Tag Archives: holy spirit

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Transposing

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Read: Genesis 1:1-2:3

God saw everything that he had made. (1:31)

My mother used to sing alto; some of her music still sits by my piano. My soprano aunt, though in a different league (she was a professional singer, and a very fine one), would have found Mum’s songs difficult, unless they had been transposed to a higher key to suit her higher voice.

In intercession—praying for people and situations and projects—we regularly need to do some transposing. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t remember when I last spent a whole hour in intercessory prayer for God’s world. An hour, did I say? Only an hour? For a world so big, so complex, that even in the condensed picture of its making that God gave us in Genesis 1, he takes six days to portray it all? And when beyond that we think of its billions of people, let alone the eons of time and the vastness of space in which they are just one tiny phenomenon! Charles Wesley might have exclaimed in respect of the wonders of creation as he did about the wonders of the gospel, “Where shall my wondering soul begin?”

From this point of view, I find Herbert’s next definition of prayer an exhilarating challenge: “The six-days-world transposing in an hour.” To use quite a different metaphor, can you fit a gallon of water into a pint jar? Oh, I think so. Under his guidance we learn how to transpose God’s unimaginable Opus 1 into manageable terms, in a singable key.

Here is the poem in its entirety:

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Right Perspective

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And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” —Revelation 6:10

Are our loved ones watching us in heaven? How much are they aware of what’s going on in our lives?

Revelation 6 gives us a little insight on this topic. In verse 10, we read of those who have been martyred for their faith. They are saying with a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” They are aware that the injustice they experienced has not been avenged. They are aware of the fact that time is passing. They are asking the Lord to intervene.

This is a good indication that in heaven we may know more than some people think we will know.

Often people go to extremes on this topic. Some think that our loved ones are watching everything we do and sending us messages and such. Others will say that people in heaven are oblivious about what’s going on—that they’ve had a heavenly lobotomy and are sitting on clouds sleeping. These people reason that if there is no sorrow or tears in heaven, our loved one can’t be aware of what’s going on here on earth because they would be saddened by our suffering.

But both of those extremes are incorrect. From this passage in Revelation we know that there is some level of awareness of happenings on earth. To what degree, we don’t know. But if we are being watched by our loved ones in heaven, I believe they would see everything with an eternal perspective. That is the key.

My grandson Christopher sometimes comes to me with his little battery-operated trains. “Papa, it is broken!” He is sad. His world has just ended. He doesn’t have my adult perspective.

I have a screwdriver. I have more batteries. I have got him covered. I am going to fix it. He doesn’t have to worry about it. He might be sad, but I am not, because I know the outcome.

It’s all about having the right perspective.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – Jesus Will Never Change

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“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Have you ever gotten ready for school in the morning and decided you did not like your outfit? Maybe you did not like that color of socks. Maybe that shirt is uncomfortable. Maybe your shoes were too tight or too dirty to wear. Unless you are short on time, it is usually OK to change your clothes. People do it all the time.

Have you ever realized that a food you used to hate is starting to become a favorite food now? Maybe you used to hate spinach. After all, it is slimy and green. Your parents made you try it when you were little, and you wanted to spit it out! But let’s say that you just tried spinach again recently. (You had to, because it was in Grandma’s manicotti dish, and you love Grandma’s manicotti! So you tried it again – you put it on your fork, turned it around so you could get a good look at it, tasted it thoughtfully, and swallowed it right down! And you could not believe your tastebuds! After all those years of hating spinach, you are starting to love it. People are like that. As we grow older, our tastes change.

Did you ever lose track of someone who used to be a good friend of yours? Maybe you moved to another town, or maybe you just got busy with things going on at church or with your schoolwork. Maybe something happened in your family, and you just have not been seeing the same friends every day anymore. Or maybe your friends and you have just become interested in such different things that you do not need to spend much time together. That happens to people. Some friends will always be a part of our lives. But some of our friends will change over the years. We make new friends. We may never forget the old friends, but we might spend less time with them.

