Tag Archives: lord jesus christ

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – To The One Who Feels Unfinished

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Today’s Truth

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

Philippians 1:6

Friend to Friend

It took four years of fresco painting for the Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, to finish the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Commonly known as Michelangelo, his time painting was mostly spent alone, on his back, lying on scaffolding. (How painful!)

The painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most remarkable in the history of Western art. One thing is for sure: the process that altered a ceiling from plain to fabulous required a lot of time, great discipline, and the hand of a master artist. The same is true for us. The journey from broken into beautiful is a lifelong transformation that requires time, discipline, and a Master Artist.

As Michelangelo was working, I’m sure that lots of people came through the corridors of the chapel and stood in amazement. As they looked up at the beauty of his work, I imagine they said things like, “That is the most fantastic work of art I have ever seen!” or “Extraordinary!” To which he might have said, “It’s not done!”

But, I ask you: did the unfinished state of the project negate that parts of the ceiling were beautiful? No! The parts that were complete would still have been extravagant and breathtaking to the average person.

Maybe this is the way God and others see our lives.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – To The One Who Feels Unfinished →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Will Be Different

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“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV).

A prominent businessman, elder in a prestigious church, was impatient with “narrow-minded, born-again Christians.” “I am a Christian,” he said, “but I have never been born again, and frankly I’m not interested. We emphasize more important issues in my church.”

When I read the third chapter of John with him and explained that there is only one kind of biblical Christian, the one who is “born-again,” and that no other kind of “Christian” can enter into the kingdom of God according to the words of Jesus, the light suddenly went on. With this new insight he readily received Christ as his Savior and Lord.

A caterpillar is an ugly, hairy, earthbound worm – until it weaves a cocoon about its body. Then an amazing transformation takes place. Out of that cocoon emerges a beautiful butterfly – a new creature, able to live on another plane, to soar in to the heavens. So it is with man.

John 3 records Jesus’ explanation of how one becomes a new creature. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who tried to adhere meticulously to every detail of the law, had come to Jesus for counsel.

“‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:2,3, NAS).

Puzzled, Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (John 3:4, NAS). Then Jesus explained that physical birth alone does not qualify anyone to enter the kingdom of God. Since His is a spiritual kingdom, we must experience spiritual birth.

Bible Reading: Romans 6:4-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will read John’s gospel, chapter three, meditating especially on the first eight verses, and will consider again my relationship with the Lord. If I should die today, I want to be sure I would go to heaven, and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit I want to begin living the supernatural life.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Stewards of the Mysteries of God

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Read: 1 Corinthians 4:1-7

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2

A minister of Christ is to be a steward entrusted with what Paul calls the mysteries God has revealed, that secret and hidden wisdom of God, these valuable truths which are only found in the revelation of the Word of God and nowhere else. Ministers are responsible to dispense these truths continually to the congregation so that lives are changed and lived on the basis of these remarkable truths. These are truths about life, about our families, about God, and ourselves. These truths lie beyond all secular research and opinion polls; they are undiscoverable by natural reason or observation. These mysteries, when understood, are the basis upon which all God’s purposes in our lives are worked out.

Paul says that stewards are to be found faithful. Faithful at what? Faithful at dispensing the mysteries so people understand them. You may fail at many things as a teacher, a preacher, a leader of a class. You may not make it in many areas, but do not miss it in this one. Be sure that you are setting forth the mysteries of God. That is what stewards will be judged on.

What are these mysteries? Here are some of them: There is the mystery of the kingdom of God, (Mark 4:11 KJV). What does it mean? It means an understanding of God at work in history, how he is working through the events of our day and of the days of the past, and how he uses these events that fill the pages of our newspapers to carry out his purposes. There is the mystery of iniquity (2 Thessalonians 2:7 KJV), of lawlessness. This is the explanation we desperately need to be reminded of continually, of why we are never able to make any progress when it comes to solving human dilemmas — why every generation without exception repeats the struggle, problems and difficulties of the previous generation.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Stewards of the Mysteries of God →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Shipwreck!

