Job 23:10-14

Imagine going to a nice restaurant for dinner. The table is set with linens, fine china, and crystal glasses. The waiter delivers your plate with a flourish. In the middle of that exquisite plate is a single marshmallow. What a letdown! Instead of receiving a nutritious, meaty meal, we are left with a puff of sugar and no satisfaction.

If we become lax, our lives can resemble that disappointing meal. Instead of being believers with a weighty message full of hope, we can find ourselves with nothing to offer but a bit of fluffy sweetness. God’s message is meant to nourish and sustain; our family, our friends, and even we ourselves cannot be satisfied by meager provisions. Our Father wants us to have such impact that people will never be the same after we arrive.

If the Lord is building a valuable message into our lives, we must receive everything that comes our way as from Him. When a bad event passes through God’s permissive will to affect us, He will bring good from it. (See Rom. 8:28.) Truthfully, a person can share a message of hope more effectively if he or she has first suffered. When we are hurting, we seek comfort from people who have faced similar hurt. Likewise, others will trust our comfort if we have known pain.

Whatever the circumstances, we should be evaluating what God is doing in us. Like a gem polisher, He will work off our rough edges by running us up against tough experiences and people. When we look for His purposes and lessons, we hasten the time when our life message reflects the hope that is available in Christ Jesus.

Bible in a Year: Joshua 10-12

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Read | Matthew 5:13-16

What statement is your life making? Every person testifies to personal beliefs and priorities by the way he or she lives. Jesus said that to the watching world, believers should be like salt and light, which simply cannot be ignored. If we add salt to soup, the improved taste is obvious, and when we bring light into a room, darkness flees. Our character, conduct, and conversation should make a loud and clear statement about the importance of God, the necessity of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

To live a life of significance that brings glory to the Lord, believers must begin by reading and studying the Scriptures. As we meditate on His Word, God reveals Himself, and we gradually absorb His principles into our daily living. This enables us to make a greater impact on the world.

One good way to learn Scripture’s lessons is by researching the lives of great saints like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, David, Esther, Mary, and Paul. A person could spend many weeks studying each one’s life message, as revealed in the Bible. Their stories have much to teach us about the way they coped, what they discovered from mistakes, and how they interacted with God.

From these biblical accounts as well as other passages, we learn that our heavenly Father has a goal for our lives. He desires to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. Recognizing this, we can set an example of successful godly living for others to follow: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).

Bible in a Year: Joshua 7-9

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Read | Galatians 5:16-25

The Holy Spirit is one of God’s most precious gifts to His beloved children. The Spirit takes up residence within the believer at the moment of salvation and empowers the individual to overcome sin and live for God’s glory and purposes. However, the Holy Spirit’s power can be “turned off” or ignored. Only those who choose to walk with Him have unhindered access to His strength and guidance.

Walking by the Spirit denotes reliance upon Him. He leads the way, and we follow Him. As He speaks, we listen, heed His warnings, and obey His directions. The Spirit’s way is a path of surrender which, although difficult, leads to fullness of life.
God’s Spirit not only guides but also empowers us. The challenge of obeying Him is impossible in our own strength. The Holy Spirit supplies everything we need for living a godly life, and He produces His amazing fruit in us.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Walking in the Spirit →

Read | John 10:18

Many people wear a cross because it symbolizes the Christian faith. But few fully grasp the depth of love that it represents.

The cross stands for what is arguably history’s most painful method of execution. Crucifixion usually began with two soldiers flogging the criminal from the front and back. They used a strap with three leather cords, each containing a piece of embedded bone that tore flesh to ribbons. No wonder Jesus fell and struggled to carry His cross after such treatment.

The soldiers then hammered a long square nail into the hands or wrists; this shape would heighten the already excruciating pain. Another nail was driven through the ankles into the wood. Raising the cross, executioners would then drop it into a hole in the ground; the thud from it falling into place would further tear the flesh. In order to breathe, the convicted man had to push up on his bloody ankles.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – The Cross: Symbol of Supreme Love →

Read | Titus 2:11-14

Sin does not play favorites. It works its way into everyone’s life without regard to age, race, or economic status. Regardless of the form it takes, sin always tempts us to choose our own way over God’s way. Rebellion is harmful and addictive, and repetitions of sinful behavior lead to more of the same, until the action is so ingrained in our lives that we cannot stop. We become enslaved to it.

The descent into a pattern of disobedience begins in our minds. Once our thinking is involved, the influence extends to our behavior, eventually progressing until we are more entrenched than we ever imagined. Deception permeates the whole process. We tell ourselves there is no harm in what we’re doing—after all, other people behave the same way.

