Daily Archives: January 6, 2025

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Today’s Scripture

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Matthew 2:1-11

Today’s Insights

Matthew’s gospel emphasizes gentile (non-Jewish) inclusion into God’s redemption story. His genealogy, for example, highlights three gentile women—Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth (Matthew 1:3, 5). And Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, was previously married to a gentile, Uriah the Hittite (v. 6). In Matthew 2, gentiles—the magi (who may have been members of the Persian royal court)—come to worship Jesus (vv. 1-2). By highlighting gentile inclusion in Christ’s story, Matthew leads his readers to the good news that God’s redemption is for all people and His followers are called to “make disciples of all nations” (28:19).

Today’s Devotional

Phillips Brooks wrote the lyrics to the beloved carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” after visiting Bethlehem. Brooks, pastor of a church in the United States, was so moved by his experience that he wrote this to his Sunday school students: “I remember . . . on Christmas Eve, when I was standing in the old church at Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with the splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices that I knew well, telling each other of the ‘Wonderful Night’ of the Savior’s birth.”

In 1868, Brooks put his thoughts into a poem, and his church organist set it to music. The song spoke stillness and peace into the unsettling aftermath of the American Civil War: “O little town of Bethlehem / How still we see thee lie! / . . . The hopes and fears of all the years / Are met in thee tonight.”

Matthew wrote of our Savior’s birth in Bethlehem in Matthew 2. When the “Magi from the east” (v. 1) followed the star to Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2), “they were overjoyed” to find Jesus (Matthew 2:10).

Today, as we celebrate Epiphany, we too need the glorious news of our Savior’s birth. As the hymn reminds us, He came to “cast out our sin and enter in” and “be born in us.” In Him, we find peace.

Reflect & Pray

Where in your life do you need the peace the Savior offers? What aspect of Jesus’ story touches you most?

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God’s Righteousness

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Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

Psalm 4:1 (NASB)

In today’s verse, David calls upon the Lord as “God of my righteousness.” The Bible mentions two types of righteousness. I think most people view righteousness as a quality that comes from right behavior, but a totally different kind of righteousness is available to us as believers in Jesus Christ.

God’s righteousness can be simply defined as “right standing with Him,” and it is a gift He gives to us when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a gift of His grace, which we receive through faith. We cannot do anything to earn it or make ourselves worthy of it; it has already been paid for through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.

God views us as righteous in Christ because Jesus has taken our sin and given us His righteousness. Because of this act of love and mercy, God now thinks of us as right with Him in every way. We do not have to think of ourselves as “wrong,” but we can be confident that we are in right relationship with God through Christ.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sin and to give me His righteousness.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – New Orleans attacker says dreams told him to join Islamic State

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Does religion do more harm than good?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to resign as early as this morning. A major winter storm moved across multiple states over the weekend. The Golden Globes kicked off the awards season last night. The NFL playoffs are set after the Lions defeated the Vikings. Normally, any of these stories would be my focus for today’s Daily Article. I would much rather not write on the New Orleans terrorist attack again this morning. But that’s the nature of tragedy—it consumes us long after it strikes.

“100 percent inspired by ISIS”

President Biden will visit New Orleans today to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack” that occurred there New Year’s morning. Tributes are pouring in for the victims even as US agencies worry about copycat attacks in the coming days.

Amid fears of the Islamic State’s resurgence in Syria, many are calling for the terrorist group to be dismantled before it can inspire more terrorism in the US. Meanwhile, officials are studying the “secret radicalization” of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the alleged New Orleans attacker. One stated that Jabbar was “100 percent inspired by ISIS.”

How was this former Army soldier radicalized? The Telegraph reports that Jabbar was “visited by IS in his dreams.” He apparently made a series of video recordings prior to the attack. In one, he said he had several dreams telling him to join the Islamic State.