Change is a part of every human being’s life. Things change around us. We have to deal with that change. Other people change around us. And we ourselves change, both inside and out. We change our minds about little things like favorite clothes or what to drink at breakfast-time. We change our minds about big things, too, like whether we will obey our parents and what we want to be when we grow up. Sometimes it takes a very long time for us to change – it takes a long time to grow taller or wiser! On other things, we might change overnight – it does not take too long to decide whether or not to obey, does it?

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Discouraged by His Discipline

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Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 12:5

“Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.”

Another improper response to God’s discipline is to “be weary” when he reproves us. We tend to lose heart when we think God is disciplining us out of anger instead of out of love. Hebrews 12:6, however, explicitly states that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” I acknowledge it’s often difficult to sense God’s love when we are undergoing his discipline, but we must by faith accept the testimony of Scripture.

The Puritan Samuel Bolton (1606?654) wrote, “God has thoughts of love in all he does to his people. The ground of his dealings with us is love (though the occasion may be sin), the manner of his dealings is love, and the purpose of his dealings is love. He has regard, in all, to our good here, to make us partakers of his holiness, and to our glory hereafter, to make us partakers of his glory.”

When the writer of Hebrews told us not to lightly regard the Lord’s discipline or be wearied by his reproof, his purpose was to encourage us. A good part of that encouragement must come from the realization that the hardships we encounter come from a God who is not only in sovereign control of every circumstance of our lives, but who also loves us, and who deals with us only on the basis of love. He’s not only the sovereign ruler of his universe, but also our heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.

So in times of adversity, don’t lose heart under it by failing to see his love in it. (Excerpt taken from The Discipline of Grace)

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – No Pain, No Gain

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 4-5

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2-4

I have a friend who says that physical conditioning is simply a matter of how much pain you’re willing to endure. And I believe it. But all those people who voluntarily exercise and abstain from hot fudge sundaes are convinced that their ultimate gain is worth their present pain.

I wonder if we have that same attitude toward our life of daily discipleship. Are we willing to endure pain when it comes to growing in our lives as Christians? In Romans 5:2, the apostle Paul wrote, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” But he doesn’t stop there. Notice the next words: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” The hope spoken of in Romans 5 is much more than keeping our fingers crossed and wishing for the best. It’s a confident, joyful expectation.

While all of us want this God-given hope, very few of us get excited about the process by which it is produced. There is a definite progression here: suffering, when taken in the right spirit, will produce patient endurance. Over a period of time this persistent obedience to God produces character. And out of integrity of spirit emerges hope.

We can’t skip over any part of the process. One of the clearest teachings in the New Testament is that God wants His children to grow up to be strong disciples and not remain spiritual babies. He wants us to be mature, godly people with staying power in our walk with Him.

Prayer

Lord, as You shape me into a fit vessel for Your use, help me to realize that the pressure You put on me will make me strong. Amen.

To Ponder

When a clay pot emerges from the fire, it has beauty, strength, and color not possible without the heat.

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – New Fossil Discovery Poses Problem for Evolutionists

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There’s an old story about a chemist, a physicist, and an economist stranded on a desert island with nothing to eat but a can of soup. Puzzling over how to open the can, the chemist says, “Let’s heat the can until it swells and bursts from the buildup of gases.” “No, no,” says the physicist, “let’s throw it off that cliff with just enough kinetic energy to split it open on the rocks below.” The economist, after thinking a moment says, “Assume a can opener.”

There’s more than one trade that deals in assumptions. The way Darwinists approach the origin of life is a lot like that economist’s idea for opening the can. The Darwinian mechanism of mutation and natural selection explains everything about life, we’re told—except how it began. “Assume a self-replicating cell containing information in the form of genetic code,” Darwinists are forced to say. Well, fine. But where did that little miracle come from?

A new discovery makes explaining even that first cell tougher still. Fossils unearthed by Australian scientists in Greenland may be the oldest traces of life ever discovered. A team from the University of Wollongong recently published their findings in the journal “Nature,” describing a series of structures called “stromatolites” that emerged from receding ice.

