Tag Archives: Jesus

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The necessity of the Spirit’s work

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“And I will put my Spirit within you.” Ezekiel 36:27

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

Talking one day with a countryman, he used this figure: “In the middle of winter I sometimes think how well I could mow; and in early spring I think, how I would like to reap; I feel just ready for it; but when mowing time comes, I find I have no strength to spare.” So when you have no troubles, couldn’t you mow them down at once? When you have no work to do, couldn’t you do it? But when work and trouble come, you find how difficult it is. Many Christians are like the stag, who talked to itself, and said, “Why should I run away from the dogs? Look what a fine pair of horns I’ve got, and look what heels I’ve got too; I might do these hounds some mischief. Why not let me stand and show them what I can do with my antlers? I can keep off any quantity of dogs.” No sooner did the dogs bark, than off the stag went. So with us. “Let sin arise,” we say, “we will soon rip it up, and destroy it; let trouble come, we will soon get over it;” but when sin and trouble come, we then find what our weakness is. Then we have to cry for the help of the Spirit; and through him we can do all things, though without him we can do nothing at all. In all the acts of the Christian’s life, whether it be the act of consecrating one’s self to Christ, or the act of daily prayer, or the act of constant submission, or preaching the gospel, or ministering to the necessities of the poor, or comforting the desponding, in all these the Christian finds his weakness and his powerlessness, unless he is clothed about with the Spirit of God.

For meditation: The Christian is dependant on the Holy Spirit for gifts, graces (Galatians 5:22,23) and devotions (Romans 8:26). Do you serve God in the strength which he supplies (1 Peter 4:11) or are you content to struggle on uselessly in your own strength?

Sermon no. 251
8 May (1859)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Building a Leader: The Right Experiences (Peter)

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The twelve apostles included “Simon, who is called Peter” (Matt. 10:2).

Your present experiences contribute to your future leadership ability.

Stan Carder is a dear brother in Christ and one of the pastors on our church staff. Before coming to Grace Church he pastored a church in Montana. While there, he was riding one night in a truck that was involved in a very serious accident. Stan suffered a broken neck and other major injuries. As a result he underwent months of arduous and painful therapy.

That was one of the most difficult periods in Stan’s life, yet God used it for a specific purpose. Today, as pastor of our special-ministries department, Stan ministers to more than 500 physically and mentally handicapped people. God needed a man with unique qualifications to show love to a group of very special people. He chose Stan and allowed him the necessary experiences to fit him for the task.

God doesn’t always permit such serious situations, but He does lead each of us into life-changing experiences that heighten our effectiveness in ministry.

Peter had many such experiences. In Matthew 16:15-16, for example, God gave him special revelation about the deity of Christ. In Acts 10 God sent him to preach the gospel to Gentiles—something unheard of at the time because Jewish people resisted any interaction with Gentiles. Perhaps the most tragic experience of Peter’s life was his denial of Christ. But even that only increased his love for Christ and his appreciation of God’s grace. After His resurrection, Christ forgave him and restored him to ministry (John 21:15-19).

Peter’s many experiences helped prepare him for the key role he was to play in the early church. Similarly, your experiences help prepare you for future ministry. So seek to discern God’s hand in your circumstances and rejoice at the prospect of becoming a more effective Christian.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for both the good and bad experiences you have, knowing that each of them is important to your spiritual growth (cf. James 1:2-4).

For Further Study

Read Acts 10, noting what Peter learned from his experience.

  • What vision did Peter have?
  • What was the point of the vision?
Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Trust God’s Timing

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I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands. Psalm 31:14-15

Trust requires you to place your time in God’s hands, believing that His timing is perfect for all things in your life.

Your human nature wants good things to happen in your life now—not later. But as you mature in the Christian life you learn to believe for things not now, but in God’s perfect timing.

Trusting God often means not knowing how God is going to accomplish something and not knowing when He will do it. But not knowing “how and when” stretches your faith and teaches you lessons in trust. Remember: Trust is not inherited; it is learned.

Timing plays an important part in learning to trust God. As you experience His faithfulness over and over, you will give up trusting yourself and place your life in His very capable hands. What a wonderful place to be!

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Gives Attention

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“For the eyes of the Lord are intently watching all who live good lives, and He gives attention when they cry to Him” (Psalm 34:15).

A mother and her little 4-year-old daughter were preparing to retire for the night. The child was afraid of the dark, and the mother, on this occasion alone with the child, also felt fearful.