That Jabbar would take such a drastic step on the basis of dreams should not surprise us. Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received the Qur’an from the angel Gabriel through dreams and visions. They believe that Allah continues to guide his people in this way today (Qur’an 30:23).

Jabbar’s attack in New Orleans is consistent with a radicalized corruption of Islam claiming that America is part of an attack on the Muslim world and that Muslims are therefore required to attack Americans to defend Islam. This is not the view of the vast majority of Muslims, but it does motivate the Islamic State, al Qaeda, and other jihadist groups around the world.

When I read the Telegraph story on the religious motives behind the New Orleans atrocity, I imagined many people asking, Does religion do more harm than good in the world?

My dinner with imams in Bangladesh

It’s an understandable question. The conflict in the Middle East centers primarily on religion: Jews believe God gave them their land, while Muslims see the existence of the modern state of Israel as an attack on the Muslims who lived there previously and thus on Islam. Iran’s leaders are reportedly seeking nuclear weapons in the belief that using them to attack Israel would speed the return of the Mahdi, their messiah.

The Crusades were the most horrific chapter in Christian history, leading to the death of at least a million people. Clergy abuse scandals continue to make the news. Violence against others has long been a part of Buddhist and Hindu history as well.

So, does religion cause more harm than good?

Let’s begin with the fact that there is no such reality as “religion,” only particular religions, just as there is no such reality as “medicine,” only particular medicines. If I asked you if “medicine” does more harm than good, you would see the point.

So, we’re really asking about particular religions. And, of course, different people at different times can practice a particular religion in very different ways, just as doctors prescribe different medicines in different ways. Some commit atrocities against Americans in the name of Allah, but in my travels, I have experienced wonderful hospitality from Muslim hosts in the name of Allah. I will always remember a dinner with village imams in Bangladesh that could not have been more gracious, for example.

Religion contributes $1.2 trillion to the US economy

To focus our question more specifically on Christianity: While some have done horrible things in the name of our faith, they were adamantly not representing Christians or our Lord. Jesus clearly taught us to forgive and even love and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44), an example he set on the cross (Luke 23:34). Just as the crimes of one American do not represent all Americans, so the sins of one so-called Christian do not represent all Christians.

To the contrary: Christianity has clearly and emphatically done enormous practical good in our fallen world. For example, the acclaimed historian Tom Holland notes that the Christian themes of humility and inclusivity changed the Western world by inspiring benevolence and valuing individuals over the state.

In his book Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the Credibility and Impact of Christianity, John S. Dickerson shows that followers of Jesus created the university and college systems, advanced literacy through public education, founded modern science, began the fight for women’s rights, ended open slavery, drove racial reconciliation, and fought for justice and progress in a multitude of arenas.

Christian teachings led to the establishment of the first hospitals and influenced the development of modern medicine. Many of the best-ranked hospitals in the US were founded by Christians. And more than 90 percent of universities founded in the US prior to the Civil War were created by Christian denominations. According to the World Economic Forum, religion annually contributes $1.2 trillion dollars of socio-economic value to the US economy.

“The grace that invites all men to find Christ”

Of course, the most significant contribution Christianity makes is personal: changed people change the world.

When we walk with the living Lord Jesus each day, we are transformed by his Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) as we manifest his character (Romans 8:29). Then we love as he loved (1 John 4:19) and serve those in need as he serves us (Matthew 25:35–40).

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem to worship the Christ. We often think of the wise men and their journey and gifts, but Pope St. Leo the Great (c. 400–91) encouraged us to consider the star that guided them as well:

The star beckoned the three wise men out of their distant country and led them to recognize and adore the King of heaven and earth. The obedience of the star calls us to imitate its humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that invites all men to find Christ.

Who will find Jesus because of “the obedience of the star” in your life today?

NOTE: For more on the veracity and credibility of biblical faith, see my new website article, “Surgeon General warns of link between alcohol and cancer: What do we do when science seems to contradict Scripture?”

