Tag Archives: Jesus

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Refuse to Lose

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Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. – Deuteronomy 1:21 KJV

All of us become disappointed when we have plans that fail, hopes that don’t materialize, and goals that are not reached. When this continues for a while, we become discouraged, a condition that can lead to depression if not handled properly.

When you get discouraged, you must make a decision to adapt and adjust, to take a new approach, to just keep going despite your feelings. That’s when you must remember the Greater One resides within you and decide you won’t let discouragement keep you from realizing your dreams and goals.

When you feel discouraged it is sometimes difficult to be positive. That’s when you must rise above the discouragement through He who lives in you. He is always available to help you find renewed direction and hope.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – As a Man Thinketh

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“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…. (Proverbs 23:7, KJV).

“Every day in every way I am becoming better and better,” declared the French philosopher Emile Coue. But it is said that he committed suicide.

Positive thinking by a nonbeliever without a biblical basis is often an exercise in futility. Though I agree with the basic concept of positive thinking, so long as it is related to the Word of God, there is a difference between positive thinking and supernatural thinking. We do not think positively so that we can know Christ better; we come to know Christ better, which results in supernatural thinking. The basis of our thinking is God’s Word; supernatural thinking is based upon the attributes of God.

When a man says, “I am going to be enthusiastic, by faith, as an act of the will,” or “I am going to rejoice, by faith, as an act of the will,” he is simply drawing upon his rights as a child of God, according to the promises of God.

In supernatural thinking, we apply the promises of God, knowing with certainty that if we ask anything according to His will, He will hear and answer us.

Some well-known Christian leaders emphasize “positive thinking” and “possibility thinking.” They are men whom I admire and with whom I agree basically in this regard because the Christian life is a positive life. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

But I prefer to use what I believe to be the more scriptural definition of the Christian life – supernatural thinking, which includes – but goes far beyond – both positive thinking and possibility thinking.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 23:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  Today I will claim by faith a promise or promises from God’s Word which will help me to live a supernatural life.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Vision for America

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Helen Keller, probably the best known blind person who has ever lived, once said, “What would be worse than being born blind? To have sight without vision.” Recent polling among American college students reveals the majority have no vision for their lives, their families, or their communities. A George Barna survey recently reported that three-quarters of all churches in America have either peaked in attendance and influence or are on the decline.

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint.

Proverbs 29:18

In Hebrew, “vision” includes “divine communication.” Could it be that the loss of vision among the youth – and among the churches – is because God is no longer their prime communicator?

God’s vision has always been for the welfare of His children, and that begins with a reconciliation of the world to Him. The part of that vision He entrusts to you will differ from that given to your neighbor, just as the way He equips you both won’t be the same. Do you trust Him enough to do what He has called you to do? Ask for His blessed reassurance today. Intercede for members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus to hold up God’s vision for America as they serve Him and you in the high chambers of the nation.

Recommended Reading: II Corinthians 5:11-21

 

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light For Couples -The Trouble Paradox

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“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

When troubles line up in what seems like an endless parade, feelings of despair or helplessness can be overwhelming. One way out of this downward spiral toward depression is to reach out to someone else. Our own difficulties seem less threatening and all‐consuming when we are busy helping someone else handle theirs. The possibilities for helping others are limitless. Visit the sick. Bake something for your neighbors. Do household chores for an elderly shut‐in. Use your car for those without transportation. And, perhaps most important, be a good listener. Sometimes what a person needs most of all is simply a friend who will share his or her life for a few moments.

This is one of the powerful paradoxes of the Christian life: When we share someone else’s pain, we often shed some of our own. When we help others, we end up helping ourselves. When we lift another’s burdens, ours lighten.

Just between us…

  • What do you do when you’re discouraged or depressed?
  • Am I helpful to you when you’re feeling down?
  • In what ways did Jesus minister to the downhearted? Is there someone in a difficult situation who could use our help?

Dear God, thank You for Your goodness during trouble. Increasingly, make us Your instruments to help others in need. Help us to share Your comfort and testify to Your great faithfulness. Thank You that we’ll be blessed in doing so. Amen.