“Stromatolites” may sound like something your doctor would diagnose, but they’re actually biological rocks formed by colonies of microbes that live in shallow water. If you visit the Bahamas today, you can see living stromatolites.

What’s so special about them? Well, they appear in rocks most scientists date to 220 million years older than the oldest fossils, which pushes the supposed date for the origin of life back to 3.7 billion years ago.

Continue reading BreakPoint – New Fossil Discovery Poses Problem for Evolutionists →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – A RISKY MESSAGE

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Read ESTHER 4:6–8

During the Revolutionary War, the British and American armies used invisible ink to deliver confidential messages. They would mix ferrous sulfate and water to place secret messages in between the lines of a seemingly innocent letter. When the letter was placed over the flame of a candle, its hidden message was revealed.

Today’s passage involves a secret message that needed to be delivered to the queen. At Esther’s request, Hathak, one of the eunuchs appointed to her service, left the palace and met Mordecai in the open square of the city (v. 6). Mordecai was unable to pass through the king’s gate while he was in mourning. Esther, likewise, could not go to Mordecai directly.

Not wasting any time, Mordecai laid out all of the details of Haman’s plot to destroy the Jewish people, a plot that threatened both himself and Esther. He provided specific evidence to prove his case, the exact amount of money Haman had promised, and a copy of the edict. He could not risk this message being dismissed as an empty rumor or fear-mongering.

Mordecai realized that Esther alone was in a prime position of influence. She was the one person who might be able to prevent the destruction of God’s people. He would ask Esther, this woman whom he had raised as a daughter, to risk her life on her people’s behalf (v. 8).

This conversation held risk for everyone involved. If Haman or Xerxes were to find out about this collusion, they would not wait eleven months to punish them. Esther, Mordecai, and Hathak had to trust each other to keep the information confidential and prioritize the safety of the Jewish people over their own immediate security.

APPLY THE WORD

Believers around the world today must take great risks in order to worship together, to share the gospel, or even to read the Bible. Let us support our brothers and sisters in Christ in our prayers, and may their testimonies inspire us to live boldly for God. For more information about how you can pray for persecuted Christians, see persecution.com.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – WHAT HILLARY CLINTON’S HEALTH CONTROVERSY SAYS ABOUT US

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About three million Americans are diagnosed with pneumonia each year. Only one of them is running for president of the United States.

Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia continues to generate headlines this morning. According to her physician, she was diagnosed last Friday and put on antibiotics. After she collapsed Sunday morning, she was taken to her daughter’s New York City apartment. She exited the building ninety minutes later and told the press she was “feeling great.” A few hours later, her campaign announced that she has pneumonia and is recovering.

Her campaign is now working with her doctor to release “additional medical information,” according to her press secretary. He assured the public that “there is no other undisclosed condition.” However, many are skeptical. As Damon Linker notes in The Week, “Political trust is a fragile thing. Once it’s gone, it’s exceedingly difficult to get back.”

Mrs. Clinton is not the only candidate with trust issues. Donald Trump is facing his own questions regarding his health, his taxes, and his much-disputed statements on the war in Iraq. According to a recent poll, 60 percent of Americans believe Hillary Clinton is “not honest and trustworthy”; 58 percent say the same about Mr. Trump.

You might think that our trust issues begin and end with our presidential candidates, but the facts say otherwise.

According to David Brooks’s latest column in The New York Times, a generation ago, about half of all Americans felt they could trust the people around them. Now less than a third of us think other people are trustworthy. Only 19 percent of millennials believe other people can be trusted. As Brooks notes, “We set out a decade ago to democratize the Middle East, but we’ve ended up Middle Easternizing our democracy.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – WHAT HILLARY CLINTON’S HEALTH CONTROVERSY SAYS ABOUT US →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Getting Rid of Anger

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Ephesians 4:26-32

The apostle Paul wrote extensively about the character and conduct of believers. He said that as Christians, we are to “walk in a manner worthy of [our] calling” (Eph. 4:1) and to “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1). In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he explained what it meant to live a godly life.

