Tag Archives: human rights

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –Of Minor Importance

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Avoid foolish controversies.

Titus 3:9

Our days are few and are far better spent in doing good than in disputing over matters that are, at best, of minor importance. The old scholars did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our churches suffer too often from petty wars over obscure points and unimportant questions.

After everything has been said that can be said, neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion promotes neither knowledge nor love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field.

Questions about issues on which Scripture is silent, on mysteries that belong to God alone, on prophecies of doubtful interpretation, and on mere modes of observing human ceremonials are all foolish, and wise men avoid them.

Our business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle’s precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we will find ourselves occupied with so much profitable business that we will have no time to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.

There are, however, some questions that are the reverse of foolish, which we must not avoid but fairly and honestly meet, such as these: Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my behavior adorn the doctrine of God my Savior? Am I looking for the coming of the Lord and watching as a servant should who expects his master? What more can I do for Jesus?

Such inquiries as these demand our urgent attention; and if we have been given at all to frivolous arguments, let us now turn our critical abilities to a much more profitable service. Let us be peacemakers and endeavor to lead others both by our precept and example to “avoid foolish controversies.”

Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. 

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Hears Prayer

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“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1b)

“Time to get ready for bed, Taylor. When you’re done, I’ll come pray with you.”

“Dad, does God really hear me when I pray?”

“Well, of course, Taylor. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It just seems like a lot of the things I pray for don’t ever happen. Maybe I’m just not asking God enough times.”

“That reminds me of a parable in the book of Luke. Jesus used parables, or stories, sometimes when teaching His followers. The one I’m thinking of has to do with prayer. Jesus told a story about a judge and a widow. (A widow is a woman whose husband has died.) This widow needed help and the judge was the only one who could give her what she needed, but he refused. He turned her down. But this widow did not give up – she kept on asking the judge for help. After a while, the judge saw that this widow was going to keep on bugging him. He did not want her to bother him anymore, and he did not want others to think he was a bad judge, so he finally gave in and gave her the help she needed.”

“Oh. So I just need to keep on bugging God, right?”

“No, Taylor, because there’s a lot more to the story. Jesus explained that if even this unjust, uncaring judge would give the widow what she needed – then surely we can trust that God, Who is always just and caring, will give His children what they need. And He will do it right on time.”

“But, Dad, I don’t see all my prayers being answered very fast.”

“Well, that could be because God knows better than you do what you need and what would be best to give you. Also, His idea of ‘right on time’ is not always our idea of ‘fast.’ God’s timing is perfect. And it’s important to understand the point Jesus was trying to make when He told the story. He was using the story to teach people to be faithful in prayer. The widow kept asking, even when the judge tried to ignore her. If she can be that faithful in asking an earthly judge for help, then God’s children can pray with much more faithfulness. We have confidence that our God hears and cares about our prayer requests.”

“Ok, I think I get it,” said Taylor. “It’s not about bugging God until He gets tired of me and gives me what I want. But I can keep on praying without being discouraged because I have faith that my requests are going to the right God.”

“Exactly; your prayers are going to the right God, a good and perfect God Who hears you and cares about you. If you trust that God will give people what they need when they need it, then you will keep praying faithfully. Now – finish getting ready for bed so we can pray!”

God hears our prayers and expects us to pray faithfully.

My Response:
» Do I trust God to know and meet my needs?
» Should I be more concerned with how God answers prayer, or with how I pray?
» How can I be faithful in prayer?

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – The Beaver Moon eclipse and the collapse of mainstream media

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The Beaver Moon lunar eclipse that occurred early this morning lasted around 21,693 seconds (six hours and two minutes). I know this because I read it on the Time and Date website, which seems authoritative. However, I did not stay up to time the event and can offer no independent confirmation of this claim.

The same article states that the last time a partial lunar eclipse lasted that long was on February 18, 1440. The next time a partial lunar eclipse will reach the same overall length will be on February 8, 2669. However, since I was not alive for the former and will not be alive for the latter, once again I am forced to take these assertions by faith.

Upon reflection, it seems to me that nearly everything we read in the news must be approached in the same way. We can only be in one place at a time, and thus we can witness personally only the tiniest sliver of all that happens in our universe on a given day. Even when televised news covers a distant event, the fact that we are watching that particular televised event means we are not watching any others at the same time.

And even when we witness an occurrence first-hand, we often require the help of those who are more expert on the subject to understand it more fully. I can know that I’m running a fever, but I need a doctor to tell me why.

 

“When All the Media Narratives Collapse”

I say all of that to make this point: if we cannot depend on the objectivity of those whose reporting and opinions we require, our ability to engage with the world is severely affected.

And that is where we are today.

Andrew Sullivan is a British-American writer, editor, and blogger. He has written for The New Republic, TIME, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, New York, and other publications. He is openly gay, married to a man, and a practicing Catholic. He describes himself as a political conservative, though his positions on a variety of social issues have provoked opposition from many conservatives.

Whatever our views on his views, I found his recent newsletter to be profoundly important and disturbing. Titled, “When All the Media Narratives Collapse,” it lists example after example of ways the mainstream media (MSM) have gotten significant recent stories wrong in significant and often indefensible ways.

