Tag Archives: Bible

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Everything Belongs to Us

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“Now we are no longer slaves, but God’s own sons. And since we are His sons, everything He has belongs to us, for that is the way God planned” (Galatians 4:7).

In the sense of being under the servitude of sin, you and I are no longer servants or slaves. We are sons, children of God, adopted into His family, and are to be treated as sons.

What a glorious privilege is ours in Christ!

In our exalted position as sons, of course we are to be treated as sons. We are to share God’s favors, His blessings. And as sons, it follows that we have responsibilities – not only to our heavenly Father, but also to other sons (and daughters) in Christ.

All that God has, Paul is saying, belongs to us as well for we are His sons. But there is another side to our exalted position – obedience to the Lord. And His calling is sure: “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”

If we are following our Lord, we are becoming fishers of men – soul-winners. We are regularly and naturally, as a part of our daily routine, sharing the good news of the gospel with those whose lives we touch.

That does not necessarily mean buttonholing people and making a nuisance of ourselves; it does mean being available for God’s Holy Spirit to speak through us in every conversation as He chooses. It also means being “prayed up,” with no unconfessed sin in our lives.

Bible Reading: Revelation 8

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: With the Power of the Holy Spirit available to me by faith, I will behave like a child of the King – a son of the Most High. I will live a supernatural life for the Glory of God

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; A.W. – The Right Direction

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During the presidential campaign in 1912, Woodrow Wilson said, “A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.” Today, America fits this description. In 2014, the National Center for Education Statistics found only 18 percent of eighth grade students are proficient in United States history, 27 percent in geography and 23 percent in civics. America was founded on Christian principles, but those ideals cannot survive if not taught and reinforced.

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!

Lamentations 3:40

In today’s verse, the prophet Jeremiah gives the solution. Jerusalem and Judea had been destroyed by Babylon. Judgment had come because the people had turned away from God. But there was still hope even in judgment – if the people examined where they went wrong and returned to the Lord.

Are you concerned for the direction of the nation? If so, pray each day for Godly leaders to rise up and set the course for America back towards God. Pray also for those who do not know the Lord personally to develop a relationship with Him.

Recommended Reading: Joel 2:12-17

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – For He Is Good

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Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.—Psalm 30:4

It seems as though merchants today don’t really know what to do with this holiday called Thanksgiving. When it comes to other observances, like Halloween, they make a lot of money from their marketing efforts. And of course, Christmas is a financial windfall. But Thanksgiving? Well, they sell more turkeys than they usually do. But they don’t really know what to do with this holiday, which is spiritual in its origins.

In 1863, President Lincoln designated November 26 as a day of national Thanksgiving. We celebrated it annually on that day until 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt designated Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November.

And just so we aren’t fuzzy about which God we should give thanks to, this is what the pilgrims wrote in the Mayflower Compact, in 1620:

We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia. . . .

They were not just coming to our fair shores to simply bring European civilization; they were coming to bring the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s very easy during our feasting to forget about the One whom we are celebrating.

The primary reason we are put on this earth is to glorify God and to give Him thanks. Yet praise and worship are a sacrifice sometimes. The Bible doesn’t say, however, to give thanks to the Lord because we feel good. Rather, it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” (1 Chronicles 16:34). He is worthy of our praise.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – An Heir of God’s Estate

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Long after Joshua had distributed the land of Canaan, seven of the tribes were still in the military camp. Joshua scolded them in Joshua 18:3, “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?” They marched out of the wilderness and conquered the land; yet when the time came to inherit their unique parcels, they grew lazy.

Don’t make the same mistake. You are an heir with Christ of God’s estate. He has placed his Spirit in your heart as a down payment. What God said to Joshua in Joshua 1:3 he says to you. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you.” But you must possess it. You must deliberately receive what God so graciously gives! Find your lot in life and live in it!

From Glory Days

 

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – A Tale of Two Homes

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“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:25

Suppose that you’re seven years old. You arrive home from school, and your mother welcomes you with a smile and a snack. Later your father comes home. Mom and Dad greet each other with a kiss and loving words. Dad gives you a warm hug. That night, after you finish your homework, the three of you enjoy a family game. Finally, you say your prayers and fall asleep.

