Tag Archives: nature

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – One Thing You Can’t Do

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Today’s Truth

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

Friend to Friend

I pretty much consider myself to have a black thumb. Charcoal, even. I like plants and genuinely try to keep them healthy and thriving, but fail at it a lot more than I succeed. So a few years ago when my BFF brought me a baby aloe plant, my heart was torn between girlfriend-gratitude and feelings of sorrow for the innocent little aloe.

A few weeks after she gave me the plant gift, my friend told me a story. She confessed that she struggles to share things and said that she had two aloe plants for a long time. One day she felt a heart-nudge to give one of them to me and she decided that she would give me the small aloe baby. (Bless her heart! She obviously knows nothing of said black thumb!)

For weeks she had meant to act on that heart-nudge and give me the aloe plant, but just never got around to it. She’d think about bringing me the aloe plant when she wasn’t home or remember late at night when it was too late to run it by my house. In the back of her mind she thought that one of her plants would surely have an aloe baby offspring … reasoning that she could just give me that one instead of one of her two plants.

Finally, she remembered.

She brought me the cute little healing plant and gave it to me with a smile. We threw down a happy plant-dance that morning as we shared a cup of coffee and our hearts in conversation.

As we sat at my kitchen table again, coffee mugs in hands, she finished her story by excitedly saying, “The most amazing thing happened this week, Gwen! When I walked past the aloe plant that I’d kept for myself, I noticed that a baby aloe plant had sprung up in the pot! It was almost like a little present from God reminding me that I can’t out-give Him. That when I trust Him and obey His nudges, He blesses me right back.”

I nodded and smiled. That’s what is referred to a boomerang blessing. You throw out a blessing, and then one comes right back around to you.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – One Thing You Can’t Do →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Can Help!

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“O my people, trust Him all the time. Pour out your longings before Him, for He can help!” (Psalm 62:8).

“I have no faith in this matter,” a minister said to an evangelist, “but I see it is in the Word of God and I am going to act on God’s Word no matter how I feel.”

The evangelist smiled. “Why, that is faith!” he said.

The Word of God is the secret of faith. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” We do not attain or achieve faith, we simply receive it as we read God’s Word.

Many a child of God is failing to enjoy God’s richest blessings in Christ because he fails to receive the gift of faith. He looks within himself for some quality that will enable him to believe, instead of “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

In the words of an anonymous poem published by War Cry:

He does not even watch the way.
His father’s hand, he knows,
Will guide his tiny feet along
The pathway as he goes
A childlike faith! A perfect trust!
God grant us today,
A faith that grasps our Father’s hand
And trusts Him all the way.

Bible Reading: Psalm 62:1-7

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will be wise in the ways of God today by looking for help from the One whom I know I can trust.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – I Will Be With You

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Read: Jeremiah 1:6-8

Alas, Sovereign Lord, I said, I do not know how to speak; I am too young. But the Lord said to me, Do not say, I am too young. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:6-8

Jeremiah’s response is to shrink from the call of God. Many a young man had done that before him. This is what Moses did, and Gideon, and Isaiah, and other mighty men of God. When God first laid hold of them and set them to a task, they shrank from it. Jeremiah pleads youth and inexperience, says he has no ability to speak, just as Moses did. So if you ever feel that way when God calls you to a task, just remember that you are in the prophetic succession! God’s servants often start out that way.

As best we can tell, Jeremiah was about 30 years old at this time. That is when young men began their ministry in Judah. By modern youth that is considered over the hill, beyond the time a man is capable of doing anything. But that is when God starts. Jesus was thirty years old when he began his ministry. Yet Jeremiah feels his inadequacy and his inexperience and his inability.

This, I think, marks the sensitivity of this young man. Throughout this whole prophecy you find him very responsive and sensitive to what is happening to him. He is called to stand before kings, to thunder denunciations and judgments, to feel the sharp lash of their recrimination against him, to endure their anger and their power, and to suffer with his people as he sees them rushing headlong to their own self-destruction. He feels this keenly and sharply, and weeps and laments. The book of Lamentations is made up of the cries of his heart, as he senses all that is happening to him. Jeremiah was a very sensitive young man, and a very sensitive prophet.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – I Will Be With You →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Confirming God’s Call

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Read: Act 13:1-3

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (v. 2)

The decision to answer God’s call to release Barnabas and Paul was not easy for the church at Antioch. The church would severely miss them both since they were a great blessing. The church fasted and prayed to confirm the decision.