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

Charles Stanley – Our Humble King

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Philippians 2:3-13

Typically, as the world’s kings entered their capital city, they were decked out in silver armor, riding pure white warhorses to signify their power. But the way God’s King rode into Jerusalem was similar to how He arrived in Bethlehem the night He was born. Jesus balanced on the back of a donkey, demonstrating humility and peace. Remarkably, the donkey was borrowed, just like Jesus’ first bed—a feeding trough.

He was an unemployed, homeless man without an army or any other visible sign of power. Isn’t it surprising that Jesus, the Creator of all things, had no possessions? Earlier on, He’d borrowed a boat and a boy’s lunch. One He used as a podium for teaching; the other, for miraculously feeding a huge, hungry crowd. And before this week ended, His dead body would be laid in a borrowed tomb.

This is the type of king who rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. His fame was soaring on the wings of perhaps His greatest miracle—raising His friend Lazarus from the dead—and when the crowd heard He was coming to Jerusalem, excitement reached fever pitch.

Because of the Passover, more than a million people had converged upon the Holy City. Jesus was surrounded by pilgrims, some spreading their garments on the road while others cut tree branches to place in His path. As He passed, the crowd shouted; “Save now, Son of David! Save now!”

Jesus had previously rejected all attempts to make Him king. However, this Passover was wildly different. He’d instructed His disciples to secure a donkey for His ride into the city, indicating He was the king foretold by Zechariah (9:9). From that moment on, there was no turning back or away. After this very public demonstration, the religious elite would be forced to either accept Him or reject Him—to seat Him on the throne of their hearts or nail Him to a cross.

Jesus knew that before week’s end, He’d endure the mockery of a kangaroo court, receive a merciless beating, and be forced to carry a cross through the streets of Jerusalem. He knew there’d be no cheering crowds that day. Yet this would be a week that changed the world. He knew that after He was dead and gone, He would rise again.

Thinking of Jesus riding on a donkey toward a certain and cruel death, I wonder, What does this have to do with me on Palm Sunday 2015? Then I recall the words, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,” the one who said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Phil. 2:5; Luke 9:23).

I have my answer: I am to follow Jesus to the cross, die to myself and become alive in God, then love the world and redeem it by loving and serving.

—Fil Anderson

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Trail Trees

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Read: Isaiah 53:4-12
Bible in a Year: Judges 4-6; Luke 4:31-44

 

They pierced My hands and My feet. . . . They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. —Psalm 22:16-18

In recent years, my daughter has become fascinated with the history of the indigenous people in northern Michigan where she lives. One summer afternoon when I was visiting, she showed me a road that had a sign designating “Trail Trees.” She explained to me that it’s believed that long ago the Native Americans bent young trees to point the way to specific destinations and that they continued to grow in an unusual shape.

The Old Testament serves a similar purpose. Many commands and teachings of the Bible direct our hearts to the way the Lord wants us to live. The Ten Commandments are great examples of that. But in addition, the prophets of the Old Testament pointed the way to a coming Messiah. Thousands of years before Jesus came, they spoke of Bethlehem—Jesus’ birthplace (see Micah 5:2 and Matt. 2:1-6). They described Jesus’ death on the cross in striking detail (see Ps. 22:14-18 and John 19:23-24). And Isaiah 53:1-12 points to the sacrifice Jesus would make as the Lord “laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (v.6; see Luke 23:33).

Millennia ago, God’s Old Testament servants pointed to God’s Son—Jesus—the One who has now “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isa. 53:4). He is the way to life. —Cindy Hess Kasper

Thank You for the simple message of salvation. Jesus, You are the way, the truth, and the life. Thank You for giving Your life for me. I love You.

Jesus sacrificed His life for ours.
Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Here is Love!

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…the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Ephesians 3:19

The love of Christ in its sweetness, its fullness, its greatness, its faithfulness passes all human comprehension. Where can we find the words to describe His matchless, His unparalleled love toward the children of men? It is so vast and boundless that, as the swallow simply skims the water without diving into its depths, so all descriptive words merely touch the surface, while immeasurable depths lie below. Well might the poet say, O love, thou fathomless abyss!

