Tag Archives: holy spirit

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE ACADEMY AWARDS: 2 THEMES AND 2 RESPONSES

Leave a comment

The 88th Academy Awards are still making news today. Two themes resonated last Sunday night that mirror the moral and spiritual condition of our culture today.

One: Whatever hurts others is wrong for us.

Spotlight won for Best Picture. The movie focuses on the Catholic church’s clergy abuse scandal. Leonardo DiCaprio won for Best Actor and used his speech to warn against the dangers of climate change. (For more, see Nick Pitts’s Leo Wins Oscar: Is Climate Change the Most Urgent Threat?) Lady Gaga delivered the most-discussed musical element of the night, focusing on the horror of sexual abuse. And host Chris Rock commented all night long about the lack of diversity among the nominees.

Two: Whatever you do personally is right for you.

Alicia Vikander won Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl, portraying the wife of a man who undergoes surgery to become a woman. Eddie Redmayne was nominated for Best Actor in the same film. Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress, portraying a housewife who is threatened with losing custody of her daughter because she has a sexual relationship with another woman.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE ACADEMY AWARDS: 2 THEMES AND 2 RESPONSES →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – What Do You Desire?

1 Comment

Read | John 16:23-24

If I were to ask you to name the desire of your heart, would you have an answer? How long would it take you to express your deepest, most genuine yearning?

Of course, most of us have a seemingly endless list of things that we want, whether it be a big screen TV, a new car, a promotion at work, or the respect we think we deserve. Things are added to and removed from our want list every day; our wants are frequently dictated by what those around us have. Sometimes simply seeing a friend’s new vehicle will give us “car fever,” even if we have a perfectly fine automobile sitting in the driveway.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – What Do You Desire? →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Lifeblood

Leave a comment

Read: Hebrews 9:19-28

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. —Hebrews 9:22

Mary Ann believed in God and His Son Jesus, but she struggled with why Jesus had to shed His blood to bring salvation. Who would think of cleansing something with blood? Yet the Bible says, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood” (Heb. 9:22). That, in Mary Ann’s opinion, was disgusting!

Then one day she had to go to a hospital. A genetic condition had altered her immune system, and doctors became alarmed when the illness started attacking her blood. As she was in the emergency room she thought, If I lose my blood, I will die. But Jesus shed His blood so I can live!

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Lifeblood →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Resonate Gifts

Leave a comment

There are a few great lines I know by memory simply because my boss is fond of repeating them. Ravi Zacharias often quotes a song titled The Lost Chord, which was penned by Adelaide Proctor and later set to music by Arthur Sullivan. It is a hymn that describes a moment of transcendence, a hint of wonder that appeared momentarily and left the narrator yearning for more. The song tells her story:

Seated one day at the organ

I was weary and ill at ease,

and my fingers wandered idly

over the noisy keys.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Resonate Gifts →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – God’s Glory in Christ

1 Comment

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Christ displayed God’s glory on earth and will again when He comes back. After seeing His glory in Scripture, we should respond in worship and righteousness.

From eternity past Christ had the glory of God. He “is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3), and He prayed, “And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I ever had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:5).

Christ also displayed God’s glory on earth. Most often He looked like an ordinary man, but one night He appeared in great glory to Peter, James, and John (Luke 9:28-36). “While He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming” (v. 29). Moses and Elijah came and spoke to Him, and the disciples “saw His glory” (v. 32).

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – God’s Glory in Christ →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Keep Faith in Jesus 

Leave a comment

I [Jesus] am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown [by leading you to renounce the faith]. Revelation 3:11, AMP

I’m a former 10K runner and a one time half marathoner (13.1 miles). I trained for the longer race with a friend. We of course, enjoyed the camaraderie and provided for each other needed accountability and encouragement. The preparation for the half marathon was hard, but fulfilling. On race day we were in our best shape. The weather, though a chilly 35 degrees, was sunny with a brilliant blue sky—there was only one problem: I was very sick with the flu. The first ten miles went fast. The last three miles were as slow as molasses. My friend waited on me and helped me finish well.

Jesus reminds the church and individual believers to keep their faith in Him. Christ instructed His bride to hold onto the hope of His return, not allowing individual naysayers or the cynical culture to cause the Christians to renounce their reliance on God. The race of faith requires preparation, perseverance and other faithful friends to help us finish well. The victor’s crown is not royalty, but a wreath of righteousness given by the Righteous One—Jesus. Yes, when we faithfully hang onto Jesus—we experience joy—in anticipation of His eternal joy unspeakable!

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Keep Faith in Jesus  →

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Waiting Room

Leave a comment

We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us develop endurance.

Romans 5:3

Friend to Friend

My daughter and I are exactly alike, which means that we can really push each other’s buttons. Danna is now a grown woman and an amazing wife and mom, so the button-pushing phase is pretty much something we laugh about. We were recently on a shopping trip when we saw a mom and her teenage daughter arguing about an outfit. Danna and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Ah, sweet memories.

