Tag Archives: Bible

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – An Illustration Not An Interruption 

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The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:9-10

This week, as I sat early one morning in my prayer chair at home—my precious 7-year old grand baby Lily caught me reading and praying the Psalms. Instead of being glad she saw her Pop reading the Bible, I was a little annoyed my time with God had been “interrupted.” She crawled up into my lap—and suddenly my heavenly Father reminded me, “This is not an interruption, but an illustration of my love, care and affection for you, son.” My heart warmed, then I noticed several bruises on her sun soaked legs created by an active child. The Holy Spirit whispered, “Boyd, you are bruised and broken—and I Am—your Comforter and Healer.” Peace, joy, confidence, hope, faith and love all at once—moved me closer to Christ. Jesus illustrated through an “interruption” what I was seeking all along—His loving presence.

The unnamed foreigner—a Samaritan woman—was minding her own business when a stranger interrupted her domestic duties of drawing water from the refreshing well. Jesus asked her for a favor—a drink of water—but the larger purpose was for the Lord to give this searching, hard working adult—created in the image of God—living water for her thirsty soul. The Messiah she had heard about was in her presence to offer her the satisfaction of His forgiveness and love.

“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (Revelation 7:16-17).

Traffic, a sick child, a costly home repair, a long line, a needy neighbor, a complaining customer, a late vendor or a co-worker in crisis may seem like interruptions—but look for an illustration of God’s character in your disruptive circumstances. When you encounter a person in sorrow, imagine Christ on the cross when He sought comfort from His heavenly Father. Interruptions are appointments of compassion. Life may feel unfair, but in your everyday routine recognize the Lord in the little things and love like your Savior Jesus. Interruptions represent people to love.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – An Illustration Not An Interruption  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Famous Last Words

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The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:6-7

Recommended Reading

2 Timothy 4

Paul the apostle focused on Christ to the end. His final words are found in 2 Timothy 4, apparently written shortly before Nero’s soldiers beheaded him. Three things occupied Paul’s mind.

First, Paul wanted to continue God’s work till the last moment. He told Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry” (verse 11). Second, Paul wanted to study God’s Word as long as possible, telling Timothy to bring “the books, especially the parchments” (verse 13). Third, he wanted God’s will to perfectly unfold in his life with every passing minute and forever. He wrote, “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me.… And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom” (verses 17-18).

We stay centered in Christ when we focus on His Word, His will, and His work. When we keep the core of our souls strengthened, we can withstand Nero’s threats. Whatever comes, we can praise the Lord saying, “To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (verse 18)

Men who are strong are always men who are fixed somewhere, who have a conviction from which they cannot be separated…. The fixed heart is the secret of courage.

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan

Read-Thru-the-Bible Isaiah 12 – 14

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Why the Storms?

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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

O God, why do You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger burn and smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?- Psalm 74:1

As I think about the storms we all face in life, I can understand why people sometimes ask, “Why the storms? Why do we have so many problems and struggles in life? Why do God’s people have to deal with so much suffering?”

As I considered these questions, I began to see that Satan plants these questions in our minds. It is his attempt to keep us focused on our problems instead of focusing on the goodness of God. If we persist in asking these questions, we’re implying that God may be to blame. I don’t think it’s wrong to ask God why things happen. The writers of the psalms certainly didn’t hesitate to ask.

I think of the story of Jesus when He visited the home of Mary and Martha after their brother, Lazarus, died. Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead for four days before He visited. When He arrived, Martha said to Jesus, Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21). She went on to say, And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You (v. 22).

Did she really believe those words? I wonder, because Jesus said to her, Your brother shall rise again. Martha replied, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day (vs. 23-24). She didn’t get what Jesus was saying.

I don’t want to be unkind to Martha, but she missed it. When Jesus came, she didn’t ask, “Why didn’t You do something?” Instead she said, “If You had been here—if You had been on the job—he’d be alive.”