For example, he links to a New York Times (NYT) article published the morning after the killings for which Kyle Rittenhouse has been on trial this week. Neither the article nor subsequent reporting by the NYT included the possibility that Rittenhouse may have shot assailants in self-defense. Thus, when one of his pursuers admitted on the witness stand that Rittenhouse shot him only after the man pointed his gun directly at Rittenhouse’s head a few feet away, people were shocked.

According to Sullivan, the NYT‘s coverage and videos of the event omitted key elements that only came to light during the trial this week. He cites other examples regarding the Steele Dossier, the Covington boys, Russian bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan, the lab-leak Covid theory, Jussie Smollett’s claims, a gang assault at UVA, white supremacists targeting Asian-Americans, Hunter Biden’s laptop, the escalation in inflation, the seasonality of the migrant border surge, and claims that Critical Race Theory is not being taught in high schools at all. He links to relevant stories in the MSM and shows that each has been proven highly inaccurate.

Sullivan concludes: “I still rely on the MSM for so much. I still read the NYT first thing in the morning. I don’t want to feel as if everything I read is basically tilted toward wish-fulfillment, narrative-proving, and ideology. But with this kind of record, how can I not?” (his emphasis).

“The truth will set you free”

My purpose today is not to lambast the media for its bias, whether on the right or the left. (In an earlier article, I explained this bias in some detail.) Nor is it to paint all journalists with the same brush. Some, like this reporter in Dallas whose article on our website was insightful and compelling, are working sacrificially to tell the truth as objectively and professionally as possible.

Rather, it is to note that in a post-truth culture, truth claims are likely to be a means to the ends of personal and professional agendas. Including yours and mine.

This is why knowing God and then making him known is so urgent. Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He promises that if we would “abide” in his word, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

He prayed for his followers that his Father would “sanctify them in the truth” and added, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). His Spirit will “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). His word is “a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path” (Psalm 119:105).

However, as we noted yesterday, you and I are tempted to make people a means to our ends, an object to our subject. We are just as tempted to do this with God.

 

How to get along with God

Transactional religion, from the Greco-Roman world to today, treats God’s word and power as instruments to be used for our purposes. We pray so God will meet our needs. We worship on Sunday so God will bless us on Monday. We read the Bible so its insights will help us succeed in life.

We need to measure the news and everything else we experience in this fallen world through the prism of God’s unchanging, authoritative, completely true word. We need to read, pray, and worship for God’s glory rather than our own, to live for his honor above our own, to commune with our Creator for no reason except to be with our Father, to love our Lord and our neighbor for their sakes rather than ours.

Anything less makes the King of the universe a means to our end. This is idolatry, and it is dangerous. As a wise friend once told me, “If you want to get along with God, stay off his throne.”

We can denounce the media for its personal biases and the culture for its self-promotional secularism, but we cannot control either. What we can control is the degree to which we submit our biases and self-promotion to our Lord each day in repentance and faith. We can control the degree to which God is our King and not our hobby (1 Timothy 1:17), the depth of our surrendered and grateful submission to his Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), the passion of our sacrificial love for every person Jesus loves (John 3:16).

Here is a way to know if God is a means to your end or the King of your heart: When last did reading the Bible, praying, or worshiping God change your life? When last did they cause you to do something you did not want to do or stop doing something you did?

Will they today?

 

Denison Forum

Charles Stanley

In Touch Ministries; Charles Stanley – The Love of God

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We didn’t earn the love God has for us, and that’s why we can never lose it.

1 John 4:7-21

Christians often hear that God loves them. This truth is repeated in church, and believers often recite Bible verses on the topic. Yet do we really grasp what it means to be cared for in this way by the Creator of the universe? Let’s explore two aspects of His love.

First, God’s love isn’t influenced by anything within or around us, because it is one of God’s unchanging attributes. We know that even while we were still living in sin, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). We didn’t do anything to earn His love, and we can’t do anything to hinder it.  

Second, divine love is eternal. Believers will never be separated from it. In fact, Ephesians 1:4 tells us that the Father chose us before the foundation of the world. We know, therefore, that His care for us has always been a fact—and always will be. 

We can trust the One who loves us completely. Jesus proved His love by dying in our place to rescue us from sin and its consequences. He promises to stay with us always and redirects us when we stray. Whether or not we feel His presence, His love surrounds and protects us forever. 

Bible in One Year: Acts 21-22

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — God Heals Our Brokenness

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Bible in a Year:

By grace you have been saved, through faith.

Ephesians 2:8

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Ephesians 2:1–10

Collin and his wife, Jordan, wandered through the craft store, looking for a picture to hang in their home. Collin thought he’d found just the right piece and called Jordan over to see it. On the right side of the ceramic artwork was the word grace. But the left side held two long cracks. “Well, it’s broken!” Jordan said as she started looking for an unbroken one on the shelf. But then Collin said, “No. That’s the point. We’re broken and then grace comes in—period.” They decided to purchase the one with the cracks. When they got to the checkout, the clerk exclaimed, “Oh, no, it’s broken!” “Yes, so are we,” Jordan whispered.