For this love of Christ is indeed measureless and fathomless; no one can fully comprehend it. Before we can have any right idea of the love of Jesus, we must understand His previous glory in its height of majesty, and His incarnation upon the earth in all its depths of shame. But who can tell us the majesty of Christ? When He was enthroned in the highest heavens He was very God of very God. By Him the heavens were made, and all its inhabitants. His own almighty arm upheld the spheres; the praises of cherubim and seraphim perpetually surrounded Him; the full chorus of the hallelujahs of the universe flowed without ceasing to the foot of his throne. He reigned supreme above all His creatures, God over all, blessed forever. Who can tell His height of glory then? And who, on the other hand, can tell how low He descended? To be a man was something; to be a man of sorrows was far more. To bleed and die and suffer–these were much for Him who was the Son of God; but to suffer such unparalleled agony–to endure a death of shame and desertion by His Father–this is a depth of condescending love that the most inspired mind must utterly fail to fathom.Herein is love! And truly it is love that “surpasses knowledge.”

O let this love fill our hearts with adoring gratitude and lead us to practical demonstrations of its power.

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

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The great revival

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“The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:10

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

In the old revivals in America a hundred years ago, commonly called “the great awakening,” there were many strange things, such as continual shrieks and screams, and knockings, and twitchings, under the services. We cannot call that the work of the Spirit. Even the great Whitefield’s revival at Cambuslang, one of the greatest and most remarkable revivals ever known, was attended by some things that we cannot but regard as superstitious wonders. People were so excited, that they did not know what they did. Now, if in any revival you see any of these strange contortions of the body, always distinguish between things that differ. The Holy Spirit’s work is with the mind, not with the body in that way. It is not the will of God that such things should disgrace the proceedings. I believe that such things are the result of Satanic malice. The devil sees that there is a great deal of good doing; “Now,” says he, “I’ll spoil it all. I’ll put my hoof in there, and do a world of mischief. There are souls being converted; I will let them get so excited that they will do ludicrous things, and then it will all be brought into contempt.” Now, if you see any of these strange things arising, look out. There is that old Apollyon busy, trying to mar the work. Put such vagaries down as soon as you can, for where the Spirit works, he never works against his own precept, and his precept is, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” It is neither decent nor orderly for people to dance under the sermon, nor howl, nor scream, while the gospel is being preached to them, and therefore it is not the Spirit’s work at all, but mere human excitement.

For meditation: The Holy Spirit produces self-control, not loss of control (1 Corinthians 14:32; Galatians 5:22,23; 2 Timothy 1:7).

Sermon no. 185
28 March (1858)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Forgiving As You Are Forgiven

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“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. . . . For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matt. 6:12, 14-15).

An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms.

It’s possible to confess your sins and still not know the joy of forgiveness. How? Failure to forgive others! Christian educator J. Oswald Sanders observed that Jesus measures us by the yardstick we use on others. He didn’t say, “Forgive us because we forgive others,” but “Forgive us even as we have forgiven others.”

An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms because we are the forgiven ones! Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” God forgave us an immeasurable debt, saving us from the horrors of eternal hell. That should be motivation enough to forgive any offense against us, yet some Christians still hold grudges.

Here are three practical steps to dealing with the sin of unforgiveness. First, confess it and ask the Lord to help you mend the relationship in question. Second, go to the person, ask for forgiveness, and seek reconciliation. You might discover that he or she wasn’t even aware of the offense. Third, give the person something you highly value. This is a very practical approach based on our Lord’s teaching that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:21). Whenever I’ve given a book or other gift to someone who has wronged me, I’ve felt a great sense of liberty in my spirit. In addition, my joy is compounded because I feel the joy of giving as well as the joy of forgiving.

Don’t ever let a grudge stand between you and another person. It will rob you of the full joy of God’s forgiveness.

Suggestions for Prayer

Before praying, examine your heart. If you harbor bitterness toward another person, follow the procedure given above. Then pray, thanking the Lord for the joy of reconciliation.

For Further Study

Read the parable of the servant in Matthew 18:21-35.

  • What question prompted the parable?
  • How did the king respond to his servant’s pleading?
  • What did the servant do later on? Why was that wrong?
Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God Will Brighten Your Day

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He set himself to seek God … and as long as he sought (inquired of, yearned for) the Lord, God made him prosper. – 2 Chronicles 26:5

Jesus got up early in the morning, long before daylight, and went out to a de¬serted place, and prayed — He got alone (see Mark 1:35). There were so many people who followed Jesus everywhere He went that He probably wouldn’t have had any time alone if He hadn’t gotten up really early.

