Tag Archives: nature

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Need To Restore

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Read: Leviticus 6

If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor… when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion… And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. Lev 6:2, 4, 6

Here we will deal with the last of the five basic, fundamental human needs represented by the five offerings which God taught the Israelites from the tent of meeting. The guilt offering is the last of these five. This offering is the final one of this series of five because it deals with the relationship of man with man, with how to maintain a workable relationship with our neighbor. This is the offering which teaches us how to restore harmony to broken human relationships.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – First Things First

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Read: Mark 2:1-12

He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (v. 5)

The story about the friends digging a hole in a roof to get their paralyzed friend in front of Jesus has become one of the better known and best loved stories in the New Testament. It is so dramatic to see the lengths these friends would go to in order to get their buddy healed. The poor man could not walk! Something had to be done to fix his legs, and the miracle worker Jesus was clearly the right man for the job.

So how weird it must have seemed to have Jesus look at the man and say, “Your sins are forgiven.” What?! Sins? Come on, Jesus, first things first: heal the guy’s limp legs!” The friends hadn’t strained their backs to hoist their friend onto a roof and then down through a hole to get his sins forgiven! Couldn’t Jesus tell what needed to be done here?

Jesus did know of the man’s physical need and he would heal him soon enough. But Jesus knows that a healthy body and well-functioning legs mean nothing if the person in question is not right with God. Sin is the first thing to deal with for all of us. Once grace has forgiven us and restored our relationship with God, then we can move on to other concerns. For Jesus “first things first” meant doing the main event for which he came to earth: to forgive sin and so restore us to a solid relationship with our Creator God.

Prayer:

Forgive our sins as we forgive others, O God.

Author: Scott Hoezee

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M.- Master Sculptor

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A little boy watched a sculptor begin chiseling a large block of marble. The sculptor worked meticulously until the slab looked like the face of Abraham Lincoln. “How did you do that?” the little boy asked. The sculptor said with a smile, “All I have to do is chip away everything that doesn’t look like Lincoln.”

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Romans 8:29

Pain, persecution, stress and accusations are some of the struggles that believers in Christ often endure. At the time, it may not be known exactly why the Lord has allowed them. However, the loving Father uses trials to chip away at flaws in character. He uses great care and thoughtfulness so that the end result will look like His Son.

Thank God, the Master Sculptor of your soul, for His work in your life and His dedication to your future. Whatever difficulties are happening with you personally (and in the nation), practice patience and trust that He will do His work carefully and creatively. Pray also that America’s leaders who are Christians will allow their trials to draw them to a closer relationship with the Lord and conform their lives to His purposes.

Recommended Reading: I Peter 1:3-9

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/index.php

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Standing in the Gap

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“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”—Ezekiel 22:30

Most Christians I know are nice, pleasant people. We want to get along with others. We don’t want to offend anyone by saying that something is wrong, because it would be politically incorrect. A lot of times we are afraid to stand out.

That is not how Elijah was, however. When we are first introduced to him in 1 Kings 17, he explodes onto the scene: “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word’ ” (verse 1).

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Cares When We Are Distressed

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“I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” (Psalm 18:3,6)

Have you ever heard a kitten or a rabbit that was in pain? A rabbit’s scream is a terrible sound. If a rabbit is caught in a bush or a trap, and especially if he is frightened or wounded – or both – he is probably going to scream.

What if you were to hear a call even more desperate than that of a small animal? What if you were to hear a fellow human being call out in distress (in pain or great fear of danger)? Would you answer? What if you were walking along in your neighborhood one day, and what if you were to hear a voice call out, “Help! Somebody – please help!”

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Grace and a Grateful Heart

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:9

“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Living under the grace of God instead of under a sense of duty frees us from a self-serving motivation. It frees us to obey God and serve him as a loving and thankful response to him for our salvation and for blessings already guaranteed to us by his grace. Consequently, a heartfelt grasp of God’s grace—far from creating an indifferent or careless attitude in us—will actually provide us the only motivation that is pleasing to him. Only when we’re thoroughly convinced that the Christian life is entirely of grace are we able to serve him out of a grateful and loving heart.

