Tag Archives: faith

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Word Is Precious

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“Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word…. Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.” (Psalm 119:40-41, 57)

“If they would burn the Word of Christ, they would burn Christ.”

~ William Tyndale (1494–1536), language scholar and theologian

who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible

and for believing in justification by faith alone

Throughout history, there have been many people who fought the spread of God’s Word. There were people who thought it was wrong for the Word of God to be translated into a “common” language, or any other language but the original languages it was written in. Some religious leaders did not want the Bible to be readable, because their false teachings would be found out if people could check them by the Bible in their own languages.

Many years ago, a man named William Tyndale was overcome with a passion to see the Hebrew and Greek original Scriptures translated into English. His dream was that any common ploughboy (any farmer’s servant) would be able to read the Bible in his own language (English) instead of having to know Hebrew or Greek, or instead of having to listen to the Bible read in Latin. Tyndale was a skilled translator and wonderful writer, so his translations (some pieces of the New Testament that he translated) are quoted today even more than famous lines from Shakespeare’s plays are quoted!

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – A Broader Horizon

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Today’s Scripture: Matthew 6:9-10

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Consider the prayer Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9-13. It seems evidently intended as an example to be followed. Notice the sequence of the requests. The first three are that his name be hallowed, his kingdom come, and his will be done. There’s a certain degree of overlap here: God’s name will be hallowed as his kingdom comes in the hearts of people; God’s will shall be done as people acknowledge the kingship of Christ in their lives and in their societies. All these requests will be answered through the successful advance of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

In seeking to stimulate us to lift up our eyes to God’s great objective for all nations, I don’t intend to minimize the importance of evangelism and disciple-making at home. What I’m seeking to do is to broaden our spiritual horizon, to get on our hearts what, according to Scripture, is on God’s heart: The Gospel is not just about God and me, or even about God and the people among whom I live and work. The Gospel is about God and the world.

Obviously, there’s more to carrying out the Great Commission than prayer. People must go to the ends of the earth. As I write this chapter, our son, daughter-in-law, and one-year-old grandson are preparing to go to one of the more difficult areas of the world. Is it hard to see them go to a people who are so resistant to the Gospel? Absolutely! But if we’re praying for the penetration of the Gospel among those people, we must be prepared for God to use us or our loved ones to help answer those prayers. (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Prepared to Testify

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Today’s Scripture: Acts 27-28

“Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” – Luke 24:47-48

I remember when someone first taught me how to prepare my Christian testimony. I was told to sit down with a sheet of paper and a pen, and write my recollections from three areas of my life: my lifestyle before I came to Christ; how I came to Christ; and something of my life after I came to Christ.

I began to think and write, and finally I was ready to boil it down to three minutes, giving equal time to each part. Ever since then, I’ve had many fascinating opportunities to share my testimony.

In Acts 28, we find Paul giving his testimony over and over again while he is under house arrest, awaiting trial before Caesar in Rome: “They…came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and from the Prophets” (Acts 28:23). No doubt, as Paul reasoned with them from the Law, he gave them his personal testimony as well, trying to persuade them to turn to Christ in repentance and faith.

One of the things that made the apostle Paul so powerful was the fact that his life had a focus, like an arrow heading straight for the center of the target. His mission I n life was to be a messenger of the gospel, and he gave himself to it.

Christian, are you prepared to witness for Christ?

Prayer

Lord, by your Spirit, may I always be able to tell how grateful I am to be saved by Your grace. Amen.

To Ponder

If someone gave you three minutes to tell them about your Christian faith, could you present the whole gospel in a clear, cohesive way in that amount of time?

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Americans Can’t Pass Theology 101

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One thing is certain: Americans love the Bible. A recent report from The American Bible Society and Barna Group finds that two-thirds of the nation believe the Bible contains “everything a person needs to know in order to live a meaningful life.” And a vast majority of folks in this country still consider themselves Christians. But just how deep does their Christianity run?

