful and true because He is none other than the Creator of all things, and thus He is our eternal “Amen.”

 

As our text reminds us, every promise of God in Christ is “yea and amen,” as strong an affirmation of truth as can be expressed in the Greek language.

 

It is, therefore, profoundly meaningful that the entire Bible closes with an “amen.” “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21), assuring everyone who reads these words that the whole book is absolutely true and trustworthy. Amen! HMM

 

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

My Utmost for His Highest

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – Greater Works

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They will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. — John 14:12

Prayer doesn’t prepare us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work. We think of prayer as a commonsense exercise of our higher powers, as something that gets us ready to do God’s work. In the teaching of Jesus Christ, prayer is the miracle of the redemption at work in me—a miracle which, by the power of God, produces the miracle of the redemption in others: “I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16). It’s true that my prayer produces lasting fruit, but I must remember that it is prayer based on the agony of the redemption, not on my agony.

Prayer doesn’t prepare us for battle; prayer is the battle. It doesn’t matter where we are nor how God has engineered our circumstances; our duty is to pray. Never allow the thought, “I’m of no use where I am.” You certainly can be of no use where you’re not. Wherever God has dumped you down, pray to him—pray all the time. Most of us won’t pray unless it gives us a thrill, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We have to work according to God’s direction; and he says, simply, pray.

“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38 kjv). There’s nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the conceptions of the genius possible. In the same way, the laboring disciple makes the conceptions of the Master possible. You may not see the fruits of your prayer immediately, but from God’s viewpoint there are results all the time. What an astonishment it will be to find, when the veil is lifted, how many souls have been reaped by you simply because you were in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 50-52; 1 Thessalonians 5

Wisdom from Oswald

No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him.  So Send I You, 1301 L

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham

Billy Graham – Searching for Peace?

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Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee …
—Isaiah 26:3

Are you searching for peace? Are you longing for it? You thought you would find it if you made a lot of money, but you didn’t find it. You thought you would find it in getting and accumulating a lot of knowledge, so you got all the degrees you could, but you didn’t find it, this peace.

You’ve searched the religions of the world, but you haven’t found it. There are a thousand ways you’ve turned, trying to find peace, but you haven’t found it. When you come to Christ by an act of faith, He gives you the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit of the Spirit and gives you the peace that passes all understanding.

Experience the peace you are longing for. Make a decision for Christ today.

Listen to this testimony about finding peace through Jesus.

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

Prayer for the day

Your presence fills my mind with peace, Lord, bringing into perspective all that I need—You, my heavenly Father.

 

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GuidePosts

Guideposts – Devotions for Women – Sing a New Song

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Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.—Psalm 96:1 (NIV)

Worship is a clear way to joy. Actively open your heart and voice your willingness to be transformed by His love and grace. Sing a new song and rejoice and renew your commitment to follow Him.

Thank You, Father, for the privilege of singing a new song to You. May Your Holy Spirit fill me with joy and peace, and may my worship please You.

 

 

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

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck -Yield and Wield

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Search me, God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.  ––Psalm 139:23-24

 

God’s man has an infinite power to wield. But to do it, he needs to yield. God knows it when he sees it.  So does Satan practically.

This means dealing with the footholds—or strongholds—in our lives, those areas of behavior or character where permission or power is given to Satan to traffic in darkness. Willingly eliminating footholds is synonymous with increased Holy Spirit power over evil.

Announce your opposition to evil in prayer and accept the power within you to overcome strongholds. Ask God to show you areas of your life where you do not like or want His authority.  Ask Him, where is there tension over Your control in my life? Where am I unwilling to go? What process am I resisting?

Make no mistake: The battle is in the mind—in your thought life. Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthian believers:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  ––2 Corinthians 10:5

In that one sentence, Paul uses four words that have to do with the mind: arguments, pretensions, knowledge, and thought. This is the key battleground; this is where Satan aligns his forces to attack.