After the light was turned out, the child glimpsed the moon outside the window.

“Mother,” she asked, “is the moon God’s light?”

“Yes,” replied the mother.

“Will God put out His light and go to sleep?”

“No, my child,” the mother replied, “God never goes to sleep.”

“Well,” said the child, with the simplicity of childlike faith, “as long as God is awake, there is no sense in both of us staying awake.”

God expects you and me – with that same kind of childlike faith – not only to live good lives but also to cry out to Him in our times of need, knowing that He watches intently and gives attention to our every cry.

Again we have that helpful imagery of guiding eyes, the eyes of Him who rules and reigns over all – who is concerned about each one of His children, and equally concerned about those who have not yet trusted in Him for He is not willing that any should perish.

Bible Reading: Psalm 34:16-22

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I shall not be afraid to cry out to the Lord when circumstances warrant a call to the Almighty. In the meantime I will devote special time today to worship, praise and thank Him for His goodness to me.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Best Laid Plans

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Hudson Taylor, a British evangelical missionary to China, spent 51 years there, beginning 125 schools and converting some 18,000 souls. A praying man, he had definite convictions about how God’s work should be done and was resolute in his plan.

But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless?”

Genesis 15:2

Sarai and Abram faced a dilemma. God had promised a great family legacy, but they were childless. Yet even after voicing their concerns to the Lord, they decided not to wait on Him, taking matters into their own hands. Sarai’s handmaiden, Hagar, bore Abram a son – but he was not the son of promise. Rather, he became the patriarch of another world religion: Islam. Their best laid plans bring tears and fears to many today.

Waiting on the Lord requires just that – waiting! He knew the plans He had for Abram and Sarai, but they weren’t willing to keep trusting. If you are tempted to rush God for answers, or to move ahead of Him with plans of your own, you do so at great risk. Pray for the Lord to hear your cries for patience, and ask Him to reveal His desires to you. Then pray that members of America’s governing class will seek to know God’s plan for the nation.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 130:1-8

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Frenemies

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Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.—James 4:4

When the Bible speaks of the world, and it does so frequently, it is speaking of a mentality, a culture, a system that is under the control of Satan. The Bible describes him as the god of this world who has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe (see 2 Corinthians 4:4).

The best definition of the world that we find in the Bible is in 1 John 2:15–16: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Every temptation that you and I will face falls under one of those three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. This was true when Satan tested Jesus in the wilderness. The first temptation was to take stones and turn them into bread. That was the lust of the flesh. Then Satan basically said, “Why don’t You jump off this pinnacle of the temple, and the angels will catch you?” That was the pride of life: Go ahead and do this great thing, and everyone will see how wonderful You are. Lastly, Satan said that he would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for His worship. That is the lust of the eyes.

Sometimes we become frenemies with the world. Frenemies are people who are at odds with each other but then become friends—but it is not a genuine friendship at all. And when you are a friend of the world, then in effect you have a frenemy.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – In Prison

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Are you in prison? You are if you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less. If happiness is one delivery away…you are in prison—the prison of want! That’s the bad news. The good news is, you have a visitor. Look across the visiting table at the psalmist, David. He whispers, I have a secret to tell you, the secret of satisfaction. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” It’s as if David is saying what I have in God is greater than what I don’t have in life.

Contentment comes when we can honestly say with Paul, “I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty.” You think you and I could learn to say the same?

From Traveling Light

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – Ragamuffin Brother

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by Ron Mehl

Roy Angel was a dirt‐poor preacher with a millionaire brother. Back in the oil boom days of the late 1940s, Roy’s older brother happened to own the right piece of Texas prairie at the right time. When he sold, he became a multimillionaire overnight. Parlaying that good fortune, the elder Angel made some strategic investments in the stock market and then cashed in on several mushrooming business enterprises. He moved into the penthouse of a large apartment building in New York City and managed his investments from a posh Wall Street office.

A week before Christmas one year, the wealthy businessman visited his preacher‐brother in Chicago and presented him with a new car—a gleaming, top‐of‐the‐line Packard. Roy always kept his new car down the street in a parking garage, under the careful eye of an attendant. That’s why when he came to get his Packard one morning, he was surprised to see a ragamuffin ghetto boy with his face pressed up against one of the car windows. The little boy wasn’t doing anything suspicious; he was obviously just peering into the new car’s interior with wide, admiring eyes.

