Tag Archives: god

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Has Not Deserted Me

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“And He who sent Me is with Me – He has not deserted Me – for I always do those things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29).

If we have a conscience free of offense, and if we have evidence that we please God, it matters little if men oppose us or what others may think of us. “Enoch, before his translation, had this testimony – that he pleased God.”

It would not be fair for you or me to profess ignorance in this matter of pleasing God. If we had never known before, we know now that it comes from doing always those things He commands – which of course are the things that please Him.

Jesus is saying here, among other things, that God is with Him in the working of miracles. Though men had forsaken and rejected Him, yet God stayed by Him and worked in and through Him.

In the same way, God has made it possible for us to please Him by giving us His Holy Spirit to indwell, enable and empower us for service. With the available enablement, we are without excuse in the matter of doing the “greater things” He has promised for those who love and serve Him.

What better goal for today, tomorrow and all our coming days than to seek to please Him?

Bible Reading: John 8:25-28

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: So that Christ might be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death, I will seek to do only those things today which please Him.

 

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – For the Birds

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As the builders for Domino Day worked on their 4 million domino project in 2005, a sparrow got into the building – and created quite a challenge. The bird caused 23,000 meticulously placed dominos to fall. They tried to capture the creature, to no avail. Finally, as last resort, the sparrow was destroyed. Outrage spread worldwide about the death of the small bird. The shooter had to pay a 200 Euro fine. The bird’s remains were even displayed in a museum in Rotterdam for several months.

Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:7

If people can care that passionately about a tiny bird, imagine how much more God cares about people? Today’s verse declares humanity is more valuable than sparrows. They are so treasured in God’s eyes, He sent His only Son to save them (John 3:16).

Jesus said that not one sparrow is forgotten before God and He even knows your hair count. God treasures and cares for you. Find rest and hope in that truth as you deal with whatever challenges come your way. Then pray for this country, the leaders and the troops…knowing God loves you and is attentive to your prayers.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 34:15-22

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Thank you, God

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Max Lucado

If you feel the world owes you something, brace yourself. You’ll never get reimbursed! Henry Ward Beecher said, “A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”  The sky is never blue enough, the steak isn’t cooked enough, the universe isn’t good enough to deserve a human being like you.

Pursue gratitude.  The grateful heart is like a magnet, sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. Thank you, God.  Your lungs inhale and exhale 11,000 liters of air every day. Thank you, God. For the jam on our toast and the milk on our cereal, the blanket that calms us and the joke that softens us and the warm sun that reminds us of God’s love. Gratitude leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up!

Thank you God.

From You’ll Get Through This

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Obstacles to Righteousness

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Charles Stanley

Galatians 5:16-17

Just because something is natural or “only human” does not mean it’s right or beneficial for us. In fact, we actually hinder the things of God in our life when we set our mind on things of the flesh—which can include sinful attitudes, ideas, and habits or even common worldly aspirations like money, sex, prominence, and power. The reason is that the natural man does not receive the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14).

Notice that there is nothing wrong with eating, but the Scriptures categorize gluttony as sinful (Prov. 23:20-21). Nor is there anything immoral about sexual intimacy when it is practiced within the God-given parameters of marriage. As long as our desires and appetites are subdued and brought under subjection to the Holy Spirit, our fellowship with God can continue harmoniously. But when yearnings are unrestrained, our closeness and communication with the Lord are obstructed.

In order to give the Holy Spirit control of our life, we must be persuaded that we cannot live righteously in our own strength. Most of us realize that it’s a struggle to live in a God-pleasing manner; to do so requires that we surrender our entire being to Him—mind, will, emotions, and conscience. Ask God to reveal areas of weakness, and then give Him each frailty as it comes to light. This needs to be done not just one time, but daily. Every morning when you wake up, it’s wise to pray, “Father, today I’m totally Yours. I can’t live the Christian life on my own, but I pray that You will live through me.”

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Receive His Forgiveness

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What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?—Romans 6:1 KJV

We often have very strong feelings and emotions that we don’t seem to be able to control! The truth is, you don’t have to make decisions based on your feelings! You have a free will, and you can choose to believe God’s Word more than you believe how you feel at the time. When you begin to live by the Word of God and what you know through Him instead of how you feel, your feelings will eventually change and line up with the Word.