First of all, we must curtail some of our old habits and behaviors and replace them with new ones that are acceptable to God. The acts of the flesh are no longer to be a part of us—we now have a new nature and must conduct ourselves accordingly. Galatians 5:19-21 lists 15 specific behaviors that have to cease. These include enmities, strife, outbursts of anger, disputes, and dissensions. Notice the role anger plays in each of these. It fuels disagreements and inflames antagonism. And second, if we get angry, we need to apologize quickly (Eph. 4:26).

The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) should replace ungodly thoughts and actions. If we have been quick-tempered, then we need to gain patience. If our anger runs hot, then we are to become peaceful people. Foolishness in speech must give way to the wisdom of Christ. Change is possible because sin’s power over us has been permanently broken. We have been set free to live in a way pleasing to God.

We all struggle with some form of ungodly behavior, but happily, we need not continue in it. As new creations, we no longer have to be defined by who we were before salvation (2 Cor. 5:17). To exhibit the righteousness that is yours, cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s transforming work.

Bible in One Year: Daniel 3-4

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Ready for a Change?

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Read: Galatians 5:16-25

Bible in a Year: Proverbs 16-18; 2 Corinthians 6

But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control.—Galatians 5:22–23

Self-control is probably one of the hardest things to master. How often have we been defeated by a bad habit, a lousy attitude, or a wrong mindset? We make promises to improve. We ask someone to hold us accountable. But deep inside, we know that we don’t have the will or the ability to change. We can talk, we can plan, we can read self-help books, but we still find it difficult to overcome and control many of the things that are inside us!

Thankfully, God knows our weakness, and He also knows the remedy! The Bible says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). The only way to gain self-control is by allowing the Holy Spirit to control us.

In other words, our key focus is not effort but surrender—to live moment by moment submissively trusting in the Lord rather than in self. Paul says this is what it means to “walk by the Spirit” (v. 16).

Are you ready for a change? You can change, for God is in you. As you surrender control to Him, He will help you bear the fruit of His likeness. —Jaime Fernández Garrido

I am in need, Lord, of Your power so that I might change and grow. I surrender myself to You. Please help me to understand how to be submissive to You that I might be filled with Your Spirit.

God is not nearly as concerned with our ability as He is with our surrender.

INSIGHT: Today’s passage exhorts us to “walk by the Spirit” (v. 16). Just as a surgeon operates by means of a scalpel, we are to walk by means of the Holy Spirit. We are to be consciously dependent upon Him in attitude and choices. Yet there are two spheres of influence that pull us in different directions. The term “flesh” is used to describe the old sinful way of life that seeks to live independently from God and exhibits behavior displeasing to Him. The “Spirit” refers to those behaviors that flow from the indwelling Christ and produce fruit exemplifying His character. When we walk by means of the Spirit, we can say no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit.

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Unlikely Blessing

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Stranger things have happened. My friends had struggled with infertility for most of their married lives. Employing the latest reproductive technologies didn’t work and thousands and thousands of dollars later there was still no child. As a result of all this, and because of their advanced age, they had given up the possibility of having a biological child and adopted a little boy. They were overjoyed to bring this little one into their family, and we rejoiced together at his baptism. Little did we know at the time that my friend was pregnant; nine months later this couple welcomed their daughter into the world. They were truly overwhelmed by this unexpected and unlikely turn of events. Sometimes, surprise is the greatest blessing.

Surprise is at the start of Luke’s gospel narrative which begins with two women, who were both, like my friend, unlikely candidates for mothers. Elizabeth was a woman beyond child-bearing age. She was barren. Mary was a young, unmarried girl. Yet, these two women were the mothers of two of history’s most famous individuals: John the Baptist, the last prophet of Israel, and Jesus, who would be called, Messiah. The announcement of these pregnancies must have been disconcerting at best. As if this strange news wasn’t enough, it was announced to both families by an angelic visitor. The first words spoken were “do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid, indeed! These births would turn the world upside down, and would change the lives of these women; both women were the unlikely recipients of unlikely blessing.