I knew a man who was a strict tither, giving exactly 10 percent of his income to God’s work: never one penny less and, as far as I know, never one penny more. I asked him why he did this. He replied, “I’d be afraid not to.” I knew this man fairly well, and I suspect his motivation was mixed. He did somewhat enjoy giving his 10 percent, but his basic motivation was a fear of the consequences if he did not tithe. He was not motivated to tithe from a joyful and grateful heart.

By contrast, the apostle Paul appealed to Christ’s grace as a motivation to give: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Paul wasn’t “laying a guilt trip” on the Corinthian believers. Rather, he wanted them not only to give generously but to give from a sense of gratitude for God’s grace—as a cheerful, loving response to what God had already given them in Christ.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Devotion to God

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Today’s Scripture: Daniel 1-3

They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. – Daniel 6:4

Daniel was a young man who, from the world’s point of view, “had it all.” Before the fall of Jerusalem, he was a member of the royal family in Israel. When he was taken captive to Babylon, he was selected for special training in the court of the Babylonian king. Daniel 1:4 describes the qualifications of Daniel and the others selected for this training: “Young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.”

What a list! I’m sure any major corporation in the world would have been delighted to hire one of these men and make him part of the organization. But other than Daniel and three of his friends, we don’t even know their names. Why? Because they apparently lacked the one major characteristic God looks for, and that He found in Daniel and the other three–a commitment to holiness in the sight of God.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Devotion to God →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  What Does it Mean for Christians to Take Back the Culture?

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“When you talk about Christians restoring the culture,” I’m sometimes asked, “do you mean that we should take over the laws and run society? Because, you know, that’s been tried before, and it didn’t go so well.”

I can understand the confusion. One source of the confusion is that there are some Christians who do propose something like this. Some of them are following the theological ideas of R. J. Rushdoony, who is considered to be a founder of what is known as Christian reconstructionism. Others, just use language like “taking back America” or “conquering the seven mountains of culture.” They seem to imply a sort of Christian takeover of the key segments of culture.

Another source for the confusion is eschatology, or competing visions about the end times. And yet another source would be mainstream media outlets, particularly those on the far left, who are constantly worrying about Christians conspiring to impose a theocracy—typically through a candidate they do not like. (I only wish they had more trouble finding sound bites to support their conspiracy theories).

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – MATURE IN CHRIST

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Read Colossians 1:24-2:12

Bob Hope quipped, “Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.” Our culture tends to value youth and novelty over maturity and experience. When it comes to our spiritual lives, though, maturity is something to be prized. An element of our sanctification and identity should be our maturity

in Christ.

In Colossians 1:28 the apostle Paul describes part of his ministry as strengthening these believers “so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” The word mature is sometimes translated as “perfect.” Its closest meaning, however, is not our current notion of perfection, which implies a sense of being completely flawless. Rather, this word means a sense of fullness or completion, a theme that occurs again in Colossians 2:2.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – DO NOT LOOK AT THE COVER OF ‘TIME’ MAGAZINE

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This is the most absurd, contradictory story I can remember: The current Time magazine cover story reports on the disastrous effects of pornography on those who view it. Yet the magazine’s cover image is so explicit that I warn you not to view it. The image that accompanies the story on page 40 is nearly as graphic. I would not want this magazine near anyone I know.

First, let’s discuss the content of the article. Belinda Luscombe documents the growing number of young men who are convinced that “their sexual responses have been sabotaged because their brains were virtually marinated in porn when they were adolescents.” So they are creating online community groups, smartphone apps, and educational videos designed to help men quit porn. Luscombe observes: “For the first time, some of the most strident alarms are coming from the same demographic as its most enthusiastic customers.”

