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Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – Today’s Devotional

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God Delights To Answer Prayer

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11).

Regular readers, please see a special note for you at the foot of this devotional.*

When Michele was eleven, her best friend left their school to go to a different school. Michele’s class was small, and she didn’t feel close to any of the other three girls in the class. She wanted so much to have a best friend that she could talk to.

That summer before sixth grade, Michele’s mom said, “Why don’t you pray that God will send a new girl to your class next year to be your close friend?” She took her mom’s advice and started praying. But she didn’t have much faith. Where would a new girl come from? And even if a new girl did come, would she really want to be her friend? Michele dreaded the beginning of the new school year, because she didn’t believe God would answer her prayer.

Then in August, a new girl named Kelly and her family started coming to Michele’s church. God had moved her all the way to Kansas from the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean! That fall, Kelly was in Michele’s sixth grade class. She was so cheerful and friendly that it was easy for Michele to get to know her. They quickly became best friends and went through the rest of high school together. They even attended the same college for four years, and still keep in touch today.

Michele would tell you now that God delights to answer the prayers of His children. It brings Him glory when we ask and truly depend on Him for things we need. If we ask for things that are good for us, He is pleased to give them to us at just the right time. But sometimes He goes beyond giving us what we ask for. Often, His gifts are better than anything we could have asked for or even imagined. And His gifts are always the best thing for us.

God delights to answer the prayers of His children.

My Response:
» What am I praying for?
» Am I praying with faith that God will answer in the best way?

* Dear Reader,
On behalf of Kids 4 Truth, I apologize that this devotional is so similar to the one posted a week later, which is an edited version of the same thing. We are very sorry that this happened, and it was difficult to fix because the mistake was caught after the audio was recorded. This is the older, un-edited version. The February 21st version is the newer, edited devotional. ~ Joy McCarnan, K4T Executive Editor

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – A majority of Americans say Biden and Trump are too old to serve second terms

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The Associated Press is reporting this morning that Sunday’s Super Bowl, with 123.4 million viewers, was the most-watched program in television history. The Kansas City Chiefs and their fans are preparing for their victory parade tomorrow. A variety of outlets are offering their rankings of Super Bowl commercials from best to worst (my personal favorite was the Ben Affleck/Tom Brady/Matt Damon ad).

And people are still talking about something that did not happen during the game: the customary interview with the president of the United States. White House officials said they made the decision to skip the interview because Super Bowl viewers wanted to watch football, not the president. One official added that President Biden turned down the interview because the network would have aired just a brief clip on Sunday instead of a fuller extended version.

However, many saw the decision as evidence of Mr. Biden’s advancing age, an issue that has been especially in the news with last week’s report from special counsel Robert Hur that the president is an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

This issue is not going away for the president, or for the leading contender to replace him in the Oval Office.

The median age for US presidents

The median age for all US presidents on the day of their first inauguration is fifty-five years old. This aligns with the fact that most Americans prefer the president to be in their fifties.

Consequently, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, 86 percent of Americans think Joe Biden, age 81, is too old to serve a second term as president; 62 percent say the same about Donald Trump, age 77.

This issue is not confined to the Oval Office.

According to the Census Bureau, the median age in America is 38.9 years old. However, the average ages in the House and Senate are 58 and 64, respectively.

In the Senate:

  • Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is 72.
  • Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is 81.
  • Senators Chuck Grassley and Bernie Sanders are 90 and 81, respectively; neither has any plans to retire.

In the House of Representatives:

  • Nancy Pelosi, age 83, is running for reelection.
  • Bill Pascrell Jr. and Eleanor Holmes Norton are both 86.
  • Harold Rogers and Maxine Waters are both 85.
  • Steny Hoyer is 84.

What does the gerontological state of our leadership say about us?

“Their entire identity is tied to their jobs”

Mary Kate Cary was a speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush and serves as adjunct professor with the University of Virginia Department of Politics. She notes that most baby boomers who delay retirement do so because they can’t afford to stop working. However, the political leaders we’ve listed today have plenty of money and would enjoy government pensions and health care benefits if they retired.

In her experience, some leaders are in denial about their mortality, equating retirement with death and refusing to admit any limitations they might be facing. Others are motivated by power and ego with the belief that they’re indispensable.

