Tag Archives: Peace

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Search the Scriptures

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“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20

Suggested Further Reading: Acts 17:10-15

I teach that all men by nature are lost by Adam’s fall. See whether that is true or not. I hold that men have so gone astray that no man either will or can come to Christ except the Father draw him. If I am wrong, find me out. I believe that God, before all worlds, chose to himself a people, whom no man can number, for whom the Saviour died, to whom the Holy Spirit is given, and who will infallibly be saved. You may dislike that doctrine; I do not care: see if it is not in the Bible. See if it does not there declare that we are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,” and so on. I believe that every child of God must assuredly be brought by converting grace from the ruins of the fall, and must assuredly be “kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation,” beyond the hazard of ever totally falling away. If I am wrong there, get your Bibles out, and refute me in your own houses. I hold it to be a fact that every man who is converted will lead a holy life, and yet at the same time will put no dependence on his holy life, but trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. And I hold, that every man that believes, is in duty bound to be immersed. I hold the baptism of infants to be a lie and a heresy; but I claim for that great ordinance of God, Believer’s Baptism, that it should have the examination of Scripture. I hold, that to none but believers may immersion be given, and that all believers are in duty bound to be immersed. If I am wrong, well and good; do not believe me; but if I am right, obey the Word with reverence. I will have no error, even upon a point which some men think to be unimportant; for a grain of truth is a diamond, and a grain of error may be of serious consequence to us, to our injury and hurt. I hold, then, that none but believers have any right to the Lord’s Supper; that it is wrong to offer the Lord’s Supper indiscriminately to all, and that none but Christians have a right either to the doctrines, the benefits, or the ordinances of God’s house. If these things are not so, condemn me as you please; but if the Bible is with me, your condemnation is of no avail.

For meditation: This is how to use these daily readings—according to the Bible, Spurgeon must have made some mistakes (James 3:1,2).

Sermon no. 172

17 January (1858)

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Truth About Believers

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Psalm 103:1-5

When I became a believer, someone patted me on the shoulder and said, “Do the best you can,” which is neither biblical nor helpful advice. A while later, I was discipled by some faithful saints, who taught me the truth about believers.

A believer is identified as a child of God. Through prayer, we have access to our Father at any time, and we can expect that He will be faithful to every one of His promises. What’s more, we are no longer classified as “sinners,” a term describing those who have not received Jesus Christ as Savior. We’ve been transformed into saints—holy persons saved by grace and set apart for God’s purposes. Sin and temptation will continue to be realities for us as long as we’re on earth. But our transgressions are forgiven, and our new identity cannot change.

A believer is positioned in Christ. God’s Spirit dwells in us so we can live righteously, as Jesus did. Today’s passage uses a grapevine metaphor to describe this relationship. It tells us the Lord is the vine and we are the branches connected to Him and drawing on His power.

A believer’s mission is to show Christ to the world. Our vine is to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). When our character and conduct reflect these aspects of Jesus’ nature, we help others to see the beauty of a relationship with the Lord.

The truth about believers is that we don’t have to “do the best we can.” God works through His children to accomplish His purposes.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Leaving It Behind

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The woman then left her waterpot [and said,] “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”—John 4:28-29

Read: John 4:9-14,27-29

Bible in a Year: Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:1-23

In the year or so after our teenage son got his driver’s license and started carrying a wallet, we got several calls from people who had found it somewhere. We cautioned him to be more careful and not leave it behind.

Leaving things behind, though, is not always a bad thing. In John 4, we read about a woman who had come to draw water at a well. But after she encountered Jesus that day, her intent suddenly changed. Leaving her water jar behind, she hurried back to tell others what Jesus had said to her (vv.28-29). Even her physical need for water paled in comparison to telling others about the Man she had just met.

Peter and Andrew did something similar when Jesus called them. They left their fishing nets (which was the way they earned their living) to follow Jesus (Matt. 4:18-20). And James and John left their nets, boat, and even their father when Jesus called them (vv.21-22).