I remembered a particularly rough day when Danna was in high school. Everything was a battle, none of which I seemed to win. My patience was wearing thin. Everything I asked her to do was met with opposition and multiple reasons why she did not want to comply with my wishes. I finally threw up my hands in total frustration and announced, “Fine, Danna! Just do whatever you want. Now let me see you disobey that!” As I realized the absurdity of my words, I burst out laughing. The look of surprise on Danna’s face was priceless as was the lesson I learned that day. Pick your battles and save your energy for the big ones.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – The Waiting Room →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Why Doesn’t God Do Something?

1 Comment

Read: Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God… (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Luke’s gospel records that Jesus went into the synagogue at Nazareth on one occasion, as was his custom, and asked for the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled it until he found the place where these words are written. Turning to this very spot, he read this passage about the Spirit coming upon him, anointing him, and that he was called to preach the gospel, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, etc. He stopped reading in the middle of a sentence, after the comma following the words, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Then he closed the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, sat down, and said, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing.

Note carefully where he stopped reading. He did not go on to read, and the day of vengeance of our God, because when he first came he introduced the day of God’s favor, the day when God withholds his judgment.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Why Doesn’t God Do Something? →

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C.- Peace

Leave a comment

If you tapped open your news feed and read “Peace Declared upon Earth,” would you immediately think it was a joke or maybe some kind of advertising? World peace is almost unimaginable today, but someday that headline will be the truth.

He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Psalm 147:14

Jesus’ birth marked the point in history when such peace became possible. The angels even advertised it by crying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.” (Luke 2:14) God’s Son born under that proclamation will one day rule as king over the people and nations of Earth and establish global peace. The prophet Isaiah foretold of that magnificent time saying that the government will be “upon his shoulder” as He leads the people as their counselor, Lord, and “Prince of Peace.”

Continue reading Presidential Prayer Team; G.C.- Peace →

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How Will They Hear?

1 Comment

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?—Romans 10:14

Have you ever led someone to Christ? If not, why not? Maybe you think that God can never use you in this way, that you’re just not gifted in that regard, and it is only for a privileged few to lead others to Christ. But if this were the case, why was the Great Commission given to every Christian? Every believer is called to “go and make disciples of all the nations . . . ” (Matthew 28:19). That means we are all called to evangelism. We all have a part to play.

I must admit that it’s a mystery to me that God has chosen to use people as the primary communicators of His truth. An interviewer once commented to me that I seem to be very natural when I speak, that it must come easily to me. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” I said. “Before I was a Christian, I wasn’t a public speaker.”

Continue reading Greg Laurie – How Will They Hear? →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Grace or Duty?

1 Comment

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 37:5

“Trust in him, and he will act.”

There’s no question that we’re responsible to pursue holiness with all the intensity the word pursue implies. Every moral imperative in the Bible addresses itself to our responsibility to discipline ourselves unto godliness. We aren’t just to “turn it all over to the Lord” and let him live his life through us. Rather, we’re to love one another, to put to death the misdeeds of the body, and to put off the old man and put on the new man.

If we’re to make any progress in the pursuit of holiness, we must assume our responsibility to discipline or train ourselves. But we’re to do all this in total dependence on the Holy Spirit to work in us and strengthen us with the strength that is in Christ.

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Grace or Duty? →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Striking It Rich

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Chronicles 1-9

Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. – Ezra 7:10

A friend of mine was sorting through a box of old financial records several months after his father died and came across copies of his parents’ income tax returns for the past thirty years. One year his father had earned less than $200. His mother’s salary from teaching school had been their only income. If my friend had read that income tax return as a child, it would have meant nothing to him. But as an adult, those records were a revelation, filled with deep meaning.

A lot of people would put the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9 in the same category as old income tax returns. Some would question the value of lists of names and a discussion of who were the parents of whom. But a lot of what we see in the Bible depends on our maturity and perspective. After reading the Scriptures several times, we should begin to recognize names and recall incidents from their lives. But if we confine our Bible reading to favorite portions of Scripture, we will miss much of the blessing of the entire Word of God.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Striking It Rich →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Zika and Abortion Part II: is History Repeating Itself?

Leave a comment

More than fifty years ago, doctors in the U.S. and Western Europe prescribed the drug thalidomide to their female patients for, among other things, nausea and morning sickness in pregnant women.

The drug had tragic outcomes whose effects are still being felt today.

In the late 1950s, reports of abnormalities in children whose mothers had used the drug during pregnancy began to come in. The best-known and most heartbreaking of these abnormalities was missing limbs.

Not surprisingly, within a few years the drug was taken off the market, but the tragic story of thalidomide doesn’t end there. As historian Daniel K. Williams tells us in his new book, “Defenders of the Unborn,” the thalidomide tragedy opened the door to legalized abortion in the United States.

