Tag Archives: love

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Bless Yourself

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Joyce meyer

I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me.

—Proverbs 8:17

Our motives are misplaced if we think we read the Bible and pray to please God, or to keep from making Him mad at us. God once told me, “You think, when you read the Bible, that you are making Me happy. I am going to be happy whether you read it or not. No, Joyce, if you read the Bible, you’re happy. If you pray, you’re happy. If you give, you receive.”

Every single thing that God tells us to do, He tells us to do so to bless ourselves. He doesn’t ask us to devote ourselves to study and prayer for Him; it is for us. The good life is our choice.

 

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Receive His Forgiveness

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What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?—Romans 6:1 KJV

We often have very strong feelings and emotions that we don’t seem to be able to control! The truth is, you don’t have to make decisions based on your feelings! You have a free will, and you can choose to believe God’s Word more than you believe how you feel at the time. When you begin to live by the Word of God and what you know through Him instead of how you feel, your feelings will eventually change and line up with the Word.

Satan used guilt to steal from me for years, which was often false guilt because much of the time I had nothing to be guilty for. I had repented, asked God to forgive me, and even believed that He had forgiven me. And yet I would still live my life feeling guilty and badly. I carried the burden of guilt everywhere that I went. I often said, “I did not feel right if I did not feel wrong.” At times I even felt very spiritual because I always felt bad about my behavior; now I understand God doesn’t want me to feel that way.

Every morning when I went to have my prayer and time with God I would go over one of two things: all of my problems or all of my mistakes. The Bible says ask and receive that your joy may be full. I was asking for forgiveness, but I never took the time to receive. I’d like to encourage you from now on when you ask God to forgive your sins for anything you’ve done wrong, take a moment and say, “I receive your forgiveness right now.” Don’t just ask, ask and receive so that you can take the next step and be filled with joy.

One morning as I was attempting to spend time with God, He spoke to my heart and said, “Are you going to fellowship with Me this morning or with your problems and your sins?” Do you spend more time with your sins than you do with God? Do you spend more time thinking about what you’ve done wrong than about what He’s done right? Remember, where sin does abound, grace and forgiveness and mercy does much more abound.

Trust in Him: When you go to God in prayer today, ask Him to forgive you for whatever it is you need forgiveness for, receive His forgiveness, and trust His grace as you press on with joy to what He has for you.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Testing Our Faith

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Alistair Begg

Why have you dealt ill with your servant?

Numbers 11:11

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to test our faith. If our faith is worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: The imitation gem dreads being touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith that can only trust God when friends are true, the body is healthy, and the business profitable; but it is true faith that rests in the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, the body is ailing, spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s face is hidden. A faith that can say, in the deepest trouble, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him”1 is heaven-born faith.

The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify Himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, who are His own handiwork. When “suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”2 the Lord is honored by these growing virtues. We would never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched, nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress, nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten, nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not completely consumed. The wisdom and power of God are discovered by the trials through which His children are permitted to pass.

Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shade in the picture to bring out the beauty of the light. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will peace not be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after labor? Will the recollection of past sufferings not serve to enhance the bliss of the glorified?

There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation; let us think upon it all day long.

1Job 13:15 2 Romans 5:3-4

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Only God Knows the Future

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Joyce meyer

There shall not be found among you anyone who…uses divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord.—Deuteronomy 18:10-12

Today many people go to fortunetellers or psychics, or consult horoscopes, or watch movies and read books that make casting spells and other occult activities seem attractive. These activities were once geared mostly to adults, but have now become extremely popular with children.

The Bible has much to say about witchcraft, consulting mediums and other activities that offend God and that He considers off-limits.

God’s Word has been attacked more than any other book in history, and it is still around. It is actually a compilation of 66 books written by different authors, yet it all coincides and makes sense. That couldn’t have “just happened.”

I know from personal experience and decades of ministry that God’s Word is powerful. It can completely change, heal, restore and set free people who will live according to it.