My confirmation to answer God’s call to build houses for homeless families in Mexico came first from my wife. The Holy Spirit spoke to each of our hearts at the same time. We came out of the Mexico mission team service saying the same thing: “God is telling us to go to Mexico.”

We both felt the Holy Spirit tugging at our hearts, but sometimes our feelings can lead us astray. Rather than move prematurely, we decided to pray through our feelings and to seek counsel through reading God’s Word. We also sought the advice of others, including our pastor.

Once God confirmed our calling, it was time to commit. This time, I asked God to make a way and promised him I would prioritize the mission trip first, above all other potential time conflicts, even work. What peace I experienced putting this in God’s hands. Then, with call confirmed, we were ready for the next step.

Prayer:

Lord God, please show us your calling for our life. Thank you for other believers who can help us confirm this call.

Author: Rob Donoho

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Questioning God

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John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”—Matthew 11:2–3

How would you feel if someone you loved and trusted began to question you? You might feel offended. What do they know, after all?

When John sent word to Jesus from prison and asked, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Matthew 11: 3), Jesus didn’t rebuke him. He didn’t say, “How dare John doubt Me? My own cousin! He should have known better” or “John? Come on, give Me a break! You know he’s a little strange, right? The animal skins . . . and who eats locusts? That’s My cousin! Maybe it was something in his diet.”

It was a good opportunity to throw someone under the bus. But Jesus didn’t do that. Instead, he brought John back to Scripture: “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor” (verses 4–5). Then He said, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me” (verse 6).

Here is what Jesus was saying: “Listen, you just let John know this: Even if you don’t understand My method, even if you don’t grasp My ways or My timing, I am asking you to trust Me. When you are unable to see why I am doing what I am doing, or why I am not doing what you think I ought to be doing, hang in there. Follow Me. Don’t be offended because of this.”

Our Lord understood this was an attack of the enemy. He understood what loneliness and solitude could do.

God never rebukes anyone who comes to Him with sincere questions or honest doubts.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Holy

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“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)

Moses was a shepherd. He lived in the desert and watched the sheep that his father-in-law owned. He had once been a prince of Egypt, but he had left that life, gotten married, and had decided to stay in the desert to raise his family rather than return to Egypt. Moses remembered that he was a Hebrew, and his mother had taught him all about Jehovah God even before he had gone to the palace to be a prince. Moses knew how to worship and serve the Holy God. But Moses preferred to do that in the quiet of the desert rather than back in Egypt.

One day, as Moses was watching the sheep in the desert, he saw a fire. At least, he thought he saw a fire. When he found the source of the fire, he realized a bush was on fire, but it was not burning up! What an amazing sight! Moses had never seen anything like it. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling his name. He realized it was coming from the burning bush. The voice said, Turn aside and take off your shoes. You are standing on Holy Ground. Moses did as the voice commanded. He realized as the voice continued to speak to him that it was the Lord talking to Him. God told Moses that he would be the one to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt. Moses realized it was a tremendous task and that he was unworthy of the job. God assured Moses that He would give him the words to speak. Moses only needed to do what he was commanded.

One of the lessons that Moses learned at the burning bush was that God is a holy God. Do you know what the word holy means? In part, it means that God is worthy to be worshipped. Worship is not simply singing hymns on Sunday at a worship service. According to Romans 12:1, our whole lives are worship to God.

One way that Moses showed his worship to God was obeying what God told him to do at the burning bush. Even though Moses liked his quiet life as a shepherd, Moses did what he did not want to do and became the leader of God’s people. Moses’ life became a life of worship to the Holy God of Israel.

The same God Whom Moses worshipped by his obedience is the God we worship today. Our obedience to God is part of the worship that He deserves as a holy God.

Because God is holy, He is worthy of our worship.

My Response:

» Do I think of worship as something I do only on Sundays, or do I think of worship as my obedience to God during the week, too?

» Are there things that God wants me to do that I haven’t been doing?

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Daily Grace

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Today’s Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:3

“And he humbled you . . . and fed you with manna.”

