Tag Archives: current events

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Will Not Forget You

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15)

Ellen rang the doorbell. She was shivering inside her raincoat, but she wasn’t sure whether she was cold or just excited. She was standing on the front porch of the music teacher’s house, ready for her first lesson. Today a dream she’d had for many years was just beginning to come true. She rang the doorbell again. No answer.

Ellen tried knocking. Nothing. She even went around to the side door and rang that doorbell a few times. But no one came to let her in. When she finally turned away from the house, the gray dampness of the day seemed to seep right into her heart. Ellen’s teacher had forgotten about her lesson.

Have you ever been forgotten? Sometimes adults forget the promises they make to kids. Maybe someone promised you a trip to the ice cream store. Maybe someone promised to take you fishing, teach you how to play basketball, or pick you up at a certain time – and he forgot. The Bible tells us that even our parents can sometimes forget about us!

But there is Someone who will never forget you. In Isaiah 49, God comforts His people by saying that He has graven them on the palms of His hands. He promises that He will never forget them. If you are His child, you will never be out of His loving care. All of the promises He makes to you in His Word are true. He will never forget one of them. And He will never forget you – ever.

God will never forget His children.

My Response:
» Have I forgotten about God, or have I thanked Him for His love?

Denison Forum – US will end public health emergency for COVID-19 in May

Let’s start with the good news: the White House announced yesterday that the US plans to end the coronavirus public health emergency on May 11. According to the New York Times, this is “a sign that federal officials believe the pandemic has moved into a new, less dire phase.”

Now to the bad news: A report released yesterday by the world’s largest humanitarian network states that the world remains “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, which could be “just around the corner.” The World Health Organization is currently monitoring nine “priority diseases” that pose the greatest public health risk. One of them is labeled “Disease X,” acknowledging that “a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.”

I found this news disconcerting but personally less relevant since there is nothing I can do about “Disease X” or any other pathogen. However, this headline also caught my eye: “Tens of Thousands of Americans May Have This Deadly Disease—and Not Even Know It.” I quickly read the story to discover the nature of this “deadly disease” and whether I might have it.

And I saw an online life expectancy calculator in today’s news and immediately took it myself.

Why I changed my sermon last Sunday

The brevity and uncertainty of life is on my mind and heart today because of something that happened two days ago at the Chapel where I speak on Sundays.

I was about to begin my message when our executive pastor told us that someone was in need of special prayer. It turned out, a couple in the service had received word that their thirty-six-year-old son had just died. He left three small children.

We gathered around the couple to pray for them and to grieve and weep with them. After they left to be with their family, I changed my message to a conversation about trusting God with our worst fears and grief.

We began by acknowledging the shock we all felt. Children are supposed to bury their parents—parents are not supposed to bury their children. This is every parent’s worst nightmare and greatest fear.

It’s something we think could never happen to us, until it does.

Filtering the world through two prisms

This is how many people approach the subject of death itself.

I was troubled about VEXAS, the “deadly disease” in the news, until I learned that I don’t have its symptoms. But I’m choosing to ignore the pandemic which could be “just around the corner” since there is nothing I can do personally to prevent it.

I think most of us respond to such threats in a similar fashion. We filter them through two prisms: Do they affect us personally? If so, is there anything we can do about them personally? If the answer to both questions is not yes, we find something else to think about.

This is because most Americans are pragmatists, measuring truth by what works for us. In fact, the philosophical school called “pragmatism” (from the Greek pragma, “action”) originated in the US and has been deeply influential on our culture.

Some pragmatic philosophers even believe that “a claim is true if and only if it is useful.” Since the story about the next pandemic is not useful to most of us, we feel free to ignore it if we wish.

You and I are not Jesus

The biblical worldview is far different.

In God’s eyes, every person is valuable as a bearer of his image (Genesis 1:27), someone for whom Christ chose to die (Romans 5:8). As a result, I should be concerned for those who have VEXAS whether I have the syndrome or not. And I should be troubled about the global consequences of the next pandemic whether I can prevent it or not.

The good news is that our Savior feels everything we feel, whether others empathize with us or not. In fact, he “loves each of us as if there were only one of us,” as St. Augustine said.

Now he wants to do the same through his church, the “body of Christ,” as we continue his earthly ministry today (1 Corinthians 12:27). However, you and I are not Jesus. We cannot feel as deeply as he feels for even one person, much less everyone in the news and in our lives.

But if we will ask, he will direct us to a hurting person we are to help in his name. He will give us his heart for this person until we “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) and incarnate his grace in our compassion.

I believe he has such a person for each of us to love today. Will you ask him for yours?