The Bible tells us God is the only one who knows the future and that His Holy Spirit is the one who leads us into truth (see John 16:13). If you want to know what’s ahead for you, read the Book by the one who can tell you and cultivate an intimate relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. I can’t say what all God will tell you about your future, but I guarantee that seeking to know it any other way will cause problems. God will tell you what you need to know, but in His mercy He will conceal what He knows is best to reveal at a later time.

People who have sought to know the future using means that God deems “an abomination” often find themselves tormented. But when you trust God with your future and believe He will tell you what you need to know at the proper time, you can live in peace.

Love God Today: Seek God for your future and trust Him to bring it about in His timing.

 

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Fast-day service

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CharlesSpurgeon

“Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.” Micah 6:9

Suggested Further Reading: Nehemiah 1

This world is not the place of punishment for sin; not the place; it may sometimes be a place, but not usually. It is very customary among religious people, to talk of every accident which happens to men in the indulgence of sin, as if it were a judgment. The upsetting of a boat upon a river on a Sunday is assuredly understood to be a judgment for the sin of Sabbath-breaking. In the accidental fall of a house, in which persons were engaged in any unlawful occupation, the inference is at once drawn that the house fell because they were wicked. Now, however some religionists may hope to impress the people by such childish stories as those; I, for one, renounce them all. I believe what my Master says is true, when he declared, concerning the men upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, that they were not sinners above all the sinners that were upon the face of the earth. They were sinners; there is no doubt about it; but the falling of the wall was not occasioned by their sin, nor was their premature death the consequence of their excessive wickedness. Let me, however, guard this declaration, for there are many who carry this doctrine to an extreme. Because God does not usually visit each particular offence in this life upon the transgressor, men are apt to deny altogether the doctrine of judgments. But here they are mistaken. I feel persuaded that there are such things as national judgments, national chastisements for national sins—great blows from the rod of God, which every wise man must acknowledge to be, either a punishment of sin committed, or a premonition to warn us to a sense of the consequences of sins, leading us by God’s grace to humble ourselves, and repent of our sin.

For meditation: Reflect and pray over the state of the nation and its standing before God (Proverbs 14:34).

Part of nos. 154-155

6 October (Preached 7 October 1857)

 

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – We Are His Hands

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Joyce meyer

If one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it. Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].—1 Corinthians 12:26–27

Some individuals pass quietly and fearfully through life and never do anything to make the world a better place. They are so concerned with self-preservation that they never reach out to those around them who are crying out for help. Think about the neighbor who just found out she has terminal cancer or the family you heard about at church who is in danger of losing their home because the husband lost his job. The bank is ready to foreclose on their loan, and they really have nowhere to go. They are desperate and don’t know what to do. Everyone tells them that God will provide, but no one is doing anything.

We must realize that God works through people. We are His hands, feet, arms, mouth, eyes, and ears. God does miracles, but He does them through people with uncommon courage. Those who forget about themselves long enough will notice that God has placed someone in their path who is hurting and needy. We pray for God to use us, and when He tries, we are often too busy to be bothered.

Lord, help me to be Your hands and to reach out to those in need around me. Help me to do all that I can. Amen.

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – When We Cry Out to God

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Charles Stanley

Psalm 57:1-3

Crying out to God is the spontaneous response to an urgent need. It differs from typical prayer, which involves

periods of worship, petitioning, and intercession; this distraught call focuses entirely on one difficulty. The problem can be heartbreaking news, a dangerous situation, physical pain, or spiritual confusion. Whatever the cause, we seek immediate relief from God.

Like Peter sinking into the sea, we’re saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:30). We call out desperately when bad news comes, because we acknowledge that only God has power to change circumstances. And when we are walking obediently with Him, He will respond: if He does not alter the situation, He will replace fear with courage and confidence.

A cry to the heavenly Father is rooted in faith that He will answer His children. Believers expect God to respond with clear direction, and without fail; He is trustworthy to answer. Exodus 17 details how the Lord demonstrated His faithfulness at Horeb. When the wandering Israelites again grumbled against their leader—this time because of thirst—Moses called out to God, “What shall I do to this people?” (v. 4). Instantly, the Lord replied with a solution that satisfied both the Israelites’ thirst and Moses’ despair.