To counter the enemy’s strategies, write down on paper what comes to mind — affirming God’s presence and His blessings in your life — asking Him if there is anyone you are harboring bitterness or resentment toward — releasing that person from the harm you are feeling — disciplining your mind by ordering it according to God’s Word –– committing it to aggressive management and loving God with your thought life — declaring war against any habitual sin by inspecting it with the light of His Word — owning it and amputating it from your life.

Footholds can be small, but when left unaddressed they can grow. All the behaviors above reflect a change of mind, an awareness of reality and truth, and a response consistent with your identity in Christ, more to the point; these are fighting behaviors that send a strong and clear message that you possess a new commitment to being under God’s authority to be a better steward of his authority. The high ground in the fight against evil is authority.

Father, Your Holy Spirit prompts me to live a life of integrity of living out my belief.

 

 

 

Every Man Ministries

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – The Speed of Joy

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Bible in a Year :

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

John 15:11

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

John 15:9-11

Go at the speed of joy. The phrase dropped into my mind as I prayerfully considered the year ahead one morning, and it seemed apt. I had a propensity to overwork, which often sapped my joy. So, following this guidance, I committed to working at an enjoyable pace in the coming year, making space for friends and joyful activities.

This plan worked . . . until March! Then I partnered with a university to oversee the trial of a course I’d been developing. With students to enroll and teaching to deliver, I was soon working long hours to keep up. How could I go at the speed of joy now?

Jesus promises joy to those who believe in Him, telling us it comes through remaining in His love (John 15:9) and prayerfully bringing our needs to Him (16:24). “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete,” he says (15:11). This joy comes as a gift through His Spirit, who we’re to keep in step with (Galatians 5:22-25). I found I could only maintain joy during my busy period when I spent time each night in restful, trusting prayer.

Since joy is so important, it makes sense to prioritize it in our schedules. But since life is never completely under our control, I’m glad another source of joy—the Spirit—is available to us. For me, going at the speed of joy now means going at the speed of prayer—making time to receive from the Joy-Giver.

By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

What saps your joy? How will you rest in the Joy-Giver today?

Holy Spirit, please fill me afresh today with Your love, peace, and joy.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – What Are You Full Of?

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[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

Ephesians 3:19 (AMPC)

Today’s scripture challenges us to “become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.” This is my goal, and I pray it is yours, too. But I have found that I must decrease so He can increase (John 3:30). Too often I am full of myself, working hard to get what I want. We may blame every kind of problem on the devil, but self is our biggest problem. God’s Word teaches us to die to self, and this is not a quick or easy process.

If we will forget about ourselves and what we want and live for God and His will, He will give us more than we could ever get for ourselves. I urge you to pray regularly about decreasing while God increases. Pray to be full of God’s thoughts, His will, His attitudes, and His desires, and be empty of yourself.

This doesn’t mean you never want anything for yourself, but instead of trying to get it for yourself, ask God for it. Psalm 37:4 says to delight ourselves in God, and He will give us the desires of our heart.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please help me to decrease, so that You might increase in my life. I definitely need more of You. Fill me with thoughts that are pleasing to You, as well as the desire to do Your will, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Star Wars unveils its first transgender stormtrooper

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Why this issue is foundational to our cultural future

In what Reuters is calling “a highly unusual development,” the US is sending an advanced anti-missile system to Israel along with American troops to operate it. Meanwhile, a man arrested near a Donald Trump rally is facing gun charges. The county sheriff said, “If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt.” Why, then, am I taking time to discuss the first transgender Star Wars stormtrooper?

The character, named Sister, appears in the new book, Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers. Some applauded the move, while others were grieved, myself among them. This is not only a religious liberty and election issue; as John Stonestreet noted yesterday, fourteen thousand children have been “forever harmed” by transgender surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormone injections.

But the story points to an even more fundamental disconnect that threatens our cultural future.

We have fought wars in the past and will likely fight them again in the future. But if we cannot agree on what constitutes an ally and an enemy, how can we defend the former from the latter?

Similarly, if we cannot agree on foundational social constructs such as gender and marriage, how can a participatory democracy that depends on consensual morality flourish?

No law and no science?