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Read: Acts 27:27-44

And so it was that all were brought safely to land. (v. 44)

Rome was like any other worldly power: sometimes useful, often evil, always self-preserving. Here the Roman guards were ready to kill the prisoners rather than let them escape: security first. (Again today, little has changed. After Hurricane Katrina, reports surfaced that hundreds of prisoners held at Angola Prison were abandoned for days without food or water to face rising floodwaters.) If Paul didn’t already know that the state considered him expendable, he did now.

How can a person live under such a decree? And how can others stand alongside those so condemned? Paul shows us how: he considered himself expendable, because he knew that the God who became flesh and died for him did not. The same faith that led him to endanger himself now enabled him to stay calm and helpful among people whose intentions toward him were utterly callous. We aren’t told why the centurion desired to spare Paul’s life (v. 43), but it’s hard to imagine Paul’s consistently wise and useful counsel (vv. 10, 21-26, 31, 33-36) didn’t have something to do with it. Paul so wanted to be useful to God that he was able to avoid the panicked focus on himself that is natural at times like this. This calm, in turn, gave him the perceptiveness to be a source of hope in a desperate situation.

Prayer:

Lord, when we’re trapped, focusing on ourselves feels necessary. Help us remember that we are more important to you than we are to ourselves and free us to focus on you.

Author: Phil Christman

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Happily Even After

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Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.—Philippians 2:3

I once heard a story about a husband and wife who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. At a gathering for friends and family, the husband stood up and proclaimed, “I love this woman so much.” Turning to his wife, he said to her, “Dear, because you have given me twenty five years of wedded bliss, I am taking you to China.”

The wife was so excited. She exclaimed, “China! I have always wanted to go to China!” Then she said to her husband, “If you are doing that for our 25th wedding anniversary, I can’t wait to see what you will do for our 50th wedding anniversary!”

The husband replied, “That is when I will pick you up.”

A story like that is funny to hear, but the reality of how our culture views marriage is no laughing matter. As Oscar Wilde wrote, “The world has grown so suspicious of anything that looks like a happy married life.”

Is a long and happy marriage even possible? Can a woman and a man fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after? That is what the fairytales tell us. Is it more realistic to ask if couples can live “happily even after” they’re married?

I’m here to tell you, the answer is yes. It is possible to have a happy marriage. It is possible to have a strong marriage. But it doesn’t happen by random chance.

Sometimes people say, “They have a marriage made in heaven.” Does that mean that others have a marriage made in hell? No. If you see a marriage that looks like it was made in heaven, it is because those people have applied themselves to making it work.

When a husband and wife are each putting the other one first, with Christ as their foundation, they can experience a happy and fulfilling marriage.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Sees Our Needs

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“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:30-33)

Meri sat on the bench at the mall, swinging her legs and watching the people go by. She loved “people-watching,” as her mom called it. Her mom sat next to her, sipping some soda and checking things off her list, so she wasn’t paying attention. But Meri couldn’t take her eyes off all the crowds of moving people – busy people, rich people, angry people, colorful people, laughing people, impatient people – all kinds of people!

Suddenly, Meri took in a quick breath and stopped swinging her legs. A teen-aged boy was walking by, but there was something wrong with him. His face was all flushed red and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. It looked like he had been crying really hard, and like he might just start up again. He was holding an open cell phone, but it did not seem like he was talking to anyone.

Meri had never seen a boy cry, nevermind a boy walking around crying in a public mall. There are people everywhere in a shopping mall. There are hidden cameras. Meri wondered if someone had called the boy on his cell phone and given him some bad news. She pulled on her mom’s elbow to get her attention, but by then the boy was rounding the corner and going into the restrooms. Meri felt sorry about the boy. She wished she could have helped him feel better, but she didn’t know what to do or say that might have helped.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Sees Our Needs →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Giving First to God

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7

“See that you excel in this act of grace also.”