And some are identity driven. Cary writes: “Many of the senior leaders I’ve seen have worked so hard for so long that their entire identity is tied to their jobs.”

Let’s reflect on Cary’s last point. People in a democracy elect leaders who represent them (in the sense of typifying them) to represent them (in the sense of acting on their behalf). In a performance-centric culture that measures success by achievements, why would our leaders not tie their “entire identity” to their jobs?

How are they different from the rest of us?

“Do vs. done”

As a wise mentor once told me, the difference between Christianity and every other worldview can be summarized by this simple formula: “Do vs. done.”

If we focus on what we do, we’re never done. We have to keep doing it with no assurance that we’ve ever done enough. If we focus on what Christ has done, however, there’s nothing we must do: “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Now we have a choice to make. We can find our identity in what we do, with all the failures and frustrations common to fallen people.

Or we can find our identity in what Christ has done, remembering every day that we are the beloved children of God (John 1:12). We can serve him, not so he will love us but because he already does. We can serve others, not so they will love us but because our Father loves them.

Imagine the difference such grace-centered, joyful living would make in our unhappy, anxious, performance-driven culture.

John MacArthur noted:

“God treated Jesus on the cross as if he lived your life so he could treat you as if you lived his.”

How will you treat yourself today?

Tuesday news to know

Quote for the day

“At the heart of what it means to be a Christian is to receive a new identity. In Jesus, we do not lose our true selves, but we become our true selves, only in him.” —John Piper

Denison Forum

John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

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Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

Amos 3:3

Great marriages do not just happen! They succeed because the husband and the wife invest 110% to create a relationship that does not just survive, but thrives!

A basketball player tosses up hundreds of practice attempts so he can sink that critical free throw in a game situation. Good musicians practice endlessly to perfect their sound. Luck has little to do with it. Couples must be deliberate about building Godly relationships and strong families.

They determine to serve Jesus – individually and together. They seek His way of doing things first, and they trust God for all the other things (Matthew 6:33).

Intentional couples carve out time for one another. External demands and obligations take a toll, so they seriously guard their intimacy and create space for just the two of them.

They cultivate authentic communication. Ten minutes of talk about to-do lists and daily details does not constitute connection. Genuine communication requires time, eye contact, listening, and conversing.

Intentional couples choose the priorities they build into their relationships. How will they serve together? Will their home be filled with music? Or will they spend every free minute outdoors? Who will be in their inner circle? When will they pray and study together?

Couples do not drift into great marriages; they take prayer, time, practice, and work. Heart-to-heart and hand-in-hand, they agree on how to walk together. They build intentionally.

Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. Build your home upon the sure foundation of Christ Jesus. May He bless the home of the righteous and add every good thing to them!

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Exodus 35:10-36:35

New Testament 

Matthew 27:35-66

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 34:1-10

Proverbs 9:7-8

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Hogging the Road

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He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32

 Recommended Reading: Titus 2:11-15

Fred had no self-control, and he left a path of destruction behind him. He was a four-hundred-pound hog who got loose in Colorado last fall. He covered four miles over ten days, tearing up lawns and digging up roots along the way. He was finally captured by animal service agents, who found him a home at a local high school’s agriculture farm.

Too many people who lack self-control carve a path of heartache and destruction. Peter told us to add self-control to our knowledge (2 Peter 1:6), and Paul told Titus to bring self-control to the churches and Christians on the island of Crete (Titus 1:8). He said, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled” (Titus 2:11-12, NIV). 

Is there an area of your life needing more self-discipline? Ask for God’s help and work diligently on that area. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just speaking hogwash!

Not only is self-control strong, it is also beautiful. Anger is not beautiful. Ungoverned temper is not lovely. Rage is demonic. But a spirit calm, strong, and unflustered amid storms of feeling and all manner of disturbing emotions, is sublime in its beauty.
James Russell Miller

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Why God Created Us

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Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them. 

—Isaiah 43:7

Scripture:

Isaiah 43:7 

What is the purpose of our lives? Why do we exist? Why are we here on this earth?

According to the Bible, we exist primarily to bring pleasure to God. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them” (Isaiah 43:7 NLT).