If you aren’t a morning person, the thought of getting up early may make you nervous. But you can decipher for yourself what “early” means for you. Nine o’clock is early if you are used to staying in bed until noon. Even if you only get up fifteen minutes earlier than usual to have some time alone with God, you will still honor Him, and that time with Him, will make your whole day brighter.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Holy Spirit Enlightens

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“But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him, because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Though I have been a Christian for more than 35 years, I still have much to learn. I am far from perfect. And I do not ever expect to be – in this lifetime. Only our Lord Jesus Christ was without sin.

However, I know from experience that the more time I spend with God through reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on His Word, with the help of the Holy Spirit to interpret God’s truth to me, the more I become like our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

When you spend time daily in Bible reading and study, your life will change. After reading God’s Word consistently for several months, you will be amazed by the things God has done in your life.

How can we understand the Bible? How can we experience its life-changing influence in our lives?

The non-believer and the disobedient, carnal Christian have difficulty in understanding the Bible because they must rely on their human faculties in their attempt to understand things that are of a spiritual nature in God’s Word.

As Paul writes to the church at Corinth,” …the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (KJV).

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 2:9-13

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  Since the Holy Spirit inspired holy men of old to record God’s Word, the Bible, I will ask Him to interpret God’s message to my own life, and today I will encourage someone, or several others, to depend upon the Holy Spirit and to join me in living a supernatural life for the glory of God.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – Strong and Courageous

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Kayla Mueller, a 26-year-old aid worker from Arizona, dedicated her life to helping those in need of freedom, justice and peace. In August 2013, Kayla was kidnapped in Syria by ISIS, also known as Islamic State. Tragically, ISIS recently claimed she was killed by a Jordanian air strike.

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

In a newly-released letter written by Kayla in the spring of 2014 from a Syrian building, she wrote, “I have a lot of fight left inside of me. I am not breaking down and I will not give in no matter how long it takes. I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing. Do not fear for me, continue to pray as will I and, by God’s will, we will be together soon.”

When God commissioned Joshua, He told him three times to be strong and courageous. As a result, Joshua found the power to be bold from his relationship with God. Ask your family and friends to join you in prayer for America’s leaders to seek God for the strength and the courage to make righteous decisions. Pray that they, like Kayla, will not give in—no matter what.

Recommended Reading: Joshua 1:10-18

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Words Matter

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“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.'”—Matthew 5:37

During the days of the early church, thousands lost their lives because they would not say two words: Kaiser Kurios, which means “Caesar is Lord.” That’s because they understood that words matter.

You may remember the story of Rachel Scott. She was one of the 13 people who were killed at Columbine High School. Rachel, 17, was a strong Christian and very involved in her youth group.

On April 20, 1999, armed students began shooting people on Rachel’s high school campus. They came to Rachel and shot her twice in the legs and once in the torso. Then they left, only to return moments later. Lifting her by the head, they asked, “Do you believe in God?” Rachel understood that the words she chose would have serious consequences.

These godless men would take her life if she said yes, and perhaps even if she said no. But without hesitation, Rachel said, “You know I do!”

“Then go be with him,” responded one of the boys before shooting her in the head. Rachel received a martyr’s crown that day, I am sure. What would you have said under such circumstances?

Rachel understood that words matter.

Jesus said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’ (Matthew 5:37). In other words, the things you say should be free of duplicity or deceit, and no one should have any reason to doubt your words. Your words should be in alignment with your actions.

On our wedding day, before family and friends and before the pastor, we say “I do!” And when temptation calls, we dig in and firmly say “I won’t.” And when Jesus calls us to follow Him wholeheartedly, we say, “I will.”

Words matter. So use them wisely.

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids – Help Me!

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Matthew 15:22–23

A man once had a dream about Jesus who came upon three young men. As he came to the first of the three, he bent down to talk with him and smiled. He even gave a quick hug. Then he came to the second. He only put his hand on the young man’s head and gave him a quick look. Then he came to the third young man. This time he just walked right past and didn’t do or say anything.