What does it mean to be a “broken” person? Someone defined it this way: A growing awareness that no matter how hard we try, our ability to make life work gets worse instead of better. It’s a recognition of our need for God and His intervention in our lives.

The apostle Paul talked about our brokenness in terms of being “dead in [our] transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). The answer to our need to be forgiven and changed comes in verses 4 and 5: “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive . . . . [It] is by grace [we] have been saved.”

God is willing to heal our brokenness with His grace when we admit, “I’m broken.”

By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray

What brought you to your need to ask God to heal your brokenness? How do you need Him today?

God, thank You for being rich in mercy toward me! May I boast in You and Your gift of salvation through grace by faith.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Looking to the Future

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“By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised; therefore, also, there was born of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore” (Heb. 11:11-12).

Your faith in Christ will influence future generations.

I’ve been blessed with a wonderful Christian heritage. In fact, I’m the fifth generation of preachers in our family. The faith of my predecessors has had an enormous impact on my life—either directly or indirectly. I have the same responsibility they did to influence others for good—as do you.

Hebrews 11:11-12 gives a very personal example of how one man’s faith influenced an entire nation. Verse 11 is better rendered: “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise” (NIV).

God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation (Gen. 12:2). But Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had always been barren, and both of them were advanced in years. At one point Sarah became impatient and decided to take things into her own hands. She persuaded Abraham to have a son by her maid, Hagar (16:1-4). That act of disobedience proved to be costly because Ishmael, the child of that union, became the progenitor of the Arab people, who have been constant antagonists of the Jewish nation.

Despite his times of disobedience, Abraham believed that God would keep His promise. God honored Abraham’s faith by giving him not only Isaac, the child of promise, but descendants too numerous to count. One man’s faith literally changed the world.

Similarly, the faith you exercise today will influence others tomorrow. So be faithful and remember: despite your failures, God “is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Thank God for those who have had a righteous influence on you.
  • Pray for greater opportunities to influence others for Christ.

For Further Study

Read the account of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18-21 and 23.

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Earthly Blessings

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Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.

— 3 John 2 (AMPC)

In plain, everyday language, this Scripture could read, “My dearly beloved children, I want you to have every earthly blessing you could possibly imagine, but only to the degree that you have spiritual maturity and Christlike character.” When you look at the Scripture this way, you get the message, “I need to grow up!”

You don’t need to talk God into blessing you. He wants to bless you. In fact, He wants to bless you more than you can imagine being blessed (see Ephesians 3:20). But even more than He wants you to have something, He wants you to be something. He wants you to be Christlike. Once you are spiritually mature, you will be able to handle having the earthly blessings He desires for you and use them for His glory.

Prayer Starter: Father, it’s time for me to grow up, but I’m going to need Your help. In Jesus’ name, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –Heart of a Believer

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A spring locked, a fountain sealed.

Song of Songs 4:12

In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer, we have very plainly the idea of secrecy. It is “a spring locked.” Just as there were springs in the East over which an edifice was built, so that no one could reach them except those who knew the secret entrance, so is the heart of a believer when it is renewed by grace: There is a mysterious life within that no human skill can touch.

It is a secret that no one else knows, which the individual who is the possessor of it cannot tell his neighbor. The text includes not only secrecy but separation. It is not the common spring, of which every passer-by may drink; it is one kept and preserved from all others; it is a fountain bearing a particular mark—a king’s royal seal, so that all can perceive that it is not a common fountain, but a fountain owned by a proprietor and placed specially by itself alone.

So is it with the spiritual life. The chosen of God were separated in the eternal decree; they were separated by God in the day of redemption; and they are separated by the possession of a life that others do not have.

And it is impossible for them to feel at home with the world or to delight in its pleasures. There is also the idea of sacredness.

The locked spring is preserved for the use of some special person: And such is the Christian’s heart. It is a spring kept for Jesus.

Every Christian should feel that he has God’s seal upon him—and he should be able to say with Paul, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”1

Another idea is prominent—it is that of security. How sure and safe is the inner life of the believer! If all the powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal principle must still exist, for He who gave it pledged His life for its preservation. And who or what can harm you when God is your protector?

1) Galatians 6:17

Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. 

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – Don’t Get Lost!

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“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Have you ever been lost? Danny was only eight years old when he and his brother Steve got lost one day during their walk home from school. Instead of walking down the streets they knew well, they decided they wanted to follow a creek for a while, thinking it would take them toward home. But it didn’t. Instead, the creek went another direction. When Danny and Steve realized they were lost, they got a little scared. Finally, a man came by, and they asked him if he knew where their home’s street was, and he told them. When they followed his guidance, they were able to find their way back to familiar territory, and back home!

What Danny and Steve did is exactly what Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to do. They leaned on their own understanding. They thought they knew what they were doing, but they didn’t. This is how many people behave for most of their lives. They think they know what they are doing on their own. Instead of getting their guidance from the Lord, they go their own directions, doing things their own ways. And something always goes wrong – every time!

Why is that we always get confused or “lost” when we lean on our own understanding? It is because no one has the ability in himself to go the right direction, to do the right thing, on his own. The prophet Jeremiah admitted this fact to God when he said, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (See Jeremiah 10:23.)