That thought really bothers some people. They like to think that the world revolves around them. The result is they will end up squandering their lives in pursuit of something they never should have been seeking outright, and that something is happiness.

If you want to be an unhappy person, then try to be a happy person. In other words, if you try to find happiness by pursuing it, you never will attain it.

God predestined us to bring Him glory. That is a foundational truth that we all need to lay hold of. To miss this is to miss the reason that we’re on this earth in the first place.

The Bible says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4–5 NLT).

This is also echoed in Heaven. We read in Revelation 4 about twenty-four elders who fall in worship before the Lord on His throne, saying, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased” (verse 11 NLT).

Let that sink in for a moment. The twenty-four elders are saying to God, “You created everything, and it’s for Your pleasure that they exist and were created.” God didn’t create us for our own pleasure; He created us for His pleasure. He created us to glorify Him.

When people try to find happiness in someone or something, it always will be a little bit beyond their reach, a little bit elusive, a little bit hard to get. They think it will be in that next relationship, that next experience, that next possession, or that next accomplishment.

Those who live this way don’t care what it costs. They don’t care about rules and regulations. Happiness is the main priority of their lives. But they never will find it.

Here’s the good news for us as Christians. When we seek to fulfill the purpose for which God created us—which is to glorify Him, honor Him, and bring Him pleasure—then we will find happiness.

It will come not from seeking it but from seeking Him. As the psalmist David wrote, “Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15 NLT). We must never lose sight of the simple truth that we were created to glorify God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie
Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Importance of Reading

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13)

In this video age, Christians are in grave danger of forgetting the importance of reading. The word translated “reading” in this verse is the Greek anagnosis, a compound word meaning essentially “renewed knowledge.” A sermon or lecture is knowledge heard; an educational film or video is knowledge seen; but reading is knowledge that can be read, rehearsed, reviewed, and renewed again and again, until fully and securely learned. In fact, it is necessary for students to take notes, even when hearing a sermon or seeing a film, if they expect to retain any knowledge received by such means.

The importance of reading is also pointed out by the verb used in the verse. “Give attendance” means, literally, “continue steadfastly.” It is so translated in Acts 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.”

Reading and studying the Scriptures are especially necessary for a fruitful Christian ministry, but even this is not really enough. The Bible also commands us always to be ready to give an “answer” (Greek apologia, a systematic defense) to everyone who asks a “reason” (Greek logos, a logical explanation) for our Christian hope (1 Peter 3:15). To do this requires steadfast continuance in the study not only of the Bible but also of other sound literature as well. A truly effective and influential Christian is an informed Christian, armed with facts and sound counsel, prepared and capable both in his own professional field of practice and in his spiritual service as a Christian witness.

It is significant that Paul, just before his martyrdom and while imprisoned in a damp, cold Roman dungeon, still desired his books to read (2 Timothy 4:13). The conscientious Christian must never cease to study and to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). HMM

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Loving Our Enemies

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Bible in a Year :

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Matthew 5:43–48

With the American Civil War spawning many bitter feelings, Abraham Lincoln saw fit to speak a kind word about the South. A shocked bystander asked how he could do so. He replied, “Madam, do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” Reflecting on those words a century later, Martin Luther King Jr. commented, “This is the power of redemptive love.”

In calling disciples of Christ to love their enemies, King looked to the teachings of Jesus. He noted that although believers might struggle to love those who persecute them, this love grows out of “a consistent and total surrender to God.” “When we love in this way,” King continued, “we’ll know God and experience the beauty of His holiness.” 

King referenced Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in which He said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45). Jesus counseled against the conventional wisdom of the day of loving only one’s neighbors and hating one’s enemies. Instead, God the Father gives His children the strength to love those who oppose them.

It may feel impossible to love our enemies, but as we look to God for help, He’ll answer our prayers. He gives the courage to embrace this radical practice, for as Jesus said, “with God all things are possible” (19:26).

By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

Who is your enemy? If you feel conflicted about loving those who oppose you, how could you submit those feelings to God?

Loving God, You’ve made me—as well as those who hurt me—in Your image. Help me to see them as You do.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – God Has Unlimited Power

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 “‘Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all’” (1 Chronicles 29:11).