Sin’s demands keep increasing, and yet its benefits are only short-term. Eventually, we experience emptiness instead of satisfaction, pain in place of comfort, and loss rather than gain. Habitual sin splits our mind and emotions. Then we spend less time meeting our responsibilities and more time satisfying cravings. Our care and concern for others diminish, too. Over time, feelings of guilt and entrapment can take their toll and lead toward self-destruction.

Continue reading Charles Stanley –Overcoming Habitual Sin →

Read | 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

God established protective boundaries for His children because He knows the dangers of disobedience—for both the transgressor and others affected by the sin. His Word warns us not to give in to temptation but to follow Jesus Christ in a life of sacrifice, which is the only way to true contentment.

In contrast, the world says satisfaction is found in acquiring goods, wealth, status, and friends. Satan whispers the lie that gratification comes from self-indulgence. His goal of turning us away from God started with his temptation of Adam and Eve. The Creator had given them access to every tree in the Garden of Eden except one. The first man and woman stepped outside the limit set by the Lord, ate the forbidden fruit, and became separated from Him. Satan used doubt (“Has God said?”), deceit (“You surely will not die”), and self-delusion (“You will be like God”) to achieve his aim (Gen. 3:1-5). He made rebellion against God—which is the root of all sin—seem very attractive. And the enemy’s methods are the same today.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Fighting the Battle Against Sin →

Read | Proverbs 6:16-19

Humility is a healthy, godly sense of our merits, talents, and achievements. In the life of the believer, one thing stands as an obstacle to humility: pride. To think of oneself above others is the exact opposite of the humble mindset God calls His children to demonstrate (Phil. 2:3). Pride is deceitful in that we might not recognize it in our own hearts. Even more dangerous is the person who is proud on the inside and yet appears humble to others. But God cannot be fooled.

Our heavenly Father hates pride because He knows the destructive power it can have in our lives. When we are proud, what we’re really saying is that we know better than God. He places pride—“haughty eyes”—at the top of the list of seven abominations. That doesn’t mean that He hates the person who is prideful. God loves all of us. Because of that love, He despises anything that will bring harm to us.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – The Obstacle to Humility →

Read | Luke 15:11-32

When we read about the Prodigal Son, our focus is usually on God’s amazing love, which is demonstrated by the father in the parable. We delight in knowing that the Lord responds to us the same way when we stray from Him. But today, I want to look at our responsibility to love others. No matter how difficult the situation, God has given believers in Christ the capacity to respond with this same kind of love.

Let go. Though he had every right to refuse his second son’s foolish request, this father understood that the young man had already left home in his heart. There may be times in our lives when the most loving thing we can do is also the most difficult—to step back and let a loved one go his or her own way. When you hang on and try to control the outcome, you may actually get in God’s way.

Wait. Once we have let go, we must then wait patiently for the Lord to do His work in that person’s life. Did you notice that the father didn’t go to search for his son? Even though he knew that pain and trouble would follow such a foolish decision, he chose to trust God instead of trying to fix the situation and protect his son from the consequences of his unwise choice. Continue reading Charles Stanley – A Powerful Love →

Read | Acts 1:9-11

In our lives, we may have had opportunities to experience amazing things, see beautiful views, and hear wonderful music. But more marvelous than any earthly event is what Christians will experience at the return of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul urges believers to become familiar with what will occur at that remarkable time (1 Thess. 4:13). Just imagine…

What we will hear: Jesus “will descend from heaven with a shout” (1 Thess. 4:16). Perhaps the Lord will say something similar to the words He spoke when raising Lazarus back to life: “Come forth!” (John 11:43). The voice of the archangel Michael—the leader of the angelic host—and a heavenly trumpet will also be heard, calling the saints to assemble.

What we will see: Jesus will descend (Acts 1:11), to be met in the air by newly resurrected deceased saints and then, a moment later, by living believers. Continue reading Charles Stanley –Imagine His Return →

Read | Acts 6:4

God has issued some dramatic calls to service. For example, Moses heard His voice from a burning bush, and Isaiah saw a vision of heaven’s throne room (Ex. 3; Isa. 6). But a spectacle is the exception rather than the rule. For most who follow God to the mission field, His call is a tug on the heart, persistently whispering, “How will they know God unless someone tells them?” (See Rom. 10:14.)

It’s better if the Lord doesn’t have to use drama to get our attention. Consider Saul, who needed a serious talking to and temporary blindness to get him on the mission field (Acts 9:3-9; Acts 26:13-18). I know I’d rather hear the Lord’s still small voice (1 Kings 19:12)!

People can try to ignore the heart tug, block the ever-present call with activity, or satisfy it by giving money rather than themselves. Some say no outright. But the call persists. God’s will is set and His plan is steadfast. Though we may run, we can’t escape His call to obey (Jonah 1:1; Jonah 3:1).

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Hearing the Call →