When Jesus assured her that Lazarus would rise again, she didn’t understand that it was going to happen right then. She could focus only on the resurrection. By looking at an event that was still in the future, she missed the real meaning of Jesus’ words for the present.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Why the Storms? →

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – I’ll Have What She’s Having

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But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations…

1 Samuel 8:19-20

Friend to Friend

It was spring break and we were home. Facebook posts from friends were showcasing sandy beaches, yummy meals, and fancy-schmancy hotel lobbies and pools. I was doing laundry, finishing up my taxes {Yay!} and wrestling with the cravings stirred by what others had and were doing.

As I turned to the Word of God I was reminded that none of this is new. I was also reminded and convicted that looking at and longing for what other people have, are, and do is NOT God’s best for me.

In the Bible, the Lord used a strand of strugglers just like you and me. I’m so glad about that. Aren’t you?

The book of 1 Samuel introduces us to a woman named Hannah who was deeply troubled, and ridden with aches of longing. Her life was complicated, but she knew where to turn in her turmoil. She poured out her soul to God and He heard her cries (1 Samuel 1:10, 19). In time, Hannah gave birth to a son named Samuel and she gave him over to the Lord for His service.

Samuel was raised in the house of God, where he grew in stature and in favor with both God and man (1 Samuel 2:26). As a young man, the Lord spoke to Him and through Him. As years went by, the incredible power of God was seen and dispensed through Samuel who served the Lord as a prophet, priest, judge and leader of Israel, yet somehow his own children rejected God.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – I’ll Have What She’s Having →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Worthy of Trust

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“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead” (Hebrews 11:1).

Frequently, individuals make gifts of property or stocks and bonds to the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. I am notified by our legal department that the papers have been received, confirming our ownership. Then, on the basis of their word, I consider the value and the potential sale of these properties in light of our budget for this worldwide ministry.

Can you imagine? I make decisions involving literally millions of dollars based upon a word or a memo. I do not see the stocks and bonds. I do not visit the property. I do not even see the papers. But I can take the word of my associates, whom I have learned to trust, and, predicated on their recommendations, I can determine how many missionaries we can send to the field.

That is what faith is all about. I have faith in my beloved colleagues because they have demonstrated themselves to be trustworthy. How much more should I have faith in our loving, holy, gracious, God and Father who has demonstrated His faithfulness and trustworthiness innumerable times? How much more should I believe His holy, inspired Word – His many promises?

However, God’s promises do not become reality unless we act upon them, claiming them in faith, any more than the word of my associates would be of any value unless I acted upon that information.

Vast resources of heaven are available to us. We appropriate them by faith. Consider the following illustration: Suppose I have $1,000 in the bank. I go to the bank with a check for $100 in my hand. I hand it to the teller, get on my knees and begin to beseech the teller to cash my check for $100. This would seem unusual to the teller and to all who might observe me for that is not the way to cash a check. Rather, I place it before the teller with the assurance that I have ten times the amount of the check on deposit and therefore without any hesitancy can expect my check to be cashed.

So it is with the bank of heaven. I know that the promises of God are faithful and true. God does not lie. God is worthy of my trust and, therefore, whatever He promises, He will perform if only I will trust and obey him.

Bible Reading: Psalm 11:89-96

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will claim the promises of God by faith with the joyful assurance that whatever God promises, He is faithful to perform. I will claim His supernatural resources for supernatural living.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Paul’s Mistake

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Read: Acts 21:1-16

As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, This is what the Holy Spirit says: In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. Acts 21:9-11

This is a rather painful scene. At Caesarea they came into the home of Philip the evangelist. There Agabus, a prophet of the Lord, in a dramatic, visual way, took Paul’s sash from around his waist and bound his own feet and hands, and said, This is what the Holy Spirit is saying to you, Paul. If you go on to Jerusalem, this is what will happen to you. You’ll be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. They will bind you, and you’ll be a prisoner.

This was the last effort made by the Holy Spirit to awaken the apostle to what he was doing. Agabus was joined in this by the whole body of believers. The whole family present urged him not to go, Luke included. We read in verse 12, When we had heard this, we and the local residents begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. So even his close associates recognized the voice of the Spirit, to which the apostle seemed strangely deaf. He refused to listen.