God has unlimited power and ultimate control over everything.

There is no limit to God’s power. Revelation 19:6 says, “The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” In fact, one Hebrew name for God is El Shaddai (El means “God”; Shaddai means “almighty”). Another word for “almighty” is “omnipotent.”

God can do anything effortlessly. It is no more difficult for Him to create a universe than it is for Him to make a butterfly. We get tired when we work, but God’s infinite power never lessens: “The creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired” (Isa. 40:28).

Not only does God have unlimited power but also the authority to use it. “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Ps. 115:3). But God’s power, authority, and will are in harmony with His nature. He cannot sin, neither can He accept impenitent sinners. Such actions would contradict His holiness.

People often question what God does because they don’t understand that He can do anything He wants. They ask, “Why did God do that?” I’ve often replied, “Because He wanted to.” He showed His sovereignty—His ultimate control of everything—in showing mercy to some like Isaac and Jacob, while hardening the hearts of others like Pharaoh (Rom. 9:6-21). To those who object to God’s right to control such things, Paul said, “Who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay . . . ?” (vv. 20-21).

Never question God’s use of His power. He is in control, and “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds” (Ps. 145:17). We can trust that whatever He does, it’s for the best.

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for His infinite power and sovereignty.

For Further Study

Read Isaiah 40:21-31.

  • How has God demonstrated His power?
  • How has He demonstrated His sovereignty?
  • What comfort should that bring to you?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur 

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Prayer Produces Patience and Hope

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Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

— Romans 5:3-4 (AMPC)

It is easy to say, “Don’t worry.” But to actually do that requires experience with the faithfulness of God. When we trust God and then see and experience His faithfulness in our lives, it gives us great confidence to live without worry, fear, and anxiety.

That’s why it is so important to continue to have faith and trust in God in the very midst of trials and tribulations. With God’s help, we can steadfastly resist the temptation to give up and quit when the going gets rough. God uses those hard, trying times to build in us patience, endurance, and character that will eventually produce the habit of joyful and confident hope.

Always remember that when you are in a battle, you are gaining valuable experience that will benefit you in the future. You will more easily trust God when difficulty comes, and you will be able to testify to others regarding the goodness and faithfulness of God. If you are in a battle right now, you can let it defeat you or make you stronger! Make the right decision and let it help bring you into a deeper level of spiritual maturity.

Prayer of the Day: Father, You are a God Who is so marvelous, and I know You can work out things for my good—those things that Satan intends for my harm. Please strengthen my faith to trust Your faithfulness, even in trials. Help me grow in patience, endurance, and joyful, confident hope, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – The Key to Unity

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In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:22

When someone comes to Christ by faith, the transformation of their identity is comprehensive. In the language Paul employs in Ephesians 2, the dead sinner is now alive in Christ; the child of wrath becomes a child of God. But the new identity is not merely individual. We are not each of us alone in Christ; we are in Him with all of God’s people. This is why Paul, in Ephesians 2, moves from our individual experience of grace to the corporate work that God’s grace accomplishes. Paul tells us, “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (v 19). The “one new man” (v 15) that Christ is making is gloriously crowded with fellow heirs of grace. This is not to say that our individual human identity becomes irrelevant. Our background and our makeup—our sex, ethnicity, and personal history—are not obliterated in Christ. We are who we are, made in God’s image, fashioned according to His purposes. But what unifies us in Christ—our union with Christ—transcends everything else.

We must beware the temptation to forget the reason for our unity. No one is immune from turning elements of their identity into barriers—barriers of status, of color, of class, of personality type, or personal preferences. As Christians, we must be prepared to acknowledge how easy it is to get this wrong. We must be prepared, if we find ourselves guilty of such wrong, to repent from and grieve over that which displeases God.

The key to Christian unity is the gospel. Paul recognized that only God can soften hard hearts, only God can open blind eyes, and only God can bring disparate people together and form something truly, gloriously united. God is making “one new man,” and He is making that new man in His church. In Christ, God is building a “holy temple” (Ephesians 2:21) that is “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Partiality based on race, class, or status has no place in the place where God dwells by His Spirit. One day you will experience the fullness of your union with Christ and His people for eternity; but that can, and should, begin now. You have the privilege of fostering that unity today in the way you use your time and in the way you think of, pray for, and speak to your brothers and sisters in your church.