The gospel on five fingers

Here’s the rest of the story: as we share Christ’s presence with hurting people, we experience Christ’s presence more deeply in our souls.

When people asked Mother Teresa why she loved the poor so much, she would point them to Jesus’ statement, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). But she did so in a very personal fashion: she took their hand and slowly wiggled one finger at a time as she said, “You-did-it-to-me.”

What will you do to Jesus today?

`

Denison Forum

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

Mark 7:28

And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

This woman’s statement is a cultural statement. She was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and because she was not of the children of Israel, she was an idol worshipper and considered to be a dog. In her desperation for her demon-possessed daughter, she recognized her great need for Jesus, and she would not let the cultural barrier stop her from establishing a relationship with Him. But Jesus tests her faith in Him by stating that it’s not good to give the children’s bread to the dogs.

Her response, “Yes, Lord” was a remarkable declaration of faith. Do you know that those are the two most powerful words you’ll ever learn to say? “Yes, Lord” is the response of a disciple who in following Jesus must deny himself and take up his cross when it’s hard. She agrees to His terms, and in that moment, Jesus felt her faith in agreement with His, and He knew that she was ready to receive the power of God in her life. She said, “If I can get a crumb from You, it is enough to bring deliverance.” Whatever you need, you have it in Jesus. You will receive that mountain-moving miracle when you believe that He is the only One who can make that miracle move.

Today’s Blessing: 

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you His peace. May you walk today knowing the faith that God has given you and the initiative that you take on that faith will lead you into success for tomorrow in every adventure. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord that we serve. Put your hands in the nail-scarred hand of the Son of God and walk with Him to achieve your destiny. For great is the Lord God of heaven, who saves us all through His precious blood in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Exodus 12:14-13:17

New Testament 

Matthew 20:29-21:22

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 25:12-22

Proverbs 6:12-15

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Have No Fear!

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 27

When we walk into a new situation in life, there is often some fear in our heart. Whether it’s the first day of school in a new town or the first day at a new job, venturing into the unknown can make us feel anxious and fearful. It is only when we begin to build relationships and adjust to our surroundings that the fear subsides. The unfamiliar becomes familiar.

Investing in our relationship with the Lord has the same effect. When we spend time with our Heavenly Father, the fears in our life subside. When we study His Word, we see how He protected His children from their enemies and worked miracles on their behalf. We become confident in His unchanging love and care for us.

Our God is all-powerful. He is with us no matter where we are or what we are experiencing. He alone makes the unfamiliar familiar and changes our fear into peace.

Allow these truths to settle into your heart and mind so that when fear comes, you can be confident knowing who your God is.

If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear.
John Newton

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – We’re in This Together

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 

—Ephesians 4:3

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:3 

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you become part of the church. You are a part of the body of Christ. And because we’re all together in this new family, we should do nothing to unnecessarily disrupt it.

In Ephesians 4 the apostle Paul used the human body to illustrate the church. He wrote, “For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all” (verses 4–6 NLT).

Paul was saying that we need to keep unity in the church. For instance, all the parts of your body need to work together. Your brain sends signals to your hands, and your hands do thus and so, working together. You don’t want your hands to break loose and do their own thing.

In the same way, the church must work together as a body. We are part of the body of Christ, and we need to cooperate with each other.

However, Paul wasn’t saying that it doesn’t matter what we believe as long as we work together. Sometimes in our desire for unity, we can end up embracing the wrong people and the wrong beliefs.

We do not want to have unity with someone who doesn’t believe in the essentials of the Christian faith. That doesn’t mean we’re rude. We can disagree and still be pleasant.

But unity between brothers and sisters in Christ is a different issue. We might have differing viewpoints on the order of prophetic events or some other thing. But we shouldn’t break fellowship over that. We build our unity on the truth of what we have learned in Scripture, on the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

Our Daily Bread — Running on Empty

Bible in a Year:

They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Isaiah 40:28–31

“I just don’t think I can do this anymore,” my friend said through her tears as she discussed the overwhelming sense of hopelessness she faced as a nurse in a global health crisis. “I know that God has called me to nursing, but I’m overwhelmed and emotionally drained,” she confessed. Seeing that a cloud of exhaustion had come over her, I responded, “I know you feel helpless right now, but ask God to give you the direction you’re seeking and the strength to persevere.” At that moment, she decided to intentionally seek God through prayer. Soon after, my friend was invigorated with a new sense of purpose. Not only was she emboldened to continue nursing, but God also gave her the strength to serve even more people by traveling to hospitals around the country.