Continue reading BreakPoint – Zika and Abortion Part II: is History Repeating Itself? →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – FINAL REST

Leave a comment

Read Revelation 14:1-13

Many funeral homes are decorated to look like a living room in a home, probably a remnant of the days when those who died were laid out at home. The typical modern coffin resembles a bed with cushions and a pillow. The result gives onlookers the impression that the deceased is merely sleeping. Sleep is also the euphemism that the Bible frequently uses to refer to death (see 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20; 1 Thess. 4:13–14; 5:6, 10).

Sleep is an apt metaphor for death for someone who has trusted in Christ. For those who die in Christ, death is a gateway to eternal rest (v. 13). New Testament scholar John Walvoord notes that this chapter is pivotal in the book of Revelation: it is the culmination of the two preceding chapters and sets the stage for the climax in chapter 15. It provides us with a series of statements about the future and the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ. Among these statements is the promise that those who die in the Lord “rest from their labor” (v. 13).

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – FINAL REST →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – JOHNNY DEPP TO SPEAK AT ATHEISTS’ CONVENTION

Leave a comment

Actor Johnny Depp has agreed to speak at the Reason Rally. This is an event sponsored by atheist, humanist, and other secularist organizations scheduled for June 4 at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial.

If you were invited to address the crowd that day, would you?

Last Friday we explored the priority of sharing Jesus with those who need salvation. How does this subject make you feel? If you’re like most of us, there’s a nagging fear in the back of your soul: What if you fail? What if you’re rejected? What if you hurt more than you help?

It’s better to leave ministry to the “ministers,” it seems.

What is behind our fear? We’re not afraid to tell people about our children (or grandchildren!) or the last movie we saw. But souls are eternal and we are fallen. We don’t want to make things worse. The medical oath, “First, do no harm,” seems to apply here. If another person’s eternity is up to us, they’re in trouble.

Continue reading Denison Forum – JOHNNY DEPP TO SPEAK AT ATHEISTS’ CONVENTION →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Cross: Symbol of Forgiveness

Leave a comment

Read | Matthew 20:27-28

Have you ever wondered why God didn’t decide to save us without having His only Son die the gruesome death of crucifixion? Surely, you think, the Lord could do anything, right? Yes, He can do anything, but He cannot violate His own character.

God is holy. We know that all people have disobeyed His law and fellowship with Him has been broken. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” From the beginning of time, He has required a penalty for disobedience to His commands. In fact, our sin actually deserves payment of our own life. (See Gen. 2:17; Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 6:23.)

Continue reading Charles Stanley – The Cross: Symbol of Forgiveness →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Growing Up

Leave a comment

Read: Ephesians 4:1-16

Bible in a Year: Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13

From him the whole body . . . grows and builds itself up in love. —Ephesians 4:16

Watching my young grandson and his friends play T-Ball is entertaining. In this version of baseball, young players often run to the wrong base or don’t know what to do with the ball if they happen to catch it.  If we were watching a professional baseball game, these mistakes would not be so funny.

It’s all a matter of maturity.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Growing Up →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – God’s Glory in Christ

Leave a comment

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Christ displayed God’s glory on earth and will again when He comes back. After seeing His glory in Scripture, we should respond in worship and righteousness.

From eternity past Christ had the glory of God. He “is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3), and He prayed, “And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I ever had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:5).

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – God’s Glory in Christ →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Risk and Reward

Leave a comment

And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.       Judges 1:12-13

Risk often precedes reward, and reward may follow risk. War is risky because you endanger life and limb. The stakes are high. However, the rewards of war are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The victor enjoys the spoils of war, while those humiliated in defeat suffer loss. Marriage is risky because it entails the co-mingling of money, time, trust, and loyalty. What’s yours becomes hers and what’s hers becomes yours. You become one flesh, for it is a relationship of oneness (Genesis 2:24). But the rewards of marriage are love, joy, peace, companionship, sex, children, and spiritual/emotional maturity to name but a few. The many risks of marriage are overshadowed by the mammoth rewards it hands out to the husband and to the wife.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Risk and Reward →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Patient

Leave a comment

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. —James 1:4

James teaches us that we can rejoice when we find ourselves involved in difficult situations, knowing that God is trying our faith to bring out patience. I have found that trials did eventually bring out patience in me, but first they brought a lot of other junk to the surface—such as pride, anger, rebellion, self-pity, complaining, and many other things. It seems that these ungodly traits, with God’s help, need to be faced and dealt with because they hinder patience as well as other good fruit like kindness, love, humility, and other things.

The Bible talks about purification, sanctification, and sacrifice. These are not popular words; nevertheless, these are things we go through in order to become like Jesus in our character. God’s desire is to make us perfect, lacking in nothing. He wants us to ultimately be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which usually requires us to go through some difficulties that, although are unpleasant, do eventually help us mature.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Be Patient →