Despite the improbable circumstances, Elizabeth praises God by saying, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men” (Luke 1:25). Elizabeth and Zacharias were both from priestly lines: Zacharias from Abijah, and Elizabeth from Aaron. The gospel alerts the reader that they “were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of God” (Luke 1:5-6). However, Elizabeth’s barrenness would have called her “righteous” status into question. Childless women were a ‘disgrace among men’ in her day. Childlessness was naturally looked upon as a grave misfortune or even as a sign that one was cursed by God. The wife who presented her husband with no such tangible blessings or supporters felt that her aim in life had been missed. So the announcement that Elizabeth would bear a child beyond her child-bearing years was as unlikely as a virgin having a child.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Unlikely Blessing →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Spirit and Prayer

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“Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).

Spending time with God in prayer is another crucial element in walking by the Spirit.

During my regular times in the Word, I often don’t know where Bible study ends and meditation begins, or where meditation turns into prayer. My devotions are definitely a seamless process in which I read Scripture, meditate on it, and pray that God would help me understand it. I’m sure that many of you have had the same experience. It ought to be like that for any believer who is faithful in spending time with the Lord daily.

Along with meditating on Scripture and focusing on God, prayer is an essential component of our strategy to walk by the Holy Spirit. An attitude of moment-by-moment prayer, patterned after 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (“Pray without ceasing”), will greatly help us walk in step with the Spirit.

“Pray without ceasing” obviously does not mean believers are to spend every waking moment in formal prayer. Paul’s command to the Thessalonians refers to recurring prayer, not a ceaseless uttering of words from a certain posture.

To pray as part of our spiritual walk means we bring every temptation before God and ask for His help. It means we thank Him for every good and beautiful experience. It means we ask the Lord to allow us to join the fight against evil. It means when we have an opportunity to witness, we pray that God would help us be faithful and that He would draw the person to Himself. And finally, this kind of prayer means we’ll turn to God as our Deliverer whenever we have trials.

Thus, walking by the Spirit is a lifestyle of continual prayer. All of our thoughts, actions, and circumstances become opportunities to commune with God. And if that is true, we obey Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18).

Suggestions for Prayer

Take a brief prayer list with you (on an index card) today, and try to pray through it several times during the day.

For Further Study

Matthew 6:1-8 leads into Jesus’ presentation of the Lord’s Prayer. What general attitude has no place in prayer?

List the specific things Christ warns against, along with those He commends in this passage.

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – That’s Some Serious Crying

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You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?     Psalm 56:8

While I was growing up, my mom cried during touching television moments. She cried during old movies when two lovers were reconciled. She cried while watching The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, and she even cried during Folgers coffee commercials. Yep, stories surrounding that stuff that is good to the last drop made her weep. So I grew up in a home where tears were acceptable and normal.

Now that I am older, I value tears for a couple of reasons. First, I generally believe when we are willing to be authentically real and honest with others, they will often do the same with us. Of course, there are exceptions, but on the whole, transparency promotes transparency, so intimacy is built. When we cry with others, they may feel free to do the same. Second, tears help us experience God more intimately. When all our posturing and posing before the Almighty is stripped away through tears, we are humbled before Him in dependency. Tears cleanse the eyes of the heart so we can see Him more clearly and experience His grace more fully.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).

But not everyone is happy to shed tears either publicly or privately. For many reasons (including our histories and insecurities), shedding tears can make us feel vulnerable and out of control. That’s understandable. But if you have a hard time allowing yourself to cry, you might find what the Bible says about tears enlightening and even liberating.

For example, in Luke 19:41, Jesus—the Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End—wept over Jerusalem and was grieved that the Jews did not recognize Him as Savior. The Greek word translated “wept” means more than just shedding a few silent tears—it means “to wail aloud.” That’s some serious crying!