There’s a lesson about grace in the way God distributed the manna to the Israelites in the desert:

“This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat.’ and the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, ‘let no one leave any of it over till the morning.’ But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted” (Exodus 16:16-21).

Three times the text mentions that each person could gather as much as he needed. There was an ample supply for everyone; no one need go hungry. And God in some mysterious way saw that no one had an overabundance: someone gathering much did not have too much; someone gathering little did not have too little. Furthermore, the gathering was to be a daily activity; they were not allowed to store up for the future.

This illustrates the way God distributes grace. There’s always an ample supply; no one ever need go without. But there’s only as much as we need—and even that is on a day-to-day basis. God doesn’t permit us to “store up” grace. We must look to him anew each day for a new supply. Sometimes we must look for a new supply each hour!

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Power of the Word

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Today’s Scripture: Acts 19-20

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. – 1 Peter 1:23

Sports commentators often remind us how difficult it is for a visiting team to play at someone else’s home court or field, because the home fans are so fanatical about their team. But any coach will tell you that in order to be successful and win on the road, a team must be able to overcome all the jeers and cheers.

Have you noticed in the book of Acts that Paul rarely had the home field advantage? He was usually preaching the gospel in difficult venues. In Acts 19, we find him in the city of Ephesus. Here stood the great temple to Artemis–a worship built around the practice of immorality. The city reeked with all the pollutions of paganism, while the people were dominated by sorcery, black magic, witchcraft, and demonism.

Paul didn’t have the home field advantage, but his message was the power of God unto salvation. The book he carried in his heart was the Word of God. And his life was under the control of the Spirit of God. Soon, many people from this city gripped by Satan’s power responded in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Against the backdrop of an evil power that seemed unstoppable, once again the Bible proved to be alive and powerful.

What will it take to change the lives of people we know and to clean up our towns that are in the grip of drugs, alcohol, false religions, materialism, and secularism? In Ephesus, it took the Bible. I’m sure it will take nothing less today. Let’s study the Word, live it, share it, and watch God work!

Prayer

Lord, I am reminded today that Your Word has given me the home field advantage in the war against Satan. I love Your powerful Word. Amen.

To Ponder

The Word of the Lord endures forever.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – New Science Trends: Why Human Beings are More Than Our Brains

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Recently on BreakPoint, John Stonestreet said, “you are your body.” Meaning that we Christians understand that the human person is an embodied being; our bodies aren’t prisons we escape at death. He was right, of course. I say this because I don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m about to say: You are NOT your brain.

Let me explain. Much of modern science uses sloppy language that seems to attribute personhood to the central nervous system, conflating matter with mind, electrical signals with thoughts, and tacitly denying free will and even consciousness. You hear it every time a speaker at a TED conference or a host on the Discovery Channel talks of our brains “wanting,” “thinking,” or “deciding” things.

As Michael Egnor writes at Evolution News and Views, this is a “mereological fallacy,” the error of ascribing to the parts what only the whole can do. For example, stomachs do not eat lunch. Neither do fingers perform sonatas. People do these things. “The brain is an organ,” writes Egnor. “[it] floats around in spinal fluid inside the skull.” It is not a person. And therefore, it is not you.

But try explaining that to the New York Times. Citing a talk by Princeton neuroscientist Michael Graziano, the Times takes up the tired refrain that consciousness is just an illusion produced by the brain, “a con game the brain plays with itself.”

Our very sense of self, the Times rhapsodizes, that “ghostly presence” inside our heads, is just so much “data processing.”

“The machine mistakenly thinks it has magic inside it,” Princeton’s Graziano is quoted as saying.

Continue reading BreakPoint – New Science Trends: Why Human Beings are More Than Our Brains →

Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE TRINITY AND THE VIRGIN BIRTH

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Read LUKE 1:26–38

The Creation account in Genesis connects God the Holy Spirit with the generation of life. In the beginning, before God spoke, when “the earth was formless and empty . . . the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (1:2). When God created the first man, Adam, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (2:7). In Hebrew, the same word is translated as both “breath” and “spirit,” indicating God’s ability to create a distinctive kind of life made in His image.