Our new life of following Jesus Christ may mean that we have to leave things behind, including those that don’t bring lasting satisfaction. What we once craved cannot compare with the life and “living water” that Jesus offers.

—Cindy Hess Casper

Now none but Christ can satisfy,

None other name for me;

There’s love and life and lasting joy,

Lord Jesus, found in Thee. —McGranahan

Christ showed His love by dying for us; we show ours by living for Him.

INSIGHT: First-century Jews avoided traveling through Samaria. When making the journey from Galilee to Judea, they would cross the Jordan River and travel the east side before re-crossing to make their way to Jerusalem once they had passed Samaria. The reason for this was that Samaritans were seen as ceremonially unclean. Jesus, however, had no such qualms, breaking tradition to connect with a Samaritan woman in need.

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Praising God for Your Election

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“Having been predestined according to [God’s] purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11).

God took the initiative in salvation by choosing you and granting you saving faith.

In Ephesians 1:4 Paul says that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” In verse 11 he reiterates that marvelous truth by affirming that believers have been predestined to salvation according to God’s own purpose and will.

Many reject the teaching that God chose (predestined) believers to salvation. They think believers chose God. In one sense they’re right: salvation involves an act of the will in turning from sin to embrace Christ. But the issue in predestination goes deeper than that. It’s a question of initiative. Did God choose you on the basis of your faith in Him or did He, by choosing you, enable you to respond in faith.

The answer is clear in Scripture. Romans 3:11 says that no one seeks for God on his own. Unregenerate people have no capacity to understand spiritual truth. It’s all foolishness to them (1 Cor. 2:14). They are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1), blind (2 Cor. 4:4), and ignorant (Eph. 4:18).

How can people in that condition initiate saving faith? They can’t! That’s why Jesus said, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him. . . . All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:44, 37). Paul added, “God . . . has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim. 1:9).

God took the initiative. He chose you and gave you saving faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Rejoice in that truth. Rest in His power to conform all things to His will. Draw strength and assurance from His promise never to let you go (John 10:27-29). Then live each day as God’s elected one by shunning sin and following after holiness.

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Praise God for placing His love upon you and granting you salvation.
  • Pray for the salvation of others and seek opportunities to share Christ with them today.

For Further Study

Read Ezekiel 36:22-32.

  • Why will God one day redeem Israel?
  • What does that passage teach you about God’s initiative in salvation?

 

Uncategorized

Joyce Meyer – Give Personal Time

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But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God). —Galatians 5:16

Many believers serve God with their time, but still miss spending personal time in His presence. God wants us to abide in Him, not just visit Him occasionally. Jesus said, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples (John 8:31).

Jesus will actually dwell, settle down, abide, and make His permanent home in your heart! His presence will cause you to be rooted deep in love so that you may experience His love and be filled through all your being with the fullness of God (see Ephesians 3:17–19).

Uncategorized

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – How to Skip Judgment

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“Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him if he does” (Psalm 32:6).

Mary had rebelled against the preaching of her Nazarene father, a godly pastor. She lived with her boy friend in open defiance of her biblical teaching. Now, God was disciplining her because of disobedience. She was miserable, filled with hate and resentment, when a mutual friend brought her to my office for counsel.

I shared with Mary that just as a loving father disciplines a disobedient child, so God in His love for us disciplines us when we are disobedient. Actually, “child training” would be a more accurate way of describing what God does for us when we are disobedient.

Like Mary, many Christians unnecessarily go through all kinds of adversity: financial, emotional, marital and family problems, and even physical illness. More often than not, God is trying to get their attention. But because they refuse to listen and obey Him, they are disciplined and their misery continues.

Beware, of course, that you do not assume that every time friends or loved ones have difficult experiences, they are being disciplined by God because of disobedience. It may well be that God is working in their lives as He did in Job’s not because of disobedience but to help them mature and become more fruitful and effective witnesses or models of His grace to others.

When you personally, like Mary, are going through adversity, however, and problems continue to plague your life, you would do well to look into the mirror of God’s Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is any unconfessed sin in your life. If there is, be quick to turn to the Lord, confess your sins and receive His forgiveness and cleansing in order to avoid further chastening.