Whether we are sinking in a sea of pain or anxiously seeking a taste of God’s living water, the Lord hears our cries. And He says again, “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him” (Ps. 91:15).

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Meant for Service

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Alistair Begg

And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights.

1 Kings 19:8

All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, not for indulgence or pride. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked on the coals and the jar of water placed at his head as he lay under the juniper tree, he was not being given a special treat that he could lie back and enjoy–he was being sustained so that he could fulfill his responsibilities for the next forty days and forty nights. When the Master invited the disciples to come and eat with Him, after the meal was over He said to Peter, “Feed my sheep,” then added, “Follow me.”

It is the same for us; we eat the bread of heaven so that we can expend our strength in the Master’s service. We come to the table and eat of the paschal lamb in a spirit of readiness, so that we may leave as soon as we have satisfied our hunger.

Some Christians are for living on Christ but are not so anxious to live for Christ. Earth should be a preparation for heaven; and heaven is the place where saints feast most and work most. They sit down at the table of our Lord, and they serve Him day and night in His temple. They eat of heavenly food and offer perfect service.

Believer, in the strength you daily gain from Christ, work for Him. Some of us have a lot to learn concerning the design of our Lord in giving us His grace. We are not to hide the precious grains of truth without giving that truth an opportunity to grow: We must sow it and water it. Why does the Lord send the rain upon the thirsty earth and give the sunshine? Is it not in order that sun and rain may help the fruits of the earth to yield food for us? Even so the Lord feeds and refreshes our souls so that we may use our renewed strength in the promotion of His glory.

 

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Longing for the Word

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John MacArthur

“Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).

A newborn baby was abandoned in a pile of trash in a city alley. The mother had obviously left it there to die. The infant was near death when someone heard its faint cry and summoned medical help. The child survived, but not until it had received the attention and nourishment it needed.

That situation has a spiritual parallel, which Peter used to illustrate the believer’s dependence on God’s Word. If a baby is deprived of nourishment, it will soon die. Similarly, if a Christian doesn’t feed on the Word, he or she will languish spiritually and become ineffective for the Lord. On the positive side, a believer should long for God’s Word as intently as a newborn baby longs for its mother’s milk.

Scripture draws on the parent/child metaphor in other ways, referring to Christians as being born again (John 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:3), children of God (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:1), and adopted sons (Rom. 8:14; Eph. 1:5). Just as it is natural for biological children to grow and mature, Christians also have the capacity for spiritual growth. In fact, we’re commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

The Word of God is the mainstay of your spiritual diet. It’s your primary source of nourishment. Paul said, “As you . . . have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed” (Col. 2:6-7). “Your faith” in that context refers to the content of Christianity–the doctrines of Scripture. As your knowledge and application of biblical principles increases, you will become more and more grounded in truth and steadfast in Christ.

Suggestions for Prayer:

If you’ve lost your appetite for God’s Word, it may be because of sin (1 Pet. 2:1). If so, ask God to cleanse your heart and give you a renewed longing for His truth. Then commit yourself to daily time in the Word.

For Further Study:

Read Acts 20:32 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13, noting the effect Scripture has on believers.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Why Going to Church Is Important, Part 1

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Some people claim to be Christians but don’t attend church. They say, “Well, I haven’t found a church I like yet, and I work and Sunday is my only day off!” But if you really love God, you will love His people and long to be with them.

The Bible indeed commands us to go to church, and—even more—to be a functioning part of it. Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (NKJV).

I like the way the New Living Translation puts it: “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” The Bible does not say: Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together unless Sunday is your only day off, or unless you want to run in a triathlon, or unless it’s a great beach day, in which case you are excused, because you just don’t need fellowship as much as other Christians do.

