Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
Recommended Reading
Philippians 1:21-23
After devotional writer Frances Ridley Havergal passed away at the age of 42, her sister recalled her last days. “Almost the last time we walked to church together, she turned round to me and said, ‘Marie, I’ve come to the conclusion it will be very nice to go to heaven!’”
[Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known. —Mark 4:22
The Word has tremendous treasures, powerful life-giving secrets that God wants to reveal to us. They are manifested to those who ponder, study, think about, practice mentally, and meditate on the Word of God.
There is no end to what God can show you out of one verse of Scripture. You can study a scripture one time and get one thing, and another time you’ll see something else you did not even notice before.
The Lord keeps revealing His secrets to those who are diligent about studying the Word. Don’t be the kind of person who always wants to live off of someone else’s revelation. Study the Word yourself, and allow the Holy Spirit to bless your life with truth.
Power Thought: Revelation is available to me when I study God’s Word.
From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.
“I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many sorrows and trials; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
I know of few promises in all the Word of God that offer more assurance and encouragement than this one.
The apostle Paul was an aggressive soldier of God who carried the gospel far and wide throughout the known world. He was greatly used of God to expand the territorial borders of Christendom. All that Paul did, he did in the name of Christ and through the power and control of the Holy Spirit.
But there was great opposition to Paul’s ministry. Consequently, he always seemed to be in the center of spiritual warfare. He knew his enemies, Satan and the world system, and their subtle, deceiving devices.
Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Cheer Up; He Has Overcome
Read: Philippians 4:2-5
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Phil 4:2
In these few verses he turns the spotlight on the problem that has been dimly discernible all along in this letter. There were in the church at Philippi two lovely ladies who were quarreling with one another. They were in some kind of disagreement and the quarrel had spread to others in church. Some were taking sides, and it was beginning to threaten the unity of the church. They hadn’t divided yet, it wasn’t a church split, but they were on the verge of it.
Read: Luke 23:32-33, 39-46
Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. (v. 32)
The first asks, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” The first man wants a Savior on his own terms. A Savior who lets sin go without consequence, making life easier and happier.
But the second criminal sees the truth: “We are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” The second criminal leaves the result up to Jesus with these words, “Remember me.” How you will, what you will, when you will, Jesus. Just please remember me.
The first man wants god as much of the world wants god. A god who is grandfatherly and kindly. A god who looks the other way with a wink.
Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Deliver Us
Wake up! Sometimes that’s hard to do – particularly if you go to bed late or sleep sporadically during the night. You keep hitting that snooze alarm, hoping that you’ll eventually feel like you haven’t been run over by a truck.
I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:1
Today’s verse is Jesus speaking to the church at Sardis. He continues in the next verse by saying, “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” (Revelation 3:2) In the verse after that, He concludes: “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent.”
Is there anything you know to do but are not doing? One good check-off list is in today’s recommended reading, which includes such things as respecting spiritual leaders, praying without ceasing, and doing good to others, even those who hurt you. Then take time today to pray for God’s Spirit to move in this country and turn hearts to Him. Pray that Christians will stay awake in this election season, remembering and applying those things received and heard from the Lord as they speak with others about their views and faith.
Recommended Reading: I Thessalonians 5:12-22
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”—John 15:13
What a contrast the love of God is to the so-called “love” of our culture.
Our world loves you when you are young and beautiful; God loves you when you are old and not so attractive.
Our world loves you when you are famous and a celebrity; God loves you when you are unknown and a complete nobody.
Our world loves you when you are rich and powerful; God loves you when you are penniless and weak.
Our world loves the extraordinary. God loves the ordinary. People like you and me.
And God has demonstrated this love for us in a tangible way. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13 NKJV).
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)
Have you ever seen a vine twisted tightly around a tree? I recently saw a big vine as I was in the woods enjoying a picnic. When I first looked at the big tree, it was difficult to tell the vine from the tree itself. But as I looked more closely, I began to see the outline of a vine that had grown higher and higher by wrapping itself tightly around the tree and growing up as the tree grew up. I went over and tried to rip the vine away from the tree, but it was no use. The vine had twisted around and bound itself into the strong trunk of the tree. That vine was not going anywhere, except where the tree was going!
The word “wait” in Psalm 27:14 has the idea of binding together by twisting. God wants us to wrap our hearts and minds around Him through His truth – just like a vine wraps itself tightly around the giant tree. God is like the firm, unmovable tree that grows high. We should be like the vine that grabs hold of God so tightly that we only go and grow in the direction He wants us going and growing!
Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants Us To Bind Ourselves To Him
Today’s Scripture: 1 Peter 1:18
“You were ransomed.”
We associate the word ransom with kidnapping, but this hasn’t always been its primary association. Centuries ago, ransom was the payment given an enemy country to secure the release of prisoners of war. In Bible times a ransom was the price paid to gain freedom for a slave. To pay a ransom was to purchase back someone from captivity or slavery.
Jesus said, “The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NIV). To fully understand his meaning we must examine the related word redeem, which means to buy back or release someone from slavery or captivity by paying a ransom. Redemption, then, is the action to secure release; while ransom is the price paid to effect the action.
Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Set Free
Today’s Scripture: Leviticus 18-20
Avoid every kind of evil. – 1 Thessalonians 5:22
A quick read through Leviticus 18-20 raises some questions: How low can society go? How deep into sin? How polluted can the human spirit become? How degraded the human race? There are laws and commands in this passage that stagger the mind, and the Lord speaks plainly and bluntly to His people. “You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 18:3-4).
So they were neither to retain the idolatry of Egypt nor take on the moral standards of the land to which they were going, and they were to abstain from the corruption of their own fleshly desires.
Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Avoiding Slow Leaks
You’re on the wrong side of history.” “Not fully affirming LGBT rights is unloving.” “Jesus loved everyone; why do you hate gays and lesbians?”
The constant refrains directed at proponents of one-man, one-woman marriage warn that to oppose so-called same-sex “marriage” is to be relegated to history’s ideological dustbin along with those who resisted civil rights for African-Americans or the vote for women.
And over the last few years, more and more self-identifying evangelical voices have joined the chorus. Like Rev. Danny Cortez, whose church was expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention, told the Huffington Post, “I believed for years,” Cortez said, “that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. But as I began relationships with LGBT persons, I saw that my beliefs had been destructive and not in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
Continue reading BreakPoint – Maundy Thursday and the Marriage Battle
Read Luke 20
Students of American history know John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. They may not be as familiar with George Azterodt, who was part of Wilkes’s conspiracy. Wilkes had instructed Azterodt to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson—but Azterodt lost his nerve and went out drinking instead. He was still convicted as an accomplice of Wilkes and executed by hanging in July 1865.
In our text today, Jesus had entered Jerusalem and the plot to kill Him intensified. The Pharisees and religious leaders were looking for a way to accuse Him; they were afraid of the crowd’s reaction if it seemed they were attacking Jesus for no reason. First, they tried to entrap Him on religious grounds: By what authority did He teach in the temple (v. 2)? Second, they tried to entrap Him on political grounds: Should faithful Jews pay taxes to the Romans (v. 22)?
Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, THE CORNERSTONE
Hebrews 10:1-14
In Old Testament times, people atoned for sin through repeated animal sacrifices. But that was a temporary measure, since the blood of bulls and goats covered sin without removing it (Heb. 10:4). The offering of animals, however, pointed to the ultimate solution: Jesus’ shed blood on the cross—the perfect once-for-all sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
Calvary wasn’t some improvised fix to correct the original system; Jesus giving up His life for us had been the plan all along (Matt. 20:28). Scripture reveals that God was never fully satisfied with burnt offerings, no matter how much they cost the person seeking forgiveness (Heb. 10:5-7). To eradicate sin, absolute perfection had to be offered. That’s why Jesus came (Phil. 2:7-8)—and why the cross is a reminder of the greatest sacrifice love has ever made.
I stood in front of the painting long enough that my neck hurt from craning upward, long enough to make the connection that onlookers that day likely held a similar stance as they watched Jesus of Nazareth on the cross. Francisco de Zurbarán’s massive 1627 painting The Crucifixion hangs in gallery 211 of the Chicago Art Institute. Viewers must stand back from the piece and gaze upward in order to take it all in. Zurbarán depicts the point just before Christ takes his last breath. His body leans forward from exhaustion; his head hangs downward. All details of any background activity are absent, the black backdrop a jarring juxtaposition beside his pale, bruised skin. The artist’s use of light intensifies the stark pull of sympathy towards a body that is both clearly suffering and yet somehow beautiful. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I believed about Christianity. But there was something about the painting I couldn’t stop trying to grasp.
Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Absence of Beauty
“Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men” (Philippians 4:5).