And in Paul’s reply to them we can detect that, without quite realizing what has happened, he has succumbed to what today we call a martyr complex. Paul said in verse 13, What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. These words are brave and sincere and earnest. He meant every word of them. We can find no fault with the bravery and courage expressed in those words. But it was not necessary for him to go, and the Spirit had told him not to go.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Paul’s Mistake →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – God: Slow to Anger and Abounding in Steadfast Love

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Read: Jonah 1:1-3, Psalm 103

The Lord is compassionate and gracious . . . (Ps. 103:8 NIV)

It’s time to send a prophet to cry against Nineveh and tell them their wickedness is an affront to me as the one true God.

Lord, who shall have this great honor: Amos? Hosea?

No. Jonah, son of Amittai.

Lord, Jonah is on a ship taking him as far from Nineveh as a Hebrew can sail. Is he afraid?

Jonah is no coward.

Then why is he disobeying? Does he not know you are Lord of Tarshish also? He heard your command! How can he be so rebellious and foolish?

Humans have my Word and my presence in the world, but they choose the way that seems best to them, not my way. Jonah is so full of himself and his religion he isn’t open to really knowing me or my will. So he runs away and then rationalizes his disobedience. He’s wasting much time, effort, and money—and harming his relationship with me—and yet he feels righteous and justified. Sin is a deep-seated enemy within the human soul; even with my people.

Jonah should be punished, along with Nineveh!

That would be in keeping with my law; but my mercy, grace, and love are in this story also; in fact, they’re the most important part.

Prayer:

Lord, help me lose my willful self every day so I can be what you want me to be; choose your ways, not mine; and always be your humble obedient servant. Amen.

Author: Doug VanBronkhorst

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What We Can Learn from the Jesus Movement

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I have heard all about you, LORD. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.—Habakkuk 3:2

I came to Christ in 1970 during the Jesus Movement, which gave me a front-row seat to the Fourth Great Awakening in the United States—the most recent in our nation. Looking back, I remember five things that were part of a typical church service during that time.

First, there was a sense of expectancy in the service. No one was ever late for church because you couldn’t find a seat if you were. You came expecting God to work. You came with a sense of openness, anticipating what the Lord was going to do.

Second, the Word of God was always taught. That gave stability to us. In fact, I still have my Bible from those days. I marked it up—so much so that some of the pages are coming out of it.

Third, people participated in the worship. We effectively saw what we simply know as worship now. In the late 1960s, there were no electric guitars, for the most part, on church stages. There were no drum kits. It was completely different culturally. Things we take for granted now didn’t exist back then. But people engaged in worship. They participated in it.

Fourth, believers brought nonbelievers to church, evangelistic invitations were extended, and people were coming to Christ. Every week there was the sense that God wants people to be saved.

Fifth, there was a belief in and a constant teaching of the imminent return of Christ. We believed that Jesus was coming back again.

The kids of the Jesus Movement are now grandparents. But just as in the 1960s, and specifically 1968, we have riots in the streets. We have racial unrest. We have a drug epidemic. There’s a sense of hopelessness in the air. We need another Jesus Movement. We need another spiritual awakening.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Does What Is Best for You

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“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” (Psalm 115:3)

Little Amy longed to have blue eyes instead of brown ones. Her mother had blue eyes, and Amy wanted beautiful eyes just like her. Amy’s mom had taught her that God always answers prayer. One night before she went to bed, Amy decided to pray about her eye color. She decided to pray that God would “fix” her eye color. “Father, I would be so happy if only I could have blue eyes! Please change my eyes to blue. Please, Lord!”

The next morning, Amy jumped out of bed and headed straight to the mirror to see if God had answered her prayer. To her disappointment, brown eyes were staring back at her. “Oh, the Lord didn’t do what He was supposed to do; He didn’t answer my prayer!” she thought. Amy’s mother could tell how disappointed her little girl was. She explained to Amy that “no” is still an answer. Amy’s beautiful brown eyes were a gift from God. He gave her brown eyes for a reason.