So, how can we ever be sure we are going in the right direction? How can we ever be sure we are doing the right things? If it is really true that we don’t have the ability in ourselves to go the right way or to do the right thing – then how can we get it? We must trust, honor, and obey the Lord. If we do, He will make sure we go the right direction and do the right thing. That is the promise of Proverbs 3:6. The Lord tells us all we need to know. He is the Giver of all the guidance and counsel we could ever need.

We do not have to plan our own paths – all we have to do is trust the Lord’s plans and obey what He commands. If we will honor Him in our decisions, rather than thinking we can make it without Him, then we will find He is worthy of our trust. Leaning on God, we can never get lost. The Lord’s guidance will always take us the right direction. It will always take us closer to “home” – always closer to Him.

God is the perfect Guide and Counselor, worthy of our wholehearted trust, honor, and obedience.

My Response:
» Am I acknowledging (honoring) God in all my ways, or am I mostly concerned about my own opinions and wishes?
» Does God know what He’s doing and what He’s going to do in my life better than I could ever know?
» How can I change my thinking and actions to show that I am trusting in, honoring, and obeying a perfect Guide and Counselor?

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Denison Forum – Pastoral burnout and my interview with Dr. Ben Carson

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A ten-point buck sought shelter inside a southern Michigan church on Monday, the opening day of the state’s firearm deer hunting season. A video shows the animal wandering around the church auditorium, at one point climbing stairs to a balcony. It eventually leapt through a window and back out into the wild.

Unfortunately, not everyone is finding the same sanctuary inside churches these days. 

A Barna Group survey released Tuesday reports that 38 percent of US pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year. This percentage is up nine points since Barna asked church leaders the same question at the beginning of 2021. 

A Barna official explains: “All the chaos, all the pressure, the magnifying glass of social media, the pandemic, the politics, the hyperdigital context, it makes sense that you have a lot of pastors saying, ‘Is this really what I signed up for? Is this what I was called into?’” 

Pastors are not alone in needing help these days. Federal researchers reported yesterday that more than one hundred thousand Americans died of drug overdoses in the twelve-month period ending in April, up almost 30 percent from the prior year. Overdose deaths have doubled since 2015 and now surpass the toll of car crashes and guns combined. 

We live in the most advanced technological age in history. We have more wealth and means than previous generations could have imagined. What, then, explains the anxiety epidemic of our age? 

Why Ben Carson is an advocate for life 

Dr. Ben Carson was the keynote speaker for the Twentieth Annual Celebrating Life Luncheon in Dallas yesterday. The event was sponsored by the Council for Life, one of the most effective organizations supporting life I have ever known. I am honored to serve on their Advisory Board and to encourage their mission and ministry. 

The previous evening, the Council held a dinner for board members and invited guests. Matthew West provided worship music for the evening and for yesterday’s luncheon. I was privileged to interview them both as part of the program. 

As you may know, Dr. Carson was an award-winning pediatric neurosurgeon, named by CNN and Time magazine as one of America’s twenty foremost physicians and scientists and selected by the Library of Congress as one of eighty-nine “Living Legends” on its two-hundredth anniversary. He then became a candidate for president of the United States before serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He founded and leads the American Cornerstone Institute in promoting and preserving individual and religious liberty and serving all our citizens. 

During our conversation, I asked Dr. Carson how he had come to be such an advocate for life. He explained that he grew up in a very liberal worldview, one that was furthered by his education at Yale, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins. While he told us that he did not agree with abortion personally, he also believed that he had no right to force his belief on women. (This is the most common pro-choice explanation I have heard over the years.) 

However, he came to understand that abortion, which treats an unborn child as less than fully human, is very similar to slavery, which treats a person of a different race as less than fully human. Then he asked himself: “What if abolitionists had taken the same position on slavery that I am taking on abortion? What if they had said, ‘I don’t believe in slavery personally, but I don’t want to force my beliefs on slaveholders?’ Where would I be today?” 

Dr. Carson told our group that this reasoning led him to advocate passionately for all life, beginning at conception.  

Our perennial temptation 

Reflecting on his remarkable observation, I realized that the temptation to make others a means to our ends is endemic to fallen human nature and, therefore, every dimension of human experience. Like our first parents in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:5), you and I face this temptation every moment of every day. 

For example, God intends sexual relations to be the celebration of covenant love between a husband and a wife, while the so-called sexual revolution objectifies others as a means to our sexual pleasure. Our Creator makes each human in his image as a person of sacred worth, while pornography, prostitution, and sex trafficking make them objects of lust and greed. 

If murderers valued their victims as God does, what would be the impact on our homicide epidemic? If liars, thieves, and other criminals did the same, what would be the result? 

Slave traders and owners justified their horrific sin by viewing Africans as inferior to white people. White supremacists similarly denigrate Jews and ethnic minorities today. Over decades of pastoral experience, I have often met church members who objectify their pastor and staff ministers as their employees, measuring their value by their utility rather than their intrinsic worth as God’s children and servants. 