Real humility will have a forbearance that is gracious toward others and content with its own circumstances.
Some Greek words have various meanings that are hard to translate into just one English word. This is true of “forbearing” in today’s verse. It can refer to contentment, gentleness, generosity, or goodwill toward others. Some commentators say it means having leniency toward the faults and failures of others. Other scholars say it denotes someone who is patient and submissive toward injustice and mistreatment—one who doesn’t lash back in angry bitterness. It reminds us very much of what we have been considering for the past week—humility.
The humble believer trusts God and does not hold a grudge even though others have unfairly treated him, harmed him, or ruined his reputation. Such a person does not demand his rights. Instead, he will pattern his behavior after his Lord Jesus, who in supreme humility manifested God’s grace to us (Rom. 5:10).
Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Practical Humility
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:7
Recommended Reading
1 John 1:5-10
The Huffington Post recently ran an article by a woman who opened up about her struggle to forgive herself. Her husband battled cancer, and she had been his caregiver. As his situation grew worse, the stress intensified on her. She often became angry and yelled at him. Now that he’s gone, she feels damaged, guilty, and unable to find peace.
Every human is a sinner, and sometimes we fail at the worst moments. Our sin leads to guilt, and that leads to shame.
Continue reading Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Christ’s Cure for the Soul
They said to Him, We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish. He said, Bring them here to Me. Then He ordered the crowds to recline on the grass; and He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and blessed and broke the loaves and handed the pieces to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. — Matthew 14:17-19
One of the biggest mistakes we can make in life is to focus on what we don’t have or have lost and fail to take an inventory of what we do have. When Jesus desired to feed five thousand men—plus women and children—the disciples said all they had was a little boy’s lunch, which consisted of five small loaves of bread and two fish. They assured Him it was not enough for a crowd the size they had. However, Jesus took the lunch and multiplied it. He fed thousands of men, women, and children and had twelve baskets of leftovers (see Matthew 14:15-21).
If we will just give God what we have, He will use it and give us back more than we had to begin with. The Bible says that God created everything we see out of “things that are unseen,” so I have decided that if He can do that, surely He can do something with my little bit—no matter how unimpressive it is.
Lord, thank You for all You have given me. I ask You to use it for Your glory and to provide all that I need. Amen.
From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10
Friend to Friend
Debbie’s paternal grandparents had both a housekeeper and groundskeeper who lived in their basement apartment. Nina and Silas were like part of the family and had lived with the grandparents for as long as Debbie could remember. On many occasions, when Debbie’s parents and grandparents went out to dinner, she and her older sister were left in the care of Silas and Nina. The girls’ parents had no idea that Silas was molesting their precious children time and time again.
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24, KJV).
Jesus, assuming that our lives are pure and we are Spirit-filled, declares that our heartfelt desires will be God-given. When God gives us those desires, He then gives us the power to fulfill them (Philippians 2:13). Sometimes when God gives you a desire that is based upon Scripture, one that springs from pure motives and a desire to glorify Him, that desire may continue over a period of time as you continue in the spirit of prayer and seek counsel of other godly people who also walk in the Spirit, but you can be assured that whatever God has placed in your heart, He will do.
For example, one of the great desires of my heart as a new Christian was to produce a film on the life of Jesus. I contacted and sought the counsel of the late Cecil B. De Mille who produced the magnificent “King of Kings,” which, after more than fifty years is still being viewed by millions of people each year throughout the world. I continued to pray and many years later discussed with members of our Board of Directors whether or not we should produce such a film. They encouraged me to do whatever God led me to do, but made it clear that funds would have to be available before we could produce the film. The years passed – more than thirty years, in fact. Then miracle of miracles, in a marvelous way at Arrowhead Springs God brought together John Hyeman, a well-known film producer and director, and Bunker and Caroline Hunt to provide the finances, and the film, Jesus, became a dramatic reality.
Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Our Hearts’ Desires
Read: Philippians 4:1
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! Phil 4:1
Paul begins this fourth chapter with what looks like a very mixed metaphor. The therefore refers back to what he has written about in chapter 3. There he is talking about running a race, seeing life as an obstacle course. He writes how he runs this race by pressing on to the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He is urging others to run with him. But in the opening verse of chapter four he now says, stand firm. It sounds confusing as to which he means for us, whether to run the race or to stand firm. One is a picture of extreme effort, the other of immobility, inaction. How can we then follow this call to standing and yet running?
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