We are building day by day,
As the moments glide away,
Our temple, which the world may not see;
Every victory won by grace
Will be sure to find its place
In our building for eternity.[1]

Questions for Thought

How is God calling me to think differently?

How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?

What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 13

Topics: The Church Gospel Union with Christ Unity

FOOTNOTES

1 Fanny J. Crosby, “We Are Building” (1891).

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Has Not Given You a Spirit of Fear

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“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).

One day when Kelly was in second grade, she flipped a few pages ahead in her math book and saw little clocks all over the pages. She was going to have to learn how to tell time—on non-digital clocks! She was terrified. She was sure that she would never be able to learn that. From that moment on, she worried and worried and worried about the clock lesson.

When the day came to learn about telling time, Kelly was so worried and fearful that she could not even concentrate on the lesson. Just as she had feared, when she got her clock paper back, there were checkmarks next to almost every problem and a sad face at the top of the page! Her fear about that math lesson had taken over her mind and kept her from understanding.

Kelly eventually learned how to tell time on regular clocks. But she still sometimes allows herself to be controlled by sinful fear about other things. Any time that we are being controlled by fear, we are not being controlled by God. His Word says that fear does not come from Him. Instead, He gives us a spirit of power, love, and control. With God in control, we can be calm and clear-thinking, and we can obey everything that God tells us to do.

God does not give us a fearful spirit.

My Response:
» Is there sinful fear in my life that I need to confess to God? https://equipu.kids4truth.com

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Millions watch Taylor Swift watch the Chiefs win the Super Bowl

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More than one hundred million people watched the Chiefs’ overtime victory over the 49ers in yesterday’s Super Bowl. More than sixteen million of them then mysteriously contracted the “Super Bowl flu” and won’t be showing up for work today. Millions more plan to show up late. So many employees skip work the day after the big game that some state lawmakers are trying to make today an official holiday.

None of this surprises you, I assume. The Super Bowl has been an unofficial national holiday in America for years. What might surprise you is the number of fans watching yesterday’s game who have never watched football before.

They are called “Chiefties.”

The NFL has Taylor Swift to thank.

The “healing synthesis” we seek

The most watched watcher of football finished a four-night concert series in Tokyo on Saturday night, then crossed nine time zones to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, make nine catches for the Chiefs in yesterday’s game. Legions of her fans (known as “Swifties”), many of whom are new to football, watched the game so they could watch her watch the game.

Journalist David Samuels perceptively explains Swift’s popularity:

After spending the last fifty years tearing down the structures of families, churches, local government, ethnicity, gender, nations, and borders, a very large number of Americans now find themselves struggling to find rhythm and meaning to their lives.

The idea that Taylor Swift, of all people, can find happiness cheering for her boyfriend, a burly, bearded football star, seems well-deserved. It is also an embodiment of the kind of healing synthesis . . . a large majority of Americans want for themselves.

In a day when 76 percent of Americans believe their country is headed in the wrong direction and less than half are “very satisfied” with their own lives, Samuels’ analysis rings true.

But if we think we can find the “healing synthesis” we seek watching a pop star watch a football game, we’ll be sorely disappointed.

“We must be intent upon the eternal”

Taylor Swift traveled more than five thousand miles in her private jet to sit in a private suite at the Super Bowl. The Son of God traveled from heaven to earth to be born in a cave, executed on a cross, and buried in another cave.

Why? God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, my emphasis).

Fifteen centuries ago, St. Leo the Great explained:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, born true man without ever ceasing to be true God, began in his person a new creation and by the manner of his birth gave man a spiritual origin. What mind can grasp this mystery, what tongue can fittingly recount this gift of love? Guilt becomes innocence, old becomes new, strangers are adopted, and outsiders are made heirs. Rouse yourself, man, and recognize the dignity of your nature. Remember that you were made in God’s image; though corrupted in Adam, that image has been restored in Christ.

Consequently, as Leo noted:

“We are born in the present only to be reborn in the future. Our attachment, therefore, should not be to the transitory; instead, we must be intent upon the eternal.”

