Tag Archives: Jesus

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Bottom Line

Leave a comment

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13

Friend to Friend

I thought I was so Godly … until we decided to move. If you want to measure your faith, just decide to pack up everything you own, put it in cardboard boxes, and move.

And if you really want to test the strength of your faith, decide to basically gut the house into which you are moving. Yep! That ought to do it!

Paint. I know a fresh coat of paint can make old walls dance with new life, but painting is also messy, time consuming, and the source of total chaos. Icky drop cloths are sprawled everywhere, paintbrushes have to be cleaned in a foul-smelling liquid, cans of paint must be lugged from room-to-room along with paint trays that are guaranteed not to spill … until they do. And don’t get me started on the whole taping thing.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – The Bottom Line →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Only Way

Leave a comment

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the Way – yes, and the Truth and the life. No one can get to the Father except by means of Me'” (John 14:6).

Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, was conducting a great city-wide campaign in Tokyo and asked me to be in charge of the student phase of the crusade. So day after day, for more than a month, I spoke to thousands of students on many campuses, presenting the claims of Christ and challenging the students to receive Him as their Savior and Lord.

Many thousands responded, but occasionally a student would object and say that Jesus had no relevance for the Japanese – that Christianity is for the Westerner, not for the Asian. They were surprised when I reminded them that Jesus was born and reared in and carried out His ministry in the Middle East and that He was in many ways closer to them culturally and geographically that He was to me.

I reminded them, and I want to remind you, that though the Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth, in what is now Israel, He came to this world to die for all people in all lands.

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Only Way →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Love With Knowledge

Leave a comment

Read: Philippians 1:7-11

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight… Phil 1:9

Now if you and I were writing a letter to new Christians, wanting to stir them up to activity, what would we say? Would we not probably urge them to witness, because somehow in our day there has come the idea that all Christian life exists for but one purpose — that the believer may be a verbal witness. And if we are fulfilling that job in talking with someone about God, we are fulfilling all that is expected of us in our Christian lives.

But Paul doesn’t say a word about this. Because, of course, love in action is the greatest witness. He says, that your love may abound more and more. That the love of Christ which is in you, and which you can’t help but find there if you are at all a believer, may now find expression in affection. What does that mean? That means there is some resulting activity — love in action! Not promise but performance. I think they needed this in Philippi, and I think we need it wherever we live as well, that our love may abound in activity. Otherwise, it’s as James says, faith without works is dead. If love doesn’t show itself in some action, then it’s not real love.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Love With Knowledge →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Faithful Friends

Leave a comment

Read: Mark 2:1-12

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (v. 5)

There are two ways to get to the top of a tall oak tree—you can roll up your sleeves and start climbing, or you can sit on an acorn. The four friends in the Gospel of Mark, these guys don’t sit on acorns. Unable to get near Jesus on account of the crowd, the four friends scramble up onto the roof and tear open a hole so that they can lower their paralyzed buddy down into the room where the Lord is teaching. Faith always finds the opening that doubt doesn’t think is there.

Surely there is a link between miracles and faith. “All things are possible for one who believes,” said Jesus (Mark 9:23). Again and again in Scripture we hear Jesus say to the person who has been healed, “Your faith has made you well.” But in this miracle it’s also the faith of the friends, apparently, and not just the faith of the paralytic, that moves Jesus to action. The Lord looks up and sees the four hopeful faces looking down, and he looks down and sees the hopeful face looking up, and “. . . when he saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” When he saw their faith.

Heaven hears the prayers of the supplicant, but the faith of one’s friends is also involved. How many miracles are waiting to happen, waiting for faithful friends to bring the needy to the feet of Christ?

Prayer:

Lord, increase my faith.

Author: Lou Lotz

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Proven Truth

Leave a comment

“The proof is in the pudding,” says an old idiom. However, the original phrase is, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” This dates back to the fourteenth century and it referred to sausage meat inside the casing, not a dessert. The shortened version dates back to the 1920’s and wasn’t used in the United States until the 1950’s. The proverb means that you can’t tell something is a success or not until you see the results.

He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them.

Acts 1:3

Jesus proved He was the Son of God. He healed the sick, raised the dead and He Himself died and rose again. Despite many proofs, people still harden their hearts. Jesus often referred to those who don’t have spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see.

The apostle Paul writes, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel.” (II Corinthians 4:4) Ask the Lord to open the spiritual eyes and ears of the leaders and people of this nation to see and hear the proven truth of Christ and His resurrection.