Bible Reading: Psalm 32:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will write down on paper, for my own personal information only, any known weakness, sin or sins that are plaguing me today. I will confess that sin, or those sins, and receive by faith God’s forgiveness and cleansing. (If you are continuing to breathe spiritually, you will not allow sins to accumulate, for the moment you become aware of sin you confess it to the Lord and keep on walking in the light as He is in the light.)

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – The Promise Keeper

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At this time of the New Year, you may see your resolutions evaporating like fog on a sunny day. Eat right, exercise more, get up earlier…each one is fading fast. Don’t be surprised: there is only One who can keep promises without fail. He can help you do better at your goals, but you’ll never be perfect this side of Heaven.

And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

Nehemiah 9:8

All earthly goals pale in comparison to eternity. Concerning God’s promise of a new Heaven and Earth, Peter says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness.” (II Peter 3:9) Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to be busy about the Lord’s work until Christ returns, adding that “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:24) Paul’s priority was to preach, “In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.” (Titus 1:2)

Despite human sin, failure and inadequacy, Jesus is your hope. In 2015, make it your goal to store treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20). Renew your attitude and your thinking. Then pray for this nation to turn to the only true Promise Keeper.

Recommended Reading: Colossians 3:1-11

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Hope for America

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“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” —2 Chronicles 7:14

The first recollection I have of going to church was with my grandparents. I was a little boy, and I didn’t like it at all. I thought it was boring. My grandmother kept shushing me, and I drew cartoons on the church bulletin as the preacher droned on.

Later, when I was in military school for a while, going to chapel was mandatory. I didn’t really enjoy that either.

I remember they would give us money to put in the offering: 10 cents. The reason I remember that is because one Sunday, I decided to keep the 10 cents. I spent it at the canteen instead. We had our own money, but with that dime, I had twice as much: a total of 20 cents to buy the grape licorice I always bought. Even so, I do remember feeling very guilty about stealing God’s money from Him.

Other than these experiences, I really didn’t have a lot to do with the church during my childhood. It was not something I was familiar with. But after I became a Christian at age 17, there was a very persistent guy on my high school campus who made himself my friend. He walked up and told me that he noticed I had become a Christian. Then he said that he wanted to take me to church. I said, “I really don’t want to go to church. That’s OK.”

But he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was persistent in a friendly way. So I agreed to go to church with him. I still remember walking into Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. It was during the Jesus Movement, and the place was overflowing with young people. There was almost an electricity in the air. It stopped me cold, and I didn’t want to go in. There seemed to be too much happiness in there, too much smiling and hugging.

Being raised in a very dysfunctional home, I didn’t hear “I love you” a lot. We didn’t hug in our family. And I thought, I don’t want to be hugged at all. So I approached the scene cautiously.

When I saw the place was full, I was relieved, because I thought we wouldn’t have to stay. So I said to my new friend, “Well, there is no room in there.”

But sure enough, someone in the front row saw me, recognized me from school and waved us over. So we ended up sitting in the front row. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that I had a front-row seat to a genuine revival.

Then Pastor Chuck Smith walked out—a middle-aged bald man. That is the last thing I wanted. I thought, He is like a teacher. He is like the principal. This is going to be so boring! But then, as he opened up the Bible and began speaking, it made sense to me. It was relevant to me. And my heart began to change.

I went from being uncomfortable in church to not being able to get enough of church. I went to every service possible and wanted to be a part of everything and learn as much as I could learn. Then, two years later, I found myself in the Southern California city of Riverside, planting a church myself.

However, I did not know I was planting a church at the time. I thought I was just teaching a Bible study for young people at a local Episcopal church. But it began to grow. And pretty soon, people were calling me “Pastor.” When they would address me as such, I would look around, thinking, Where? Oh, you mean me? I can’t be your pastor. I tried to find someone to take over the Bible study, but no one would. It was then I realized that God was calling me to be a pastor.