How to “stand near the fire”

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis noted:

If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire. If you want to get wet, you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prize which God could, if he chose, just hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you; if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? Once man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?

How can we “stand near the fire” today?

  • Make Christ the king of your life and day: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
  • Spend this day in his presence: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).
  • Think biblically and act redemptively: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).
  • Name your greatest challenge, then “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that [you] may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

The Anglican bishop Thomas Ken (1637–1711) penned a prayer that God will use to transform any who dare pray its words from their hearts:

Direct, control, suggest this day
All I design or do or say
That all my pow’rs with all their might
In Thy sole glory may unite.

For whose glory will your “pow’rs” unite today?

Monday news to know

Quote for the day

“This is the stunning message of Christianity: Jesus died for you so that he might live in you. Jesus doesn’t merely improve your old nature; he imparts to you an entirely new nature—one that is completely united with his.” —David Platt

Denison Forum

John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

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And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’.

1 Peter 4:8

Every relationship suffers seasons of difficulty. All marriages experience wear and tear. It speaks to life and our own humanity.

Circumstances beyond our control set us reeling. The day-to-day chipping away at our relationships can leave us bruised and exposed. Two imperfect people in close proximity, struggling against selfishness, often hurt one another.

Jesus, our Prince of Peace, brings hope to re-establish broken borders in our marriages. The enemy breaches the walls to cause isolation, resentment, and pain, but Jesus raises up a standard against him. He carries the banner of love into battle to vanquish him.

When storms arise – as they inevitably do – we must assess the damage to our relationships. We must determine if we played a role in inflicting the hurt, and we must be quick to repent and restore. Was I kind or seeking my own selfish desire? (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) What action can I take to begin the rebuilding process right away?

When our spouse causes us pain, Ephesians 4:32 encourages us to be compassionate, forgiving one another in the same way that Jesus has forgiven us. Confess your faults to one another, pray for one another, and God will bring healing and harmony (James 5:16).

Most importantly, love one another fervently. Tender devotion pulls up a quilt to generously cover offenses.

Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. Make Jesus the center of your marriage. A three-fold cord will not be easily broken. Let love lead!

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Exodus 34:1-35:9

New Testament 

Matthew 27:15-34

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 33:12-22

Proverbs 9:1-6

https://www.jhm.org

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Walk in the Way

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Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Jeremiah 6:16

 Recommended Reading: Luke 6:46-49

An American Old Testament scholar spent a summer studying in Jerusalem. He once listened to a Jewish rabbi recite the entire book of Psalms in Hebrew from memory. The rabbi didn’t miss a single word. In one sense, the rabbi knew the Bible, but in another sense he didn’t because he couldn’t see the Messiah—Jesus.

Likewise, there is a difference between knowing the way and walking in the way—a common biblical metaphor for the path one chooses to take. Jeremiah encouraged his hearers to seek the old, settled paths and “walk in [them].” And Jesus did the same: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) He went on to illustrate: The one who hears God’s words but doesn’t put them into practice is building a life without a foundation—destined to collapse (Luke 6:46-49).

Know the Bible? Yes! But the purpose of knowing is to discover the way in which to walk.

Apply yourself to the whole text, and apply the whole text to yourself.
J. A. Bengel

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – The Heart of God

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The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 

—2 Peter 3:9

Scripture:

2 Peter 3:9 

The heart of God is for everyone to be saved.

However, some people argue that it’s wrong to say that God loves everyone because if someone isn’t one of God’s elect, then God doesn’t love them and therefore didn’t die for them. This is foolishness.

We ought to take the gospel to every person because we don’t know who the chosen are—or are not. All we know is that God wants everyone to believe.

As Dwight L. Moody pointed out, “The whosoever wills are the elect, and the whosoever won’ts are the non-elect.”

Our responsibility is to bring the gospel to everyone we can. The apostle Paul wrote, “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ” (Colossians 1:28 NLT).

There is no denying the fact that the Bible appeals to the will of man. Jesus said, “Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die” (John 11:25–26 NLT).

Revelation 22 tells us, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life” (verse 17 NLT).