Not very, according to the results of a survey released late last month by LifeWay Research. The survey, commissioned by Ligonier Ministries, asked 3,000 participants a set of 47 questions about foundational Christian beliefs. Many of the answers revealed a mishmash of heresy and confusion about Christianity’s most basic doctrines.

Seventy percent of Americans agree there’s only one true God—one in essence, three in person: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet almost the same number believe God accepts the worship of all other religions, even those that deny the Trinity or worship other deities. Sixty-one percent correctly say Jesus is both human and divine, but half think that He’s also “the first and greatest being created by God,” rather than existing eternally, as Scripture and the ancient creeds of the faith teach.

More bizarre contradictions emerged: Over sixty percent of Americans say that God, Who cannot err, is the Author of the Bible. Yet fewer than half are willing to affirm that the Bible God wrote is “one hundred percent accurate in all it teaches.” Two-thirds admit everyone sins, yet also insist that most people are good by nature! Perhaps most oddly, half of Americans believe that only those who accept Jesus will be saved, yet sixty percent also say everyone will eventually make it to Heaven.

So what about professing Christians and especially evangelicals? Surely they did much better on basic doctrines of the faith. Uh, no.

Lifeway identified 586 of the three-thousand respondents as “evangelical.” These are folks who believe the Bible is their highest authority, that personal evangelism is important, and that trusting in Jesus’ death on the cross is the only way of salvation.

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – SALVATION RELATIONSHIPS: LOVE EACH OTHER

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Read 1 PETER 1:22–25

One joy in the autumn season in many parts of the United States is seeing the changing colors of the leaves. Cars filled with “leaf peepers” drive through New England or along the Blue Ridge Parkway, hoping to catch the peak moment of a landscape awash in red, orange, and golden leaves.

The most beautiful panorama of leaves won’t last, however. Eventually the leaves will fall, winter will come, and the colors shift to a muted palette of gray and white. Most things in life change: children grow, relationships ebb and flow, seasons pass, loved ones die. But the promises and Word of our God do not wither or fade or change (vv. 24–25). The absolute trustworthiness of God should shape our relationships.

We’ve already explored the Father- child relationship that we enjoy with God. But our salvation also affects our relationships with each other. As we grow in holiness and obedience, we also grow in our ability to love others (v. 22; see 1 John 3:11). This love results from our new birth, our new hope, and our new identity in Jesus. There’s a sense here of God’s love pouring into our lives, transforming us, and then overflowing into the way that we live in love with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The command to love each other also requires our humility and grace. We can’t obey this command because we are perfect but because God is perfect. We don’t obey this command because other people are reliable but because God is reliable. We can love others, even when they fail or disappoint us, because the foundation of this love is the gospel—God’s expression of love for us (v. 25). His love and His promise will never fail or fade; gloriously, they endure forever.

APPLY THE WORD

Appreciating God’s creation can be a helpful way to focus our attention and worship toward Him. When you notice the changing colors as the season changes from autumn to winter, praise Him for His unchanging Word. If you plant bulbs this fall, thank Him that your new birth in Jesus is from imperishable seed that is guaranteed to blossom for an eternity.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – HURRICANE MATTHEW AND THE MORAL STORMS OF OUR DAY

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Nearly two million people are fleeing in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas as Hurricane Matthew approaches. The storm has already devastated Haiti and eastern Cuba and is expected to strengthen over the next day. However, officials in South Florida are worried that residents have become complacent after eleven years of near misses. Weather authorities know what everyone should: the best way to respond to a hurricane is to flee its path.

This fact applies to more than hurricanes.

A new study involving more than a million women found a significant correlation between birth control pills and depression. The risk is especially elevated with teenagers: women between the ages of fifteen and nineteen who took oral contraceptives were 80 percent more likely to become depressed.

While some teenagers take the pill for medical reasons, 86 percent do so for birth control. If these women chose to abstain from premarital sex, they would avoid the pill’s depressive side effects.