When she grew up, Amy went to India as a missionary. But the Hindu women to whom she wanted to minister were distracted by how different Amy looked from them. They would never pay attention to the Gospel message she was trying to share. Amy decided to try to fit in with the Indian people. She wore a sari, the outfit that the Indian women wore, and used coffee to stain her skin brown. “Wow!” she thought as she looked into the mirror. “I look just like an Indian woman with my dark skin and sari!” Then she looked at her eyes. Thank you, Lord, for giving me brown eyes for a wonderful reason! If my eyes were blue right now, I certainly wouldn’t look anything at all like an Indian woman.” After that, the Indian women were not so distracted by how Amy looked, and they listened carefully to her message of Jesus Christ.

The Hindus in India did not believe in God and did horrible things to little children in their temple. Amy had a desire to rescue the children from the temple and tell them about Jesus. Because she looked like the Indian women, Amy Carmichael was able to save over one thousand children in India from the awful things happening to them in the Hindu temple. Amy praised the Lord the rest of her life for doing what He wanted and giving her brown eyes.

Has God ever said “no” to your prayers? Remember that God always does what’s best for you.

God does what He decides is best for His own glory and your good.

My Response:

» Has God ever said “no” to a prayer of mine?

» Do I really believe that God knows what is best?

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – God’s Fatherly Responsibilities

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Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 64:8

“O Lord, you are our Father.”

What does it mean in everyday life that God is our Father? Let me suggest five fatherly responsibilities that God has assumed toward his children.

God provides for us. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, NIV).

God protects us. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, NIV).

God encourages us. “You hear, o lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry” (Psalm 10:17, NIV).

God comforts us. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).

God disciplines us. “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10, NIV).

I realize, and can testify from my own experience, that there are times when it does not seem as if God is doing any of these things. There are times when it seems as if he has forsaken us. At such times we need to lay hold of such promises as “never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV). God in his own inscrutable way is always at work to fulfill his role as our perfect heavenly Father. (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Hope and a Future

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Today’s Scripture: Jeremiah 26-29

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

There are millions of people in the world who believe God is out to get them, that His thoughts toward them are not thoughts of love and peace, but thoughts of evil and destruction.

I recall going into a beautiful temple in one of the most magnificent cities in Asia. Inside there were about two hundred people staring blankly at the huge statue of their god as they sat cross-legged on the floor, moaning and crying out in fear. They were convinced that their god was intent on destroying their crops. They knew nothing of our gracious God.

Some of the most encouraging words ever written are found in Jeremiah 29:11-14: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me…and I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”

When we know that God’s plans for us are good, we will call on Him in faith, not in fear. When we seek Him, He will reveal Himself to us in all His gracious love. Now Christian, the blinded masses cringing in fear before a pagan idol aren’t the only ones who need to hear about God. There are people in your neighborhood and your place of work who don’t know the Lord. Many of them feel they have no future and no hope. But we have the gospel of Christ, a message that can turn their lives completely around.

Prayer

Lord, prompt me to speak words of persuasion to people for whom You died. Amen.

To Ponder

God’s ways are revealed to me if I pray and seek His will.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Stopping Killing with More Killing: Why Planned Parenthood’s Philosophy Doesn’t Work

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A pitfall of social media such as Facebook and Twitter is that we can find ourselves saying something we shouldn’t.

While most of us can delete the offending message before too much damage is done, well-known people and organizations can’t. By the time they realize their mistake, it’s been widely seen, forwarded, and captured for posterity.

At that point they either apologize, defend the comment, or maybe insist that their account was hacked.

Well, a recent Facebook post had me wondering if the Planned Parenthood account had been hacked, but then I remembered it was Planned Parenthood.

In the aftermath of the events in Baton Rouge and suburban St. Paul, where two African American men were killed by police officers, Planned Parenthood posted a graphic featuring an African-American woman with her arms draped around a boy, presumably her son.