Now put yourself in another seven‐year‐old’s place. You come home from school to a mother who, when she’s home at all, is on the phone or watching television. You eat a bag of candy by yourself. Later your father returns. Mom complains about the unfinished garage project. Dad replies angrily and walks past you to the kitchen. You watch television all evening, then crawl into bed and fall asleep listening to your parents argue.

One home is safe and nurturing; the other lonely and contentious. Too often, children grow up in homes like the latter—or worse. So ask yourself: Which scenario best describes your family? Further, how would you describe the mood of your household? Divided or united? Amiable or argumentative? Supportive or sarcastic? Every day, the story of your home is etching itself into the spirit and memory of your children.

Just between us…

  • How does the way we were brought up affect the mood in our household today?
  • How do you think our children would describe our home?
  • How can we make sure our home is a positive environment?

Loving Lord, we know that our relationship sets the tone for our children’s growing-up experience. Help us make our marriage the starting point of a good home and of a happy, Christ-honoring childhood for our kids. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Christians in the Workplace

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Philippians 2:5-8

The gospel’s effectiveness is greatly hindered by Christians who act differently at church than they do elsewhere. The way we live for God should permeate all areas of life. The workplace is no exception.

Our behavior reflects our faith. So if we claim to be Christians, then our coworkers will equate our attitudes and actions with Jesus. Do those around you at the office see a positive reflection of God in your work ethic?

Let’s look at a scriptural model for the believer to follow. For one thing, as we read in today’s passage, we should view ourselves as servants and be willing to put the needs of others before our own. Next, our true boss is Christ; therefore, we work diligently and with integrity, knowing that our reward is from Him (Col. 3:23). Then, since all authority on earth is God- given (Rom. 13:1), we should obey our superiors gladly—unless, of course, our human bosses tell us to do something that goes against Scripture. And finally, all those we work with and for have worth from the Creator, so we should treat them with respect (1 John 4:7-8).

Think about the Golden Rule—Do unto others as you’d have others do unto you—and how it applies here. Putting it a different way, imagine yourself as the boss and ask, How would I like my employees to work, whether I was watching or not?

We are to work as though God is our boss. That means doing tasks with joy, a servant attitude, respect for others, diligence, and obedience. Imagine what the workplace could be if all believers approached their jobs this way.

Bible in One Year: Romans 1-3

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Main Event

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Read: Luke 10:38-42

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 18-19; James 4

One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part. nkjv —Luke 10:42

While watching a fireworks display during a celebration in my city, I became distracted. Off to the right and the left of the main event, smaller fireworks occasionally popped up in the sky. They were good, but watching them caused me to miss parts of the more spectacular display directly above me.

Sometimes good things take us away from something better. That happened in the life of Martha, whose story is recorded in Luke 10:38-42. When Jesus and His disciples arrived in the village of Bethany, Martha welcomed them into her home. Being a good host meant that someone had to prepare the meal for the guests, so we don’t want to be too hard on her.

When Martha complained that her sister Mary wasn’t helping, Jesus defended Mary’s choice to sit at His feet. But the Lord wasn’t saying that Mary was more spiritual than her sister. On occasion Martha seems to have shown more trust in Jesus than Mary did (John 11:19-20). And He wasn’t being critical of Martha’s desire to look after their physical needs. Rather, what the Lord wanted Martha to hear is that in the busyness of our service, listening to Him is the main event. —Anne Cetas

Dear Lord, help me to remember that my service for You is important, but it can never take the place of intimate fellowship with You.

Jesus longs for our fellowship.

INSIGHT: Mary and Martha appear on three occasions in the Gospel accounts (Luke 10; John 11 and 12). They were friends of Jesus and sisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:17-37). It is interesting to note the significant interaction Jesus had with them. In Jesus’ day women were not regarded as reliable witnesses, yet Mary and Martha played a large role in witnessing Jesus’ miracles and message.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – He Tends His Flock

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Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep. Hosea 12:12

In conversation with Laban, Jacob described what he had done: “These twenty years I have been with you. . . . What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.”1

Even more arduous than this was the life of our Savior here below. He watched over us until He was able to say, “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”2 His hair was wet with dew, and His locks with the drops of the night. Sleep departed from His eyes, for all night He was in prayer wrestling for His people.