Scripture repeatedly warns us to flee temptation (1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 15:33; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). Contrary to conventional wisdom today, God’s moral standards are not puritanical legalism but an expression of his grace. He is a loving Father who knows his children and wants only what is best for them (Psalm 103:5). His standards are like signposts intended to keep us on the road and out of the ditch.

For instance, God warned Jerusalem that her sins would lead to her demise: “Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it!” (Ezekiel 24:6). This is a powerful metaphor. When a cooking pot is corroded, nothing put inside it is edible. So it is with immorality: it poisons all it touches and ruins what comes from it.

It did not have to be this way. God told his people, “I would have cleansed you” (v. 13), but they refused his forgiving grace. Now they would face his judgment: “I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God” (v. 14).

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Brokenness: The Principle

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John 12:24-25

Brokenness hurts, and most of us would rather live without any seasons of pain. Yet during such times, God often does His greatest work in our lives, reshaping and realigning us for His divine purposes.

Jesus beautifully explains the principle of brokenness in today’s passage, where He compares our life to a single grain of wheat. If we hold a kernel in our hands, nothing will happen. If we carefully place it in a jar or on a shelf for safekeeping, it will just sit there indefinitely. In its safety, the grain will essentially be useless.

However, if that kernel is placed in the soil where its protective layer is stripped away, something amazing happens. Before long, a little sprout will emerge from the earth and start to grow into something different, useful, and beautiful. Moreover, that new stalk will produce more grains that can be planted, and the stalks they produce will do the same. It’s an amazing cycle of life, wherein a single kernel can lead to countless stalks of wheat. But it has to start with the brokenness of one grain.

Jesus did not just speak this example; He lived it. By sacrificing Himself, He was broken and placed in the ground. From that brokenness came new life for us all. From that one “grain,” countless new believers, each with a new life, have sprung forth.

Are you feeling broken today? If so, remember the principle of the broken grain. God has certainly not abandoned you; instead, He may be leading you into a season of new growth.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 8-10

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Good Medicine

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Read: Ephesians 4:25-32

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 23-25; Philippians 1

A cheerful heart is good medicine.—Proverbs 17:22

Careless driving, rising tempers, and use of foul language among some taxi and minibus drivers are a constant source of traffic fights in our city of Accra, Ghana. But one traffic incident I witnessed took a different turn. A bus was almost hit by a careless taxi driver. I expected the bus driver to get angry and yell at the other driver, but he didn’t. Instead, the bus driver relaxed his stern face and smiled broadly at the guilty-looking taxi driver. And the smile worked wonders. With a raised hand, the taxi driver apologized, smiled back, and moved away—the tension diffused.

A smile has a fascinating effect on our brain chemistry. Researchers have found that “when we smile it releases brain chemicals called endorphins which have an actual physiological relaxing effect.” Not only can a smile diffuse a tense situation, but it can also diffuse tension within us. Our emotions affect us as well as others. The Bible teaches us to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Eph. 4:31-32).

When anger or tension or bitterness threatens our relationship with the Lord and with others, it helps to remember that “a cheerful heart is good medicine” for our own joy and well-being. —Lawrence Darmani

Think about a time when you were angry with someone or when you had an argument. How did you feel inside? What parts of your life did it affect?

We find joy when we learn to live in Jesus’s love.

INSIGHT: Paul tells his readers to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Eph. 4:31). The Greek word translated “get rid of” is artheto, and it means to lift something for the purpose of carrying it off or putting it away. Getting rid of sinful and destructive behavior requires that we allow the Holy Spirit to remove those things that mark our former life (4:17-24) so that the compassion and forgiveness of Christ (v. 32) will flourish. Dennis Moles

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Right and Left

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A mother bowed before Jesus with a request. Her sons were under the tutelage of the rabbi who was stirring the city with words of another kingdom, and she wanted to assure them a place. Kneeling, she uttered, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”(1)

This exchange I remember well, and I confess, often with an air of superiority. What a silly concern. The overzealous mother, and the sons who seemed to be standing in the wing as she asked, were rightly told they didn’t quite get it. Jesus’s response seemed to be aimed at both mother and sons alike: “You don’t know what you are asking,” he said to them. Christ had come to be a servant, humbling himself as a sacrifice. For a people who didn’t understand, he came to show the way. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” Jesus asked them. “We can,” they answered, still having no idea what was coming, much less what they had just agreed they could drink. The right and left seats were the least of their worries.