In today’s reading, we see that the Holy Spirit is the One who generated life in the womb of the virgin Mary (v. 35). Only God can do the impossible and bring life from nonlife. Just as He breathed human life into the dust of the ground, so also He conceived life in a virgin’s womb. God is the One who ultimately holds all power over life and death.

God the Father planned it all. His promises never fail (vv. 36–37)—one of David’s descendants would be an eternal King (vv. 32–33). He sent an angel with a message to Mary; she responded differently from Zechariah, submitted obediently, and counted herself a recipient of God’s favor and blessing (vv. 28, 30, 38).

The baby to be born was, of course, Jesus, the Son of God (vv. 31–32)—the Messiah and the second Person of the Trinity. He is God Incarnate. Through the Son, the Father would fulfill His covenant with David. Christ—the Greek title that means “Messiah”—will reign forever and ever (see Rev. 11:15)!

By focusing on the Three-in-One in this episode, we gain a greater appreciation for God’s faithfulness, love, power, promises, plan of redemption, and sovereignty over life, as well as of the awe-inspiring mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus.

APPLY THE WORD

How can the first Person of the Trinity send the third to conceive the second as a human baby? Paradoxes like this are a mode of being beyond our understanding. Rather than be distracted by the mysteriousness of the Three-in-One, ask what God wants you to learn about Himself this month. Make this a topic for prayer today.

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – MAN MEETS 9/11 VICTIM HE HELPED SAVE  

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Col. Rob Maness was at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 when terrorists flew an airplane into the building. He was helping survivors when a chaplain called him over to an injured man. “He was in really bad shape—it didn’t look like he was going to make it,” Maness said later. “I was told to stand there and hold his IV because it was leaking.” He kept talking to the injured man until paramedics took him to a hospital.

For fifteen years he prayed for the man and wondered what happened to him. Fast-forward to the recent Republican National Convention. Maness is running for the US Senate from Louisiana. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry introduced him to another man who was in the Pentagon that day, Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell. It turned out that Birdwell was the man Maness helped save. Both are strong Christians; each is now giving thanks to the Lord for what the other means to him.

On a very different subject: After School Satan Clubs could be coming to an elementary school near you. The Satanic Temple is petitioning school officials around the country to include them in their after-school programming. This is in response to Good News Clubs, a Christian outreach program made legal by a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that after-school programs cannot be excluded on the basis of their sponsors’ religious views. If Christians can do it, Satanists can as well, or so they claim.

There’s a principle at work here: we seldom see the future consequences of present decisions. That’s a fact Satan uses against us, but one the Lord uses for us.

Satan hates us so much that he cannot tempt us to do anything for which the gain outweighs the pain. However, as the “father of lies” (John 8:44) he wants to convince us that the opposite is true. Because we want what Satan offers, we find a way to justify choosing it. We see the consequences of temptation only after we fall to it: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Conversely, our Father loves us so much that he cannot lead us to do anything for which the pain outweighs the gain. He loves us as much as he loves his own Son (John 17:23). He always and only wants what is best for us. However, in the moment of obedience we often cannot see its benefits. We see the consequences of faithfulness only after we choose to be faithful. Then we can say with Paul, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

As a result, the time to prepare for spiritual challenges is before we face them. In the moment, we cannot trust what seems best to us. We must decide now that we will be faithful when the temptation or opportunity comes. Good students study for a test before they take it.

When you face challenges to your faith today, remember two images: Satan as a roaring lion seeking to devour you (1 Peter 5:8) and Jesus dying on the cross for you. Then choose wisely.

 

Denison Forum

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Requirements of Faith

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Romans 6:22-23

The moment we trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we enter into a life of faith. In other words, we live by the assurance that God is all He claims to be and will do everything He promises. Salvation is instantaneous, but it takes a lifetime to learn and understand what that entails.

As soon as we are saved, God begins what is known as sanctification, teaching us to be like Him. This is a process, as it takes time to learn to walk by faith, trusting what we cannot see.

Even with God’s Holy Spirit living inside of us, we nonetheless battle our flesh. We desire to do what God says and to see as He sees, but because we have behavior patterns left over from our old sinful nature, we will falter and do things in our own strength, according to our own rationale. We must choose daily to follow His way.