“Hello, son,” Roy said. The boy spun around and looked at him. “Is this your car, mister?” “Yes,” Roy replied, “it is.” “How much did it cost?” “Well, I really don’t know.” The boy’s face registered surprise. “You mean, you own this car, and you don’t know how much it cost?” “No, I don’t—because my brother gave it to me. As a present.” At this the boy’s eyes grew even wider. He thought for a moment, and then said wistfully, “I wish… I wish….” Roy thought he knew how the boy would finish the sentence. He

thought he was going to say, “I wish I had a brother like that.”

But he didn’t. The boy looked up at Roy and said, “I wish… I wish I could be a brother like that.”

That intrigued the minister, and because those were more innocent times, he said, “Well, son, would you like to take a ride?”

The boy immediately replied, “You bet!”

So they got in the car together, exited the parking garage, and drove slowly down the street. The little boy ran his hand across the soft fabric of the front seat, inhaled the new‐car smell, touched the shiny metal of the dashboard. Then he looked at his new friend and said, “Mister, would you—could you—take me by my house? It’s just a few blocks from here.”

Again, Roy assumed he knew what the lad had in mind. He thought the boy wanted to show off the car he was riding in to some of the neighborhood kids. He thought, Well, why not? So at his young passenger’s direction, Roy pulled up in front of an old, run‐down tenement building.

“Mister,” the boy said as they stopped at the curb, “would you stay here just a minute? I’ll be right back!”

Roy let the car idle as the boy rushed upstairs and disappeared.

After about ten minutes, the preacher began to wonder where the boy had taken himself. He got out of the car and looked up the unlighted stairwell. As he was looking up the dark stairs, he heard someone slowly coming down. The first thing he saw emerging from the gloom was two limp little legs. A moment later, Roy realized it was the little boy carrying an even smaller boy, evidently his younger brother.

The boy gently sat his brother down on the curb. “See?” he said with satisfaction. “It’s just like I told you. It’s a brand new car. His brother gave it to him, and someday I’m going to buy you a car just like that!”

Looking ahead…

In this story of two benevolent brothers, the millionaire certainly gave a nice present—but it’s the little boy who is the better example of a generous spirit. How many children dream of giving a new car to their brother or sister? Somehow I get the feeling that this little fellow wouldn’t squander a fortune if it came his way later in life.

During the coming week, we’ll be talking about the incredible power of generosity for good—both inside our marriage and in our relationships with others. Tonight I leave you with a question: Do you have a generous spirit?

– James C Dobson

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Hannah’s Example

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| 1 Samuel 1:1-20

In today’s passage, the prophet Samuel describes his godly parents and the difficult time they had before he was born. From looking at the life of his mother Hannah, we can learn some important principles by which to live. Though her situation involved motherhood, the lessons apply to both men and women.

STAYING COMMITTED TO FAMILY. One of the women in Hannah’s life tormented her unmercifully. While physical danger wasn’t an issue, there was constant emotional turmoil because she could not avoid this person. How tempting it must have been to try and find a way out. And yet Hannah stayed in the home, prayed to the Lord, and did her best to cope. She demonstrated a commitment to family that overrode her need for relief.

COMMUNICATING LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE. Hannah considered her son Samuel a gift from the Lord (1 Samuel 1:20). I picture her telling him day after day, “God gave you to me. I love you and look forward to what He has planned for you.” We have the power to build up our children and our spouses—or tear them down. Through our prayers, words of affirmation, and hugs and kisses, we show how much we value them. Demonstrating godly love strengthens the people who are most precious to us.

Some of us live with people who make life difficult. At times we are negatively impacted by the choices they make. God understands your situation just as He was fully aware of Hannah’s. Draw close to Him and experience His love and commitment to you. Then express the same to others.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Squeaky Wheel

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Read: Luke 18:1-8
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 1-3; Luke 24:1-35

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. —James 5:16 niv

“The squeaky wheel gets the oil” is a popular proverb. As a child I rode my bicycle for long distances between home and school, and the squeaky sounds of the wheels drew my attention to the need to lubricate them.

In Luke 18, the widow’s persistent request to the judge for justice against her adversary made her sound like a “squeaky wheel” until she got the result she needed. Luke explains that Jesus told this story to teach us the need to pray continually and not to give up, even if it appears that the answer to our prayer is delayed (vv.1-5).