As believers in Jesus, we can always look to God for help and encouragement when we feel overburdened because “He will not grow tired or weary” (Isaiah 40:28). The prophet Isaiah states that our Father in heaven “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v. 29). Though God’s strength is everlasting, He knows that we’ll inevitably have days when we’re physically and emotionally consumed (v. 30). But when we look to God for our strength instead of trying to sprint through life’s challenges alone, He’ll restore and renew us and give us the resolve to press on in faith.

By:  Kimya Loder

Reflect & Pray

When have you tried to handle overwhelming situations alone? How might you look to God for help?

Dear God, thank You for helping me when the challenges of life seem unbearable.

http://www.odb.org

Grace to You; John MacArthur –  Serving the Supreme One

God exalted Christ “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet” (Eph. 1:21-22).

Now and forever Christ is the Supreme One!

Yesterday we saw that Christ has both an exalted name and an exalted, authoritative position. In verses 21-22 Paul elaborates on the extent of Christ’s authority, which is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.”

“Rule,” “authority,” “power,” and “dominion” are designations for angelic beings, whether good or evil (cf. Eph. 6:12Col. 1:16). In His incarnation Christ was made lower in rank than the angels that He might suffer death on our behalf (Heb. 2:9). Now He has “become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they” (Heb. 1:4), and the Father commands all the angels to worship the Son (v. 6).

But Christ’s rule extends far beyond angelic beings. In Ephesians 1:21 the phrase “every name that is named” is a general reference to any form of authority—whether angelic or human, eternal or temporal. Now and forever Christ is the Supreme One! Ultimately every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11).

The implications of that truth are staggering. For example Christ precedes the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, the heart of Christian evangelism and discipleship, with this significant statement: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Ultimately your evangelism and discipleship efforts will bear fruit because they are backed by the authority of Christ Himself. Does that encourage you to seize every opportunity to share Christ and His Word with others? It should!

Be faithful today, realizing that you represent the One in whom lies all authority. Nothing can thwart His purposes.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to a lost soul or anyone else you can encourage from the Word. Be sensitive to His leading.

For Further Study

Read Colossians 1:15-23.

  • What was Christ’s role in creation (vv. 15-17)?
  • What is His role in the church (v. 18)? In salvation (v. 23)?
  • What place have you given Him in your life?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur 

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer – Nothing Can Take God’s Love from You

 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)

What we all want more than anything else is to be loved and accepted unconditionally. If we have not received that by the time, we are teens or young adults, we have wounded souls and are unable to function the way God intended. He created us for love and acceptance, not abuse and rejection.

The good news is that if we did not get what we needed and should have had from the people in our past, we can get it from God now, and it will heal us. My father, who abused me, told me he loved me, but his kind of love hurt, so I grew up needing, but being afraid, of love. I didn’t trust people who said they loved me, and it was difficult for me even to learn to receive God’s love because I felt as if I were damaged and not worth being loved.

When I finally let God into my wounds, one of the first things He began teaching me was that He loved me unconditionally. I finally accepted that He loved me, but I still felt it must come with conditions, so I worked hard at being perfect so I could deserve His love. You may have experienced or perhaps are experiencing the same thing. If the people who were supposed to love us didn’t, then we are convinced there is something wrong with us that makes us unworthy of love. It actually took me a few years to become totally convinced of God’s love for me to the point where nobody and nothing could take it away from me.

This never-ending, perfect love of God is available to you and me, and it is the most wonderful thing we could ever have. God’s perfect love sets us free from fear (see 1 John 4:18). If you are anything like I was, you have many fears in your life, but you can be free from every one of them through learning to soak in God’s love on a regular basis. You may feel fear, but if you know God’s love, you won’t have to obey fear. You can move forward even if you feel fear because you know that no matter what, God will always be there for you. If you make a mistake, He will help you recover and keep moving forward.

God’s love is the healing balm we need for our wounded souls. Study Scriptures about God’s great love for you and learn to speak them aloud over your life. Before long, you will start believing the truth of God’s Word, and it will heal you.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I am so thankful for the healing balm of Your love and that You have given me an ability to love others. Let Your love flow through me today in ways that will help others, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – Seeing All of Christ

He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Luke 24:25-27

What are you expecting a life of following Jesus to be like?

Luke does not introduce to us a great variety of post-resurrection appearances by Jesus. He instead chooses to focus our attention on the interaction between the risen Christ and two individuals walking along the Emmaus road—individuals who were wavering between faith and fear as they tried to make sense of life in light of the crucifixion.