Some Christians think they cannot afford giving 10 percent of their income to God’s work. I understand. When I left industry to become a staff trainee with The Navigators years ago, I took a 75 percent salary cut. I was financially shell-shocked. So I thought, “I can’t afford to tithe. Surely, God accepts my sacrificial service as my giving.” But God didn’t let me get away with that. So I decided I would tithe my meager income and trust God to provide.

Later I was drawn to the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16). She was down to her last bit of flour and oil. She planned to prepare her last meal for her son and herself, and then die. Yet Elijah said to her in effect, “Feed me first, for God will provide for you.” She did as Elijah instructed, and God did provide: “The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah” (verse 16). I began to pray over that verse, and I can tell you that throughout more than fifty years of ministry, God has always provided.

Giving back to God at least 10 percent of what he has given us is a tangible expression of our recognition that everything we have and our ability to earn comes from God (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

Remember the infinite generosity of our Lord in giving himself for our salvation: “Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Our giving should reflect the value we place on his gift to us. (Excerpt taken from Respectable Sins)

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – I’ve Got Great News!

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 5:1-11

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. – Acts 14:21

I have seen men and women who are normally the life of the party–able to hold their own and discuss practically anything–clam up and hide quietly in the corner when an opportunity to present the gospel came along.

Maybe you’re like that. If so, let me ask you a question. Has hearing the gospel ever turned a person into a drunk or gotten him on drugs? Has the gospel turned good people bad? Has the gospel turned people from love to hate? Take a few minutes and make a list of all the good things the gospel does, and in another column list all the bad things the gospel does. I guarantee you’ll find one of your lists quite long and the other list nonexistent.

The word gospel means good news. But the way we hesitate to share the message of the gospel would make a person think it was bad news. Consider the words of the announcement made by the angel to the shepherds, regarding the coming of Christ into the world: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

Did you catch those words? The angels spoke of good tidings of great joy. That’s why the message must be proclaimed among all nations, to every creature–especially to those who live in your neighborhood, work with you in the same office, play racquetball with you, sit beside you in a college classroom.

Wherever you live, work, or play, people need to hear the “good tidings of great joy.” A Savior is born! The gospel of Christ is good news!

Prayer

Lord, You are my light and my salvation, and I will express to others my joy in You. Amen.

To Ponder

Failure to speak words that edify grieves the Holy Spirit.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Columbus and the Rise of Science: We’ve Been Lied To

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Thank heavens that Columbus was able to convince the world that the earth was round. Except, as Chuck Colson explains in this classic BreakPoint commentary, Columbus didn’t have to convince anyone.

For well over a century and a half, secular intellectuals have promulgated the myth that when it came to understanding the natural world, medieval and earlier Christians were superstitious simpletons. As we mark Columbus Day today, sit back and listen to Chuck Colson as he debunks that pernicious fairy tale.  Here’s Chuck.

To paraphrase the opening of a popular ESPN show, these four things everyone knows are true: Before Columbus’s first voyage, people thought the world was flat. When Copernicus wrote that the Earth revolved around the Sun, his conclusions came out of nowhere. Three, the “scientific revolution” of the seventeenth century invented science as we know it. And four, false beliefs and impediments to science are Christianity’s fault.

There’s just one problem: All four statements are false.

As Rodney Stark writes in his new book, “For the Glory of God,” “every educated person” of Columbus’s time, especially Christian clergy, “knew the earth was round.” More than 800 years before Columbus’s voyage, Bede, the church historian, taught this, as did Hildegard of Bingen and Thomas Aquinas. The title of the most popular medieval text on astronomy was Sphere, not exactly what you would call a book that said the earth was flat.

As for Copernicus’s sudden flash of insight, Stark quotes the eminent historian L. Bernard Cohen, who called that idea “an invention of later historians.” Copernicus “was taught the essential fundamentals leading to his model by his Scholastic professors”—that is, Christian scholars.

That model was “developed gradually by a succession of . . . Scholastic scientists over the previous two centuries.” Building upon their work on orbital mechanics, Copernicus added the “implicit next step.”