One night Peter must be pleaded for; suddenly another claims His tearful intercession. No shepherd sitting beneath the cold skies, looking up to the stars, could ever utter such complaints because of the hardness of his toil as Jesus Christ might have brought, if He had chosen to do so, because of the sternness of His service in order to procure His bride.

Cold mountains and the midnight air,

Witnessed the fervor of His prayer;

The desert His temptations knew,

His conflict and His victory too.

It is helpful to meditate upon the spiritual parallel of Laban having required all the sheep at Jacob’s hand. If they were torn by beasts, Jacob must make it good; if any of them died, he must guarantee their replacement.

Was not the toil of Jesus for His Church the toil of One who was under obligation to bring every believing one safe to the hand of Him who had committed them to His charge? Look upon toiling Jacob, and you see a representation of Him of whom we read, “He will tend His flock like a shepherd.”3

1) Genesis 31:38-40

2) John 18:93) Isaiah 40:11

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 1 Chronicles 17
  • James 4

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The loved ones chastened

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“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19

Suggested Further Reading: Job 12:1-6

See how the righteous are cast down. How often is virtue dressed in the rags of poverty! How frequently is the most pious spirit made to suffer from hunger, and thirst, and nakedness! We have sometimes heard the Christian say, when he has contemplated these things, “Surely, I have served God in vain; it is for nothing that I have chastened myself every morning and vexed my soul with fasting; for lo, God hath cast me down, and he lifteth up the sinner. How can this be?” The wise of the heathen could not answer this question, and they therefore adopted the expedient of cutting the intricate knot. “We cannot tell how it is,” they might have said; therefore they flew at the fact itself, and denied it. “The man that prospers is favoured of the gods; the man who is unsuccessful is obnoxious to the Most High.” So said the heathen, and they knew no better. Those more enlightened people who talked with Job in the days of his affliction, did not get much further; for they believed that all who served God would have a hedge about them; God would multiply their wealth and increase their happiness; while they saw in Job’s affliction, as they conceived, a certain sign that he was a hypocrite, and, therefore God had quenched his candle and put out his light in darkness. And alas! Even Christians have fallen into the same error. They have been apt to think that if God lifts a man up, there must be some excellence in him; and if he chastens and afflicts, they are generally led to think that it must be an exhibition of wrath. Now hear the text, and the riddle is all made clear; listen to the words of Jesus, speaking to his servant John, and the mystery is solved. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

For meditation: God is good to his children, both providing for them and disciplining them (Deuteronomy 8:1-5). Teachings such as the “Prosperity Gospel” and “Healing being in the Atonement” miss the point that such blessings are guaranteed to the believer only in the Glory (Revelation 21:3-7).

Sermon no. 164

22 November (1857)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – The Reluctant Patriarch

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“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come” (Heb. 11:20).

When you disobey God, you forfeit joy and blessing.

Isaac is a fascinating Old Testament character. He was Abraham’s long-awaited son, the covenant child, the child of promise. Yet aside from that, he was rather ordinary, passive, and quiet. Just over two chapters of Genesis center on him, whereas the other patriarchs (Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph) command about twelve chapters each.

In the final analysis, Isaac believed God and submitted to His will. But overall, his spiritual character seems more reluctant than resolute.

After a famine prompted Isaac to move his family to Gerar (a Philistine city on the border between Palestine and Egypt), he received a vision from the Lord. In it God passed on to Isaac the covenant promises He had made to Abraham: “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. And I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 26:3-4).

You would think such promises would infuse Isaac with boldness and confidence, yet no sooner had he received them, then he lied to the men of Gerar about his wife, Rebekah, because he feared they might kill him to have her (v. 7).

It was only with great difficulty and prodding that the Lord finally brought Isaac into the Promised Land, where He once again repeated the covenant promises (vv. 23-24).