Now if you’re wondering what Planned Parenthood had to contribute to the national discussion about these shootings, the answer is nothing. Even if you think the organization is good and not evil, commenting on relations between law enforcement and African American communities is completely beyond its competence.

But that didn’t stop Planned Parenthood.

The above-mentioned graphic was accompanied by these words: “You deserve to parent your child without fear that he or she will be hurt or killed. Freedom from violence is reproductive justice.”

Continue reading BreakPoint – Stopping Killing with More Killing: Why Planned Parenthood’s Philosophy Doesn’t Work →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE TRICKSTER IS TRICKED

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Read GENESIS 29:1–30

Pranksters love playing practical jokes on other people—and there is an ironic humor in seeing the trickster tricked by someone else. Today’s reading portrays such an irony as the trickster Jacob met his match in Uncle Laban.

As the story opens, things seemed to be moving positively for Jacob. He had just received God’s promise of presence and protection, and soon arrived at a well. There, after learning from shepherds that his Uncle Laban was nearby, his cousin Rachel showed up! Jumping into action, Jacob removed the large stone from the well and watered Rachel’s flock.

After revealing his kinship to Rachel, Jacob’s good fortune seemed to continue. When Laban heard the news, he embraced Jacob with words of joyful welcome, “You are my own flesh and blood” (v. 14), and allowed Jacob to remain in his home. Not only had Jacob met with the safety of family, but the beautiful Rachel was promised in marriage in return for Jacob’s labor. It would seem that Jacob had indeed escaped the danger of Esau back home.

But then things took a turn for the worse. Laban’s own character proved to be as duplicitous as Jacob’s. After the agreed years of labor, on the night of the wedding, Laban switched the older sister Leah for the younger Rachel. Notice the irony of Jacob, the trickster’s response: “Why have you deceived me?” (v. 25). In turn, Laban asserted their custom of not having the younger child upstage the older—another ironic jab at Jacob’s own deception for those who know how Jacob secured God’s blessing. In the end, Jacob would get more wives than he bargained for, at a greater cost than he planned. It might seem at this point that God had disappeared from Jacob’s life, but as we will soon see, God never abandons His word once given.

APPLY THE WORD

Jacob’s actions remind us that trusting in our own plans, resources, and ingenuity will not bring about the promises God intends for us. He alone can bring true blessing. In what areas of your life are you trusting more in your own efforts than in God’s leading? Give those aspects of your life over to God, asking Him for the faith to trust Him fully.

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – BATON ROUGE SHOOTING: WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR WORLD?

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It has happened again. Three police officers were killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana yesterday. Three others were injured. The gunman, a former Marine, was killed at the scene.

A long-time police veteran said, “I’ve never experienced anything like this.” The president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police noted, “This is perhaps the most difficult and dangerous time in American policing history.” Our police need our support and encouragement today more than ever.

The heartbreaking news from Baton Rouge followed a bloody attempted coup in Turkey that left 265 dead over the weekend. We are still grieving the tragedy in Nice, France, the police officers killed in Dallas, and the earlier fatalities in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Yesterday, a dear friend texted me the question everyone is asking: What is happening to our world?

ISIS is inspiring terrorism around the globe; North Korea is advancing its nuclear weapons capabilities; the European Union is fracturing; China’s military reach is expanding; violence at home seems to be escalating.

But the world is no more fallen today than it was last year. And Jesus is no less powerful than he has ever been. He warned us, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33a). “Tribulation” translates thlipsis, a Greek term describing the massive stone that crushed grain into flour. But then he added, “Take heart; I have overcome the world” (v. 33b).

It’s vital that we see our world through a biblical lens, that we view temporal events in light of eternal truth. Now that the political conventions are beginning, the Denison Forum wants to help our readers interpret these historic events in biblical context. So Nick Pitts, our Director of Cultural Engagement, will be reporting from both conventions.