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – God Can

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And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

Recommended Reading

Hebrews 7:25

“I can’t.” We hear it all the time—and sometimes for good reason. Children say “I can’t” because they lack knowledge or skill. They literally can’t! And sometimes adults say “I can’t” for the same reason. “I can’t be an astronaut.” “I can’t be a professional athlete.” In most cases, those are honest and accurate statements. No problem. But there is a problem when we don’t think we can because we don’t think God can.

There are numerous instances in Scripture that describe God being able. And there are no examples of God not being able to do something because of limitations on His power. One of the most encompassing statements that connects God’s ability to our ability is 2 Corinthians 9:8: “God is able to make all grace abound” toward us so we will have “all sufficiency in all things.” Because God is able, we are able. When we say, “I can’t give, love, forgive, reconcile, repent, be kind, be compassionate, be content . . .” we are saying, “God isn’t able to make that grace abound to me.”

Don’t limit yourself by limiting God. Let His grace abound to you.

The sinner, apart from grace, is unable to be willing and unwilling to be able.

  1. E. Best

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Daniel 9 – 12

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – What To Do When God Says No

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Today’s Truth

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

John 14:13

Friend to Friend

A few years ago, I was on my way home from running errands. As I approached our neighborhood, my cell phone rang.

“Hi, Mom. It’s Kennedy. Where are you?”

“Hey, baby! I ran some errands and will be home in just a few minutes. What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to see if you and I could go shopping for a new bathing suit this afternoon, and— don’t say no —I’d like to get a feather in my hair. Can we, Mom?”

Oh. No. She. Didn’t!

Don’t say ‘no’? I thought. Really? C’mon girl. I’m the parent. You’re the child. Get a grip.

What I said to her was, “Honey, we are several weeks away from swim season. I’m not sure that today is a good day for all of this. And by the way, you’re free to share your heart with me and to tell me your desires, but you do not get to tell me what I can and can’t say no to. I’m pulling into the neighborhood now and will see you in a minute.”

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – What To Do When God Says No →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Rejoicing in Suffering

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From your friends at RayStedman.org

Read: Romans 5:3-10

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 NIV

It is clear from this that Christians are expected to experience suffering. Those who think that becoming a Christian will remove them from suffering have been seriously misled, for the Scriptures themselves teach that we are to expect suffering.

The Greek word for suffering is translated as tribulation, something that causes distress. It can range from minor annoyances that we go through every day, to major disasters that come sweeping down out of the blue and leave us stricken and smitten. These are the sufferings that we might go through, the tribulations.

According to Romans 5, the Christian response to suffering is to rejoice: Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings. Here is where many people balk. They say, I can’t buy that! Do you mean to say that God is telling me that when I am hurting and in pain, I am expected to be glad and rejoice in that? That is not human, not natural!

How do you get to the place where you can rejoice in suffering? The apostle’s answer is, We rejoice in suffering because we know… We rejoice because we know something. It isn’t just because it’s such a great feeling to be hurt, it is because we know something about it. It is something our faith enables us to know, a kind of inside information that others do not share.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Rejoicing in Suffering →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Christ-side-piercing Spear

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Read: John 19:31-37

One of the soldiers pierced his side. (v. 33)

Herbert next takes us back to the gospel story, and to the narrative that is literally the crux of it, the account of the crucifixion of our Lord on the cross at Calvary. He points us to John’s version of it, which is distinctive, and which like so much else in the fourth Gospel adds yet greater depth to truths we may already know from the other three.

Jesus has died on the cross, and today we consider what (in every sense) follows that death. The thrust of the soldier’s spear confirms that this really is a dead body. The fluid oozing from the wound separates out, and Augustus Toplady’s hymn “Rock of Ages” highlights the symbolism: “Let the water and the blood / From thy riven side which flowed / Be of sin the double cure: / Cleanse me from its guilt and power.”