Later in his life Isaac even sought to bless his son Esau after Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob (25:33). Only after he realized that God’s choice of Jacob was irreversible did Isaac acquiesce.

Isaac is a vivid reminder of how believers can forfeit joy and blessing by disobeying God. But he’s also a reminder of God’s faithfulness—even toward reluctant saints.

Is your obedience reluctant or resolute?

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Thank God for His unwavering faithfulness to you.
  • Seek His forgiveness when your obedience is reluctant or withheld altogether.
  • Ask Him to teach you to love Him in the same unwavering, resolute way He loves you.

For Further Study

Read of Isaac in Genesis 25:19—26:34.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Mighty Weapons

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“I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding Him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God, and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4,5).

Joe came to share with me how his leader in a particular Christian organization had been most unfair to him. He was being relieved of his responsibilities and replaced by another who, in his opinion, was not nearly as well qualified. As we talked it became apparent that Satan easily could sabotage the ministry.

After listening to Joe’s grievances for some time, seeking to know the truth of the matter, I inquired as to his walk with God. “Is there any sin in your life? Do you know for sure that you’re filled with the Holy Spirit?” Then I brought the other party into private conference and inquired as to his relationship with God. “Is there any sin in your life? Do you know for sure that you’re filled with the Holy Spirit?” Both assured me that they were filled with the Spirit and that they genuinely desired to know and do the will of God. I was convinced that they were both sincere.

How then could two men without sin in their lives and who claimed to be filled with the Holy Spirit be at such odds? I sought further truth. In the meantime, we brought to bear the weapons of prayer and the Word of God. God says that when brothers are at odds we should claim in prayer the release of His supernatural wisdom to resolve the matter, and, finally, claim by faith that Satan will be routed, that all of his influence will be overcome.

The counseling required several hours. I talked to one individual, then the other, then both of them together. Finally, we were on our knees praising God and then embracing each other, and the men genuinely felt that their relationship with each other and with the Lord had been fully restored. Satan had lost another battle. Another miracle had happened. Another tragedy had been averted and the Body of Christ had been spared another scandal.

What are those weapons? A holy life, the Holy Spirit, prayer, the Word of God, faith, truth – these are the weapons of God for supernatural warfare. Learn how to use them for His glory.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Whenever Satan attacks me, or I observe conflicts in the Body of Christ due to his influence, I will seek to defeat him by using God’s mighty weapons and will teach other Christians how to apply them in times of spiritual battle

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H.- Greater Benefits

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Reading a paper or hard copy of a text is better than reading it from an electronic device, shows a new study. Students’ retention level is much higher after reading printed text. Another way to increase retention is to hand write notes versus typing them. There is something that happens in the brain when you physically write the words.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy…and who keep what is written in it.

Revelation 1:3

Retention is just the thing John is referring to in today’s passage. Those who read and hear the Word of God are more likely to “keep what is written.” Many Christians only open their Bibles on Sunday, but John says those who read aloud and keep God’s commands are blessed.

Find time to read the Bible today and every day. Speak it and write it down. There are benefits even greater than increased retention. “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) Ask God to bless the reading of His Word both in your life and the lives of your national leaders.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:9-16

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading

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The Teacher explains our power to choose:

‘There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.’

From The Great Divorce

Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Brokenness: The Process

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Romans 8:29-31

How tempting it is to think we need very little improvement. Ask around, and you’ll hear many people concede they could probably use a little bit of “maintenance” on one or two problem areas, but preferably without being caused any discomfort. Yet most will add, “But I’m a good person.” Don’t be fooled—the Father refuses to settle for humanity’s meager vision of “good enough.”

We could say that God is our “interior designer.” God sees each believer as the person he or she will be when fully yielded to Jesus Christ. He then sets about achieving that complete renovation by transforming the individual’s present self into the image of His Son.

An essential step in God’s remodeling work involves removing whatever is unnecessary, damaged, or outmoded. In our case, what must go are the areas of self-will. I can tell you from experience that being a man under construction is uncomfortable! God targets habits, attitudes, and even relationships wherein we act independently of His purposes. He applies pressure to direct our attention to those places so we will surrender them to Him. Then the Lord even takes hold of interests that are dear to us. He does so until we ask a humbling question: “What would You have me submit to You, Father?”