Yes, if you love God, you will love His people and long to be with them. If you don’t really love God, you won’t love His people. Some will say “I’m so over the church; people are critical and judgmental. It’s so full of hypocrites!” My response to that is: There is always room for one more! Understand, I am not justifying hypocrisy of any kind, but honestly, we have all been hypocritical at times. But that is not a reason to not attend church. The church has its flaws because people are in it. However, Jesus both started and loves the church. He died for it.

Being in fellowship is a proof that you are indeed a child of God. It says in 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (NIV). Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (NKJV). Not going to church is a proof that something is wrong with you spiritually. We read in 1 John 2:19, “These people left our churches because they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left us, it proved that they do not belong with us” (NLT).

Studies show that if you don’t go to church for a month, the odds are almost 2 to 1 that you won’t go for more than a year. Being a vital and active part of the church is something we pass on to our kids. A study once disclosed that: If both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 72% of their children remain faithful in attendance; if only Dad attends regularly, 55% remain faithful; if only Mom attends regularly, 15% remain faithful; and if neither attend regularly, only 6% remain faithful.

What legacy will you leave your kids? Are you committed to demonstrating to them that going to church is important?

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Fighting Anxiety with Prayer

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Charles Stanley

Luke 11:1-4

The value of prayer was something Gideon knew well. He had a lengthy discussion with the Angel of the Lord about who He was and what God was doing. He also had conversations with God, trying to resolve his doubts. Then, as the battle was drawing close, more communication took place while God gave him instructions. Through prayer, he experienced intimacy with the Lord, answers to his questions, and direction for his life.

Just as He did for Gideon, God invites us to talk over our worries with Him. He longs to replace our anxious burdens with His peace, which surpasses all comprehension. We have several advantages over Gideon when we pray. First, we have the Bible—God’s instruction book for living—which is full of information about who the Lord is and what He is doing. The more we believe His Word and understand His plans, the more confidently we will talk to Him. Second, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth of God’s Word and interpret it for us. As we discover how relevant the Scriptures are to our situation, we will learn to pray from God’s perspective. Our prayers will be more about what He wills than what we want. And third, Jesus, our risen Savior, is interceding for us, and the Holy Spirit is praying on our behalf when words fail us. We do not pray alone.

Through our communion with God, we can experience His presence as Gideon did. It is here that our spiritual needs are met and we are freed from anxiety so we can live a life of trust.

 

 

 

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – The Altar of Age

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Alistair Begg

At evening time there shall be light.

Zechariah 14:7

We often look forward with anxiety to the time of old age, forgetting that at evening time it shall be light. To many saints, old age is the choicest season in their lives. A warmer breeze fans the sailor’s face as he nears the shore of immortality; fewer waves ruffle his sea; quiet reigns, deep, still and solemn. From the altar of age the flashes of the fire of youth are gone, but the deepening flame of sincere feeling remains. The pilgrims have reached the promised land, the happy country, whose days are as the days of heaven upon earth. Angels visit it, celestial gales blow over it, flowers of paradise grow in it, and the air is filled with heavenly music. Some live here for years, and others arrive only a few hours before their departure, but it is an Eden on earth.

We may begin to long for the time when we can recline in its shady groves and be satisfied with hope until the time of fruition comes. The setting sun seems larger than when it is high in the sky, and a splendor of glory tinges all the clouds that surround its going down. Pain does not break the calm of the sweet twilight of age, for strength is made perfect in weakness and endures it all patiently. Ripe fruits of choice experience are gathered as the rare food of life’s evening, and the soul prepares itself for rest.