Many have been worried for years about pornography’s degradation of women and normalization of sexual aggression. British Prime Minister David Cameron has begun the process of requiring porn sites to verify the age of their users or face a fine. The Utah state legislature has unanimously passed a resolution treating porn as a public-health crisis.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Knowing God Through Jesus

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Micah 6:6-8

There’s a simple message from God that is repeated over and over throughout Scripture—He delights far more in our efforts to know Him than in any gift we might offer Him. God created us with a deep desire to be known, so it shouldn’t be difficult for us to understand that seeking Him expresses our love better than words ever could.

We begin to take advantage of our great privilege to personally know God when we receive His free gift of new life through Jesus Christ. From that moment on, we are filled with His Holy Spirit. Jesus, our Mediator, spanned the gap of sin that separated God and man. Through His death on the cross, He made it possible for us, as unrighteous as we were, to become children of the Lord of Hosts, whose holiness overwhelmed Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-7). It is impossible to truly know God apart from knowing Jesus.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Don’t Walk Away

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Read: Jeremiah 1:4-9

Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 1-3; Luke 8:26-56

Before you were born I set you apart. —Jeremiah 1:5

In 1986, John Piper nearly quit as minister of a large church. At that time he admitted in his journal: “I am so discouraged. I am so blank. I feel like there are opponents on every hand.” But Piper didn’t walk away, and God used him to lead a thriving ministry that would eventually reach far beyond his church.

Although success is a word easily misunderstood, we might call John Piper successful. But what if his ministry had never flourished?

God gave the prophet Jeremiah a direct call. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” God said. “Before you were born I set you apart” (Jer. 1:5). God encouraged him not to fear his enemies, “for I am with you and will rescue you” (v. 8).

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Distracted Reckonings

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“Being unable to cure death, wretchedness, and ignorance men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things.”(1)

It is a rare gift, in this age of distractions, to have five minutes to rest and reflect. Recently, I had the opportunity to take an entire afternoon and do nothing. I was in the desert Southwest of the United States surrounded by brown, barren mountains, desert scrub and cacti, and the singing of birds. As I looked out over the contrasting horizon of azure sky and brown earth, I was struck by my own insignificance—something I rarely allow myself to think about as I routinely fill my days with busyness. That topography of sky and soil, bird and flower had been there long before I arrived and would surely remain long after I had departed—both from my visit and upon my departure from this world.

Despite this more sobering thought, the gift of undistracted space nourished me. I could revel in the symphony of songbirds all around me; marvel at the cataclysmic forces of nature that formed the mountains and valleys around me. I could wonder at my place in the vastness of the creation and feel my smallness and my transience. Having this kind of time to sit and to reflect is a rarity, and is just as fleeting as the birds that flew around me.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Supplication Before the Father

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“He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt’” (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is a perfect model of perseverance in seeking God’s will.

By humbly and submissively raising the option, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me,” Jesus was not questioning the validity of God’s plan of redemption or the Son’s responsibility in it. The thought of His becoming sin for us was weighing heavier and heavier on Jesus, and He simply wondered aloud to God if there could be a way other than the cross to deliver men from sin. But as always, Jesus made it clear that the deciding factor in what was done would be the Father’s will, not the Son’s.

In contrast, while Jesus was wrestling earnestly in prayer before the Father, Peter, James, and John were oblivious to the struggle because they slept. The need for sleep was natural at such a late hour (after midnight), and their emotions—confused, frustrated, depressed—concerning Jesus’ death may have induced sleep as an escape (Luke 22:45 says they were “sleeping from  sorrow”).

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Liberating Grace and the Power of “I Can’t”

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And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  John 1:16

Our society is all about “I can.” I can win the race. I can be the best salesperson in my company. I can get a college degree. I can be a good mother. We have been taught that the most important things can be earned if we only believe and try hard enough. Certainly, when God is behind something, all things are possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). But there is an “I can’t” phrase every believer needs to embrace: I can’t earn God’s love. This phrase is empowering, liberating, and life-giving.