Conforming our will to God’s changes who we are. In the midst of our transformation, pain from His tools may temporarily obscure the beauty of His design. But nothing is more splendid to God than a committed, obey-at- all-costs follower. Submit to Him so that He might remake you into the son or daughter He desires.

Bible in One Year: Acts 27-28

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Winning the Big One

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Read: Philippians 3:7-14

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 16-17; James 3

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:14

In every field of endeavor, one award is considered the epitome of recognition and success. An Olympic gold medal, a Grammy, an Academy Award, or a Nobel Prize are among “the big ones.” But there is a greater prize that anyone can obtain.

The apostle Paul was familiar with first-century athletic games in which competitors gave their full effort to win the prize. With that in mind, he wrote to a group of followers of Christ in Philippi: “Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil. 3:7). Why? Because his heart had embraced a new goal: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings” (v. 10). And so, Paul said, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (v. 12). His trophy for completing the race would be the “crown of righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8).

Each of us can aim for that same prize, knowing that we honor the Lord in pursuing it. Every day, in our ordinary duties, we are moving toward “the big one”—“the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Phil. 3:14 nlt). —David McCasland

Dear Lord, when I get discouraged, help me to keep pressing on, looking ahead to when I will be with You forever.

What is done for Christ in this life will be rewarded in the life to come.

INSIGHT: Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is one of warmth and affection, perhaps rooted in his founding of this congregation—the first church planted in Europe. While presenting the theme of joy, the letter to the Philippians also focuses on Paul’s care for them (1:3-4), the matchless person of Christ (2:5-11), and the need for unity (4:2-3). Today’s Bible reading (3:7-14) draws our attention to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (v. 8) and the impact that knowledge should have on our living.  Bill Crowder

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – The Role of the Holy Spirit

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Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30

All that the believer has must come from Christ, but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace. Just as all blessings flow to you through the Holy Spirit, so also no good thing can come out of you in holy thought, devout worship, or gracious act apart from the sanctifying operation of the same Spirit.

Even if the good seed is sown in you, it still lies dormant until He works in you to will and to do of His own good pleasure.

Do you desire to speak for Jesus-how can you unless the Holy Spirit touches your lips?

Do you desire to pray? Sadly, what dull work it is unless the Spirit makes intercession for you!

Do you desire to subdue sin? Would you be holy? Would you imitate your Master? Do you desire to rise to superlative heights of spirituality? Are you looking to be made like the angels of God, full of zeal and love for the Master’s cause? You cannot without the Spirit-“Apart from me you can do nothing.”1

O branch of the vine, you can have no fruit without the sap! O child of God, you have no life within you apart from the life that God gives you through His Spirit!

So let us not grieve Him or provoke Him to anger by our sin. Let us not quench Him even in one of His faintest motions in our soul; let us foster every suggestion and be ready to obey every prompting.

If the Holy Spirit is indeed so mighty, let us attempt nothing without Him; let us begin no project and carry on no enterprise and conclude no transaction without seeking His blessing.

Let us give Him the due homage of feeling our entire weakness apart from Him, and then depend alone upon Him, having this for our prayer: “Open my heart and my whole being to Your fullness, and uphold me with Your Spirit when I have received that Spirit in my inward parts.”

1) John 15:5

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 1 Chronicles 16
  • James 3

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

Charles Spurgeon

 Charles Spurgeon – Samson conquered

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“And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.” Judges 16:20,21

Suggested Further Reading: Colossians 2:1-8

Do any of you wish to be backsliders? Do you wish to betray the holy profession of your religion? My brethren, is there one among you who this day makes a profession of love to Christ, who desires to be an apostate? Is there one of you who desires like Samson to have his eyes put out, and to be made to grind in the mill? Would you, like David, commit a great sin, and go with broken bones to the grave? Would you, like Lot, be drunken, and fall into lust? No, I know what you say, “Lord, let my path be like the eagle’s flight; let me fly upwards to the sun, and never stay and never turn aside. Oh, give me grace that I may serve thee, like Caleb, with a perfect heart, and that from the beginning even to the end of my days, my course may be as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” I know what is your desire. How, then, shall it be accomplished? Look well to your consecration; see that it is sincere; see that you mean it, and then look up to the Holy Spirit, after you have looked to your consecration, and beg of him to give you daily grace; for as day by day the manna fell, so must you receive daily food from on high. And, remember, it is not by any grace you have in you, but by the grace that is in Christ, and that must be given to you hour by hour, that you are to stand, and having done all, to be crowned at last as a faithful one, who has endured unto the end.