Monday news to know:

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

Quote for the day:

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” —Helen Keller

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Holy Spirit’s Ministry: Verifying Our Relationship with Christ

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by Henry M. Morris III, D.Min.

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:17)

Since it is obvious that we are children of God by the internal ministry of the Holy Spirit to our spirit, then it follows that we are “heirs of God.” Paul states it should be equally obvious that we must be “joint-heirs” with God’s only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus (our text).

It is noteworthy that Paul recognizes that one of the sure signs of our relationship with Christ is that “we suffer with him.” Paul warned: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). That was promised by our Brother Himself when He said, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

But—and here is the great promise—we will “be also glorified together” (Romans 8:17). All our present sufferings pale in comparison to “the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). When our Lord Jesus was delivering the simple Beatitudes as He introduced His magnificent Sermon on the Mount, He ended them with the note that we would be persecuted (Matthew 5:11). However, we are to “rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:12). HMM III

 

 

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

My Utmost for His Highest

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – Worship

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He . . . pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord. —Genesis 12:8

Bethel is the symbol of communion with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abraham pitched his tent between the two, knowing that the value of his public activity for God depended on the moments of profound private communion spent with him.
The two things—private worship and public work—went together in Abraham’s life, just as they did in the life of Christ. Too many of us think that in order to worship we have to drop out of our everyday lives, to flee Ai and go deep into Bethel, that quiet fortress where nothing and no one can disturb us.
This way of thinking may be a trap. There is always time to worship, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. Rush is wrong every time. Instead of jumping around like spiritual frogs, from working to waiting to worshipping, we should strive to live as Jesus did: unhurrying and unyielding, his entire existence an act of worship.
Worship is giving God the best he has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. If you try to keep a blessing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual rot, just as the manna rotted when the Israelites hoarded it (Exodus 16). Offer it back to God as a love gift, in a deliberate act of worship, and he will make it a blessing to others.

Genesis 16-17; Matthew 5:27-48

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

Billy Graham – He Is Coming Back

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Keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when I will come. . . . Watch for my return!
—Mark 13:35, 36 (TLB)

The great Dwight L. Moody used to say, “I never preached a sermon without thinking that possibly the Lord may come before I preach another.” Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, the distinguished British clergy-man, said, “I never begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin His own. I am not looking for death. I am looking for Him.” That is the way a Christian should live his life—in the constant anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ! If we could live every day as though it may be the very last one before the final judgment, what a difference it would make here on earth! But we don’t like to think that way. We don’t like to think that our carefully made plans, our long range schemes may be interrupted by the trumpet of God. Too many people would rather say, “Oh, well, the end of the world hasn’t come yet, so why think about it—it’s probably a thousand years away.”

Read More: 5 Answers from Billy Graham on End Times

Are You Rapture Ready? A Bible Study from Anne Graham Lotz

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

Prayer for the day

Today might be the last day when Jesus returns. Cleanse me, Father.

 

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GuidePosts

Guideposts – Devotions for Women – The Strength of a Gentle Spirit

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.—Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

A “gentle answer ” can transform difficult situations into opportunities for growth and healing. By allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you through stressful interactions, you can have meaningful and impactful discussions.

Heavenly Father, help me develop a gentle spirit that reflects Your love and wisdom in my interactions with others.

 

 

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

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – No One Stays Under 

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Part 5 of 5

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

More than 1 billion people—10 times more than the most-watched Super Bowl—watched the livestream of 33 Chilean miners rescued after being trapped nearly a half mile underground for 69 days. One of the key leaders was Dr. Jean Romagnoli, who helped oversee the men’s medical needs.

Romagnoli was one of a handful of doctors whose job it was to keep the men alive. On his hard hat he wrote, “Nadie se queda abajo,” or “No one stays under.” For 52 days—from the time the men were discovered until their rescue—intense pressure and responsibility rested on the doctor’s shoulders. He sent down pre-recorded training exercises so the men could stay in shape, and even prepared iPods with personalized play lists. As each man was rescued and exited the escape capsule, the doctor asked them to sign his hard hat.

