Daily Archives: September 26, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Great Reunions: Reunited in Heaven

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Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

Recommended Reading: John 14:1-4

We often experience the sorrow of separation—a child leaving for college, friends or family moving to another city, children getting married and leaving home. In each of these cases our sorrow is tempered by the fact that we know we will likely be reunited with them.

At Thessalonica some of the Christians were concerned about fellow believers who had died prior to the return of Christ. Paul wrote to them to assure them that they would be reunited with their deceased loved ones. At what we refer to as the Rapture of the Church, Christ will raise deceased believers from the grave, followed by those who are alive. “And thus we shall always be with the Lord”—deceased and living believers reunited in heaven.

Take comfort in Paul’s words if you long to be reunited with deceased friends or family who died in Christ. A great reunion is coming which will last for eternity.

The church is the only society in the world that never loses any of its members, even by death.
John Blanchard

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Gifts Repurposed by God

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Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. Exodus 4:2 nlt

Today’s Scripture

Exodus 4:1-5, 10-11

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

Captain Tim Mullane diligently worked at sinking the SS United States—a massive ocean liner. In fact, he was paid to send it down to the depths. Mullane repurposes ships from sailing the seven seas to serving as instant artificial reefs on the ocean floor. Sunken vessels provide attractive destinations for scuba divers and help protect coastlines as they curb the erosion of beaches. While no longer riding ocean waves, the ships continue to provide value lying far beneath them.

Moses’ shepherd’s staff was repurposed for something that would prove to be invaluable for the Israelites. God asked him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “A shepherd’s staff” (Exodus 4:2 nlt). Moses cared for sheep for forty years (Acts 7:29-30), but his staff would now be used to shepherd his people out of Egypt. The staff was a symbol of God’s working through Moses, and as he “[performed] the signs with it” (Exodus 4:17), God’s power was revealed. As Moses stretched out his “staff toward the sky” God rained hail on Egypt (9:23) and later allowed the Israelites to pass through “the sea on dry ground” (14:16).

God repurposed Moses’ staff and role to accomplish His purposes. He’ll often use our gifts and talents in fresh ways too. How might He be using your “staff” in a new way during this season of life?

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be hard to let go of roles and responsibilities? 
How might God be using your gifts and talents in new ways?

Loving God, please help me see how You’re using my gifts and talents in fresh ways.

Today’s Insights

Exodus 4 records how God repurposed Moses’ staff (vv. 1-5) to accomplish His purpose. The gospel of John describes how a boy’s meager meal was repurposed. A great crowd of people had followed Jesus and were hungry. Christ asked His disciples, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (6:5). A boy had a boy-sized lunch, barely enough to satisfy a boy-sized appetite. But when the seemingly insignificant was surrendered to God (v. 9), hungry people were fed (vv. 10-13), and God received the glory (v. 14). Today, we can ask God to use us to accomplish His purposes.

For further study, read: The Confidence to Grow

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Three-quarters of Americans are not conservative or liberal

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If you’ve ever stared at your ballot on election day and come away thinking, “None of these people represent me,” you’re not alone. It turns out that more than three-quarters of Americans do not fit neatly under either the conservative or the liberal label. As a recent study from Searchlight found, “Only 14 percent of the electorate can be classified as completely ideologically conservative and 10 percent as ideologically liberal.”

They’re quick to add, “This doesn’t mean the rest of the electorate doesn’t care about the issues. Quite the opposite. It’s just that the vast majority of voters hold a heterodox collection of beliefs that range across the ideological spectrum.”

Most of those who run for office, though, fit far more neatly into one of those two ideological poles. And the same is often true for the most vocal parts of their base. As a result, it’s easy for the national discussion to paint a much more homogeneous picture of the nation than reality represents.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Three-quarters of Americans are not conservative or liberal →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – The Brevity of Life

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 Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. 

—Psalm 90:12

Scripture:

Psalm 90:12 

When you’ve had an encounter with death—a near-death experience of your own or the sudden passing of a loved one—it inevitably leads to a few essential questions: “What is life all about, anyway? Why am I alive, and what am I really living for?”

In other words, what gets you out of bed in the morning? What gets your blood pumping? Is it an alarm clock or a calling that gets you up each day? Every one of us needs some motivating passion, some ideal, something that gives our lives purpose and drives us on.

Unfortunately, many people don’t know what they’re living for. They’re merely marking time instead of making the most of their lives. Their favorite day of the week is “someday”: “Someday my ship will come in. Someday my prince (or princess) will come. Someday it’s all going to get better. Someday my life will change.”

But while they’re simply enduring the present and waiting for something better to happen, there’s something they don’t plan on: death. They don’t expect it to rear its head until they or their loved ones are quite old. They file it under “Worries to Think About in Fifty or Sixty Years.” And for some of them, that may be the case. But eventually death knocks at every door. The Bible says that each of us has an appointment with death: “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 NIV).

So, as we wrap up this week of talking about facing the future, I want to point out that our appointment with death may come much sooner than we expect. Statisticians tell us that 2 people die every second, 120 die every minute, and 7,000 people die every hour. This means that every day, on average, 174,000 people enter eternity.

The New Testament author James wrote, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14 NLT).

I say this not to alarm you but to motivate you. The psalmist wrote, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NLT). As we grow in wisdom, we recognize that every day is a chance to serve the Lord. To make a difference for His eternal kingdom. To seize the opportunities He sets before us. To stretch and grow beyond our comfort zone. To discover what we’re capable of. To embrace and enjoy every blessing.