Three prayers that would change the world 

The way forward is found in Jesus’ Great Commandments (Mark 12:29–31), where we are taught to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. On this basis, you and I should pray three prayers every day: 

One: “God, help me to love you fully in response to your unconditional love for me.” 

The more we remember our Father’s sacrificial, passionate, absolute love for us, the more we will want to love him in the same way. 

Two: “God, help me love myself as you love me.” 

The more we remember what Jesus did to restore our relationship with our Father, the more we will find our self-worth, not in our possessions, popularity, or performance but in his never-ending, never-changing love for us. 

Three: “God, help me love my neighbor as you love me.” 

The more we experience God’s transforming love, the more we will be empowered and motivated to share it with every person we can. And the more we will love them as we are loved. 

Imagine the difference it would make in the world if Christians were known for loving others as God loves us. 

Now imagine the difference for the next person you meet. 

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – How Can We See God?

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“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Wouldn’t you like to see God? Wouldn’t you like to see with your own eyes the God Who created your eyes? Wouldn’t you like to spend time with Him in person and to know firsthand what He is really like?

The Bible says that nobody human has ever seen God, but the Bible also says that “the pure in heart…shall see God.” How can that be? Jesus preached that, through Him, it is possible to see the Father. In Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount,” He tells us how it is that we can see God. What does Matthew 5:8 say that we need to be in order to see God? We need to be “pure in heart”! But what does it mean to be “pure in heart”? What does it mean to be “pure”?

To be “pure” means you don’t have anything in you that isn’t supposed to be there. If you have a glass of pure water, that means there isn’t anything in the glass except water. No dirt, no bugs, no poison – or anything else – but water. If something else is in the water, then it is not pure water.

For a person to be pure means there is nothing in him that isn’t supposed to be there. He is just like God made him to be. In other words, there is no sin in him. The problem is, no human being is born the way God originally made him or her to be. Because Adam and Eve sinned, we are all born with sinful natures. So how can we become “pure in heart” and get back to the way God intended for us to be – pure-hearted? Through Jesus Christ! If you are believing on Jesus Christ and trusting in His righteousness to be your righteousness, then Jesus purifies your heart (makes your heart pure). His blood washes away the record of your sin and frees you from the power of sin. Not only can Jesus cleanse and purify your heart one time, but He can keep on helping you to keep on purifying your heart.

So what does a pure-hearted person look like? Well, he is someone who will not keep on sinning on purpose. Instead, he is trying to keep himself free from sin. That means keeping sin out of whatever he does, whatever he thinks, and whatever he wants. That is what it means to be pure in heart. Psalm 15 describes a pure-hearted person, if you would like to learn more about what a pure-hearted person is like. Psalm 15 clearly teaches that the only way to have fellowship with God is to be pure in heart.

What is the promise to those who are pure in heart? They shall see God! But what does it mean to “see” God?

First, to “see” God means to understand His ways. He is sinless. That is what He wants us to be, too. And when we are, we will understand Him more and love Him more, and we will be able to talk to Him in prayer with a clean conscience. This is the idea of having fellowship with God, knowing firsthand what He really is like. God is a spirit, so He is “knowable” through pure-hearted fellowship.

But there really is a way that pure-hearted believers will get to “see” God with their own eyes. “They shall see God” means just that. We who are saved by Jesus Christ will get to see God in eternity. In this earthly life, we can “see” God in the understanding sense, through Jesus Christ’s righteousness. And in the new heaven and the new earth, we will be able to be with God and to “see” Him with our own eyes, because of what Jesus Christ did for us.

God promises that the “pure in heart” will see Him!

My Response:
» Do I try not to sin?
» In my heart, am I really wanting to know and have fellowship with God?
» If I am not enjoying fellowship with God right now, what might be my problem?

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Denison Forum – DC megachurch holds “Gas on God” event, helps hundreds of commuters pay at the pump

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Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church, a megachurch in Washington, DC, held their first-ever “Gas on God” event last Saturday morning, giving 250 drivers $20 each to help pay for gas. The church’s executive pastor explained that “our desire has always been to meet the needs of the community” and hoped the commuters they helped “felt God’s love for them in a tangible way.”

That’s a church I would like to join.

There’s more good news in the news:

Each story illustrates the same theme: news outlets know that people are grateful when we make public our personal values and victories. With one major exception.

Three seasons in my neighborhood

Walking in my neighborhood early yesterday morning, it seems like we are living in three seasons simultaneously. American flags left over from Veterans Day are still dotting some front lawns. Thanksgiving decorations and pumpkins are much in evidence. And more houses every day are displaying Christmas lights. Not to mention the signs and banners proclaiming allegiances to various high schools and colleges.

Why do we do this? Those inside these houses cannot see what they are displaying outside them. Unlike political posters that are persuasional by design, I cannot imagine that those who put out such holiday displays are trying to make those who pass by more patriotic, thankful, or supportive of Christmas.

One explanation is that there is something in us that wants to make public what matters to us personally. And our culture affirms this practice.

Even though there are more Americans with no religious affiliation than ever before, I am not aware of an effort to ban Christmas decorations lest we offend the irreligious among us. Even though some claim that the Pilgrims did far more harm than good to the Native Americans they encountered, I have not seen a national strategy to cancel Thanksgiving. Some proponents of the 1619 Project view America as endemically racist and flawed from its inception, but no one I know fears offending them by displaying American flags on Veterans Day.