Author Donald Miller once realized that the right and left seats beside Jesus were also the least of his worries. He wittily explains how he never pictured himself as bothering with the seats of honor or the politics of heaven, and considered himself the better for it. In a moment of honesty, he realized he just wasn’t all that interested. He pictured himself more readily being off somewhere on a remote and rolling hillside, exploring, or fishing, or maybe even napping. The seats of honor could be given to someone else. Miller eventually realized this might not be the most corrective option.

I suspect many of us hold similar pictures. Sure, we follow Jesus, but are at times unconcerned with how closely we follow, indifferent about the gap between his steps and ours, so long as we are at least claiming to follow. At times we are probably much more like James and John than we want to admit—unaware and incorrect. Perhaps to our casual wish to be uninvolved with seats and honors in heaven, Jesus would say the same to us: “You don’t know what you’re saying.” Maybe we don’t always get it either.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Right and Left →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Children of Darkness

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“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6).

Those who deny the reality of their sin affirm the unreality of their salvation.

Ours is a society that rejects the concept of individual responsibility. People blame society, their parents, their genes—anything but their own actions and choices—for their problems. The biblical teaching that all people are responsible for breaking God’s holy law is scoffed at as primitive, unsophisticated, and harmful to a healthy self-esteem.

Even some who claim to be Christians refuse to acknowledge their sin. They say, “I make mistakes. But I’m a good person. Surely God won’t reject me!” Such people are tragically deceived and will miss out on salvation; those who don’t see themselves as lost will not seek God’s gracious salvation. In the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

The apostle John gives three characteristics of those who deny their sin.

First, they walk in darkness (1 John 1:6). That reveals that they are not saved, since only those who “walk in the light” are cleansed from their sins by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7).

Second, they are self-deceived (1 John 1:8). The Bible makes it unmistakably clear that all people are sinners (2 Chron. 6:36; Rom. 3:23); there are no exceptions (Rom. 3:12).

Third, they defame God, making Him out to be a liar (1 John 1:10) by denying what His Word affirms—that they are sinners. That is a serious, blasphemous accusation to make against the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), whose word is truth (John 17:17).

In Luke 18, Jesus described two men praying in the temple. One, a proud, self-righteous Pharisee, denied his sin. The other, a despised tax-gatherer, cried out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” Which of the two do you identify with?

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God, “who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

For Further Study

Read the following passages: John 8:12; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 5:1-2, 8; Colossians 1:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5. Is it possible for a Christian to habitually walk in darkness (lead a life of continuous, unrepentant sin)? Explain.

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Appointed by God 

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And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11:3

The Lord seeks out disciples who are sensitive to His heart—those ready and willing to follow His next appointment to witness and serve. God seeks sincere seekers, so He can entrust them with His favor. He recruits submissive star players for His team, so let your heart rest in the hand of your heavenly Father. You will endure under the mighty hand of the Almighty, but out from under His authority, hope shrivels and help fades away. Gladly accept God’s next appointment.

Just as Jesus sent out His disciples in pairs, so the Lord appoints two witnesses to proclaim His truth for three and a half years. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, these bold prophets will have the ability to destroy their enemies and cause plagues to infect the earth as evidence of God’s presence and mankind’s stubborn heart. Once the two witnesses finish their assignment from heaven, the beast will arise from hell to attack, overpower and kill them. What the devil deems as dead—the Spirit is able to bring back to life. Divine appointments may die to be revived again.

“The Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of His people.” (1 Samuel 13:14).

Keep your heart tender towards God with constant cultivation in the commands of Christ. You remain useful to your heavenly Father by staying sensitive to the Spirit’s service appointments. The Lord is not looking at your outward appearance, but at your inward beauty of integrity. Perhaps your mind needs cleansing from the seduction of the sensual and renewed with submission to the Spirit. Also, keep your pride in check with humble acts of service at home.