Satan used guilt to steal from me for years, which was often false guilt because much of the time I had nothing to be guilty for. I had repented, asked God to forgive me, and even believed that He had forgiven me. And yet I would still live my life feeling guilty and badly. I carried the burden of guilt everywhere that I went. I often said, “I did not feel right if I did not feel wrong.” At times I even felt very spiritual because I always felt bad about my behavior; now I understand God doesn’t want me to feel that way.

Every morning when I went to have my prayer and time with God I would go over one of two things: all of my problems or all of my mistakes. The Bible says ask and receive that your joy may be full. I was asking for forgiveness, but I never took the time to receive. I’d like to encourage you from now on when you ask God to forgive your sins for anything you’ve done wrong, take a moment and say, “I receive your forgiveness right now.” Don’t just ask, ask and receive so that you can take the next step and be filled with joy.

One morning as I was attempting to spend time with God, He spoke to my heart and said, “Are you going to fellowship with Me this morning or with your problems and your sins?” Do you spend more time with your sins than you do with God? Do you spend more time thinking about what you’ve done wrong than about what He’s done right? Remember, where sin does abound, grace and forgiveness and mercy does much more abound.

Trust in Him: When you go to God in prayer today, ask Him to forgive you for whatever it is you need forgiveness for, receive His forgiveness, and trust His grace as you press on with joy to what He has for you.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Shutting Our Ears to the Lord

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Charles Stanley

James 1:22-25

When we fail to listen to God, we pay attention to wrong voices, fall prey to deception, and refuse to submit to the Lord. All three negative results are evident in Adam and Eve’s decision to eat from the forbidden tree. What other consequences result from shutting our ears to God?

First, we will make decisions based on their appeal. To entice Adam and Eve to disobey, the Devil twisted God’s words and misused legitimate desires the Lord had given to the couple. We have the Holy Spirit to teach us how to keep our appetites and desires in check.

Second, we will excuse our wrongdoings and blame others. Adam pointed a finger at Eve, and she blamed the serpent. Satan can tempt us, but the responsibility is ours if we consent.

Third, we will experience divine discipline. Not only that, but others will also suffer when we disobey. The first man and woman were cast from God’s presence, and their lives became much harder. Sin entered their family and led to strife and death—their son Abel was murdered by his brother Cain. Adam and Eve’s choice affected all future generations as well. Through them, sin entered the world and resides in us (Rom. 5:12).

Fourth, we will miss out on God’s best. The first humans lost both Eden’s splendor and perfect communion with the Lord. Unconfessed sin will separate us, too, from fellowship with the Father.

Closing ears to God’s voice can happen in a moment’s time. Safeguard yourself. Commit to genuine listening: hearing, remembering, and doing what God says.

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Testing Our Faith

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Alistair Begg

Why have you dealt ill with your servant?

Numbers 11:11

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to test our faith. If our faith is worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: The imitation gem dreads being touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith that can only trust God when friends are true, the body is healthy, and the business profitable; but it is true faith that rests in the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, the body is ailing, spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s face is hidden. A faith that can say, in the deepest trouble, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him”1 is heaven-born faith.

The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify Himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, who are His own handiwork. When “suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”2 the Lord is honored by these growing virtues. We would never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched, nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress, nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten, nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not completely consumed. The wisdom and power of God are discovered by the trials through which His children are permitted to pass.

Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shade in the picture to bring out the beauty of the light. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will peace not be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after labor? Will the recollection of past sufferings not serve to enhance the bliss of the glorified?

There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation; let us think upon it all day long.

1Job 13:15 2 Romans 5:3-4

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Enjoying God’s Blessings

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John MacArthur

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it” (Luke 11:28).

When Scripture speaks of a person’s being blessed, it usually refers to the reception of some temporal or spiritual benefit. It also includes the joy and sense of well-being that comes with knowing that God is at work on your behalf.