Thus, the idea that science was invented in the seventeenth century, “when a weakened Christianity could no longer prevent it,” as it is said, is false. Long before the famed physicist Isaac Newton, clergy like John of Sacrobosco, the author of Sphere, were doing what can be only called science. The Scholastics—Christians—not the Enlightenment, invented modern science.

Continue reading BreakPoint – Columbus and the Rise of Science: We’ve Been Lied To →

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – SALVATION LIVING: SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY

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Read 1 PETER 2:13–17

In 1908, John T. Dower was working as a secretary for the Y.M.C.A. in Worcester, Mass., when he learned that his uncle had died in Australia—and he was heir to a $10 million fortune. Dower reportedly agreed to travel to Australia to handle his uncle’s postmortem interests, but he said that whether or not he received the $10 million, he intended to keep working at his job in the local Y.M.C.A. branch.

At this point in 1 Peter, the letter has stressed our identity as the people of God, using words such as chosen, holy, and special. We have an eternal inheritance guaranteed by God Himself (1:4). So we might be surprised when our reading opens with the exhortation, “Submit yourselves . . . to every human authority” (v. 13).

Peter has outlined our identity, and now he turns to the practical implications for how we live in the world. As we’ll see throughout the next few chapters, our status as God’s special possession does not exempt us from humility in human relationships. New Testament scholar Karen Jobes argues that the word good that occurs three times in verses 12 through 15 indicates a quality beyond the expected norm. In other words, obeying the law is expected for all people—but Christians should go beyond this to contribute good for the community. Christians not only submit by recognizing the appropriate human governing authorities, they also serve even “the pagans” and “foolish people” by participating in good initiatives that bless all (vv. 12, 15).

The purpose of this service is not to bring attention to our own humility or goodness but to bring glory to God. We submit “for the Lord’s sake”; we do good for others because “it is God’s will” (vv. 13, 15). Ultimately we are able to serve others because we recognize that our true Master is God (v. 16).

APPLY THE WORD

For centuries, Christians have followed this instruction through initiatives that served communities, including building hospitals, staffing food banks, lobbying for prison reform, and volunteering in schools. How can you demonstrate humility by serving others? Look for opportunities sponsored by your church or other Christian groups.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

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Last night’s debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton capped a tumultuous week in the presidential race. The candidates did not shake hands before the debate began, a sign of hostilities to come. The town hall meeting focused on issues ranging from Obamacare to Syria, but the negativity of the evening mirrored the divisiveness of the larger campaign.

Trump is facing widespread criticism for scandalous sexual statements he made eleven years ago. Even Mike Pence, his running mate, stated that he was “offended” by Trump’s words and actions and “cannot defend them.”

Clinton is under fire after WikiLeaks published transcripts of lucrative paid speeches she delivered to elite financial firms prior to the presidential campaign. Bernie Sanders and his supporters are reportedly furious over statements they believe prove her collusion with “big banks” and other entrenched institutions.

Prior to the media firestorm that began last Friday, Gallup’s polling showed that Trump is viewed unfavorably by 63 percent of the public, Clinton by 55 percent. These ratings are by far the worst since Gallup began such polling in the 1956 election. The previous worst rating was Barry Goldwater in October 1964 at 47 percent. After the weekend’s events, it is plausible that the candidates’ ratings will go even lower.

Americans are clearly frustrated with their presidential nominees. But Joseph de Maistre’s maxim may be relevant today: “Every nation gets the government it deserves.”

What kind of nation did the Founders envision? George Washington declared that “religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.” Benjamin Franklin agreed: “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Making Him Known

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Acts 17:16-33

There are three questions everyone needs to know how to answer correctly: Who is the one true God? What is He like? And is it possible to have a personal relationship with Him? Throughout the history of mankind, countless people from every nation have grappled with these questions.

When the apostle Paul was in Athens, he provided answers for the people there by preaching about Jesus. Today Christians continue to share about Jesus because it is God’s will that every single person have the correct answer to those three questions (1 Tim. 2:3-4). There is great need. Think about how many people are involved in the myriad religions all over the world. Most live in fear, uncertainty, and darkness.

