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.
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.
Bible in a Year :
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
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.
[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.
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:
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bible in a Year :
I discipline my body and keep it under control.
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.
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.
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
by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
“How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall compass a man.” (Jeremiah 31:22)
Long ago, the wise man concluded: “There is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). That nothing is now being created is even recognized as a scientific law.
But God reminds us as He reminded His backsliding people of Israel that He has, indeed, created one new thing in the earth. Since only God can “create,” a really new thing would have to be produced directly by the Lord Himself. Of course, God had completed His original work of creating all things long ago (Genesis 2:1-3), including a marvelous mechanism for human reproduction. Nevertheless, because of man’s sin, He very soon had to begin a work of reconciliation, and this included a primeval promise that “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) would come someday to accomplish this great work. Since all normal reproduction requires male seed, such a miracle would mean God would have to create a new thing when the appropriate time came. At that time, as Isaiah prophesied many years later, “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,” and that Son would be “the mighty God,” who would establish His kingdom “with justice from henceforth even for ever” (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7).
Then, still later, Jeremiah reminded his forgetful people of this same great promise: God would create, by His mighty power, a new thing, a perfect human without inherited sin and with no contribution from man, in the womb of a specially called virgin. She would compass that “holy thing” (Luke 1:35) with warmth and love for nine long months as it grew in her womb. Then, in the fullness of time, “God sent forth his Son, made of a woman” (Galatians 4:4), to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). HMM
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. — 1 John 2:2
The key to the missionary’s message is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Take any phase of Christ’s work—the healing phase, the teaching phase, the saving and sanctifying phase. There’s nothing limitless about any of these. But “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)—that is limitless, and that is the missionary’s message. A missionary is one who has soaked in this revelation and has made it the basis of his or her appeal.
The key to the missionary’s message isn’t Jesus Christ’s kindness and goodness. It’s the great limitless significance of the fact that “he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” The missionary’s message isn’t patriotic. It has no allegiance to nations or to individuals. It’s meant for the whole world. When the Holy Spirit comes in, he doesn’t consider personal preferences. He simply brings everyone he touches into union with Jesus Christ.
A missionary is one who is wedded to Jesus Christ’s own message. A missionary has no desire to proclaim a personal point of view, only to proclaim the Lamb of God. It’s easier to share personal stories of salvation. It’s easier to be a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul didn’t say, “Woe to me if I do not preach what the gospel has done for me.” He said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). What is the gospel? Only this: “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
Isaiah 45-46; 1 Thessalonians 3
Wisdom from Oswald
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption
The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
—John 6:63
To one of the most religious men of His day, Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus could not substitute his profound knowledge of religion for spiritual rebirth, and neither can we. I have read a book on water skiing, and it did not take long for me to learn that I could never learn to water ski by reading a book—I would have to experience it.
I have read a number of books on golf, but none of them seems to improve my game; I must get out on the golf course and play. You may study theology and religion, but there comes a time when you must experience Christ for yourself.
Lea este devocional en español en es.billygraham.org.
Prayer for the day
Lord, You have given me life and I praise You!
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.—Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)
Search your heart and reflect on any hurts that have not yet healed. Surrender your pain and unresolved feelings to God. Ask Him to work miracles from your misfortune. Open your heart to His compassion and love. He will free you from pain.
Dear Lord, thank You for caring for me and helping me let go of my grief and sadness. Open my heart to Your healing touch. Work Your miracles and free me from pain.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ––Acts 2:1-2
A Santa Ana wind event is like true love: You will know it when you see it. It’s hard to describe what these unique winds are like, typically hitting Southern California in the fall or early winter. The science is straightforward, as UCLA professor Robert Fovell explains:
“The Santa Ana winds are a cool season wind that blows from the desert, raising dust, fanning fires and, according to popular literature at least, making people crazy and homicidal. Santa Anas are always dry, a result of subsidence from their place of origin over the higher elevation Great Basin of Nevada and Utah. During the fall and early winter, the winds can also be quite hot as well, and are one of the reasons why September is the warmest month of the year in Los Angeles.”
I happen to love the surprisingly warm evenings that come with the Santa Anas, but when the gusts get nasty—100 to 150 mph at their worst—and the wild fires start up, it’s not fun.
Wind, of course, plays a prominent role in God’s Word, often representing His Holy Spirit or His movement on the Earth. Jesus used wind to teach godly Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit:
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
I can think of few Scripture passages that sum up better both the beautiful nature of the Holy Spirit and the wonder of the wind than the one above. Jesus is articulating that which is incomprehensible for those who still see through a glass darkly, which is all of us: The Spirit of God cannot be touched or quantified, it can only be experienced through His Son.
Like the Santa Ana winds, we can’t touch or see the Holy Spirit—but we can feel His presence and see His handiwork. The kindness of a stranger when we are stranded on a deserted highway; the love of a parent who comforted us when our teen heart was broken; the miracle of salvation that comes to the former addict who turns his life over to Christ.
Take a moment to thank God for His Spirit—the presence we can’t see, but whose effects in our lives are so readily apparent.
Father, thank You for sending Your Spirit to be with me here in this world. May I get to know Him better!
Bible in a Year :
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Today’s Scripture & Insight :
Ruth 2:1-2, 5-11
When my mom was in hospice and nearing her last days on earth, I was touched by the genuine kindness of a nursing home caregiver. After gently lifting my frail mother from her chair and tucking her into bed, the nursing assistant caressed Mom’s head while leaning over her to say, “You are so sweet.” Then she asked how I was doing. Her kindness moved me to tears then and still does today.
Hers was a simple act of kindness, but it was just what I needed in that moment. It helped me to cope, knowing that in this woman’s eyes my mom wasn’t just a patient. She cared for and saw her as a person of great worth.
When Naomi and Ruth were bereft after the loss of their husbands, Boaz showed kindness to Ruth by allowing her to glean leftover grain behind the harvesters. He even ordered the male harvesters to leave her alone (Ruth 2:8-9). His kindness was prompted by Ruth’s care for Naomi: “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband” (v. 11). He saw her not as a foreigner or widow but as a woman in need.
God wants us to “clothe [ourselves] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). As God helps us, our simple acts of kindness can cheer hearts, bring hope, and inspire kindness in others.
By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
When has someone shown you a simple act of kindness? How did it inspire or encourage you?
Dear God, I want to be clothed in kindness. Please give me opportunities to show it to others.
Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you….
Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)
Fear is an enemy that torments the soul and seeks to steal our peace and joy. Totally conquering fear is not something that we do in one day, or even a thousand days. It is something we conquer one day at a time with God’s help.
Fear can show up quite unexpectedly in many ways. One of our goals should be to recognize it so we can deal with it promptly. You can’t defeat an enemy you don’t know is there.
Being free from fear doesn’t mean that we will never experience it or be confronted by it. It means that we are committed to not allowing it to rule our lives, and when necessary, we will do what we need to do, even if we have to do it afraid.
Prayer of the Day: Lord, Help me to recognize fear at its onset and keep moving forward in Your strength. Guide me and give me peace, especially in trying times, amen.
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