The psalmist wrote, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:1-2). Those who know and obey God’s Word will be blessed. The psalmist likened them to a strong, productive, prosperous tree.

James added, “One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty [God’s Word], and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). Again, the very act of obedience brings blessing.

John opens the book of Revelation with this promise: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it” (Rev. 1:3). Jesus closed the Revelation with the same promise: “Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book” (Rev. 22:7). Obedience and blessing always go hand-in-hand.

As a Christian, you’ve been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Every spiritual resource is yours. Even in times of sorrow and persecution, God’s blessing rests on you (1 Pet. 4:14). But you can forfeit His blessings by neglecting His Word or committing other sinful acts. So guard your heart carefully and continue in the Word. As you do, your joy will be boundless!

Suggestions for Prayer:

Make a list of specific ways in which the Lord has blessed you in recent days. Praise Him for each one.

For Further Study:

Read James 1:12, 1 Peter 3:14, and 1 Peter 4:14. How does God’s blessing apply when you’re suffering unjustly?

 

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; A.W. – Personally Significant

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When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they didn’t tell royalty, the government, politicians or the richest people in society. They appeared to shepherds watching their flocks near Bethlehem. Shepherds weren’t esteemed in society. They weren’t wealthy or important. They smelled like sheep, lived outside and slept on the ground. Most people didn’t think much of them. But God chose to reveal His Son’s arrival to them first.

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.

Luke 2:10

The angels announced the “good news” was for “all the people.” God’s free gift of salvation given through Christ is available to everyone (Acts 2:21). The announcement to the shepherds fulfills prophecy and also demonstrates that, no matter how low, insignificant, cast aside or powerless you feel, God chooses you. There’s no need to fear. Like a shepherd watching his sheep, He will keep you under His care and protect you.

Do you feel unimportant or forgotten? Remember, He desires fellowship with you, and you are personally significant to Him. As you pray, ask that your country’s leaders in Washington DC and elsewhere will recognize this truth and experience God’s fear-free, joy-filled love.

Recommended Reading: I Corinthians 1:4-9, 26-31

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Fast-day service

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CharlesSpurgeon

“Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.” Micah 6:9

Suggested Further Reading: Nehemiah 1

This world is not the place of punishment for sin; not the place; it may sometimes be a place, but not usually. It is very customary among religious people, to talk of every accident which happens to men in the indulgence of sin, as if it were a judgment. The upsetting of a boat upon a river on a Sunday is assuredly understood to be a judgment for the sin of Sabbath-breaking. In the accidental fall of a house, in which persons were engaged in any unlawful occupation, the inference is at once drawn that the house fell because they were wicked. Now, however some religionists may hope to impress the people by such childish stories as those; I, for one, renounce them all. I believe what my Master says is true, when he declared, concerning the men upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, that they were not sinners above all the sinners that were upon the face of the earth. They were sinners; there is no doubt about it; but the falling of the wall was not occasioned by their sin, nor was their premature death the consequence of their excessive wickedness. Let me, however, guard this declaration, for there are many who carry this doctrine to an extreme. Because God does not usually visit each particular offence in this life upon the transgressor, men are apt to deny altogether the doctrine of judgments. But here they are mistaken. I feel persuaded that there are such things as national judgments, national chastisements for national sins—great blows from the rod of God, which every wise man must acknowledge to be, either a punishment of sin committed, or a premonition to warn us to a sense of the consequences of sins, leading us by God’s grace to humble ourselves, and repent of our sin.

For meditation: Reflect and pray over the state of the nation and its standing before God (Proverbs 14:34).

Part of nos. 154-155

6 October (Preached 7 October 1857)

 

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – We Are His Hands

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If one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it. Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].—1 Corinthians 12:26–27

Some individuals pass quietly and fearfully through life and never do anything to make the world a better place. They are so concerned with self-preservation that they never reach out to those around them who are crying out for help. Think about the neighbor who just found out she has terminal cancer or the family you heard about at church who is in danger of losing their home because the husband lost his job. The bank is ready to foreclose on their loan, and they really have nowhere to go. They are desperate and don’t know what to do. Everyone tells them that God will provide, but no one is doing anything.