Imagine that we are walking into church one Sunday morning and sitting in front of a giant statue made of bronze or gold. We might sing a few songs in honor of it, listen to a sermon, then take up an offering and lay it at the foot of the statue. After some additional music, church is over and we return to our houses. What would we carry home with us? What assurance could we claim? There would be no joy, peace, or assurance in this life or for the life to come because we bowed down to something that is lifeless and unable to hear us.

As believers, we know the one true God. There is a world full of people who long to know Jesus, but they have never heard about Him. Do not be content just to live your Christian life. Find a way to share your peace and joy with someone else.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 19-21

 

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — United in Christ

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Read: Mark 3:13-19

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1

He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.—Mark 3:14

When we come across a list of names in the Bible, we might be tempted to skip over it. But we can find treasures there, such as in the list of the twelve apostles whom Jesus called to serve in His name. Many are familiar—Simon whom Jesus called Peter, the rock. Brothers James and John, fishermen. Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. But we could easily overlook that Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot must once have been enemies.

Matthew collected taxes for Rome, and therefore, in the eyes of his fellow Jews, collaborated with the enemy. Tax collectors were despised for their corrupt practices and for requiring the Jewish people to give money to an authority other than God. On the other hand, before Jesus’s call, Simon the Zealot was devoted to a group of Jewish nationalists who hated Rome and sought to overturn it, often through aggressive and violent means.

Although Matthew and Simon held opposing political beliefs, the Gospels don’t document them bickering or fighting about them. They must have had at least some success in leaving their previous allegiances behind as they followed Christ.

When we too fix our eyes on Jesus, the God who became Man, we can find increasing unity with our fellow believers through the bond of the Holy Spirit. —Amy Boucher Pye

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You exist in perfect harmony. May Your Spirit dwell in us that the world might see You, and believe.

Our strongest allegiance is to Christ, who gives us unity with each other.

INSIGHT: The Twelve had two things in common. They were the first to become Rabbi Jesus’s disciples. Accepting the role of a rabbi’s disciple in ancient Israel meant living in the rabbi’s presence full-time, diligently absorbing his teachings, and recruiting more followers. Aside from Judas Iscariot, all lived up to the demands of being a disciple. Second, aside from John, all of the faithful eleven disciples gave their life spreading the message of Jesus. Only John appears to have died of natural causes. This is one of the reasons we often hear about the cost of discipleship. Though we will not all pay that cost in the same way, every disciple will face the challenges and struggles of following Jesus. Bill Crowder

 

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – A Right View of God

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“Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, and blameless when Thou dost judge” (Psalm 51:4).

True confession involves a proper understanding of God.

Today we will see a second element of true confession in David’s prayer in Psalm 51: true confession requires not only a proper view of sin, but also a proper view of God. David gives us an understanding of four essential truths about God.

First, God is holy. Affirming God’s omniscience, David declared, “Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part Thou wilt make me know wisdom” (v. 6). David knew that because God is holy, He is never satisfied with mere external behavior.

Second, God is powerful. David prayed, “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness” (vv. 7-8). David believed God had the power to change him—unlike some who think their sinful habits are too strong for Him to overcome.

Third, God will chastise believers for their sins. David pleaded with God, “Let the bones which Thou hast broken rejoice” (v. 8). He alluded to the way shepherds sometimes dealt with wayward sheep. They would take such troublesome sheep and break one of their legs. Then they would set the leg and carry the sheep while the leg healed. Afterwards the sheep would remain close to the shepherd. Through this picturesque metaphor, David described God’s chastisement of him for his sin.

Fourth, God is a forgiving God. “Hide Thy face from my sins,” pleaded David, “and blot out all my iniquities. . . . Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation” (vv. 9, 14). David obviously believed God would forgive his sin or he would never have asked Him for forgiveness. In Isaiah 43:25 God Himself affirmed that He is a forgiving God: “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”

Does your confession reflect a right view of God?