Continue reading Denison Forum – BATON ROUGE SHOOTING: WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR WORLD? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – God’s Goal in Communicating

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1 Corinthians 2:9-14

Whenever the Lord speaks to us, He gets straight to the point. He doesn’t dance around the issue, engage in idle chitchat, or talk just for the sake of talking. God always has something specific to say to us—and it is for our benefit. He says it precisely, and His message invariably speaks directly to our needs.

Therefore, if the Lord has something important to say, and if it is vital to a deep need in our life, then we must be clear in asking, What is God’s primary purpose in speaking to me? What does He want me to do as a result of what He has said?

First, God speaks so that we are able to comprehend the truth. That is, He wants us to fully understand His message and absorb it into our heart and mind.

Second, God speaks so that we may be conformed to the truth. Just knowing biblical principles is not enough; we must apply those guidelines to our circumstances and live out the life of faith.

Third, God speaks so that we can then communicate the truth. It is not enough simply to hear scriptural principles and then apply them to our own situation. Our Father wants us to share that life-changing information with others.

How can you better understand biblical truth? How can you more effectively apply God’s principles in your life? How can you best share them with others? The Lord holds us accountable for our answers. Open yourself to His message today, and then submit to whatever the Holy Spirit tells you.

Bible in a Year: Ecclesiastes 1-4

 

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — An Open Hand

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Read: Acts 20:22–35 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 18–19; Acts 20:17–38

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

In 1891, Biddy Mason was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Los Angeles. That wasn’t unusual for a woman born into slavery, but it was remarkable for someone as accomplished as Biddy. After winning her freedom in a court battle in 1856, she combined her nursing skills with wise business decisions to make a small fortune. As she observed the plight of immigrants and prisoners, she reached out to them, investing in charity so frequently that people began lining up at her house for help. In 1872, just sixteen years out of slavery, she and her son-in-law financed the founding of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.

Biddy embodied the apostle Paul’s words: “I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). Paul came from privilege, not slavery, yet he chose a life that would lead to his imprisonment and martyrdom so that he could serve Christ and others.

The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance even as it receives. -Biddy Mason

In 1988, benefactors unveiled a tombstone for Biddy Mason. In attendance were the mayor of Los Angeles and nearly 3,000 members of the little church that had begun in her home over a century earlier. Biddy once said, “The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance even as it receives.” The hand that gave so generously received a rich legacy.

Who in your life is struggling and could use a little help from you? How can you reach out to that person or family today?

The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance even as it receives. Biddy Mason

INSIGHT:

One of Paul’s longest recorded messages from his preaching ministry is found in Acts 20:17–35. His purpose was to share with the Ephesian church leadership what serving God from the heart involves. Paul’s message includes his example of service among them and his concern that false teachers might lead them astray.

 

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Answered Prayer

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“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).

The answers to believers’ prayers bring assurance of salvation.

Another reliable way to know if you are a Christian is if God answers your prayers. The apostle John gives us the infallible reasoning for this statement. First, you can know your prayers will be answered if you keep His commandments (1 John 3:22). And second, John says the only way you can obey God’s commandments is if you belong to Him (v. 24). Therefore, an obedient believer proves He is abiding in Christ and receives further assurance when his prayers are answered.

However, the only prayers God answers are the ones prayed according to His will. If you are an obedient believer, you will fashion your prayers in line with what Scripture says about His will. The answered prayer that follows will bring you confidence and assurance (see 1 John 5:13-15).

Some believers miss out on that assurance because of their skimpy prayer life, which obviously results in few answered prayers. How sad for them, and how disappointing for God, because He would do so much more for those Christians if they would only ask Him.

What about you? Has it been a pattern of your life to experience answered prayer? Ask yourself questions like the following: Have you prayed for someone’s difficult situation and seen God turn it around to one of joy and blessing? Have you seen an unsaved person for whom you prayed come to Christ? Has God filled a void in your life after you prayed that He would? Have you ever prayed that God would help you in teaching His Word and then experienced much grace in presenting it with clarity? Have you prayed for boldness and power to proclaim the gospel and seen God work through you? Have you asked for contentment during a trial and received God’s peace? Have you known forgiveness and a clear conscience after you prayed to that end?