We must realize that God works through people. We are His hands, feet, arms, mouth, eyes, and ears. God does miracles, but He does them through people with uncommon courage. Those who forget about themselves long enough will notice that God has placed someone in their path who is hurting and needy. We pray for God to use us, and when He tries, we are often too busy to be bothered.

Lord, help me to be Your hands and to reach out to those in need around me. Help me to do all that I can. Amen.

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – When We Cry Out to God

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Charles Stanley

Psalm 57:1-3

Crying out to God is the spontaneous response to an urgent need. It differs from typical prayer, which involves

periods of worship, petitioning, and intercession; this distraught call focuses entirely on one difficulty. The problem can be heartbreaking news, a dangerous situation, physical pain, or spiritual confusion. Whatever the cause, we seek immediate relief from God.

Like Peter sinking into the sea, we’re saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:30). We call out desperately when bad news comes, because we acknowledge that only God has power to change circumstances. And when we are walking obediently with Him, He will respond: if He does not alter the situation, He will replace fear with courage and confidence.

A cry to the heavenly Father is rooted in faith that He will answer His children. Believers expect God to respond with clear direction, and without fail; He is trustworthy to answer. Exodus 17 details how the Lord demonstrated His faithfulness at Horeb. When the wandering Israelites again grumbled against their leader—this time because of thirst—Moses called out to God, “What shall I do to this people?” (v. 4). Instantly, the Lord replied with a solution that satisfied both the Israelites’ thirst and Moses’ despair.

Whether we are sinking in a sea of pain or anxiously seeking a taste of God’s living water, the Lord hears our cries. And He says again, “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him” (Ps. 91:15).

 

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Longing for the Word

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John MacArthur

“Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).

A newborn baby was abandoned in a pile of trash in a city alley. The mother had obviously left it there to die. The infant was near death when someone heard its faint cry and summoned medical help. The child survived, but not until it had received the attention and nourishment it needed.

That situation has a spiritual parallel, which Peter used to illustrate the believer’s dependence on God’s Word. If a baby is deprived of nourishment, it will soon die. Similarly, if a Christian doesn’t feed on the Word, he or she will languish spiritually and become ineffective for the Lord. On the positive side, a believer should long for God’s Word as intently as a newborn baby longs for its mother’s milk.

Scripture draws on the parent/child metaphor in other ways, referring to Christians as being born again (John 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:3), children of God (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:1), and adopted sons (Rom. 8:14; Eph. 1:5). Just as it is natural for biological children to grow and mature, Christians also have the capacity for spiritual growth. In fact, we’re commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

The Word of God is the mainstay of your spiritual diet. It’s your primary source of nourishment. Paul said, “As you . . . have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed” (Col. 2:6-7). “Your faith” in that context refers to the content of Christianity–the doctrines of Scripture. As your knowledge and application of biblical principles increases, you will become more and more grounded in truth and steadfast in Christ.

Suggestions for Prayer:

If you’ve lost your appetite for God’s Word, it may be because of sin (1 Pet. 2:1). If so, ask God to cleanse your heart and give you a renewed longing for His truth. Then commit yourself to daily time in the Word.

For Further Study:

Read Acts 20:32 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13, noting the effect Scripture has on believers.

 

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M.- Fear Not

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Everyone fears something. Heights. Big crowds. Terrorists. Robbers. Plane crashes. Losing a job. Losing a child. Being abandoned by a loved one. Death. Some people fear failure while others are afraid of success.

That we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear.  Luke 1:74

In the Bible, the Greek word for “fearfulness” refers to a person who fled from battle. In fact, it’s a strong word for cowardice. That means when you let fear run your life, it becomes your enemy. As a result, you allow people and certain circumstances to intimidate you. You often avoid situations that might hurt or make you uncomfortable – including opportunities to serve God and claim His promises. You compromise your effectiveness for God. Yet the Lord knew you would battle with fear and doubt. That’s why He says repeatedly in the Bible: “Fear not.”