Granted, most believers know they are “saved by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8) so they intellectually agree that salvation can’t be earned. So they will also say His favor and love can’t be earned. But there is often a disconnect between what we say we believe and what we truly believe. For example, in his book, Holiness by Grace, Bryan Chapell shares that many people believe that if they have a quiet time, God will love them more. If they are kind to their neighbor, it’s a guarantee of His favor. “However much we may want—or feel the need—to trophy our good works before God in order to merit his acceptance, our accomplishments remain insufficient to obligate him to care for us as members of his family.”

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Airdropped Blessings

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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Recommended Reading

James 1:12-18

One day in 1952, a U.S. Air Force crew south of Guam saw islanders waving to them. The crew gathered items on the plane, packed them up, attached a parachute, and dropped the crate as they circled the island. That was the beginning of the longest sustained humanitarian airdrop in history. It’s been going on now for 64 years. Last Christmas, more than 20,000 people in the remote islands of Micronesia received needed supplies in what is now called Operation Christmas Drop.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Just Do It!

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She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms.—Proverbs 31:17 NKJV

As a Christian, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you need to keep it in good condition so God can work through you the way He desires to. Being excessively tired can adversely affect us and our spiritual life. We don’t have the desire or stamina to pray as we normally would. We don’t present the best witness to others. It is even easier to be grouchy and unable to walk in the fruit of the Spirit when we feel tired most of the time.

I encourage you to make room in your life for exercise. In my own life, I am not where I need to be yet but I am making progress. I have finally decided that, to do what I can do is better than doing nothing at all. Find something you can enjoy and still get exercise. Try walking or playing a sport to get the exercise you need. Exercising with other people might work for you.

People who exercise regularly do tend to be more confident. For one thing, they feel better and more energetic, so they accomplish more and enjoy what they do. They usually look better, and that increases confidence. Exercise also relieves tension and stress, which will help anyone’s confidence. Don’t think about exercising anymore—just do it!

Lord, I acknowledge that my body is Your temple, and I want it to rightly reflect You. Help me to discipline myself and give my body the exercise it needs. Amen.

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

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Uncategorized

Girlfriends in God – Leaving an Imprint – Part Two

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For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James 2:26

Friend to Friend

In part one of this message we looked at our valuable purpose as image bearers of God to be an imprint of Christ to the world around us. We also examined the Biblical truth that validates this discussion. {Click here to read Part One.}

Today we will consider what is required of us to be an imprint, and we’ll discuss our call to “rep the house” as well by taking action.

What does that mean? Read on.

Ever since our kids were little, Brad and I have taught them that the Lord is the head of our home, and every Smith needs to rep the house well. The rules are simple:

Love God.

Love others.

Use your manners.

Use kind words.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Leaving an Imprint – Part Two →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Fair in Everything

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“The Lord is fair in everything He does, and full of kindness. He is close to all who call on Him sincerely” (Psalm 145:17,18).

Are you afraid to trust the Lord? I find that many people who have had unfortunate experiences in their youth with their parents, especially their fathers, have a reluctance to trust God.

In my talks with thousands of students, I have found a number of young people who have such an attitude problem.

Even the best of earthly parents, at times, are unfair and fail to demonstrate kindness. Yet how wonderful it is to know that our Lord is fair in everything He does and is full of kindness, and He is always close to all who call upon Him sincerely.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman -Unintentional Sin

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Read: Leviticus 5

The Lord said to Moses: When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. Lev 5:14-15

A distinction of the sin offering is that often the sin was said to be unintentional. It is dealing not with acts of deliberate evil, which all of us commit from time to time, but it is dealing with the nature which prompts those acts, and which takes us by surprise.

Haven’t you noticed that? Most of us, if we were asked our private opinion, would have to say that we are pretty nice people. Most of us have a fairly good opinion of ourselves. We acknowledge that we do still have a few minor problems, yes, a few peccadillos which, if we merely had the proper motivation, could be taken care of with but slight effort on our part. That is true, isn’t it?

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