The Lord’s people will also enjoy light in the hour of death. Unbelief bemoans the evening shadows, the darkening night, the end of existence. But no, cries faith, the night is almost over and the true day is at hand. Light has come, the light of immortality, the light of the Father’s countenance. Gather your feet up in the bed; see the waiting throng of angels ready to bear you away. Farewell, loved one, you are gone. You wave your hand; now it is light! The pearly gates are open; the golden streets shine in the jasper light. We cover our eyes, but you behold the unseen; adieu, dear friend, you have light at evening time that we have not yet.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Fear not

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“Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 41:14

Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 8

Behold the heavens, the work of God’s fingers; behold the sun guided in his daily march; go ye forth at midnight, and behold the heavens, consider the stars and the moon; look upon these works of God’s hands, and if ye be men of sense and your souls are attuned to the high music of the spheres, ye will say, “What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him?” My God! When I survey the boundless fields of heaven, and see those ponderous orbs rolling therein—when I consider how vast are thy dominions—so wide that an angel’s wing might flap to all eternity and never reach a boundary—I marvel that thou shouldst look on insects so obscure as man. I have taken the microscope and seen the insect upon the leaf, and I have called him small. I will not call him so again; compared with me he is great, if I put myself into comparison with God. I am so little, that I shrink into nothingness when I behold the almightiness of Jehovah—so little, that the difference between the microscopic creature and man dwindles into nothing, when compared with the infinite chasm between God and man. Let the mind rove upon the great doctrines of the Godhead; consider the existence of God from before the foundations of the world; behold him who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty; let the soul comprehend as much as it can of the Infinite, and grasp as much as possible of the Eternal, and I am sure if you have minds at all, they will shrink with awe. The tall archangel bows himself before his Master’s throne, and we shall cast ourselves into the lowest dust when we feel what base nothings, what insignificant specks we are, when compared with our all-adorable Creator.

For meditation: Nothing is too big for God (Proverbs 30:4); nothing is too small for God (Proverbs 30:24-28). What is man? Both weak and wicked (Proverbs 30:2,3,32). But God still cares (Proverbs 30:5).

Sermon no. 156

4 October (1857)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Why Study the Bible?

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John MacArthur

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

For the next few days we’ll consider several benefits of Bible study. Today we’ll address the broader question of why Bible study is necessary at all.

Perhaps you know believers who think Bible study is unnecessary. Bible reading, they say, is sufficient because we have the Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things. Often they cite 1 John 2:27 in support of their view: “As for you, the anointing [the Holy Spirit] which you received from [God] abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

That passage, however, isn’t implying that Bible study or Bible teachers aren’t necessary. On the contrary, John was exhorting his readers to abide in what they’d already learned (v. 24) and shun only those teachers who deny Christ and try to deceive believers.

The Holy Spirit is the believer’s resident lie detector, granting discernment to shield him or her from false doctrine. Although a Christian may be temporarily confused by false teachers, ultimately he can never drift into apostasy or deny Christ. If anyone does depart from the faith, his departure is proof that he was never a true believer in the first place (v. 19).

The Spirit protects you from error, but you must fulfill your responsibility as a student of the Word. Even a man of Timothy’s spiritual stature needed to study the Word diligently and handle it accurately (2 Tim. 2:15).

I pray that the psalmist’s attitude toward Scripture will be yours as well: “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97).

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for His precious Word.

Ask Him to give you a deeper love for its truths.

For Further Study:

Read Titus 1:7-16 and 2 Timothy 2:2.

What skills must an overseer have regarding God’s Word?

Why are those skills necessary?

Do those skills apply to church leaders only? Explain.

Are you skilled in handling God’s Word?

 

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Oh, Well

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Joyce meyer

Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not your self—it tends only to evildoing.

—Psalm 37:8

Whenever I find myself in a situation I can’t do anything about, I have found that a good way to cast my care upon the Lord is simply to say, “Oh, well.”

Take, for example, the morning that Dave spilled his orange juice in the car and got a little of it on my sweater. Immediately he said, “Devil, I’m not impressed.” And I said,”Oh, well.” So that problem was solved, and we pressed forward with the rest of our day.

Some things just aren’t worth getting upset about, yet many people do. Unfortunately a large majority of Christians are upset, fretful, and full of anxiety most of the time. It is not the big things that get to them; it is the little things that don’t fit into their plans. Instead of casting their care and just saying, “Oh well,” they are always trying to do something about something they can’t do anything about. On more than one occasion that simple phrase “Oh, well” has really helped me to make it through.