Because the Holy Spirit seeks you out, you are wise to turn toward Him and move in His direction. Obedience to God always moves towards God, while disobedience to God always moves away from God. The Lord may be seeking you to replace another unwilling servant of His. So, remain humble as opportunities to serve Him open up. Your added responsibilities make you more responsible to represent Christ well. So, surrender to God’s search for your heart.

“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you” (Job 22:21).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for appointing me to serve in this season of life.

Application: I am available and willing to follow God’s appointments to humbly serve and witness for Him. Whom can I partner with in Kingdom minded ministry?

Related Readings: 2 Chronicles 30:8; Isaiah 26:12; John 4:23; Philippians 3:3

 

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Hope Givers

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She has done what she could.

Mark 14:8a

Recommended Reading

Colossians 3:12-17

Wess Stafford wrote about a teacher assigned to work with a hospitalized schoolchild on nouns and adverbs. Arriving at the hospital, she was taken to the burn unit. She had to scrub and put on sterile attire, and she found the schoolboy in pain. The teacher felt apprehensive, but she told the boy, “I’m the special visiting hospital teacher, and your teacher sent me to help you with your nouns and adverbs.” She went through the material with him and then left, feeling little had been accomplished.

The next morning when she returned, the nurses met her and said, “Since you were here yesterday his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment…it’s as though he’s decided to live.”

What had happened? The boy himself later explained: “They wouldn’t send a special teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, now, would they?”1

Sometimes we impart hope to others by just showing up with compassion and doing what we can in the name of Christ. When we do what we can, He will bless what we do and all we do.

There is something fundamentally wrong with claiming to love God without a passion to love people.

Wess Stafford

1Wess Stafford, Just a Minute (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 145-146.

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Matthew 10 – 11

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Wisdom in Waiting Quietly

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But Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.— Luke 2:19

There is great wisdom in learning to quietly ponder what you feel the Lord has spoken to you, especially when you’re not sure exactly how it will work out.

You may feel that God has promised something for your children, spoken a new direction for your career, instructed you to make some changes in your character— whatever it is, if you’ll trust God, wait patiently, and ponder what the Lord has spoken, He will show you exactly how to cooperate with His plan.

Mary had some pretty amazing things happen in her life. She was just a teenage girl who loved God when an angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. But whatever Mary may have thought or felt, she trusted God, saying, May it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38 NASB ).

When God speaks something to us, many times we need to keep it to ourselves. If He tells us things we don’t really understand, things that seem to make no sense, we can follow the example of Mary. We can do a little more pondering instead of running to others for advice. The doubt of others can ruin your faith. Sometimes the best thing you can do is quietly hold on to God’s promise and ask Him to make it clearer to you in His perfect timing.

When God calls you to do something, He also gives you the faith to do it.

From the book Closer to God Each Day by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Disappointment of Shattered Dreams

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Today’s Truth

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.

Psalm 145:17

Friend to Friend

Everyone will experience discouragement at some point in life. It will look as different and unique as the fingerprints on your hand, but disappointments will come.

  • Dropping your son off at a rehab center instead of college.
  • Signing divorce papers instead of planning an anniversary party.
  • Looking for a job rather than getting a raise.
  • Cuddling up with a good book rather than cozying up with a good husband.
  • Planning a funeral instead of planning a future.
  • Counting out food stamps instead of writing a check.
  • Moving up in your career rather than rocking a baby in your arms.

Yes, everyone will experience broken dreams at some point in their lives.

I had a dream of having a house full of giggling little girls and boisterous rowdy boys. After Steven was born, I felt that we were well on our way to making that dream a reality.

I loved being a mom! With Bambi-length eyelashes, chubby cheeks, and a shock of black hair (which later turned white), Steven had my heart in his tiny little fist the first time I laid eyes on him.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – The Disappointment of Shattered Dreams →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Yours Is the Kingdom

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“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Do you like the picture, as I do, of being a part of God’s little flock? That makes Him our shepherd, of course, and it makes us His sheep. How apt a picture!