Fast-forward 40 years, and now I am the old bald guy. But I am as committed to the mission of the church as I was on that day I first discovered how wonderful church can be. And I believe that the hope for America is the church.

Some might be thinking, Now, Greg, wait. I thought you said the hope for America is a revival. Isn’t it really God? Yes, it is. The hope is God—working through His church.

What is revival? It is Christians getting back to what they should have always been in the first place. It is Christians coming back to life. Here is what God has to say to a nation that wants to be healed: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV).

If we want to see our land healed, God says that it starts with His people. Christians need to live up to their name: Christ-followers. They need to be Christ-like. And if the church would be what it was meant to be, then it would change our country.

When Jesus walked this earth, He only started one organization, if you will, and that, of course, was the church. It was Jesus Himself who first used that word when He said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus was saying, in essence, “This church is here to stay. Against all odds, it will prevail.”

The word church comes from the Greek word ecclesia. Ecclesia is made up of two other terms, “out from” and “called.” Put them together, and the meaning of ecclesia, or church” is “called out from.” Called out from what? Called out from this world, this culture. So in using the word church, Jesus was saying that His followers should be separate from this culture.

If individuals would be what they ought to be as followers of Christ, what difference would it make in the church? And if the church would be what it ought to be, what difference would it make in a city. . .in a state. . .in a nation?

The hope for America is God—working through His church.

Discovering God’s Design

Discovering God’s Design – The Miracle of Multiplying Resources

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John 6:1–14

The crowd had been following Jesus, so he went up on the mountain with his disciples. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to show them that he was the source, the giver and the essence of nourishment and blessing—both spiritual and physical. Theologian and author Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932–1996) points out that this is a story about gratitude.

This radical shift of vision, from looking at the loaves and fishes as scarce products from God which ask to be gratefully shared, is the movement from wreaking death to bringing forth life, the movement from fear to love. When the story ends, with the glorious statement that the disciples “[filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten],” there is no doubt left that God’s house is a house of abundance, not scarcity.

This event, like all of the miracle stories in the Gospels, is first of all about who Jesus is. Here he is the new Moses, the Messiah, again supplying manna in the wilderness. John makes this connection explicit as he goes on to recount Jesus’ bread of life discourse. But in a non-Messianic—and, therefore, more indirect—sense, the story of the feeding of the five thousand also has something to teach about multiplying resources.

Holistic stewardship writer Guy L. Morrill (1873–1966) thinks that the principle of multiplying resources was not confined to the miracles Jesus performed with bread and fish, but is also active in the life of a steward. He says, “Money is a miracle because it increases when you give it away. There is a divine law in connection with our giving. Christ with a few loaves and fishes feeds thousands. When the woman of Zarephath responded to the request of Elijah, her scanty store became a bountiful sufficiency … Perhaps you have never thought of the miracle of money before.”

Expository preacher Stephen F. Olford (1918–2004) also calls the principle of multiplying resources a “miracle.”

The miracle of giving is that it produces a ministry of giving. When God can trust his people with money, he sees to it that they always have plenty for themselves and more for others. So the apostle quotes Psalm 112:9 to support the divine principle: “[they have freely scattered their gifts … in honor].” There is honor and reward where generosity has been exercised. God is no man’s debtor. And we are fulfilled in the enrichment of usefulness in giving because he meets our requirements, multiplies our resources, and motivates our responsibility … God alone is responsible for the measure in which these resources are multiplied, for the promise is clear and sure: he multiplies the seed that is sown.

Think About It

  • When you approach God, do you perceive him as a God of abundance or scarcity?
  • How does your answer affect your prayers?
  • When have you seen God perform miracles in your life?

Pray About It

God, thank you for your abundance and generosity to me. I pray that I will see you as you are: a God who delights in giving gifts to his children

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Dessert – Go Where?

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Acts 16:7

Have you ever played a game where you were blindfolded and your friends shouted directions about which way you should go? If you have, you know it’s scary. It’s hard to trust that your friend will keep you safe. They might let you walk into a wall. They might not see a curb you could trip over. You might not understand their directions and ram into something. Often when we are trying to figure out what God wants us to do, we might feel blindfolded. We may have to just listen to his directions and keep walking even though we can’t see where we are going. Is it scary? You bet!