Recommended Reading: John 20:24-29

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/index.php

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Great Omission

Leave a comment

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.—James 4:17

A Sunday School teacher who was speaking to her class on the topic of sin asked, “Can anyone tell me what the sin of commission is?”

One girl raised her hand. “I know!” she said. “The sin of commission is when you do what you shouldn’t do.”

“That’s right,” the teacher said. “Now can someone tell me what the sin of omission is?”

A boy in the back of the room was anxiously waving his arm, so she called on him. He said, “The sin of omission? Well, those are the sins that you want to do, but you haven’t gotten around to them yet.”

While you can’t help but smile at the boy’s answer, he didn’t quite have it right. The sin of omission is not doing what you should do. And one of the ways we can commit this sin is when we don’t respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel.

Continue reading Greg Laurie – The Great Omission →

Uncategorized

Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Word Is Our Treasure

Leave a comment

“Thy word have I hidden in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Do you have a “treasure-keeper”? Most of us have a place where we keep those things that are special to us. Your special “treasure-keeping” place might be a shoebox on the top shelf of your closet, a locked safebox, a trophy case, a diary, a cookie tin, a dresser drawer–or maybe even under your bed! Our “treasures’ can be all sorts of things: baseball cards, jewelry, a souvenir from a favorite vacation, a photo of your grandpa and grandma on their wedding day, a letter from a friend you met at camp, or maybe a medal you won in a competition. Whatever form your “treasure-keeper” takes, it is the treasure kept inside it that really is special to you.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Word Is Our Treasure →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Self-Discipline Approach

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:7

“Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

There’s no doubt that disciplined people, both believers and unbelievers, can effect change in themselves. But in the self-discipline approach to holiness, a major temptation is to rely on a regimen of spiritual disciplines instead of on the Holy Spirit.

I believe in spiritual disciplines, and I seek to practice them. But those disciplines are not the source of our spiritual strength. The Lord Jesus Christ is, and the Spirit’s ministry is to apply his strength in our lives. To paraphrase 1 Corinthians 3:7, we can plant and water, but we cannot make things grow. Only the Spirit can do that. We must plant and water if we’re to make progress in holiness, but only the Spirit can change us more and more into the likeness of Jesus.

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Self-Discipline Approach →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – From the Mouth of God

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 119:137-152

I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. – Psalm 119:16

There is a worldwide hotel chain that promises “No Surprises.” Every room in every hotel in every city of every country is identical.

It reminds me of my days growing up on a farm in Iowa. When the mailman drove into our farm and parked his Model T Ford by the gate and handed us the package from Sears and Roebuck, we knew exactly what would be inside. Whatever Ma ordered, that’s what came. It was absolutely reliable.

So it is with the Bible. There are two forms of evidence put forth to back up the conclusion that the Bible is the Word of the living God.

The first is what Bible teachers call internal evidence–statements found in the Bible that claim it is the Word of God; the second is external evidence, such as the unity of its message–fulfilled prophecy and the like. Let’s look for a moment at the internal evidence.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – From the Mouth of God →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War

Leave a comment

To Christians, and even to many non-Christians, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien represent something special—a Christian literary renaissance of the 20th century. These two friends published works of great power and endurance, saturated with a Christian worldview. But was it only faith and friendship that made their work unique and so great? What other factors might have played a role?

My good friend and King’s College history professor Joe Loconte identifies one such factor in his marvelous new book, “A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War.” As the title suggests, Loconte focuses on the life-altering role that Lewis’s and Tolkien’s service in World War I played in both men’s lives. In fact, we can’t fully understand these two writers without knowing something about how this cataclysmic event helped define them and their generation.

And Loconte gives us the background we need. Ironically, Joe says, it was the Myth of Progress—the widely held belief that “science . . . could perfect human nature and thus human societies”—that laid the ground for a war that reached an unprecedented level of destruction. Darwinism, eugenics, industrialism—all these gave rise to a firm belief in “the upward flight of humankind.” Even many Christians went along with this foolish utopianism; those who resisted found the “tide turning against them.”

Continue reading BreakPoint –  A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, SON OF GOD

Leave a comment

Read Luke 2:1-21

In a twist on the traditional baby shower, gender-reveal parties are the newest trend in gathering friends and family before the birth of the baby. Portable ultrasound machines can be wheeled into the room. Cakes (with blue or pink inside) deliver the awaited news.