Yesterday I stated my belief that the Bible is objectively true and should be the stack pole against which we measure human beliefs and opinions. For example, Scripture teaches that life begins at conception (cf. Psalm 139:13–16) and marriage is intended for one man and one woman (cf. Genesis 2:20–25), which is why I am pro-life and for biblical marriage.

However, I can hear someone saying, “That’s just your interpretation of the Bible.” How would I respond?

Let’s begin with some analogies.

The American legal system stands on the belief that our laws can be objectively interpreted. If someone being prosecuted for a crime can successfully argue that the charges are “just the prosecutor’s interpretation of the law,” there can be no law.

Scientists similarly utilize the scientific method to guide their investigations. When they publish findings, if critics can successfully argue that these results are “just the researcher’s interpretation of the data,” there can be no science.

Of course, human subjectivity and error enter the equation. This is why we have courts to weigh legal opinions and judge according to accepted jurisprudence. It is why we have peer review of scientific research. And both legal and scientific positions can change as more information comes to light.

But in neither case do we believe that the enterprise itself is subjective and thus untrustworthy. The same mindset should prevail with regard to biblical study.

When it doesn’t, we should ask whether the skeptic is working on the basis of objective reasoning or rejecting truth claims they don’t happen to appreciate personally. For example, every religious leader I know who changed their stance on the Bible to become an LGBTQ advocate had a personal agenda at work—they either identified as LGBTQ themselves, had family members who were, or had other personal issues related to their new stance.

A seminary course in four steps

How, then, can we interpret the Bible objectively and without bias?

What follows is my brief condensation of content I taught in semester-long seminary courses and published in book-length form. My point is not to be exhaustive but illustrative: it is possible—and, in fact, necessary—to interpret and apply Scripture objectively.

Biblical hermeneutics (the art and science of biblical interpretation and application) follows a four-step method:

  • Grammatical: What do the words say? What do word and grammar studies tell us about the author’s intended meaning?
  • Historical: What is the larger context of the text? What cultural, political, religious, and environmental factors help us identify the intended meaning?
  • Theological: What does the text intend to tell us about God, humanity, and other theological subjects?
  • Practical: What practical applications does the author intend us to make today?

Again, interpreters can obviously differ in applying this method, which is why biblical hermeneutics is such a rich and exciting scholarly discipline. But they agree that the method is itself objective and that, used properly, yields objective results.

“The very image of Christ”

Let’s close with one other factor: God intends for us to understand his word. To this end, the same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21) now interprets their truth to us (John 16:13) as we study God’s word objectively and carefully (2 Timothy 2:15).

When we do so, we meet God in his living word. Unlike any other book ever written, the word of God leads us to the God of the word (John 1:1). We do not just learn truth—we experience the One who is the Truth (John 14:6).

In the preface to his monumentally important edition of the Greek New Testament (1516), the great scholar Erasmus wrote:

These sacred words give you the very image of Christ speaking, healing, dying, rising again and make him so present, that were he before your eyes you would not more truly see him.

When last did you “see” Jesus in the Bible?

Why not today?

Tuesday news to know:

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

Quote for the day:

“When you open your Bible, God opens his mouth.” —Mark Batterson

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Out of the Ivory Palaces

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.” (Psalm 45:8)

Psalm 45 is one of the Messianic psalms, quoted as such in Hebrews 1:8-9. The section so quoted (vv. 6-7), which immediately precedes our text, begins with one Person of the Godhead addressing the Messiah also as “God,” whose throne is eternal. Then, He says, “Oh God,…thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” The “oil of gladness” was the holy oil used for the anointing of priests and kings and was compounded of a mixture of spices that included myrrh and cassia (Exodus 30:22-25). Since the Messiah had been anointed to be “above his fellows” (first as High Priest, then as King of kings), “all his garments” would bear the sweet aroma of the holy ointment.

At the birth of Christ, His garments were “swaddling clothes,” and the gifts of the wise men included a supply of myrrh and frankincense (Luke 2:7; Matthew 2:11). At His death, they gave Him to drink “wine mingled with myrrh [and]…parted his garments” (Mark 15:23-24). Then once again His body was wrapped in linen clothes and anointed with myrrh and aloes (John 19:39-40) for His burial.