But God will guide us and keep us safe in his care. He’s promised. Our job is to pray, trust in God’s wisdom, and listen for his direction. So if we have to change schools or don’t make a team we tried out for, it doesn’t have to discourage us. Often God closes doors to lead us in a different direction, meet a new person, or offer us a new opportunity that will help us to grow and change. It might be scary at first, but we’re never alone.

Dear Lord, Help me believe that you will guide me even when I can’t see anything ahead. Help me to keep walking and listening until you show me the next path to take. Amen.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Keeping a Young Attitude

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Read | Psalm 103:1-5

We all want to live each day fully. To do that, we need to maintain a youthful attitude instead of letting ourselves grow old and useless to the kingdom. Here are some suggestions for staying young all our life.

First, we need to keep laughing. We are never more like children than when we are having fun with our friends. Yet in order to laugh, we at times must let go of emotional baggage. Some people have been hurt deeply, and their laughter is buried under old pains. But clutching past bitterness and feelings of rejection will age us quickly. Jesus Christ is willing to remove all that ugliness when we lay it down, which we do by forgiving ourselves and others—perhaps repeatedly. Every day is a fresh start and another chance for our indwelling God to help us smile and laugh.

Second, we should keep longing. That means we ought to keep chasing our dreams and working toward goals. When a person wakes up with something to accomplish or a friend to aid, he or she experiences more of the joy life has to offer. As soon as we settle for watching the world go by, we start to age.

Finally, and most importantly, we must keep leaning on the Lord. If we live with childlike trust, God will bless our life and use us to bring blessing upon others. He will give a sense of contentment so deep that no trial or spiritual attack can shake us.

As believers, we have the opportunity to take part in the Lord’s work every day of our life. If we give up before He wants us to stop, we cheat both God and ourselves.

Our Daily Bread

God’s Refreshing Word

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Read: Isaiah 55:8-11

Bible in a Year: Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11

 

When I was a boy, our family would occasionally travel across Nevada. We loved the desert thunderstorms. Accompanied by lightning bolts and claps of thunder, huge sheets of rain would blanket the hot sand as far as the eye could see. The cooling water refreshed the earth—and us.

Water produces marvelous changes in arid regions. For example, the pincushion cactus is completely dormant during the dry season. But after the first summer rains, cactuses burst into bloom, displaying delicate petals of pink, gold, and white.

Likewise, in the Holy Land after a rainstorm, dry ground can seemingly sprout vegetation overnight. Isaiah used rain’s renewal to illustrate God’s refreshing Word: “As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:10-11).

Scripture carries spiritual vitality. That’s why it doesn’t return void. Wherever it encounters an open heart, it brings refreshment, nourishment, and new life.

—Dennis Fisher

God’s Word is like refreshing rain

That waters crops and seed;

It brings new life to open hearts,

And meets us in our need. —Sper

The Bible is to a thirsty soul what water is to a barren land.

INSIGHT: We cannot know God unless He reveals Himself to us. An attribute of God is a characteristic that God has chosen to reveal about Himself through His Word.Incommunicable attributes are those that belong to God alone (e.g., omniscience [all-knowing]; omnipotence [all-powerful]; omnipresence [present everywhere]; immutability [unchangeable]; infinite [having no limits]; transcendence [beyond comprehension]).

Communicable attributes are those that human beings can also possess (e.g., compassion, love, mercy, goodness). In Isaiah 55:8-9, God reveals that He is unlike any other being and our finite minds can never fully understand Him (see Job 11:7-9; Ps. 131:1; Rom. 11:33). Throughout Scripture we are told that there is no one like God (see Ex. 15:11; Ps. 35:10; 89:6-8; Isa. 40:25).

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Every Problem of Pain

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“On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain today, Sir?”