It’s hard to receive help from other men, and almost as hard to ask someone if they need help. But that’s exactly what the Father wants us to do: be open to both receiving and giving help. And the further we journey into adulthood, the busier and more complicated life tends to become—filling up the margins. Stealing our free time. Sucking us dry emotionally.

So how do we make room for having each other’s backs? Start by taking the risk to reach out. Proverbs 18:24 says, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Unlike family, a friend is someone who chooses us—and vice versa. We all need at least one friend like that. Whose name is written on your hard hat?

Father, allow your Holy Spirit to guide me to those few who will stick closer than a brother. 

 

 

 

Every Man Ministries

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Piercing the Darkness 

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Part 4 of 5

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8–9

After a drill bit pierced the roof of the chamber in which 33 Chilean miners were trapped, things rapidly kicked into high gear for rescue workers above. Nutritional supplements, food packets, and medicines were sent down in small capsules called palomas (“doves,” like carrier pigeons); letters from relatives, along with Bibles and other requested items came next.

Now that the outside world knew the miners were all alive, the challenge would be to find a suitable way to drill a big enough hole down 2,300 feet to extract each miner. To accomplish the feat, Chilean mining experts led a team that included engineers from around the world—including NASA engineers and medical experts. Three different rescue holes were drilled, and the first reached the men on October 9. October 12—69 days after the cave-in—all 33 men were rescued. One after another, each of the miners was lifted to safety via a specially constructed capsule.

If you’ve ever suffered from mental fatigue or depression, you know how suffocating it can be. It can completely deplete a person—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Hope is the “drill bit” the Holy Spirit uses to pierce through the darkness to reach the dark places of a wounded and weary soul. Though it may feel like you are alone, He is relentless in His love. 1 Corinthians 2:10 assures us that “the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

At times we may be sitting in the darkness of depression or shame and it seems like God is not there—or that He is delayed in His response. But we have the assurance from His Word that He will incline and hear our cry. Tune your ear to the drill bit. It is coming. Help and hope are on the way.

Father, help me hold on until your hope arrives.

Every Man Ministries

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck – The Advocates 

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Part 3 of 5

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1–2

Despite the fact that 33 miners at the San Jose mine cave-in had been missing for days, with no indication that they were even alive, the wives, friends, and families of “Los 33” kept 24-hour vigil near the entrance of the main access to the Chilean mine complex. Soon a tent city called Campamento Esperanza (Camp Hope) had sprung up. Prayer gatherings met frequently. The relatives organized themselves and appointed speakers to advocate on behalf of Los 33. They asked the critical questions: Why were ladders missing from emergency escape routes? Why was the mining company slow to offer updates? What exactly was being done to find the men?

The group of advocates for the miners grew and the event drew international media attention. Supporters banged pots and pans as a reminder to local and national mining officials and politicians that they would not be silenced. Soon scenes of the San Jose mine and the loved ones rallying on behalf of the trapped miners rolled across TV and phone screens on every continent. If not for this media exposure, perhaps the search effort would not have proceeded as aggressively as it did, and the men may not have been reached in time.

Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” He is our Advocate—the One who argues and defends on our behalf. And just like the miners’ families who advocated passionately on behalf of Los 33, God calls us to advocate for those who cannot do it for themselves. With Christ as our Advocate, we have the perfect model to emulate. It’s a dark, hurting world. Do dangerous good in it. Reach out. Make the call. Walk across the room. Be an advocate.

Father, help me be an advocate for those who do not have a voice in this world.

 

Every Man Ministries

News and Info

The Biden Administration Persecuted Christian Education

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Report Reveals How Ruthlessly The Biden Administration Persecuted Christian Education

 

While Americans were focused on the weaponization of federal law enforcement and the justice system, the Biden administration was also quietly but ruthlessly weaponizing the U.S. Department of Education against Christian institutions as well. Those are the findings of a shocking new report by the pro-family group American Principles Project.