However, if evangelical Christians seek to share their faith in public, a rising tide of opposition brands us as intolerant, discriminatory, and even dangerous.

A very troubling report

It is conventional wisdom today that all truth is personal and subjective. As a result, sharing Christ in public is viewed as the imposition of our beliefs on others. I have no right to tell you that you should like classical music, any more than you have the right to impose your love for ballet on me.

This view of truth extends especially to the claim that non-Christians need to trust Christ to escape hell for heaven (Acts 4:12). Such a claim is increasingly seen as intolerant in the extreme, a view that is affecting and infecting Christians as well as the larger secular culture.

For example, a very troubling Barna report recently showed that 47 percent of practicing Christian Millennials say it is wrong to share our personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.

As we move closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas—once religious holidays that are now broadly and deeply secularized—how should Christians respond in ways that draw people closer to Christ?

Balancing boldness with discernment

During his first missionary journey, Paul was stoned in Lystra and left for dead (Acts 14:19), but he revived and “rose up and entered the city” to continue preaching (v. 20). When he faced opposition in Corinth, he nonetheless remained in the city for eighteen months, “teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:5–11).

Conversely, when city leaders in Philippi asked the apostle to leave, he complied (Acts 16:39–40). And when crowds erupted against him in Thessalonica, he escaped the city by night (Acts 17:1–10).

Here’s the principle: balance boldness with discernment.

We are to “speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31) and courage (1 Corinthians 16:13). At the same time, we are to seek God’s leading as to where we go and what we say, knowing that his Spirit will give us the discernment to know when we are in Corinth and when we are in Thessalonica.

We must not be presumptuous, jumping from the temple and expecting angels to catch us (Matthew 4:5–7). But neither are we to shrink from the calling and privilege of sharing the only news that can save souls and change hearts (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If we will seek God’s leading at the start of each day and then through the day, he will guide us, empower us, and use us to speak his truth and model his grace.

When earth is “a part of heaven”

If we truly love Jesus, we will love everyone he loves enough to pay any price to help them love our Lord. We will seek the Spirit’s discernment in showing that love in its most effective ways to those we influence, but we will also testify with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

The key factor to remember is that eternity is in the balance here. Every person you meet today will live forever in God’s presence in heaven or separated from him in hell. No price we pay to help them find salvation in our Savior is too high.

In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis noted: “Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think earth, if chosen instead of heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in hell; and earth, if put second to heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of heaven itself.”

Which will be true for you today?

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Charles Stanley

In Touch Ministries; Charles Stanley – Praying Effectively

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God answers the prayers of a transformed heart that seeks His will.

1 Kings 18:17-39 

God has given us the privilege of coming to Him with all our requests and concerns. And His Word tells us the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much (James 5:16). Isn’t that what we all desire? 

Elijah is a good example of someone who prayed effectively. He entered into a spiritual conflict with Baal worshippers to prove to Israel that the Lord is the one true God. Elijah’s petition was based on his knowledge of the Lord’s supremacy and an understanding of His will. When the prophet prayed, God responded by powerfully answering the request.

To have an effective prayer life, we must first be righteous through saving faith in Jesus Christ. Before redemption, we were sinners under God’s condemnation (Eph. 2:1-3). But in Christ, we are made new and declared righteous in His sight (Eph. 2:4-6). 

For our petitions to be effectual, they must be in agreement with God’s will (1 John 5:14-15). Getting to know our heavenly Father’s character and priorities is the key to a powerful prayer life. As we grow in our knowledge of Him, our requests will increasingly align with His plans. 

Bible in One Year: Acts 16-17

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Our True Identity

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Bible in a Year:

Jesus said . . . , “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

Luke 5:10

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Luke 5:1–11

First, the man selected a tackle box. Standing in his town’s small bait shop, he then filled a shopping cart with hooks, lures, bobbers, line, and weights. Finally, he added live bait and selected a new rod and reel. “Ever fished before?” the shop owner asked. The man said no. “Better add this,” said the owner. It was a first-aid kit. The man agreed and paid, then headed off to a day of not catching a thing—except snags on his fingers from his hooks and gear.

That wasn’t Simon Peter’s problem. An experienced fisherman, he was surprised one dawn when Jesus told him to push his boat into deep water and “let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Despite a long night of catching nothing, Simon and his crew let down their nets and “caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” In fact, his two boats started to sink from the haul (v. 6).

Seeing this, Simon Peter “fell at Jesus’ knees,” urging Him to “go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (v. 8). Jesus, however, knew Simon’s true identity. He told His disciple, “From now on you will fish for people.” Hearing that, Simon “left everything and followed” Christ (vv. 10–11). When we follow Him, He helps us learn who we are and what we’re called to do as His own.

By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

Outside of Jesus, what’s your identity or role in life? When you follow Him, how does your identity change?

Father, when I struggle to know my true identity, remind me to follow You to discover in You my true self.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Stepping out in Faith

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“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8).

The life of faith begins with a willingness to forsake everything that displeases God.