God is certainly not an unjust judge who must be harassed before He responds to us. He is our loving Father who cares about us and hears us when we cry to Him. Regular, persistent prayer draws us closer to Him. It may feel like we are a squeaky wheel, but the Lord welcomes our prayer and encourages us to approach Him with our cries. He hears us and will come to our aid in ways that we may not expect.

As Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:5-8, constant prayer does not require long periods of “vain repetitions.” Rather, as we bring our needs before God “day and night” (Luke 18:7) and walk with the One who already knows our needs, we learn to trust God and wait patiently for His response. —Lawrence Darmani

For Further Study To read more about prayer, check out the online booklet Why Doesn’t God Answer Me at discoveryseries.org/hp112

Don’t give up—God hears you when you pray!

INSIGHT: Parables have often been defined as “earthly stories with heavenly meanings.” Usually taken from the everyday things of life, they contain memorable truths encased in ordinary illustrations. One of the primary features of Luke’s gospel is its emphasis on the teachings of Jesus through parables. Luke records 27 of Jesus’ parables, more than any other gospel account. These include the good Samaritan (ch. 10), the mustard seed (ch. 13), and the prodigal son (ch. 15). Matthew contains 22 parables, while Mark includes only 9. Interestingly, John’s gospel contains no parables at all.
Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Then and Now

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Many followed him, and he healed them all. Matthew 12:15

What a variety of sickness must have been presented to the gaze of Jesus! Yet we do not read that He was disgusted but patiently waited on every case. What a combination of evils must have met at His feet! What sickening ulcers and putrefying sores! Yet He was ready for every new shape of the monster of evil and was victor over it in every form. Wherever the arrow landed, He quenched its fiery power. Fevers, lameness, sadness, or the cold of dropsy; the lethargy of madness, leprosy, and blindness–all knew the power of His word and fled at His command. In every aspect of the battle He was triumphant over evil and received the homage of delivered captives. He came, He saw, He conquered everywhere.

It is still the case today. Whatever my own condition may be, the beloved Physician can heal me; and whatever may be the state of others whom I may remember at this moment in prayer, I may have hope in Jesus that He will be able to heal them of their sins. My child, my friend, my dearest one–I can have hope for each, for all, when I remember the healing power of my Lord; and on my own account, however severe my struggle with sins and infirmities, I can still rejoice and be confident. He who on earth walked the hospitals still dispenses His grace and works wonders among the sons of men: Let me go to Him immediately and earnestly.

Let me praise Him this morning as I remember how He worked His spiritual cures, which brings Him the most renown. It was by taking upon Himself our sicknesses. “With his stripes we are healed.”1 The church on earth is full of souls healed by our beloved Physician; and the inhabitants of heaven confess that “he healed them all.”

Come, then, my soul, declare far and wide the virtue of His grace, and “it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”2

1) Isaiah 53:5   2) Isaiah 55:13

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

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Building a Leader: The Right Raw Material (Peter)

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The twelve apostles included “Simon, who is called Peter” (Matt. 10:2).

God can use your natural abilities as a basis for your spiritual service.

Peter is a good illustration of how God builds a spiritual leader. He begins with a person’s natural traits and works from there. Natural traits alone don’t make a spiritual leader—the person must also be gifted and called by the Holy Spirit to lead in the church and be a model of spiritual virtue. But often God endows future leaders with natural abilities that constitute the raw materials from which He builds spiritual ministries. That was certainly the case with Peter, who demonstrated the leadership qualities of inquisitiveness, initiative, and involvement.

Peter was always asking questions. In fact, the gospel records show he asked more questions than all the other disciples combined! People who aren’t inquisitive don’t make good leaders because they’re not concerned about problems and solutions.

Initiative was another indicator of Peter’s leadership potential. He not only asked questions, but also was often the first to respond when Jesus asked the questions (e.g., Matt. 16:15-16; Luke 8:45).

Also, Peter loved to be in the middle of the action, even when it got him into trouble. For example, we might criticize his lack of faith when he sank after walking on water, but remember, the rest of the disciples never even got out of the boat.

Peter was inquisitive, showed initiative, and sought to be involved. How about you? Are you inquisitive about God’s truth? Do you take the initiative to learn about Him? Do you want to be involved in what He is doing? If so, you have the raw material for spiritual leadership. Continue to cultivate those qualities, allowing the Spirit to use you for God’s glory.

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Pray for your spiritual leaders.
  • Ask God for opportunities to lead others in the way of righteousness. Use every opportunity to its fullest.