Those who were watching wondered what that third young man had done to cause Jesus to ignore him. So they asked Jesus why he treated each young man so differently. Jesus said, “The first young man is a new Christian and he needs all the help I can give him. I wanted to encourage him, so I spent time with him. The second young man is a little stronger and loves me a little more. I can trust him and so I didn’t spend as much time with him. I was not ignoring the third young man. I love him very much and I’m training him for a very important role in life. I want him to be able to trust me even when it seems I’m not paying attention. It’s important for what I want him to do.”

When you pray and it seems like your prayers are being ignored, know that God hears you. God’s silence isn’t anger or disapproval. In fact, he loves you very much and it could be that he is training you to trust him even when it feels like he’s not paying attention. Perhaps he is preparing you for a greater role than you ever imagined.

Dear Lord, I still have a lot to learn about trusting you. Help me to believe you are at work no matter what I see. Amen.

Discovering God’s Design

Discovering God’s Design – Rewards by Grace

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Mark 10:28–31

Jesus, says stewardship theologian T. A. Kantonen (1900–1993), is pointing out in this passage and in the parallel passage in Matthew 19:28–30 that the disciples will have a reward in heaven. He tells the disciples that they will “also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt 19:28).

The Lord first directs the attention of the disciples away from the expectation of an immediate earthly recompense and places the thought of reward in the context of the final consummation of the kingdom. A steward of the kingdom, a partner of the Messiah, is not “[like a hired laborer waiting to be paid]” (Job 7:2). His eye is upon the glorious fulfillment of the divine purpose in which he is privileged to share. The point of this phrase of the reply may be illustrated by the replies of three men engaged in a building project to the question of what they were doing. One said, “I am laying bricks.” Another said, “I am making twenty dollars a day.” But the third replied, “I am building a church.”

While the ultimate goal is the heavenly kingdom, Mark’s version indicates that there is also to be recompense “in this present age” (Mk 10:30)—but “with persecutions.” Kantonen remarks:

The joys of the kingdom are experienced here and now, not merely in some distant future. But they do not provide a carefree utopia, but strength with which to face the hardships of a hostile world. To emphasize the unique character of the reward as a sovereign gift of God, which does not depend on men’s own efforts, both Matthew and Mark conclude with the Lord’s words, “But many [who] are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew then proceeds to record the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, in which every trace of merit disappears altogether, and everything, the reward as well as the opportunity to work, is a matter of divine grace. In the light of this teaching it is obvious that the gospel gives the concept of reward a new meaning quite different from its ordinary connotation of compensation or remuneration for services rendered.

Author and personal wealth adviser Alan Gotthardt maintains that this is a vital issue for the Christian steward of material resources: “Without question, the rewards for Christians who are faithful in this life will be great. This includes faithfulness with their material possessions.” But Gotthardt also asks another question worthy of reflection: “Is it selfish for a Christian to seek eternal rewards? … It is certainly possible to have wrong motives related to giving—or anything else we do as Christians, for that matter … [However Paul] was clear in his writings that salvation is by faith alone. Crowns and other rewards result from our actions here on earth.”

Think About It

  • Do you think it is selfish for a Christian to seek eternal reward?
  • How does knowing you have a reward in heaven affect your actions here and now?
  • How easy is it for you to keep your divine purpose in mind?

Pray About It

Thanks for mercies past receive,

Pardon of our sins renew;

Teach us, henceforth, how to live

With eternity in view.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Work of the Holy Spirit

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Galatians 5:16

The Creator has a specific plan for each person’s life, and He’s arranged our talents, abilities, and circumstances to fit with these individualized goals (Eph. 2:10). When we connect with our God-given purpose, we feel deep satisfaction and great joy. However, it’s important to understand that we can’t achieve the Lord’s goals on our own; only by His strength and direction are we able to succeed.

In John 16:33, Jesus warned us that trouble is an integral part of life in this world. But easily forgetting how weak we are, we tend to take on challenges in our own strength and resourcefulness. Human nature wants to use its own power to tackle life singlehandedly and then take credit. So when temptations, trials, criticism, gossip, and persecution assail, many of us have the tendency to go into high gear and try all the harder.