Abraham is the classic example of the life of faith. As the father of the Jewish nation, he was the most strategic example of faith available to the writer of Hebrews. But the people to whom Hebrews was written needed to understand that Abraham was more than the father of their race; he also was, by example, the father of everyone who lives by faith in God (Rom. 4:11).

Contrary to popular first-century Jewish thought, God didn’t choose Abraham because he was righteous in himself. When called by God, Abraham was a sinful man living in an idolatrous society. His home was in the Chaldean city of Ur, which was located in ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

God’s call to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3: “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Note Abraham’s response: “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him” (v. 4). He listened, trusted, and obeyed. His pilgrimage of faith began when he separated himself from the pleasures of a pagan land to pursue God’s plan for his life.

So it is with you if you’re a man or woman of true faith. You’ve forsaken sinful pleasures to follow Christ. And as your love for Christ increases, there’s a corresponding decrease in worldly desires.

I pray your focus will continually be on fulfilling God’s will for your life, and that you’ll always know the joy and assurance that comes from following Him.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God for the grace and spiritual fortitude to walk by faith today.

For Further Study

Memorize 1 John 2:15 as a reminder to remain separate from the world.

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Trials Reveal Your Character

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Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.

— James 1:3 (AMPC)

Trials “try” us, and tests “test” us. Most of the time, the purpose of them is to show us who we really are, to reveal character in us.

We can think all kinds of good thoughts about ourselves, but until we are put to the test, we don’t know whether those things have become realities in us or not. We may consider ourselves generous, honest, or deeply committed to a particular truth or ideal, but the depth of these dynamics only reveals itself when we’re under pressure. When we go through trials, we learn whether or not we really have the character and commitment we think we have.

I believe it’s very important for us to really know ourselves; tests are good for us because they affirm strengths and reveal weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to face your weaknesses. God’s strength is available to you specifically for them.

I must say that before my trials worked steadfastness and patience into my life, they brought out many other negative qualities, mind-sets, and attitudes I didn’t know I had. One reason God allows us to go through tests and trials is so the hidden things in our hearts can be exposed. Until they are exposed, we cannot do anything about them. But once we see them, we can begin to face them and ask God to help us.

God does not allow us to go through difficult times because He likes to see us suffer; He uses them for us to recognize our need for Him. Everything you go through ultimately does work out for your good because it makes you stronger and builds your endurance; it develops Godly character; it helps you to know yourself and to be able to deal with things at an honest level with God and take care of those things so you can reach spiritual maturity.

How do you behave under pressure? The next time you encounter some sort of trial or test, decide to believe it is for your good. Placing your trust in God opens the door for Him to work miracles out of messes—transforming your weaknesses into Godly character.

Prayer Starter: Lord Jesus, I know that trials and test are meant for good. I trust you to open the doors of my heart to do a mighty work. In Jesus’ name, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –Our All-Sufficient Portion

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 ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul.

Lamentations 3:24

It does not say, “The Lord is partly my portion,” nor “The Lord is in my portion”; but He Himself makes up the sum total of my soul’s inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire.

The Lord is my portion. Not His grace merely, nor His love, nor His covenant, but Jehovah Himself. He has chosen us for His portion, and we have chosen Him for ours.

It is true that the Lord must first choose our inheritance for us, or else we will never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to the purpose of electing love, we can sing—

Lov’d of my God for Him again
With love intense I burn;
Chosen of Him ere time began,
I choose Him in return.

The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills Himself; and if God is all-sufficient in Himself, He must be all-sufficient for us. It is not easy to satisfy man’s desires. When he dreams that he is satisfied, instantly he wakes to the perception that there is still something more, and his longings remain unfulfilled.

But for the believer all that we can wish for is to be found in our divine portion, so that we ask, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”1 We can then delight ourselves in the Lord who allows us to drink of the river of His pleasures.

Our faith stretches her wings and soars like an eagle into the heaven of divine love, her proper dwelling-place. “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”2 Let us rejoice in the Lord always; let us show the world that we are a happy and a blessed people and cause them to exclaim, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

1) Psalm 73:25
2) Psalm 16:6

Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Is Not Afraid of Anything

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“When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 20:1)

The flight attendant asked Maggie what she would like to drink, and she said, “Apple juice, please.” Everyone else was unbuckling their seatbelts and digging in their bags for books or iPods, but Maggie just kept her belt buckled and sat straight up with her hands tightly clutching the loop of her backpack. Her seat was right next to the aisle, and she was trying to keep at least one flight attendant in sight at all times. You see, Maggie hated to fly, especially by herself. Oh sure, there were a hundred or so more people on the plane with her, but none of them were her dad.

No, her dad was probably just getting home now after dropping her off at the airport. They had spent a fun weekend together, even visiting an amusement park. She was never afraid to ride the roller coasters when her dad rode next to her. Now, she was stuck on this plane, thousands of feet above the highest of any of those roller coasters, and no dad sitting next to her. Not a good feeling. And this was how it was going to be, every other weekend – for years, probably – home with Mom in St. Louis one day, flying off to Kansas City the next day to be with Dad.