Jesus’ death had confronted these early believers with a problem—namely, that their hope in Jesus as the Messiah had died with Him. Indeed, Luke records for us that they “had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21, emphasis added). These individuals had expected that when the Messiah came, He would bring victory, peace, and justice that would roll down like a vast and overwhelming river (Amos 5:24). But this hope had come to a crashing halt at the cross, where injustice seemed to have triumphed.

Yet something even better was about to happen: “While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them” (Luke 24:15). Aware of their perplexity and hopelessness, Jesus, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets … interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

It wasn’t that these people were unbelievers. It wasn’t that they didn’t know certain things the prophets had said. But in their reading of the Old Testament and in their thinking about messiahship, they had failed to grasp the big picture. They had not been paying attention to all that the prophets had spoken. They had focused on only one side of the story. They had warmed to the idea of victory—but they had failed to see that glory and victory lay at the end of a path of suffering, even death.

We cannot embrace Jesus as Messiah apart from the cross. Jesus was very clear: victory surely awaits, but only for those who take His words in Luke 9:23 to heart: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Are you willing to follow the path of suffering in order to enjoy a life with Christ in His glory? Are you at risk of turning away from God because He has not given you a victory in this life that He never promised? Be sure to see the whole story, so that setbacks and suffering do not defeat your faith or destroy the joy that comes from knowing that at the end of a hard path following a crucified King awaits the victory of seeing His face and living in His eternal kingdom. However hard or good the days of this life are, something better is always lying ahead.

GOING DEEPER

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Topics: Jesus Christ Joy Suffering

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotional by Alistair Begg,

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Desires a Clean Heart

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not the Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a free Spirit.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

Sometimes, when we go through trials, we’re not sure how to pray. It’s even harder when we’ve added our own sin to the trial, and we don’t feel as though God wants to hear us. But God does want to hear us. If we’re not sure what to say, we can get help from prayers like David’s in Psalm 51, or from prayers of other people, like the one below.

O Father,

I so desire to have a clean heart before You! I don’t want sinful desires, wickedness, bitterness, or anger to keep me from You. Forgive me for sinning against you with my spirit, my actions, and my words. Please help me to retain the joy, happiness, and peace that You have given to me throughout this trial. Because of the pain, it is hard, Lord, to smile. It is hard to keep myself from bitterness and anger.

O Father, I cannot do any of this in my own power. My flesh is weak and I easily become bitter. I can only have a clean heart in your strength and power. Give me the strength, wisdom, and power to turn this situation over to You completely. Allow my spirit, actions, and attitudes to reflect you.

For Your Glory and Honor Forever! In Jesus’ name,
Amen!

God will clean our hearts and give us grace in response to our prayers.

My Response:
» When I go through difficult situations, do I pray for grace and confess my sins?

Denison Forum – Critics lambast “hideous abortion idol” in New York City

On a weekend with another mass shooting in California and grief and outrage over the video of Tyre Nichols’s horrific death, watching the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs win their playoff games yesterday was a welcome distraction for many.

Meanwhile, another story in the news is more culturally significant than it may seem.

A golden, eight-foot female sculpture wearing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s signature lace collar now stands over the state courthouse in New York City. According to the New York Times, the sculptor titled her work “NOW” because “it was needed ‘now,’ at a time when women’s reproductive rights were under siege after the US Supreme Court in June overturned the constitutional right to abortion.”

Art history professor Claire Bishop called the sculpture “a magical hybrid plant-animal” and hoped that “maybe she can help channel us back to reinstating Roe v. Wade.” Critics see the sculpture in a very different light, some calling it a “hideous abortion idol” and even “demonic.”

“You shall have no other gods before me”

Idolatry is by definition “the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God.” This sin violates the first of the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

“Other gods” originally took the form of a “carved image” (v. 4). Today, our idols are seldom as visible as they were in Moses’ day. Nonetheless, we all have an “ultimate concern,” as philosophical theologian Paul Tillich observed.

If it is not the one true God, anything we serve in his place is our idol. From material success and financial prosperity to cultural popularity and a host of other “deities,” we are all tempted to worship something or someone who is not God.

Paradoxically, the more God meets our needs and blesses our lives, the more we tend to choose other gods to serve.

“We do not recognize the scale of his generosity”

St. John Fisher (1469–1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian who also served as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. In a biblical commentary, he observed:

“God freed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt with many signs and wonders. Then he led them across the Red Sea dry-shod; in the desert he fed them with food from heaven in the form of manna and quails; when they were thirsty he gave them an inexhaustible spring of water bubbling from the rock. He gave them victory over enemies that attacked them; he made the Jordan flow backwards for them; he took the land he had promised them and divided it between them according to their tribes and clans.

