Tag Archives: nature

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Make Mercy a Way of Life

Leave a comment

It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:22-23 AMPC

Aren’t you thankful for God’s abundant mercy? it is new every morning. Surely we would all live miserable, defeated lives if it were not for His compassion and willingness to forgive us.

When we meditate on God’s mercy and truly realize how much He willingly forgives us, we can much more easily show mercy to others. Good relationships are impossible unless we are generous with mercy and forgiveness. Being merciful simply means forgiving others even though their actions would warrant our anger.

Jesus said that we are to forgive our enemies and be kind. In this way we show ourselves to be like our Father in heaven, for He is merciful and kind.

God’s mercy is new every morning, and I am glad—because I am sure I use my allotted portion every day. I am grateful for a new, fresh start each day. When we make mistakes, He does not want us to try to sacrifice to make up for them. When others hurt or offend us, He wants us to extend mercy to them.

Learn to give and receive mercy regularly; and let mercy become a way of life for you.

Love Others Today: God’s mercies are new for you right now! Receive the mercy He has for you and extend mercy to everyone around you.

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Action Breeds Confidence

Leave a comment

“Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous,” God encouraged Joshua. “Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. For I the Lord am with you wherever you may go.”

Josh. 1:9

Friend to Friend

How do you react to fear of the unknown when it comes to stepping out in faith or living bold? Everyone has his or her own unique way.

Some respond to fear by retreating to the safety of cul-de-sac Christianity, which is actually one of the most dangerous places of all. Dale Carnegie once said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

You will not become be more courageous and learn to live bold by avoiding your fears. Courage based on the faithfulness and love of God is strengthened with every step of faith, no matter how small. Write the letter. Start the conversation. Sign up to volunteer. Create the blog. Make the donation. Mend a relationship. Each step of obedience creates momentum that breaks through the stronghold of fear.

The woman who lives life to the fullest is generally the one who is willing to do and to dare. Allow God to infuse you with an enthusiasm and gusto that gives fear the boot right out the door, with you following close behind.

As you consider what might happen if you step out in faith, you must also consider what will happen if you play if safe and don’t. When we live bold, we experience God’s blessings. When we don’t, we won’t.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Action Breeds Confidence →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Cannot Outgive God

Leave a comment

“For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give – large or small – will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38).

R.G. Le Tourneau was one of God’s great businessmen. He wrote a book, entitledGod Runs My Business. Though he had little formal training, he became one of America’s leading industrialists, developing and securing patents for many major improvements in earth-moving equipment. He gave away millions of dollars, and he founded a wonderful Christian college which bears his name. I had known and admired him for many years, but one of my most memorable experiences with him was at his plant in Longview, Texas. As we chatted, I was captivated by this exuberant, joyful layman who was overflowing with the love of God, still creative in his later years, and always proclaiming the truth that you cannot outgive God – the more you give away the more you receive. He had discovered a law of the universe.

The giving of the tithe (ten percent of our increase) is an Old Testament principle. The New Testament principle of giving is expressed in this passage: “The more you give, the more you will receive.” I personally do not believe that that involves indiscriminate giving, but rather that we should prayerfully evaluate all the various opportunities that are available to further the cause of Christ and His kingdom.

New Testament concept makes clear that everything belongs to God. We are custodians, stewards, of that which is entrusted to us for only a brief moment of time. Three-score and ten years (or possibly a little more), and then all that we possess will pass on to another. We are not to hoard, nor are we to pass on large estates to our heirs. That which is entrusted to God’s children is given to them to be used while they are still alive. We are to care for our own, and make provision for their needs, but all that is entrusted to us beyond that amount should be spent while we are still alive, while we can guarantee proper stewardship.

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 8:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Mindful of this spiritual principle, that everything belongs to God and He has entrusted me with the privilege and responsibility of being a good steward, I will seek every opportunity to invest all the time, talent and treasure available to me while I am still alive, for the enhancement of the kingdom of God.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Unrecognized Temptation

Leave a comment

Read: Luke 11:2-4

And lead us not into temptation. Luke 11:4b

This part of the Lord’s prayer deals with the realm of the spirit. In the unseen war of the spirit, the greatest needs of our life are deliverance and protection. But an immediate problem arises here, for Scripture reveals that temptation is necessary to us, a very real part of our life in this fallen, flawed world. No one escapes it in the Christian life. Furthermore, though God himself never tempts us to sin, yet he does test us in these difficult and discouraging circumstances, and these things become the instruments of God to strengthen us, to build us up and thus to give us victory. When we read this prayer, then we are confronted with this question: Are we really expected to pray that God will not do what he must do to accomplish his work within us? After all, even Jesus, we are told, was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. What then does he mean?