To grow in godliness, we must learn to listen to our Father. But since this is not a natural tendency, self-discipline is needed. It is best to set a specific time each day to meditate upon God’s Word. Eagerly expect Jesus to speak to you, and listen to what He is saying. Write notes in your Bible with the date and what the Lord has impressed upon you. Then, apply the truth you learn, and observe the results.

Hearing God’s voice and being in tune with His Spirit are vital parts of walking in faith. But these things don’t just happen; they require determined persistence. As with physical exercise, the more we strengthen our spiritual “muscles,” the more the process becomes part of who we are.

Bible in One Year: Isaiah 40-42

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Best Is Yet to Come

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The Best Is Yet to Come

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1–12 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 57–59; Romans 4

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

Are the best days of your life behind or in front of you? Our outlook on life—and our answer to that question—can change with time. When we’re younger, we look ahead, wanting to grow up. And once we’ve grown older, we yearn for the past, wanting to be young again. But when we walk with God, whatever our age, the best is yet to come!

Over the course of his long life, Moses witnessed the amazing things God did, and many of those amazing things happened when he was no longer a young man. Moses was 80 years old when he confronted Pharaoh and saw God miraculously set His people free from slavery (Ex. 3–13). Moses saw the Red Sea part, saw manna fall from heaven, and even spoke with God “face to face” (14:21; 16:4; 33:11).

When we walk with God, the best is yet to come.

Throughout his life, Moses lived expectantly, looking ahead to what God would do (Heb. 11:24–27). He was 120 years old in his final year of life on this earth, and even then he understood that his life with God was just getting started and that he would never see an end to God’s greatness and love.

Regardless of our age, “the eternal God is [our] refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27) that faithfully carry us into His joy each day.

O Lord my God, I praise You for all You have done in the past. I look forward with thankfulness for all You will do in the future. And I thank You for today and all Your blessings.

When we walk with God, the best is yet to come.

INSIGHT:

Although Moses walked with God, he wasn’t perfect. In response to the grumbling Israelites, he got angry and acted in disobedience. Instead of speaking to the rock, he struck it. This impulsive act called attention to him rather than to God, and he lost his opportunity to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:1–12).

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – This Kingdom

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“The ‘kingdom of God’ is for the gullible,” I read recently.  “You enter by putting an end to all your questions.”

It’s true that Jesus moved all over Judea pronouncing the reign of God and the kingdom of heaven as if it were a notion he wanted the simplest soul to get his mind around.  But simplicity was not what hearers walked away with. With great disparity, he made it clear that this kingdom was approaching, that it was here, that it was among us, that we needed to enter it, that we need to wait for it, that we desperately need the one who reigns within it. The tension within so many different and dynamic realities turned the clarity of each individual picture into a great and ambiguous portrait. He insisted, the kingdom “has come near you.” Yet he prayed, “Thy kingdom come.“(1) Paul, too, described the placement of believers in the kingdom as something established: “God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.”(2) While the writer of Hebrews described the kingdom as an ongoing gift we must accept: “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us therefore give thanks.”(3) To make matters all the more complex, Jesus also assigned the kingdom imagery such as a mustard seed, a treasure in a field, and a great banquet, among others.

Contrary to putting an end to one’s questions, the kingdom of God incites inquiry all the more. What is the nature of this kingdom? Can it be all of these things? Who is this messenger? And what kind of proclamation requires the herald to pour out his very life to tell it? Whatever this kingdom is, it unmistakably introduces to a world far different from the one around us, one we cannot quite get our minds around, with tensions and dynamisms reminiscent of the promise of God to answer our cries “with great and unsearchable things you do not know.”(4) It is a kingdom that tells a story grand enough to master the metanarratives which otherwise compel us into thoughtless, gullible obedience. It is a kingdom with a king whose very authority exposes our idols as wood and reforms our numbed minds with great and surprising reversals of reality.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

In this kingdom Jesus proclaims we are shown a God who opens the eyes of the blind and raises the dead, who claims the last will be the first, and the servant is the greatest. But his proclamations did not cease with mere easy words. Jesus put these claims into action, placing this kingdom before us in such a way that forbids us to see any of it as mere religion, abstraction, gullibility, or sentimentality:

“Then the whole assembly rose and led Jesus off to Pilate.  And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation.  He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.’