We get hung up on the hows and the whats of predestination, and we miss the whys. Why did God choose us from the foundation of the world? For what did He predestine us? We need to know the answers to these questions.

God chose us so that we could have fellowship and intimacy with Him. God wants us to be His children. Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (NLT).

Our sin separated us from God, but God adopted us into His family. That is why the Bible says, “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Galatians 4:6 nlt). This is the affectionate cry of a child. An English equivalent of “Abba” is “Daddy.”

God predestined us to be adopted into His family. But that is not all. He also predestined us to be holy and without blame. In Ephesians 1:4 we read, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (NLT).

This is the outgrowth of relationship. Realizing that we are children of God and that He has forgiven us causes us to want to live a life that honors Him. Holiness speaks of inward purity. And blamelessness speaks of outward purity. It means that we live it both on the inside and the outside.

As we spend time walking with God, we will want to become more like Him.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie
Days of Praise

Days of Praise – A Bag with Holes

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.


“Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:6)

This biting description of a frustrating lifestyle, penned by one of the Jewish post-exilic prophets, is both preceded and followed by this appropriate admonition: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5-7). When a professing believer somehow never seems to have enough, and his money bag seems filled with holes, it is time for him to consider carefully his ways before the Lord.

After all, our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is well able to supply all our needs. In context, Haggai is rebuking the people of Judah for tending to their own welfare and neglecting the work of God. “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled [paneled] houses, and this house [that is, the unfinished temple in Jerusalem] lie waste?” (Haggai 1:4).

Herein is an eternal principle. Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things [that is, food and drink and clothing]. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:32-33). If these necessities of life are not being provided, we urgently need to consider our ways. Are God’s kingdom and His righteousness really our first concerns?

We often quote the wonderful promise “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). But we must remember that this promise was given to a group of Christians whose “deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality,” because they “first gave their own selves to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:2, 5). HMM

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — God’s Great Love Cycle

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Bible in a Year :

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.

Romans 13:8

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

Romans 13:8–10

As a new believer in Jesus at the age of thirty, I had lots of questions after committing my life to Him. When I started reading the Scriptures, I had even more questions. I reached out to a friend. “How can I possibly obey all God’s commands? I just snapped at my husband this morning!”

“Just keep reading your Bible,” she said, “and ask the Holy Spirit to help you love like Jesus loves you.”

After more than twenty years of living as a child of God, that simple but profound truth still helps me embrace the three steps in His great love cycle: First, the apostle Paul affirmed that love is central in the life of a believer in Jesus. Second, by continuing to pay the “debt to love one another,” followers of Christ will walk in obedience, “for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). Finally, we fulfill the law because “love does no harm to a neighbor” (v. 10).

When we experience the depth of God’s love for us, demonstrated best through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we can respond with gratitude. Our grateful devotion to Jesus leads to loving others with our words, actions, and attitudes. Genuine love flows from the one true God who is love (1 John 4:16, 19).

Loving God, help us get caught up in Your great love cycle!

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

When have you struggled to feel loved by Jesus or to love like He loves? How does knowing Christ loves you completely and unconditionally change the way you love others?

Dear Jesus, please help me believe You love me so I can love others through the overflow of Your love for me.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – God Doesn’t Change

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 “‘Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end’” (Psalm 102:27).

God never changes, so He can be trusted to do what He says.

God alone is unchanging (or as the theologians say, immutable). The psalmist says, “Even [the heavens and earth] will perish, but Thou dost endure. . . . Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end” (Ps. 102:26-27). Though Israel deserved destruction for its sin, God was faithful to His covenant with Abraham, saying, “I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal. 3:6). James calls God “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow” (1:17).

What about those verses that say God changed His mind (e.g., Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:10)? Let’s look at an example. Jonah warned the wicked city of Nineveh of impending judgment. The city immediately repented, and “when God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” (3:10). Who changed? The people of Nineveh! God’s nature to punish evil and reward good remained the same, but the object changed.

You can’t blame the sun for melting the wax and hardening the clay. The problem is in the substance of the wax and clay, not in the sun. In a similar way, our standing before God determines how God acts toward us.

What does God’s unchanging character mean? To unbelievers, it means judgment. When God says, “The person who sins will die” (Ezek. 18:20) and “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), He means it. When He says Hell is eternal (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:10, 13-15), then it is.