I confess I have puzzled and prayed and read about this, and I am convinced that what he means here is that this is a prayer to be kept from unrecognized temptation. When temptation is recognized as such, it can be resisted, and when we resist, it is always a source of strength and growth in our life. If I am filling out my income tax and I find that some income has come to me through other than ordinary channels and there is no way of anyone checking it, I am confronted with a temptation to omit it, but I know it is wrong. No one has to tell me; I know it is wrong. When I resist that, I find I am stronger the next time when a larger amount is involved. You see, when we recognize lust as lust and hate as hate and cowardice as a temptation to be a coward, this is one thing. It is a rather simple matter to resist obvious evil, if we really mean to walk with God. But temptation is not always so simple. There are times when I think I am right, and with utmost sincerity and integrity of heart I do what I believe is the right thing, and, later, look back upon it and see that I was tragically wrong.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Unrecognized Temptation →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – We Belong to the Lord

Leave a comment

Read: Romans 14:7-9

If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. (v. 8)

When trying to comfort the grieving, it can be all too easy to resort to platitudes. Ask any bereaved person what kinds of comments they found more hurtful than helpful after their loved one died. Although people are trying to be supportive, their rather trite phrases like “She’s in a better place” or “God needed him more than we did” don’t always have the intended effect. Even when we do believe, for instance, that a person has been mercifully freed of bodily pain through the release of death, comments like these oversimplify the situation and can leave grievers to feel like they “shouldn’t” be sad.

This verse from Romans risks sounding like a platitude, as though death isn’t that big of a deal. But its truth runs far deeper, and its intent is to grant comfort. It doesn’t mean that death doesn’t matter, but that death does not have the power to take us out of Christ’s hold on us. As the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, our only comfort both in life and in death is that we belong to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. This doesn’t trivialize death, but instead it extols the power of Christ, who died and lives again. Neither his death, nor ours, can take us outside the realm of God’s care. With both anguish and hope, we can entrust our loved ones into God’s hands.

Prayer:

We belong to you in life and in death; grant us courage and comfort.

Jessica Bratt Carle

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Fringe Benefit of Holiness

Leave a comment

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

—Matthew 5:6

Have a nice day. We throw that expression around a lot in our culture. When you make a purchase, the cashier might say, “Thank you. Have a nice day.” Or, maybe you want to return something, and you’re told, “No, we cannot take that back again. Have a nice day.” It’s really their way of saying, “You can go now.”

But what does it really mean to have a nice day? I suppose it would be a day free of sickness, conflict, and hardship—a day that is, well, nice.

That is how God is sometimes perceived. We might imagine Him thundering from Mount Sinai, “Have a nice day!” We like to think of Him as perpetually smiling, wanting us all to be happy, healthy, and wealthy.

I’m not suggesting that God cannot or will not bless us with health or even wealth. Nor am I suggesting that God doesn’t want us to be happy. But that is not God’s primary objective for us. God doesn’t sit around in Heaven and wonder how He can make us happier. What God is really interested in is how He can make us more holy. He wants us to be holy more than He wants us to be happy.

The remarkable thing is that if you really are a holy person, then you will, in turn, be a happy person. Happiness is the fringe benefit of holiness. What does it mean to be holy? Maybe if we respelled holy as wholly, as in wholly committed, we would get a better understanding of the word. You can be wholly committed to surfing or wholly committed to golfing or wholly committed to money. That is a commitment.

If you want to be holy, be wholly committed to God. You will be happy as a result.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – Jesus Wants You To Be a Light for Him

Leave a comment

“Ye are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”(Matthew 5:14a, 16)

Have you ever been in an airplane at night? When you look down over a city as you are flying in an airplane, you cannot make out anything because it is so dark. All you can see are the lights. The lights may be of different sizes and different colors. Some are brighter than others. But they are all beautiful to look at.

If you look around yourself right now, you will see darkness all around you. You may not see it on the outside. The darkness I am talking about is the darkness inside the hearts of men. Many people do not believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. Some of them don’t believe that God exists at all! Their hearts are dark because they do not have the light of the true Savior.

Because you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you must show others that you are different because of Him. This is what Jesus meant when He told believers to be the light of the world. When you let your light shine, others will see it, and will want to glorify God and know that Jesus Christ can save them, too.

