Tag Archives: nature

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Wait Patiently and Confidently

Leave a comment

“But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently” (Romans 8:25).

During my college days, I was not a believer. Only in retrospect can I appreciate in some measure the testimony of one of my professors, who was the head of the education department.

He and his wife were devout Christians. They had a Mongoloid child, whom they took with them wherever they went, and I am sure that their motivation for doing so – at least in part – was to give a testimony of the fruit of the Spirit, patience and love.

They loved the child dearly and felt that God had given them the responsibility and privilege to rear the child personally as a testimony of His grace, rather than placing her in a home for retarded children. The Bible teaches us that God never gives us a responsibility, a load or a burden without also giving us the ability to be victorious.

This professor and his wife bore their tremendous burden with joyful hearts. Wherever they went, they waited on the child, hand and foot. Instead of being embarrassed and humiliated, trying to hide the child in the closet, they unashamedly always took her with them, as a witness for Christ and as an example of His faithfulness and sufficiency.

They demonstrated patience and love by drawing upon the supernatural resources of the Holy Spirit in their close, moment-by-moment walk with God. Because of the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they were able to bear their trials supernaturally without grumbling or complaining. This is not to suggest that every dedicated Christian couple would be led of God to respond in the same way under similar circumstances. In their case, their lives communicated patience.

Bible Reading: Romans 8:18-24

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing that God’s Holy Spirit indwells me and enables me to live supernaturally, I will claim by faith the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) with special emphasis on patience for today and every day.

 

http://www.cru.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants Us to Forgive

Leave a comment

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25-26)

A soft knock sounded on Michele’s door, and she rolled her eyes. She knew it was her sister, Joy. “Come in,” she mumbled.

“Michele?” Joy’s nose was all red from crying. “I’m sorry I played with your necklace and broke it. I’ll buy you a new one just as soon as I save up enough money. Would you please forgive me?”

Michele sighed. Why did Joy always have to be so quick to apologize? She did not want to accept Joy’s apology yet. She was still angry about the necklace. “I’m not ready to forgive you yet,” she said. “Come back later, when I’ve had more time to think about it.” Michele turned her back on Joy, and she heard a little sob as Joy quietly shut her door.

Several times in the Gospels, Jesus talked to His followers about the importance of forgiveness. He even told them that if they would not forgive each other, their prayers would be hindered (stopped or slowed down), and God would not forgive them. Why is it so important to God that we forgive each other?

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants Us to Forgive →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Nameless Mothers in the Bible: Elisha and the Widow

Leave a comment

Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.
2 Kings 4:2

The Bible tells us much about her, but not her name. She was the widow of a student in Elisha’s School of the Prophets, and her husband’s death left her with two boys and no money. Her finances became so desperate she confided in Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves” (2 Kings 4:1).

Recommended Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha asked if she had anything left in the pantry, and she came up with a little bottle of olive oil. Under his instructions, she began pouring from that bottle, and the oil flowed and flowed, filling every pot, pan, jar, and vessel she could find. Selling the oil, she repaid her creditor and had money left over to raise her sons.

Sometimes as mothers or fathers, we cannot solve all the problems, meet the needs, or find the way. Sometimes as workers and leaders, our resources are easily depleted. Sometimes as Christians, we feel empty.

God knows how to fill empty vessels. When our hearts cry out to Him, He pours out the oil of joy without measure. If you’re empty, let Him fill you today with His Holy Spirit!

We have within us all that we need in the person of the Holy Spirit, represented by the little pot of oil.
Jill Briscoe

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Job 1 – 8

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Exalted Lord

Leave a comment

Revelation 1:9-17

Revelation may be the most ignored book of the New Testament simply because it can be difficult to understand. But to avoid the treasures found in its pages is to miss some of the richest descriptions of our Lord that Scripture offers. We love seeing Him as the baby in the manger, and we recognize the importance of His death and resurrection, but the story doesn’t end there.

John was given a dramatic vision of the exalted Lord as He is now in heaven. Even though the apostle had shared an intimate friendship with Christ on earth, the sight of His Lord in this glorified state caused him to pass out in fear (Revelation 1:17).

In the heavenly scene, Jesus is portrayed as the Lord of His church, which is represented by the seven lampstands surrounding Him. He watches over them, preserving, protecting, and admonishing when necessary.