For Further Study

Read the following verses, noting the kinds of questions Peter asked: Matthew 15:15; 18:21; 19:27; Mark 13:2-4; John 21:20-22.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Let God Be Exalted

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The proud looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be humbled; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Isaiah 2:11

None of us are where we need to be, but, thank God, we are not where we used to be. Don’t look at what you are going through right now; look at the person you are becoming. We are always in the process of becoming like Christ (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Brokenness hurts, but the alternative is much worse. The Word says, Haughtiness comes before disaster, but humility before honor (Proverbs 18:12). Pray to be bendable, pliable, and moldable so that you will be more like Christ in all that you do today. Pray to be broken so that the Lord may be ex¬alted in your life.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Instruct, Teach, Guide

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“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32:8, KJV).

As an Eastern monarch, David was familiar with the thought behind this interesting expression: “guide thee with Mine eye.”

As he sat in state, David was surrounded by a number of servants who were eager to do his bidding. They constantly fixed their eyes on him, and when David wanted any service done, he rarely needed to speak. Each servant knew his post, and his eyes were dutifully fixed on his master. At a nod or a sign – a turn of the eye – he flew to complete the desired service.

How refreshing to know that our God keeps an eye on each one of us as His children. He knows the way we are going; He knows the way we should take – and with His watchful eye He promises to instruct us and to teach us.

When we become careless and stubborn, and thus are not observing the slightest indications of God’s will for us, we require the bit and bridle instead of the guiding eye. Great attentiveness and great desire are presupposed on the part of those who are led.

On some subjects, full directions and plain commands are not always given in the Word of God. In such cases, we must be especially sensitive to the guiding eye.

Similarly, we apply the truth of this passage to the truth of a particular providence. God’s guiding us with His eye often indicates to us His will by means of providential events. When we live and walk in the Spirit, by faith, we recognize His guiding eye.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will try to be more sensitive to God’s guiding eye, realizing that I will find proper direction in no other way.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – Ring King

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After doctors operated on three-month-old Chris Van Heerden’s kidney, he was forbidden from contact sports. However, his dad, a boxer, prayed and believed God would heal his son. But at 18, Van Heerden failed the physical fitness test to obtain a boxing license. Then the doctor diagnosed diabetes. The heartbreak drove Van Heerden to his knees in prayer for the time in his life. “I made a promise to God that I would tell people about this and that I would give the glory to God if He would heal me.”

Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!

Genesis 14:20

Three days later, the doctor’s test came back negative. Van Heerden soon got his professional boxing license. Now he is winning titles and keeping his promise to God. “I’m never afraid when I go into the ring,” he says. “If I touch one person’s life, then I’ll be happy. That’s my dream.”

The name God Most High first appears in the Bible in Genesis 14. It signifies God’s kingship and absolute power over all earthly authorities. The same God Most High who heard Van Heerden’s prayers hears yours. Thank Him that He is king over your situations as well as the leaders of this nation.

Recommended Reading: II Timothy 1:7-14

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Christian’s Three Enemies

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Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.—James 1:14–15

I don’t know why people become perplexed as to why they fall into sin when they hang around places where they are vulnerable. Let’s say that someone is struggling with drinking and then suddenly falls off the wagon, so to speak. So a friend asks, “Where were you?”

“Well, I was at a bar.”

“Why would you go hang out in a bar when you have a problem with this?”

“Well, they have a nice big-screen TV. I really like to watch the game there, and they also have the best chicken wings ever.”

People will put themselves in a place of vulnerability and then are shocked when they fall.

That is how it started for Eve when she ate from the only tree that God had forbidden. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time, listening to the wrong voice, which led her to do the wrong thing.

Eve had access to all of the Garden of Eden to discover and enjoy it. But where was she? She was hanging around in the one place God told her to stay away from. Genesis 3:6 tells us, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (NKJV).

As you look at that verse, it is a foundational statement about the origin of all temptation. As Christians, we basically have three enemies that we face on a daily basis: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The world, with its allure, is the external foe. The flesh, with its evil desires, is the internal foe. The Devil, with his enticements, is the infernal foe.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – An Illustration of God

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When David, who was a warrior, minstrel, and ambassador for God, searched for an illustration, he remembered his days as a shepherd. He remembered how he lavished attention on the sheep day and night. How he slept with them and watched over them. And the way he cared for the sheep reminded him of the way God cares for us. David rejoiced to say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and in doing so he proudly implied, “I am his sheep.”