Maybe you are asking, how can I let my light shine? Whether you are at home, at school, or at play, you must try to please God in everything you do. Even if everyone else is doing something wrong, you must not do it if you know that it does not please God. For example, if your friends ask you to help them play a mean trick on someone, you must ask yourself if that will please God. When you are at home, you can please God by being obedient to your parents. Some people may make fun of you for being polite and kind, but because you are pleasing God, your light will shine before them.

God has commanded us to let our light shine before men. Your unsaved friends and family should be able to see that you are a child of God because you try to please Him in everything that you do.

Jesus wants me to be a light in this world so that others will come to know Him.

My Response:

» Am I trying to please God in all that I do?

» Where do I need to let my light shine?

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Any Room for Grace?

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 2 Peter 3:18

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

As we practice the disciplines necessary to develop Bible-based convictions—diligent but dependent Bible study, Scripture memorization, continual meditation, and applying Scripture to real-life situations—is there any room for grace? What happens if I stumble in Scripture memorization, for example?

First of all, God does not love us any less. His love for us is based solely on the fact that we’re in union with his Son. Christ’s righteousness has become our righteousness. Our sins were laid upon him, and the penalty for them was fully paid by him on the cross. Daily his blood cleanses us from all sin. God’s grace, his unmerited favor, is never conditioned on our performance but always on the unchanging merit of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our progress in the pursuit of holiness, however, is conditioned on our practice of the disciplines God has given us. It’s true that we’re transformed increasingly into the likeness of Christ by the Spirit. It’s also true that one of the chief means—in fact, probably the chief means—he uses is the renewing of our minds. And Paul was quite emphatic in Romans 12:2 about submitting ourselves to the transforming influence of God’s Word by which our minds are renewed.

Therefore, we may say that our acceptance by God the Father is based solely on his grace to us through Christ. His favor is never earned by what we do nor forfeited by what we don’t do. But we may say with equal emphasis that our progress in pursuing holiness is significantly conditioned on our use of God-appointed disciplines. And they have been appointed by God and initiated by God.

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Ministry of Angels

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 1-2

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” – Exodus 23:20

I know a young man who lives in the city of Monrovia in Liberia, West Africa. A few years ago, he was involved in a terrible accident. He fell off a truck going at high speed down a crowded road. When he hit the ground, he was struck in the head by another vehicle, and his scalp was peeled back by the force of the blow.

The emergency team at the hospital was convinced he would die in a matter of minutes. Nevertheless, they sewed his scalp back, cleaned him up as best they could, and placed him in a bed in a crowded room.

In the middle of the night, the young man regained consciousness. His relatives were sitting near his bed asleep. And in the corner stood two men in white. They glowed with a shining white brightness. They came over to his bed, and without waking his family, told him they were angels who had been given charge over him to guard him and to minister to his needs. They then left, but not before assuring him they would always be near–that he could count on their help.

To the astonishment of the hospital staff, the young man made a complete recovery and regained his full strength. Today he suffers no effects from the accident, and of course his faith in God has been greatly strengthened.

Before you conclude this young man was hallucinating, look up the word angel in a Bible concordance and do a short study on these beings. You might start with Hebrews 1:14: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” By the way, have you considered that angels are watching over you right now?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your Word that says the angels protect us and minister to our needs. Amen.

To Ponder

Do you believe angels really exist?

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Why Christianity is Not Dead

Leave a comment

In his classic tale, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Mark Twain tells of Tom and Huckleberry Finn’s brief career as pirates. When the boys get bored with life on the Mississippi and hang up their hooks and return home, they find the whole town has gathered for a funeral—their funeral. Concealed at the back of the church, Tom and Huck are so moved by the minister’s eulogy they join in weeping. That is, until someone catches sight of the drowned boys, miraculously back from the dead.

Well, that feeling of attending your own funeral is one that Christians are getting pretty familiar with these days. But to borrow a phrase from Twain himself, “Reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.” And that’s not only true of Christianity, but of religion in general, which prognosticators from the secular press and academics continually warn have one foot in the grave.

But they are late to the party. Experts have been prophesying the demise of religion for at least 150 years. Karl Marx, way back in the 1860’s, predicted that religion would vanish once the working class no longer needed the “opiate” of the life to come. Sigmund Freud wrote in 1927, “in the future science will go beyond religion, and reason will replace faith in God.”

