Tag Archives: faith

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Thankful Soil Grows Humility 

Leave a comment

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

By default, I think many of us spend our days focused on our own needs, wants, and desires. From basic health and nutrition to our ambitions and dreams, we are wired to care chiefly about ourselves! As Augustine said, because of sin and brokenness we as human beings are “curved in upon ourselves.” Yet the beauty of the gospel is that when we encounter the love of Christ, not only are we made new but we also learn to turn our focus away from ourselves and onto the needs of others and the worship of almighty God.

One of my favorite quotes comes from 20th century pastor and theologian Michael Ramsey, who once said, “Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.” How true that is! If you struggle, as we all do, with an inflated sense of self-worth or self-interest, rush to plant yourself in the soil of thanksgiving. As Paul reminds us, lift up your heart and soul in thanksgiving and praise to God. Let the love of Christ dwell within you and heal you from the empty love of self.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Thankful Soil Grows Humility  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Timing Is Everything

Leave a comment

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

2 Timothy 4:6

Recommended Reading

Hebrews 1:1-2

Think about the timing necessary to keep our solar system stable. Every 24 hours the earth spins on its axis. Every 365.26 days the earth orbits the sun. The moon orbits the earth every 27.3 days. In premodern days, the certainty of those numbers formed the basis of calendars, agriculture, navigation, and more. While calculations today may be easier with computers, those calculations still depend on the timing of the solar system.

Continue reading Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Timing Is Everything →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Go with the Flow

Leave a comment

But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.—Psalm 37:11

We can learn to get along with people. It is especially important to learn to get along with our immediate family members and coworkers. There are many informative books about personality differences to help us understand why people feel and act the way they do. Understanding helps to smooth over strained relationships.

People make decisions differently. Some give an immediate answer, while others want time to think about things first. Try to understand the people you will see today. Ask God to show you ways to get along with them. He will give you favor as you trust in Him.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Power of a Song

Leave a comment

For the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.

Isaiah 12:2

Friend to Friend

Just try to keep my daughter from singing. Go ahead and try. You will fail. She must sing. It’s just her thing. Some days when I’m writing, or simply trying to piece together a coherent thought, I dream that she could travel to a land far, far away from me and hang out in a sound proof room.

Shhhhhhh! Embrace “quiet” already, girl.

I know. When it comes to 24/7 musical expressions, mother-of-the-year I am not.

And I’m okay with that.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – The Power of a Song →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Place of Privilege

Leave a comment

“For because of our faith, He has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be” (Romans 5:2).

Interesting, is it not, that because of our faith, which is really His faith imparted to us, He has brought us, you and me, to a place of highest privilege.

What are some of the benefits that constitute this highest privilege?

First, we are justified – considered righteous in God’s sight.

Second, we are admitted into His favor and we abide there.

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Place of Privilege →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Truth about Sex

Leave a comment

Read: Leviticus 18

No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord. Lev 18:8

Next to the preservation of life the most powerful human drive is sex. Sex, as we are beginning to understand these days, is like a great river which, when it flows quietly between its banks, is a boon and a blessing to us. But when it is raging in full flood, inundating the landscape in permissiveness and promiscuity, it is terribly destructive and hurtful. God’s Word is careful to regulate us and help us in this area. It is amazing that God takes the risk of letting us have this fantastic power in our lives. He doesn’t take sex away from us if we misuse it. He takes that risk with us, with a plea to us that we learn to keep it within its banks.

You can see how God underscores the purpose of these instructions. They are to make you live, not die — not be restricted, not narrowed and hemmed in and prohibited from expressing yourself. No, quite the contrary! They are there so that you might live, might enjoy life to the fullest degree, might find it whole and rich.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Truth about Sex →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Playing Favorites (Part 1)

Leave a comment

Read: James 2:1-7

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (v. 1)

Mahatma Gandhi was a wise man, who led India in the independence movement against British rule and developed nonviolent civil disobedience. He was extremely well-educated, and a voracious reader. He was curious about Jesus, and read the Gospels in order to learn more about him. Gandhi often quoted from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. However, he later told how he once tried to enter a Christian church to worship, and the ushers refused to let him through the door, rudely suggesting that Gandhi should “leave or be thrown down the steps.” Gandhi famously said, “Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

James makes it very clear in this passage that we often judge or discriminate without even thinking about it! You may not think that you favor the rich, but ask yourself: did you look down on that woman at the store when you noticed she was using food stamps? You passed a homeless man on your way to work recently; did you invite him to church, or offer him a meal? Did you know that some 1.2 billion people worldwide live on less than $1.25 a day (World Bank Web site)?