 

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Handling Our Anxieties

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Charles Stanley

Matthew 11:25-30

Gideon was a man who experienced great anxiety. Convinced God had abandoned the Israelites, He had to thresh grain in a winepress to keep it hidden from his enemies, the Midianites. He believed that his family was one of the weakest and that he himself was one of the least of men.

God then called Gideon—who in no way regarded himself as a man of strong capability—to lead the fight against the Midianites. Imagine his stress! But he obeyed and gathered his men, only to have the Lord send most of them home before the battle. Though this turn of events would give anyone anxiety, Israel was victorious because it was the Lord who won the battle. In the process, Gideon learned just how powerful and personal his God was (Judg. 6-7).

As Gideon discovered, knowing God intimately is one of the keys to dealing with worry. Those who handle anxiety well—inwardly and outwardly—know the Lord in a deeply personal way. They are the ones who calmly proceed while others are drowning in stress. When asked how they do it, they usually will respond, “Read the Word. Pray. Trust God.” These simple statements point to a way of life rather than a method. That way of life is centered on Jesus Christ and is spent learning to know Him in His fullness.

Man’s methods for handling anxiety serve only to distract or numb us from stress. God’s way is to reveal who He is through the Holy Spirit’s teaching and, in the process, replace our fretfulness with His peace.

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Gift Of Presence

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Our Daily Bread

John 11:14-27

Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. —John 11:19

A number of years ago, when I was a new human resource manager for a company, I attended the visitation and funeral of a long-time employee I had never met. The worker, a bricklayer, was loved by his co-workers, yet very few came to see his widow. I listened to someone trying to console her by saying that many people stay away because they are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing and making the family more miserable.

In times of distress, however, people rarely remember what we say. What they most remember is that we were there. Familiar faces offer strength beyond description; they provide comfort for the deep feelings of loneliness setting in from the loss. This “gift of presence” is one we’re all capable of offering, even if we’re tongue-tied or uncomfortable.

Martha and Mary were surrounded by friends and mourners who comforted them when their brother Lazarus died (John 11:19). Then the One they most longed to see—Jesus—came and wept with them (vv.33-35). The people responded, “See how He loved him!” (v.36).

In loss of any kind, Jesus always gives His comforting presence, and we have the ability to give deeply of His compassion simply by the gift of our presence. —Randy Kilgore

O may I never fail to see

The comfort you may need from me;

And may you know that I am there

To bind our souls as grief we share. —Kilgore

Often the best comfort is just being there.

Bible in a year: Isaiah 17-19; Ephesians 5:17-33

 

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Confession and absolution

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“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:13

Suggested Further Reading: 1 John 1:5-2:2

The Greek explains more to us than the English does; and the original word here might be translated—“God be propitiated to me a sinner.” There is in the Greek word a distinct reference to the doctrine of atonement. It is not the Unitarian’s prayer—“God be merciful to me;” it is more than that—it is the Christian’s prayer, “God be propitiated towards me, a sinner.” There is, I repeat it, a distinct appeal to the atonement and the mercy-seat in this short prayer. Friends, if we would come before God with our confessions we must take care that we plead the blood of Christ. There is no hope for a poor sinner apart from the cross of Jesus. We may cry, “God be merciful to me,” but the prayer can never be answered apart from the victim offered, the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. When thou hast thine eye upon the mercy-seat, take care to have thine eye upon the cross too. Remember that the cross is, after all, the mercy-seat; that mercy never was enthroned, until she hung upon the cross crowned with thorns. If thou wouldst find pardon, go to dark Gethsemane, and see thy Redeemer sweating blood in deep anguish. If thou wouldst have peace of conscience, go to Gabbatha, the pavement, and see thy Saviour’s back flooded with a stream of blood. If thou wouldst have the last best rest to thy conscience, go to Golgotha; see the murdered victim as he hangs upon the cross, with hands and feet and side all pierced, as every wound is gaping wide with misery extreme. There can be no hope for mercy apart from the victim offered—even Jesus Christ the Son of God. Oh, come; let us one and all approach the mercy-seat, and plead the blood.