If you can answer yes to those questions or ones like them, you have good reason to believe that you belong to the Lord and He belongs to you.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank the Lord for His power through prayer and for the answers He’s granted you.

For Further Study

Read 1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-46.

  • What does the second passage reveal about Elijah’s prayer life?
  • How does that support James 5:16b-18?

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Resting Place 

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God will speak to this people, to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”—but they would not listen. Isaiah 28:11b-12

Everyone needs a place to rest, a time to rejuvenate and restore your soul. A soul without rest is vulnerable to doubt, disease, and dread. Without soul care, you risk being ineffective for the long term. So, allow your soul to catch up with your activity through rest. A restless soul loses hope and perspective. Stop right now and take an audit of your soul. Is it strung out and anxious?

If so, rearrange your schedule for rest before it rearranges you. A non-restful pace is unsustainable, and a restful place is necessary to persevere. Do not fall for the false feeling that activity somehow equals progress or success. Without rest, you are going nowhere fast. If you intensify the pace, you are going nowhere, faster.

Rest allows you to recalibrate your priorities and replenish your cistern of creativity. Your work rhythms may require a day with no scheduled appointments. Indeed, each resting place looks different, depending on your need. For example, your resting place may be the quiet screened porch, where you relax with a cup of coffee and a good book. For someone else, a resting place may be a comfortable couch, where they nap to the steady beat of raindrops pelting the rooftop.

It can be the park where you walk with your best friend, a secluded drive in the countryside, or an adventurous exploration of the great Pacific Northwest. Whether your resting place is the beach, the mountains, or in front of a good movie, make time to engage with it. God speaks to you in your place of rest. This is one of His favorite spots to shape your soul.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Resting Place  →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Go With the Flow

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Brethren, for this reason, in [spite of all] our stress and crushing difficulties we have been filled with comfort and cheer about you [because of] your faith (the leaning of your whole personality on God in complete trust and confidence).—1 Thessalonians 3:7

Go with the flow, and stop being anxious about things that may never happen. If you really trust God, you don’t need a backup plan. Faith means that you have peace even when you 12 don’t have all the answers.

Life will always be stressful if you constantly try to rearrange it. For example, getting upset in a traffic jam doesn’t get you out of it any sooner. But planning for obstacles will inspire you to leave a little earlier for your appointments and keep you from hurrying. Grow in wisdom, and place high priority on keeping your peace in spite of any jams you get into today.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Glory Will Be Ours

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“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later” (Romans 8:18).

In Sydney, Australia, a taxi driver to whom I witnessed became very angry.

“I was in World War II,” he exploded, “and I saw thousands of people die. I don’t want to have anything to do with a God who allows war.”

“Don’t blame God for war and the slaughter of millions of people,” I explained. “War is the result of man’s sin. Man does what he does because of his selfishness and pride. God does not desire that man should destroy men. God is not in favor of war. But sickness, death, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods are all a part of God’s judgement because of man’s sin, because of man’s disobedience to His commands.

The problem of suffering is a mysterious one, but for the Christian there is a good, logical answer. All creation waits patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect His children. On that day, thorns and thistles, sin and death and decay – the things that overcome the world will disappear at God’s command.

The world around us then will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God’s children enjoy. Even the things of nature, animals and plants which now suffer deterioration and death, await the coming of the time of this great glory.

We Christians – though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory – also groan to be released from pain, heartache, sorrow and suffering. We too wait anxiously for that day when God will give us full rights as His children, including the new bodies He has promised us – bodies that will never suffer again, and that will never die.

Bible Reading: Romans 8:24-27

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will rejoice in the certainty that glory is ahead for me as a believer, and as a result I am willing to joyfully endure whatever suffering comes my way. I will also encourage others in their times of sorrow to consider God’s love and plan for them, and will help them to understand the scriptural reason for man’s suffering.

 

http://www.cru.org