A few chapters later, Jesus is shown to be the Lamb of God, who, as our High Priest, sacrificed Himself on our behalf (Revelation 5:1-14). His blood purchased redemption for people from every place and time, so that they could become citizens of His kingdom. All heaven erupts into praise and worship when Christ is found to be the only one worthy to end this age and set up His righteous kingdom (v. 13).

If you believe in Christ, these chapters are about your future. Picture yourself in both scenes, seeing Jesus as the exalted Lord and Lamb of God. The praises described in Revelation 5:9-14 are coming from your mouth! Let this glimpse of the future shape your worship and focus this weekend.

Bible in One Year: Nehemiah 1-3

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Navigating Rough Waters

Leave a comment

Read: 1 Chronicles 28:9–20

Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 28–29; John 9:24–41

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.—1 Chronicles 28:20

I was enjoying the start of my first whitewater rafting experience—until I heard the roar of the rapids up ahead. My emotions were flooded with feelings of uncertainty, fear, and insecurity at the same time. Riding through the whitewater was a first-rate, white-knuckle experience! And then, suddenly, it was over. The guide in the back of the raft had navigated us through. I was safe—at least until the next set of rapids.

Transitions in our lives can be like whitewater experiences. The inevitable leaps from one season of life to the next—college to career, changing jobs, living with parents to living alone or with a spouse, career to retirement, youth to old age—are all marked by uncertainty and insecurity.

In one of the most significant transitions recorded in Old Testament history, Solomon assumed the throne from his father David. I’m sure he was filled with uncertainty about the future. His father’s advice? “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. . . . For the Lord God, my God, is with you” (1 Chron. 28:20).

We’ll have our fair share of tough transitions in life. But with God in our raft we’re not alone. Keeping our eyes on the One who is navigating the rapids brings joy and security. He’s taken lots of others through before. —Joe Stowell

God guides us through the rapids of change.

INSIGHT: King David had desired to build God’s temple (1 Chron. 17:1), but God told him he could not because of the blood he had shed as a warrior (28:3). Instead, the privilege and responsibility for this project would fall upon the shoulders of David’s son Solomon. It is understandable that Solomon would be apprehensive about assuming this role. But his father admonished him to trust in God and do the work. Indeed, God was faithful as Solomon built the temple and took his father’s place as king.

Are you facing a transition? Reflect on God’s faithfulness and ask Him for strength to carry you through.  Dennis Fisher

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Sigh of Relief

Leave a comment

Most of us likely missed it. Couched between Wednesday’s building crescendo of assignments and Friday’s promise of their demise, Thursday hardly seems more than a means to an end. Though the day is every bit as holy as Easter Sunday, most of the world moves through it unsuspectingly—even those who have confessed the momentous lines of the Apostles’ Creed: “On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.”

Yesterday was Ascension Day, the day that marks the ascension of Jesus Christ. Forty days after the celebration of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, the church around the world holds in remembrance this eventful day. The gospel writer records: “Then [Jesus] said to his disciples…. ‘See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.”(1)

The ascension of Christ may not seem as momentous to the Christian story as the resurrection or as rousing as the image of Jesus on the cross. After the death and resurrection, in fact, the ascension might even seem somewhat anti-climatic. The resurrection and ascension statements of the Apostles’ Creed are essentially treated as one in the same: On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. One might even think that the one miraculous act flowed immediately into the other: as if the death of the body of Jesus was answered in the resurrection, a presence who then floated onto heaven. Unfortunately, the result of this impression is that many think of the ascension as somehow casting off of Christ’s human nature, as if Jesus is a presence that only used to be human. Hence, Jesus seems one more fit to memorialize than one we might expect to actually see face-to-face one day.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Sigh of Relief →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be a Believing Believer

Leave a comment

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] and their provocation and embitterment [of Me] in the day of testing in the wilderness. —Hebrews 3:7-8

In Hebrews 3 we see two wrong conditions of the heart—a hard heart and an unbelieving heart. In the wilderness, a hard heart caused the Israelites to rebel. A person with a hard heart cannot believe God easily, which is a major problem because everything we receive from God comes through believing. To receive from Him, all we have to do is come to Him in simple, childlike faith and just believe.

We call ourselves believers, but the truth is, there are a lot of “unbelieving believers.” For a long time, I was one of them. I had been hurt so much during my childhood, I developed a hardness of heart that God had to break through in my life.