The numbers are shocking but hard to deny. According to new data obtained by APP, almost 70 percent of the Biden education bureaucracy’s “enforcement actions” targeted faith-based and career schools. For perspective, those categories represent less than 10 percent of students across the country.

Two of the nation’s largest and most important Christian institutions of higher education, Liberty University and Grand Canyon University, both found themselves in the crosshairs. The universities were hit with record-breaking fines totaling more than all other fines combined: Almost $38 million for Grand Canyon and $14 million for Liberty.

Both of those institutions, along with many other smaller ones, were targeted by a relatively unknown office within the Department of Education called the “Office of Enforcement.” The three primary tactics for “dismantling its targets” described in the APP report are huge penalties, “scrutinize and fine” investigations, and cutting off federal funds.

Grand Canyon University spokesman Bob Romantic expressed hope that change was coming. Officials there “look forward to an administration that, rather than using federal agencies to harass universities to which they are ideologically opposed, will reduce bureaucracy while applying regulations fairly and equitably,” he told The Center Square.

According to the report, at least 12 Christian colleges or universities were targeted by the Biden administration with “excessive penalties.” In some cases, students at those colleges have even been prohibited from receiving student aid. Not a single Ivy League school received similar treatment, researchers at APP reported.

The disparity in fines between Christian schools and non-Christian schools was also astounding. APP researchers, citing government data, found that the average fine for a “Clery Act” violation by a Christian school was $815,000. The average fine for similar violations by non-Christian institutions was less than $229,000.

“Using its scrutinize-and-sue tactics, the Department of Education can penalize and withhold federal aid to non-traditional schools,” the report warns. “When they go under, the administration can cancel students’ loan debt, making good on its campaign promise. And, of course, students then have fewer higher education options, cornering the market for conventional universities.”

Critics are now calling for drastic action by the incoming administration. “For the last four years, Democrats have been busy weaponizing every part of the federal government to target their opponents,” argued APP Policy Director Jon Schweppe, noting that the corrupt efforts of federal agencies went far beyond the U.S. Department of Justice.

“As our report details, the Biden-Harris Department of Education has been engaged in a long-running scheme to punish Christian colleges that are ideologically opposed to the left’s agenda,” he continued. “The unfair targeting of these institutions has been egregious, and it needs to stop immediately.

“During his first term, President Donald Trump deprioritized the Enforcement Office, and his next administration should eliminate it,” argued APP Policy Director Jon Schweppe, expressing hope that newly elected leaders would “end the Democrats’ years-long campaign to control and eliminate faith-based universities once and for all.”

Last year, the Biden administration increased funding for the “Office of Enforcement” by more than 600 percent, according to researchers. It was originally created during the Obama administration before being “deprioritized” during Trump’s first term and then super-charged by the Biden administration.

Unsurprisingly, the department did not respond to multiple requests for comment from media outlets about its targeting of Christian institutions. However, as the scandal grew, the department finally released a statement claiming a “school’s religious affiliation or non-profit status has absolutely no bearing on our oversight and enforcement actions.”

The Department of Education spokesman also accused the APP report of dishonesty. “Our top priority is protecting safety and academic opportunity for all students at institutions of higher education,” the spokesman said. “The data in the APP report itself pushes a false narrative by distorting information released publicly by the Department.”

The persecution of Christian institutions by the federal government shows the danger of allowing them to become dependent on public money. While Trump and Republican lawmakers may be able to rein in some of the lawlessness over the next few years, Democrats will resume their attacks as soon as they are able. Christians must prepare.

Alex Newman is an award-winning international journalist and the Founder of Liberty Sentinel.

 

Source: Report Reveals How Ruthlessly The Biden Administration Persecuted Christian Education – Harbinger’s Daily