Jesus said that we will always have the poor among us (John 12:8), and he also said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. James is just reminding us what that should look like.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, help me to love others without favoritism.

Author: Susan Hetrick

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. God Thing

Leave a comment

Have you ever been so focused on the road that you forget where you are going? Sometimes that happens when following God. Bible teacher and pastor Charles Swindoll once said, “You and I can become so dedicated to the will of God, we can be so driven by a false sense of purpose, that we might inadvertently take matters into our own hands and leave God completely out of the loop.”

They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Acts 16:7

In today’s verse, Paul, Silas and Timothy were following God and not a predetermined path. They had a thriving ministry and wanted to take it to Bithynia, but God prevented them from going. Thankfully, the disciples listened and moved on when they could’ve just as easily had said, “We’re doing a good thing and these people need to hear the Good News.” They could have left God out of the loop.

But they did not – and nor should you. Don’t get so focused on a good thing that you forget to ask if it’s a God thing. Ask your Heavenly Father to lead you and the leaders of this great nation in His will, and to seek His enlightening Word to illuminate the road ahead.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:105-112  Click to Read or Listen

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/index.php

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – An Appointment with God

Leave a comment

“Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ ” —Genesis 3:9

God wants to meet with you and me on a regular basis. Think of it, like having and keeping an appointment with God!

I wonder just how many times each day that God wants to speak to us and He can’t get a word in edgewise? The Lord might say, “I have wanted to talk to you for a long time, but you are too busy. This morning I wanted to talk to you, but you didn’t have any time for me. You read the newspapers and watched TV and talked on the phone. You never opened the Word. You never prayed. At lunch I tried to say something, but your prayer was so fast. Later I tried to talk with you. You have been so busy. You have an appointment with Me. Why don’t you keep it?”

Remember how Adam had an appointment with God every day in the Garden of Eden? He would hear the voice of the Lord in the garden in the cool of the evening. One day Adam missed that appointment because of sin. God said to Adam, “Where are you?”

I wonder if the Lord would say that to some of us each day: “Where are you? Where were you? I have been looking for you. I wanted to speak to you. I want you to walk with Me, and I want to walk with you.”

Just imagine, the Creator of the Universe wants to spend time with you. Is there any appointment that is worth keeping more than this one?

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants to Be Your One Desire

Leave a comment

“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” (Psalm 73:25)

Imagine that your grandmother has asked you to clean out her attic. You walk up to the top of the stairs and begin wading through old boxes and dusty furniture. You wonder what you should clean first.

Looking to your left, you see an antique trunk sitting in the corner. You walk over, lift the top, and peer inside. There, sitting on the bottom of the trunk, is an old brass oil lamp. You pick it up and gently rub the dust away.

POOF!!!!!

All of a sudden, a genie pops out of the lamp! With a deep, booming voice, he says, “Tell me your one wish and I shall make it come true!” What would you wish for? What one thing do you desire most? If you could have anything in the world, what would you ask for?

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants to Be Your One Desire →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Any Room for Grace?

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Romans 12:1

“By the mercies of God . . . present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”

Some may ask, “Who can possibly keep a commitment to pursue holiness without exception for even some ‘small’ sins? If there are no exceptions, is there any place for grace? Is God really this strict?”

Yes, God really is this strict because he cannot compromise his holiness the least bit. His goal is to conform us to the likeness of his Son, and Jesus was completely without sin, though tempted in every way that we are (Hebrews 4:15). No, we cannot, or perhaps will not, keep our commitments to God perfectly, but that should at least be our aim. In a battle, some soldiers will always be hit, but each one makes it his aim not to be hit. A lesser aim would be the height of folly for the soldier, and it’s just as dangerous for us in our battle with sin.