Here is the bottom line: Live every day as though you may never have another one. Live in such a way that you’re ready to step into God’s presence at any moment.

Reflection question: What would it look like for you to live every day as though you may never have another one? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Glory of the Lord

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.” (1 Kings 8:10–11)

This remarkable glory cloud filling Solomon’s temple at its dedication had also been present when the tabernacle in the wilderness was dedicated. At that time, Moses recorded how “a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34). Furthermore, this “cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (v. 38). There could be no doubt as to His presence.

It is well known that this cloud of divine glory was called the shekinah. Although this actual word never occurs in the Bible itself, it is closely related to the Hebrew words for “dwell” (shakan) and “tabernacle” (mishkan).

The significant truth here, of course, is not the name but the fact. The glory cloud was removed when Israel became apostate. “And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city” (Ezekiel 11:23).

When God returned to Earth in the person of His Son, “the Word was made flesh, and [tabernacled] among us.” Then, once again, those who had eyes to see “beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). By His Spirit, He now even lives in those who receive Him, and “Christ in you” becomes our own “hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Then, as we live in His Word, “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). HMM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Why the Storms?

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Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.

Psalm 42:5 (AMPC)

Let’s focus for a moment on this part of a well-known New Testament story. The disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at midnight when they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. That is amazing, but as the story continues, Matthew wrote of the boisterous winds, yet Jesus kept walking on top of the waves.

The disciples were afraid—and that makes sense. Who would expect to see anyone walking on top of the water, even under the best of conditions?

Then Jesus cried out and told them, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! (Matthew 14:27 AMPC). This is the powerful moment in the story. What will happen now? Do they move over and give Jesus a place to sit in their boat? Should they get out and join Him on the waves? Do they huddle in fear, reminding themselves that human beings can’t walk on top of water?

Peter was the only one who responded in true faith. And let’s make no mistake here. For Peter to say, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water (Matthew 14:28) was a tremendous act of faith. You’ll notice that he was the only one who spoke that way.

That was a powerful moment of faith. It was a defining moment that pointed out Peter’s great faith and belief in Jesus, the Anointed One of God. He was so convinced that Jesus truly was the Son of God that he was ready to get out of the boat and walk on top of the water with Him.

How many of you would get out of the boat? I emphasize this because it would be easy enough to say, “Lord, I see You walking on the water, and I believe I could walk on the water alongside You.” But would you? Do you have the kind of faith that would enable you to step out of the boat? Of the 12 disciples, Peter was the only one who took that step of faith.

I’m not citing this example of faith to discourage you or to make you feel that your faith is somehow lacking. I’m simply pointing out the great triumph of a man who dared to believe! Peter believed so strongly that he took a step of faith over the side of the boat and started walking toward Jesus.

Most of us know the rest of the story. Some might even smirk, saying, “Big deal! He got out of the boat, started walking on the water, got scared, and began to sink.” And he also received a rebuke from Jesus: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31 NIV). But think about it—Jesus didn’t say those words to the other disciples. He directed the words “you of little faith” to Peter. The implication is the others had no faith at that moment.

Think of these words not just as words of rebuke, but also as words of encouragement to Peter, the one who had enough faith to step out of the boat and begin walking on the water. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! (Matthew 14:30 AMPC).

What if you saw this as Jesus’ great encouragement, not just to Peter, but also to you? What if you looked at this event as Jesus saying to you, “You started so well. You believed Me and got out of the boat. You did it! You walked on water just as I did. But then you allowed doubt to enter, and when that happened, you began to sink.”

This powerful story is a wonderful reminder that Jesus is always with you, and He will suspend natural laws to reach out to you and care for you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, please forgive my lack of faith. Increase my faith in Your Word and help me to trust You enough to follow Your leading. When the circumstances around me threaten to pull me into deep waters of doubt, help me to focus on You. I ask these things in Your holy name, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Arrival in Jerusalem

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Read Ezra 8:31–36

Reaching the end of a long journey is a beautiful thing—you step out of the car, stretch your legs, and look forward to some rest and relaxation. In our study of the book of Ezra, we’ve seen this godly leader and his co-travelers reach the end of their long trip to Jerusalem—all without the benefit of planes, trains, or automobiles!

Earlier in chapter 8 Ezra refused to ask the king for protection on the journey, even though the returnees were bringing with them an enormous amount of silver and gold. In today’s market, the value of the materials listed in 8:26–27 reaches $604,081,991.20. Ezra was wise to proclaim a fast and ask for the Lord’s protection on their trip home!

In verse 31 we read that the Lord indeed answered their prayers: “The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.” As we’ve seen many times already since meeting Ezra in chapter 7, he is quick to credit the Lord for his success. He never took credit for himself but rather consistently acknowledged God’s grace and kindness toward him. Ezra and the returnees rested for three days (v. 32). Then they “weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest” (v. 33). The men proved faithful: “Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time” (v. 34). The exiles then worshiped the Lord. They sacrificed “twelve bulls for all Israel” (v. 35), again reminding us that the people returning from exile represent all Israel and not just the ten tribes of Judah (see discussion on September 19). Now in Jerusalem, Ezra and his group of Levites and temple servants “gave assistance to the people and to the house of God” (v. 36).

Go Deeper

What are some ways you can cultivate gratitude and trust for the Lord as Ezra demonstrated?

Pray with Us

Because of Your great love for us, You hear our prayers, God. Help us recall the ways You have answered in the past, and today we offer our thanks for Your faithfulness.

The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies.Ezra 8:31

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/