Even Moses got to the place in the wilderness where he was slow of heart to believe God. That’s why it’s important for us to stay sharp spiritually so we can be quick to believe and to walk in faith day by day. We can choose to be careful to go from faith to faith and not begin to mix in any doubt and unbelief. A believing heart is essential if we want to live in close relationship with God.

Jesus wants to restore your soul, including your emotions. Let Jesus into those areas of your life that no one else could ever reach. Ask Him to change you into a person who has the same kind of heart that He has.

From the book Closer to God Each Day by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Wisdom Brings Peace

Leave a comment

“Wisdom gives a good, long life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace” (Proverbs 3:16,17).

High up in the Andes Mountains stands a bronze statue of Christ – the base of granite, the figure fashioned from old cannons – marking the boundary between Argentina and Chile.

“Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust,” reads the Spanish engraving, “than Argentines and Chileans break the peace sworn at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.”

Peoples of these two countries had been quarreling about their boundaries for many years, and suffering from the resultant mistrust.

In 1900, with the conflict at its highest, citizens begged King Edward VII of Great Britain to mediate the dispute. On May 28, 1903, the two governments signed a treaty ending the conflict.

During the celebration that followed, Senora de Costa, a noble lady of Argentina who had done much to bring about the peace, conceived the idea of a monument. She had the statue of Christ shaped from the cannons that had been used to strike terror into Chilean hearts.

At the dedication ceremony, the statue was presented to the world as a sign of the victory of good will. “Protect, Oh Lord, our native land,” prayed Senora de Costa. “Ever give us faith and hope. May fruitful peace be our first patrimony and good example its greatest glory.”

The monument stands today as a reminder that only Christ – the Prince of Peace – can bring real peace to the world. And that refers as much to individual peace as it does to national and international peace.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:18-23

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Like Solomon of old, I shall seek the wisdom that brings a good, long life, riches, honor, pleasure and the lasting peace that comes from God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Real Love Changes People

Leave a comment

Paul writes, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 NASB). Do you want to plumb the depths of your love for someone? How do you feel when that person succeeds? Do you rejoice or are you jealous? And when he or she stumbles or falls into misfortune? Are you really sorry? Or are you secretly pleased?

Love never celebrates misfortune. Never! Real love changes people. Didn’t God’s love change you? You know your love is real when you weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Do you want to know what love is? “This is what real love is– It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).

God passes the test! And well he should —he drafted it! He rejoices with you; may you rejoice with others.

From A Love Worth Giving

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Why did picture of Trump and the pope go viral?

Leave a comment

It is the picture seen ’round the world.

Last Wednesday, President Trump, along with members of his family and political inner circle, shared a private audience in the Vatican with Pope Francis. A picture taken during their time together shows a smiling president next to a somber-faced pope.

The photo quickly went viral. When I did a Google search yesterday on “trump frowning pope photo,” 26,600,000 results came up.

Vox‘s response was typical: “It almost looks like a farce: Trump cheerily oblivious, Pope Francis looking for all the world like he’d rather be literally anywhere else but in that room with that man.” New York Times columnist Gail Collins linked to the Vox story and added that Pope Francis “looked as cheerful as if he was watching his car being towed away.” Late-night talk show hosts mocked the president as an avalanche of memes and caustic reports on the picture flooded the Internet.

However, the photographer who took the picture told Time magazine a different story.
Continue reading Denison Forum – Why did picture of Trump and the pope go viral? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –Our God of Comfort

Leave a comment

 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

God’s care for us extends even to the details of our lives. He knows when His children hurt, and He longs to offer comfort (Isa. 49:13).

The Lord’s compassion is personal, continuous, and always available. We receive His comfort through the Holy Spirit, who lives within us. There is no situation or time when He is inaccessible to the believer—we can be consoled and reassured at any moment, day or night.

Consider how the compassion of God was demonstrated through Jesus’ life. He interacted even with the “untouchables”—people whose bodies were infected with a contagious disease (Luke 17:11-14). And no sickness of ours will prevent Him from caring for us.

When Jesus saw people with medical conditions, in compassion He not only healed them physically but also gave an even greater comfort—new life through the forgiveness of sins. And while our infirmities may remain, the Lord lovingly strengthens us to persevere (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

As for the messes we get into, notice how Peter’s betrayal of Christ was met with forgiveness and reinstatement (John 21:15-17), and Thomas’s doubts were answered by Jesus Himself (John 20:27). Our mistakes won’t stop Him from loving us. Even to His enemies, Jesus left the way open for repentance.