For a while, life may actually seem good this way. But in the long run, self-reliance creates a mess. It also interferes with the fulfillment of God’s purposes.

The truth is, we sometimes have to experience failure in order to realize our complete dependence upon God. He lovingly breaks our pride by showing us that we cannot live fully without following the Spirit’s guidance.

Have you surrendered yet to the Holy Spirit’s control? Acknowledge your weakness and recognize His power, omniscience, and wisdom. The Lord doesn’t call you to live the Christian life, which is a human impossibility. Rather, He wants you to yield control and let Him live His life through you.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Foley Artists

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Read: John 16:7-15
Bible in a Year: Judges 1-3; Luke 4:1-30

 

Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14

Crunch. Crunch. Whoosh! In the early days of film, Foley artists created sounds to support the story’s action. Squeezing a leather pouch filled with cornstarch made the sound of snow crunching, shaking a pair of gloves sounded like bird wings flapping, and waving a thin stick made a whoosh sound. To make movies as realistic as possible, these artists used creative techniques to replicate sounds.

Like sounds, messages can be replicated. One of Satan’s most frequently used techniques is that of replicating messages in spiritually dangerous ways. Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” Paul is warning us about false teachers who turn our attention away from Jesus Christ and the message of His grace.

Jesus said that one purpose of the Holy Spirit living in us is that “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). With the help and guidance of the Spirit, we can find the safety of truth in a world of counterfeit messages. —Bill Crowder

We need You, Holy Spirit, to help us discern truth from error. We can be easily deceived by others or even by our own hearts. May we be open to learn from You and not be led astray.

The Holy Spirit is our ever-present Teacher.

INSIGHT: John 14 and 16 contain the most comprehensive record of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit. The Father sends the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ place to be our parakletos, which means “one called alongside to assist.” This word is translated as “Helper” in today’s passage (v. 7); other Bible translations use the words “Comforter” (KJV) and “Counselor” (NIV). He is also the Spirit of truth (v. 13) who illumines the Scriptures so we may understand the meaning of Jesus’ works and words (vv. 13-14).
Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Journey of the Cross

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In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Frodo, the young hobbit, has been given the burden of bearing the one ring of power. It is a ring that has the potential to put all of Middle Earth under terror and shadow, and the darkness is already spreading. With a fellowship of friends, Frodo determines he must start the long, dark journey to destroy the ring by throwing it into the volcano from which it was forged. It is a journey that will take him on fearful paths through enemy territory and overwhelming temptation to the ends of himself. Seeing the road ahead of him, he laments to Gandalf the Wise that the burden of the ring should have come to him in the first place.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”(1)

A fan of Tolkien’s epic fantasy once wrote the author to say that he preferred to read The Lord of the Rings particularly during the season of Lent. Though I don’t know all this reader had in mind with such a statement, Tolkien’s portrayal of a journey into darkness with the weight of a great burden and a motley fellowship of companions certainly holds similarities to the journey of the church toward the cross. The forty-day period that leads to Easter is both an invitation and a quest for any who would be willing, albeit a difficult one. The deliberate and wearisome journey with Christ to the cross is a crushing burden, even with the jarring recognition that we are not the one carrying it. On the path to Holy Week, the fellowship of the church far and wide is given time to focus in detail on what it means that Jesus came into this world that he might go the fearful way of the Cross. It is time set apart for pilgrimage and preparation, forty days with which we decide what to do with the time that is given us.

In fact, the Bible attaches special meaning to the forty-day journey. Considered the number of days marking a devout encounter with God, we find the occurrence of forty-day journeys throughout the stories of the prophets and the people of God. For forty days Noah and his family waited on the arc as God washed away and revived the earth. Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai, where he received the Law of God to share with the Israelites. Later, he spent forty days on the mountain prostrate before the LORD after the sin of the golden calf. Elijah was given food in the wilderness, which gave him strength for the forty day journey to Horeb, the Mount of God. Jonah reluctantly accepted forty days in Nineveh where the people, heeding his warning, repented before God with fasting, sackcloths, and ashes. For forty days, the prophet Ezekiel laid on his right side to symbolize the forty years of Judah’s transgression. And finally, for forty days Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. As Mark reports: “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.”