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for His holiness, power, and forgiveness.

For Further Study

Read the prayers of the exiles (Neh. 9:5-38) and Daniel (Dan. 9:4-19). What do those prayers tell you about their views of God?

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Strength in God 

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And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 1 Samuel 23:16

Strength in God is significant, as it is our stronghold when we are in serious trouble. It is our source of encouragement and our motivation to persevere. Strength in God is easily accessible and always available. His strength is an unlimited reservoir of resolve. It may see us through the dying and death of a loved one. It lubricates the grinding grief of our heart and keeps us from total despair. The Lord’s strength is what gives us hope when our financial fortunes are tentative at best, or have been swept away altogether. But His strength will see us through a maze of money mishaps.

The sovereign strength of God is strong, unbending, and unyielding. Our confidence may be crumbling, our health may be hemorrhaging, or our relationships may be a complexity of confusion. Perhaps you discovered someone is not who he claimed to be. He lives two lives and now the truth is unfolding, and it is not pretty. In fact, he is coming after you because you are a threat to his secret life. So lean on the Lord, and draw your strength from your Savior. Prayer to the Almighty positions you to receive His power, so punctuate the power of God in your life with faith-filled prayer.

Moreover, God’s instruments for infusion of His strength are His people. Invite the encouragement of the Lord’s angelic agents. They are His ambassadors of goodwill, and their righteous aura reflects His strength. These are special friends who remain true when challenging things happen to you. Stick with the ones who stick with you and do not be embarrassed to lean on others during these lean times. Like a transfusion of blood, you may need a transfusion of faith. Your prayer platelets have fallen below what’s normal to a level of dangerous discouragement. Ask for prayer so that God will strengthen you and keep you focused in the middle of your own gnawing needs. Ask for prayer to be an encouragement to those who have encouraged you. Do not deny others the opportunity to strengthen you with their presence and prayers.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Strength in God  →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Running Over

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Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.— Luke 6:38

When God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them, told them to be fruitful and multiply, and to use all the vast resources of the earth that He gave them in the service of God and man. Are you being fruitful? Is your life causing increase? When you get involved with people and things, do they increase and multiply? Some people only take in life, and they never add anything. I refuse to be that kind of person. I want to make people’s lives better.

We are to be sensitive to the needs of others—and I believe God gives us an ability to be touched by the infirmities of others for the express purpose of helping. We can be experts in bringing comfort. Courageous people are givers. Don’t selfishly and fearfully pass through this life, but do everything you can, every way you can, for everyone that you can, as often as you can. If that is your goal, you will be one of those rare individuals who actually makes the world a better place.

Lord, help me to use the gifts You’ve given me in the service of others. Make me to be fruitful in others’ lives. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Has Not Deserted Me

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“And He who sent Me is with Me – He has not deserted Me – for I always do those things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29).

If we have a conscience free of offense, and if we have evidence that we please God, it matters little if men oppose us or what others may think of us. “Enoch, before his translation, had this testimony – that he pleased God.”

It would not be fair for you or me to profess ignorance in this matter of pleasing God. If we had never known before, we know now that it comes from doing always those things He commands – which of course are the things that please Him.

Jesus is saying here, among other things, that God is with Him in the working of miracles. Though men had forsaken and rejected Him, yet God stayed by Him and worked in and through Him.

In the same way, God has made it possible for us to please Him by giving us His Holy Spirit to indwell, enable and empower us for service. With the available enablement, we are without excuse in the matter of doing the “greater things” He has promised for those who love and serve Him.

What better goal for today, tomorrow and all our coming days than to seek to please Him?

Bible Reading: John 8:25-28

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: So that Christ might be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death, I will seek to do only those things today which please Him.

 

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – All Things Are Yours

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Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. 1 Corinthians 21b-23

Paul is showing what happens when you choose the wisdom of God and the ways of God. You end up gaining the whole world. That is what Jesus said — The meek shall inherit the earth, (Matthew 5:5). What a great and broad vista opens up to us in these words! After all, the trouble with the world is, if the world, or the worldly church, is offering you something, and you want it badly enough — its fame, pleasure, honor, wealth, whatever it is — you will probably get it. But that is all you will get.