God’s comfort and care are adequate for anything we face, whether it’s poor health, insufficient finances, or family trouble. Then, once we’ve experienced His consolation, we’re to become bearers of comfort to others (2 Corinthians 1:4). Remember, people everywhere are in great need of His compassion.

Bible in One Year: Ezra 8-10

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Remedy for Jealousy

Leave a comment

Read: 1 Samuel 18:5–15

Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 25–27; John 9:1–23

So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. —1 Samuel 18:9 nlt

I gladly agreed to babysit my grandkids while their parents went out for the evening. After hugs, I asked the boys what they did over the weekend. (Both had separate adventures.) Bridger, age three, recounted breathlessly how he got to stay overnight with his aunt and uncle—and he had ice cream and rode a carousel and watched a movie! Next it was five-year-old Samuel’s turn. When asked what he did, he said, “Camping.” “Did you have fun?” I asked. “Not so much,” he answered forlornly.

Samuel experienced the age-old feeling of jealousy. He forgot how much fun he had camping with his dad when he heard his brother excitedly tell about his weekend.

All of us can fall prey to jealousy. King Saul gave in to the green-eyed monster of jealousy when the praise David received exceeded his: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” (1 Sam. 18:7 nlt). Saul was outraged and “from that time on . . . kept a jealous eye on David” (v. 9 nlt). He was so incensed he tried to kill David!

The comparison game is foolish and self-destructive. Someone will always have something we don’t or enjoy experiences different from ours. But God has already given us many blessings, including both life on this earth and the promise of eternal life to all who believe. Depending on His help and focusing on Him in thankfulness can help us to overcome jealousy. —Alyson Kieda

Lord, You have given us life and the promise of life eternal if we trust in You as our Savior. For that—and so many other blessings—we give You praise!

The remedy for jealousy is thankfulness to God.

INSIGHT: Why is it hard to see someone—even a friend—getting more attention than us? It happened to Saul. He loved David, but he became insanely jealous when he saw his faithful servant getting more honor than himself. Centuries earlier Cain enviously killed his younger brother Abel. And when Christ lived on earth the religious leaders of Israel became so jealous of Jesus that they demanded His death. But Jesus demonstrated a love that doesn’t envy. This love finds its source in God.  Mart DeHaan

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Love that Followed

Leave a comment

Writer Philip Yancey tells of his experience playing chess against a master player. He explains his rapid realization that no matter what move he made, no matter what strategy he chose, the master seemed to turn his play around to serve his own purposes. As I look back upon my life, it is so evident that the Master, that Hound of Heaven, has been on my trail, working all things out for God’s own ends—God’s own good and perfect ends, I might add.

In studying when the gospel first made inroads into my lineage, I have found that on both sides of my family, the first believers came from the highest cast of the Hindu priesthood six generations ago. The first Christian was a woman. She was interested in the message brought by missionaries, in spite of her family’s terrible displeasure. One day as she was about to leave the missionary compound in order to return home before her family found out, the doors of the compound were shut because of a cholera epidemic. Remaining with the missionaries until the time of the quarantine was past, she committed her life to God. Threat of disease and the walls of a closed compound were the freeing means of her coming to Christ.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Love that Followed →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – How to Reach Your God-Given Goals

Leave a comment

For which of you, wishing to build a farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it?—Luke 14:28

Goals are important in life. Paul said that he pressed toward the goal (see Philippians 3:14). As believers, we can be thankful that God helps us set and reach healthy goals in our lives. Many people never accomplish their goals because they do not know how to set them. A popular and easy-to-remember acronym that has been successful in helping countless people reach their goals is the word smart:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Specific: Make sure your goal is as specific as possible. Measurable: Goals that are hard to measure are goals that are hard to meet. Attainable: Make sure the goal itself is reachable. Realistic: It is important to dream big dreams and aim high, but don’t set yourself up for disappointment by trying to reach an unrealistic goal. Timely: People who set goals without target completion dates rarely accomplish their objectives.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, I am thankful that I can meet the goals I set with Your help. I pray that You give me wisdom to set healthy goals for my life and the perseverance to reach every goal that I set.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Give Him the First Part

Leave a comment

“Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income, and He will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines” (Proverbs 3:9,10).