“Although he had dealt with them so lovingly and generously, the ungrateful people abandoned the worship of God, as if they had utterly forgotten everything, and shackled themselves with the crime of idol-worship—not once but many times.”

Consequently, in words that describe our culture even more than his, Fisher noted that we are “supremely ungrateful: we have gone far beyond the boundaries of all previous ingratitude. We pay no attention to God’s love, we do not recognize the scale of his generosity, but we spurn the source and giver of all these good things and practically hold him in contempt.

“Not even the outstanding mercy he shows to sinners moves us to order our lives and actions according to his holy law.”

“Status threat and envy”

Why do we do this?

A basic fact of our fallen nature is that we all seek to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5), to be in charge of our lives so we can do as we wish. As a result, we resist authority of any kind that tries to tell us who we are or how we should live.

This has never been more true than today. Our “post-truth” culture assures us we can define truth however we wish, do with our bodies (including those carrying unborn babies) whatever we wish, define gender and marriage as we wish, and end our lives whenever and however we wish.

In addition, psychologists report that when we receive help from those we perceive to be more competent than ourselves, “status threat and envy” arise and we are “likely to undermine help givers.” We “bite the hand that feeds us” because we resent our dependence on this “hand” and the control this dependence creates.

The passion of Christ’s love for you

The solution is both horizontal and vertical.

If you’re thinking only about your own best interests, ask yourself: Does it make sense to refuse the guidance of an omniscient Father who sees your future better than you can see your present? To refuse the help of an omnipotent Lord who can meet your every need by his grace?

Now let’s turn from our interests to our Savior. Reflect upon his decision in the Garden of Gethsemane to die to purchase your salvation. Consider the fact that, if you have trusted in him as your Savior and Lord, you will spend eternity in heaven rather than hell only because of his grace. Remember the last sin he forgave, the last prayer he answered.

Now take a moment to focus on Jesus himself. Envision him at the right hand of the Father as he intercedes this very moment for you (Romans 8:34). Feel the passion of his love for you.

To worship and serve anyone before Jesus is to choose idolatry and thus to “bite the hand that feeds you.” To love Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to serve him as your ultimate concern is to trust the hand that was crucified for you.

How will you respond to the outstretched hand of your Savior today?

Denison Forum

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Do you believe that your words are so powerful that they have the power of death and life in them? Notice how extreme those two positions are. God didn’t say that there’s a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in your speech. He didn’t say there’s a little sweet, sour, sassy or sincere. He said you have one of two things coming out of your mouth. One is life, and the other is extremely different, and that’s death.

How many dreams have been birthed by words of inspiration and hope? Words such as, “I believe in you” and “You can do it,” reminders that “all things are possible through Christ,” and statements such as, “God is able to give you exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask, think or imagine.” These are words that give life to your dreams. And how many dreams have been abandoned because of statements that have destroyed the thing that you desire in your heart? We can assassinate a dream and destroy a destiny with statements such as, “I don’t think so,” “You’ll never…” and “I doubt it.”

Today choose words of life from God’s Word that will change your life and others’ lives.

Today’s Blessing: 

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord give you His peace. May you live from this day forward with supernatural blessings which bring God’s continuous happiness in your home, in your marriage, in your speech, in your emotions so that the law of divine happiness will rule your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Exodus 10:1-12:13

New Testament 

Matthew 20:1-28

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 25:1-11

Proverbs 6:6-11

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Fear Is a Liar

Do not fear.
Deuteronomy 1:21

 Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 1:19-33

We all encounter circumstances in our life which cause us to experience fear. These could be mental, physical, or spiritual struggles. The characters in the Bible were no exception. They, too, experienced fear. Think of the disciples rowing on the Sea of Galilee or David battling against Goliath. Fear and the courage to conquer it are mentioned often in God’s Word. But it is important to remember the role of faith in conquering fear.

Joshua and Caleb were men of faith. When they and the other spies left Kadesh Barnea to enter the land of Canaan and inspect the land that God had given them, their cohorts were afraid. But not Joshua and Caleb. They didn’t let fear keep them from God’s plan for the people to enter the Promised Land. Nor did they let fear convince them to disobey His commands. While others rebelled against God, Joshua and Caleb remained steadfast in their faith in God and His promises. And they were eventually blessed because of it.

Deuteronomy 1:21, 30 says, “Do not fear or be discouraged…. The Lord your God…He will fight for you.” Reflect upon the promises found in God’s Word; they will enable you to conquer all your fears.

The only known antidote to fear is faith.
Woodrow Kroll

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Lopsided Christians

 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 

—1 John 3:3

Scripture:

1 John 3:3 

I’ve met people who have an impressive knowledge of the Bible, know Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, and have a vast knowledge of history. They dazzle you with what they know. But their personal life is in shambles.