Of all God’s animals, the sheep is the least able to take care of himself.  And yet, we so often hang on to our chest of self-reliance. Why is it that the ones who most need a shepherd resist him so? Scripture says, “Do it God’s way.” Experience says, “Do it God’s way.” And, every so often—we do!

From Traveling Light

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples  – A Little Girl, Hiding

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“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” 1 Peter 2:9

I see a little girl skipping home from school in the late afternoon sun. Her dress is a hand‐me‐down intended for someone two sizes larger. Her shoes are unpolished, and her socks no longer have elastic around the top. She crosses a barren yard to reach her destination—a small house badly in need of paint and repair.

The walls inside the home are patched with brown butcher paper and paint to conceal where the little girl’s father punched holes with his fist. The father frequently stumbles home in the middle of the night, smelling of alcohol, then wakes the little girl with shouts and threats against her mother. Sometimes the little girl hides from her father.

One day the little girl is driven home from a friend’s birthday party. She asks to be let out in front of a clean house with a well‐manicured lawn. She marches up the driveway and waves good‐bye to her friends— but as soon as the car rounds the corner, she turns and walks several blocks to her real home. She’s learned to hide her disgrace from others; on the inside, however, she feels ashamed, depressed, and worthless.

God, however, blesses the little girl. Her mother’s wisdom and love sustain her. The mother insists that she attend church, where the little girl learns about Jesus and invites Him into her heart and life. When the little girl grows up and goes to college, she falls in love with a man who promises to do his best to make her happy and build her up under God’s direction. And he does.

This story is deeply familiar to me because I was that little girl. Children who grow up in homes where they are loved and appreciated, where discipline and accountability are properly balanced with democracy and openness, develop a healthy sense of self‐worth that usually carries into adulthood. But those of us who didn’t experience this kind of childhood may need an extra dose of understanding from our marital partner. No matter what your spouse’s background is, I pray you’ll provide that support for the little boy or girl you’re married to.

– Shirley M Dobson

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Supreme Love

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1 Corinthians 13:1-3

There is no value or human expression of greater importance than love. Paul’s incomparable treatise on this subject in 1 Corinthians 13 is sandwiched between two chapters that deal with spiritual gifts. The Corinthians focused too much on their display of such gifts, so the apostle showed them the “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). Interestingly, he made no attempt to define love but instead described its importance and expression.

The type of love Paul is talking about isn’t human in origin but, rather, comes from God—a part of His very nature. It’s unselfish, sacrificial love that acts on behalf of someone else. Since the Lord wants to transform our character into the image of His Son, this priority makes perfect sense. You see, whenever we display such selfless care for one another, that’s when we are the most like Christ.

The first three verses of this chapter issue us a warning. Without the motivation of love, all our good deeds—even service for the Lord—will profit us nothing. In God’s eyes, a loving spirit is more important than all our impressive words, knowledge, faith, generosity, and self-sacrifice. When we stand before Christ to be judged for our good works, those deeds done for selfish reasons will not be worthy of reward.

We are all blinded to some degree when it comes to our motives, so discerning why we serve God or do good deeds can be difficult. Pray to know your heart’s hidden intentions, and replace any self-centered motivations with His “more excellent way” of love. Then your works will be of eternal value.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The School Of Pain

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Read: Psalm 119:65-80
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 21-22; Luke 23:26-56

I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. —Psalm 119:75

In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis observes that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Suffering often helps us to redirect our focus. It shifts our thinking from immediate circumstances so we can listen to God concerning His work in our lives. Life as usual is replaced by a spiritual schoolroom.

In the Old Testament, we read how the psalmist maintained a teachable heart even during painful circumstances. He accepted them as orchestrated by God, and in submission he prayed, “In faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Ps. 119:75). Isaiah the prophet viewed suffering as a refining process: “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10). And Job, despite his laments, learned about the sovereignty and greatness of God through his troubles (Job 40–42).

We are not alone in our experience of pain. God Himself took on human form and suffered greatly: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). The One with nail-scarred hands is near. He will comfort us and teach us in our suffering. —Dennis Fisher

Dear Lord, life is so hard sometimes. I confess that I don’t always see Your purpose in my trials. Help me to trust You, and teach me to become the person that You desire me to be.

We learn the lesson of trust in the school of trial.

INSIGHT: Psalm 119 speaks of the priority and sufficiency of God’s Word in the daily life of the believer. Here the psalmist admitted that he had strayed, but having been disciplined by God, he now resolved to “keep [His] Word” (v. 67).