In the 21st century, the predictions of religion’s extinction continue, despite the stubborn existence of believers. In 2013, biopsychologist Nigel Barber wrote a book predicting that within thirty years, religion would effectively disappear in 137 countries. And an article last month in the U.K.’s Independent reported on yet another team of scientists who expect faith to die out worldwide.

Dr. Nicholas Baumard, who works in the infamously imaginative field of evolutionary psychology, recently co-authored a study claiming to explain the origins of religion, and why we can expect it to vanish as the world develops economically.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Why Christianity is Not Dead →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – TWO SONS AND ONE PROMISE

Leave a comment

Read Genesis 21:8-21

Abraham’s family life seems strange to most modern readers. In part, this strangeness is due to cultural differences and different customs— few of us are nomadic or live in vast, extended family tribes. But in addition, the strangeness of Abraham’s family is that God was using them as a kind of living parable, providing lessons in following God for future generations.

Ishmael was the firstborn son of Abraham—but he was not the son God had promised. Perhaps he felt insecure as the son of Sarah’s servant, or he may have discerned that Abraham felt differently toward Isaac than he did toward Ishmael. Ishmael was likely aware that Isaac had a special place in God’s plan. For whatever reason— perhaps even just plain brotherly teasing—he mocked Isaac, and Sarah saw it and demanded that Abraham banish both Ishmael and Hagar from the household.

Despite Abraham’s reluctance to cast out his son, God confirmed Sarah’s harsh sentence but also promised Abraham that He would care for Ishmael. God dealt compassionately with Hagar and Ishmael by providing for their needs and making Ishmael into a great nation. But it was Isaac who was the child of promise.

In Galatians 4:28–30 Paul reveals the spiritual lesson in these events. The only way to become a child of God is by way of promise, not through human effort. We cannot become God’s children by trying to obey His commands or solve the problem of sin on our own terms. Righteousness only comes to us as a gift through faith. Like Abraham and Sarah, God must do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Those who try to obtain righteousness by keeping the law are slaves to the law and to sin. The law cannot free us from sin.

APPLY THE WORD

This story of Abraham and Ishmael is not a manual for how to treat your children! It is a story to teach us something about grace. Many religious systems teach that we must work our way into God’s favor. But the way of law and the way of grace are incompatible with one another. We must accept righteousness as a gift or we will not have it at all.

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – WHY OUTCRY OVER STANFORD ASSAULT CASE CONTINUES

Leave a comment

Last Thursday, a former Stanford student was sentenced to six months in prison for sexual assault. A week later, the public is still outraged.

It’s not just the facts of the case. (For more, see Nick Pitts’s The Need for and Loss of Sacredness.) Brock Turner was found guilty on three felony counts, but this story is, tragically, not unique on America’s campuses. Nearly 100 colleges and universities had at least ten reports of rape on their main campuses in 2014; at Stanford alone, there were twenty-six reports of rape that year.

The case is generating headlines for a number of reasons.

In part, it’s because the crime was so horrific, a fact made clear by the victim’s extremely moving letter, which she read aloud to her attacker at his sentencing. Her letter describes what happened in graphic detail, giving voice to her horrible trauma and ongoing suffering.

In part, it’s because the perpetrator was a member of the Stanford swimming team and has been viewed as a child of privilege. His father’s claim that his son should not have to go to prison for “twenty minutes of action” was especially reprehensible to many.

But I think the continuing outrage over this crime has to do especially with the sentence imposed. Judge Aaron Persky of the Santa Clara County Superior Court sentenced Turner to six months in jail and three years probation. Turner should have received between eight and twenty years in prison for his crime, according to recommendations from the United States Sentencing Commission. The judge cited mitigating factors and determined that a longer jail sentence would not suit Turner’s rehabilitation as a sex offender.

Continue reading Denison Forum – WHY OUTCRY OVER STANFORD ASSAULT CASE CONTINUES →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Heavenly Rewards

1 Comment

Luke 14:12-14

Some Christians think it’s wrong to want rewards, but our Creator knows people are motivated by incentives. In fact, He made us that way, which is why His Word makes exciting promises for those who walk in His way.

Some of these benefits are available here on earth—like fulfillment, joy, and good favor—whereas other blessings will be bestowed once we are in heaven. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need never fear judgment (Rom. 8:1), for we are clothed in righteousness through His blood and will not face divine wrath.