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Any Room for Grace? →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Spiritual Multiplication

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 58-66

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

I heard a speaker at a national convention say that the church is losing ground today because we’re adding people to the kingdom of God while the population of the world is multiplying.

For example, if you were to lead one person to Christ every day for the next thirty-two years, by the end of that period there would be 11,680 people in the kingdom of God as a result of your witness. But, let’s say you led one person to Christ and then spent an entire year helping that person grow to maturity. You showed the person how to walk with Christ each day and to lead others to Him. By the end of year one, there would be two of you.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Spiritual Multiplication →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Pornography: Media Finally Waking up to What Christians Have Warned about for Years

Leave a comment

Could I be dreaming? For decades the media has been a staunch defender of pornography—freedom of speech, freedom to choose, sexual liberation and all that, don’t ’ya know.

But now, wonder of wonders, America’s leading news sources seem to have awakened from their long slumber. They’re finally recognizing pornography for what it is: an unprecedented public health crisis.

TIME magazine, for example, just ran a cover story about the grassroots backlash against internet erotica. Belinda Luscombe documents a movement of former porn addicts helping their peers find ways to break the grip of online voyeurism. Guys like Gabe Deem, the 28-year-old founder of Reboot Nation, offer “advice and support for [fellow] young people who believe they are addicted to pornography…”

The reason some are swearing off smut, Luscombe explains, is simple: These mostly non-religious twenty-somethings who’ve been guzzling porn since puberty are realizing that porn has rewired their sexuality, leaving them crippled in real-life relationships.

Continue reading BreakPoint – Pornography: Media Finally Waking up to What Christians Have Warned about for Years →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – COWORKERS IN CHRIST

Leave a comment

Read Romans 16

Recent research has found that relationships with coworkers are the most significant predictor of job satisfaction. A study from Tel Aviv University found the level of support from coworkers affected employees’ health more than any other factor in the workplace.

When we are in Christ, part of our identity is “coworker.” We don’t have to be in full-time vocational ministry to be coworkers in Christ; we are spiritual colleagues with other believers based on our shared commitment to Jesus and His gospel. Our passage today provides a snapshot on the importance of being spiritual coworkers.

Paul asked the Christians in Rome to extend his greetings to dozens of his fellow laborers. Some names are familiar: many of us know Priscilla and Aquila, who worked with Paul and tutored Apollos (v. 3; see Acts 18), and Timothy was one of Paul’s most faithful companions (v. 21). But most of the rest of these names appear only here. Why would Scripture devote so many verses to naming obscure people?

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – COWORKERS IN CHRIST →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE VACATION SPOT FOR FRENCH FRIES LOVERS

Leave a comment

Now is the time when many of us are deciding where to go on summer vacation. Ads are playing on television and the Internet espousing attractions around the world. Here’s one destination you may not have considered: St. Joseph, Missouri.

Famous as the starting point of the Pony Express and the dying place of Jesse James, the town now has a new claim to fame: a McDonalds restaurant will open there this summer. Why is that news? Because it will offer all-you-can-eat fries.

They’re not the only culinary option in today’s news. The co-founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream were arrested this week at the U.S. Capitol. Not for making a product with too many calories, but for taking part in a protest intended to make sure “power in this country is returned to the people.”

There’s even more gastronomic news: Time magazine has notified us that “Hillary Clinton carries Ninja Squirrel hot sauce everywhere.” The presidential candidate says she has been eating chilies regularly since 1992. They do have significant health benefits: the Time article tells us that chilies “are absolutely crammed with nutrients,” including folic acid and vitamins A, E, and C. A 2015 study showed that adults in China who ate spicy food regularly had a fourteen percent decrease in mortality.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE VACATION SPOT FOR FRENCH FRIES LOVERS →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Thoughtful Living

Leave a comment

Psalm 25:8-15

Are you living thoughtfully and intentionally—or are you living automatically? It’s so easy to get up each morning, do our work, enjoy some relaxation or entertainment, and fall into bed each night without giving any thought to God’s involvement in our everyday life. But to be ignorant of how He has blessed, guided, protected, and warned us is a foolish way to live. Just consider the benefits of keeping our spiritual eyes and ears open throughout the day.