Jesus said that if you do your giving to be seen of men you have your reward (Matthew 6:5). That is it. You will never get another one; nothing waiting for you beyond, no treasure laid up in heaven. If you do your praying to be heard of men so that you get a reputation for piety and godliness, well, you will get the reputation, but that is all you get. It is the world that is narrow; it is the world that is crabbed and withered and limited in its whole approach. But, as Paul reveals here, those who choose God never lose.

This is right in line with Jesus’ great principle, If you save your life you will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake you will save it, (Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35). Paul looks all around and says, He who lets God choose, ends up with everything. Why do you divide between Paul and Apollos and Cephas, and choose one among them? You can have them all, he says. They are all yours. Paul, who planted — his whole ministry is yours. Apollos, the waterer — his ministry is yours; you can get the benefit of it. Cephas, the rock — whatever there is of value in his ministry is yours. In fact the whole world is open to you. Led of the Spirit of God, you can go anywhere you want and God will give you things that money cannot buy.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – All Things Are Yours →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Losing Almost Everything

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Read: Acts 27:1-26

But we must run aground on some island. (v. 26)

We can read the story of Paul in Acts as that of a man going from one beating and imprisonment to another. We can also read it as a story of a man going from one vision to another. Through a vision Paul was converted to Christ (Acts 9:1-31), sent to preach in Macedonia (16:9-10), encouraged to continue teaching God’s Word in Corinth (Acts 18:9-10), prepared for this very trip to testify in Rome about Jesus (23:11), and given courage to help everyone survive shipwreck (26:21-25). Paul was often accosted in the course of his work by a vision that strengthened, clarified, or transformed his sense of vocation, most dramatically when he first learned that he had been persecuting the followers of the God he meant to serve, and was converted to faith in Christ. These visions always came to Paul when he was already at work, already trying to obey.

We sometimes confuse God’s providence with freedom from danger. Reality is often closer to Paul’s experience: we lose the ship. We lose mobility, the ability to plan, the semblance of control. We are placed at the mercy of God—which is where we always already were.

Some sort of loss of control, of mobility, comes to us all. When you make the choice, as a Christian, to remember and identify with those in prison, it often comes quickly indeed. May we face it as Paul did.

Prayer:

Lord, when life wrecks us, help us remember that we’re your wrecks.

Author: Phil Christman

 

https://woh.org/

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – The LORD Is Excellent in Working

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“This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” (Isaiah 28:29)

Have you ever heard someone called a “workaholic”? What is a workaholic, anyway? It is a nickname given to people who work all the time. In the morning, all they can think about is working. At noontime, you have to remind them to eat lunch because they get so caught up in their work! And it is hard for them to go home and relax in the evenings, because all they seem to be able to think about is work. Work, work, work! Some people really do just love to work.

For most of us, though, work is not very lovable. When we think of fun things to do, working is not at the top of the “fun things to do” list. We are tempted to be lazy and stay away from work completely! We have to “work” to make ourselves even want to work!

God is not like us. He is not at all lazy, but He does not have to be a workaholic, either, in order to get done everything He gets done. God is sovereign. He is omnipotent (“om-NIH-po-tent,” all-powerful), omniscient (“om-NISH-ent,” all-knowing), and omnipresent (“om-nih-PREZ-ent,” all-present). So whatever He decides to do, He just does it, and He does it with the best possible quality! God’s works are all excellent. Deuteronomy 3:24 – “O LORD GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might.”

Because He is Who He is, the LORD’s works have to be excellent. He is God. Since Jesus is God, He did many wonderful works (including supernatural miracles) while He lived on Earth. And He did so many wonderful things that only a “few” of them could be fit into the Bible. The disciple John wrote, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (see John 21:25).

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – The LORD Is Excellent in Working →