To help us understand this, the Bible describes several crowns. First, the crown of life is granted to believers who stand firm and endure trials without giving up or losing heart (James 1:12). The second crown, called imperishable, is given to those whose great desire is to walk obediently before God (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Through struggles and even failures, they continue to die to their flesh and follow the Spirit. Next, the crown of righteousness is bestowed upon those who long for Christ’s appearing and live righteously through Him (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Lastly, God will give the crown of glory to those who share His Word with others (1 Pet. 5:2-4). As Scripture tells us, we will be awed by Jesus’ magnificence and honored just to lay our crowns at His feet.

The supreme reward is for us to manifest God’s glory throughout eternity. We will experience joy in His presence forever, but we don’t have to wait: We can invest today by serving Him obediently and humbly. Done with the right motive, service blesses us now and in the future.

Bible in a Year: Job 31-34

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Better By Far

Leave a comment

Read: Philippians 1:12–26 | Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 30–31; John 18:1–18

I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. Philippians 1:23

A siren wailed outside a little boy’s house. Unfamiliar with the sound, he asked his mother what it was. She explained that it was meant to alert people of a dangerous storm. She said that if people did not take cover, they might die as a result of the tornado. The boy replied, “Mommy, why is that a bad thing? If we die, don’t we meet Jesus?”

Little children don’t always understand what it means to die. But Paul, who had a lifetime of experience, wrote something similar: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). The apostle was under house arrest at the time, but his statement wasn’t fueled by despair. He was rejoicing because his suffering was causing the gospel to spread (vv. 12–14).

Belief in Jesus’s death and resurrection brings the assurance of life with Him forever.

So why would Paul be torn between a desire for life and death? Because to go on living would mean “fruitful labor.” But if he died he knew he would enjoy a special kind of closeness with Christ. To be absent from our bodies is to be home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6–8).

People who believe in the saving power of Jesus’s death and resurrection will be with Him forever. It’s been said, “All’s well that ends in heaven.” Whether we live or die, we win. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

Dear Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on You, whether I face difficulty in life or death. Let me find security and peace in You.

Belief in Jesus’s death and resurrection brings the assurance of life with Him forever.

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – When God Is Near

1 Comment

On a routine trip through well-worn streets, I found myself pulled out of the fragmented consciousness of a mind captive to the day’s worries with the jarring lyrics of a song. Up until that point, the song itself was much like the familiar patterns of scenery, an external factor impervious to the siege of my own fears; I was seeing but not seeing, hearing but not really hearing. But then I suddenly took in the artist’s abrupt words: Hoping to God on high is like clinging to straws while drowning.(1)

The stark image of clinging to straw while desperately trying to stay afloat cleared everything else from my mind. It also set me thinking about the descriptive words of a friend hours earlier. Encouraging me in the midst of a difficult place, a friend simply reminded me that I was not alone. She was intending to assure me of her friendship and support, but I also knew she was assuring me that I was not aimlessly floundering on my own, with God no where to be found. “The LORD is near to all who call on him,” declares the psalmist; and I needed to hear it.

Christians take comfort in the thought that God is among us, comforting our fears, quieting our cries of distress, standing near those who call, moving in lives and history that we might discover the God who is there. As a follower of Jesus, knowing that he is with me as a fellow human in struggle and darkness is one of the only reasons I don’t completely surrender to my fears and stop moving forward. Knowing that there is a God of grace, beauty, truth, and mystery, which the Spirit is constantly at work lifting me toward, is the hope I remember when I fear death, my console when I fear uncertainty, the picture that somehow makes sense of a strand of DNA and quiets my fear of being uncared for and alone. I can relate to the resolution of the psalmist in a world of many and distant gods: “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge” (73:28).

But what good is it if there is indeed a throne but it is empty, a kingdom without a king, a god who may be close but is like straw? Who is it who is near us? If god is an impersonal force, or a tyrant, or a distant, semi-interested being, then neither God nor God’s kingdom is any sort of refuge. If the hope we cling to is like straw that cannot actually save us from drowning then we have good reason to live in fear, “huddled,” as the musician later describes, “afraid if we dance we might die.”

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – When God Is Near →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Passes the Test

Leave a comment

“So [the king’s overseer] listened to [Daniel and his friends] in this matter and tested them for ten days. And at the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables” (Daniel 1:14-16).

All spiritual commitment will be tested.

When God wants to prove the quality of one’s commitment, He tests it. The test may come directly from Him, as with Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1-2), or it may come through difficult circumstances, as with the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings (Deut. 8:16), or it may even come from Satan himself, as God permitted with Job (Job 1:12; 2:6). Regardless of its source, every test is designed by God to produce greater spiritual fruit in His children (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego’s tests came at the hands of their Babylonian captors. Separation from family, friends, and homeland must have been an extremely difficult test for them, but through it all their commitment to the Lord remained unshakable. Now they faced a test to determine whether or not they could remain undefiled. For ten days they would eat only vegetables and drink only water, while their fellow captives ate the king’s special diet.