They can’t keep a marriage together. They can’t live right before God. And they’re always falling into sin and different troubles. The problem is they’re imbalanced. They have the knowledge. They have the doctrine. And if you were to sit down and talk with them, they would know far more than you may know. But their life is out of balance.

I’ve seen this sometimes with people who love to study Bible prophecy. It’s almost like a hobby for them. Understand, I’m a firm believer in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. I believe the rapture of the church could happen at any time. But some people, in their zeal to see Bible prophecy fulfilled, jump to conclusions.

With that said, there are Christians who are lopsided in another way. They don’t know much doctrinally or what the Bible teaches on certain subjects, but they’re passionate about their faith in Jesus Christ. You might hear them say things like, “Let’s not quibble over doctrine. I just love Jesus.”

That sounds nice, but it’s a dangerous statement. The Bible clearly teaches that in the last days there will be false Christs, false gospels, and even false miracles. If we’re not careful, we might end up loving the wrong Jesus. We might end up believing the wrong gospel. That is where doctrine comes in.

We need the balance of having both areas working together. The Bible tells us, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3 NKJV).

We can have an understanding and belief in prophecy and facts and figures. But if it isn’t affecting the way we’re living, then we’re missing the point.

Our Daily Bread — Seven Minutes of Terror

Bible in a Year:

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

John 11:38–43

When the Mars rover Perseverance landed on that red planet on February 18, 2021, those monitoring its arrival endured “seven minutes of terror.” As the spacecraft ended its 292-million-mile journey, it went through a complex landing procedure it had to do on its own. Signals from Mars to Earth take several minutes, so NASA couldn’t hear from Perseverance during the landing. Not being in contact was frightening for the team who had put so much effort and resources into the mission.

Sometimes we may experience our own times of fear when we feel we’re not hearing from God—we pray but we don’t get answers. In Scripture, we find people getting answers to prayer quickly (see Daniel 9:20–23) and those not getting answers for a long time (see Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1:10–20). Perhaps the most poignant example of a delayed answer—one that surely struck terror in the hearts of Mary and Martha—was when they asked Jesus to help their sick brother Lazarus (John 11:3). Jesus delayed, and their brother died (vv. 6–7, 14–15). Yet four days later, Christ answered by resurrecting Lazarus (vv. 43–44).  

Waiting for answers to our prayers can be difficult. But God can comfort and help as we “approach [His] throne of grace with confidence, . . . [that] we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

What are you praying for, but the answer doesn’t seem to be coming? How can God increase your faith as you wait on Him?

Loving God, You know what’s on my heart. Please help me trust You as I await Your answer.

http://www.odb.org

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Our Unity in Christ

 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).

All Christians have a common Lord, common beliefs, and a common public testimony.

Yesterday we looked at what Christians have in common through the Spirit. Today’s verse teaches us what we share through Christ.

Christians have only “one Lord,” the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” Paul says in Romans 10:12, “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all.”

Our “one faith” is simply the content of what the revealed Word of God tells us we are to believe. And the primary focus of the Scriptures is Christ. Though we have many denominations and congregations, there’s only one true Christian faith. This faith is what Jude refers to in verse 3 of his epistle: “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Why then do churches differ so much in what they teach? Some of it comes from inadequate study or lack of diligence. Some is from unexamined tradition. The fundamental problem, though, is our humanness—we are fallen, fallible people, and that can color our understanding of Scripture. That’s why it’s so important we not hold too tightly to “our brand” of Christianity, but instead always think matters through biblically and discuss them courteously.

Christians also have “one baptism.” This does not refer to Spirit baptism because that was implied in Ephesians 4:4 with the words “one body.” (As 1 Corinthians 12:13 explains, we all were placed into the Body of Christ by the baptism of the Spirit.) “One baptism” in verse 5 refers to water baptism. When someone comes to believe in the only true Lord, he should be baptized as a public expression of his faith. Public baptism was an essential part of the early church’s testimony to the world. It is no less essential today.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for our Lord Jesus Christ, for our common Christian faith, and for our baptism, by which we identify ourselves with Christ and His people.

For Further Study

  • The church at Corinth did not understand our oneness as believers. Read Paul’s description of them in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. What were the symptoms of their divisions?
  • What did Paul command them to do?
  • If there are divisions in your church, find ways that you can be a peacemaker.

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur 

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer – God Honors Faith

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

— Hebrews 11:6 (AMPC)

For 10 years, Robert and Mary Moffat labored as missionaries in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without a single convert. Finally, the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt they would see people turn to Christ in due season.