When I pray, this is where I begin. I too am at the cross, before the crucified Christ. I too see the water and the blood. It is actually the blood rather than the water that cleanses me, as Jesus in dying takes all my sin on to himself, and bears its penalty for me. The water revives me, as his Spirit gives me new life. The one deals with the guilt of the past, the other sets me on track for the future. Whatever penitence and praise and petition may fill my times of prayer, I have to begin with the Christ-side-piercing spear.

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Christ-side-piercing Spear →

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Memento Mori

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Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. —Colossians 3:2

Back in older times, there was a Latin phrase they would write on the top of a document. It was memento mori. It means, “Think of death.”

You say, “That is so morbid.” It actually is not. It was a reminder to be aware of the fact that life ends. Be aware of the fact that eternity is close. Be aware of the fact that there is an afterlife.

It is not a bad thing to think about these things deeply. In fact, it was C. S. Lewis who said, “A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not . . . a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.” You should think about death, eternity, and the afterlife.

If you are a Christian, you are going to enter heaven in one of two ways: either through death or through the rapture. Either we will die, or the Lord will catch us up to meet Him in the air.

Imagine being part of the rapture. One day you might be walking on the street, thinking about a loved one who has gone to be with the Lord. Maybe you are thinking about your last conversation with them, or wondering what they are experiencing there in heaven. Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, you will be with them.

Mothers and fathers reunited with sons and daughters. Husbands reunited with wives. Siblings with siblings. Friends with friends. Your sorrow vanishes and it is replaced by ecstatic joy. Not only are you with your loved one again, but best of all you are with Jesus.

For the Christian, thinking about the afterlife is not a bad thing. It is actually a good thing. So go ahead and think about it. Go ahead and dream about it. Go ahead and wonder about it. It is called being heavenly minded.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – The Lord Loves Cheerful Givers

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“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)

It was Thursday morning, and Tonia and Ruben had gotten up early so they could go with Uncle Dirk to the market. They loved the Thursday markets because there were so many interesting things and all kinds of people to see. Each of them had saved a little money since last Thursday, and they jingled the coins in their hands as they walked with Uncle Dirk from the train station to the marketplace.

But today wasn’t just any Thursday. Today was their mother’s 40th birthday! They knew that even today – even on her own special day – she was at home doing things for them. Right about now, she was probably preparing their lunch – slicing up bread, setting out dishes, washing vegetables for some soup. That was just how their mother was. Always doing, doing, doing – but never doing things for herself. Just yesterday, she had fixed Ruben’s bicycle chain and added a bell to the handlebars. Last week, she had mended Tonia’s favorite scarf.

“Look here, Uncle Dirk!” cried Ruben. “Don’t you think Mother would love these soaps? There are all kinds of scents and colors to choose from! I’m sure I could find one she would love.”

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Like Armies in Battle

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Today’s Scripture: Matthew 26:41

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

William Romaine (born 1714) was one of the leaders of the eighteenth-century revival in England, along with George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers. In his classic work on faith he wrote, “no sin can be crucified either in heart or life, unless it be first pardoned in conscience, because there will be want of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified. If it be not mortified in its guilt, it cannot be subdued in its power.”

What Romaine was saying is that if you do not believe you are dead to sin’s guilt, you cannot trust Christ for the strength to subdue its power in your life. So the place to begin in dealing with sin in your life is to count on the fact that you died to its guilt through your union with Christ in his death. This is an important truth you need to ponder and pray over until the Holy Spirit convinces you of it in both your head and heart.

Meanwhile, to make progress in the Christian life, we must acknowledge the continuing tension between our sinful nature and the Spirit of God within us.

Observing this “internal conflict,” George Smeaton noted, “and the strange thing is, that in this conflict the power and faculties of the Christian seem to be occupied at one time by the one, and at another time by the other. The same intellect, will, and affections come under different influences, like two conflicting armies occupying the ground, and in turn driven from the field.”

With any two opposing forces, the direction of movement often goes back and forth until one eventually prevails. This is the way it will be with us until the Holy Spirit finally prevails.

 

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