Often, I am sure, most of us must seem to wander like lost sheep – not knowing which way to turn. It is at such times, in particular, that I need to see the Lord Jesus Christ as my great Shepherd, tenderly watching over me in the midst of every kind of heartache and burden.

In Judea, it was common to see men tending sheep, looking over the flocks by day and night. The shepherd watched over them, defended them, provided for them, led them to green pastures and beside still water.

Jesus was – and is – the Good Shepherd. His flock was relatively small. Few really followed Him, compared to the multitude who ignored Him. Though small in number, they were not to fear because God was their Friend. He would provide for them. He purposed to give them the kingdom and they had nothing to fear.

Today, we are part of a large and growing flock with a great and loving Shepherd. Just to know that He watches over us – cares for us – is joy supreme.

Bible Reading: Luke 12:28-34

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: During the day I will deliberately look up into God’s heaven several times to see that great Shepherd of the sheep, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – God’s Wisdom

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Read: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

This ought to be one of the most encouraging passages to any of us who have tried to be a witness as a Christian. Speaking of the things of Christ and the things of God is easy in a church like this where you are gathered with Christian friends because nobody objects. However, when you try to talk about these things with unbelievers, people who are committed to the philosophy of taking care of number one first and who are out to seek for fame or fortune or whatever it may be, you find it very difficult. You feel much personal weakness and fear and trembling. That is the way Paul felt, and that ought to be an encouragement to us.

The reason he felt like this is because what he was saying to them was not in line with what the world wants to hear about itself. It did not massage the ego of man; it did not make him sound like he was incredibly important. Paul deliberately rejected that approach which is wrong because it does not help man. Instead, he began to talk about this judgment of God upon the thinking, the attitudes, and the wisdom of man, and it left him feeling rejected. In a sense that is what Paul was suffering in Corinth. He came, but there was no great ego-pleasing reception for him, there were no dinners, there was no Academy Award given to him.

He tells us how he felt. He felt fearful, weak, and ineffective. He felt his words were not outstanding; he felt he did not impress anybody by the way he came at this. Have you ever felt that way? I have, many times. I have sat down with somebody to witness to him and I felt as if I had two tongues and they were stumbling over one another. I did not seem to have the right answers to things. I could only talk about how it affected me; I felt like I was doing nothing effective. Yet Paul was not discouraged. In the book of Acts we are told that after he had been in Corinth for a few months the Lord Jesus appeared to him in a vision and strengthened him and said to him, Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, … and no man shall attack you to harm you, (Acts 18:9-10). Paul was afraid he was going to be beaten up as he had been in other cities. He was afraid of being branded as a religious fanatic. He did not like those feelings, nevertheless he faithfully began to talk about Jesus Christ.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – God’s Wisdom →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – A Truthful Love

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Read: Acts 16:35-40

They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out. (v. 37)

Thus far, we have been looking at how the Bible portrays Paul’s experience in custody in order to know what it means to remember those in prison. Today’s Scripture presents Paul, still a prisoner, in a role that may make some of us uncomfortable: the one who lovingly confronts his oppressors with the truth about their own injustice.

Christian love, including the love of enemies, is sometimes presented—both by critics of Christianity and by Christians ourselves—as a kind of weakness or masochism. We still hear, for example, terrible stories of battered women being told by their pastors that “Christian love” requires them to stay and be silently beaten. Paul shows us a better way. He did not seek revenge; he did not ask God to smite the Philippians. He simply refused to let the system lie to itself about what it was doing. He insisted on staying where he was until the magistrates showed up in person to see their own botched handiwork.

Christian love forgives, but it doesn’t lie. It names mistreatment. And sometimes, in its honesty, it even embarrasses our fallen human systems into doing something like the right thing.

Prayer:

Lord, support those who have been unjustly treated and bring about righteousness through their witness. Save us from the pride that refuses to hear uncomfortable truths from the “wrong” mouths.