Do you have someone or something that takes away your fear? Some people are afraid of the dark, and they like to sleep with a nightlight turned on. Maggie is afraid of flying, and of going on roller coasters – but it’s ok for her when her dad is along. There are kids who like to carry a certain blanket or stuffed animal with them because it helps them to feel brave. Some grown-ups feel brave only if they have a lot of money in the bank or if they have good medical insurance. Human beings are fearful. We fear monsters or bad dreams. We are afraid of pain. We are afraid to fail. We are afraid to try new things because we are afraid to fail!

God is not afraid of anything! He does not need to be! Think about it: God is perfect; so He can never sin or make a mistake or let someone down. God is all-powerful; so there is nothing bigger or greater or stronger than He is. God is all-knowing; so nothing is ever a surprise to Him, and He never has to guess how a hard situation is going to turn out. God is sovereign, which means He is always in control of everything that happens. No roller coaster could scare God. Problems that our families have are not a surprise to God, and nothing in the whole world is too hard for God.

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, God promises His people that He is their God and that He will not leave or forsake them. He tells them “be not afraid” because He knows He is stronger than all of their enemies. He is greater than all the things they were afraid of. What do you fear? What “enemies” do you face that might cause you pain or worry? Is there something you are afraid to try because you know you might mess up? If you are trying to love and trust and obey God, you are putting your faith in a God Who is not afraid of anything.

Maggie does not have to be afraid. If she is trusting in God, it is ok that her dad and mom are in two separate cities, and it is ok that neither of them are on that plane with her. Psalm 56:3 has a message for us humans when we are afraid: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Like God has promised all throughout the Bible, He will never leave His people or forsake them. Maggie is not alone on that plane, if she is placing her trust in God. The God of the Bible has no fear, because there truly is nothing for Him to be afraid of. If you are trusting in the God of the Bible, you can be “casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you” (I Peter 5:7).

The God of the Bible has no reason to be fearful, and those of us who trust Him do not need to be afraid, either.

My Response:
» What things make me really afraid? Should they?
» How can remembering Who God is and what He has done help me to trust Him when I am fearful?

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Denison Forum – Russia explodes own satellite in space: A global lesson on personal consequences

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Russia made news over the weekend when they launched a missile into space and blew up one of their now-defunct Soviet-era satellites. The debris from the downed satellite is expected to remain floating in space for at least the next few years, complicating missions for astronauts at the International Space Station and anyone else who journeys beyond Earth’s atmosphere. 

As General James Dickenson, leader of the U.S. Space Command, described it, “Space activities underpin our way of life, and this kind of behavior is simply irresponsible.” He then added, “Russia is developing and deploying capabilities to actively deny access to and use of space by the United States and its allies and partners . . . . Russia continues to pursue counter space weapon systems that undermine strategic stability and pose a threat to all nations.”

Irresponsible seems like the operative word in that assessment.

You see, we can’t fully know what motivated Russia to launch that missile but, even if we could, it wouldn’t change the practical consequences of their decision. The debris would still be there, and every other country with aspirations of working in space will now have to deal with that new reality. 

The same is often true in our lives. 

Consequences beyond ourselves

It’s been said that we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. Most of the time, that statement seems to be made in an effort to encourage people to have more grace for the mistakes of others and to try to see things from their perspective. And that’s a valid application. 

It’s also true, however, that it should help us remember that our intentions don’t change the consequences others must face when we make a mistake. It should motivate us to be a bit more introspective and a bit more aware of the fact that every choice we make has consequences beyond ourselves, and we need to be mindful of those consequences when deciding how to act in a given situation. 

As Christians, we are called to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3—4). 

That “selfish ambition” is not always the result of simply not caring about the needs of others. More often, it comes from an ignorance of the needs of others and how our actions will impact them.

So as you go through your day, ask God to help you be aware of how your decisions will affect those around you. Be intentional about considering the needs of others when assessing how you will act in a given situation. 

While I doubt any of us are planning to launch a missile into space anytime soon, the way that you approach your family at home, the coworker next to you, or the person driving next to you can still have practical implications that extend well beyond whatever your intentions might be. 

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Charles Stanley

In Touch Ministries; Charles Stanley – Salt of the Earth

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In this fallen world, believers are to be a preserving, flavoring, healing salt for those who live in darkness.

Matthew 5:13-16

When Jesus spoke to His followers, He called them “the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13). In those days, salt was the only way to preserve food. As Christians, we too have a preserving effect on the earth because we have the only message that can deliver people from the corruption of sin and give them eternal life. 

This means we are to be a spiritual influence in the lives of people around us. Just as salt enhances the flavor of food, so a Christlike character and godly lifestyle can be an example that draws others to the Savior. They’ll notice our joy and contentment and may desire to have those qualities, which are available only through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Salt also has unique healing properties, as does the gospel. If we take a moment to listen to people’s hurts, we’ll have an opportunity to offer the truth that brings spiritual healing to those trapped in the darkness and despair of sin.  

But remember that Jesus also warned us not to lose our saltiness. If we tolerate sin in our life, we’ll be just like the world. To be a positive influence for Christ, we must guard against falling prey to temptation.

Bible in One Year: Acts 14-15

http://www.intouch.org/