As you pray and read God’s Word, allow the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome your fears, despite how circumstances appear personally or nationally. Boldly go forth every day, sharing God’s love and praying His best for America and its leaders.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 34:1-10

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Why Going to Church Is Important, Part 1

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Some people claim to be Christians but don’t attend church. They say, “Well, I haven’t found a church I like yet, and I work and Sunday is my only day off!” But if you really love God, you will love His people and long to be with them.

The Bible indeed commands us to go to church, and—even more—to be a functioning part of it. Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (NKJV).

I like the way the New Living Translation puts it: “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” The Bible does not say: Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together unless Sunday is your only day off, or unless you want to run in a triathlon, or unless it’s a great beach day, in which case you are excused, because you just don’t need fellowship as much as other Christians do.

Yes, if you love God, you will love His people and long to be with them. If you don’t really love God, you won’t love His people. Some will say “I’m so over the church; people are critical and judgmental. It’s so full of hypocrites!” My response to that is: There is always room for one more! Understand, I am not justifying hypocrisy of any kind, but honestly, we have all been hypocritical at times. But that is not a reason to not attend church. The church has its flaws because people are in it. However, Jesus both started and loves the church. He died for it.

Being in fellowship is a proof that you are indeed a child of God. It says in 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (NIV). Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (NKJV). Not going to church is a proof that something is wrong with you spiritually. We read in 1 John 2:19, “These people left our churches because they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left us, it proved that they do not belong with us” (NLT).

Studies show that if you don’t go to church for a month, the odds are almost 2 to 1 that you won’t go for more than a year. Being a vital and active part of the church is something we pass on to our kids. A study once disclosed that: If both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 72% of their children remain faithful in attendance; if only Dad attends regularly, 55% remain faithful; if only Mom attends regularly, 15% remain faithful; and if neither attend regularly, only 6% remain faithful.

What legacy will you leave your kids? Are you committed to demonstrating to them that going to church is important?

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Fear not

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“Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 41:14

Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 8

Behold the heavens, the work of God’s fingers; behold the sun guided in his daily march; go ye forth at midnight, and behold the heavens, consider the stars and the moon; look upon these works of God’s hands, and if ye be men of sense and your souls are attuned to the high music of the spheres, ye will say, “What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him?” My God! When I survey the boundless fields of heaven, and see those ponderous orbs rolling therein—when I consider how vast are thy dominions—so wide that an angel’s wing might flap to all eternity and never reach a boundary—I marvel that thou shouldst look on insects so obscure as man. I have taken the microscope and seen the insect upon the leaf, and I have called him small. I will not call him so again; compared with me he is great, if I put myself into comparison with God. I am so little, that I shrink into nothingness when I behold the almightiness of Jehovah—so little, that the difference between the microscopic creature and man dwindles into nothing, when compared with the infinite chasm between God and man. Let the mind rove upon the great doctrines of the Godhead; consider the existence of God from before the foundations of the world; behold him who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty; let the soul comprehend as much as it can of the Infinite, and grasp as much as possible of the Eternal, and I am sure if you have minds at all, they will shrink with awe. The tall archangel bows himself before his Master’s throne, and we shall cast ourselves into the lowest dust when we feel what base nothings, what insignificant specks we are, when compared with our all-adorable Creator.

For meditation: Nothing is too big for God (Proverbs 30:4); nothing is too small for God (Proverbs 30:24-28). What is man? Both weak and wicked (Proverbs 30:2,3,32). But God still cares (Proverbs 30:5).

Sermon no. 156

4 October (1857)

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Oh, Well

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Joyce meyer

Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not your self—it tends only to evildoing.

—Psalm 37:8

Whenever I find myself in a situation I can’t do anything about, I have found that a good way to cast my care upon the Lord is simply to say, “Oh, well.”

Take, for example, the morning that Dave spilled his orange juice in the car and got a little of it on my sweater. Immediately he said, “Devil, I’m not impressed.” And I said,”Oh, well.” So that problem was solved, and we pressed forward with the rest of our day.

Some things just aren’t worth getting upset about, yet many people do. Unfortunately a large majority of Christians are upset, fretful, and full of anxiety most of the time. It is not the big things that get to them; it is the little things that don’t fit into their plans. Instead of casting their care and just saying, “Oh well,” they are always trying to do something about something they can’t do anything about. On more than one occasion that simple phrase “Oh, well” has really helped me to make it through.