For meditation: The best way to guard against backsliding is not to keep still, but to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:17,18).

Sermon no. 224

21 November (1858)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Defeating Death

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“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones” (Heb. 11:20-22).

Faith triumphs over death.

Commentator Matthew Henry said, “Though the grace of faith is of universal use throughout the Christian’s life, yet it is especially so when we come to die. Faith has its great work to do at the very last, to help believers to finish well, to die to the Lord so as to honor Him, by patience, hope and joy so as to leave a witness behind them of the truth of God’s Word and the excellency of His ways.”

God is honored when His people die triumphantly. When we’ve lived a life to His glory, and joyfully left the world behind to enter into His presence for all eternity, He is pleased, for “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps. 116:15).

Many believers who have dreaded facing death have experienced a special measure of God’s grace that made their final hours the sweetest and most precious of their lives.

Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are examples of men who faced death with great faith and confidence. Each “died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). They hadn’t seen all God’s promises fulfilled, but by faith they passed them on to their children.

These men didn’t have perfect faith. Joseph was exemplary, but Isaac and Jacob often vacillated in their walk with God. Yet each ended his life triumphantly. That’s the reward of all who trust God and cling to His promises.

Like every believer before you, you haven’t seen the fulfillment of all God’s promises. But certainly you’ve seen far more than Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph did. How much more then should you trust God and encourage those who follow you to do the same?

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for His marvelous grace, which triumphs over sin and death.

For Further Study

Read the final words of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis 48:1—49:33 and 50:22-26.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Freedom from Anxiety

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Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. —Philippians 4:6

I highly recommend speaking the Word of God when a “worry attack” comes upon you. Doing this is what it means to wield the two-edged sword against the enemy (see Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17). A sword in its sheath won’t do any good during an attack; God has given us the sword of His Word so we can use it! Learn scriptures like Philippians 4:6, and when the enemy attacks, counter his attack with the same weapon that Jesus used: the Word.

The Word coming from a believer’s mouth, with faith to back it up, is the single most effective weapon that can be used to win the war against worry and anxiety.

Power Thought: I am free from worry and anxiety.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Able to Keep Promises

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“He was completely sure that God was well able to do anything He promised” (Romans 4:21).

Occasionally, I hear people say, “Bill Bright is a man of great faith.” The statement is made because our ministry is involved with millions of Christians from many thousands of churches of all denominations and other Christian organizations in gargantuan undertakings – massive worldwide programs of evangelism and discipleship in which we have, by faith, trusted God for the salvation of at least one billion additional souls for Christ and His kingdom.

As a new Christian, I trusted God for one soul, then six, then ten souls; then hundreds, thousands, millions. And now, after more than 35 years of witnessing His mighty, miraculous power and blessing in response to faith, I am praying and believing God for a billion souls for Christ by the year 2000.

These goals are not built on careless presumptions or figures plucked out of the air in some kind of mystical, emotional, spiritual experience, but they are based upon my confidence in the sovereignty, holiness, love, wisdom, power and grace of the omnipotent God whom I serve and upon His gracious blessings on past efforts that have been undertaken for His glory and praise. No credit should be given to me or to the ministry of which I am a part, but only to the one in whom I place my faith.

Faith must have an object, and the object of my faith is God and His inspired Word. The right view of God generates faith. Faith is like a muscle; it grows with exercise. The more we see God accomplish in and through our lives, the more we can be assured that He will accomplish as we trust and obey Him more.

Bible Reading: Romans 4:13-20

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will place my faith in God alone – not in myself or in other men’s efforts or abilities – and I will encourage others to trust God, too