“Yes, I tithe,” said John D. Rockefeller, Sr., “and I would like to tell you how it all came about.

“I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work I took the $1.50 home to my mother and she held the money in her lap and explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord.

“I did,” Rockefeller said, “and from that week until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made.

“Tell your readers to train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord.”

As R. G. Le Tourneau observed years ago, “We do not give to God because it pays, but it does pay to give to God and to serve Him faithful.” Without any question, God honors faithful stewardship – of time, energy, money, all that we have and are.

The importance of tithing is one of the first lessons I learned as a new Christian. Now I realize that that is only the beginning, because everything that I enjoy has been entrusted to me by a gracious, loving Father, who expects me to maximize all that he has put into my hands; therefore, tithing must be followed by offerings, based on clear Word of God that as we sow we reap. The more we give back to God, the more He will entrust to us, but we are to give with a cheerful heart out of a deep sense of gratitude for all that God has given to us.

Bible Reading: Malachi 3:8-12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: God will have the first fruits of my life, the first part of my money, my time, my talent, my energy.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Check Your Garbage

Leave a comment

 

Life has a way of unloading its rubbish on our doorstep! Your husband works too much. Your wife gripes too much. Your kids whine too much. The result? Trash! Load after load of bitterness, anxiety, deceit, and distrust. It all piles up. Now, mark it down. Today’s anger is tomorrow’s abuse. Today’s lust is tomorrow’s adultery. Today’s guilt is tomorrow’s fear. Today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions. So, deal with the trash!

Could that be why Paul says, “Love. . .keeps no record of wrongs?” (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV). Let trash pile up and people are going to smell it. Are we victims of the emotional bacteria of the season? Or do we have a choice? Paul says we have an option. “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We have a choice. You might want to check your garbage.

From A Love Worth Giving

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – The remarkable relevance of Sir Roger Moore

Leave a comment

Sir Roger Moore passed away Tuesday at age eighty-nine. He was most famous for his portrayal of James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985.

I was surprised to learn that he was three years older than Sean Connery, the first James Bond. Connery paid tribute to Moore, stating that their relationship was “filled with jokes and laughter.” Pierce Brosnan, the fifth Bond, called him “a magnificent James Bond.” Daniel Craig, the current Bond, quoted the theme song from Moore’s 1977 film, The Spy Who Loved Me: “Nobody does it better.”

Moore’s passing reminded us of his iconic stature. It also highlighted his remarkable commitment to children as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He served the organization for twenty-six years and was awarded its UK Lifetime Achievement Award.

We are wise to look for ways to redeem the consequences of living in a fallen world. For instance, two homeless men who rendered aid to victims of the bombing in Manchester are being hailed today for their selflessness and courage.

As British authorities continue responding to the tragedy, we should remember that Ramadan begins at sundown tomorrow. Muslims the world over will pray more and fast from sunrise to sunset, hoping their good works will gain Allah’s favor. This is one of the best times of the year to pray for Jesus to reveal himself to Muslims and lead millions to salvation by grace through faith in him (Ephesians 2:8–9). For more on reaching the Muslim world, I encourage you to visit my friends at GFM Ministries.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The remarkable relevance of Sir Roger Moore →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –The Great Divide

Leave a comment

 

Isaiah 55:8-9

When we picture Jesus as our bridge to God, it is natural to think about the things that separate us from the Father. Therefore, let’s examine three metaphors that describe the barriers between us and almighty God.

First, we are separated by height. Scripture calls God the “Most High” and describes Him as “high and lifted up” (Psalm 9:2; Isa. 6:1 ESV). He is above creation and unconstrained by gravity, time, or space. Furthermore, He declares, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways” (Isa. 55:9). Without question, God is above man.

Next, we are separated by distance. Moses experienced God through the burning bush, but even in that holy moment, the Lord warned him not to come too close (Ex. 3:5). Later, when the people of Israel built the temple and tabernacle, God warned them not to enter the Holy of Holies except for a single specific time each year, and then only one person was allowed to enter under strict conditions (Heb. 9:7). There is a distance between man and God that cannot be breached.

Third, we are separated by light and fire (1 John 1:5; Deut. 4:24). We know that staring into a giant spotlight can cause blindness, and standing near a flame can burn our skin. In a similar way, if we were to stand in the presence of holy God, we would be consumed.