Author: Phil Christman

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Read Your Own Mail

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Submitting to one another in the fear of God.—Ephesians 5:21

Sometimes wives choke on the verse that says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” They might say, “I don’t want to submit to my husband or anybody else.” But before God tells wives to submit to their husbands, God tells both husbands and wives to submit to one another in the reverence of God.

If you are a Spirit-filled person, you will be a submitting person.

Maybe when you think of submission, you equate it with some form of slavery. That is not what submission is in the Bible. Let me put it another way: If you are really filled with the Spirit, you will think of others over yourself. A Spirit-filled husband will put the needs of his wife above his own. A Spirit-filled wife will put the needs of her husband above her own. Both of them are putting the other in the first position.

In military language, it means, “to rank beneath.” It is not about superiority or inferiority. It is about order. It is about sacrifice. It is about obedience. It is not about you; it is about your mate. You want to hold them up. You want to support them.

A successful marriage is not so much about finding the right person as it is about being the right person.

It drives me crazy when I hear wives quote verses to their husbands about what he should be doing, or when the husband quotes verses to the wife about her role. Read your own verses and put them into practice.

Stop blaming your wife and instead be the best husband you can be. Stop blaming your husband and instead be the best wife you can be. Stop reading each other’s mail and just do what God tells you to do. You will be amazed at what will happen.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is a Rock for His People

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“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God. The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.” (Psalm 18:30-31,46)

Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art.

I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.

Have you ever heard the song “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting”? Like the psalmists in the Old Testament, we can sing songs about the heart of God. We can sing songs about His character traits and about His amazing works. What are some things about God’s goodness and greatness that you would think of as good reasons to sing?

In the song “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting,” the writer is rejoicing that Jesus is Someone we can rest in, Someone whose loving heart is very great, Someone worthy of trust, and Someone Who gives joy. In King David’s psalm quoted above (Psalm 18), he rejoices that God’s way is perfect and that His Word has been tried (proven) to be steadfast. He describes God as a buckler (a safe place, a shelter, a fortress) for all who trust Him. More than once, David even calls the LORD a rock!

Do you know of anyone else like that? Anyone else whose ways are perfect? Anyone else who is a fortress for every single person who trusts in him? Anyone else who could be described as a rock? No one else is like that. Only God! That is why David says, “Who is God, save the LORD?” That means, “Who else could God possibly be, if He is not the LORD?”

People think different things are scary, and every child has his own set of fears. You might be afraid to get a shot at the doctor’s office, or maybe visiting a nursing home is scary for you. Maybe caves (or things that live in caves) make you afraid. Maybe you do not even like to cross the street!

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Hardship’s Harvest

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Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 12:11

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant.”

I once knew a person who would recount some of the adversities her family was facing and would then put on a forced smile and say, “But we are victorious.” She apparently thought believers should not admit pain. But the writer of Hebrews was honest. He said the discipline of hardship is painful.

“But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). This “fruit of righteousness” is essentially equivalent to sharing in his holiness. Discipline, then, is one of the chief means God uses to make us holy.

The discipline of hardship also produces peace for those who have been trained by it. This, wrote Philip Hughes, “bespeaks the rest and relaxation enjoyed by the victorious contestant once the conflict is over.” Hughes was speaking of the rest that comes to the believer when we go to be with the Lord. But there’s also a peace to be enjoyed in this life for those who have learned to endure adversity as the evidence of God’s fatherly hand upon them to make them more holy.

F.F. Bruce captured this thought well when he wrote, “The person who accepts discipline at the hand of God as something designed by his heavenly Father for his good will cease to feel resentful and rebellious; he has ‘calmed and quieted’ his soul [Psalm 131:2], which thus provides fertile soil for the cultivation of a righteous life, responsive to the will of God.”

The road to holiness is paved with adversity. If we want to be holy, we must expect the discipline of God through the heartaches and disappointments he brings or allows to come into our lives.

 

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