For meditation: Confession of sins is a totally useless practice unless we go straight to God, the only one who can forgive us, pleading Christ crucified, the only valid reason for us to be forgiven. But when we come in God’s way, we can come to him confidently (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Sermon no. 216

3 October (1858)

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Truth in the Inner Being

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Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin! For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful]. Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart. —Psalm 51:1–6

The heading under this psalm reads: “A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba.” David cried out for mercy because he had sinned with Bathsheba, and when he learned she was pregnant, he had had her husband murdered in battle.

After David confessed his sin, Nathan said to him, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord and given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child that is born to you shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:13–14).

That’s the first lesson I want you to grasp from this incident. When you fail God, you harm yourself, but you also bring dishonor to His name. Whenever you take a false step, there are those who watch and gleefully point their fingers. The two always go together. Not only do you bring disgrace on the name of the Lord, but you fail yourself. You knew the right but chose the wrong.

As if that were not enough, the evil one also whispers, “See how bad you are. God won’t forgive you. It’s too awful.” Of course, he’s lying, because that’s what he does best. Don’t listen to those words, because there is no sin you’ve committed that God won’t forgive. You may have to carry scars or pay the penalty, but God wipes away the sin.

There’s something else to learn from this: You need to face reality. You sinned. You disobeyed God. What will you do about your sin? You can plead excuses (and most of us are good at that), or you can follow David’s example. When the prophet said, “You are the man…” (2 Samuel 12:7), the king did not deny his wrongdoing or try to justify his actions. David admitted he had sinned and confessed.

He wrote in the psalm quoted earlier: “For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment” (vs. 3–4).

If you follow Jesus Christ, not only are you declaring to yourself, to your family, and to the world your trust in the Savior, but you are also declaring your stand for truth. It’s easy for us to deceive ourselves, but God has called us to be totally, completely, and scrupulously honest in our inner being. Don’t look at what others may get away with or how they justify their behavior. We can’t blame others, the devil, or circumstances.

When you fail, remind yourself that the greatest king of ¬Israel cried out to God and said, “My sin is ever before me” (v. 3). Those sins, failures, or shortcomings (or whatever you may choose to call them) will always be there until you admit them and confess them to the Lord; only then can you know the joy of living with integrity and in truth.

This is the message for you from this final meditation; this is the message of the entire book: Strive to live with truth in your inner being. You—you and God—are the only ones who know what’s in your heart. Live in honesty and truth.

“Holy God, “ David prayed, “You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.” Through Jesus Christ, I plead with You to help me desire truth in my inner being, to live in such a way that I’m as honest and as open with You as I can become. I know that the life You honor is the life You bless. Amen.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Key to Blessing

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“He replied, ‘Yes, but even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice'” (Luke 11:28).

If you and I could know only one rule that would guarantee us real happiness, no doubt this should be it. Because the meaning of this promise is the same in or out of context, we shall share briefly the out-of-context guarantee contained therein.

Man’s chief happiness – his, or her, highest honor – is to obey the Word of God. No earthly honor or achievement can compare with the blessing, meaning in and fulfillment that come from obeying the Word and Will of God.

Implicit in putting into practice – or obeying – the Word of God is the matter of knowing the Word of God. This, of course, implies reading, studying, meditating upon and even memorizing the Scriptures. If we are neglecting this phase of the Christian life, we are omitting a vitally important part of spiritual nurture, without which it is impossible to live a supernatural life.

Something about the Word refreshes, cleanses, uplifts the heart and soul of each one of us when we spend time in its pages. God made it – and us – that way. No matter how many times we may have read the Word of God, even the entire Bible, there is something remarkably fresh and new about it every time we read it.

If somehow we lack the discipline to do what we should about the Word, we may pray ceaselessly for the Holy Spirit to illumine its truths to our minds and apply them to our lives.

Bible Reading: James 1:22-25

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will not neglect God’s Word but will consider it a necessary ingredient to the life of the Spirit -supernatural living.