It is with this same Spirit that any are invited to take the forty day journey into the shadows and difficulties of Lent. In every forty day (or forty year) journey described in Scripture, the temptations are real, the waiting is difficult, and the call to listen or to look, to obey or deny is wearying. But there is something about the journey itself to which God moves us. Indeed, Christ himself was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, while Moses, Ezekiel, Noah, and even Jonah were each instructed to set out on the journeys that brought them closer to the heart of God, whether they were able to accept it or not.

Similarly for us, the forty days that lead to Easter Sunday are not without burden or cost. “The Cross of Lent,” as Augustine referred to it, is one that we bear year round, but one we learn to bear all the more intensely along the way to the cross during Lent. Here, we remember that we are dust, we follow Jesus to his death, we recollect the acts of God to be near us, and we let go of the things that keep us from holding the Son who saves us. Of course, these are burdens we will never bear alone. But each day we are given is one we decide what to do with. Jesus has given us one option:

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”(2)

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1994), 51.

(2) Luke 9:23-24.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Will You Flee?

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Then all the disciples left him and fled. Matthew 26:56

He never deserted them, but they in cowardly fear of their lives fled from Him at the very outset of His sufferings. This is but one instructive instance of the frailty of all believers if left to themselves; they are but sheep at best, and they flee when the wolf appears. They had all been warned of the danger and had promised to die rather than leave their Master; and yet they were seized with sudden panic and took to their heels.

It may be that I, at the opening of this day, have braced myself to bear a trial for the Lord’s sake, and I imagine myself able for the challenge; but let me be careful in case with the same evil heart of unbelief I should depart from my Lord as the apostles did. It is one thing to promise, and quite another to perform. It would have been to their eternal honor to have stood manfully at Jesus’ side; they fled from honor. May I be kept from imitating them! Where else could they have been so safe as near their Master, who could presently call for twelve legions of angels? They fled from their true safety.

O God, let me not play the fool also. Divine grace can make the coward brave. The smoking flax can flame forth like fire on the altar when the Lord wills it. These very apostles who were timid as hares grew to be bold as lions after the Spirit had descended upon them, and even so the Holy Spirit can make my wretched spirit brave to confess my Lord and witness for His truth. What anguish must have filled the Savior as He saw His friends so faithless! This was one bitter ingredient in His cup; but that cup is drained dry; let me not put another drop in it.

If I forsake my Lord, I shall crucify Him afresh and put Him to an open shame. Keep me, O blessed Spirit, from such a shameful end.

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

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The way to God

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“No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Suggested Further Reading: Genesis 28:10-17

From the moment when Adam touched the forbidden fruit, the way from God to man became blocked up, the bridge was broken down, a great gulf was fixed, so that if it had not been for the divine plan of grace, we could not have ascended to God, neither could God in justice come down to us. Happily, however, the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, had provided for this great catastrophe. Christ Jesus the Mediator had in eternity past been ordained to become the medium of access between man and God. If you want a figure of him, remember the memorable dream of Jacob. He lay down in a solitary place, and he dreamed a dream, which had in it something more substantial than anything he had seen with his eyes wide open. He saw a ladder, the foot whereof rested upon earth, and the top thereof reached to heaven itself. Upon this ladder he saw angels ascending and descending. Now this ladder was Christ. Christ in his humanity rested upon the earth, he is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. In his divinity he reaches to the highest heaven, for he is very God of very God. When our prayers ascend on high they must tread the staves of this ladder; and when God’s blessings descend to us, the rounds of this marvellous ladder must be the means of their descent. Never has a prayer ascended to God save through Jesus Christ. Never has a blessing come down to man save through the same Divine Mediator. There is now a highway, a way of holiness wherein the redeemed can walk to God, and God can come to us. The king’s highway:

“The way the holy prophets went-
The road that leads from banishment.”

Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life.

For meditation: The crucifixion of God the Son was the opening ceremony of the way to the Father. As soon as the Son announced “It is finished”, the Father marked the occasion by cutting the veil of the temple from top to bottom (Mark 15:37,38; Hebrews 10:19,20).

Sermon no. 245
27 March (1859)