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – This Kingdom →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – A Society of Things

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“‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’” (Matthew 6:21).

In wealthy countries, where the focus is on material things, believers must strive for the right perspective on possessions.

Today’s text answers the simple but age-old question, Where is your heart? When our Lord answers the question, it is clear He is referring to all of life’s major preoccupations and investments—anything that receives most of our thinking, planning, and expenditure of energy.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had their hearts in the wrong places. Among their many other sins, the Pharisees were thing-oriented—covetous, greedy, avaricious, and manipulative. Matthew 6:21 is right in the middle of a portion of the Sermon on the Mount that deals with the Pharisees’ misplaced priorities regarding material possessions. The verse fits with Christ’s overall purpose in the Sermon, which was to affirm His standard of righteous living in contrast to the Pharisees’ inferior, hypocritical standard (Matt. 5:20).

Matthew 6:19-24 tells us how believers should view their luxuries and wealth. Most of us live in cultures that constantly challenge us with their emphases on materialism. We all spend some time thinking about those things, whether it be a house, a car, furniture, investment portfolios, computers, our wardrobes, or whatever. And many people become slaves to consumerism and greed. Therefore we need to deal with these issues and have a biblical viewpoint concerning the many material comforts we have.

Above all, if we want the same perspective on wealth that Jesus had, our view must far exceed that of the Pharisees with their proud, earthbound viewpoint. They were focusing all of their time and devotion on selfishly laying up worldly treasures. Theirs is not the godly standard of those who want to exemplify Christ in the midst of a materialistic society.

Suggestions for Prayer

What thoughts and activities occupy most of your extra time? Pray that they would not be merely about things, but about the things of God.

For Further Study

  • You need to have a right view of yourself before any other area of life is properly understood. Read again the familiar opening passage of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:1-12.
  • Memorize or meditate on one verse or more that ministers to a need you have.

 

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Why Every Life Matters to God 

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So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

As a young boy the importance of treating everyone with respect and love was illustrated for me: all races, genders and religions. For most of my adolescence I attended a predominantly African American grade school. I distinctly remember my English teacher, Mrs. Rooks, model for us the simple lesson of love and acceptance for everyone. Fast forward to the year  1995 when my African American friend—Lee Jenkins and I met weekly to read and discuss Tony Evan’s book, Let’s Get to Know Each Other. Lee’s wife Martica did the makeup for three of our four daughters’ weddings—and Rita and I have attended the Jenkin’s church over the years.

I have been disturbed to learn the mutual love and respect the Jenkins and Baileys enjoy with one another is unfortunately the exception rather than the rule—even for followers of Jesus. Why is this? One reason is our country’s shift away from Christ’s commands. Like a deadly tornado our society has been swept away by its arrogant redefinition of what’s right. The further a generation distances itself from loving the Lord—the further they distance themselves from loving all people. The more our Creator is marginalized—the more His creation is marginalized. So for every life to matter— Christ has to matter—-otherwise, only “I” matter!

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9).

Holy Scripture is crystal clear: male and female are created in the image of God. So, to dismiss a fellow human being is to dismiss the Lord’s crowning creation. To treat another race or gender with contempt is to treat Christ with contempt. How can we praise the Lord on Sunday and not praise and support a different race or religion during the week? I am learning there are two ways we can grow in our love and respect for those different than ourselves: empathy and education.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Why Every Life Matters to God  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Life Dots

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LORD, I cry out to You; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.

Psalm 141:1

Recommended Reading

Psalm 10

It took two years to paint A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the famous seaside scene. Each color that the eye sees is composed of countless contrasting dots. It is only as the viewer steps back from the painting that the picture emerges from the seemingly random dots.

When we are on the brink of despair, all we see is the color of our current situation. Our souls long for relief. When Job lost everything, he came to a point where he longed for death and wondered why God had forgotten him. Similarly the psalms of David are full of laments, heartfelt prayers to God expressing profound grief and sorrow. When we are in a dark place, it is comforting to know we are not alone.

Biblical stories can encourage us when we feel stuck and hopeless. This is not the end of our story but only a single dot or season. God is at work. He sees and affectionately holds the entire painting of our lives in His hands and has promised to create something beautiful. Don’t give up.