 

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Handling Our Anxieties

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Charles Stanley

Matthew 11:25-30

Gideon was a man who experienced great anxiety. Convinced God had abandoned the Israelites, He had to thresh grain in a winepress to keep it hidden from his enemies, the Midianites. He believed that his family was one of the weakest and that he himself was one of the least of men.

God then called Gideon—who in no way regarded himself as a man of strong capability—to lead the fight against the Midianites. Imagine his stress! But he obeyed and gathered his men, only to have the Lord send most of them home before the battle. Though this turn of events would give anyone anxiety, Israel was victorious because it was the Lord who won the battle. In the process, Gideon learned just how powerful and personal his God was (Judg. 6-7).

As Gideon discovered, knowing God intimately is one of the keys to dealing with worry. Those who handle anxiety well—inwardly and outwardly—know the Lord in a deeply personal way. They are the ones who calmly proceed while others are drowning in stress. When asked how they do it, they usually will respond, “Read the Word. Pray. Trust God.” These simple statements point to a way of life rather than a method. That way of life is centered on Jesus Christ and is spent learning to know Him in His fullness.

Man’s methods for handling anxiety serve only to distract or numb us from stress. God’s way is to reveal who He is through the Holy Spirit’s teaching and, in the process, replace our fretfulness with His peace.

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Gift Of Presence

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Our Daily Bread

John 11:14-27

Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. —John 11:19

A number of years ago, when I was a new human resource manager for a company, I attended the visitation and funeral of a long-time employee I had never met. The worker, a bricklayer, was loved by his co-workers, yet very few came to see his widow. I listened to someone trying to console her by saying that many people stay away because they are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing and making the family more miserable.

In times of distress, however, people rarely remember what we say. What they most remember is that we were there. Familiar faces offer strength beyond description; they provide comfort for the deep feelings of loneliness setting in from the loss. This “gift of presence” is one we’re all capable of offering, even if we’re tongue-tied or uncomfortable.

Martha and Mary were surrounded by friends and mourners who comforted them when their brother Lazarus died (John 11:19). Then the One they most longed to see—Jesus—came and wept with them (vv.33-35). The people responded, “See how He loved him!” (v.36).

In loss of any kind, Jesus always gives His comforting presence, and we have the ability to give deeply of His compassion simply by the gift of our presence. —Randy Kilgore

O may I never fail to see

The comfort you may need from me;

And may you know that I am there

To bind our souls as grief we share. —Kilgore

Often the best comfort is just being there.

Bible in a year: Isaiah 17-19; Ephesians 5:17-33

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Angels – The Unseen Attendants

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Alistair Begg

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1:14

Angels are the unseen attendants of the children of God; they carry us in their hands and keep us from calamity. Loyalty to their Lord leads them to take a deep interest in the children of His love; they rejoice over the return of the prodigal to his father’s house below, and they welcome the arrival of the believer to the King’s palace above.

In ancient times the children of God were able to actually see the angels. Today, although we do not see them, heaven is still open, and the angels of God ascend and descend upon the Son of man, so that they may visit the heirs of salvation. Seraphim still fly with live coals from the altar to touch the lips of men greatly loved.

If our eyes could be opened, we would see horses and chariots of fire surrounding the servants of the Lord; for we have come to an innumerable company of angels, who are all watchers and protectors of the King’s family. Spenser’s line is not poetic fiction, where he sings–

How oft do they with golden pinions cleave

The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant

Against foul fiends to aid us militant!

To what dignity are the chosen elevated when the brilliant courtiers of heaven become their willing servants! Into what communion are we raised since we have communion with spotless celestials! How well are we defended since all the twenty thousand chariots of God are armed for our deliverance!

To whom do we owe all this? The Lord Jesus Christ who must be forever dear to us, for through Him we are made to sit in heavenly places far above principalities and powers. It is He whose camp is around those that fear Him; He is the true Michael whose foot is upon the dragon. All hail, Jesus! Angel of Jehovah’s presence, to You this family offers its morning vows.