The psalmist sees Christ (i.e., “Messiah,” both Greek and Hebrew titles meaning “the Anointed One”) emerging triumphantly from the “ivory palaces.” These mansions with their ivory walls and pearly gates are of shimmering white beauty in the distant heavenly city that will someday descend to Earth (Revelation 21:2, 10-21).

The Lord descended once from these ivory palaces to take on human flesh in Mary’s womb, thence to a burial in Joseph’s tomb. But someday He will again come forth, anointed as eternal King, and then “shall the people praise thee for ever and ever” (Psalm 45:17). HMM

 

 

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

My Utmost for His Highest

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – The Key to the Master’s Orders

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Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. — Matthew 9:38kjv

The key to the problems that arise in missionary work lies in God’s hand, not humanity’s. The key isn’t hard work or common sense. It isn’t education or medical aid. It isn’t even evangelizing. The key is prayer.

“Pray ye therefore . . .” We are challenged by the difference between our human view of prayer and the Lord’s. From our point of view, prayer is completely impractical and absurd. From our Lord’s point of view, prayer is the only thing that makes sense. We say, “It’s ridiculous to think that God is going to change things in answer to prayer!” This is exactly what Jesus Christ says God will do.

“. . . into his harvest.” Jesus Christ owns the harvest that is produced by distress and by conviction of sin. This is the harvest we must pray that laborers will be sent to reap. This harvest isn’t located in a particular place; it isn’t directed at certain people. There are no nations or tribes in Jesus Christ’s outlook, only the world. How many of us have learned to pray without respect to persons, only with respect to a person, Jesus Christ? Too often we lose sight of Jesus Christ, becoming distracted by our own agendas. People all around us are ripe to harvest, and we don’t even notice; we just go on wasting our Lord’s time in over-energized activities. Suppose a crisis of faith comes in your father’s life, in your sister’s life: Are you there as a laborer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? Or do you say, “I have special work to do! I don’t have time to deal with my brother.” No Christian has special work to do. Christians are called to be Jesus Christ’s own, disciples who don’t dictate to their master. Our Lord doesn’t call us to special work; he calls us to himself. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,” and he will engineer your circumstances and send you out.

Isaiah 47-49; 1 Thessalonians 4

Wisdom from Oswald

Re-state to yourself what you believe, then do away with as much of it as possible, and get back to the bedrock of the Cross of Christ. My Utmost for His Highest, November 25, 848 R

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham

Billy Graham – Loneliness

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My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
—Psalm 84:2

Loneliness is one of the greatest problems people face today. It is a leading cause of suicide-that is now the third greatest killer of students in the United States. People feel various kinds of loneliness. One of the most common is the loneliness of solitude. Or there is the loneliness of suffering. Many people experience loneliness in society, or there is the loneliness of sorrow, guilt, and judgment.

All of us feel at times a loneliness for God. Someone has called it cosmic loneliness. We don’t know what it is. It makes us restless. You see, man was made for God; and without God, he is lonely. But Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart, saying, “I want to come in. Let me in.” He doesn’t push His way through that door. We have to open it and invite Him in; when we do, He comes in to live forever and we are never lonely again.

Listen to this Billy Graham message about how to cure loneliness forever.

Read more about loneliness.

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

Prayer for the day

Lord Jesus, I remember the agony of my days without You. Lead me to the lonely people who need to experience the joy of Your companionship, too.

 

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GuidePosts

Guideposts – Devotions for Women – Trust His Plan

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Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire.—Job 6:8 (NIV)

Often when we experience deep suffering, we question why God allowed the situation to happen. If we can’t change the circumstances, we want God to intervene and relieve us of pain. We hope that God will hear us and fulfill our desire, yet ultimately, no matter the outcome, we must trust His divine plan.

Lord, when I am filled with doubt and despair, fill my heart with Your peace.

 

 

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

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck -Close to Home 

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Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.