Why did Jesus come to us? The reason is that only the perfect, sinless Son of God could reach the Father, come close to Him, and stand in His presence. And, in Christ, we can share in that intimacy.

Bible in One Year: Ezra 5-7

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Lookalikes

Leave a comment

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:17–4:2

Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 22–24; John 8:28–59

We all . . . are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.—2 Corinthians 3:18

They say we all have one: Doppelgangers some call them. Lookalikes. People unrelated to us who look very much like us.

Mine happens to be a star in the music field. When I attended one of his concerts, I got a lot of double takes from fellow fans during intermission. But alas, I am no James Taylor when it comes to singing and strumming a guitar. We just happen to look alike.

Who do you look like? As you ponder that question, reflect on 2 Corinthians 3:18, where Paul tells us that we “are being transformed into [the Lord’s] image.” As we seek to honor Jesus with our lives, one of our goals is to take on His image. Of course, this doesn’t mean we have to grow a beard and wear sandals—it means that the Holy Spirit helps us demonstrate Christlike characteristics in how we live. For example, in attitude (humility), in character (loving), and in compassion (coming alongside the down and out), we are to look like Jesus and imitate Him.

As we “contemplate the Lord’s glory,” by fixing our eyes on Jesus, we can grow more and more like Him. What an amazing thing it would be if people could observe us and say, “I see Jesus in you”! —Dave Branon

Lord, help us to gaze on You, to study You, to know You. Transform us into Your image by what we say, how we love others, and how we worship You. May others see Jesus in us.

Love is the family resemblance the world should see in followers of Christ.

INSIGHT: After having communed with God for some eighty days and nights (Ex. 24:18; 34:28), Moses’s face shone, reflecting and radiating the holiness and glory of God (34:29-35). When he came down from Mt. Sinai with the law, the people were afraid to come near him. Thereafter, Moses wore a veil over his face, seemingly to protect the Israelites from prolonged exposure to God’s glorious holiness.Thousands of years later, the apostle Paul adds that Moses veiled himself to prevent the Israelites from seeing that this glory was fading away (2 Cor. 3:13). Using Moses’s experience, Paul reminds us of the great privilege Christians have today. Just as Moses was able to enter God’s holy presence without the veil (Ex. 34:34-35), anyone who believes in Jesus also has this privilege (2 Cor. 3:14, 16). The Holy Spirit gives us unencumbered and unrestricted access into God’s holy presence (v. 17) and will enable us to “see and reflect the glory of the Lord, [making] us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (v. 18 nlt).

In what ways are you like your heavenly Father? How is exposure to God’s holiness through His Word changing you to look more like Christ?   Sim Kay Tee

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Divine Decomposition

Leave a comment

“God is dead,” declares Nietzsche’s madman in his oft-quoted passage from The Gay Science. Though not the first to make the declaration, Nietzsche’s philosophical candor and desperate rhetoric unquestionably attribute to its familiarity. In graphic brushstrokes, the parable describes a crime scene:

“The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. ‘Whither is God,’ he cried; ‘I will tell you. We have killed him—you and I! All of us are his murderers…Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder?…Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”(1)

Nietzsche’s atheism, unlike many contemporary atheistic mantras, was not simply rhetoric and angry words. He recognized that the death of God, even if only the death of an idol, introduced a significant crisis. He understood the critical role of the Christian story to the very underpinnings of European philosophy, history, and culture, and so understood that God’s death meant that a total—and painful—transformation of reality must occur. If God has died, if God is dead in the sense that God is no longer of use to us, then ours is a world in peril, he reasoned, for everything must change. Our typical means of thought and life no longer make sense; the very structures for evaluating everything have become unhinged. For Nietzsche, a world that considers itself free from God is a world that must suffer the disruptive effects of that iconoclasm.

Herein, Nietzsche’s atheistic tale tells a story beneficial no matter the creed or conviction of those who hear it. Gods, too, decompose. Nietzsche’s bold atheism held the intellectual integrity that refused to make it sound easy to live with a dead God—a conclusion the new atheists are determined to undermine. Moreover, his dogged exposure of idolatrous conceptions of God wherever they exist and honest articulation of the crises that comes in the crashing of such idols is universal in its bearing. Whether atheist or theist, Muslim or Christian, the death of the God we thought we knew is disruptive, excruciating, tragic—and quite often, as Nietzsche attests, necessary.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Divine Decomposition →