Is it not without its comfort that the two men that conversed with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration both broke under the strain of their ministry and prayed that they might die?

  1. Oswald Sanders

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Isaiah 60 – 63

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Transformation

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So that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured. – Acts 5:15–16

Peter was a man with a past. He was bold and not afraid of change, but he also had many faults. In Matthew 16:22–23, we see Peter trying to correct Jesus. In Matthew 26:31–35, we see that Peter thought more highly of himself than he should have. In Matthew 26:69–75, it is recorded that Peter denied even knowing Jesus.

Once Peter realized the depth of his sin, he wept bitterly, which showed that he had a repentant heart (v. 75). God is merciful and understands our weaknesses. In John 21, we see Jesus lovingly restore Peter. Peter had been included in God’s plans for the future even though he had a past record of foolishness and failure. Peter had denied Christ, and yet he became one of the best-known apostles. Peter could have spent his entire life feeling bad about his denial of Jesus, but he pressed past that failure and became valuable to God’s kingdom.

Lord, You are a God of transformation. Help me to press past my failures and become a valuable servant of Yours today. Thank You for including me in Your plans for the future. Amen.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – You Are Somebody

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Today’s Truth

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:5

Friend to Friend

I want to know God’s will for my life. Don’t you? However I have learned that identity comes before activity. In other words, I must have a proper perspective of who I am before I can grasp what God wants me to do. This was true of Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”(Jeremiah 1:5). He didn’t choose Jeremiah after he proved himself worthy of the task, but before he was even born. That was true for Joshua (Joshua 1:6-9), Gideon (Judges 6:12), and Mary (Luke 1:28)—and that is true for you.

God didn’t throw up His hand when you were born and say, “Now what am I going to do with this one?” He had a plan and a purpose for you before you were born. Isn’t that exciting? David wrote this about God: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16 NIV).

Just before Jesus began his earthly ministry, he traveled to the Jordan to be baptized by his cousin John. As soon as he came up out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended, and God spoke. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” Matthew 3:17 NIV).

Before Jesus performed the first miracle, preached the first sermon, or called the first disciple, God made sure that His identity was clear. He was accepted, approved, and completely loved. So many Christians are trying to earn an acceptance and approval that Jesus already earned for them. God’s acceptance of you is not based on your performance. That doesn’t mean that we stop trying to do our best to live a God-honoring life. But it does mean that we stop trying out for a position or role God’s already given you. As someone once said, “The audition has been canceled. You’ve already got the part.” You have nothing to prove because you have already been pre-approved.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – You Are Somebody →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Does Such Wonders

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“I will cry to the God of heaven who does such wonders for me” (Psalm 57:2).

I cannot begin to count the times, even during just one 24-hour day, that I lift my heart in praise, worship and adoration and thanksgiving to God in heaven. I begin the day by acknowledging His lordship of my life and inviting Him to have complete control of my thoughts, my attitudes, my actions, my motives, my desires, my words; to walk around in my body, think with my mind, love with my heart, speak with my lips and continue through me to seek and save the lost and minister to those in need. Throughout the day I bring before Him the personal needs of my family. I pray for the extended family of Campus Crusade for Christ and staff and their families and for all those who support this ministry through their prayers and finances. I pray for business and professional people, that God will bless their finances as well as their lives so that they can continue to help support this and other ministries for His kingdom.

As I look through the mail, I breathe a prayer to God for some staff member, friend, associate, or supporter who is hurting, needing encouragement, strength and peace. At all of my many daily conferences, I will begin and close with a brief word of prayer claiming the promise of God-given wisdom for the matters we shall be discussing, for supernatural discernment that will enable me to see through all the intricacies of the problems presented. When the phone rings, I breathe a silent prayer and often a vocal one at the appropriate time with that person on the other end of the line who is in distress, whether from family problems or work-related difficulties.

In between, I pray alone and with others for the hundreds of different people, events and circumstances that involve the worldwide ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ and the ministry of His Body throughout the world.

Bible Reading: Psalm 57:1-11

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Recognizing that prayer is as vital to my spiritual life as air is to my physical being, I will pray without ceasing and in all things give thanks to our God in heaven who does such wonders for me.

 

http://www.cru.org