For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

––Psalm 116:7-9

Few words sum up large chunks of the Bible’s key themes as much as the word deliverance. God delivers Abraham from one land to another. He delivers Joseph from the pit, Noah from the flood, Moses from the Egyptians, Jacob from his enemies, David from Saul. Ultimately, it all culminates as Jesus delivers us from our greatest adversary, Satan, and into eternal life with Him.

When Jesus came and was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. From Jesus’ arrival onward, the Holy Spirit was not just a some-time visitor to His people, but a permanent resident in the lives of all believers in Jesus. In fact, our bodies are literally the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Deliverance is another one of those words that you don’t hear much these days. And in church circles, when you say “deliverance,” most folks think about freedom from oppression or deliverance from toxic habits or demonic strongholds. And all those things are biblical.

But what I’m talking about has to do with the day-in and day-out process of being and growing as God’s man. And as we’ve learned, the primary fight for “delivering us from evil” is not our own. The fight for our deliverance is the work of the Holy Spirit.

That initial and ongoing spiritual work of deliverance of God in our lives, like Israel’s literal deliverance, is the shaping encounter for how we relate to God. More specifically, it forms the basis of the Spirit-formed, Spirit-filled, and Spirit-used life. Of little consequence to God is the nature of your personal deliverances. Of massive importance to God, however, is your perception of these experiences with Him that set you free: how that deliverance shapes your own identity in Him and how the Holy Spirit seeks to use a delivered and filled man in the lives of others. As we’ll see, when God goes to great lengths to deliver His people from any Egypt, He desires that they translate their deliverances into meaningful service for Him.

God’s pioneering pastor was Moses. He had to spiritually recalibrate his troops early and often.  In fact, when he needed to light a fire underneath the feet of God’s children, he had a tried and true formula to motivate, remind, and teach them about their purpose on earth. When a man uses the metaphor of circumcision to get his point across, he’s not playing nickel poker. That tone means business, and Moses certainly got the men squirming uncomfortably and paying attention. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore and do not be stiff-necked any longer” (Deuteronomy 10:16).

What motivates you to live a life of purpose and meaning? As you have been delivered, so allow God to use you in His plan to deliver others.

Father, Your deliverance of me from the pit has been powerful—use me in the precious days I have left on this earth to help others do the same.

 

 

Every Man Ministries

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – A Disciplined Life in God

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Bible in a Year :

I discipline my body and keep it under control.

1 Corinthians 9:27 esv

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

It was June 2016 during the official celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s ninetieth birthday. From her carriage, the monarch waved to the crowds, passing in front of long lines of red-coated soldiers standing at perfect, unflinching attention. It was a warm day in England, and the guards were dressed in their traditional dark wool pants, wool jackets buttoned to the chin, and massive bear-fur hats. As the soldiers stood in rigid rows under the sun, one guard began to faint. Remarkably, he maintained his strict control and simply fell forward, his body remaining straight as a board as he planted his face in the sandy gravel. There he lay—somehow still at attention.

It took years of practice and discipline for this guard to learn such self-control, to hold his body in place even as he was falling unconscious. The apostle Paul describes such training: “I discipline my body and keep it under control,” he wrote (1 Corinthians 9:27 esv). Paul recognized that “everyone who competes . . . goes into strict training” (v. 25).

While God’s grace (not our efforts) undergirds all we do, our spiritual life deserves rigorous discipline. As God helps us discipline our mind, heart, and body, we learn to keep our attention fixed on Him, even amid trials or distractions.

By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

Where is it most difficult for you to discipline your heart, mind, or body? How do you sense God inviting you into deeper discipline?

Dear God, please teach me how to be more disciplined for You. I want to grow my love for You and keep my heart close to You.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Power of Words

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Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

Proverbs 18:21 (AMPC)

According to the Bible, the power of life and death is in the tongue, and we often have to eat our words.

I wonder how many times in our lives we say, “I’m afraid…” “I’m afraid I’ll get that flu that is going around.” “I’m afraid my kids will get in trouble.” “I’m afraid it’s going to snow, and I’m afraid to drive in it, if it does.” “With the way prices are going up, I’m afraid I won’t have enough money.” “I’m afraid if I don’t go to that party, people will think badly of me.” “I’m afraid we won’t get a good seat at the theater.” “I’m afraid someone will break into my house while I’m out of town.” If we heard a recording of every time in our life we have said “I’m afraid,” we would probably be amazed that our lives are going as well as they are.