We who are aware of God’s presence during daily activities enjoy the peace of knowing He’s always in control and working to achieve His good purposes. Day-to-day experiences with Him teach us to know and love Him more.

When we learn to see God’s footprints throughout each week, we will become aware of the scope of His involvement in His children’s lives. Maybe He strengthened us for a task or opened a door of opportunity. Perhaps He guided our decisions or helped us respond in a godly way to a difficult person or a challenging situation.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Thoughtful Living →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The God Who Paints

Leave a comment

Read: Psalm 42

Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 6-8; Luke 15:1-10

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. —Psalm 42:2

Nezahualcoyotl (1402-1472) may have had a difficult name to pronounce, but his name is full of significance. It means “Hungry Coyote,” and this man’s writings show a spiritual hunger. As a poet and ruler in Mexico before the arrival of the Europeans, he wrote, “Truly the gods, which I worship, are idols of stone that do not speak nor feel. . . . Some very powerful, hidden and unknown god is the creator of the entire universe. He is the only one that can console me in my affliction and help me in such anguish as my heart feels; I want him to be my helper and protection.”

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — The God Who Paints →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Solidarity

Leave a comment

In 1943, two hundred and thirty women were arrested as members of the French Resistance and sent to Birkenau. Only 49 survived, but this in itself is remarkable. These women were as diverse a group as could be imagined. They were Jews and Christians, aristocrats and working class, young and old. Yet they were united by their commitment to the French Resistance and to one another.(1) In her book A Train in Winter, Caroline Moorhead reconstructs the story of these women through the journals and memoirs of survivors. Noting the mutual dependence that made the difference between living and dying, Moorhead highlights how the solidarity of these women to one another and to their mutual survival sustained them through unspeakable horror and torture.

In many accounts of Holocaust survivors, the hellish conditions of extreme deprivation and torture drove many to hoard whatever meager resources they could save for themselves. And how could they be blamed? Survival became the only goal—no matter what the cost, even to others. Yet, in most of the cases with these French women in Birkenau, their solidarity toward each other trumped the selfishness that engulfed so many others. As Moorhead writes, “Knowing that the fate of each depended on the others… egotism seemed to vanish and that, stripped back to the bare edge of survival, each rose to behavior few would have believed themselves capable of.”(2) Moorhead recounts that when unrelieved thirst threatened to engulf one of their members in utter madness, the women pooled together their own meager rations to get her a whole bucket of water.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Solidarity →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Soldiers’ Saving Response

Leave a comment

“Now the centurion, and those who were with him . . . became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).

The testimony of the soldiers after Jesus’ crucifixion demonstrates the sufficiency of His death for all sinners.

Most of the time our daily activities are dictated by the routine responsibilities of our jobs. That’s how it was for the Roman soldiers who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus gave up His life. They were there simply out of duty, to make sure the crucifixion was carried out properly and without interference.

The soldiers probably had little knowledge of Judaism and had not heard of Jesus before, unless it was by hearsay. Therefore, they really had no idea why the Jewish leaders and most of the crowd were so intent on killing Him. To these anonymous soldiers, Christ’s claims to be the Son of God and a king seemed equally ludicrous and harmless.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Soldiers’ Saving Response →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Spring Cleaning for Our Messy Hearts

Leave a comment

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

I don’t know about you but I am rejoicing that spring is finally here. It’s the time of year when creation renews in the flowers, fields, and trees. It’s also the time of year when people get out their brooms, mops and sponges to clean the nooks, crannies and hard-to-get-to spots in their homes that have accumulated dirt and grime during the winter.

I once considered that spring is not only a good time to clean the dust bunnies from the top of my curtain rods, but to do a “spring cleaning of the heart” by confessing my sins to God and others. Sure, this can be uncomfortable. But if I follow God’s command in I John 1:9 (If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.), that can bless me in ways I never imagined. It can bless you, too.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Spring Cleaning for Our Messy Hearts →