Mary had one of the most amazing gender-reveal moments of all time when the angel Gabriel told her that she would have a son (1:31)! That news was delivered to an audience of one; the birth announcement for Jesus, however, was delivered with celestial pageantry by the angelic hosts of heaven to the shepherds. The angels proclaimed the jubilant news of the Son of God’s arrival in Bethlehem, the royal city of David. This news was not a private celebration; the birth of Jesus was good news for the entire world.

In his book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey says Mary and Joseph most probably had family connections in Bethlehem, since that was where they were going to register for the census. Bailey describes the construction of a typical village home at that time, which sometimes included a guest room. With the guest room already occupied, the homeowners likely welcomed Mary and Joseph into the area of their home designated for sheltering animals at night. Under that roof, the newborn Son of God was laid in a manger.

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, SON OF GOD →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – SAILOR’S MUMMIFIED BODY DISCOVERED IN YACHT

Leave a comment

Manfred Fritz Bajorat was a fifty-nine-year-old German sailor. His body was recently discovered in a yacht floating in the Pacific Ocean. Authorities have no idea how long he has been dead. The dry ocean winds and salty air helped mummify his body, which was found slumped over a desk in what seems to be a radio room.

His death was certainly unique, but so was his life. So is yours.

NASA estimates that there are more than one billion “Earth-like” planets in our galaxy. These are rocky planets approximately the size of Earth that orbit sunshine stars in the “habitable zone” where water could be liquid at the surface. This estimate doesn’t include the number of such planets in other galaxies.

And yet, despite all these options, we have yet to discover life on any planet but our own.

Closer to home, scientists have now discovered the specific gene that can lead to gray hair. It is known as IRF4 and relates to the cellular process that produces melanin, the pigment that determines hair color. This gene variant does not guarantee that its owner will have gray hair, but it makes graying more likely.

Continue reading Denison Forum – SAILOR’S MUMMIFIED BODY DISCOVERED IN YACHT →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Walking in the Spirit

Leave a comment

Read | Galatians 5:16-25

The Holy Spirit is one of God’s most precious gifts to His beloved children. The Spirit takes up residence within the believer at the moment of salvation and empowers the individual to overcome sin and live for God’s glory and purposes. However, the Holy Spirit’s power can be “turned off” or ignored. Only those who choose to walk with Him have unhindered access to His strength and guidance.

Walking by the Spirit denotes reliance upon Him. He leads the way, and we follow Him. As He speaks, we listen, heed His warnings, and obey His directions. The Spirit’s way is a path of surrender which, although difficult, leads to fullness of life.
God’s Spirit not only guides but also empowers us. The challenge of obeying Him is impossible in our own strength. The Holy Spirit supplies everything we need for living a godly life, and He produces His amazing fruit in us.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Walking in the Spirit →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Lurking Lions

Leave a comment

Read: Numbers 14:1-9

Bible in a Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21

The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. —Numbers 14:9

When I was young, my dad would “scare” us by hiding in the bush and growling like a lion. Even though we lived in rural Ghana in the 1960s, it was almost impossible that a lion lurked nearby. My brother and I would laugh and seek out the source of the noise, thrilled that playtime with Dad had arrived.

One day a young friend came for a visit. As we played, we heard the familiar growl. Our friend screamed and ran. My brother and I knew the sound of my father’s voice—any “danger” was merely a phantom lion—but a funny thing happened. We ran with her. My dad felt terrible that our friend had been frightened, and my brother and I learned not to be influenced by the panicked reaction of others.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Lurking Lions →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Coming Under God’s Authority

1 Comment

“Submit therefore to God” (James 4:7a).

The truly humble will submit to God’s authority.

Most people understand the basic requirements of military service. The first thing anyone experiences when he enlists is his rank within the chain of command under the commanding officer. Implicit in such lining up under the leadership of a superior is that the soldier, sailor, airman, or marine will obediently carry out all he is commanded to do.

However, the military is not the only context in which the concept of submission applies. James 4:7 uses the term “submit” in the far more important arena of our relationship to God. We are to submit to Him and come under the sovereign authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the basic requirement for anyone who would be humble before God. Since Scripture often uses military terms to describe our service to God (Phil. 2:25; 2 Tim. 2:3), it is appropriate to see ourselves as enlisting in God’s army, willingly obeying His commands, and following His leadership.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Coming Under God’s Authority →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Stability and Security 

1 Comment

The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. Revelation 3:12

Uncertainty is a certainty of life. Economic uncertainty. Political uncertainty. Financial uncertainty. Relational uncertainty. Physical uncertainty. Those who focus on life’s uncertainties are certain to be preoccupied, even disillusioned by fear and anxiety. Being consumed by uncertainty is like traveling on extremely winding roads while sitting in the back seat of a car, you begin to feel the nausea of emotional motion sickness. Has uncertainty caused fear to overcome your faith?