If we really understood the power of words, I think we would change the way we talk. Our talk should be confident and bold, not fearful. Fearful talk not only affects us in an adverse way, but it affects those around us.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, show me the ways I need to change how I talk. Help me to break the bad habits I’ve adopted and the negative words I repeat over and over, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – What is going on at CBS?

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Contemporary journalism and the quest for truth

The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) was founded nearly a hundred years ago. It is sometimes called the Tiffany Network, alluding to its high programming quality during the tenure of its founding. Now people across the political spectrum are asking, What is going on at CBS?

First came allegations that 60 Minutes edited its interview with Vice President Kamala Harris to favor her. Many called on the network to release a full transcript of the interview; former staffers demanded an independent investigation.

Then came the network’s rebuke of morning anchor Tony Dokoupil after he challenged author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ anti-Israel characterizations and lack of historical context during their discussion of Coates’ one-sided new book on Palestine.

The Washington Post spoke for many in calling the interview good journalism. The chair of CBS’s parent company later admitted that CBS leadership made a “bad mistake” in upbraiding Dokoupil as it did. Gayle King has also been criticized for reportedly giving Coates her questions in advance of her part of their interview.

CBS is also under fire for telling its staff not to refer to Jerusalem as a part of Israel due to its “disputed status.”

Truth or “truthiness”?

We all want to believe that our work matters, that we are leaving a legacy by what we do. Those of us whose work is words especially wonder if we are making a difference.

To this end, many believe that their words can make the world what they believe it should be.

Why?

Our culture has jettisoned its belief in objective truth for what Stephen Colbert calls “truthiness,” defined as “the belief in what you feel to be true rather than what the facts will support.” As a result, some journalists believe that their value no longer lies in reporting the news but in changing society.

Those on one side of the partisan divide think they are saving Palestinians from Israeli “colonizers” and democracy from those who would destroy it. Those on the other side think they are protecting democracy from “wokeism” and socialism. Both are speaking “their truth” unfettered by objective accountability.

There was a day when words could not be published without going through editorial review. For example, when I wrote a book on radical Islam some years ago, I worked with an editor who had served in the US Army. He corrected several of my statements regarding military hardware even though I was quoting other sources. His expertise made my words more accurate than they would have been otherwise.

Now social media gives everyone’s words unfiltered, unedited access to the world. And the line between objective reporting and opinion journalism has been blurred if not obliterated.

Seeking truth beyond our “horizon”

Our secularized culture can reject objective truth, but this makes truth no less objective. To claim “there is no such thing as absolute truth” is to make an absolute truth claim. The person who denies the sunrise does not harm the sun.

At the same time, we all experience what Hans-Georg Gadamer called the “fusion of horizons”—when we view a sunrise, listen to music, or otherwise interact with the world, we interpret it from our unique perspective. We bring it into ourselves and ourselves into it.

We can therefore either abandon our quest for objective truth, as many do, or seek an authority we can objectively trust.

Such an authority must obviously come from outside our personal “horizon” and be superior to our finite, fallen minds. The good news is that we have such an authority available to us today:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).

God’s word reveals God’s superior, omniscient mind (Isaiah 55:8–9). As such, “the law of the Lᴏʀᴅ is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lᴏʀᴅ is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). We can therefore know that “every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5).

“A flash of light comes”

Our decision is whether to trust God’s revealed truth or “our truth.”

The latter leads into confusion and spiritual darkness: “If anyone … does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing” (1 Timothy 6:3–4). The former leads to spiritual enlightenment: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Accordingly, Oswald Chambers observed:

All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open by philosophy or thinking. Immediately you obey, a flash of light comes. … Obey God in the thing he shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up.

Then he adds:

“God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you already know.”

Will you obey “what you already know” today?

Monday news to know:

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

Quote for the day:

“Truth is the agreement of our ideas with the ideas of God.” —Jonathan Edwards

 

Denison Forum