They stayed, and for a year or two longer, darkness reigned. Then one day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that he wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Trusting that, in time, the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, “Send us a communion set. I am sure it will soon be needed.” God honored that dear woman’s faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England arrived on the day before the first commemoration of the Lord’s Supper in Bechuanaland.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, such remarkable faith and perseverance seems beyond me. Help me to trust You with the work You want to do through my life. I know that the day is coming when I will see the reward for diligently seeking You, amen.


http://www.joycemeyer.org

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – Godly Leadership

Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.”

1 Samuel 12:1-3

Leadership of any kind is very vulnerable. If you work at the front of a classroom, lead an industry, operate in politics, or serve in pastoral ministry, you’re routinely in the spotlight and before people’s scrutiny—and that can be a challenge.

As King Saul was coming to leadership, the role that Samuel had played as judge was about to change. Recognizing this pivotal moment of transition in Israel’s history, Samuel used the opportunity to establish his legacy. He had enjoyed a privileged position, but he didn’t focus on his skills and strategies as Israel’s leader. Instead, he highlighted his character: that he had walked before the Lord from childhood, that he was upright before the people, and that, as a result, he had been able to enjoy and convey God’s faithfulness and goodness through it all.

After recounting his track record, Samuel did something that so many leaders fear to do and fail to do: he put himself in the dock and asked the people to testify regarding the integrity of his leadership. He was willing to stand there while they determined whether his office had been marked by any bribery or self-promotion. That’s a risky prospect! As the people considered Samuel’s questions, they found nothing against him, either in his character or in the authority and influence that had been entrusted to him: “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand” (1 Samuel 12:4). He had used his position neither to grow wealthy nor to dominate. Samuel’s leadership was vindicated.

Because leadership comes with such focused attention, we must pray for leaders diligently and, if the Lord sees fit to place us in a leadership role ourselves, enter such roles thoughtfully, considering the purpose for which God has called us. James warns us not to take our leadership responsibilities, especially within the church, lightly or carelessly: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1).

Are you under the care of godly leaders? Then know that as they serve the Lord faithfully, they need your prayers, encouragement, and support! Be sure to pray for them regularly and seek to build them up frequently. Are you a leader yourself? Then follow Samuel’s pattern: walk before the Lord as you lead, so that your leadership is marked by honesty and integrity and so that your example is truly worth following.

GOING DEEPER

1 Timothy 3:1-13

Topics: Christian Living Leadership Prayer

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotional by Alistair Begg, 

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Is Just To Forgive Us

“…that He [God] might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26b)

Let’s pretend that your brother has done something to hurt you very badly. What if when your parents found out what happened, they said, “Oh, we’ll just let that go – it’s all right. Just forget about it.”

No, you say! You have been hurt. You have been sinned against. Your parents would not be just unless they punished your brother for that sin. Right?

But let’s pretend you stepped in and said, “Punish me for what my brother did. I’ll take the punishment, and he won’t have to.” Then your parents would be just to forgive your brother, right? Someone else would be taking the punishment in his place.

This is very much like what God has done for us. We have hurt Him by our sin. Each one of us has gone against His perfect, holy law so many times, in so many ways, that we could never be punished enough to pay for it all. And yet He forgives us. How can He be just to forgive us?

The only way He can be just is to punish someone else in our place. And Jesus, His perfect, holy Son, took God’s punishment when He died on the cross. He was our substitute. He took the punishment that we deserved. If we turn to Jesus, trusting Him to free us from sin, God will forgive us for the sake of His Son.

God is just to forgive the sin of those who have believed on His perfect Son, Jesus Christ.

My Response:
» Have I accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as the payment for my sin?

DDNI Featured News Article – Parsing an Ungrateful Generation

You can already tell by our title the direction this piece is going.  

But it’s much more than just a bunch of selfish crybabies.  Today’s story is about a fundamental shift in how the country thinks and acts, whereby we have lost another critical piece of what made us unique. 

Let’s step back for a moment, and I’ll share a story highlighting the problem as I see it.

I live in a small rural county run by a five-person Board of Commissioners. Virtually every decision of consequence is made in a consensus-focused manner.  During one of the recent department reports, commissioners were advised that some employees had been put on standby status in case a quick response was required to a recent cold snap. The department head acknowledged that employees would be paid if they were called to work. 

But a dispute followed over whether employees should be paid for “standing by” in case of need, whether ultimately activated or not.

I argued that the essential nature of public service employment is that they might be inconvenienced from time to time, but such emergency call-ups were or should be part of their job description. 

A decision was not reached, but it made me think. 