The Lord describes an eternal environment of stability and security. A place with no fear of what a person might or might not do, because all of the citizens of God’s city are redeemed by the Lamb—Jesus. The city of God is governed by King Jesus—who keeps all His promises. His promises of no more sin, sorrow or suffering are secure. His guarantee of our resurrection and reigning with Him, stabilizes our soul. We are rock solid pillars of faith who worship the Lord in His temple. Emotional stability and spiritual security accompany those who travel with Jesus.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Stability and Security  →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Start a Blessing Box

Leave a comment

Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.—Deuteronomy 15:10 NIV

Here’s an idea: Get yourself a big box and start going through your possessions, asking God to show you what you have that you can use to bless others. Fill it up with things that are nice but that you no longer need.

Look in cabinets, drawers, closets, the basement, and the garage. You will fill up your box quickly. Don’t keep something for years in case you ever need it—if you’re anything like me, by the time you need it, you will have forgotten that you have it and go buy another one anyway.

Take the clutter that is frustrating you and turn it into blessings. Keep the box in a handy place and start asking God to show you who needs to be blessed.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Start a Blessing Box →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Only Way

Leave a comment

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the Way – yes, and the Truth and the life. No one can get to the Father except by means of Me'” (John 14:6).

Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, was conducting a great city-wide campaign in Tokyo and asked me to be in charge of the student phase of the crusade. So day after day, for more than a month, I spoke to thousands of students on many campuses, presenting the claims of Christ and challenging the students to receive Him as their Savior and Lord.

Many thousands responded, but occasionally a student would object and say that Jesus had no relevance for the Japanese – that Christianity is for the Westerner, not for the Asian. They were surprised when I reminded them that Jesus was born and reared in and carried out His ministry in the Middle East and that He was in many ways closer to them culturally and geographically that He was to me.

I reminded them, and I want to remind you, that though the Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth, in what is now Israel, He came to this world to die for all people in all lands.

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Only Way →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Where is Your Confidence?

Leave a comment

Read: Philippians 1:3-6

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

Perhaps Paul’s joy in these people at Philippi was that he was seeing them by faith. Not as they were, but as they would be when God’s work was done. He was looking at them with the eye of faith. He was sure that He who began a good work in them was going to finish it, so Paul could say that, even though you rub me the wrong way once in a while, I know what you are going to be. This is the key to getting along with other Christians. Sometimes it’s difficult, but when we realize what they will be we can do it. I heard of an artist who called a friend in and asked him to comment on a picture he was painting. He said, this is my masterpiece. It is beautiful. The man said I guess I don’t see what you see. It just looks like dabs of different colors to me, without form or anything. The artist said, Oh I forgot. I’m seeing it as it will be when finished. You are seeing it as it is now.

This is what Paul was doing. He was seeing these Christians as they would be and he thanks God it’s going to happen. What a comforting verse. Many times, when I am discouraged with myself, I utterly despair of being what I ought to be. I am so aware of the deceitfulness and subtlety of the flesh. Even when I want to be what I ought to be, I end up deceiving myself. I see the utter futility of depending on me to get this job done. In those times, I try to remember this verse, being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Where is Your Confidence? →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – What Happened In Church

Leave a comment

Read: Mark 1:21-28

And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. (v. 26)

Ever think about why people come to church? Believe me, your pastor thinks about it all the time. Some people come to worship. Some come out of habit. Some come to keep peace in the family. Some probably don’t know why they come—they just come. There are a lot of reasons, but surely one reason is that life is confusing and chaotic, and we are all groping for something, someone with authority, to set us straight, and help us find our peace, our poise, our purpose.

Look around on Sunday at the people sitting with you in church. Can you even begin to appreciate the turmoil in their lives—the upsetting phone calls in the previous week, the hurtful words heard and spoken, the strife in relationships, concerns about health and finances, bad memories of things that happened long ago. Can other people appreciate the turmoil in your life? Life can be painful and chaotic. Like the poor, tormented soul in the synagogue, we’re all yearning for someone with authority who can calm the chaos and set us straight.

Out in the world it may appear that money reigns supreme, or political power, or cancer. But when we come to church we are reminded of the truth that sets things straight, and calms the chaos, and makes the demons quake—Jesus is Lord. Ask for his help. You will not be disappointed.

Prayer:

Lord, let me find in you my peace, my poise, and my purpose.

https://woh.org/