Normally such a brief period of time would make no noticeable change in one’s physiology, but God must have intervened because at the conclusion of just ten days, these four young men were clearly healthier and more vigorous than their peers. The results were so convincing that their overseer allowed them to remain on a vegetarian diet throughout their entire three-year training period. God honored their uncompromising spirit.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Passes the Test →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Unexpressed Gratitude is Ingratitude

Leave a comment

One of them [a man with leprosy], when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:15-19

My heart can feel thankful, but until I take the time to express my gratitude with a grateful prayer to God, a spoken word of blessing, a note of thanksgiving or a phone call of appreciation—I only conceal what I feel. Verbalized gratitude bends heaven’s ear toward earth while blessing those who hear its heart. A friend recently took the time to write me a note (legible!) of appreciation for helping him with his men’s retreat. The sincerity of his words and his description of how I blessed him really blessed my heart. The note rests next to my coffee pot for daily enjoyment!

Leprosy is a debilitating, snarly and a painful disease from a slow growing bacteria causing a loss of feeling in the arms and legs, along with muscle weakness. In Jesus’ day not only was this condition hideous to the eyes—an inflicted person was ostracized from the community. At the very moment the sick individual needed care and support—they were isolated. So, healing by Jesus was an extraordinary relief for the ten lepers—an event that pricked a scared society’s soul. A hug from a healthy person felt awkward—aches were replaced by joy! Remarkably, the twice shunned foreigner took time to thank Jesus. Love enjoys the gift, but also thanks the gift giver!

“She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins” (Luke 7:47-48, MSG).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Unexpressed Gratitude is Ingratitude →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Staying Focused

Leave a comment

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

Recommended Reading

Matthew 6:7-12

In the world of physics, it is asserted that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Likewise—though less able to be proven—the mind cannot focus on two thoughts at the same time. We can change our thoughts so rapidly that we have the impression of being able to have multiple thoughts simultaneously. But we also have the freedom to choose which thoughts we stay focused on.

Take two opposite thoughts like faith and fear. While we may vacillate rapidly between the two, as long as we remain focused on faith, fear has little access. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul illustrated the principle of “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” In his letter he referred to lies being spread about his apostleship—taking those lies captive to the truth. But the principle applies in all realms of life. And what is the purest way to remain focused on faith instead of fear? Prayer. Committing our concerns to God in prayer leaves no room for anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7).

Choose today to occupy your thoughts with matters of faith and leave no room for the worries of this world (Matthew 6:33).

Anxiety and prayer are more opposed to each other than fire and water.

  1. A. Bengel

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 18 – 21

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Careful What You Think

Leave a comment

But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper I and come to maturity]. Psalm 1:2-3

Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You…I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways [the paths of life marked out by Your law]. Psalm 119:11, 15

In the early days of computers, they used to say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” That was a way of explaining that the computer only worked with the data put into the machine. If we wanted different results, we needed to put in different information.

When it comes to computers, most people have no trouble grasping that concept, but when it comes to their minds, they don’t seem to get it. Or perhaps they don’t want to get it. So many things demand their attention and beg for their focus. They’re not just sinful things. The apostle Paul said that although everything was lawful for him, not everything was helpful (see l Corinthians 6:12).

If you are going to win the battle of the mind and defeat your enemy, where you focus your attention is crucial. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the stronger you’ll become and the more easily you’ll win the victories.

Too many Christians don’t realize the difference between meditating on the Bible and reading the Bible. They like to think that whenever they read God’s Word, they’re absorbing the deep things of God. Too often people will read a chapter of the Bible, and when they get to the last verse, they have little idea of what they’ve read. Those who meditate on Gods Word are those who think and think seriously about what they’re reading.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Be Careful What You Think →

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Can I Get a Witness?

Leave a comment

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 6:38

Friend to Friend

Growing up we played silly games. Fun games that connected strands of strangers and tethered them to a specific time and place with a memory. One of those was the cookie jar game.

It’s probably more of a chanty thing. You remember.

Crowd: “Amy stole the cookie from the cookie jar!”

Amy: “Who me?”

Crowd: “Yeah, you!”

Amy: “Couldn’t be!”

Crowd: “Then who?”

Amy: “Elise!”

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Can I Get a Witness? →