I’ve employed individuals continuously for nearly fifty years. During that time, I’ve seen a change from gratitude for employment to an attitude that turns the relationship on its head.   

Today, employers bend over backward to accommodate the needs and seemingly arbitrary desires of hires to a degree that would have been unthinkable in years past.

A recent Fox and Friends program featured employees quitting their job without notice and even going so far as to place their joyful resignations on TikTok!  

It seems there is a not-so-subtle disdain for employers in general, and it’s cool and hip to “shove it to the man,” so to speak.  Of course, not all employees behave in such a manner, but too many no longer feel loyal to their employers.  Indeed, a lack of gratefulness or partnership is much more common than I can remember in my lifetime.

The situation with my county commission and TikTok antics highlight an absence of gratitude.  

Our historical work ethic is now associated with White Privilege.  The White Privilege war has become the go-to weapon the Left has embraced to destroy traditional American society and families.  Those people whom I term the ‘Destroyers’ accuse the government of being predicated on a virtually unchallenged assumption that America was formed, run, and exists for the benefit of white people in general and privileged whites in particular.

Quitting your job without giving the standard two-week notice (or more if you are in a critical position) is considered by molly-coddled younger workers to be nothing more than leveling the playing field. The prevailing thinking seems to state that companies are exploiting their workers through the very requirement to show up for work.  Many of those young believe they have better things to do than punch a clock or make money for someone other than themselves and detest the inconvenience of having to work for money.  To them, this is literal proof of White Supremacy.

How did this come to pass?  Growing up in the ’60s and early ’70s, I was anxious to work.  I wanted to build businesses and create opportunities.  I wanted to hire people smarter than me, not to exploit them, but to create wealth and prosperity for all of us.  And I did.  I speak to many entrepreneurs who still believe in that pathway.  Still, large companies, government workers, and many non-profit employees have been inculcated into an anti-free market culture and subsequent entitlement and victimhood. 

Fortunately, many good old-fashioned workers and employers still think and act as I do.  However, the contaminated individuals who believe the Left’s tripe can and are pulling the rest of us down. 

Here’s an analogy to explain how this will inevitably come to pass:

Remember the Titanic?  She would not have sunk except for one flaw; its watertight bulkheads were not sealed at the top.  So, as the water rose in one compartment, it spilled over to the next compartment and then the next until it was inevitable that the Titanic would founder and sink.  I believe it is now that way with our country.  Attitudes toward work, family, savings, debt, and entitlement are like flooded compartments, ultimately sinking our ship.  

In addition, millions of illegal aliens are like surging water overtopping the nation’s bulkheads, leading to the ship of state sinking rapidly to the bottom.

But unlike the Titanic, we have a little time to find a solution before it is too late.  We could right the ship if we tried hard.  The question is, will we?  On one side, we have the people, institutions, companies, and others intent on reinventing the U.S. into something foreign and unworkable.  On the other side, we have the silent majority.  President Nixon popularized that term in 1969.  Why don’t people speak out in defense of their self-interests?  The fact that so many are silent is telling.  Many of the remaining producers remain modest and frugal, keeping to themselves, be that church, social circles, or even immediate family.  That silent majority is quite the opposite of those individuals shouting their opinions loudly and often to any target they think is a threat to their view of how the world should be as far as they are concerned.

In my life, each day, I pray to do something “decent and right” that will help someone that day.  In an imperfect world, it is up to the individual, not the government, to make this world better than how we found it.  Government interferes with our duty and obligation by trying to be something that it can never be…Daddy.

Distortion of reality of all kinds, exhibited by millions, is a condition I will call ‘Woke Brain.  It is observable within those mentally weak or adrift from reality who are disengaged from traditional life requirements that have defined us since our inception. 

Wrongheaded thinking derived from decades of brainwashing has left us where we are today.  Can you believe that 18% of those under 34 don’t believe we landed on the Moon?  Think about that!  This statistic encapsulates everything you need to know to understand what’s wrong with our society.  Those naysayers don’t believe we went to the Moon because they can’t imagine they/we could do it again today based on their observations of lazy society, waning intelligence, and the drive among their friends.  Add to that a deep distrust of anything and everything that constitutes our collective history and culture. 

Their starting point was 1619 when slaves were first brought to America, which the New York Times now says defines us as a predator nation to this day.

Millions of our young live with a profound distrust for America, its systems, fairness, and perhaps, even a question of how long the America of their parents and grandparents will continue to exist. These issues constitute the root cause of our current predicament and where we must collectively make our stand.

God Bless America!

By Allan J. Feifer – is a patriot, author, businessman, and thinker.  Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com