Ironically, the question, a hospital’s attempt to understand and manage the pain of cancer patients, only seemed to cause my father more pain. He hated the daily inquiry that seized him almost as consistently as the sting of the growing tumor. It aggravated him deeply, more than I could say I understood. It was a philosophical quagmire for him that somehow mocked pain and amplified the problem of suffering. If he answered “10” in the midst of a painful morning, only to discover a greater quantity of pain in the afternoon, the scale was meaningless. The numbers were never constant, and what is a scale if its points of measurement cannot stand in relation to one another? If he answered “10” on any given day would that somehow control the ceiling of his own pain? He knew it would not, and that uncertainty seemed almost literally to add painful insult to an already fatal injury.

Considerations of pain and suffering are among the most cited explanations for disbelief in God, both for professionally trained philosophers and for the general public. If a good, powerful, and present deity exists, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? Even for those who argue that the existence of God and the presence of evil can be reconciled, the vast amount of suffering in the world certainly compounds the dilemma. We can sympathize with Ivan Karamazov in his depiction of the earth as one soaked through with human tears. Imagine not merely one person measuring their pain on a scale of 1 to 10 but innumerable individuals: the temptation is to add all of these scales together as one giant proof against God.

In his 1940 book The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis warns us against espousing such a temptation. “We must never make the problem of pain worse than it is by vague talk about the ‘unimaginable sum of human misery,’” he writes. “Search all time and space and you will not find that composite pain in anyone’s consciousness. There is no such thing as a sum of suffering, for no one suffers it.”(1) Or, said in another way, there are as many problems of pain as there are conscious beings—and God must deal with each and every one of them.

For someone like my dad, for whom weighing pain was both disparaging and unfeasible, this would perhaps have been one comfort in a maddening abyss of darkness. It means his own problem of pain was not lost in a sea of meaningless scales and indescribable measurements. It means that his frustrating, inconsistent ceiling of sorrow was itself held in the arms of God—and not vaguely absorbed in an immeasurable sum, nor given a distant, theoretical answer. It means that God had to come near not simply to pain in general, but to him and his cancer in person.

This is the scandalous confession of Christian hope. As Hans Urs von Balthasar writes, “When life is hard and apparently hopeless, we can be confident that this darkness of ours can be taken up into the great darkness of redemption through which the light of Easter dawns. And when what is required of us seems too burdensome, when the pains become unbearable and the fate we are asked to accept seems simply meaningless—then we have come very close to the man nailed on the Cross at the Place of the Skull, for he has already undergone this on our behalf and, moreover, in unimaginable intensity.”(2) On the cross, in the person of Christ, the problem of pain was God’s own, felt acutely, absorbed personally, endured as one person—and answering as many problems of pain as there are sorrowing creatures.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Touchstone, 1996), 103.

(2) Hans Urs von Balthasar, “The Scapegoat and the Trinity,” You Crown the Year with Your Goodness: Sermons through the Liturgical Year (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1989), 87.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – What! Not Help You?

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I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord.  Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: “I will help you.”

“It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! Not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! Not help you? I have died for you; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! It is the least thing I will ever do for you; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose you. I made the covenant for you. I laid aside My glory and became a man for you; I gave up My life for you; and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat; and you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. I will help you.”

O my soul, is this not enough? Do you need more strength than the omnipotence of the united Trinity? Do you want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring here your empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Hurry, gather up your wants, and bring them here–your emptiness, your woes, your needs. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply; what else can you desire? Go forth, my soul, in this your might. The Eternal God is your helper!

Fear not, I am with you, oh, be not dismay’d! I, I am your God, and will still give you aid.