To Christians, His immutability means comfort. If He loved me in the past, He loves me now and forever. If He forgave and saved me, He did so forever. If He promised me anything, His promise stands forever. If the Bible says, “My God shall supply all your needs” (Phil. 4:19), we know the power that supplied Paul’s needs is the same power that will supply ours. God told Israel, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3), and His love for us is the same.

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for His immutability, and thank Him for the comfort that brings you.

For Further Study

Find some promises God makes to His children in Scripture, and ask for faith to believe them, even when belief is difficult.

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Pay Attention to Your Heart

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Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them….

— Hosea 14:9 (NLT)

more to life than meets the eye—especially the natural eye. Things are not always what they appear to be, so we must learn to be discerning. Simply defined, discernment is spiritual understanding, and developing it takes practice. As we grow in our understanding of God’s Word and in our relationships with Him, we also grow in our ability to discern.

To live by discernment, we have to pay attention to our hearts. We have to know when we do not feel right about something. For example, let’s say a businessman has been looking for a certain kind of business deal for quite some time and an opportunity for such a deal finally presents itself. As he reviews the paperwork, the deal appears to be sound. But when he begins to pray about entering into the deal, he senses he should not do it. Even though everything appears to be in order, he just does not have peace about the deal. The more he prays, the more he feels he should not do business with the people involved in the deal. This man is looking beyond the natural elements of the deal and using his discernment.

The best way for me to help you learn to live by discernment is to offer this simple advice: if you don’t feel right about something in your heart, do not do it. You may discover later why you didn’t feel good about it, but you may not. Either way, you can be at peace knowing you used your discernment instead of making decisions based on your mind, your emotions, or natural circumstances. Discernment is a precious gift from God that will help you avoid a lot of trouble in life if you pay attention to it.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I pray and ask You to develop and increase my discernment as I study Your Word. And when something doesn’t feel right in my heart, help me to trust that it is You telling me it is not Your will for my life, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Alistair Begg

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg – Praying With Confidence

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Everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened … If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Luke 11:10, Luke 11:13

When a teenager who has just gotten her driver’s license asks her mom or dad for the car keys, it’s not typically a vague, half-hearted request. Instead, her mind is engaged and her will is focused: “Please can I have the car keys? I want the car. I’d like to use the car. I’m asking you for it now.”

Similarly, the verbs that Jesus uses to teach His disciples how to make requests to God in prayer—ask, seek, knock—convey urgency, consistency, and clarity. It’s as if He’s saying, I want you to pray in a way that involves humble, persistent determination. I want you to seek and to go on seeking, and I want you to knock with an urgent sincerity.

He is inviting you and me to come before our heavenly Father and simply to ask.

We must be careful about what we ask for, though. When we present our petitions before the Lord, they need to be tempered by the Spirit through what John Calvin calls the “bridle of the word of God.”[1] In other words, the Bible teaches that we can ask in total confidence for the things that God says are good and right—things like His help so that we can present our bodies as living sacrifices, grow as witnesses to the gospel, or increase our desire to worship. But we must not think that we can manipulate God, demanding that He gives us whatever will make our life easier or wealthier. It is possible to “ask and … not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3).

So we are to ask boldly, but we are also to ask humbly. We are to ask God to do great things, and then we are to accept His answer. There are good reasons why God will not always give us what we ask, even when what we ask is in itself good and godly. Our prayers are not always in accordance with His good and sovereign will. We cannot always determine what’s good for us—but God always knows what’s best for His children. Therefore, when we bring our requests before God, we must look to His word as our roadmap and remember that He is working to bring about His purposes for our lives and to conform us to the image of His Son.

So come before God and just ask. Your requests can be specific, and bold, and shaped by God’s word—and then you can expect, and indeed desire, God to answer them exactly as He sees fit.

Questions for Thought

How is God calling me to think differently?

How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?

What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?

Further Reading

Colossians 1:9–12

Topics: God’s Will God’s Word Prayer

FOOTNOTES

1 Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, trans. William Pringle (Calvin Translation Society, 1846), Vol. 3, p 19.

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg,

http://www.truthforlife.org