Today’s Bible Reading

The family reading plan for January 16, 2015
* Genesis 17
* Matthew 16

 

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Corn in Egypt

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“Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.” Genesis 42:1,2

Suggested Further Reading: Matthew 13:24-34

God in his wisdom has made the outward world, so that it is a strange and wonderful picture of the inner world. Nature has an analogy with grace. The wonders that God does in the heart of man, each of them finds a parallel, a picture, a metaphor, an illustration, in the wonders which God performs in providence. It is the duty of the minister always to look for these analogies. Our Saviour did so. He is the model preacher: his preaching was made up of parables, pictures from the outer world, accommodated to teach great and mighty truths. And so is man’s mind constituted, that we can always see a thing better through a picture than in any other way. If you tell a man a simple truth, he does not see it nearly so well as if you told it to him in an illustration. If I should attempt to describe the flight of a soul from sin to Christ, you would not see it one half so readily as if I should picture John Bunyan’s pilgrim running out of the city of destruction, with his fingers in his ears, and hastening with all his might to the wicket gate. There is something tangible in a picture, a something which our poor flesh and blood can lay hold of; and therefore the mind, grasping through the flesh and the blood, is able to understand the idea, and to appropriate it. Hence the necessity and usefulness of the minister always endeavouring to illustrate his sermon, and to make his discourse as much as possible like the parables of Jesus Christ.

For meditation: How observant are you? The world around us is always teaching us lessons and underlining the truths of God’s Word (Matthew 6:26-30; Mark 13:28,29; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 11:14,15).

Sermon no. 234

16 January (1859)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur –  Anticipating Your Inheritance

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“In [Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance” (Eph. 1:10-11).

As a member of God’s family, you have obtained a future inheritance that has many present benefits.

An inheritance is something received by an heir as a result of a will or legal process. It’s a legacy one receives from family connections.

As a member of God’s family, you are an heir of God and fellow heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). As such you have obtained an inheritance that Peter called “imperishable and undefiled . . . reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4). It cannot perish, fade away, or be defiled because heaven is timeless and sinless. It is a secure inheritance.

In Ephesians 1:11 Paul refers to it in the past tense (“have obtained”). That’s significant because the fullness of your inheritance won’t be revealed until you are glorified in God’s presence (1 John 3:2). But your inheritance is so sure, Paul refers to it as if it was already in hand.

Although its fullness is yet future, your inheritance has present benefits as well. In addition to inheriting Christ and the Holy Spirit, you also inherit peace, love, grace, wisdom, joy, victory, strength, guidance, mercy, forgiveness, righteousness, discernment, and every other spiritual benefit. Paul sums it all up in 1 Corinthians 3:22-23: “All things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”

Nowadays many Christians are so preoccupied with acquiring material goods that they miss many of the present benefits of their spiritual inheritance and the joy of anticipating its future fulfillment. Don’t fall into that trap!

Looking forward to your eternal inheritance will help you maintain a proper perspective on temporal things and motivate you to praise and adore God.

Suggestions for Prayer; Praise the Lord for the incredible inheritance that awaits you in heaven.

Thank Him for the present benefits of your inheritance, which are yours to enjoy daily.

For Further Study; One precious aspect of your eternal inheritance is God’s mercy. Psalm 136 reflects on the mercy God demonstrated toward Israel. Read that psalm, noting the manifestations of mercy that relate to your life.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Give God Your All

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Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases . . . —Psalm 103:1–3 NIV

The tiny word “all” is used 5,675 times in the Bible, give or take a few depending on which translation you are reading. It is a small word that means a great deal, and yet we pay so little attention to it. If we read a scripture that has the word all in it and ignore the “all,” it changes the entire context of the scripture. The word all takes us into infinity. Where does “all” stop? How far does it go and what does it include?

Jesus is the Lord of all. Our Al-mighty God, all-sufficient Savior, all blessings flow from Him, and He is all that we need. We frequently say that God is our all, but have we ever stopped to truly understand the impact of that one little word? “All” leaves nothing outside of God’s control.

God knows all things (see John 21:17)! Don’t miss the “all” in that statement. He knows the end from the beginning, so He must know everything in the middle. He also has all power, all authority; all things are under His feet, and He fills everything everywhere with Himself (see Matt. 28:18 and Eph. 1:21–23). He sees all, hears all, and is everywhere all the time. If these things are true, then why do we still worry and become anxious? Why do we get emotionally upset when we have a problem or things are not going our way? It must be because we truly don’t believe He has all power, knows all things, and loves us with all of the love that exists in the universe.

How many of our sins does He forgive? Does He forgive some, most, or all? The Bible says that He forgives them all and continually cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It is one of those “all and forever-now” things. God did not put our sins off to the side so He could glance over at them occasionally; He has removed them completely (see Ps. 103:12).

Trust in Him “All” leaves nothing outside of God’s control, so turn all your problems and worries over to Him. Give Him your all, and you can trust that He will be your all in all.

Uncategorized

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Supernatural Power of Praise

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“With Jesus’ help we will continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by telling others of the glory of His name. Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to Him” (Hebrews 13:15,16).

Sometimes, in my busy schedule which takes me from country to country and continent to continent, my body is weary, my mind is fatigued, and if I am not careful, my heart will grow cold. I have learned to meditate on the many blessings of God and to praise Him as an act of the will. As I do so, my heart begins to warm and I sense the presence of God.

The psalmist often catalogued the blessings of God and found new reason to praise Him. I would like to share with you several reasons why I believe praise of God is so important in the life of the believer.

1) God is truly worthy of praise.

2) Praise draws us closer to God.

3) All who praise God are blessed.

4) Praise is contagious.

5) Satan’s power is broken when we praise God.

6) Praise is a witness to carnal Christians and non-Christians.

7) Praise opens our hearts and minds to receive God’s message.

8) Praise is a form of sacrifice.

9) Praise makes for a more joyful life.

10) Praise enhances human relationships.

11) Praise is a supernatural expression of faith.

A further elaboration of the benefits and power of praise is found in my book Believing God for the Impossible. An entire chapter is devoted to this exciting subject.

With the promise of His blessings, so clearly delineated by the psalmist, comes the privilege and responsibility of offering up sacrifices of praise, and this leads to a supernatural life made possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 33:9-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT I will look deliberately today for reasons to praise my heavenly Father, knowing that I will find many. Whether I feel like it or not, I will praise Him throughout the day, seek to do good and to share His love with others, knowing that such sacrifices are pleasing to Him.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Walk with Care

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For every minute of every day since July 2, 1937, select military have guarded the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. But they aren’t standing still. The follow a precise pattern: 21 steps across the tomb, turn and face the tomb for 21 seconds, then turn again and walk 21 steps back across. This is repeated over and over, ever the same. The numeral 21 represents America’s highest honor.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

Ephesians 4:1

In the same way those who perform that duty know their steps, Christians have been given precise steps to follow in a life worthy of their calling. The Bible says you are to walk a different way – following Christ – with steps of humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, compassion and love. No matter your circumstances, good, bad or beyond your control, and no matter how blurred the path into the future, Jesus calls you to order each step.

Walking in a way that honors the Lord is a daily commitment. Pray for wisdom to know which steps to take. Then intercede for those with authority in government to take their first step to knowing Christ, and then follow Him.

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What to Do When You Mess Up

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So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.—Romans 5:21

There is a game I like to play with my granddaughters that I call Squiggles. I will tell them, “Just put down anything you want on a piece of paper. Make any line—just a little drawing. I don’t want it to be anything.”

So they will draw some crazy little lines. Then I will take their squiggles, their lines on paper with no rhyme or reason, and I will turn them into something. Usually it’s a funny face or a character.

In a much greater way, God can do the same for you. Maybe you have messed up. Maybe you have made a mistake and have done a wrong thing. Guess what? We serve the God of second chances. So you can come to Him and say, “Lord, I have really messed up. Can you help?”

His answer is yes. God will come and redeem the mistakes we have made.

Even Christians can wander away from the Lord. Even Christians can make bad decisions and do really bad things. We are effectively capable of doing anything, even as followers of Jesus, because we still have free wills and old natures. However, if you are a true Christian, even when you have blown it or gone astray, you always will come home again.

Hopefully you will learn from your mistakes. Hopefully you will not go and repeat them again. Hopefully you can fail forward, which means learning from your mistakes, determining to live a more godly life, and helping others not to fall in the same area.

The good news is that God can forgive you and give you a second chance. He will complete the work that He has begun in you (see Philippians 1:6). So even if you have messed up, God still can turn it around.